AIO lowboy frag tank build/easy diy

[TheDragonsReef]

Materials:
Tank, 1/4in acrylic sheet, aquarium silicone, return pump, plumbing

Tools needed:
Jigsaw w/ fine tooth blade, measuring tape, square, gloves


The glass is a ZooMed 50g low boy 48in×24in×10in. I decided i wanted to run a 40/10 split for the filter and refugium section and the tank. This would give me almost a 5g section for a refugium with how i measured it.

I bought some black acrylic off amazon, making sure itd be long enough to cover the 2ft width

I planned out how big i wanted each section, drew the cuts i needed to make and cut it with the jigsaw. I used a fine tooth blade that is sold for thin metal. When making the measurements, if youre unsure of your abilities make the pieces a hair larger than necessary. You can always trim them if theyre too big, but if you cut too much and have a loose fit, it'll be harder to seal and hold in place for curing.

For assembly i recommend having a second hand. Glue the baffles and seperation plates in first and then the long piece that seperates the filter section and aquarium. I put a bead of silicone around every edge that would make contact before placing it in the tank. I had my brother hold the pieces while i put the last wide plate in. I then put extra silicone in the corner of every joint and ran my finger along them to lightly push it into gaps and get rid of excess. If you smear the silicone anywhere dont worry, it can be cleaned up easily with a razor blade. I also recommend using a small square to make sure all your pieces are mounted perfectly.

I'll update this thread with more progress for anyone interested

 

[mdrieder]

Keep me updated! Did you use a table saw for those cuts?

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Keep me updated! Did you use a table saw for those cuts?

Nope just my dewalt jigsaw and a steady hand haha

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Looks good.

Personally I come in on the other end of cutting acrylic baffles. Especially if you're using a jigsaw not a table saw. With a jigsaw you cannot easily remove 1/8 of an inch from the end of a piece of acrylic if you are too long. On the other hand you can easily fill an eighth inch gap with silicone and have it sealed perfectly. Access to cut on a table saw with a fence, if you can see the shave off little pieces until you reach perfection.

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Looks good.

Personally I come in on the other end of cutting acrylic baffles. Especially if you're using a jigsaw not a table saw. With a jigsaw you cannot easily remove 1/8 of an inch from the end of a piece of acrylic if you are too long. On the other hand you can easily fill an eighth inch gap with silicone and have it sealed perfectly. Access to cut on a table saw with a fence, if you can see the shave off little pieces until you reach perfection.

Thanks, im pretty handy with power tools and have no problem trimming small portions off but i guess that may not be the case for others looking to build their own. Everything fit perfectly first try though so luckily i didnt have to do either.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Thanks, im pretty handy with power tools and have no problem trimming small portions off but i guess that may not be the case for others looking to build their own. Everything fit perfectly first try though so luckily i didnt have to do either.

Great job. Normally when cutting panels I would also err on the side of long because it can be trimmed down.

 

[chrisgold]

Materials:
Tank, 1/4in acrylic sheet, aquarium silicone, return pump, plumbing

Tools needed:
Jigsaw w/ fine tooth blade, measuring tape, square, gloves


The glass is a ZooMed 50g low boy 48in×24in×10in. I decided i wanted to run a 40/10 split for the filter and refugium section and the tank. This would give me almost a 5g section for a refugium with how i measured it.

I bought some black acrylic off amazon, making sure itd be long enough to cover the 2ft width

I planned out how big i wanted each section, drew the cuts i needed to make and cut it with the jigsaw. I used a fine tooth blade that is sold for thin metal. When making the measurements, if youre unsure of your abilities make the pieces a hair larger than necessary. You can always trim them if theyre too big, but if you cut too much and have a loose fit, it'll be harder to seal and hold in place for curing.

For assembly i recommend having a second hand. Glue the baffles and seperation plates in first and then the long piece that seperates the filter section and aquarium. I put a bead of silicone around every edge that would make contact before placing it in the tank. I had my brother hold the pieces while i put the last wide plate in. I then put extra silicone in the corner of every joint and ran my finger along them to lightly push it into gaps and get rid of excess. If you smear the silicone anywhere dont worry, it can be cleaned up easily with a razor blade. I also recommend using a small square to make sure all your pieces are mounted perfectly.

I'll update this thread with more progress for anyone interested

Nice effort that wish i had the ballz good luck

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Nice effort that wish i had the ballz good luck

Not much you can mess up with an all in one, the seals dont even need to be water tight. Hardest part is just cutting the pieces straight. You could definitely handle it if you tried

 

[chrisgold]

Not much you can mess up with an all in one, the seals dont even need to be water tight. Hardest part is just cutting the pieces straight. You could definitely handle it if you tried

Yeah good point i even saw a place wer ya could just order the acrylic cut to size already and i still didn't dare

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Did the return pump plumbing today. Next up is to start filling it!

 

[Elson26]

Nice set up!

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Nice set up!

Thank you!

 

[Elson26]

Thank you!

what light will u be running on the tank?

 

[TheDragonsReef]

what light will u be running on the tank?

2 or 3 of my old ai sols, depends on how the par looks.

 

[Elson26]

2 or 3 of my old ai sols, depends on how the par looks.

ahh nice. will it be a mixed frag tank or a sps/lps ?

 

[TheDragonsReef]

ahh nice. will it be a mixed frag tank or a sps/lps ?

Mixed for now, if i end up filling it up i may split it up later down the road. I was going to run higher par and flow on one side for the sps and a lower setting for the lps and softie side.

 

[Elson26]

Mixed for now, if i end up filling it up i may split it up later down the road. I was going to run higher par and flow on one side for the sps and a lower setting for the lps and softie side.

Nice, do keep me updated on the progress. And i would recommend u to throw in some LED bar that would help with the par. cheers!

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Nice, do keep me updated on the progress. And i would recommend u to throw in some LED bar that would help with the par. cheers!

Thanks and ill continue to update this post. i shouldnt have any issues hitting target par if i use all 3 of the sols, im hoping i can get away with just 2 though

 

[reefpizza]

Nice!

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Currently filled and running! Im mixing the salt in the tank which is why you see some sitting there. Now its time to get it cycled. Next up is hanging the lights!