# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Karl's Parts And Construction Journal (NEW PICS: Oct 08, 2003)



## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Yesterday I finally broke down, went out to Home Depot and bought all the wood I should need and some screws.

SUPPLIES:

1 - 3/4" plywood ($27)
1 - 1/2" plywood ($20)
2 - 1/2" sheet of birch (2x$36 = $72)
20 - Douglas Fir 2x4s. 8 feet long. (20x$2.44 = $49)
3 - 1 5/8" wood screws(1 pound box) (3x$4 = $12)
1 - 3" wood screws(5 pound box) ($17)
12 - door hinges (2x$1 = $12)
*TOTAL: ($209)*

* Keep in mind that some of this stuff will be returned (probably some of the 2x4s).

Tools used thus far:

*Hammer*
*Two drills*, one with a phillips head bit and one with a drill bit.
*Ratchet tie downs*. I don't have large clamps, so these are a good/cheap alternative. Actually came in handy.
*circular saw*
*Extension cord* for each corded power tool (2 in my case)
*A digital camera* (really, don't forget this. You might forget to document steps as often)
*A level*
*Square*. I have one but can't find it. I had to use the corner of a sheet of plywood.
*C-Clamps (5+")*. These come in handy when you are trying to square things off. I used one so far.
*Weights*, I used some weights to hold pieces in place while I drill, trying to get things square, etc.

The first two images are the 2x4's and the sheets of plywood.

Here are 20 2x4s. I estimated 14 for the stand and so far the count is 10. I think I way over-estimated, but I'll be taking the left overs back anyways.









Here's the plywood:
one sheet of 3/4 plywood and 2 sheets of 1/2 high grade birch for the finish.









------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.

[This message was edited by kherman on Tue July 08 2003 at 05:30 AM.]

[This message was edited by ekim on Thu October 09 2003 at 03:17 AM.]


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Time to start building. Since the basement floor that this is eventually going to go in is un-even, I first had to start try to make the top corners square. I started by doing the back piece in case I made any mistakes, I wouldn't repeat them in places where it might become harder to fix. I started with the end support pieces only.









I finsihed the back piece by patiently placing additional 2x4 supports between the end pieces. Total over-kill, but it's just how I build stuff.









The next step was to add the bottom pieces on. This was a pain in the butt, just trying to get everything squared away.









Now I framed the face piece. There is a temporary board nailed into the top to hold everything in place temporarily.









------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

In between the front and back piece, I added a middle support. I actually think this was worth while. I just had to be VERY sure about making this piece so that the tops of all three support sections are perfectly level as to prevent bowing or a teeter-tawter(sp?) effect when the tank goes on. It was relatively easy to do actually, just by running 2x4s accross the top of the stand and using a scrap piece of 2x4 to mimic the top piece. Got out hte ol' tape measure and I got exact measurments. I jsut had to be VERY careful not to screw this step up.









Ah, the last photo. I added some bracing to prevent any back to forth motion that is not locked in. You can see this on the left and right side on the inside of the stand. Well, atleast it's visible on the right hand side. The left hand side does have a similar support. I also threw the top piece on. I can officially say that the top is 100% square!








The level on top is there to show that the stand will be level once placed in the basement it is going in. The good news is that after all this work, everything appears to be perfect!!! I guess the best advice is to plan, plan and plan some more until you can almost build the estand without needing your notes. I played with sketches for about one week.

I hope to have the stand construction done by this weekend (minus finish, hinges and door handles)

All that's left is to put some 2x4s up front in order to attach the door hinges to, but I'm still trying to decide how big the doors will be. I'll also be glueing some 1/4" or 3/8" plywood to the top of the stand to get the tank away from any screws that are attached to the top. I'll also be buying a sheet of 1/2 plywood to line the bottom of the stand with. Once the filter/pump and that stuff arrive, I might add permanant shelving to the left side.

I can sit on the stand (220 lbs) and shake around and it barely budges right now. The dead weight of a fish tank should be no problem.

More pics to come as things get done









Karl

------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Time line so far.

Went to Home Depot and bought stuff. That's about an hour round trip.

What you see right now took about 6 hours to build.

When I got done with the framing and was sitting on the stand I realized something. MAN, THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG TANK. I'm gettting more excited every day.

------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.

[This message was edited by kherman on Tue June 10 2003 at 05:22 AM.]


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## Guest (Jun 10, 2003)

Karl,

Great job so far. Keep us posted.

Join as at www.njas.net


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

Looks awesome so far.
How tall is the stand going to be?

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

James,

The current dimension are as follows:
64" wide
29" deep
41" tall

Once all is said and done, I expect it to be about 41.5" high. I wanted to keep the stand in the 40"-41" range. I messed up the math somewhere.

I should have some more pics up on Thrusday, I hope. I'll either start the canopy frame or just work more on the base. Today, I'll be getting more supplies.

Jay,
Thanks









......... Off to AH supply







Time to order some lighting!


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

I assume that Kherman has looked at the ramifications of his design and is happy with them, but for the sake of others who are reading I thought I'd point out a couple details.

The stand is 40+ inches tall. I'm not sure what size tank is going on the stand. Any tank over 20" high will have it's top rim 5 feet off the ground. Unless you're seven feet tall you will probably need a ladder to do maintenance on the tank.

Normal glass aquariums with frames support their weight on the frame. The frame extends some distance below the bottom glass. Normally the bottom glass is not supported from below. In fact, any upward pressure on the bottom glass must be avoided because that would tend to break the bottom seals. A solid top like Kherman is using is good for bracing the stand, but it does not and should not support the bottom of the tank. Acrylic tanks and (I assume) frameless glass tanks would be different.


Roger Miller


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Roger,

Very valid points. You're corect. I decided on the 40" height due to it's location in the room. The tank is 20" tall, so the top edge of the tank is going to be about 5' high. A step stool will be required for maintenance.



> quote:
> 
> Normal glass aquariums with frames support their weight on the frame. The frame extends some distance below the bottom glass. Normally the bottom glass is not supported from below. In fact, any upward pressure on the bottom glass must be avoided because that would tend to break the bottom seals. A solid top like Kherman is using is good for bracing the stand, but it does not and should not support the bottom of the tank. Acrylic tanks and (I assume) frameless glass tanks would be different.


I ordered a tank from glasscages.com. I am contacting them now to check on how to properly support their tanks. I'll be back with info.

*UPDATE:*
I just sent the follwoing e-mail to glasscages.com:


> quote:
> 
> I ordered an aquarium(60x24x20 tall) and am working on the stand.
> 
> ...


------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.

[This message was edited by kherman on Tue June 10 2003 at 11:07 AM.]


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

Looks good so far!
I like the hight, I don't like to have to bend down/over to look inside tanks!


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> I like the hight, I don't like to have to bend down/over to look inside tanks!


Tall stands are nice. Short stands are nice. I built the stand for my 150 at 24". It is necessary to bend over or to be sitting down to see the top rear part of the tank, and that is annoying. On the other hand, I can look down through the water surface without any trouble, and I like that. I also like the fact that most of the tank maintenance can be done without standing on a stool.

Strength, stability and rigidity were the consideration that really tipped my decision to use a shorter stand.

Roger Miller


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Roger Miller:
> Tall stands are nice. Short stands are nice. I built the stand for my 150 at 24". It is necessary to bend over or to be sitting down to see the top rear part of the tank, and that is annoying. On the other hand, I can look down through the water surface without any trouble, and I like that. I also like the fact that most of the tank maintenance can be done without standing on a stool.
> ...


all good points


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

I wonder if 2x4s will be strong enough to support the weight?

Moderator










American by birth, Marine by the grace of God! This post spell checked with IESpell available at http://www.iespell.com

See my Profile for tank details.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

ekim: "I like the hight, I don't like to have to bend down/over to look inside tanks!"

That's essentially why I did it that way. The couches are going to be atleast 10 feet away, so people sitting on them should still have a good view. When I got home, I looked at the stand and tried figuring out if it's to tall. I'm about 6' 1/2" and if the aquarium were 18" instead of 20", I might be able to get away without a stool to work on the tank. 36" tall instead of 41" would have been better in hindsight, but I don't mind.

Rex:"I wonder if 2x4s will be strong enough to support the weight?"
The way I did it, 2x4s are fine. There are a total of 10 studs, so each has to support about 120 pounds. The longests spans are about 2.5', which is not much of a concern as 2x4s should be more than adequate for carrying the loads. At one point, I had a 5 foot span framed and I put all my weight(220 pounds) in the center. No problems with that. From what I could tell, 400 pounds probably would be a non-issue with a 5 foot span.

Here's a top level diagram of the framing plan that I went with:

'+' = stud
'-' = span

1.5' 1.5' 1.5'
+--------+--------+--------+

+-------------+------------+

+-------------+------------+
2.5' 2.5'

lengths are ball park numbers

More pics tommorrow! 3 to be exact.

As a side note, I'm going to have lots of left over scrap, so I'm going to probably build a nice heavy duty stand. something with about a 5'x1' foot print.

------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.

[This message was edited by kherman on Tue June 10 2003 at 07:05 PM.]

[This message was edited by kherman on Tue June 10 2003 at 07:07 PM.]


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Rex Grigg:
> I wonder if 2x4s will be strong enough to support the weight?


Clear, dry wood -- even softwood -- is remarkably strong when it is loaded correctly. Karl could probably use quite a bit less wood in his vertical supports and still have plenty of strength. The problem comes up with wood that isn't quite cured yet, with flawed wood and with constructions that allow any kind of shear or bending.

Before I bought my materials I got some wood-selecting advice from a couple old carpenters. They (and eventually I) thought that selecting good wood was the biggest part of the problem.

When I built mine I worried more about the horizontal members of the base than about the vertical frame members. I knew that the stand would be on an uneven surface. When the tank was leveled the base would be off the floor along part of its length. If the horizontal members weren't strong enough to hold the tank weight without bending to meet the floor then the whole stand would deform. Any deformation increases the stress on the tank seams. To keep the whole thing rigid I used 2x6's for the base and top of my stand.

So far, so good.

Roger Miller


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by kherman:
> The couches are going to be atleast 10 feet away, so people sitting on them should still have a good view.


Someone sitting on a couch is going to be looking up into the tank. That's pretty common, but if the tank is high enough then the bright light at the top of the tank might be a distracting part of the view.

The bottom of your tank is going to be only 8 inches lower than the *top* of my 150 gallon tank and only about 4 1/2 inches lower than the top of my 55. Some people would say that my tanks are too low.

The height of the tank is a matter of taste, but the height means that your stand will need very good support for the vertical frame members to make sure that they don't bend under stress. Bending is less of a problem with a shorter stand.

Roger Miller


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

UPDATE, three new pics for your vieing pleasure.

The first is a pic of hte stand with the front panels put on. I bought some trim that will cover up the ugly edges and the line down the middle. I'll be using hte cutouts from the holes to make the doors wih, thus matching the grain pattern exactly with the stand.









The next image is taking from the same stage of construction, except from the side. It will give you a better idea of how the studs are set up.









I finished putting the sides on. This thing is extremely rigid right now.









------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.

[This message was edited by kherman on Wed June 11 2003 at 03:44 AM.]


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Got my reply from glasscages.com:

_"The plywood top of the stand should be perimeter supported and at least 
one cross support in the middle. This will support the plywood which 
will in turn support the tank. We put a layer of styrofoam on top of the 
plywood and set the tank on the styrofoam." _



> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by kherman:
> Roger,
> ...


------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Roger,

I agree with you 100% on the structural issues.

Your correct about looking up into the tank. The lights might actually be an issue. I figure when sitting normally, the eye of the viewer should be about level with the bottom of the tank(maybe several inches lower). The lights might be an issue. Time will tell.

At this point, I wish I made the stand about 35" tall. Then maintenance would be easier and viewing would also be easier from couches.

Kicking myself







,
Karl

------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

A quick note to all.

I think it's worth while to point out that when building a stand/canopy for the basement, one should consider ceiling height carefully. I did the math before hand and fealt that the 40" tall stand would be fine. I still think it will work, but with a 24" deep(not high) tank, making a hinged lid that opens as one unit may not be possible.

Some quick math.

My stand is about 41" high.
My tank is 20" high.
So, if I pad each with 1", that's a total of 63"(42+21) to the top of the tank

Now for ceiling height. Based on memmory, I figure the worst case for ceiling height that I have is 6'9" (hoping for a full 7'), which is 81". That leaves me with 18"(maybe 21") to make the entire canopy and make the tank accessable.

I'm actually considering a drawer style canopy now. The sides of the canopy would pull out and the front section might just be detachable. I have another solution in mind, but it's hard to describe. Maybe something like the following:

'+' = hinge
'o' = row of lights

+-----------+
\ o o o \ 
\ o \
-------+-----------+
TANKTANKTANKTANKTANK

If I figure out some plans today, I expect to start cutting wood tommorrow.

Having said this, I expect my solution for the canopy to be very interesting at the least. Hopefully, I'll have some images up by Monday. At the worst, expect images by Wedneday.

------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Well, I finally got the canopy started. The framing is about 80% done! I knew the limitations I had to deal with and realized when the lids are moved that 18" is truely the maximum height. At no tiome can the canopy exceed 18" while the lids are moving. Well, I'm happy to say that the lids barely break 17".

I still havn't verified the ceiling height, but I should be able to do that tommorrow.

Now, onto the pics.

1: I knew what the basic concept of the frame was going to be reagardless of how the lids open, so I started putting it together. The first images is just four pieces of 2x4 tied together. Not much here yet.









2: I put the first lid on. The lid you see in this pic is at the back of the canopy. The two little pieces of 2x4 that were added are only there to help prevent light from esacping and lighting the ceiling.









3: Well, pic 2 is what helped me realize how the lids have to be designed to move around. it hit me like a ton of bricks when I figured it out. Actualy building the canopy up to the state that image 2 shows was of great benefit as I took some of the hinges and started playing with ideas. Anyways, here's another pic of the construction progress.









4&5: The following two images shows the framework at about 80%. As far as how the lids operate, you get to see 100% of the solution. The mid and front lids fold onto eachother and move to over the top of the back lid. The little pieces of 2x4 serve 2 purposes. One is that they help hold the hinges better. And secondly (the true reason for them), they will allow for the lighting ballasts (electronics) to be placed on top of the lids, while still allowing you to fold the front lid back on top of the middle lid. The lids still need a little bit of work, but the mechanics beind there operation is obvious. Image 5 shows the middle and front lids folded back as to allow me to maintain the tank once I get it set up.

















When the front two lids are folded up, About 2/3 of the top of the tank is open to give me room for maintenance.

As a sidenote, I ordered my lighting from AH Supply today 7x55 watts + 2x13 watts(for moonlight)























------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Three new pics for your viewing pleasure.

The first is a new image of the canopy, with the sides attached.









The second image shows the front of the canopy attached. This is not screwed to the rest of the canopy, but is instead removable. One can not notice from the image, but an effort was made to make the front piece light weight.









The third picture shows the canopy front with some of the moulding propped up into place to show what the eventual look is going to be. The irony is that the moulding about doubles the lumber costs for the project. I'll add moulding to the materials section of the first post soon so one can see the impact on cost. The 2x4s used as spacers will be replaced with moulding. Look, no more screw holes!









PS: My lights from AH Supply shipped on Monday and should get to my house on Wednesday or Thursday! I don't plan on installing them until the stain/finish is done, but I will lay them out to verify that they will fit into the canopy as expected.

I should have the stain on by the end of the weekend.

------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

It looks awesome. 
The moulding costs but I think you'll enjoy the finished appearance ten times more. Its the difference between a function stand like mine and a fine piece of furniture.

I have to be careful. If yours come out too nice I may have to finish mine









*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Or mine...


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Well, I finally got the image of my stained canopy and stand up. The canopy looks darker than the stand in the image for some reason. It's just an illusion of shadows. It actually can throw you off when look at it in person, but upon close inspection, the coloration is actually the same.









I've also stained all of the trim. I might post an image of the stained trim next to the stand/canopy as to show the striking difference in color between the two. The trim is actually darker in color and that was the desired effect. I'm glad it ended up the way it did. It's still the same color, just much darker. The trim is made out of pine, while the canopy/stand is made out of birch. The pine soaks the stain up much faster, thus the darker coloration(I think). For both materials, I didn't let the stain soak up for very long. It was pretty much apply then wipe the excess off.

Actually, I'll probably try getting that comparitive image up on Monday.

Also, I'm using Rosewood stain. When I get the polyeurothane on, I'll be using satin clear coat.

After Monday'ss image posting, it might be a while before I add more images. All that's really left to do is get the doors ready to go. The doors are actually going to be removable (no hinges). I'll just be using springs to hold them in place and a have a small knob or handle at the top to pull them off.

My fiance's mother stopped by the house today and got a kick out of the size of the stand. She's actually excited to see it get set up. She's more of a fan of reptiles though. She'll be going with me to the White Plains Reptile Show to pick up the tank along with my wife (currently my fiance). Wait till she see the filtaration/CO2/heating system









OK, I'm rambling.

Take Care,
Karl

------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Also, anyone that has never stained wood before...

It's been about 15 years since I've stained wood. It's actually rather easy to do and a novice can do it. Do not be intimidated by it if you've never done it before. The most important thing to remember. Keep your oily rags in an air tight metal container. They are self combustable! I won't get into how to do the staining at this time, but if asked, I'll give a brief procedure of what I did.

DISCLAIMER: I will no be responsible if your house burns down due to oily rags!









------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.


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## Jon Mulzer (Mar 9, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by kherman:
> Keep your oily rags in an air tight metal container. They are self combustable!


Sounds like a man speaking from experience, hehe.

----------------------------

15XH, 36W PC, RFUGF, DIY CO2

Crypts lutea, cilita and wendtii "bronze, "sunset" hygro, pennywort, wisteria and a banana plant









Soon to add XP-1 and ditch the RFUGF for Onyx Sand<----ordered.


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

Self combustable? Are you sure? You mean you could be staining your tank hood and all of a sudden the rag with stain on it could burst into flames on it's own? No wonder they cost so much!









Giancarlo Podio


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## Alex (Mar 31, 2004)

Yes, hydrocarbon soaked rags can self-heat and combust. It usually won't happen if there is just one rag spread out flat, more like several rags wadded together.

Alex


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## Crocodylus (Jul 2, 2003)

Please post more pics kherman, now you got me hooked on the whole project!!!!









nice looking DIY stand and canopy design


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Crocodylus:
> Please post more pics kherman, now you got me hooked on the whole project!!!!
> ...


Crocodylus,
Thanks for the comments.

I've wanted to post some new images for a while now. It's just that I'm still in the middle of the polyeurethane step. Not much to see. Some of the shine is coming through now, but there is still a way to go.

The weather here in CT is horrible. I think that polyeurethane needs a temp range of 60-80, so alot of delays are occuring right now. Not to mention the little things to get ready for the wedding are getting in the way.

Anyways, when I get home tonight, maybe I'll snap a couple of pics of the mid-polyeurethane step. I think I've done 3 coats so far.

And to anyone who doesn't know what raising the grain means (like me). It will be VERY obvious if you tackle such a project. The wood seems to "swell" when the polyeurthane soaks in, thus raising the grain, thus the need for a light sanding between each step. Remember to apply thin coats and do many, as drips occur easily. I've been lucky for the most part, but I did cheat the process once and it truely is not something worth doing. Those drips are obvious to the eye.

I'm hoping the stand will be completed by the end of the month, so even if there is a delay in getting updated pics here, they will probably all appear over the course of a week. Alot of the final assembly is on hold because we need to get the tile down in the basement still. At worst, I imagine that the whole setup should be plumbed and running by mid-August. Whether or not I'll have substrate by then is another issue. My goal for now is to get it "up and running" bymid-August. The plants/fish/etc will come later.

Alex,
Thanks for the details on the combustion. I only remembered the principle. "Oily rages....*BAD*"

As far as the oily rags go, I've just been putting them in plastic bags from the grocery store and tieing them up when done. In theory, that should be good enough to keep oxygen away. Then I toss them in the garbage can. Remember my disclaimer though









Karl

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

I just noticed that I haven't snapped any images of the stained trim. Maybe I'll show a close up pic of the trim and the canopy so you can all see what trim I'm using and also to see what the polyeurethane loooks like at it's current state.

In case I forget later.
Stand/canopy have 3 coats of polyurethane so far
The trim ahs 2 coats of polyurethane so far
The rosets have 1 coat of polyurethane so far

The trim might actually only need one more coat for some reason. I sure hope so as even though it's a smaller area, the sanding takes longer due to the time it takes to get into the details. The stand/canopy is actually easy to do.

------------------------------
Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

per request, here's an update pic:









Well, the stand is obvious.

There are two pieces of trim. Both pieces represent their eventual placement.

The lower piece is going to be used to trim all the edges. In the image, another one will go down the right side of the stand.

The upper trim piece is actually a piece of trim that is meant to be mounted on a 45 degree angle. It's hard to see from the image, but it is actually slanted on a 45 degree angle off of the top of the stand. It is going to be used to transition between the stand and the tank and to cover up all of the tank's trim. The canopy is getting simlar treetment with both styles of trim.

It's hard to see the polyurethane(clear coat) in the picture. I think the true test will be a picture of the finished product.

The image does a good job of shwoing the final concept though.

OK, back to work.

Karl

------------------------------
Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Just thought I would ask Karl, where are you putting the sump?


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

The sump is actually going to be canister filters. I'm buying a moduler system by pentair aquatics.

It will be placed in the stand.

The stands top is oing to have holes drilled into into to accomodate the bulkheads that are being drilled into the tank.

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Yeah sorry I know your going with the modular system, but I assumed you were running the pump through a sump. How do you plan to actually hook the pump up to these things?


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

PS, can you get some pics up of the self combusting rags, should be neat!


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Justin604:
> Yeah sorry I know your going with the modular system, but I assumed you were running the pump through a sump. How do you plan to actually hook the pump up to these things?


Water from tank
to pump
to mechanical filter
to chemical filter (actually biological)
to heater and CO2
back to tank.

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Sounds good. Make sure you have a decent prefilter on the pump!


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Justin604:
> Sounds good. Make sure you have a decent prefilter on the pump!


I considered sponges, but the current plan is to just take a piece of PVC and drill 1/4" holes into it as to prevent leaves, etc from being pulled in. I think this is the method I'll try first. I'll be using threaded PVC, so I can always swap it out later. This is the cheap "DIY" may of makieng a pre-filer









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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

hahaha sounds good. I suggest after you drill it you paint it black with Rust-O-Leum. Should make it look a whole lot better. For a second I was going to suggest you get a mat of green star polyp and wrap it on the pipe, but DUHHH wrong board!


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## Guttboy (Jul 27, 2003)

Great posts on the whole construction process! I too built my entire stand and canopy. I also have a stand that is pretty high off the ground....I can perform MX on the tank when I am standing but ocassionaly I will have to get on a chair. I use an ALL glass tank that was made in Japan when I was stationed there.

NOTE: If you are going with flat glass on the bottom and stand has a flat top...PUT A PIECE OF STYROFOAM or such on the top of the stand between it and the tank...otherwise...CRRRAAACCCCKKKKKK.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2112

Here is a link to my tank setup so far.

Hope you like and good luck!

Mike

100Gallon/Rena Filstar XP3/Icecap660 with 4x4' Ge Aquarays/Flourite Gravel mix/Malaysian driftwood


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Thanks for the comments on the thread. Everyone has contributed nicely.

As for hte Styrofoam, I'll be using some.
I got my tank from glasscages.com and they recomen a minimum of 0.5". The gave me a bunch when I picked it up to line my truck's bed liner, so I'll probably be using two sheets of 0.5" styrofoam stackd to 1".

I'm in a bit of a rush, so I'll look over your thread this afternoon. I did see the pic though. It looks very nice!

Anyways, for anyone that is waiting for updates, here is hte estimated timeline:
June 6,7,8: Lay the laminate (wood) floor in the basement. It's going t0o be a harwood floor. Also do the baseboard/moulding work.

June 13,14,15: Get the stand in place, plumb the tank and do the lighting.

From then on, it's time to start ordering fish/plants









Karl



> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Guttboy:
> Great posts on the whole construction process! I too built my entire stand and canopy. I also have a stand that is pretty high off the ground....I can perform MX on the tank when I am standing but ocassionaly I will have to get on a chair. I use an ALL glass tank that was made in Japan when I was stationed there.
> ...


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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## EDGE (Feb 28, 2004)

I am having a little problem with my staining. Wwhen I apply a coat of varathane (not polyurathane)on the stain wood it creates little pocket of bubble (not a smooth clear coat). Any idea what causes the bubble? What grade of sand paper are you using to sand the polyurathane? the guy suggest I use 220 but it seems a little rough for sanding clear coat.

72 Gal, 3 WPG PC 10 hour, pressurize co2 /w controller 1 bps, Fluval 404, ph 6.8
A Canadian's Plant Traders website


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by EDGE:
> I am having a little problem with my staining. When I apply a coat of varathane (not polyurathane)on the stain wood it creates little pocket of bubble (not a smooth clear coat). Any idea what causes the bubble? What grade of sand paper are you using to sand the polyurathane? the guy suggest I use 220 but it seems a little rough for sanding clear coat.
> ...


Prepare for a Brain dump









I should note that I don't know what verathane is. Sounds like a comprable product though.

Well, the first several coats will raise the grain. Are you sure that's not the problem? The wood will feal rough. What coat of varathane are you on?

Also, I used 220 between coats of polyeurethane. I did have those little bubbles you speak of. Rub your hand accross the wood after you do a coat(and it drys








) and it should feal bumpy or rough. When you sand, you want to do so just lightly enough to get those bumps off so the finish feels smooth.

I skipped this step, but I think it's important. You should whipe the stand down after sanding so no dust remains. I did this once ith a damp cloth then allowed it to dry. It didn't seem to help much. I think the dust is what causes those bubbles to form, but I don't know hte true cause. My other theory is the fact that I used cheap brushes.

I think I did 4 or 5 coats of polyurethane. The last coat did cause those bubbles to form though to a lesser degree. I decided that they are unnoticable unless you look for them, so I left them alone.

I'm off to google to see if I can find the true cause.

Karl

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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Found some possible reasons:

1) Mixed two brands of clear coat
2) clear coat is old
3) The most logical sounding one. Temperature. Polyurethane is to be applied in 60-80 degree temps. So 70 is probably ideal. I did my coats during a hot spell, so that could be the cause. The last coat was done when the temps cooled down a bit, so that may explain why less bubbles formed on the last coat.

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Also,

Just found a golden rule:

Some one might have already told you but never shake or stir the urethane This puts air in the urethane 

I stirred mine. Ooops.

Wow, all these details to be concerned with







no wonder I had bubbles.

Also, I found a post that said if the first coat has bubbles, to just do the seocnd coat, then sand. You don't want to risk sandng the stained wood off. That would cause headaches as it would need be to restained and uniformity would become an issue.

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## EDGE (Feb 28, 2004)

bleh.. the can asked me to stir before using. varathane is oil base clear coat. I used a water base stain. The custom minwax stain only comes in water at home depot

72 Gal, 3 WPG PC 10 hour, pressurize co2 /w controller 1 bps, Fluval 404, ph 6.8
A Canadian's Plant Traders website


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

I like Varathane. I think of several things I finished recently that Varathane gave me the best results.

Regardless of which clear coat you use, getting a bubble-free finish is difficult. I sometimes use other kinds of finish just to avoid the hassle of getting the bubbles out.

Here's a few things I've found:

1) Stir, don't shake. When you stir, stir carefully so as not to make any bubbles in the can.

2) Use a brush intended for clear coats

3) Use long, slow strokes. Bubbles tend to appear everywhere the brush touches or leaves the surface.

4) Always stroke with the grain.

5) If bubbles do appear then most can be brushed out as long as you get to them before the finish starts to stiffen.

6) Don't get more coating on the brush then you need. If you have to touch very much off then the stuff that goes back into the can usually has a lot of bubbles in it.

7) Make sure the surface is smooth and even. Rough spots generate bubbles.

Doing the finish well is slow and tedious. Doing a finish very well takes experience.

You need to remove bubbles and rough spots between each coat. 220 grit sand paper is good. If you don't like that, then you can also use fine steel wool. If you want an extremely fine finish, then you can use very fine steel wool with oil. I think that is linseed oil. I'm not sure, as this isn't something I've done. My father did the best-looking finish I've ever seen and he said it was polished off with steel wool and oil. I might inherit those shelves some day, but I'll probably never come up with the patience to took to make them.


Roger Miller


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Roger,

Those are great recomendations! All logical, but need to be pointed out.

Thanks,
Karl

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## EDGE (Feb 28, 2004)

Karl, any update with the DIY stand/canopy? I wouldnt mine seeing how it is turning out.

72 Gal, 3 WPG PC 10 hour, pressurize co2 /w controller 2 bps, Fluval 404, ph 6.7
A Canadian's Plant Traders website


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

I'm as anxious as everyone else. Unfortunately I still have to lay the floor in the basement. I expect to do that within 3 weeks. Once it is laid, I'll be setting up the tank/stand. Putting all the trim on and plumbing the filtration into the system. I'll also be doing the lighting at that time. CO2 also...

The latest pictures that I have posted are still the latest, unfortunately









Karl



> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by EDGE:
> Karl, any update with the DIY stand/canopy? I wouldnt mind seeing how it is turning out.
> ...


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Just want to ive a heads up. I'm moving into my new house on Wednesday. I'm moving the tank/stand/canopy in on Sunday (Sept, 21, 2003). I will begin final plumbing at that time. Expect to see pics several days later.

I will also be moving my DIY reactor thread into this thread. I am going to basically make this my construction thread, regardless of what the individual pieces are. That way, newbies can see the whole process from start to finish (for the most part) and understand that this isn't a project to be intimidated by.

got to go out to dinner,
Karl

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

With a little luck, I'll have some pics up in several days. My PC at home isn't set up yet.

Anyways, I have everything setup and running. The aquarium is totaly filled. I'll go through the steps later when I get the pics up.

Everything is plumbed, but there are some headaches. The biggest one is leaks in the plumbing. 2 are minor ones that are VERY small. I think they are essentially fixed. Maybe the drip one drop of water every 10 minutes. No damage to the stand is going to occur from it anyways. I'll fix those down the road. The problem has to do with the unions and the threads on them. I might just get rid of the "problem unions" and replace them with barbs/flexible tubing. The lazy fix would be to set up some bowls. I'd probably have 16 oz of water per week from these two leaks. Very minor

LESSON LEARNED:
Don't use unions unless totally needed. Use barbs with flexible tubing. The biggest benefit is that the flexible tubing will have some "give".

The bad leak:
The thing I'm mad about though is my fireplug heater. As you may or may not know, I bought it used off of EBay. I now know why it was sold now. The person who I bought it from plumbed it improperly. They tried to cement the barbs into place. The problem is that the fireplug is designed with threaded fittings. So now I have threaded connection that is 100% cemented into place and ONE OF THE TWO CONNECTIONS LEAKS! This is the leak I'm concerned about. It's not the end of the world, but now I have to fix it now. it's enough water that the stand will be damaged if not remedied. I figure I have to fix in within 2 weeks or simply toss the heater. Some plumbers goop should do the trick. I'll be doing this fix tonight.

500 watt Fireplug heater:
Even after using it only briefly. I will say this. It's temperature setting is DEAD ON ACCURATE! Is it worth $250 new? That's debatable. I will say that I will get a new one if I can't fix the plumbing on the used one. I think it is the perfect solution though over-priced. For $250, I can only assume that it's built to last.

What else. Got the lights on timers. They pull the tank temp up to 86 or so from 78. WOW! I have to get those cooling fans in place ASAP. I have the fans but lost hte transformer in the move







. It's got to be somewhere. I might temporarily reduce the timings for the lights until I get things set up properly. The blue lights look incredible! I have two 13 watt blues and I understand why people say to use only one. It simply looks better with one. Now it looks like there are two moons. This will be a fix down the road. To many other problems to fix first.

So, I now have my 125 up and running!

Aquascape thread to come soon. I'm in the process of sinking my driftwood right now. I do have some plants/fish in there though!

Now that I have the canopy on top of the aquarium which is on top of the stand and the doors are in place, I have to say, this is tuing out to be one nice setup! As for the higher 41" stand, so far, thelights don't bother me when sitting on the couch. The canopy design had a nice coincidence though







See explanation after the pic below:










The only lights that could have been normally visible while doing couch viewing are the back row. in the image, the back row is to the left side. That's the left side of the pic. The good news is that the 2x4s that are there (that the back row of lights are mounted in between) prevent the light from shining on your eyes while viewing from a couch. But due to this, you can see the 2x4s from the couch though. Fortunatly, a quick coat of black paint remedied that problems. The 2x4s are now "invisible" and the lighting doesn't bother you while doing couch viewing.

Only a minor slope of the substrate is required to make the entire substrate visble from the couch. in the end, the 41" high stand worked out fine! One major worry resolved. If I could go back in time, I would shoot for a 36" stand. That would have been perfect.

As previously stated, pics to come.

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Finally, got my PC up and running after the BIG MOVE







Getting the aquarium setup took precedence
















Here's some pics..finally...

First, the plumbing:








Basically a peak into each of the front doors. The filters were installed on an angle so I can access them without removing them entirley from the stand. The tops screw off and the medium is pulled out. The medium is held in place via a tubular insert. Very nice design. I have to say, I like this modular system.

In front of the filter, you can see the fireplug heater. I had to put new barbs on it and redo the teflon tape (plumbers tape). It took several tries to make it leak proof. The Fireplug connections seem "sharp" so when the inserts are screwed in, they ruin the plumbers tape. A big HEAD ACHE! Hopefully, they fixed this on newer versions. mine is used. Once I got it up and running, I was very impressed by the fireplug. IMHO, if you can get it used to save on cost, it's a worrthwhile investment. It's temperature setting is VERY accurate. I'd say ewithin 0.5 degrees.

You can't see it, but hte DIY reactor is in there. It's i nteh front of the right door.

In the back, you see some unins. They leaked like sivs and couldn't be fixed. The threaded connectioons to the rest of hte plumbing was problematic. After tryin g to redo that 3-4 times, I gave up and replaced them with barbs/flexible tubing. A MUCH EASIER SOLUTION. I highly recomend not using unions and just going with barb/flexible tubing. I noticed my LFS did the same thing recently.

Bought a velocity T1 used. it was nice until it got noisy 4 days later. I liked it enough to just buy a new one. I just got another T1. I am considering an upgrade already though.

Enough talk, onto the stand/canopy/aquarium. HERE IT IS:








I still have to add the trim. That's down the road though. I have to many other projects to do around hte house for now







I did get the doors set up thugh. They are held in place with springs. Two for each door. I used some low resistance springs that are about a foot long that I found at Home Depot. Pulling the doors of is a snap. They are held in place very rigidly also.

I also have cooling fans on the canopy. I have 4 in exaust mode. 2 on the left, two on the right. That's all that is required. They keep the water temp down where it should be.

Enough for now. I have to get ready for bed









Take Care,
Karl

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

Looking goood.
I especially want to know how those filters work out for you.

*James Hoftiezer
Hoftiezer.Net - Journals and Libraries
Rate My Tank!!

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive(No Longer Active))
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive(No Longer Active))*


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by JamesHoftiezer:
> Looking goood.
> I especially want to know how those filters work out for you.


So far, so good! The prefilter in the tank is just PVC that was nothced with a circular saw. That works OK, but some of the Fullers Earth gets sucked in when I disturb the substrate near the intakes due to the light weight of Fuller's Earth. That's not good







That's my own fault though...

As for the Rainbow Lifegard system. I would definetely recomend it. The biological/chemical unit is perfect. I am having some trouble with the bleed valve sealing properly on the mechanical filter though. There are two parts that screw into the top of the mechanical filter. The head pressure gauge and the bleed valve. I only have the head pressure gauge on right now. It seem OK that way though because the air escapes the system quickly once the pump was initially turned on.

After looking at the system, copying it in a DIY manner would be a snap. Probably $10 each in PVC parts. The mechanical filter might be tricky, but the chemical unit could easily be done on your own at minimal cost. If I could redo it, I'd consider only buying the mechanical filter and making my own chemical module.

Installation. For the most part, it went easily. The I/O for the modules is odd, but easy to tackle. One end is the size of a PVC pipe and the other is the size of a connector. Kinda strange in my opinion.

Also, since the filters are pulled out from the top, that needs o be a consideration, especially if you are installing everything rigidly. I had to mount mine on an angle so that I can pull the tops off through the doors, with the doors open. If I actually mounted the modules inside hte cabinet permanately, I wouldn't be able to mount them perfectly vertically. I'm not sure, but I think the modules can actually be mounted on their sides with no problem. I used a 20-30 degree angle off of upright in my case.

Well, that's m initial impression. I'll give long term opinions in the future if requested. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask.

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## imported_Creature (Feb 6, 2003)

Karl, thanks for sharing your experience. It will be extremely valuable for those of us contemplating our next tank. I'm currently planning a 225T (30") tank and will need to build my own stand to save some money and so that it fits my specifications. 

I have two 30" stands now and one is pleasurable to view sitting and the other isn't. The difference is the two different sofa chairs. One measures 10" off the floor and the other 15" inches while sitting in it. The lower one is really too short to view a tank on a 30" stand. So, the side discussion on this thread and on an earlier thread regarding stand height may have another parameter to consider, i.e., seating height.

Part of my planning for this new 225T tank is also the seating or viewing area. I'm thinking I want two leather club chairs with a leather ottoman. The final decision on the chairs will be the seat height and, of course, the price.

I've even thought about making a carpeted platform to place the chairs on so that you can step up onto them when viewing the tank. Since I'm leaning towards a 30" stand, so that there is room for all the equipment underneath, this platform might be an option for the seating I have now (10" off the floor).

As for your experience with the union fitting, I recently installed one using a union and two MPTxbarbed hose connectors. It's one of the threaded connections that is leaking very slowly. I have a dish towel wrapped around it and the water evaporates before the towel gets really wet. The union part with the o-ring works great, though. I need to go back and wrap a thicker coat of teflon tape around the connection and really tighten it down. (I didn't have channel locks or large wrenches to do it right the first time). I have a few more to install and I'm thinking about using silicone as well as the teflon tape. Has anyone tried this before?

I'm also planning on building the frame of the stand right onto the corner wall to give it extra support as well as giving it a built-in appearance. It will be a little deeper than the tank to allow for holes to the inside of the stand.

I like your Lifeguard filters and how you adapted them to service them in the stand. I'm using Ocean Clear filters in one of my set-ups and I'm planning on using them again for this new tank but I will be using a lifeguard heating module in-line with the other filters. I've got many other great ideas and plans, now, thanks to you all. I gotta work an LED moolight strip into this new set-up as well as the older ones!

Gil


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Creature,

Thanks for the kind words. I have to go home, so I'll try to give a better reply later on.

The biggest thing I have learned about vieiwng height is that is is not hte height of hte stand that matters so much. It's the height of the stand and aquarium together. My total for stand + aquarium is about 62"(5' 2" feet). If I could have redone things, I would have tried to shoot for about 55" above floor level. That is of course considering the fact that I want it viewable from couches that are about 10 feet away and viewable while standing. Your idea of making a platform for the couches/chairs is an excelent one!

I hope my lessons learned are lessons you can apply







That was my true goal of starting this thread.

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal


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## Chapy (May 3, 2004)

Karl,
I know it has been some time since all has taken place. Would you have a final pic of the tanks and stand complete with water fish and the like?

I'm sure you have it posted some other place, but this site is like a city, no an ocean of information. Possibly a maze of threads I only have so much time to get through a minor porsion of it. Any way I love it, and would like to see your trophy.

Thanks, Chapy

You never know who you are till you ask yourself.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Chapy:
> Karl,
> ...


That's odd. I thought I had more current pics. I'll snap one off right now. I still have to finish the trim. I had to buy more and stain/polyeurethane it. Still need to do more coats of poly before I finish the stand off.

Pics will be up shortly.

Karl


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

End view:









Front View:









I started a photo album for the construction. Larger pics can be found there. Whcih is here.









I still have to finish up the trimand get teh handles on. You get teh basic idea from these pics though. All the screws will be covered by trim.

In the end, it turned out nice. I think in hindsight I should have just used saded plywould and painted it ith latex paint. That's probably the best way to go to get a nice looking stand/canopy and save money at the same time.

Anyways....

If anyone wants to see pics of the lighting just let me know. I'll do that in the future, but a kick in the pants would help get it up in an hour









Karl


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

The previous pics are full sizwe. Not sure why. I'll fix this later upon request.

LIGHTING:








This is the front view of hte canopy lighting when everything is closed up. I only have to take off the front piece for feeding.









Took the ront panel off. I usually just toss it on top as it is for feeding the fish.









This is an image where the front set of lights is flipped out of the way. This is basically all I need to do for maintenance.









This is an image of the fron to lighting panels fipped up. I had to do the by-fold style design due to the low ceiling clearence. In this pic, there is about 4 inches between the ceiling and lighting. Worked out nicely. Due to the tank being so high, i also painted the plywood black so you can't see it if looking up into the aquarium. As it turns out, the aquarium height doesn't have any bad effects with "lights in the eyes" as I worried about at first.









The back most lights. I never open this panel except to take pics









FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR LARGER PICS


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

I will go back and fix image sizes. Not sure why the large image is being shown?

UPDATE: Images fixed.


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## Chapy (May 3, 2004)

Karl,
Thanks for the pics it all looks great wish I had the tools for my hood I probably will have my brother in law in Mich build it.

You know I laugh at myself I relised I posted my last comments under the impression that it has been since April of last year, that you had posted your last pics. Then da I realised I was reading your registration date. Don't I feel silly. Great work and thanks for sharing your efforts with us. BTW awsome growth man I wish I could get my plants to look like that.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

It's officiial. I'm selling it all off!

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?aquariums&1096740273

$1500/obo

I will deliver up to 100 miles from Centerbrrook, CT, (basically the middle of the state). PM me via this forum or through aquabid if interested.

Karl

The trim still isn't complete, but more has been done since the last pic post.


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## Ahkuma (Feb 17, 2005)

After all that, now your going to sell it? What happened?


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