190 gallon build.

[dammert89]

Hi everyone. So I have been planning a build for a couple of months now, I have been out of reefing for almost a decade (life and career had me busy). But now that I have the time, I am getting back in. I'm planning a 1600mm x 700mm x 700mm build.(63" x 27.5" x 27.5") 12mm (0 5") glass with 60mm(2 3/8") euro bracing top and bottom as well as an 80mm (3") cross brace. I'm going for a peninsula style tank. So will be builing a custom overflow on the side of the tank. I'm starting with the stand this weekend. I'm not very time constrained so I expect it will take me about 4 to 5 months before I have a tank that I can start cycling. First got to get the stand WAF certified. Plan for the filtration is a custom low profile weir and overflow with a bean animal setup. My sump is going to be about a 40g breeder. I have sketched the basics of the tank in sketchup. Will upload that in the week. I am looking to "future proof" the tank so I would prefer doing something now versus making changes later. Looking forward to all the feedback.

 

[PPBlimpy]

What are you planning for tank inhabitants? mixed reef or SPS dominant, fowlr?
sounds like a a fun build.
Building the tank yourself?
i want to do this one of these days. i used to build custom sumps but never did my own display tank

 

[dammert89]

Yeah, I'm planning on a mixed reef. I am planning on doing everything myself. Tank, sump, stand, overflow etc. So maybe 4 months is a bit optimistic. I have somewhat of an electronics background and I am going to look at building my own custom controller and LED controller as well. So I have a bit of a journey! Will post photos of my progress as it comes along.

 

[PPBlimpy]

I like it!
I am researching /looking at doing a DIY LED Controller to a set of Noopsyche lights that I can't get a controller for anymore.
I do not have an any electronics background really so we will see if I ever get anywhere.
take your time. plan it out, will come out great. if not just dont show pictures of it. lol

 

[dammert89]

So I got some time to start my build. Starting with the stand. This was my idea:

It is 1600mmx700mmx1000mm. The bottom base and top base are made from 38mmx152mm while the vertical supports are all 38mmx114mm. So basically 2x4 and 2x6 equivalent to what is available here.

I used a pocket hole jig for all of the joins as well as wood glue and this is the result:

My plan is to put 18mm plywood in the bottom base as well as 18mm plywood on top.

I am also planning on putting a 3mm rubber sheet cut out to fit the underside of the base where it will be in contact with the floor.

Im planning on using plywood (not sure of the size yet) for the front, back and side panels with cutouts for the doors.

Im still wondering over the tank though. I was thinking 12mm with a bottom euro brace and top euro brace as well as a centre brace. Not sure if this is going to be overkill or not.

Im planning on doing the tank soon after I put the base and top plywood on so that I can let the wood compress and settle before I finish it with the cladding and doors.

Let me know your thoughts.

 

[PPBlimpy]

I like it! looks a lot like the stand I built for my 300. My tank is acrylic though. I ran a piece of 1/2" high density pink foam from the local hardware store under the tank.

 

[dammert89]

Nice stand. I'm planning on laying 1/4" closed cell neoprene under the tank. I honestly can't handle the feeling and sound of polystyrene.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[FMF0331]

heavy duty stand

 

[dammert89]

Ok here's my update so far. Didn't get much done this week as I have the auditors at work so they are keeping me busy.

Primed the stand frame, I did 2 coats, however realised after that when I do the cladding I am going to probably need to sand down to bare wood anyway again so that the wood glue adheres better:

I also got the 18mm plywood for the sump area and base of tank. Cut it to size and cut out the corner and middle support gaps. Here was the dry fit, I ended up having to sand down some of the internal gaps to get it to fit but all good.

Here you can see I countersunk the holes for fixing the plywood to the stand and used 4mm x 40mm wood screws.

I did the top base as well, also with countersunk 4x40 screws. I think I might have used a few more than I needed as you can see, but this is not going to come off any time soon.

I also took a 3mm piece of rubber underfloor insert and glued it to the underside of the stand and cut out where there were gaps. (apologies, dont have a photo of it). Only reason I did this was to protect our laminate floors with the initial move as the rubber will be softer on the floors than the bare wood, it also slightly helps with any imperfections.

My next plan is to order my glass and a sheet of neoprene for the sump and tank. I was thinking of getting about a 5mm thick sheet of neoprene. Should I look at EVA closed cell rather than neoprene?

Regarding my glass, unfortunately I can't get 12mm here so I am stuck with 10mm, I suspect that with enough bracing I should still be able to pull it off. Oh yes and because of the 10mm glass I have reduced the tank to 600mm high instead of 700mm, think it might be more manageable anyway from a maintenance point. So it's now a 180 gallon build, not a 190.