ReeferFulton's most SPECTACULARLY AWESOMEST tank build(s) EVAHHH!!!!

[reeferfulton]

forgot to add some info on the tank .

IT is half inch glass all the way around . with 2 panes on the bottom. 1" thick totall . Not sure why it was done this way . maybe someone on here knows.


so afterI made the overflow around the three existing holes i started to research proper quiet drain setups and sumps.. again back online .. must have read 30 hours alone on drain designs !!

What i decided was a Herbie design extactly .
So i ordered 3 new double threaded 1 inch bulkheads. I wanted to be able to remove everything in the plumbing as I had no idea what i was doing.

Okay i wont explain the herbie , but simply put . I have 1 drain 6 inches long straight up open ended . This goes straight into the sump. no bends or turns. It is controlled by a spears 1" gate valve ...(pricey little bugger.)
second pipe goes right to the top about 1/4 inch below the bottom of the wier. this is the back up drain
third is the return , with a couple of 45's and some flex makes its way to the tank and straight up and into a 3/4 loc line Y fitting . which splits into two 3/4 loc line runners into some flared nozzles .


and
.

so i got this all fired up and tested to find out that i had too big of a weir in my tank . I could not raise the water level of the tank high enough with the output my pump was giving me . ( I had 20 inches of wier with 2" deep teeth).

So I added some more acraylic behind the teeth to raise the water level . problem fixed . Now when the tank is running the water level is just above the start of the tank trim . Then flows over the weir and drops about 1/2 inch . and remains stable .. Super quit . i do not even hear the water at all ..!

so far so good
I am getting my build thread out of order .. doh ,, i will add the steps in a bit lol

[reeferfulton]

well since i decided to use the 3 bulkheads that meened i needed to learn about sumps .

What i found was a 36x16x16. previously a turtle tank with a ramp.
I took the ramp out . peeled out all of the internal silicon and bleached the tank.
then washed the tank with vinegar . then rinsed and rinsed . and rinsed


I decided on a simple 3 compartment sump design .. tank drains into first section . with skimmer . then an over under over bubble trap . then a middle section and then a return section .

I made the return section fairly large , as I learned with is where all the systems evaporation will be seen .

Had the glass shop cut me all the baffles , i siliconed them in and resealed the inside of the tank .. 5 days later .. leak check time .
I leack checked each individual compartment. all was good


hope someone like this thread lol

[mrhasan]

Wonderful build I should be able to learn about sumps from here

Keep up the elaborate explanations

[Rice Reef]

Welcome and it is nice to have another member on the Island. Tagging along to your build. What are your plans for the tank?

[reeferfulton]

another thing i wanted to do before i got this tank up and running was complete the stand the a presentable level for viewing in my house.

before


basic simple 1" tube frame supported in all corners by little gussets. I wanted to add an additional vertical support on each side in the center. I aslo wanted to add a horizontal brace around where the holes are drilled through the tank.

I am not sure if this was necessary but felt like doing it anyway.

now Due to the fact that i have 22 foot high ceiling about the tank , i did not have the option of hangin my light from the roof .
So I came up with my own light stand based on ideas i have found online .

I went to the local metal shop and bought 9 feet of 1 1/4 inch stainless steel boat hand rail .
Then i took this to a metal fab shop and hand them bend a perfect 90 degree bend on one end.

what i did next was find some seamless steel pipe with basically the exact inside diameter of 1 1/4 inch . My plan was to weld a bracket onto the back of my tank what would except my stainless light holder into it . this would then give me the option to rotate the light stand 360 degrees if i needed .

some pics


with light stand



after then stand was welded up I screwed 3/4 plywood to the top and bottom of the stand. and proceeded to try and figure out how to wrap this metal contraption in wood lol

[reeferfulton]

sorry for the sideways pic..

Well I would like to do alot of LPS and softies and some fish etc .

I have spent so much time building and researching the tank that i have not spent much time deciding what to put in it ..
I do know that i want a minimalist look with a simple 2 island rock scape .
I will be doing a thin 1 inch sand bed on the bottom . ( like the look)

back to the stand

I am not a wood worker ... lol I have a skill saw , compound mitre and a jigsaw ...and no skill ..

I wanted to make the stand open up completely. I did not want to be hindered when trying to work in the sump .
My thoughts where to have the sides hinge off the back 180 degrees . and the front to pop of with the use of magnets ..

I Welded on a pair of hinges on each back side. to these i screwed 3/8 good one side pine plywood . . then i trimmed the plywood with 2 x 1/2 pine tight grain wood .

Stained this all with ebony 1 step stain .. love the look



some stain added


I added some generic magnetic latches to the ends that close . they are pretty weak , and would like to upgrade those in the future . For now the front section just pulls off and I move it aside



1 more
we are really happy with the way the wood looks once it was stained ..Really though i just looks like a military crate lol
should put a skull and crossbones on it . or a poison symbol

[ensquire]

Great job so far. Only thing I would have added would be a sheet of styrofoam under tank.
Looks like you have another interesting project going on in your garage ?

[reeferfulton]

under the tank is a 1/4" thick yoga mat style of foam ..

you spotted my other passion which i have taken a 6 month break from

My father and I are hot rodding A 56 chev big back window,

Full accuair air ride suspension . chev 350 , front clip . lots of mods etc
would like it to warm up outside so i can go work on it again ..
here is a pic for you car lovers out there