Updated Dec 2020 to shorted the gibberish and remove the fluff!
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I have been watching and learning on R2R since 2017.
Finally, at the end of 2019 I started working on my first reef tank. When I got the go ahead from the Boss (my wife of course), I bought a used 90gal 48x18x24 with stand and found a great deal on a Red Sea MaxE 170 cube.
She (the Boss) decided she really wanted a peninsula tank and the 90 would need to be drilled and re-sealed.
The 90 cabinets not in great shape so I decided I needed to build a customer stand and the 90 just wasn’t going to be big enough.
The end of February I ordered a Marineland 120 from my lfs and started to build my own stand.
I bought a 40gal Breeder for a sump while waiting on the 120 to arrive, which took some time to arrive due to current global crisis we all know about. In the mean time I started to work on the custom stand.
After many mishaps as I am not a full-time cabinet builder, I am now at the point of needing just one more coat of Spar/Polly to complete the 120 stand.
Equipment list: (Updated Dec 2020)
Peninsula drilled Marineland 120 gal 48x224x24
Eshopps Eclipse L Bulkhead
Vertex Omega 150 Protein Skimmer or REEF OCTOPUS Prime 200INT Protein Skimmer (havent decided which to use)
2x VorTech MP40 pumps
2x Red Sea ReefLED 90 lights
Tunze Osmolator 3155 ATO
400 watt Aquatop Titanium Heater
External Blueline 55 HD Water Pump - 1100 gph (Panworld 150)
Platinum Sump 39 Aquarium Sump - Trigger Systems
x4 Wasserstein WiFi Water Leak Sensor, Smart Flood Detector
Original 90gal used tank: SOLD on fb
After looking at the bottom of the stand I decided I didn't want that in my living room and my wife decided she wanted a tank a little bigger. Gotta Love her!
Decision was made to sell the 90 and get a 120 with in stand 40 Breeder for sump.
Later after viewing #Flippers4pups build thread my wife decided I needed all the sumps down stairs in the basement so off to the drawing board again!
Now we are keeping the 90 for an in basement sump and using the 40 breeder as a sump for the Max E 170.
Marineland 120 on order and off to build a stand:
How to make a box
I didn't want plywood so decided all solid Oak (should be strong enough)
First 2 sides, Check
Two Ends:
As I stated in the beginning, I'm not a professional woodworker.
The 1st set of ends I had all squared and sanded and ready for glue.
when I cut out all the biscuit slots I cut the sides on the wrong edge. I had to start all over again
New outside end:
I glued 4 pieces together for the outside end.
Never having done that before it came out ok.
Gluing a box:
Amazing what it takes to make a box square
My wife said I needed doors! Internal Support:
Doors and a bottom: (door panels and bottom are the only plywood in the stand)
Off to stain, Spar/Polly and Rubber coat the inside base:
2 coats of Early American stain and all the rest of the pic have 2 coats of Spar/Polly
My wife wont let me stain or polly, (apparently she does it better) and its been raining for 2 weeks here in the ATL.
She has arrived!! Peninsula drilled Marineland 120 48x224x24 waiting on a stand.
So that's it for today on the start of the build thread for this tank.
My much Better Half is supposed to do some finish coats on the stand today and I'm off to get my basement in line for all that's getting ready to happen down stairs.
Thanks for all the help from so many people on this forum.
There is NO way I could have gotten this far by myself without this site!
------------------------
I have been watching and learning on R2R since 2017.
Finally, at the end of 2019 I started working on my first reef tank. When I got the go ahead from the Boss (my wife of course), I bought a used 90gal 48x18x24 with stand and found a great deal on a Red Sea MaxE 170 cube.
She (the Boss) decided she really wanted a peninsula tank and the 90 would need to be drilled and re-sealed.
The 90 cabinets not in great shape so I decided I needed to build a customer stand and the 90 just wasn’t going to be big enough.
The end of February I ordered a Marineland 120 from my lfs and started to build my own stand.
I bought a 40gal Breeder for a sump while waiting on the 120 to arrive, which took some time to arrive due to current global crisis we all know about. In the mean time I started to work on the custom stand.
After many mishaps as I am not a full-time cabinet builder, I am now at the point of needing just one more coat of Spar/Polly to complete the 120 stand.
Equipment list: (Updated Dec 2020)
Peninsula drilled Marineland 120 gal 48x224x24
Eshopps Eclipse L Bulkhead
Vertex Omega 150 Protein Skimmer or REEF OCTOPUS Prime 200INT Protein Skimmer (havent decided which to use)
2x VorTech MP40 pumps
2x Red Sea ReefLED 90 lights
Tunze Osmolator 3155 ATO
400 watt Aquatop Titanium Heater
External Blueline 55 HD Water Pump - 1100 gph (Panworld 150)
Platinum Sump 39 Aquarium Sump - Trigger Systems
x4 Wasserstein WiFi Water Leak Sensor, Smart Flood Detector
Original 90gal used tank: SOLD on fb
After looking at the bottom of the stand I decided I didn't want that in my living room and my wife decided she wanted a tank a little bigger. Gotta Love her!
Decision was made to sell the 90 and get a 120 with in stand 40 Breeder for sump.
Later after viewing #Flippers4pups build thread my wife decided I needed all the sumps down stairs in the basement so off to the drawing board again!
Now we are keeping the 90 for an in basement sump and using the 40 breeder as a sump for the Max E 170.
Marineland 120 on order and off to build a stand:
How to make a box
I didn't want plywood so decided all solid Oak (should be strong enough)
First 2 sides, Check
Two Ends:
As I stated in the beginning, I'm not a professional woodworker.
The 1st set of ends I had all squared and sanded and ready for glue.
when I cut out all the biscuit slots I cut the sides on the wrong edge. I had to start all over again
New outside end:
I glued 4 pieces together for the outside end.
Never having done that before it came out ok.
Gluing a box:
Amazing what it takes to make a box square
My wife said I needed doors! Internal Support:
Doors and a bottom: (door panels and bottom are the only plywood in the stand)
Off to stain, Spar/Polly and Rubber coat the inside base:
2 coats of Early American stain and all the rest of the pic have 2 coats of Spar/Polly
My wife wont let me stain or polly, (apparently she does it better
) and its been raining for 2 weeks here in the ATL.She has arrived!! Peninsula drilled Marineland 120 48x224x24 waiting on a stand.
So that's it for today on the start of the build thread for this tank.
My much Better Half is supposed to do some finish coats on the stand today and I'm off to get my basement in line for all that's getting ready to happen down stairs.
Thanks for all the help from so many people on this forum.
There is NO way I could have gotten this far by myself without this site!
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