scokill Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Well, I got tired of the AP12 and decided to go with 40g Breeder. I couldn't really find stand local, and it was too expensive to pay shipping, so I decided to build my own. I've never done any of this before, so much reading was required. Tank is standard 40g AGA breeder. I decided to to through the glass overflow box and two through glass return lines (L/R) from www.glass-holes.com. Sump is 20g long from petco with 3 chambers, 1st is for overflow and skimmer, second is fuge, third is return pump. I siliconed in the baffles. Stand is 34" high as I wanted it higher than standard. Construction was from 2x4 doubled in all corners, glued and screwed. I got oak plywood and trim from home depot, and ordered the doors online. Let me know what you think... Link to comment
shrimphombre Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 looks great! when does it get water? What kind of lighting? What will you be keeping in it? Link to comment
red97tj Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 stand looks good...the overflow drain tube is kinda high where it's at. i'm thinking lots of splashing from that height. i would have a coupling & another tube to get it down near the bottom if you want to be able to get the overflow tank in/out easily. Link to comment
scokill Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 stand looks good...the overflow drain tube is kinda high where it's at. i'm thinking lots of splashing from that height. i would have a coupling & another tube to get it down near the bottom if you want to be able to get the overflow tank in/out easily. Hmm...there is a coupling at the back (picture 2), so I can takout the whole lower horizontal and vertical assembly in one piece. I wanted to be able to work on/replace the bulkhead or overflow box if there was a problem as the pipe coming down is glued into the bulkhead, and I could undo the current coupling, unscrew bulkhead downpipe and all and replace if need be. I've tried it out and it's pretty easy to do from front. As far the down pipe, it's 8" from the bottom of the tank. I plan on putting a coupling on the use a filter sock. The coupling should extend at least a couple of inches and the planned water depth is 9". Do you think it still needs to go down further??? I've never had a sump, so advice is much appreciated. Link to comment
Matty1124 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 your not going to want any 90degree fittings on a drain... it will make a sloshing sound and reduce the amount of water it can handle... you want 45s for a smoother curve and less restricted flow Link to comment
scokill Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 looks great! when does it get water? What kind of lighting? What will you be keeping in it? Water goes in tomorrow night, LR in Friday. I'll have to let cycle and move my AP12 Fish and Coral, CUC. Any advice on moving over into new tank? Lighting is Nova Extreme Pro 6/39 3 daylight, 3 actinic. Mixed softies, polyps, few LPS, fish. Link to comment
Matty1124 Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 just going to ignore my advice on that drain... trust me its easier to change now then when theres water in there.... Link to comment
abe Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 just going to ignore my advice on that drain... trust me its easier to change now then when theres water in there.... you're right. your reason is why i plumb over flows with flexible tubing. Link to comment
scokill Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 just going to ignore my advice on that drain... trust me its easier to change now then when theres water in there.... Ignore you? No way man. I went out immediately to HD and bought the stuff to change it. I thought I posted reply on my treo. I thought about flex drain but just did it in PVC. Got my lights, skimmer and pump in today....39x6 T5s Nova extreme pro (much consternation over t5s vs. MH, I have MH on my AP and have chiller) Eheim 1260 return and ASM G1 skimmer Gonna filler up and test tomorrow, LR in next week. My goal was to have everything hidden and the tank as close to the wall as possible, I'm pretty happy with that. Here is current setup: Link to comment
smoknta Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Looking good...nice work on the stand, looks very professional. Link to comment
scokill Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 Looking good...nice work on the stand, looks very professional. Thanks. I was somewhat shocked that it turned out so well. I worked for a trim carpenter when I was in high school (25 yrs ago!) but have never really built anything without some expert help and tools (I was normally just the gopher). I didn't really like any of the stands I saw retail or online. Most had one door or were too short for my liking, and I would have to drive all around town looking at them burning $4 gas. I think I ended up saving shipping costs after all was said and done on cost, which some units were $80-120, so probably 20-30% savings doing DIY and I ended up with what I wanted, taller than std., huge open space inside with double doors, exact match to my kitchen cabinets, and frame that can support elephant. Drilling the glass was the only mishap. I cracked the first tank on the first hole because I had the drill going to slow and let it bind as I cut through, so that cost me an additional $89 for a new tank, but I got to practice on it and cut several holes to get it just right. Ironically, I didn't crack any of the practice holes! I'm a little set back on time as I need to install GFCI plug before putting water in, but I'll post some pics as I progress. Link to comment
Xytrix01 Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 That looks absolutely amazing. I can't wait to get my 40br set up! I kinda need a job first... Link to comment
scokill Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 That looks absolutely amazing. I can't wait to get my 40br set up! I kinda need a job first... Thanks. Tanks and no job don't mix! This hobby is expensive. My wife and I are very conservative money wise, but we had a good year so why not....Once you get the bug, it's hard to stop. Good luck on finding a job (If you are looking ) Link to comment
Xytrix01 Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Thanks, ya I am looking. I was doing good a while ago, and able to stock my 10gal nicely. then I made the choice to go to school full time. It got me ahead faster, but now i'm broke. I told myself that my reward for getting a job is the 40breader I have sitting in storage! Link to comment
WindCloudWRX Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 what paint brand or stain do u use for wood? and are the door hinges from HD too? Link to comment
scokill Posted August 21, 2008 Author Share Posted August 21, 2008 I used std minwax, natural color with spray on polyurethane finish. After 4 coats polyurethane, "sanded" with plain old white copy paper. Smooth as can be. The door hings are european cup concealed hinges. The company that made the doors drilled the cups and provided the hinges. Ordered the doors online, www.lakesidemoulding.com . They were solid oak, cathederal arch to match my kitchen cabinets perfectly. You could probably do cheaper square panel doors, mine were $35/each pluse $30 shipping (ouch). they were the most expensive items, but they make up 75% of what you see, so they needed to be perfect. I had the 2x4s lying around, so no cost there, I think I had somewhere around $200 invested. Link to comment
scokill Posted August 21, 2008 Author Share Posted August 21, 2008 UPDATE: I find the 40g actually takes less time than the 12g AP. I have auto-top off which helps alot, water changes are manageble, and I find myself messing with the tank less since I was able to plan out new tank better. Here are some updated pics: This is left side/right side view at two weeks Current whole tank old, just received my first coral stocking order yesterday (only actinics on early in morning) and full lights mid day now: Brain coral that looks phenominal 45 minutes out of bag: 12+ lb Bass my brother caught to win tournament (not reef related, but fish related!) Link to comment
bdare Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 WOW! I love your build! Very nicely done. How is your overflow drain? Any noise? I didn't see a durso. Ben Link to comment
scokill Posted August 21, 2008 Author Share Posted August 21, 2008 WOW! I love your build! Very nicely done. How is your overflow drain? Any noise? I didn't see a durso. Ben Thanks a bunch. I have through the glass overflow from www.glass-holes.com . The noise ranges from barely hear to babbling brook. I had some algae growth in the overflow box and decided to clean it, it made it somewhat louder, so lesson learned not to clean unless it's impeding flow. It has an adjustable vent tube that slides down the pipe, you can adjust it up or down and I've found the lower the better on noise, so I may get a longer piece of tubing and see if that takes the noise more. WOW! I love your build! Very nicely done. How is your overflow drain? Any noise? I didn't see a durso. Ben Hey, I just noticed you are in Rockwall, I'm just across the bridge Rowlett/Rockwall County... Link to comment
bdare Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Hey, I just noticed you are in Rockwall, I'm just across the bridge Rowlett/Rockwall County... Cool! Might have to do some swapping! Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.