Tucker's 150 Reef Build

[btucker7587]

I tore down my 40 Gallon last June in preparation for my 150 gallon that i am assembling at the moment. Gave my coral, rock, fish, everything to a friend. The only condition I had was that I get a frag of everything in his tank once I am fully running.

So here is my 40 just before I tore it down...

Had it for almost 2 years. Was not happy to see it go, but was definitely happy to rid myself of the HOB overflow...it was a complete pain in my butt. Especially when trying to clean it.


Ordered a 150gal tank (60x24x4) and I am setting it up slowly but surely....meaning, the stand isn't even built yet.

So here is the tank and sump-

I am building a very sturdy tank with plenty of weight distribution since I have traditional Japanese raised wood floors. My tank is only 60" long, but I made the stand about 96" long.

So, on to the stand.

This is the base. The top of the stand will be missing the center beam in order to accommodate my water return plumbing.

Got the supports in. I didn't put corner reinforcements in, so I went with L-Iron supports all around. I know it may look like it was a little over the top with em, but I prefer to be cautious.

Got all the supports in and part of the stand top. I had to move it inside last weekend due to a Super Typhoon that hit us here in Okinawa (VongFong).

The top of the stand in place. I am going to put some 1/2" plywood on top of the center of the stand that is pretty much the same size of the tank. Wanted the raw look on the top, so the side will still expose the planks.

With the plywood on top...It's a horrible pic, but didn't feel like taking another one...

Once the top is complete, will insert the floor and then get started on the electrical. Will update as i get stuff done. I really enjoy, literally, starting from scratch.

 

[murdock84]

That appears to be one heck of a stand!

 

[Rognin]

Hrmmm, I don't want to rain on your parade. But 4x4 dimensional lumber isn't the best choice. I'll admit though, it looks awesome!

 

[btucker7587]

Hrmmm, I don't want to rain on your parade. But 4x4 dimensional lumber isn't the best choice. I'll admit though, it looks awesome!

It is a bit clunky and it will be heavy as hell, but here in Okinawa we don't have the availability of lumber yards like I would have in the states. That and lumber is mad expensive. So basically, I decided on a lumber that would be able to hold the load without having to buy a ton of it.

 

[Rognin]

It is a bit clunky and it will be heavy as hell, but here in Okinawa we don't have the availability of lumber yards like I would have in the states. That and lumber is mad expensive. So basically, I decided on a lumber that would be able to hold the load without having to buy a ton of it.

Thing with 4x4 lumber is it twists and warps after a year or so.

Did you not have acces to ply? or 2x4's? Those are always better choices.

Just trying to give you a heads up before it starts. You'll see it when the wood is really dry.

 

[btucker7587]

Thing with 4x4 lumber is it twists and warps after a year or so.

Did you not have acces to ply? or 2x4's? Those are always better choices.

Just trying to give you a heads up before it starts. You'll see it when the wood is really dry.

Yea, experience in building decks for 18 years has shown me what happens if you buy 4x4's untreated and not previously dried. I made it a point to get them kiln dried. Lets hope it was done right.

The amount of 2x4's I would need for a 150g tank and 50g sump would be quite a bit, which, of course, would be much more money. They would have also been easier to work with. Just don't have the cash to pay $6 per 2x4 that is only 180cm long (about 6').

 

[btucker7587]

Started on the electrical, and have the floor cut, but I didn't have the breaker block I needed. Will finish that up once I get to the store. In the meantime, I am working on getting my rock assembled for the aqua-scape.

Pulled the rock off the beach and have kept it in the sun for about 6 months. Got quite a bit of it and i will be putting it together with putty and super glue.

 

[btucker7587]

Got the breaker and the block I needed for the electrical so I got started on it. I'll have outlets on the back wall under the stand and switches on the side. I have to run the switch lines back over the the outlet, so i used a piece of PVC as a conduit to keep it clean.

The front side of the switch panel. I will be wrapping my stand with the slats like you see here.

and the back side where the block and the breaker will be. I will also have an in-line GFI on the power...will post the whole panel once I am done putting it together.

 

[btucker7587]

Finally finished the power panel, which will be located behind the wraping on the left side of the tank. I will cover it on the inside with a small sheet of ply wood which will have the controller mounted on it eventually.

 

[btucker7587]

Will get a pic posted as soon as I take one...

 

[btucker7587]

Have the outlets wired and installed. They are a bit crooked, but I am being lazy right now and living with it...

The power panel was a bit of a pain. The exterior wrapping of the stand will be slats of finished wood, so I had to drill holed for wires, run main power line, lay in the floor, insert first panel, run internal wiring, insert second panel, connect wires and make needed length adjustments then insert third panel and mount GFI.

Here is the rear of the outlets. I used a piece of plywood just long enough to span two supports. The rest of the back wall of the stand will remain open in order to make it easy to access plumbing. I will seal up the backside of the electrical for safety, but that is it.

I use raised distribution blocks in order to distribute the hot line and ground to the outlets without having to run a ton of wires from the power panel to the outlets. Instead, I only had to run a single hot line and a single ground line to the back side of the outlets.

I used switches with lights on them (pic earlier in thread) that only light if something is plugged in. This makes it easier to see which outlets are occupied and which are not.

 

[btucker7587]

Plumbing parts came in...just in time since I just finished the electrical. The trick here is to combine imperial (American) plumbing with metric plumbing...Let the fun begin.

 

[thereeftank]

Watch those angles and screws, overtime they corrode in a humid stand. I have a stand built from 4x4s. So far so good, about 2 yrs old.

 

[btucker7587]

Watch those angles and screws, overtime they corrode in a humid stand. I have a stand built from 4x4s. So far so good, about 2 yrs old.

The wife and I have actually discussed how to prevent that. i was thinking of spraying it down with a spray sealant prior to operation. What do you think?

 

[btucker7587]

So...major setback. I did the math wrong on my support height and was off by two inches. I discovered the problem when I broke out the plumbing parts and started designing the plumbing for the tank.

So I have to break the entire stand down and raise it. I decided to raise it by 10 inches just to be sure I have room for everything this time around. The hardest fix is the side panel that already had the power installed on it.

Wanted it that low originaly so the kids could easily see into the tank. Will have to build a steping block or something to compensate for the additional height.

 

[btucker7587]

Breaking it down and putting in taller supports.

 

[murdock84]

Breaking it down and putting in taller supports.

 

[btucker7587]

Got the stand reassembled and now working on the plumbing. Raised the stand another 10" to allow more space to run plumbing and to get my skimmer in and out. Will be getting a polypropylene mat to place under the tank to make up for any gaps between the plywood and the tank and also paint the back of the tank black and then return it to the stand so I can permanently affix the plumbing.

Will post the results here soon.

 

[btucker7587]

Aside from the Electrical Outlet panel, the back of the tank will remain open. This is for easy access tot he plumbing as well as for cleaning the sump. The area above the outlets will be the mounting location for my Apex Controller (when it arrives). I will mount the Energy bars either on the ceiling or to the interior panel on the right side of the stand.

Once I get the plumbing established, I will start on the wrapping and the doors. For now, I prefer the ease of access to the underside of the stand since it is basically an all-in-one contained setup and space is limited.

 

[btucker7587]

I got asked a few questions about the stand by friends and associates as well as a few PM's.

What are the switches?
- Well, the switches are actually pneumatically sealed and modular with wire inserts. I like them because I can mount them directly to my stand without a box. Below is a closer look at what it looks like...
(Stand in picture is not related...it is a stand I built for a 55 gal tank a year ago)

These types of outlets and switches I have found only here in Japan. I would not be able to tell you where to get them in the States.

Why is your block and breaker mounted to wood? That's not safe!
- It isn't. My electrical is actually mounted to 10mm of textured Plexi. I put the switch plate in it just so you could see the switch style. The picture is a bit deceiving. I have another 19mm of wood layered in front of the plexi. The blocks are insulated and capped by clear plexi to prevent exposure and the breaker is insulated to make it moisture resistant.

I am still assembling the exterior front panel and I had to re-construct the side panel when I raised the stand by 10" but I will have a pic up as soon as it is done.


You are going to put your outlets in a box right?
- No. I will be putting silicon sealant over the contacts to make them water resistant. I didn't want the chance of water somehow gathering inside the box and sitting there. I used American style outlets for cost and they are spaced farther apart for bigger plugs.


The stand is raised and all exterior paneling has been removed. Once done with the exterior rebuild, I will put the pics up.

Right Now I am working on the plumbing.