Urbanek's ADA Trio

[vision]

this looks great!

 

i've been terrified at the thought of drilling my ADA tank - you've given me a little courage to maybe attempt it in the future!

[urbaneks]

Painting the Glass and Installing the Returns and Overflows

I mentioned in the previous post that I forgot to take photos when I was painting the tanks.  In order to prep the tanks for paint, I simply taped off all surfaces that I did not want to see paint.  I'm sure any masking tape will do but I prefer and used 3M Blue Painters Tape.  With the tanks taped off, I applied several light coats of spray paint.  I test painted another piece of glass with a couple brands of spray paint.  I found that the Rust-Oleum paint with a primer was the ticket.  If I had to give some advice on the painting, it would be to take an entire day to complete this task, don't have other tasks planned for the tanks.  With a day carved out, apply a thin layer of paint, you may not get full coverage at first.  Let the first layer dry for an hour or two.  Come back and repeat the process applying another thin layer of paint.  Avoid trying to get full coverage with each application.  Repeat this process 5 or 6 times until you have completed coverage.  Let the tanks dry until the next day before you move them.  In the end you will have a great paint job free of runs/streaks/etc. 

 

With the tanks painted, I'm ready to test fit them on supplemental cabinet and install the returns and overflows.  Before the tanks go down, I added a foam pad under each tank.  ADA has a great product for this.  If you are in need of a material for under your tank check out the ADA Garden Mats, they come in several sizes.  This product is the best I've seen for this application. 

 

After the Garden Mats were in place, tanks were set in place to get a general idea.  I couldn't help setting a piece of the reclaimed wood next to the cabinet to get a sense for what the finished product will look like.

 

Here is a photo of the tanks in place, painted with returns and overflows installed.  I mentioned this in the first post but the drains and overflows came from Glass Holes.  Here is a link to the exact product that I purchased.  I chose this product for the size and ease of installation.  I could not find another overflow and return that I could fit on a single panel of the tanks.  Overall, I'm very pleased with how the paint/overflows look.

[4x5]

Beautiful as always, looking forward to seeing this unfold.

[gonebad395]

Man this is a great idea can wait to see the final outcome 

[YaBoyLaj]

Definitely following this one

[Christopher Marks]

Awesome progress, the painted tanks and plumbing look great. I still remember the first time I drilled a glass tank 16 years ago, I was so nervous!

[teenyreef]

It looks great, that reclaimed wood is going to look really good. I really appreciate you sharing all the details of how you are building everything, I'm always learning! Can you post pictures of your plumbing details?

[RIP Sebastian]

Looks great already!

[Okinawa_Reefer]

Looks great so far! Following along

[spectra]

Looking good Brad!

 

I am with Teeny glad you post pics of the entire process.

[MakoMan36]

This is a very interesting built, love how you post all the detail.

[braaap]

YES! Another amazing build from you! What did that reclaimed wood set you back? No stores like that around here but I have found a few barns that I get wood from for projects.

[spectra]

5 minutes ago, braaap said:

YES! Another amazing build from you! What did that reclaimed wood set you back? No stores like that around here but I have found a few barns that I get wood from for projects.

 

Head south I have a hook up on barn wood  after seeing Brads first build I found a dealer........I have a local who dismantles barns he as all sorts of stuff and not to bad of prices.

[joshky]

This will be awesome, what do yo have planned for each tank?

[braaap]

28 minutes ago, spectra said:

 

Head south I have a hook up on barn wood  after seeing Brads first build I found a dealer........I have a local who dismantles barns he as all sorts of stuff and not to bad of prices.

 

But then I would have to come to that craphole they call Oregon.

[spectra]

37 minutes ago, braaap said:

 

But then I would have to come to that craphole they call Oregon.

I live in WA and so does my wood guy.........

[braaap]

16 minutes ago, spectra said:

I live in WA and so does my wood guy.........

 

Then I would have to go to that craphole they call Vancouver. lol

[shaneandjohn]

Wow, Great build thread! This is so well thought out and your attention to detail is remarkable. I really appreciate how you have documented your steps thus far. I have hit the follow button and am eager to follow along as your create a very unique set up.

[urbaneks]

On 2/23/2017 at 6:51 PM, spectra said:

Looking forward to this............loved the last one and had to copy that stand  

Thanks so much.  Glad you were able to pull from my last build.  That's what the forums are all about. 

On 2/23/2017 at 7:22 PM, Militant Jurist said:

Looks like a great plan! I too enjoy the opportunity to do some woodworking. My new tank is on a metal stand, but I'm working on red oak panels and a hood to conceal it all. What do you plan to do as far as ventilation for the enclosed areas?

Thanks for the compliment.  No ventilation plans at this point.  If ventilation is needed I can always add a fan after the fact. 

 

On 2/23/2017 at 7:58 PM, Nano sapiens said:

Knowing how detailed you were with your large tank, looking forward to this!

Thank you sir.  Hope I can come close with the build. 

 

On 2/23/2017 at 8:08 PM, BattleAthletics said:

Ive been into woodworking as well and remembered you had done your stand. Had to go back to your thread to see your design.

BA - Good to hear from you. 

 

On 2/23/2017 at 8:33 PM, Bowen1022 said:

yessssss!!!!!

Like this comment. 

 

22 hours ago, vision said:

this looks great!

 

i've been terrified at the thought of drilling my ADA tank - you've given me a little courage to maybe attempt it in the future!

Thanks.  Certainly not much to drilling them. 

 

14 hours ago, 4x5 said:

Beautiful as always, looking forward to seeing this unfold.

Thank you 4x5. 

 

13 hours ago, gonebad395 said:

Man this is a great idea can wait to see the final outcome 

Many thanks. 

 

13 hours ago, ThePaontedFrogfish said:

Definitely following this one

Thanks for following along. 

 

13 hours ago, Christopher Marks said:

Awesome progress, the painted tanks and plumbing look great. I still remember the first time I drilled a glass tank 16 years ago, I was so nervous!

Thanks. 

 

12 hours ago, teenyreef said:

It looks great, that reclaimed wood is going to look really good. I really appreciate you sharing all the details of how you are building everything, I'm always learning! Can you post pictures of your plumbing details?

I will get some plumbing shots for sure. 

 

12 hours ago, RIP Sebastian said:

Looks great already!

Thanks!

 

9 hours ago, Okinawa_Reefer said:

Looks great so far! Following along

Thanks!

 

6 hours ago, spectra said:

Looking good Brad!

 

I am with Teeny glad you post pics of the entire process.

Glad the extra photos during the build are appreciated. 

 

5 hours ago, MakoMan36 said:

This is a very interesting built, love how you post all the detail.

Thanks. 

 

4 hours ago, braaap said:

YES! Another amazing build from you! What did that reclaimed wood set you back? No stores like that around here but I have found a few barns that I get wood from for projects.

The specked white barnwood isn't too bad.  I have about $100 in barn wood which will cover the supplemental cabinet and floating shelf. 

 

4 hours ago, joshky said:

This will be awesome, what do yo have planned for each tank?

No concrete plans in place yet.  Lots of ideas. 

 

2 hours ago, shaneandjohn said:

Wow, Great build thread! This is so well thought out and your attention to detail is remarkable. I really appreciate how you have documented your steps thus far. I have hit the follow button and am eager to follow along as your create a very unique set up.

Thanks for following along. 

[DaveFason]

No problem at all! I am just glad to see this come about. 

 

With your previous tank supporting a good amount of SPS I thought these could be some ideas to help spark other ideas. 

 

• Staghorn tank - Bare Bottom - Damsel/cardinal schoaling tank - Tons of flow
• Monti Cap/ Digi tank - 3-4" tank bed with small rubble - Goby Mated Pair/Shrimp or paired jawfish
• Dedicated RBTA ( new crazy colored variations ) - Clown pair or trio - Anemone shrimp

Any who you will kill it! 

 

 

[urbaneks]

Framing the Floating Shelf that with House the AI Hydras

With the supplemental cabinet built, tanks painted, it's time to turn my attention to the lighting solution.  One of my biggest pet peeves in this hobby is visible cords and excessive light spill.  While my floating shelf may not 100% fix the light spill, I know for sure that it will fix the visible wires that I've grown to dislike.  I snapped several photos during the build process, here are a few that I think best illustrate the build process.

 

As with any project knowing what you are going to build (down to the 1/16th of an inch) before you start building is key to success.  I started this project as I typically do which is building the project inside of Google Sketch Up.  They key to this project was knowing exactly where I wanted the lights positioned above each tank.  Once I had the center point of each Hydra, I had to know that points relationship to the corner of my existing wall.  After having these two key measurements, it was just a matter of framing out the shelf to accommodate the lights. 

 

With my plan in hand, I'm ready to start building.  Step 1 was to cut the back board the length of my shelf.  Step 2 was to cut the front to back supports and position them along the back board.  The two end pieces are a no brainer, the rest were positioned to accommodate the Hyrda's positions above the tanks.  Step 3 was to attach this completed portion to the studs.  I was able to attach this portion to studs on the back wall and both side walls. 

 

Next it's time to frame out the boards where the back of the Hyrdas will sit.  Again referencing my build plan, I add these next pieces of wood for all 3 lights.  You will also notice that I added 1/4" melamine inside the frame.  This just finishes the inside of the light cavity and provides a lip for the lights to sit on. 

 

The next step was to cut holes from the Hydra cords to run through and add the front board to complete the framing.  Again, I used the melamine to finish the light cavity.  What is not pictured here is a 2nd piece of melamine that was installed at the bottom of each cavity, this small 1/4" lip is what prevents the lights from slipping through the cavity. 

 

It's time for a test fit.  I positioned the Hydra inside the cavity so that once I skin the shelf, the heat sinks will be concealed.  Here  you can see what the shelf/light look like from above and below.  The lip I mentioned in the section above is visible in the second photo. 

 

 

Here is what the framed out shelf looks like with the tanks sitting below it.  I'm happy to report that the lights are exactly where I wanted them.  This was a fun sub project.  I'm surprised I have not seen more shelves like this before.  It's a pretty easy project and a great solution from mounting lights above a tank. 

[shaneandjohn]

Again, the attention to detail is impeccable! I notice that your white melamine is on a MDF core. Are you at all concerned with the possibility of movement due to moisture, or is that melamine on a Medex core? 

 In my experience, MDF does not seem to hold up well near higher moisture content applications, however, Medex is specifically designed for this. 

[urbaneks]

16 hours ago, DaveFason said:

No problem at all! I am just glad to see this come about. 

 

With your previous tank supporting a good amount of SPS I thought these could be some ideas to help spark other ideas.

• Staghorn tank - Bare Bottom - Damsel/cardinal schoaling tank - Tons of flow
• Monti Cap/ Digi tank - 3-4" tank bed with small rubble - Goby Mated Pair/Shrimp or paired jawfish
• Dedicated RBTA ( new crazy colored variations ) - Clown pair or trio - Anemone shrimp

Any who you will kill it!

Dave - Thanks for the suggestions.  That gives me some ideas to kick around.  For sure I like the idea of an anemone.  I do plan to keep the sand and rockwork consistent between the tanks.  My thought is for the scape to transition between tanks as it it were one.  This will mean either sand or bare bottom across all the tanks.

 

11 hours ago, shaneandjohn said:

Again, the attention to detail is impeccable! I notice that your white melamine is on a MDF core. Are you at all concerned with the possibility of movement due to moisture, or is that melamine on a Medex core?

 In my experience, MDF does not seem to hold up well near higher moisture content applications, however, Medex is specifically designed for this. 

Thanks for the reply and kind words.  I'm not worried at all about the MDF, it's more than a foot off the water and once I skin the shelf, the MDF will be covered with reclaimed oak. 

[J-Ranko]

Wow!  The planning and design of this system is amazing. You really put such great thought into every detail--this should turn out to be as spectacular as your 250. 

[RIP Sebastian]

Nifty! Love this. Did you keep any livestock from your 250? (I think it was close to 250...)