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At last, the build has begun. 2 shallow tanks (350*450*900mm) sharing one sump (also a shallow 350*450*900mm). It will be for my shrimp breeding experiment so I guess this would be what they call a 'frag build'? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Drawing up the plan took quite a while. It kept on changing and even now I don't have a 100% complete plan for it but most of the ideas are there. Some of the things I will have to decide as I go.
The ordered things are coming in one by one and I've started to put them together. I'm taking things slow (partly because some of the things needed are coming from aboard and partly due to me not being confident enough). I expect this project to take quite some time. I have never had or built a setup this size before.
A lot of DIY work will be involved, most of which I have never tried before. Just hoping and praying that they'll work. Can't say I'm any good with DIY but I just can't have the build in the way I want to without having to resort to such measures (or paying someone many thousands of $$$$).
First is the aquarium stand. I've ordered the aluminum extrusion parts as designed and put them together. This was my first time working with the aluminum extrusion.
Opening the package.
I found these joints pretty handy. No tap or holes on the side are needed.
I have made 3 stands, 2 for the tank and one is just a platform for the sump to go on. It was very important for the tanks to be placed as low as possible for their purpose so I won't be placing the sump directly under the tank (there won't be enough vertical space).
The stands are slightly elevated from the ground with aluminum foot-base units. I didn't want the water getting under and in between the stand and the floor. I got some cheap Teflon furniture feet to go under the legs to protect the wooden floor. These feet protectors were actually pretty slippery which was nice while I was working on it cuz I can push them around easily but I will see how they go with the tanks on the top. If they still slide easily I might have to put something else under it.
A few days later, the film plywood panels (12mm thick) have arrived. After wiping them clean, I applied some coats of varnish just on the sides. Less than $2(US) worth of it.
For the bottom panels, I cut out some yoga mat pieces (leftover from another project in the past) to fill the gap between the pillars and the panel so they stay in place. Worked pretty well.
The top panels are actually just sitting there. No screws, glue, or anything. I'm not sure if I should do something to hold it in place, like put some tape from under it (not directly between the panel and the stand but sticking some tape from underneath to hold them together after placing the panel on top). I don't want to use screws or glue.
A few more days later, the tanks have arrived. 3 in total. The delivery guy wasn't very pleased. The tanks were actually a lot heavier then I had expected and these are just shallows. I don't think I will be able to place it on top of the stand by myself. I feel so weak. I've only opened one up for now so I can start working on the sump later. The rest of the tanks can wait till the hole saw arrives. When it does, it will be my first attempt at drilling glass. Hope I don't F it up, I'd be forced to buy another tank, and waste all that money.
Cut out a new yoga mat to go between the tank and the plywood. Why yoga mat? Because they are cheap. I got one for about US$4.20 each. The one in the picture will go under the sump. The seller didn't have 3 sets of yoga mats in the same color that I wanted. The 2 that will go under the tank will be grey. I haven't cut those out yet.
Well, that's it for this post. There were also other things happening but maybe I will post about them another time.
Drawing up the plan took quite a while. It kept on changing and even now I don't have a 100% complete plan for it but most of the ideas are there. Some of the things I will have to decide as I go.
The ordered things are coming in one by one and I've started to put them together. I'm taking things slow (partly because some of the things needed are coming from aboard and partly due to me not being confident enough). I expect this project to take quite some time. I have never had or built a setup this size before.
A lot of DIY work will be involved, most of which I have never tried before. Just hoping and praying that they'll work. Can't say I'm any good with DIY but I just can't have the build in the way I want to without having to resort to such measures (or paying someone many thousands of $$$$).
First is the aquarium stand. I've ordered the aluminum extrusion parts as designed and put them together. This was my first time working with the aluminum extrusion.
Opening the package.
I found these joints pretty handy. No tap or holes on the side are needed.
I have made 3 stands, 2 for the tank and one is just a platform for the sump to go on. It was very important for the tanks to be placed as low as possible for their purpose so I won't be placing the sump directly under the tank (there won't be enough vertical space).
The stands are slightly elevated from the ground with aluminum foot-base units. I didn't want the water getting under and in between the stand and the floor. I got some cheap Teflon furniture feet to go under the legs to protect the wooden floor. These feet protectors were actually pretty slippery which was nice while I was working on it cuz I can push them around easily but I will see how they go with the tanks on the top. If they still slide easily I might have to put something else under it.
A few days later, the film plywood panels (12mm thick) have arrived. After wiping them clean, I applied some coats of varnish just on the sides. Less than $2(US) worth of it.
For the bottom panels, I cut out some yoga mat pieces (leftover from another project in the past) to fill the gap between the pillars and the panel so they stay in place. Worked pretty well.
The top panels are actually just sitting there. No screws, glue, or anything. I'm not sure if I should do something to hold it in place, like put some tape from under it (not directly between the panel and the stand but sticking some tape from underneath to hold them together after placing the panel on top). I don't want to use screws or glue.
A few more days later, the tanks have arrived. 3 in total. The delivery guy wasn't very pleased. The tanks were actually a lot heavier then I had expected and these are just shallows. I don't think I will be able to place it on top of the stand by myself. I feel so weak. I've only opened one up for now so I can start working on the sump later. The rest of the tanks can wait till the hole saw arrives. When it does, it will be my first attempt at drilling glass. Hope I don't F it up, I'd be forced to buy another tank, and waste all that money.
Cut out a new yoga mat to go between the tank and the plywood. Why yoga mat? Because they are cheap. I got one for about US$4.20 each. The one in the picture will go under the sump. The seller didn't have 3 sets of yoga mats in the same color that I wanted. The 2 that will go under the tank will be grey. I haven't cut those out yet.
Well, that's it for this post. There were also other things happening but maybe I will post about them another time.