AlexGs Basement Plywood Build 2 displays one system.

AlexG · Sep 10, 2016

Update. The sump stands have been painted and the 150 has been moved onto its stand. It's starting to look like a fish room.

Mebeknob · Sep 11, 2016

How are you going to get the front piece of glass in to the aquariums? It seems like the lip on the front will make it difficult to put it in diagonally. But if it is deep enough you could prob shimmy it in there.

Mebeknob · Sep 11, 2016

Are those hdpe tubs custom made? If not where did you buy them?

Nemguy123 · Sep 11, 2016

Looking great!!

geckoejon · Sep 11, 2016

mind me asking how much the glass for the 720 is running, and who you are ordering it from? i contacted a couple places, and haven't even received an answer for an estimate... i'm assuming i would go local, but not sure if i should go through a glass shop, tank manufacturer, or what...???

AlexG · Sep 11, 2016

Mebeknob said:
How are you going to get the front piece of glass in to the aquariums? It seems like the lip on the front will make it difficult to put it in diagonally. But if it is deep enough you could prob shimmy it in there.

Mebeknob said:
Are those hdpe tubs custom made? If not where did you buy them?

So the glass is going to be one of the next challenges but the installation will not require a lot of difficult movements with the glass. The tanks are going to flipped 90 degree so the glass side is facing down on the stand. The Euro bracing on the top of the tanks is not permanently in place so it will be removed. The the glass just needs to be slid into place and then gently placed on the silicone seal. It is by far the most nerve racking part of this build next to the eventuality of filling the tanks for the first time. I am thinking about making a video about this process as it will not be easy to explain with words.

The HDPE tanks were purchased from http://www.plastic-mart.com/. They have a wide selection of tanks in pretty much any size. I already had the 120gallon HDPE tank from a previous build but the 265gallon I purchased was the biggest tank I could fit into my basement. Lucky for me the HDPE tank manufacturer was local and I was able to make a local pickup that saved me $300 in shipping. The cone bottom HDPE induction tank I am using for the skimmer I purchased from Amazon of all places and even with shipping the cone bottom tank was the best price I could find. The shipping in some cases can cost more than the tank itself so if there manufacturer is local or even a few hours away I would ask about making a local pickup.

AlexG · Sep 11, 2016

geckoejon said:
mind me asking how much the glass for the 720 is running, and who you are ordering it from? i contacted a couple places, and haven't even received an answer for an estimate... i'm assuming i would go local, but not sure if i should go through a glass shop, tank manufacturer, or what...???

I ordered the glass from glasscages.com. I spent a lot of time trying to get quotes for 3/4" low iron glass locally with poor luck. The glass for tanks I am building came in around $2000 that includes shipping, renting a truck for the local pickup, and buying some food/beer for my friends that helped move it into the basement. The glass for 720 gallon tank alone was $768. I did have to rent a truck and meet a semi truck about an hour away from my house but to ship the glass from TN to IL was only $95 and to me that was a steal. Local glass suppliers in some cases flat out said they will not handle 3/4" glass and the ones that did wanted to charge me between $4000-$6000 and delivery was not included. I thought these local suppliers were just crazy. I had a good experience ordering with glasscages.com. I did pay a little extra to get the glass put on a pallet but that was well worth the $40 charge as the glass was really packed up well and using a pallet jack to transfer between trucks made getting the glass home a lot easier.

geckoejon · Sep 12, 2016

awesome! that's what i was hoping for... i'll get in touch with glass cages. if i can get the glass for a grand, i'll be a happy camper

revhtree · Sep 12, 2016

AlexG said:
Update. The sump stands have been painted and the 150 has been moved onto its stand. It's starting to look like a fish room.

DUDE!!!! I see poured concrete walls?

AlexG · Sep 12, 2016

revhtree said:
DUDE!!!! I see poured concrete walls?

That's just the basement walls. Maybe the next setup will be a concrete tank but I need to finish this one first.

revhtree · Sep 12, 2016

AlexG said:
That's just the basement walls. Maybe the next setup will be a concrete tank but I need to finish this one first.

HAHA! That's what I meant. The basement walls.

AlexG · Sep 12, 2016

revhtree said:
HAHA! That's what I meant. The basement walls.

I think that my wife would hurt me if I tried to use the basement walls for the aquarium but I like the idea.

revhtree · Sep 13, 2016

LOL! I was just pointing out that you had poured walls. Not tank related!

AlexG · Sep 20, 2016

Couple of hard days of work and I have the top braces ready to be glued together. The top braces cannot be permanently installed until some time after the glass is installed but I wanted to piece together what I could so it's a one piece install that is ready to go once the glass is installed. The glass bracing will not be permanently installed until I have rock work in and I am ready to fill but they are in place for fitting. I like the pocket hole jig I am using for the top brace as it will allow the screws to be better hidden and sealed.

Maximizer · Sep 20, 2016

What made you decide to go with glass braces? Is the plan to just silicone them down?

AlexG · Sep 21, 2016

Maximizer said:
What made you decide to go with glass braces? Is the plan to just silicone them down?

I was thinking about this for a while when I started to consider the top frame construction. I could have used plywood for the center braces but they are 5" wide and were going to block a lot of light. I plan to suspend my lights higher off of the tank to maximize the spread which also meant that I would get some shadows from plywood center braces. I decided that glass would be a better option for the center braces as it will allow some light to pass and will reduce shadows from the braces. I will be using RTV108 to bond the glass to the fame after it is sealed with epoxy.

ddwmedic · Sep 21, 2016

Gotta love the pocket hole jig...

revhtree · Sep 22, 2016

Massive!

Maximizer · Sep 22, 2016

AlexG said:
I was thinking about this for a while when I started to consider the top frame construction. I could have used plywood for the center braces but they are 5" wide and were going to block a lot of light. I plan to suspend my lights higher off of the tank to maximize the spread which also meant that I would get some shadows from plywood center braces. I decided that glass would be a better option for the center braces as it will allow some light to pass and will reduce shadows from the braces. I will be using RTV108 to bond the glass to the fame after it is sealed with epoxy.

Sounds like a great plan. Smart idea.