disaster999 Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 theres whole cutters you can buy, i used a dremel with a cutting bit and slowly shaved off the plastic till desired diameter. most of the hole size the bulkhead requires can be cut with a hole cutter, but not 1/2 bulkheads. it requires 1 1/8 hole and you either have 1 1/2 or 1" hole cutter. are you building a hang on back overflow? or drilling the tank? Link to comment
disaster999 Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 what wood should i make the stand out of? I was thinking of walnut. maple isnt bad too...please keep in mind i want to go with a modern look. Link to comment
BKtomodachi Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Dark stained cherry w/stainless cabinet handles IMO. Link to comment
haze7573 Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 hang on back its the one melevs reef has on his site Link to comment
haze7573 Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 heres the one i made i jus gotta drill some holes and get it together it aint perfect but once my weld on gets here ill slap it together and try it out..my cuts arent the best but i got #16 so i can fill in my bad cuts Link to comment
disaster999 Posted March 23, 2008 Author Share Posted March 23, 2008 cool! you have an acrylic heat bender? those bends are pretty good! Link to comment
haze7573 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 yea haha its called a propane torch, a bunch of C clamps, sum 2x4's and lots of patience..it aint perfect by any stretch and you can see on some of the bends theres a line of bubbles..i guess its just gonna take more practice considering this was my first acrylic fabrication project. but thanks for the compliment...kevin Link to comment
disaster999 Posted March 27, 2008 Author Share Posted March 27, 2008 haha..i guess whatever works. i once tried bending acrylic with a electric stove. had that thing glowing red hot to soften up the plastic. it did soften it up, but messed up the acrylic pretty bad too. anyways, i got the light this morning, T5HO are pretty bright. lit up the tank. im sure with better bulbs it would be a lot better, but this would do for now Link to comment
fishyj Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Nice looking tank. If I can ask how much did the tank cost to make? Link to comment
disaster999 Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 acrylic alone was 55 bucks. got a 2'x4' and a 12"x12" on ebay. Link to comment
disaster999 Posted April 22, 2008 Author Share Posted April 22, 2008 building a stand for my tank. its a small cabinet which will eventually be a couch end table or something. made of out 1/2" maple plywood with maple edge banding. thinking of doing some walnut inlay for the doors so its not just plain maple. Link to comment
Monkfish Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Lookin sharp that stand is gonna look great Link to comment
disaster999 Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 Thanks monkfish. so heres the dilemma... which one looks better? Link to comment
RaceTec Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 IMO the vert inlay looks better because it will draw your eyes up to the tank... Great build so far! Link to comment
disaster999 Posted May 8, 2008 Author Share Posted May 8, 2008 Thanks racetec, i took your advice and made the doors. hand carved the handles too. the cabinet is oiled and get a coat of varnish soon. need to find the right hinges for the door, oil it and put a coat varnish and pretty much done. Need to make the sump too. Link to comment
bitts Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 wow, that's an awesome stand! how did you do the banding and inlay? Link to comment
disaster999 Posted May 8, 2008 Author Share Posted May 8, 2008 i took strips of solid maple and glued it to the plywood, made them a bit thicker than the plywood so i could plain and sand it down so its smooth. the inlay isnt really an inlay, but edge banding on the doors with walnut Link to comment
bitts Posted May 11, 2008 Share Posted May 11, 2008 thanks. bin trying to come up with a desing for a stand that looked good without costing 300. this is the first stand ive seen with vanred plywood thats not a pos. my wife has declared that with a baby on the way my current stand must be replaced but has vetoed all ideas because of cost. so you may have just saveed my tank. thank you. Link to comment
disaster999 Posted May 15, 2008 Author Share Posted May 15, 2008 glad i can help =) just remember if your going to use euro hinges, dont use 1/2" ply because they need at least 3/4". i just went through the pain of added material to my doors so i can use those hinges. at least they are done, just need to do some sanding, oil and varnish and my cabinate is complete! heres some pictures of the doors hung Link to comment
bitts Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 thanks for pointing that out, cant wait to see how your stand looks with a tank on it. Link to comment
purplepeopleeater! Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 well its looking great i cant wait to see it together Link to comment
disaster999 Posted May 31, 2008 Author Share Posted May 31, 2008 even tho im moving, i found time to get acrylic, cut them and make a sump. used el-cheapo acrylic from home depot since its only a sump and the baffles acts as a brace so it doesnt deform. pictures oops, forgot to mention how much i hate extruded acrylic. it doesnt cut as nice as cast and melts like no tomorrow. what a b!tch to cut! Link to comment
yeast Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 I like everything you've done so far. What are the sections destined to be in the sump? I'm guessing skimmer first, refugium then return? Link to comment
disaster999 Posted June 2, 2008 Author Share Posted June 2, 2008 Yup, thats the plan. still debating whether i should have the pump in the middle, skimmer on one side, and fuge on the other, or do the linear approach and have the flow going from skimmer, then fuge, then pump Link to comment
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