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Shallow Frag Tank - a DIY adventure - New Scape & Pics! Pg 4


RnMB1988

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I was visiting a fellow reefer friend and helped him set up a new display tank. When we were done with his new tank we were talking about the old tank he replaced with this new tank, he said he was going to throw it away, or if I wanted it I could have it. So I was like, your not throwing away a perfectly good tank just because it has some bowed sides and you a nice new shiny glass tank to replace it with...LOL.
So we threw it in my car and off I went on a new adventure. Since I have dumped LOTS of $$ into my Cardiff tank I decided, out necessity mostly, that this would be a penny pinching budget build. So here we go:
Tank - FREE - now thats penny pinching!!! Its a 20x20x8 acrylic tank.

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Stand - I got a hold of a bar height table and chairs for $20, the chairs were in bad shape, but the table was in OK shape.
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I started by taking everything apart, made a plan to make a stand with a sump under tank set up, and started in.

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And this is where I am at today. I still need to make the and attach the shelf for the sump. The sump tanks is pictured just for reference.

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Woa, nice start! Your pretty resourceful. Didn't see that regular table turning into a bad azz fish tank stand, really well done! It will look nice once you ad the shelf for the sump.

Your Duc is pretty distracting i must say! Amazing color combo.

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Looks like gonna be a sweet fun ride

I sure hope so, on both accounts!!

 

So far so good. Love the Duc!

TY - I see you also ride and you are in the state I want to move back to....maybe we can ride togeter some day if I ever get back there.

 

Rad.

TY - So what’s the deal with the beetle?

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Woa, nice start! Your pretty resourceful. Didn't see that regular table turning into a bad azz fish tank stand, really well done! It will look nice once you ad the shelf for the sump.

Your Duc is pretty distracting i must say! Amazing color combo.

 

Thank you Zia! I plan on staining it dark - like a coffee color and then a good coat of poly or varnish.

the Duc is running great and the sound of that 162 pony twin thumping along is music to my ears - the stock cans on these things does not due the motor any justice at all, I am glad to be rid of that blue and white one, I have a Carbon Works can on mine, you will know when I pull up to your shop!

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Truk lagoon is a place near chuuk island that fleets of ships stood but was found by war planes and they are sunken and coral/ algae over took all the machinery.

 

Very iconic to me and it would make one heck of a bio tope

 

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=chr-greentree_gc&va=truk+lagoon

 

AMAZING!!!! That photo album ROCKS!!!

I hope you are/were able to dive there. I got to go scuba diving off Key West on a very nice reef there, it was a bucket list adventure I will never forget and one I will do again if I get a chance!!

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I will in the future! I came across this little niche when I worked for a LFS. I tried to replicate it with barrels and an anchor, but ran out of time so it never looked the way I liked..... I think I will go on my own adventure and take photos to re create hopefully in near future!

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Its been a bust few days! I was going to bitch about the Govt shutdown......but this forum is about Nano Reefs....so......

I got the lower shelf done on the shallow frag/hospital tank, this is where I will use a standard 10 gallon aquarium and make a DIY sump/fuge.

Here are the pic's!!

 

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This thing is really sturdy being made from butcher block, but it is still a little wobbly for me plus, I just might copy someone's seahorse/display fuge some day so it needs to solid as a rock........

I am going to add some cross braces right under the table deck across the legs, this will take the little bit of shake out of the stand, plus it will hide that seem line that is there now.

 

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I will in the future! I came across this little niche when I worked for a LFS. I tried to replicate it with barrels and an anchor, but ran out of time so it never looked the way I liked..... I think I will go on my own adventure and take photos to re create hopefully in near future!

GO FOR IT......nothing ventured, nothing gained!!!
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DSC00642_zps582d5588.jpg

 

GO FOR IT......nothing ventured, nothing gained!!!

 

Daum! Looking professional ova there buddy! If this government BS shutdown last any longer you might have to start building fish tank stands for a living!

Couldn't fully understand how you were add that sump shelve, kudos! So how goes it, with the baffle progress? Any sketchs or ideas on what the chamber configuration will be?

 

I have the coolest rock scape idea for that tank.

Yea lets hear it?!?!

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build it like an 'X'

 

One corner has the bigger rock formation, then just the opposite corner has a bigger rock formation.

 

For the rest of the corners(2) build up a smaller scape at each corner.

 

I read it out of some aquarium zen book

 

it looks pretty nice

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Todays update in pictures....

 

Skirt installed

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The light I am using for the fugue.

 

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Can you see it?

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How about now?

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Close up[.

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Broke down for final sanding!

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build it like an 'X'

 

One corner has the bigger rock formation, then just the opposite corner has a bigger rock formation.

 

For the rest of the corners(2) build up a smaller scape at each corner.

 

I read it out of some aquarium zen book

 

it looks pretty nice

Interesting, so its like a scallop? Taller at the corners and deeper in the middle?

 

I had been thinking of a small island right in the middle with all sides tapering - kind of like a mini island. (for some mangrove and or crabs)

OR a letter C shape but with the opening at the front of the tank, with the corners shallow and the back tall - maybe poking out of the water.

 

I dont know... I have time to mull it all over.......... :blink:

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Interesting, so its like a scallop? Taller at the corners and deeper in the middle?

 

I had been thinking of a small island right in the middle with all sides tapering - kind of like a mini island. (for some mangrove and or crabs)

OR a letter C shape but with the opening at the front of the tank, with the corners shallow and the back tall - maybe poking out of the water.

 

I dont know... I have time to mull it all over..........

 

I have always admired the mangrove growing from the middle island. I have seen it done before and it DOES look amazing. Hopefully someone knows of the link since I do not. (The one with Tiki heads)

 

I don't know about getting "bored" of any of the designs you suggested- but, I do know the 'X' is from a Japanese aquarium magazine and the idea is that it spawns from 'Zen' and it is suppose to never bore you with the design.

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Todays update in pictures....

 

 

Close up[.

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Broke down for final sanding!

 

NICE update! You been busy over there i see. That's pretty innovative on how you mounted the fuge light, very clean! Man you braced the shiit out of that stand, good work under there. That should handle this tank and any other future upgrade you might throw at it.

Thanks for the update, cant wait to see more :D

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OK so for some reason I feel a need to say that I am doing this with very minimal set of wood working tools. I had some wood shop training in high school, many many years ago.

All I have available to me at home is a battery powered 6" circular saw, a el cheepo miter box, a square, a couple of straight rules, a palm sander and a batter powered drill as well as my mechanics tools.

No table saw, plainer, drill press, non of that type of equipment. Why am I saying this - to show that if you have the very basic set of wood working skills and or can read a book about it, you do not need a 10,000 dollar shop to make some of this stuff. could my work be better? Hell yea, but it aint that bad either, so if you have the desire to try something like this - GO FOR IT!!!

 

http://s1317.photobucket.com/user/rcgliderguy/media/DSC00650_zpsf0e59cb9.jpg.html'>DSC00650_zpsf0e59cb9.jpg

 

http://s1317.photobucket.com/user/rcgliderguy/media/DSC00652_zpsa600a26f.jpg.html'>DSC00652_zpsa600a26f.jpg

 

I decided to stain the work dark so there is a big contrast from the lit tank to the stand. This is Rustoleum Ebony stain.

 

http://s1317.photobucket.com/user/rcgliderguy/media/DSC00653_zps85da7207.jpg.html'>DSC00653_zps85da7207.jpg

 

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More work done, = more pictures!!

 

Stained, and poly applied!!

 

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Delivery

 

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More pieces of the puzzle....

 

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Sump/refugium construction.

I got this kit from Ebay seller Modularmarine - this kit ROCKS, it very professional cut with either a lazer or a water jet the plexi is 1/4 thick and when I ordered it I send a request for a custom size, he email me with an hour, nice hugh, well I ordered it at about 830 pm las Saturday! So his communication just went from good to stellar!! and there was no extra charge for a custom size!!

 

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Now you can see that I got one of the baffle plates off a little, I am not going to worry about it, its a sump/fuge and I don't think it will hurt the operation of it!

 

More to follow soon!

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This build is Awesome! I'm liking your DIY skills, reminds me of my grandpa. He would always re-purpose wood like you did with the stand.

 

BTW what type of dt is that? manufacturer?

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This build is Awesome! I'm liking your DIY skills, reminds me of my grandpa. He would always re-purpose wood like you did with the stand.

 

Thank you!!

 

 

 

BTW what type of dt is that? manufacturer?

 

Sorry, you lost me with this one, what does DT stand for?

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