I think every wood stand I have ever had was more unstable than this. I'm not worried either. I did go crazy with double counter boars and brackets. When I told the guy who designed it for me the weight he laughed. He said that's nothing so I'll take that..
120G 80/20 Stand Build
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Saltwaterwill
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Hey outstanding work man...[emoji106] one question, what type of pvc and thickness did you get from 80/20 for your back/bottom/top panels? Following Along ...I've been looking at 80/20 for a long time now and I thank you for sharing ideas with us hobbyists.
Chris-tico
Active Member
that stand its super cool.. did you design it?
Thank you. It was fun to put together. My wife tells me I like the building and creating more than the fish and corals. She's 100% right. I used the board below I bought from them. Straight edge ruler and razor stuff cuts great. Wish I went a little thicker but oh well.
Thank you much appreciated!!!
Yes I did design it but a company locally did the technical and cad for me. That said I won't be buying through them again now I know how to order through their website and put it all together. It's way easier than it looks. I didn't order the light bar originally and I ordered through their website. One suggestion is to not skimp on parts or specs. I will never build any other stand out of anything except this. It takes a beating looks great and is super light. When you want to go bigger or smaller you take it apart and recycle parts.
Saltwaterwill
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Hey I am getting inspiration from your stand build, it's phenomenal. I'm currently working on two stands from 80/20. Would you have the exact description of the bolts you used from ace hardware to mount the top and bottom panels of your stand? I'm not sure if I'm going to do wood or pvc. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Thank you so much. I haven't seen many builds with 80/20 so I wanted to share. I WILL NEVER build another stand out of anything else.
The fasteners I used to mount were from Ace Hardware. 1 down side is they kind of rust. As long as you wipe them down they are fine. I used the normal drop in fastness for the latch from 80/20. Below is the picture of the label at ACE. It's B.
My suggestion is not to use wood as the PVC is great to work with. If you want PM me and we can set up a time to call. I have many suggestions now that I have built this out pretty far.
I'm going to do a large update to the thread tomorrow as well. Thanks again.
Saltwaterwill
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Thank you so much looking forward to your update.Thank you so much. I haven't seen many builds with 80/20 so I wanted to share. I WILL NEVER build another stand out of anything else.
The fasteners I used to mount were from Ace Hardware. 1 down side is they kind of rust. As long as you wipe them down they are fine. I used the normal drop in fastness for the latch from 80/20. Below is the picture of the label at ACE. It's B.
My suggestion is not to use wood as the PVC is great to work with. If you want PM me and we can set up a time to call. I have many suggestions now that I have built this out pretty far.
I'm going to do a large update to the thread tomorrow as well. Thanks again.
Ok an update is long over due... Thanks for the shoutout @Saltwaterwill... I wanted to organize my thoughts on topics so here we go. This is going to be long... Sorry!!!
Stand - Like I've said before this thing rocks!!! I wish I went with this along time ago with my other setups. I have checked many of the bolts and nothing has loosened up at all. With my future upgrade to a 48 x 24 x ?? Tank I've started putting together a list of additional 80/20 parts for support. I really don't think it's needed but an excuse to play with the stand and build some more. I am thinking to add 8 more of the 4 hole brackets for in the corners. Will need the drop in T-Nuts but all good. For the front I will need to trip the PVC but it cuts like butter so not worried. Also going to get another sheet of the PVC for the top. Not needed but more support. Also want to order some of the caps for the end of the light rail that don't have any lettering on them. Looking for that solid black look. (I know it's nothing but I'm obsessive). With the future upgrade I have been thinking of a floating canopy to house the T5/LED combo. Not sure how I'll go about it but I think it'll be fun. The grommets ordered from Amazon are working out great to hide all of the wires above the sump. Worth the $40 as these stay tight in the holes. I know some don't like the open look of the stands but I think if we spend all this money on cool looking slick equipment and sumps why hide it??? It also helps with heat. Win Win!!!
Tank - The Innovative Marine 30L that I smashed the AIO section out is working out good. Will prob build a new stand out of 80/20 for this tank and use my Nano Sump and ATO that matches my big sump for my Soon to be new borns nursery. Yes my wife is letting me put a tank in my sons ocean / nemo themed nursery. Yes she is a winner!!! Since the over flows are 1.5" I think when I move it to the new stand I will make it as one line to the sump. I do have a love hate relationship with the black bottom as I like it spotless. If that's my only complaint about the tank that's a win. Want to add a screen top just for piece of mind plus love the clips that come with the IM tanks.
Sump - My large Black Box!!! John at Advanced Acrylics did a great job on this beast. I love having everything contained all inside and hides all the sound. I want to add some lighting inside but since only a reactor and skimmer are the only large pieces in there it's almost empty and adds a ton of volume. The bubble trap works great. I also added my old marine-pure spheres in there to defuse the bubbles as well. I will need to order new covers from John as they are warping but that's not his fault. It's my design flaw so I think I will do one solid piece with a brace and trim to keep it flat. As it's an open stand the mounting of the electronics and the look of the sump it fits perfect to my theme.
Skimmer - I am still using the Skimz SM161. I do like this skimmer but I am not sure if my water is too clean or I just haven't tuned it right. I always have had a re-circ skimmer and once I upgrade will go back to one. Welcome to feedback on choices. I heard Avast is releasing one this spring...
Apex - By far one of my favorite pieces of equipment. Right know I am running Apex Jr, WXM, PM2, AFS, 3 EB8, Breakout Box and PMK. No issues with anything and love the new PMK. I was always scared to burn my corals and never realized that my lighting was so low. Since all my corals are SPS I had them all a bit lower than 200 PAR. Neptune should sell new stickers for the modules. Since my look is all black it would be cool to have black and white labels. Would match the ecotech qd drivers. Just replaced the ph probe as mine was older with the BRS lab grade. Calibrated right away and spot on. Salinity probe is sometimes tough to calibrate but I found out if I calibrate it to my water as I keep mine at 35 ppt it works for me with the Milwaukee refractometer. The AFS is a cool addition to my tank. It has been a challenge to get the amount of food dialed in since I only have 6 fish and 4 are less than an inch. Once I get more fish I don't think it'll be an issue. Also have 3 EB8s. 2 are hooked up to the tank and the other has issues. Need to send it back to Neptune for some repairs. It's like it shorts the system and modules and probes drop off when connected. It's all good and once repaired I have a back up. I do have issues with bad outlets on the other 2 as the low watt switches 4 and 8 don't all work. I will switch with a fully repaired one. Also have the breakout box but don't use it as I have the Avast Marine floats for High and Middle.
Reactor / All in One BioPellets - I am using the Skimz BR63 which is a solid piece of equipment. I have 1.5 cups of the All in One BioPellets in there. They keep my levels low. Just watch out if you use them that they break down and put off some dust. Use a filter sock to catch them. I like how they have switched to a smaller pellet makes the flow better in the reactor.
Vortechs - What can you say? I love these pumps. Since I am a big Apex fan I would want to try the WAV but there is no battery backups. As I live in Florida Power Outages are normal and most of the time short. Staying with my black theme I switched the MP10wES to the WQd drivers. Mainly to meet my black theme but plus for the lack of noise for sure helps. There is a MP10 on the right and left with a Mp40 on the back Wall. I know it's overkill but got it for christmas. Ended up buying the driver mounts and they are great. I thought at first it may not be worth it but glad I did. All are controlled through my apex through the WXM. Very easy connection and setup through Fusion.
Vectra - Love this pump. It's a shame I can't connect to the WXM but oh well. I am still glad I bought it. What a difference in sound verse Mag Drives and Waveline which I've had before. Plus the DC control helps as it's got a a big range of low rates. Will be great to use one pump from a 30 to a max 120 gallon. Plumbing was very easy. Also note the driver mount comes with the pump and is deeper than the vortech mounts. (I bought an extra).
Light - Right now I am using a 4 Bulb ATI Sunpower Dimmable. There is 2 Blue + and 2 Coral+. Love the fixture but have 2 issues with it. 1 is that when the power goes out the time gets reset even if it's only out for 20 seconds. Happens a lot here in Florida so glad I went with the PMK for the Apex and setup Alerts through out the day making sure it's at the right levels. The other is I don't like the look of the bent aluminum. It's not bad but doesn't match the rest of the gear. All that said I am glad I went back to the tried and true T5 as the color and growth for sure works. I do want to add Led supplemental but still searching and planning for my upgrade. As the look of the Giesemann Mattixx Ii is just sexy I am still researching the Led supplementing. ReefBrite and Kessils both have their strengths. I guess it'll be a game time decision.
ATO / Saltwater Mixing - Going old school!!! 5 Gallon Bucket. Since there is a closet behind my tank I have it lined through the wall and have a float valve to directly connect to my RO system. Makes it nice and easy filling. Using an aqualifter to pump and have Kalk in the bucket. The float switches are the Avast Marine connected to the Apex which I love. Easy to use and setup. Also have the ph prob to watch the Kalk dosing. The RO system is the BRS 6 Stage deluxe with the booster pump. I've had a saltwater mixing station 2 55 gallon drums but sold them as I broke down my old tank. Now I'm just going to get a 175 gallon or so so I can mix one box of salt at a time. Been using the HW Reefer Salt and like it a lot. Also used the Brightwell Salt but the Sulphur smell is weirding out the wife.
Corals - Now for my favorite part... My SPS. Since the tank is SPS only actually because I can't keep LPS or softies for the life of me... It's stocked full of sticks. 51 at last count. I think the reason I can only keep SPS is my system is way to clean by my own obsession and love a lot of flow, LPS just wash out and die. I have sticks from Battlecorals (legendary), ReefAddicted (eBay), Aquatic Collection (eBay), Blue Earth (LFS), and Endless Ocean (LFS). Some are some basic ones and some high end. They are growing and thriving... Soon my wife will get some pics showing their detail. As I'm battling ULNS the color isn't the best and exploring nitrate dosing.
Fish - I only have 6 fish in the system and a lot of snails. 3 springer damsels, 1 six line wrasse, 1 blue throat trigger and a maroon clown I have had for 6 years. The clown has been through a lot with me and is my boy or girl. Down the line I want some high end fish but want to focus on my SPS. Some of the snails I have had for years and are little helpful troopers.
Scape - I went with Marco rocks repping Florida, well they are a solid company. This will be fully changed when the big tank comes and will still use Marco Rocks. There are three islands and have all the corals mounted to small rocks so they can be placed on the larger rocks in the big tank. When they grow out they will need to be moved but there really isn't much real estate left in the tank.
Maintenance - I do clean my glass daily as I like it spotless and weekly I like to stir the sump up to clean it. Also I like to siphon the bottom of the tank straight to the filter sock to catch any of the rock that may have been broken off. Skimmer is cleaned every 2 days or as needed and that's really it. As my career is based around efficiency and leveraging technology there really isn't much to do. My wife will tell you different. Once a week I fill the ATO and dose the Kalk but that's really it.
Parameters - I try to run low nutrients and I think I have succeeded. The Marine-Pure and BioPellets have worked their magic so there really isn't much in the system. I really think I will need to add more nutrients (buy more fish) or start dosing more nutrients. Alk, Cal and Mag are at 8, 420 and 1350. With solid water changes and manual dosing they stay there for a couple of days. I do need to start dosing and looking at a Cal rx or the DOS from Apex. Luckily I do big water changes and it's been keeping up but soon it won't be enough with that and the Kalk. I've been dabbling with Iron, Potassium and Iodine Red Sea kit so will start to advance the colors and dose accordingly. Salinity is at 34.5 to 35 and temp between 77 to 78. During the day it'll raise to 79 and being in front of the AC vent it evaporates a lot and keep the evaporation up to dose the Kalk keeping pH at 8.10.
So that was a lot and going to post some pics which will for sure not give close to the detail. Sorry for the bad pics!!! There is still a lot of room from my tanks growth but isn't that the fun???
Stand - Like I've said before this thing rocks!!! I wish I went with this along time ago with my other setups. I have checked many of the bolts and nothing has loosened up at all. With my future upgrade to a 48 x 24 x ?? Tank I've started putting together a list of additional 80/20 parts for support. I really don't think it's needed but an excuse to play with the stand and build some more. I am thinking to add 8 more of the 4 hole brackets for in the corners. Will need the drop in T-Nuts but all good. For the front I will need to trip the PVC but it cuts like butter so not worried. Also going to get another sheet of the PVC for the top. Not needed but more support. Also want to order some of the caps for the end of the light rail that don't have any lettering on them. Looking for that solid black look. (I know it's nothing but I'm obsessive). With the future upgrade I have been thinking of a floating canopy to house the T5/LED combo. Not sure how I'll go about it but I think it'll be fun. The grommets ordered from Amazon are working out great to hide all of the wires above the sump. Worth the $40 as these stay tight in the holes. I know some don't like the open look of the stands but I think if we spend all this money on cool looking slick equipment and sumps why hide it??? It also helps with heat. Win Win!!!
Tank - The Innovative Marine 30L that I smashed the AIO section out is working out good. Will prob build a new stand out of 80/20 for this tank and use my Nano Sump and ATO that matches my big sump for my Soon to be new borns nursery. Yes my wife is letting me put a tank in my sons ocean / nemo themed nursery. Yes she is a winner!!! Since the over flows are 1.5" I think when I move it to the new stand I will make it as one line to the sump. I do have a love hate relationship with the black bottom as I like it spotless. If that's my only complaint about the tank that's a win. Want to add a screen top just for piece of mind plus love the clips that come with the IM tanks.
Sump - My large Black Box!!! John at Advanced Acrylics did a great job on this beast. I love having everything contained all inside and hides all the sound. I want to add some lighting inside but since only a reactor and skimmer are the only large pieces in there it's almost empty and adds a ton of volume. The bubble trap works great. I also added my old marine-pure spheres in there to defuse the bubbles as well. I will need to order new covers from John as they are warping but that's not his fault. It's my design flaw so I think I will do one solid piece with a brace and trim to keep it flat. As it's an open stand the mounting of the electronics and the look of the sump it fits perfect to my theme.
Skimmer - I am still using the Skimz SM161. I do like this skimmer but I am not sure if my water is too clean or I just haven't tuned it right. I always have had a re-circ skimmer and once I upgrade will go back to one. Welcome to feedback on choices. I heard Avast is releasing one this spring...
Apex - By far one of my favorite pieces of equipment. Right know I am running Apex Jr, WXM, PM2, AFS, 3 EB8, Breakout Box and PMK. No issues with anything and love the new PMK. I was always scared to burn my corals and never realized that my lighting was so low. Since all my corals are SPS I had them all a bit lower than 200 PAR. Neptune should sell new stickers for the modules. Since my look is all black it would be cool to have black and white labels. Would match the ecotech qd drivers. Just replaced the ph probe as mine was older with the BRS lab grade. Calibrated right away and spot on. Salinity probe is sometimes tough to calibrate but I found out if I calibrate it to my water as I keep mine at 35 ppt it works for me with the Milwaukee refractometer. The AFS is a cool addition to my tank. It has been a challenge to get the amount of food dialed in since I only have 6 fish and 4 are less than an inch. Once I get more fish I don't think it'll be an issue. Also have 3 EB8s. 2 are hooked up to the tank and the other has issues. Need to send it back to Neptune for some repairs. It's like it shorts the system and modules and probes drop off when connected. It's all good and once repaired I have a back up. I do have issues with bad outlets on the other 2 as the low watt switches 4 and 8 don't all work. I will switch with a fully repaired one. Also have the breakout box but don't use it as I have the Avast Marine floats for High and Middle.
Reactor / All in One BioPellets - I am using the Skimz BR63 which is a solid piece of equipment. I have 1.5 cups of the All in One BioPellets in there. They keep my levels low. Just watch out if you use them that they break down and put off some dust. Use a filter sock to catch them. I like how they have switched to a smaller pellet makes the flow better in the reactor.
Vortechs - What can you say? I love these pumps. Since I am a big Apex fan I would want to try the WAV but there is no battery backups. As I live in Florida Power Outages are normal and most of the time short. Staying with my black theme I switched the MP10wES to the WQd drivers. Mainly to meet my black theme but plus for the lack of noise for sure helps. There is a MP10 on the right and left with a Mp40 on the back Wall. I know it's overkill but got it for christmas. Ended up buying the driver mounts and they are great. I thought at first it may not be worth it but glad I did. All are controlled through my apex through the WXM. Very easy connection and setup through Fusion.
Vectra - Love this pump. It's a shame I can't connect to the WXM but oh well. I am still glad I bought it. What a difference in sound verse Mag Drives and Waveline which I've had before. Plus the DC control helps as it's got a a big range of low rates. Will be great to use one pump from a 30 to a max 120 gallon. Plumbing was very easy. Also note the driver mount comes with the pump and is deeper than the vortech mounts. (I bought an extra).
Light - Right now I am using a 4 Bulb ATI Sunpower Dimmable. There is 2 Blue + and 2 Coral+. Love the fixture but have 2 issues with it. 1 is that when the power goes out the time gets reset even if it's only out for 20 seconds. Happens a lot here in Florida so glad I went with the PMK for the Apex and setup Alerts through out the day making sure it's at the right levels. The other is I don't like the look of the bent aluminum. It's not bad but doesn't match the rest of the gear. All that said I am glad I went back to the tried and true T5 as the color and growth for sure works. I do want to add Led supplemental but still searching and planning for my upgrade. As the look of the Giesemann Mattixx Ii is just sexy I am still researching the Led supplementing. ReefBrite and Kessils both have their strengths. I guess it'll be a game time decision.
ATO / Saltwater Mixing - Going old school!!! 5 Gallon Bucket. Since there is a closet behind my tank I have it lined through the wall and have a float valve to directly connect to my RO system. Makes it nice and easy filling. Using an aqualifter to pump and have Kalk in the bucket. The float switches are the Avast Marine connected to the Apex which I love. Easy to use and setup. Also have the ph prob to watch the Kalk dosing. The RO system is the BRS 6 Stage deluxe with the booster pump. I've had a saltwater mixing station 2 55 gallon drums but sold them as I broke down my old tank. Now I'm just going to get a 175 gallon or so so I can mix one box of salt at a time. Been using the HW Reefer Salt and like it a lot. Also used the Brightwell Salt but the Sulphur smell is weirding out the wife.
Corals - Now for my favorite part... My SPS. Since the tank is SPS only actually because I can't keep LPS or softies for the life of me... It's stocked full of sticks. 51 at last count. I think the reason I can only keep SPS is my system is way to clean by my own obsession and love a lot of flow, LPS just wash out and die. I have sticks from Battlecorals (legendary), ReefAddicted (eBay), Aquatic Collection (eBay), Blue Earth (LFS), and Endless Ocean (LFS). Some are some basic ones and some high end. They are growing and thriving... Soon my wife will get some pics showing their detail. As I'm battling ULNS the color isn't the best and exploring nitrate dosing.
Fish - I only have 6 fish in the system and a lot of snails. 3 springer damsels, 1 six line wrasse, 1 blue throat trigger and a maroon clown I have had for 6 years. The clown has been through a lot with me and is my boy or girl. Down the line I want some high end fish but want to focus on my SPS. Some of the snails I have had for years and are little helpful troopers.
Scape - I went with Marco rocks repping Florida, well they are a solid company. This will be fully changed when the big tank comes and will still use Marco Rocks. There are three islands and have all the corals mounted to small rocks so they can be placed on the larger rocks in the big tank. When they grow out they will need to be moved but there really isn't much real estate left in the tank.
Maintenance - I do clean my glass daily as I like it spotless and weekly I like to stir the sump up to clean it. Also I like to siphon the bottom of the tank straight to the filter sock to catch any of the rock that may have been broken off. Skimmer is cleaned every 2 days or as needed and that's really it. As my career is based around efficiency and leveraging technology there really isn't much to do. My wife will tell you different. Once a week I fill the ATO and dose the Kalk but that's really it.
Parameters - I try to run low nutrients and I think I have succeeded. The Marine-Pure and BioPellets have worked their magic so there really isn't much in the system. I really think I will need to add more nutrients (buy more fish) or start dosing more nutrients. Alk, Cal and Mag are at 8, 420 and 1350. With solid water changes and manual dosing they stay there for a couple of days. I do need to start dosing and looking at a Cal rx or the DOS from Apex. Luckily I do big water changes and it's been keeping up but soon it won't be enough with that and the Kalk. I've been dabbling with Iron, Potassium and Iodine Red Sea kit so will start to advance the colors and dose accordingly. Salinity is at 34.5 to 35 and temp between 77 to 78. During the day it'll raise to 79 and being in front of the AC vent it evaporates a lot and keep the evaporation up to dose the Kalk keeping pH at 8.10.
So that was a lot and going to post some pics which will for sure not give close to the detail. Sorry for the bad pics!!! There is still a lot of room from my tanks growth but isn't that the fun???
Saltwaterwill
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Hey man np!!! I'm loving your nano, looks simplistic and clean I love that, your corals pop nicely, I think your Ati is doing a awesome job showcasing them. I was looking around for black expanded pvc as well but it's hard getting 3/4" or thicker. I might have to settle for white on top and maybe 1/2" on bottom & back. Again, awesome tank and awesome pics 
Hey man np!!! I'm loving your nano, looks simplistic and clean I love that, your corals pop nicely, I think your Ati is doing a awesome job showcasing them. I was looking around for black expanded pvc as well but it's hard getting 3/4" or thicker. I might have to settle for white on top and maybe 1/2" on bottom & back. Again, awesome tank and awesome pics
Thanks for the compliments. I found this site... HDPE would work to... Check here
Hey man np!!! I'm loving your nano, looks simplistic and clean I love that, your corals pop nicely, I think your Ati is doing a awesome job showcasing them. I was looking around for black expanded pvc as well but it's hard getting 3/4" or thicker. I might have to settle for white on top and maybe 1/2" on bottom & back. Again, awesome tank and awesome pics
Did you order your 80/20 yet?
Saltwaterwill
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Thank you for that. I happened to find this site also by accident and found 3/4" rigid expanded expanded pvc foam sheet in black, in case u ever need.Thanks for the compliments. I found this site... HDPE would work to... Check here
Saltwaterwill
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I'm going to Order it in about 2 weeks finally...I'm too excited, but I didn't want to impulse buy anything because as you know very well this stuff is not too cheap and want to get it right the first time, can't wait.
I hear ya... I got excited too and even with a comprehensive list I still ordered extras by accident. Luckily it was just hardware but those parts aren't cheap either... Keep me posted and good luck
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