Where can i get panels like this
 

I am desperately need to turn

this

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=5426


into this

http://www.cashh.de/rc/june_2006-1.jpg

without the fish tank being filled


anyone know where or how can i get flossy white panel buildwithout breaking the bank? I probably then can attach them to my frame using magnets

Please do not suggest DIY because I am not handy man


Thanks

I can make that out of gloss white laminate

Buy white melamine, 4x8 sheets, cut to size, iron on white edge band. Easy and cheap.

I am sure you can make that but not me, that is the sad and problem part :-)


Wondering if melamine will peel overtime because of moisture?

He's gonna need some kind of skeleton to hold all this up.

What meant is if you're willing to come to Edmonton, I can custom build that for you.

I can come to Edmonton but how are we going to do this? I am very interested to get this started

If you're using it as a moisture barrier it certainly will swell like any particle board would. To be honest looks like you're going to have big moisture issues regardless if you seal a tank in that small space without ventilation. Any wood products will likely warp and harvest mold.

i have a cold air return behind cabinet so i hope it pull enough moisture out. so i am still ok with melamine?

you will still have moister issues....the cold air return will only draw air out if the furnace is running (or if you keep the furnace fan running 24/7).....your not too far along yet that you cant install a bathroom ceiling fan in there somewhere and have it either vent outside or into the room in front of the tank.....you can buy pre-finished panels similar to that at ikea, but like noted you will need a framework behind it to mount them on

right now my furnace fan is running 24/7 because of HRV, if that is not enough, maybe i will put a fan in the front panel to vent the air into the room like you suggest. Doug, stop suggesting me to DIY, I can't even patch a wall hole so that is how useless i am :-),but you brought a good point, i need to build a good framework, now, anyone know who can help me build that hahaha?

This might be a little pricey, but we just used a Starwall system to build out our office space. It offers the same type of panels you are looking for, framing can be customized any way you like, they offer painted mdf or laminate solid panels, framing is with aluminium components. You'd be looking at the cost of framing, panels and installation. The nice thing about this system is its fast to install and can be modified at any time and easy to remove.

The last thing you really want to do is tie a furnace cold air return into a fish room, evaporated salt water will eat up ducting and furnace components quite quickly. You need a separate exhaust fan. Unless you're going to seal everything with lids (sump and tank) you're building a classic mold closet, I've seen at least a dozen of times in my days.

I'd stick with the melamine, it's cheap enough to replace down the road if need be and if you do a good job on the edge band it will be pretty well sealed.

Regardless of what material you use, it won't just float there. You'll need to build a 2x4 skeleton that will hold all the panels in place

Here's an idea of what I'm referring to. I love the look you are trying to achieve, very classy and elegant and makes the tank just pop!

http://www.starwall.com/starwall_ftp/Gallery/

Marko, totally agree it needs a skeleton. This system offers exactly that...no I'm not associated or affiliated with this group, but I've seen their work on many projects and its amazing what can be done with this system, don't have to have straight lines in the framing, angles, odd shapes etc.

This just show how well i plan this hahaha, ok so now i need a exhaust fan, darn, not sure how i am going to hook this up to the exhaust duct in the bathroom next to this fish tank.

Make me just want to scrap the whole project all together :-(

If you want it done right you'll need a separate vent, as just tying into another vent might not work too well seeing that you might just end up venting the humid air from the tank into the bathroom. If the tank is on an outside wall which I seem to think is the case then drill a hole right through the wall, easy!

Otherwise keep the tank open, as in not in-wall.

I agree with the idea of a separate exhaust fan to the outdoors, and hooked up to a humidistat
Then you adjust the humidity level you like

Drill through wall is not an option because wife would kill me :-), and if we decide to move, gonna have to patch it. So is it fine to seal the cold air return and have the fan to vent the air to other room?

yes....this would be the cheapest and easiest thing to do.....get the moist air out of the "closet" and into the main area and let the HRV take care of the rest.......

Agreed

You may want to consult an HVAC guy before you seal that return

Tai check out Ikea, they have pre manufactured doors the look awesome if done right that is what I am going to use on my 300 stand.

Thanks Greg, will check that out

ah man why am i not around Calgary I would help ya build this in a sec its quite easy to do actually. Well for me that is, this is what I love to do help people out and assist in the projects . well good luck buddyyyyyyyyyyyyy looking forward to seeing this done.

that tank you have a pic of is awesome too.

Thanks Mike, you should move to Calgary :-)


It is kind of suck to build things when you have no plan. Now the tank on the stand, it is hard to make any modification and redo everything is not an option because of time and budget. Anyway, been talked to couple cabinets and try to figure out how to design the cabinet that can fit nicely with current setup is challenge.

Quick question, the depth of my tank is 30 inch and same as the stand , is it safe to have the tank stick out 2 inches passing the edge of the stand? Will it crack once i fill water?

Thanks

anyone have any experience with dibon for panels?

Thanks

I've used Dibond through work a while back and a couple things come to mind.
-The edges can be sharp if not dressed correctly.
-They are aluminum, so if you were planning on using magnets to hold them up, you will have to glue some mating magnets on the back.
-Mounting hinges will most likely require hardware to be visible on the front side.

For those that don't know what Dibond is, its a polyurethane core sheeted with aluminum. If comes finished with a dozen colors and is weather proof.
If i recall correctly, they come in 4' x 8' sheets and are 1/8" thick.

I'm sure it's been mentioned but ikea had glossy white cabinet doors. Sizes are limited but maybe you can make them work.

Tai, you've been to my house several times and you know that I got my glossy panels came from Ikea. Suck it up and go to Ikea :P

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1250487870

Has IKEA been mentioned yet??:twised:

Kien,

Your tank looks amazing

and I second Ikea panels!

Hey be nice to those of us who can't read a thread before replying lol. Doug actually mentioned Ikea before anyone else including your bearliness :lol:

Yes, I checked out Ikea panels and they does not fit with what i am doing :-). I went through the whole list and could not see any matching size. Either too short or i have to trim it and if i trim it, the edge won't look good any more.

Thanks so it is doable with those in minds?

You could probably get sabic plastics to cut the to size, I'm not sure that they will smooth the edges and or dress them with an edge trim for you though.

Wow...that looks awesome. Can you tell me where you got that picture ?

Ralph Prehn's tank:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/1/aquarium

No, I think he ment the one of Denny... :lol:

I scroll so fast to avoid the top of this thread I had mostly forgotten about that pic lol.

Haha he keeps it for bribing purposes lol