22.5 Ext BTA Build

[CJ Monty]

Short version: Would love to document my journey on a BTA tank build and share some info with a community that has given me so much knowledge. There will be a few things that I will be trying out for the 1st time and a lot of time tested stuff I have discovered through trial and error on previous systems.

Background: So I did a thing. I was using a 20 gallon long as a frag tank. Didnt like it since I loved sumps for additional filtration. During Black Friday, I was looking around for an ext frag tank and found one at a good price but was not crazy about the single overflow pipe and you had to buy bulk heads. Happen to checkout fiji cube and they had an open box 22 gallon ext which had the same footprint and double the height. Figured I could make my frag rack high and have a more versatile tank down the line. Little did I know that would be before I hit the buy button. Plans changed and we wanted to do a BTA/Clown Tank. I checked out the 32 gallon fiji cube tank but decided to go with the 22. They didnt have a open box and could not justify the price gap (250 vs 450). I will be using as much equipment and scraps as I have laying around to help drive down the cost even if its is not optimal for the build.

 

[CJ Monty]

The Stand

This is my first time building a stand. I have built a floating canopy for my 100G DT prior to this. This is your standard tank stand you will find on any youtube video. I wrapped the stand in 1/2" plywood I had laying around and the top is 3/4" because why not. I really like the 1/2" wrap instead of using 1/4" the lip on the top looks a lot nicer in my opinion.

Stand is stained with my color choice of home depot stain. I took 2 coats for it too look nice for me. Then I sprayed the stand (inside and out) with a clear matte coating to try to protect the wood as much as possible.

Stand is 36" heigh, 25" wide and 22.5 "deep. 36" matches other furniture in the room, gives more room under the stand. The tank is 18" high still low enough for even a short me to get into the tank. 25" wide is for my choice of sump (10G Aqueon tank; more on that in another post; IMO you can save a lot of money on sumps). 22.5 deep was also to maximize area under tank and it was the largest piece of plywood I had laying around. I like having the lip and also makes it difficult more my little ones to get to the tank.

I chose to use overlay hinges that you can get from home depot for a couple bucks. Originally I was going to use concealed hinges but discovered the hard way they need a 3/4" edge to attach to.

My stand does not have a bottom or back. I normally do this anyway but I placed a waterproof mat under the stand which I will place my sump directly on.

I already love having a DIY stand as I can already see down the line me modifying it to support future needs.

 

[Genetics]

Looking good! Going with a 10g instead of a 15g sump? How did you decide to support the weight of the fish tank? Standard 2x4s?