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Post by chefzilla on May 11, 2011 21:59:18 GMT -8
Heres my new baby...LOL Its a 125 gallon 48" x 25" x 24" built with 1/2" glass all the way around. Soo right now were just building the stand. Making it 4" deeper that the tank just in case of a earthquake (because the tanks top heavy and want to have a wider base for support) The structure of the stand is a BEAST! You can rest a mid sized car on it no prob..lol... Yeah its overkill but i want the extra "insurance" . Heres the tank and wood  Heres part of the frame...  Pretty tight... Thats just glue holding at the moment... Later we used 2 1/2" screws..  Frame is almost done... Yeah the outside 2x4s dont look great but once again... STRENGTH!!!  Theres 2 2x4s running under that plywood connected to the sides for added strength, As there will be 3 more (2 in back 1 in front) that run up n down for more STRENGTH!! LOL  Tomorrow were adding the braces (extra 2x4s) and the bottom plywood (thats where im putting a 55 gallon sump) Than gotta sand it and stain it.. THAN it should be ready to test run the tank... My only problem is wondering it if will fit in my doorway to my room... Maybe we have to take off the bottom to shimmy it in there (i hope not!)  |
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Post by Richard on May 11, 2011 23:48:35 GMT -8
Is that Mario's Suzuki GSXR sportbike in the background? You didn't tell me he rides! I've got a Kawasaki 636 ninja.
The stand looks great. Building your own stand is definitely the way to go to get those super custom specs. Are those 4x4s for the vertical beams? I can't wait to see your tank all setup. You should post some pics of your fancy new light!
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Post by cea on May 11, 2011 23:48:04 GMT -8
Looks good  |
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Post by chefzilla on May 12, 2011 8:51:59 GMT -8
Its not marios, Its his room mate pats. Mario had an older gsxr but just sold it. Its his baby. I wont let him see the pics of us working on the stand in the garage.. He will have a tissy fit that were getting dust on it..LOL. And yes those are 4x4s... Its overkill but i want it super duper uper sturdy!! And i'll be posting pics of the light later... we gotta keep people coming back to read the thread... ;-) LOL
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Post by Richard on May 12, 2011 10:33:16 GMT -8
How did you cut the corners of the 4x4's like that? That's a really neat idea. I want to use that for the next time I have to build a stand.
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Post by chefzilla on May 12, 2011 13:03:21 GMT -8
I'll tell you that it was a pain in the butt! We were looking for a bandsaw but they only had small ones at home depot. Soo we ended up using a circular saw and a sawz all. It's not perfect cuts but they will work. A few had to be filed and sanded to make it fit properly. Basically your notching out a space that the 2x4 fits in. Now time to get back to sanding.
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rayray
Junior Member
Posts: 78
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Post by rayray on May 12, 2011 13:22:26 GMT -8
Wow nice! I see you cut a type of puzzle joint for the weight bearing posts. Im gonna do that for my fuge stand as well, super strong...
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Post by Richard on May 12, 2011 13:49:15 GMT -8
Oh ok yeah I was thinking that cut would be pretty hard to pull off with tools that I have. And now I know it is! I was hoping there was a better tool to make those kind of cuts. Oh and I"m super protective of my bike as well. You can ask Carrie haha.
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Post by chefzilla on May 18, 2011 9:40:33 GMT -8
Heres the finished stand.. Well i have to cut a few holes for the drain and return. After my therapy ill be going back out there and doing a test run on the tank and sump. Wish me luck!!!  |
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Post by chefzilla on May 20, 2011 23:46:13 GMT -8
Now im working on the plumbing.. Got most of it done. When i get back down there (my buddys house) I'll work out the kinks and get it running with fresh water for a few days. Check for leaks ect ect..  The tank and 55 gallon sump underneath. They still need to be situated on the stand. Right now they are unbalanced. I'll be running a NNR system, Chateo and mangroves As well as reef mud. Also gona run a decent sized skimmer. I want to run some kind of reactor for phosphate. These pics arnt the best.  |
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Post by sophelia76 on May 21, 2011 5:31:12 GMT -8
Nice set-up! I'm about to plumb a new tank so hope you don't mind a couple questions. I see you have check valves on each return line. I'm assuming to prevent back-siphoning from the returns? I have a single check-valve down in my sump area on my tank now, but I really like the valve on each return. What brand are those valves and where did you find them? Thanks!!
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Post by chefzilla on May 21, 2011 10:50:20 GMT -8
Hello Sophelia76, As far as brand i dunno. I picked them up at scales in tails in burbank (hes pricey, $25 each, they are 1") But they are the good ones that dont use a metal return spring. They are on a rubber thigamajig Soo they wont fail. (at least thats what they said). As far as having 2 of them, Im running 2 Rios for returns because i always want to always have my tank flowing. Just in case one pump dies that other will at least keep the tank filtering.
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Post by chefzilla on Jul 25, 2011 13:25:06 GMT -8
Well my tanks up and running. My problem is it looks like i have air bubbles or separation on one of the sides.. I dont have that much experience with glass tanks. Can someone please let me know if this is ok... i dont care for the white coloration. But if its not going to make the tank collapse im going to keep it up. Its braced at the top (sides) with a 4"x1/2" glass and standard black bracing as well. Heres the side in question.  Heres a full tank shot. I dont have everything placed where i want it..  Heres the sump...  i have about 25 lbs of coarse aragonite sand i was thinking of adding in here, Actually making a partition with 3" acrylic and putting my mangroves planted partially into it and the other side chateo and other types of macro algae.  Ill get a "full setup" shot here soon. |
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Post by sophelia76 on Jul 25, 2011 18:47:47 GMT -8
Nice! Sorry, I don't have any experience with glass tanks either. I'll be fun to "watch" as the tank grows out!
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Post by chefzilla on Jul 26, 2011 18:50:29 GMT -8
Heres the light, 200 watt reefkoi LED. 20K  heres how im hanging the light.. its about 11" off the water and about 22" from the nearest coral  Its level :-)  |
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