ReefKeeperSR's 75 gallon reef build

[ReefKeeperSR]

I Recently broke ground on my 75 gallon reef tank build. My current set up is a 72 bowfront seen below. I aquired the tank and stand about a year ago and recently made the decision to upgrade to a new 75 gallon tank, and build a custom stand and canopy.

This is an older picture of the 72 gallon tank...



Started working on the new stand with a good friend. Began with cutting and assembling the top and bottom frames using all 2x4's and a 2x6 for the top front beam.



Bottom assembled.



Top assembled.



Following with getting the legs cut and put together using an L shaped design with 2x4.



Test fitting.



Then cut the two pieces to completed the front two legs using 2x6's.



Drilled the pocket holes and fastened the frame together.





Frame all put together.

[ReefKeeperSR]

Next was to begin working on the shelving. Started by cutting blocks and drilling the pocket holes. These will be used to fasten the shelves to.







Then the plywood was cut to size and the shelves were test fit.

[Unome]

It's looking good. I'm not that much of a carpenter(my brothers got that skill from our dad) but I think when making the L-shaped legs, I would have reversed the way the legs are.

Meaning: Presently when everything is put together there is a straight line running from top of stand down the legs to bottom. By reversing the way the L-shaped legs were put together, part of the legs would have been overlapping the bottom(& top) of stand. Might have added a little structural support. But what you've got looks pretty solid.

Love the shelves.

[ReefKeeperSR]

Originally Posted by Unome

It's looking good. I'm not that much of a carpenter(my brothers got that skill from our dad) but I think when making the L-shaped legs, I would have reversed the way the legs are.

Meaning: Presently when everything is put together there is a straight line running from top of stand down the legs to bottom. By reversing the way the L-shaped legs were put together, part of the legs would have been overlapping the bottom(& top) of stand. Might have added a little structural support. But what you've got looks pretty solid.

Love the shelves.

Thats a good point, I didn't think about constructing the legs that way.

Thanks for the comments!

[ReefKeeperSR]

Got the top and bottom plywood sections cut out, fastened and routed to be flush with the frame. In addition the shelves have been secured to their mounting points.

Ended up having to remove one of the cross braces on the top and just center one on account of the overflow...Didn't compensate for where the bulkheads would be till the tank arrived.



Drilled shallow pocket holes for the shelving.



Got the top on and secured, along with sealing up the bottom seams with kalk in order to be water tight. Next up is paint! Had intentions to get the first coat done tonight but got tied up at work a little later than intended...



Lastly, the tank arrived!



Thanks for looking, much more to come!

[Devaji108]

looking very good!
I also DIY my stand for a 75. love the shelf's but did you factor that is when choosing a sump? for skimmer return pluming etc. I am doing a 40BR sump that just fits under my stand. so are you using a 20H or something?
coming along great. i'll be tagging along.
BTW you can see my build under: Teton reef project
cheers
Deva

[ReefKeeperSR]

Originally Posted by Devaji108

looking very good!
I also DIY my stand for a 75. love the shelf's but did you factor that is when choosing a sump? for skimmer return pluming etc. I am doing a 40BR sump that just fits under my stand. so are you using a 20H or something?
coming along great. i'll be tagging along.
BTW you can see my build under: Teton reef project
cheers
Deva

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with how the shelving came out. I will be using a 20 long for the sump, if my calculations are correct I should have plenty of room for the sump and a top-off container.

Thanks again for the kind words, I'll be stopping by your build!

[ReefKeeperSR]

Next up was to get two coats of paint on and let it dry good overnight. Then the third and final coat on the next day.





After the last coat of painting the frame will be skinned.

[Devaji108]

looking all shinny and new!
for my stand of my 40br macro display i almost but the bottom wood under too. but then decided to go on top for some reason. i like it both ways.

[ReefKeeperSR]

Originally Posted by Devaji108

looking all shinny and new!
for my stand of my 40br macro display i almost but the bottom wood under too. but then decided to go on top for some reason. i like it both ways.

I decided to put the wood on the bottom to give water a place to collect in the event of an overflow. The combination of thick latex exterior paint and the sealed edges, water will not ruin the wood...or the carpet the tank will be sitting on!

[ReefKeeperSR]

Started skinning the frame with the front side. Applied glue to the frame and lined up the oak sheet flush with the top side.



Followed with the nail gun.



Next we drilled out a starting point for the router to cut out the front opening.



Then began to route the opening



The piece that is cut out will be used to construct the doors.





Then repeated applying adhesive and nailing oak sheets to each side.

Finished off with filling the nail holes with wood filler and sanding off the access.





Finished the day off with a final seal and the last coat of paint.





Up next, trim...

Thanks for stopping by.

[ReefKeeperSR]

Work then began on the trim work. I decided to go with a roman ogee style combined with a cove.

Started with routing the full length of 1X4X10 boards with each style of bit.





After that the boards were cut to length and adhesive was applied. Following the routed board was lined up and nailed down to the stand.









Next the same steps were used to complete the top. There is a one and three quarter inch lip that the trim creates, this will be just enough to cover up the frame on the aquarium. Lastly we finished off the edges with some pre-routed molding.





Here's a full shot of the stand where we left off.

[jzdad]

Nice work. Simple yet sweet.

[richfavinger]

Sweet!... Just what I was looking for!... I'm planning an 90g. I assume this design would work for a 90g, just beef the wood up for the long cross members, like 2x6? My only concern is the way you did the legs, are they interlocking into the top and bottom some how, or did I miss something? Any worry about twisting?

I was also considering a 5' stand for a 4' tank (for in stand room and storage/sump...

[ReefKeeperSR]

Originally Posted by jzdad

Nice work. Simple yet sweet.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by richfavinger

Sweet!... Just what I was looking for!... I'm planning an 90g. I assume this design would work for a 90g, just beef the wood up for the long cross members, like 2x6? My only concern is the way you did the legs, are they interlocking into the top and bottom some how, or did I miss something? Any worry about twisting?

I was also considering a 5' stand for a 4' tank (for in stand room and storage/sump...

The design would work fine for a 90 gallon, but as you stated I would consider using larger boards for the frame work.

I have a buddy locally that made a longer and deeper stand for his 65 gallon tank, It worked out well for him. Like you said it gave him a lot of room for his sump and equipment since the 65 gallon is only three feet long I believe.

As far as the legs, I guess you could say they "interlock" at the top front where the 2x6 was used. Other than that, they are just screwed into the bottom 2x4 frame. Honestly I'm not worried about any sort of twisting, overall the frame is right on point, none of the boards had to be "forced" into fitting and being fastened together.

Thanks for the comments RC!

[ReefKeeperSR]

Next up was to break ground on the canopy.

After taking some measurements we began work on the frame, starting with the two ends.



Had to drill lots of pocket and pilot holes due to it being easy to split the 1x2's when fastening them together.



Beginning to take shape!





Now it was time to begin constuction on the door that will allow access to the tank.

Started by cutting 1X2's for the door frame.



Following with the assembly.



Used 1X4's across the middle to add some rigidity , and attached it to the canopy frame with two piano hinge's.



Then it was time to figure the hight the light fixture will need to sit. Ended up notching the top of the canopy frame on both sides to allow enough hight clearance to fit the two eighty milimeter fans directly under the fixture on each side.

[ReefKeeperSR]

The canopy was then skinned and test fit a final time.

The fence on my buddys table saw could not reach out as far as we needed it to in order to make the cuts on the large sheet of thin oak plywood. So in turn we through together a quick DIY fence with a 2x4 and some clamps on his work bench to run the circular saw on to achieve a straight cut. It ended up working quite well.



Once the three sheets were cut to size they were glued and tacked to the canopy frame, starting with both sides.



Then the front(door).





Fit like a glove!





Next steps will be to paint the inside of the canopy white and seal the seams with kalk, then begin to route and cut the boards that will form the trim on the canopy.

[birdman1979]

looking good!

[ReefKeeperSR]

Thanks!

[ReefKeeperSR]

It was now time to start the trim for the canopy.

Started off with making the miter cuts on the boards that we previously routed that will form the trim for the canopy.



Then starting with the front piece, each board was glued and nailed down.



When it came to doing the trim on the canopy we decided it would be best to have the trim on the door meet with the trim fastened to the canopy on the side instead of the on the corners where the miter cuts have been made so any imperfections would not be right in the front.

To achieve this we cut a three inch piece of trim and attached one side to the trim on the door.



Following with the last piece that will be fastened to the canopy only.



Next, the process was repeated for the bottom of the canopy as well as the next layer of trim.





And the finished product.





We also got the final layer of trim on the top of the stand and the bottom of the canopy that covers up the frame on the aquarium.

Top of the stand.



The setup as a whole.

[aquaenthusiast]

Holy smokes that looks really good, I am so impressed! I also have a 75 that I was looking to build a stand for and I think you have inspired me.

[ReefKeeperSR]

Originally Posted by aquaenthusiast

Holy smokes that looks really good, I am so impressed! I also have a 75 that I was looking to build a stand for and I think you have inspired me.

Thanks! Ive been wanting to build something like this for some time now, and I'm really happy with it.

I highly recommend building a stand to your liking if you have the tools and patients to do so. Best of luck!

[ReefKeeperSR]

Of the remaining construction, the first thing to tend to was the doors for the stand, starting with cutting the wood for the fame's and the oak plywood insert.





Next all eight of the pieces for the frame were ran through the tongue and grove bit on the table router. (iPhone didn't focus that great on these pictures)





Next Everything was glued and fit together, then left on a flat surface with some weight on top of them to dry for a few days.

The almost finished product.



Following each of the doors outside edge was routed by hand.





Then the backs of the doors were taped off and two coats of white paint were applied.



More to come!

[ReefKeeperSR]

After the doors, it was time to spray paint the back of the aquarium black.

Started by masking off everything but the back.



After a few coats of paint I let it dry good overnight to avoid any runs.



Next up was to drill the three inch holes that will allow the fans to take outside air into the canopy for cooling. We drilled four holes, two on each side.



Lastly to finish off the canopy it got a few coats of paint on the inside.



The final small task was to drill and cut out the hole for the bulk heads on the stand.

Started with drilling two three inch holes and finished with the jig saw to make an oval cut out.





Finished it off with some final painting.



At this time the stand and canopy have also been completely sanded and filled where need be. The whole set up then was left to sit inside the house to dehumidify in an air conditioned environment for a few days before the final look over for any separation that needs putty applied. Then it will all be stained.

[ReefKeeperSR]

Finally it was time to stain the tank, stand, and doors. This process actually went quite smoothly, which I was not expecting.

Started off with the first coat after taping off a few sections on each piece. (Sorry for the poor quality iPhone pictures at night time.)









Once the first coat was on it was left to sit over night and dry thoroughly. The next day steel wool was used to take the roughness out of the first coat, this worked extremely well for me. Then the dust was vacuumed, and each surface was wiped down. Finally the final coat of stain went on and everything was taken back inside to dry good in the A/C.

Thanks for looking, check back soon...the move is approaching...