The0wn4g3's 40 Breeder Overhaul

[The0wn4g3]

Hey all,
The forums have been a bit quite lately, so I thought I'd try to get some talk going.

I recently bought gflat's (thanks!) 40 gallon breeder, and I'm in the process of giving it an overhaul.

Here it is just after picking it up.

First, I stripped the stand down to the bare frame.

Next, I went to Lowes and bought all the 1/4" oak sheeting I needed, only to find their saw was broken... So, I went to Home Depot and bought some MDF.

Once the stand was skinned, I threw on 2 coats of Kilz primer, then 2 coats of rustoleum flat black, and followed that with a coat of krylon stain black spray paint.

While I was waiting for the coats of paint to dry, I started working on the tank.

Here's the tank after the trim was stripped. After a ton of scraping, all of the silicon was removed.

First euro-brace installed.

All done!

I've got a SCWD, and a 700 GPH and two return kits on the way. I was pretty nervous while installing the euro-bracing - 1/32" of wiggle room is pretty tricky. I have a feeling that drilling the tank 3 times is going to be pretty nerve racking, too.
Once the tank is drilled (hopefully tomorrow) I'll start on the plumbing. After that, comes building the pendant an pendant hanger.

 

[shirley386]

Wow, that looks good and looks like a lot of work. Why did you take out the overflow?

 

[gflat65]

Wow. That was a lot of work. When you drill, just take your time and don't put too much pressure (gotta love ambiguous details, huh). I used a spray bottle to cool the glass and bit throughout the drilling process. Expect to spend anywhere from 15-30 minutes per hole (less with good bits, but more with dull-and they can dull pretty quick). Can't wait to see it finished out.

 

[gflat65]

Is it safe to assume you'll go back with a glass overflow?

 

[The0wn4g3]

It was a lot of work. Classes start the 17th so I'm trying to get it done by then. I'm really glad you guys think it looks good.
I took the overflow out because I just drilled and replaced it with one from Glass-Holes.com. I have to say, after about 5 minutes of drilling that first hole I was sweating bullets. Once I got it done, the other 2 weren't near as bad since I knew what to expect. I'll post some photos as soon as my camera battery charges.
I also put another coat of flat black on the stand. I chip brush (cheap, and it shows) first coats and I could see some brush markers. I didn't think a $12 brush would really make a difference, but it's like freakin' night and day. Ultra smooth, no brush marks at all.

Tomorrow I plan to finish the stand doors by putting the hinges and nobs on. After that I'll hopefully have time to trim it out with molding. Maybe Friday I can start on the plumbing and have it up and running by Saturday. (like anything ever goes as planned)

 

[The0wn4g3]

Well, I got the glass drilled, and the camera charged.

Here's all the glass-holes stuff.

Drilling second hole.

Ta da.

some of the plumbing installed.

More to come tomorrow!

 

[WickedReefer]

looks great grant

 

[kennedy450r]

looks good cant wait to see it finished

 

[The0wn4g3]

Thanks guys!

Here's what I got done today --

Most of the plumbing finished

Trimmed out the stand

Stained and installed the stand doors.

Stained the stand trim.

Added the doors and put the sump in.

Almost there!!

I was going to finish the plumbing and get some water running tonight, but I don't think the neighbors would appreciate hearing a miter saw cutting through 1.5" PVC at 1 AM. Sadly, my PVC cutters can't quite tackle 1.5", so I'll have to wait till the morning. Once I get the liverock aquascaped I've got to run to Lowes and return a bunch of schedule 80 plumbing (thank goodness, stuff's too pricey) and build a light hanger and pendant.

 

[gflat65]

No hacksaw handy?

That looks incredible, Grant. You do some great work.

 

[wpecoul]

Really, really nice, Grant.

 

[The0wn4g3]

Thanks for all the great comments guys. Here's the finished product. I actually finished late Friday, a whole day ahead of time!

I'm very please with it so far. I still need to paint, trim, and stain the DIY pendant.
The only thing that is disappointing, is i can't run the mag-7 return 100% (only about 60% with no noise) without getting a lot of noise from the glass-holes overflow. I think this is due to back pressure on in the sump where the water is flowing in, so I'm going to fiddle with that until I can quite it down.

On the plus side, I've got to give major kudos to the SCWD. It's awesome, and so far the coral really love it. Once I get the mag-7 to 100%, I'll probably order 2x eductors and remove the Koralia 3 completely.
Now the fun part of actually enjoying the tank is here

PS: If anyone needs a glass tank drilled, I've got 2 diamond holes saws.

 

[wpecoul]

Where did you get the power switch bank? Anywhere local or online?

 

[The0wn4g3]

I got it from a music and DJ store in Hoover for $30, but tons of places on-line carry them. It's suppose to be a DJ stage control unit, but works wonders on a reef tank. If I want to turn off the return pump, I switch #2 - skimmer, #3. It's great.

http://www.google.com/products?q=am...a=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4

 

[gflat65]

I got mine from ebay, Will.

 

[wpecoul]

Thanks to both of you. I may check the local Guitar Center vs. eBay and pick one.

 

[kennedy450r]

what size hole saws are they

 

[LovenBama]

you went BB? looks nice but kinda wondering(cause I'm still learning) just how your sump is set-up so that the larger compartment on the left is full of water and the right side not? Is there a purpose for it being that way and if so...can you explain the benefits

 

[The0wn4g3]

I've got a hole saw for a 1.5" bulkhead and one for a 3/4" bulkhead.

Yeah, I much prefer BB over substrate. After awhile it grows over with coralline algae and looks real nice. Plus, cleaning a BB is a breeze!
I've separated my sump into two sections with a sheet of 1/4" acrylic so that I have about 5 gallon on the return pump side and 20 gallons for the refugium. In the 5 gallon section I have my auto top-off, so when water evaporates it "shows" in the smaller section and gets refilled automatically. As it stands now, I have a 1" hole cut in the acrylic which the water drains through, which is causing excess noise due to the constriction of the 90deg. elbow. I'm planning on replacing the acrylic with glass and using the 1.5" hole saw to widen the drain and allow a faster flow rate through the sump. So basically, It's for the ATO and to keep the cheato from getting sucked up the return pump.

 

[kennedy450r]

what kind of adhesive did you use on euro brace thanks