Stampede Toyota & Red Coral 400g Build

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Originally Posted by untamed

I'm very curious to know what "oversized" skimmer you think is required. Are you going to try to fit this skimmer under the tank? That will be a trick.

At Red Coral we carry Hydor Skimmers and since we sell and service them and they wholesale out of Calgary we felt it would be our best option.
Performer 3000
26 in height
16.5x21.5 in footprint
793 gal heavy stocking
1057 gal normal stocking
3 recirc pumps
1 feed pump

With the inside of the sump at 17" and the possibility of going 21" inside and inside height of stand at 38.5" and also since the sump is dedicated to the P Skimmer we should have lots of room for maintenance. Any suggestions would be helpful. We do not want to carry a skimmer that there could be a possibility of not having readily available parts for and don't really have the room or financing to hold an additional one.

Kevin

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Red Coral Aquariums

With the 126" length large angels and large tangs (Sohol, Archilles, etc).

Awesome!!! That would be my choice as well! Good luck with the Achilles.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

The stand was delivered and will be permanently set up when work on the counter top (that runs from the open end out) begins.
We fastened pressure treated 3/4" plywood on top and bottom of the stand.
Here is a detailed description from Francis (Trigger Coatings) on the dynamics and details of the stand.

"For the steel, I used two dimensions of what industry calls HSS (which stands for "hollow structural sections")

The uprights (legs), diagonal braces and the floor perimeter were made with 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" wall square tube. I used this based on it's rating of 13 Kips for a 3' column (1 Kip = 1000 lbs) so each leg supports about 13,000 lbs of concentric load! In a real world the forces may not be 100% centred straight down so this is why I tend to "over engineer" things.

For the top frame I used 3" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" wall. This unfortunately doubles the steel cost but was used because of the requirement of the 49" wide opening to fit the sump through. A 4' span (beam) in 1 1/2" square isn't even listed in my references, the max width shown is 3' which is only rated at 1800 lbs and almost a 1/4" deflection in the center...too much risk in my opinion with 4000 lbs of water and tank. The 3"x 1 1/2" I used is rated at 3500 lbs over a 4' span with only 0.17" deflection. This is why the stands at BXXXls scare me..4' wide with 1 1/2" tube that not even rated for structural use (less than 1/8" wall)

Enough technical steel info..boring you to death right?

Corners were all mitre cut at 45 deg. so that both pieces of steel are sitting on the uprights (legs)...not relying on just welds to support weight of the tank. Completely seal welded so that no moisture can collect inside the tubes and cause corrosion (another problem with the cheapo stands)

After welding was completed, the entire stand was sandblasted, this removes any rust and/or welding contaminants and also provides a surface that improves paint adhesion.

For paint I used Endura's Intermix 3:1 two-part epoxy primer. This was topcoated in Endura EX-2C polyurethane (Black 160) For more info on Endura's paints check out their website: http://www.endura.ca/

This is the same paint I use for painting about 90% of the time. We use it for oilfield equipment, trailers and heavy trucks."










Cheers
Kevin

[Trigger Man]

Originally Posted by Myka

Awesome!!! That would be my choice as well! Good luck with the Achilles.

I was going to say the same thing, great fish but might be to much care issues to worry about.

[Nate]

you got it right on the skimmer kevin...hydor is no problem for me to get you parts...been using one on my personal tank for a while now, and I am going to start switching over all of my customers tanks to them now. They are a great skimmer.

[Pan]

Originally Posted by Myka

Awesome!!! That would be my choice as well! Good luck with the Achilles.

What no Clown gobies..? Sheesh

[Red Coral Aquariums]

An update finally.


The metal Frame has been leveled and bolted to the cement floor.
The Skimmer and return sump has been added.
The main tank shell has been constructed.
The wall where the overflow will be tucked in is finished.
The Electrical 2 x 20 amp with GFI breakers and GFI main panel breakers is in place.


Pictures thanks to JDigital.

You can see where the overflow part of the tank will be tucked into the wall. The rock wall will have a bigscreen tv on it.



An amazing shot it looks a mile long (actually 126")



Skimmer and return sump with 2" Bulkhead hole for Sequence Dart Pump.



Another view showing room left over under the stand for the RO water and Salt mixing sumps.



2" bulkhead hole for drain 1.5" emergency 1.5" for return



Here's a great overhead shot (Geeze I am funny looking)




Note to self:

Things I plan on having accomplished this week/weekend

1) Ultra quiet BR fan in place above main tank overflow with access to from the top.
2) Finish the main tank with Eurobracing top and bottom.
3) Build PVC racks for holding live rock.
4) specs drawn out for metal Main tank canopy.
5) Draw up plans for R/O tank and Salt mixing tank


I'll keep up with the updates
Thanks for looking
Kevin