The Journey - 300+ Gallon System Build - Picture Heavy - Page 2

bpcardona · 01/12/2013, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwhit1406

Have you thought about having access at one or both of the ends to get to your electrical. The bookshelf idea is really cool but it would get old taking it about to to get in there.

This is the plan:

I want the backing to slide out of the way when I need access. This is the reason I have the second level of supports. I hope this turns out.

This is the back closed

and opened

Calepy86 · 01/13/2013, 01:12 PM

Taggin along looking forward to seeing how it all turns out... I would like to something similar but my garage is detached. I would like to build a fish room out there with breeding set up and tie it into a 120-200 DT in the wall in living room.

bpcardona · 01/13/2013, 08:24 PM

So here is a progress update! I am pretty happy with how it is turning out. I plan in doing some trim work in the morning and start the staining process. Any recommendations on stain?

fishgate · 01/14/2013, 06:24 AM

The light-blue 2x4s are all in sheer. I suggest you either forget about the notching of the 4x4 (green) at all or notch it deeper to allow room for the red 2x4 and the green 2x4 to both rest on top of it.

Calepy86 · 01/14/2013, 09:50 AM

Since already built you could add some corner braces under the 2x4s on the sides to add some strength and rigidity or even a vertical 2x4 under them.

bpcardona · 01/14/2013, 03:36 PM

So here is what I got done this morning:

Base

Some Trim

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calepy86

Since already built you could add some corner braces under the 2x4s on the sides to add some strength and rigidity or even a vertical 2x4 under them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishgate

The light-blue 2x4s are all in sheer. I suggest you either forget about the notching of the 4x4 (green) at all or notch it deeper to allow room for the red 2x4 and the green 2x4 to both rest on top of it.

Thanks guy for keeping the amateur safe. As you can see once I got your message I pulled off the skin and added a brace.

Brace

Trim on base

Final Product

screamingibis · 01/14/2013, 07:27 PM

not to get far off topic, but with that much money you're putting into this system, don't skimp on a good backup generator.

bwhit1406 · 01/14/2013, 08:05 PM

That is a sweet looking stand. I was not really understanding what you had planned for the shelves but now after seeing your picture it all makes sense.

MilkWeed18 · 01/15/2013, 02:55 AM

nice to have a local on here. I live a few min from you. Looking forward to your build.

asudavew · 01/15/2013, 09:55 AM

That looks really nice!

I'm starting a 55 gallon.......
My second try at SW.

bpcardona · 01/15/2013, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by screamingibis

not to get far off topic, but with that much money you're putting into this system, don't skimp on a good backup generator.

This is certainly not off topic! You make a great point and I have looked into a few. Thanks for the suggestion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwhit1406

That is a sweet looking stand. I was not really understanding what you had planned for the shelves but now after seeing your picture it all makes sense.

It is always difficult to translate someone else ideas. I think the stand came together quite nice! I can't wait to stain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MilkWeed18

nice to have a local on here. I live a few min from you. Looking forward to your build.

Thanks for the comments. I have met several locals during this project and have been impressed with everyone gratuity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by asudavew

That looks really nice!

I'm starting a 55 gallon.......
My second try at SW.

Thanks for the comment. I wish you the best of luck with your setup. Are you going to do a Thread on your build? If so you should provide a link here.

bpcardona · 01/16/2013, 01:04 PM

With the stand almost complete, I have turned my some of my attention to the next phase of this project, Plumbing. To be honest I am not looking forward to the segment in the build. I believe this will be the slowest and most irritating.

However, with that said I look forward to the conversation and suggestion of those following/joining. To get this part started I have design a concept sump. Below are the diagrams showing the potential project. The tank that will be used is a standard 55 gallon (thank you petco for your 1/gallon sale). The layout will be as follows.

The return pipes will be submerged in the first 2 inches of this chamber. The water will then be forced to pass through the 4 filter socks (4"). Below the sock will be a chamber that allows water to overflow into the refugium. It will then pass through a final bubble trap into the return camber. I believe I want to have an external pump so this chamber will likely be drilled on the side.

sirreal63 · 01/16/2013, 01:32 PM

A couple of things to note on the design and materials, if the socks clog the sump will overflow, you need a bypass in case that happens. Also, off the shelf 55 gallon tanks are typically tempered on all panes of glass, no drilling will happen on a tempered tank.

bpcardona · 01/16/2013, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirreal63

A couple of things to note on the design and materials, if the socks clog the sump will overflow, you need a bypass in case that happens. Also, off the shelf 55 gallon tanks are typically tempered on all panes of glass, no drilling will happen on a tempered tank.

Some good points made here. In regards to the overflow problem. This can be solved simply by leaving the top section of glass short. Regarding the tempered glass. I did some research before buying and everyone seemed to state that the bottom was tempered and the side were glass. However upon your questioning, I call Aqueon. They have told me that the standard is for the sides to be all glass. She did how however recommend for me to do a lens test before drilling. So with that said, I will document that when I get to that point.

As always thanks for the comment.

bpcardona · 01/21/2013, 03:32 PM

So here are three coats of stain. I went with a "golden oak" stain. I have put three coats on and i am fairly happy with the color. I sanded by hand between coats using 220 grit. The only portion of the stand I dont like is the trim peice on the bottom. It doesn't seem to want to soak up the stain. I maybe should have sanded this with a lower grit before starting. I only have to wait 8 hour then it gets 2 coat of polyurethane.

Fishystuff22 · 01/22/2013, 07:05 AM

Coming along very well. That stand looks nice!

Cymonous · 01/22/2013, 08:29 AM

I think it looks nice and shiny with the Poly coat.

Ocfishguy · 01/22/2013, 10:23 AM

Looks good, cant wait for more pics

bpcardona · 01/23/2013, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cymonous

I think it looks nice and shiny with the Poly coat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ocfishguy

Looks good, cant wait for more pics

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishystuff22

Coming along very well. That stand looks nice!

Thanks for the support, I should be putting the final coat on tonight. Looking forward to see it with the tank in place!

bpcardona · 01/26/2013, 09:57 AM

This build just got bigger! I found a 220g that fits my stand prefect. I held off on building the canopy for this exact reason. I am glad I way waited. The stand has gotten it's last coat off polyurethane, and looks great. Picture to follow!

bpcardona · 01/27/2013, 04:33 PM

Okay so today was a big day. This project was originally set to have a display tank of 150g. Well bigger is always better, and I found just that. I found a 220g tank that fit my stand perfectly, and at a reasonable price. We went to pick it up today and it looks brand new. I had some help around so I moved the current tank, and place the newer larger tank in place. Just moving the old 54g corner was a pain. I drained the tank about half way into a 55 gallon tank. We were able to slide it out of the way and hook it back up.

Now to the hard part. I thought I might have to take off the quarter round in order to fit the tank, but it wasn't that easy. It never is. I had to take the off the quarter round, door trim, light switch plate and switch, baseboard, and even chisel away some of the rock from the fireplace. Unfortunately this wasn't discovered until we had already lifted that tank onto the stand. It just wouldn't fit. So down it came, and all the trim work came down. Once the tank was in place, it was obviously worth the effort. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Stand in Place

Much Harder then it seems

Looking ahead

bluegreg1997 · 01/27/2013, 06:04 PM

Well done

alan.reef · 01/27/2013, 06:26 PM

your wood working impressive..keep it up..

woodnaquanut · 01/27/2013, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alan.reef

your wood working impressive..keep it up..

So are your Photoshop skills!

How do you get to things that get into the overflow? Will there be access from the back?

LadyQuorra · 01/27/2013, 08:54 PM

LOL @ "Looking Ahead" Great job!

01/13/2013, 08:24 PM	#28
bpcardona Trying to hard Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Lake Alfred, Fl Posts: 871	So here is a progress update! I am pretty happy with how it is turning out. I plan in doing some trim work in the morning and start the staining process. Any recommendations on stain? __________________ --Brian--- Tanks: 220G DT - 55G custom sump - 40G frag - 40G QT - Livestock: Clowns - Blonde Naso Tang - Blue Hippo Tang - Diamond Watchman Goby - Molly Miller -

01/14/2013, 06:24 AM	#29
fishgate Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Damascus, MD Posts: 3,340	The light-blue 2x4s are all in sheer. I suggest you either forget about the notching of the 4x4 (green) at all or notch it deeper to allow room for the red 2x4 and the green 2x4 to both rest on top of it. __________________ 125RR in-wall, 40B Sump, CS180 BM Skimmer, ATI 4x80 watt, eheim 1262, custom wrap around rock wall, ReefKeeper Elite 120g in-wall, 40B Sump, PC 54wx4, Jabao DC-6000 (full siphon), future seahorse t Current Tank Info: 125g, 120g, 2x40b sumps, ATI 4x80 T5HO

01/14/2013, 08:05 PM	#33
bwhit1406 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Land O Lakes, FL Posts: 851	That is a sweet looking stand. I was not really understanding what you had planned for the shelves but now after seeing your picture it all makes sense. __________________ 150 Gallon mixed reef mix of lighting Metal Halide, Led, and T5

01/15/2013, 02:55 AM	#34
MilkWeed18 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Orlando Posts: 135	nice to have a local on here. I live a few min from you. Looking forward to your build. __________________ "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

01/16/2013, 01:04 PM	#37
bpcardona Trying to hard Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Lake Alfred, Fl Posts: 871	With the stand almost complete, I have turned my some of my attention to the next phase of this project, Plumbing. To be honest I am not looking forward to the segment in the build. I believe this will be the slowest and most irritating. However, with that said I look forward to the conversation and suggestion of those following/joining. To get this part started I have design a concept sump. Below are the diagrams showing the potential project. The tank that will be used is a standard 55 gallon (thank you petco for your 1/gallon sale). The layout will be as follows. The return pipes will be submerged in the first 2 inches of this chamber. The water will then be forced to pass through the 4 filter socks (4"). Below the sock will be a chamber that allows water to overflow into the refugium. It will then pass through a final bubble trap into the return camber. I believe I want to have an external pump so this chamber will likely be drilled on the side. __________________ --Brian--- Tanks: 220G DT - 55G custom sump - 40G frag - 40G QT - Livestock: Clowns - Blonde Naso Tang - Blue Hippo Tang - Diamond Watchman Goby - Molly Miller -

01/13/2013, 01:12 PM	#27
Calepy86 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 36	Taggin along looking forward to seeing how it all turns out... I would like to something similar but my garage is detached. I would like to build a fish room out there with breeding set up and tie it into a 120-200 DT in the wall in living room.

01/14/2013, 09:50 AM	#30
Calepy86 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 36	Since already built you could add some corner braces under the 2x4s on the sides to add some strength and rigidity or even a vertical 2x4 under them.

01/14/2013, 07:27 PM	#32
screamingibis Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Maysville, GA Posts: 375	not to get far off topic, but with that much money you're putting into this system, don't skimp on a good backup generator.

01/15/2013, 09:55 AM	#35
asudavew Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: San Angelo, Texas Posts: 1,010	That looks really nice! I'm starting a 55 gallon....... My second try at SW.

01/16/2013, 01:32 PM	#38
sirreal63 Go Spurs Go!!! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meadowlakes Texas Posts: 13,357	A couple of things to note on the design and materials, if the socks clog the sump will overflow, you need a bypass in case that happens. Also, off the shelf 55 gallon tanks are typically tempered on all panes of glass, no drilling will happen on a tempered tank. __________________ Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon.

01/21/2013, 03:32 PM	#40
bpcardona Trying to hard Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Lake Alfred, Fl Posts: 871	So here are three coats of stain. I went with a "golden oak" stain. I have put three coats on and i am fairly happy with the color. I sanded by hand between coats using 220 grit. The only portion of the stand I dont like is the trim peice on the bottom. It doesn't seem to want to soak up the stain. I maybe should have sanded this with a lower grit before starting. I only have to wait 8 hour then it gets 2 coat of polyurethane. __________________ --Brian--- Tanks: 220G DT - 55G custom sump - 40G frag - 40G QT - Livestock: Clowns - Blonde Naso Tang - Blue Hippo Tang - Diamond Watchman Goby - Molly Miller -

01/22/2013, 07:05 AM	#41
Fishystuff22 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 64	Coming along very well. That stand looks nice! __________________ 300 gallon 8 ft mixed reef all LED. Current Tank Info: 300 gallon mixed reef all LED

01/22/2013, 08:29 AM	#42
Cymonous My Clown Attacks Me Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 2,105	I think it looks nice and shiny with the Poly coat. __________________ 100 Gallon Long with 20L sump 10 Gallon Office Tank Current Tank Info: 2 False Percula Clowns, One Spot Foxface, Diamond Watchman Goby, Yellow Tail Damsel, Engineer Goby

01/22/2013, 10:23 AM	#43
Ocfishguy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 77	Looks good, cant wait for more pics

01/26/2013, 09:57 AM	#45
bpcardona Trying to hard Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Lake Alfred, Fl Posts: 871	This build just got bigger! I found a 220g that fits my stand prefect. I held off on building the canopy for this exact reason. I am glad I way waited. The stand has gotten it's last coat off polyurethane, and looks great. Picture to follow! __________________ --Brian--- Tanks: 220G DT - 55G custom sump - 40G frag - 40G QT - Livestock: Clowns - Blonde Naso Tang - Blue Hippo Tang - Diamond Watchman Goby - Molly Miller -

01/27/2013, 04:33 PM	#46
bpcardona Trying to hard Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Lake Alfred, Fl Posts: 871	Okay so today was a big day. This project was originally set to have a display tank of 150g. Well bigger is always better, and I found just that. I found a 220g tank that fit my stand perfectly, and at a reasonable price. We went to pick it up today and it looks brand new. I had some help around so I moved the current tank, and place the newer larger tank in place. Just moving the old 54g corner was a pain. I drained the tank about half way into a 55 gallon tank. We were able to slide it out of the way and hook it back up. Now to the hard part. I thought I might have to take off the quarter round in order to fit the tank, but it wasn't that easy. It never is. I had to take the off the quarter round, door trim, light switch plate and switch, baseboard, and even chisel away some of the rock from the fireplace. Unfortunately this wasn't discovered until we had already lifted that tank onto the stand. It just wouldn't fit. So down it came, and all the trim work came down. Once the tank was in place, it was obviously worth the effort. Take a look and let me know what you think. Stand in Place Much Harder then it seems Looking ahead __________________ --Brian--- Tanks: 220G DT - 55G custom sump - 40G frag - 40G QT - Livestock: Clowns - Blonde Naso Tang - Blue Hippo Tang - Diamond Watchman Goby - Molly Miller -

01/27/2013, 06:04 PM	#47
bluegreg1997 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Huntley IL Posts: 188	Well done

01/27/2013, 06:26 PM	#48
alan.reef Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: new york Posts: 114	your wood working impressive..keep it up..

01/27/2013, 08:54 PM	#50
LadyQuorra Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Orlando, FL (OIA) Posts: 91	LOL @ "Looking Ahead" Great job!