Stands

[Goodair]

I agree! That's why weirs are important, I always have nori chunks stuck on it from my foxface being a pig lol. With that water turnaround, 2 bulkheads for the overflow box is standard for the prebuilt boxes i believe.

 

[David Abbott]

A 24x8x10, that's about 70 pounds of water it will hold, that's pretty big. You should look into prebuilt overflows boxes and build something similar, like a 16x4x8. Your main drain will be about 6 inches under the water line, secondary will be slighly under the water line, and the 3rd slightly above the 2nd. Also use tinted glass/acrylic so light doesn't go through.

Personally, I'd rather just buy one already made unless you got tools to cut glass/acrylic. They will have a weir in the front, a template on where to make the holes and its less of a headache.

You know I'm thinking that I' m trying to save money on the critical components of how my DT is to preform This is an important part of how well my system will run. Being retired and on a fixed income, I have aprox $400 a month to spend on my adventure, so I know that it is going to be an 8/10 month project before I even get some fish, but I'm hooked!!!! So.....I'm going to take your advise and buy one. Would it be necessary to have one at each end because it's necessary? or no ???. AS Reefer Robot said You must like the "STEAMPUNK" look. Which I do, and would like to duplicate the same on the other side. Maybe 2 smaller ones>>>> I guess the next phase in trying to figure out the sump system LOL Anyway big problem solved Thanks Goodair and Reefer Robot

 

[Goodair]

Functionality, you really only need one. What's important is to have flow throughout the whole tank, everything in the water column will dilute eventually. Is the tank going to lay against a wall, or be a penensula style? I enjoy the dyi aspectof tank building, but when your gonna buy tools to use once and never again, its not worth the little money you save. If you already have them, or know someone who does, it might be worth an attempt.
Building the sump yourself is much easier since you you need is a used tank, silicone and some glass cut at a store into simple shapes.

 

[David Abbott]

Functionality, you really only need one. What's important is to have flow throughout the whole tank, everything in the water column will dilute eventually. Is the tank going to lay against a wall, or be a penensula style? I enjoy the dyi aspectof tank building, but when your gonna buy tools to use once and never again, its not worth the little money you save. If you already have them, or know someone who does, it might be worth an attempt.
Building the sump yourself is much easier since you you need is a used tank, silicone and some glass cut at a store into simple shapes.

Yes

 

[David Abbott]

Yes, the DT will be against the wall, back of tank 5' and I totally agree with you!!! But to find a used tank here in Panama, would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. I haven't even seen a aquarium since I moved here in 2012. So the sump is going to be custom design.

 

[David Abbott]

Functionality, you really only need one. What's important is to have flow throughout the whole tank, everything in the water column will dilute eventually. Is the tank going to lay against a wall, or be a penensula style? I enjoy the dyi aspectof tank building, but when your gonna buy tools to use once and never again, its not worth the little money you save. If you already have them, or know someone who does, it might be worth an attempt.
Building the sump yourself is much easier since you you need is a used tank, silicone and some glass cut at a store into simple shapes.

The visual aspect of the DT is just part of the view experience, How the system works as a whole is as much of the "nuts and bolts" are visible, as my design is, my stand is completely open from all sides, no cabinet to block the view of the sump supply pipes and the return

 

[Goodair]

you should start an official build thread for sure!

 

[David Abbott]

you should start an official build thread for sure!

Yeah.....AQUARIUMS FOR DUMMIES" LOL

 

[BornHandy]

I look at it like this. Floors have to be able to support walls, roofs, columns, and people. When you think about what a person puts down per square inch, it isn't that different from an aquarium. Unless the floor bounces when you walk on it, I wouldn't worry too much for anything less than 300 gallons.

For instance, I weigh about 210 lbs, and standing on one foot, I can roll up onto the ball of my foot and put down somewhere around 25 or 30 PSI. A 180 gallon (72 x 24) on a stand made of 3/4 inch material would only put down somewhere around 12 to 15 psi...

 

[David Abbott]

I look at it like this. Floors have to be able to support walls, roofs, columns, and people. When you think about what a person puts down per square inch, it isn't that different from an aquarium. Unless the floor bounces when you walk on it, I wouldn't worry too much for anything less than 300 gallons.

For instance, I weigh about 210 lbs, and standing on one foot, I can roll up onto the ball of my foot and put down somewhere around 25 or 30 PSI. A 180 gallon (72 x 24) on a stand made of 3/4 inch material would only put down somewhere around 12 to 15 psi...

Thanks for the reply. I know now that I was concerned about nothing, Previously I read somewhere that weight of the tank was relevant to the strength of the concrete, and living in panama /with almost no building code/ it got me to thinking, a little to much. "Measure 2/3 times cut once"