Friendly Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 I could be wrong, but won't they be able to slide in from the back of the unit? also, don't be afraid if it's snug. just use a mallet and 2x4 chunk to slowly tap it into place. 1 Quote Link to comment
jazzmik Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 Haha... that was my thinking the whole time "box inside of box"... only thing is I keep change the way to get there ! No objection to plywood at all. And for sure I'll have to cut out the notches for the existing hinges. I'll have to do something with the bottom shelf as well since that is about 2-3 inches off the ground that kind of ties the stand together. Quote Link to comment
Detritus Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 4 minutes ago, jazzmik said: Thanks a lot guys! So @Friendly are you saying just 2 pieces for the sides would work along with the braces? @Detritus yes part of it was wife likes the stand and the price was right. Think it was 80 bucks and 36" tall. Unless you DIY aquarium stands are way to expensive for the crap they build them from. Looks like I'll go with the plywood it's much cheaper than anyway. Will try and get some cuts done at HD at least to pieces I can work with more easily at home. I getcha, I figured it was a case of you already had the inexpensive Ikea cab, and you liked it. No problem, we can make it work. Definitely use the guys at HD to cut your ply to size, I'd say, 7 out of 10 times they are pretty good at it. Or, have them cut it up to a rough over size, them trim it perfect at home. You can cut very straight and accurate cuts through plywood with a circular saw such as yours by clamping a straight edge to the plywood, and running the saw along the straight edge. The following link goes into detail about how to build a whole thing to do this, but for a handful of cuts you can do it with a clamped straight edge, such as a long piece of plywood with a nicely cut edge. https://www.familyhandyman.com/tools/circular-saws/create-circular-saw-cutting-guides-for-plywood/view-all/ -D Quote Link to comment
Detritus Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 12 minutes ago, jazzmik said: Haha... that was my thinking the whole time "box inside of box"... only thing is I keep change the way to get there ! No objection to plywood at all. And for sure I'll have to cut out the notches for the existing hinges. I'll have to do something with the bottom shelf as well since that is about 2-3 inches off the ground that kind of ties the stand together. OK, I'm not following you here with the bottom shelf concern. All the wood supports you should add will be inside the cabinet, above that bottom shelf. The doors will cover that wood, and with the cabinet doors you'd never know the extra wood is there. The bottom shelf won't even be a consideration, really. Please let me know if I'm misunderstanding your thoughts. Check out "no mortise hinges". You could cut around your existing hinges (not hard at all), or these other hinges might help you. I want to say too that I feel like I'm driving the bus here with this one, and although I love woodworking and I'm thrilled (THRILLED!) to be able to offer my help, I'm not a pro or anything. I'm sure someone else out there has built a stand, or perhaps is a contractor by trade, and might be able to explain things better than I can. Heck, contractors make money, they can afford reef tanks ;-) _Detritus Quote Link to comment
Detritus Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Oh, so maybe to touch on a previous question you had, yes, do solid plywood sides first (I think). Then, I might do a full back panel, and just a 2.5" support under the top shelf on the front side of the stand. It's important to make this strong and secure, but didn't we already prove that it holds a good 100 pounds from your unofficial "sit on the stand" test? So really, we just need to shore it up a little. I have been saying 3/4" plywood because that's what I typically think you should use if you were building a plywood stand from scratch. However, in your case 1/2" ply should be just fine, as Friendly mentioned previously. What I might do is: Measure carefully and cut two pieces of plywood to fit perfectly inside the cabinet acting as side supports. These will span the vertical distance from that bottom shelf to the top shelf that supports the weight of the tank, and again, they will sit inside the Ikea cabinet itself. Notch an area for the hinges if you'd like, easy to do with a simple "stop block" (aka scrap piece of plywood) and your saw. Test fit it three or four or twelve times, then glue the heck out of that panel right to the inside of the Ikea cabinet side. I might secure it with several 5/8" woodscrews just to hold it until the glue dries (not long, 30 to 60 minutes for handling/building, 24-48 hours before you put a fish tank on it). Then, I might replace that cardboard back with a piece of 1/2" (or 1/4" if it's cheaper) plywood. At the least, figure out a way to firm up this back, don't rely on the cardboard thing alone (just to be safe). I think as long as you (or HD) can fairly accurately cut it to size, you can fit a piece of ply across the back, inside the cabinet and the newly installed side supports. Run a horizontal piece of 2" wide (or so) plywood across the front of the stand, directly under the top shelf that supports the tank. This will help to support the tank weight, but leave your front open for storage. Consider adding 2" wide vertical strips between the bottom shelf and the top shelf along the front sides. Do this in such a way that the horizontal front support sits directly over your vertical front side supports. By the way, with any cut you do, there is NO SHAME in cutting things a little tiny bit long, test fitting, then going back to the saw to trim the part to fit perfectly, and doing that multiple times if you have to. Woodworkers will sometimes call this process "sneaking up" on the cut. Measure 3 times, scratch your head, think about it, measure again, and cut wide if you're even a little concerned about the measurement of fit. You can always take more material off to make a perfect fit, but if you cut it too short to begin with, well..... And while we're here - and this applies to any wood you use - 3/4" plywood is actually 23/32" thick, and 1/2" plywood is actually 15/32". This means that the plywood you'll be using will be a hair, but significantly enough, thinner than it's stated thickness. If that sounds confusing, it is, but I will do my best to help you figure out the dimensions you need. Best of luck! -Detritus 1 Quote Link to comment
Detritus Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Darn, I wish I was good with Sketchup modeling software, I've got an even easier idea, but I think it would be STILL MORE confusing to try to type, lol! If I was good at sketchup I could render you a 3D drawing. Basically, I'm now doubting that you even need full plywood sides, I think you could do it all with 2" thick strips of wood strategically positioned vertically and horizontally inside the cabinet, and glued/screwed right into the Ikea cabinet. This would make your cutting and fitting as easy as possible, with the least amount of material. Sorry if I'm kind of rambling here, I have ideas but it's really hard without seeing it in person. I'll be along for the ride no matter what, please reach out if I can help! -D Quote Link to comment
jazzmik Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 Here we go... may not be able to finish up today I have a few other things to take care of. Plywood, gorilla wood glue and some braces. One piece of plywood for everything. I still have to do the exact cuts but had HD cut it down to the sections I need. Quote Link to comment
Detritus Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Nice! Looking good, man! -D Quote Link to comment
jazzmik Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 A break from the stand talk... A few of the WWC frags I have waiting to go into tank when it's ready. 1 Quote Link to comment
Waynkel Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 For anyone wondering of an alternative stand, I also have the Nuvo 20 and I picked this up at Petsmart - item: 5203446Top Fin® Aquarium Standhttp://www.petsmart.com/fish/supplie...d-5203446.html Its pretty good and has no stability issues at all, and I think it was on sale for less than $100, Im starting mine back up, as well! I will be following along! Quote Link to comment
Detritus Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Hey, Jazzmik! How's things going with the stand? -Detritus 1 Quote Link to comment
jazzmik Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 1 minute ago, Detritus said: Hey, Jazzmik! How's things going with the stand? -Detritus Hey @Detritus wasn't able to finish up. Won't be til later in the week... if not the weekend. Was joking with some friends at work that I was trying to not spend to much on a stand.... Yeah that's working out haha! Between my time and what I've spent so far should have just bought something. Quote Link to comment
Detritus Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Well, tell them guys at work that you are building something "custom" ;-) If you're still thinking of reinforcing that cabinet, I'd be very happy to try to help you, if you need it. If you've done some reconsidering, in light of the cost of the saw, the sawhorse, wood, screws, glue, your time, and status among your work friends, you may try to look on Craigslist for a dirt cheap (but nice!) little dresser or cabinet that's already able to support a 20 gallon tank. I don't think that would be too hard to find. Or, look for something else at IKEA or elsewhere that suits your tastes, but is a little more capable of supporting the tank. Again, it wouldn't be too hard to shore up your current cabinet, if you still want to, and I'd be happy to try to help where needed. If there's anything I can do t help, please post for sure! As always, I wish you the best of luck no matter which way you go! -Detritus Quote Link to comment
jazzmik Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 Haha! I'm all in at this point! I needed the tools anyway. There's a couple projects I have planned in the house I have to finish off Quote Link to comment
Detritus Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Just now, jazzmik said: Haha! I'm all in at this point! I needed the tools anyway. There's a couple projects I have planned in the house I have to finish off Seriously, as as home owner, if you're able to do even a couple of simple repairs on your own, those tools start to pay for them selves in a short hurry, and they hold their value fairly well, so you can always sell them for a buck if you need to. No shame at all in buying tools ;-) Good luck, buddy! -D Quote Link to comment
jazzmik Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 Well, the equipment list has been finalized! Just ordered a Nanobox Duo Plus M from @DaveFason I'm trying to convince my wife that I want to break down my main tank and just go with this Fusion build and she refuses!! Quote Link to comment
jazzmik Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 So this is cheating... Just a little bit Still part of this build though! Water change station I have setup for other tank. 2 Quote Link to comment
Friendly Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 washing machine and drier...for cleaning your coral? a bit extreme don't you think? 1 Quote Link to comment
Detritus Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 That looks like a great setup! Do you mind giving me a little run through of what you'v got going on at your water change station? -D Quote Link to comment
jazzmik Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 15 minutes ago, Detritus said: That looks like a great setup! Do you mind giving me a little run through of what you'v got going on at your water change station? -D Sure, pretty straight forward... Deepwater/AquaFx 100gpd ro/di feeds into left 40g container. I have an aquatec pressure boost pump hooked up to increase psi. An Iwaki 30rlxt pump used to draw water into 40g on right which is used for mixing salt. Open the gate valve on left and the top most gate valve, flip a switch for pump and fill the right container up. Close off left valve... open bottom right and that creates the loop to mix/circulate saltwater. Also have a Hydor pump in the right container for flow. When I need RO/DI water or saltwater there's a gate valve on the top in front. Just open that valve, open either of the bottom valves and turn pump on. I have one of those RV hoses hooked up to that top front valve that I bring out to tank and RO/DI container in stand. Hope that made sense. Quote Link to comment
Detritus Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Sounds like a pretty sweet system; thanks! -D Quote Link to comment
NanoReefMinimalist Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 On 10/8/2017 at 3:29 PM, Waynkel said: For anyone wondering of an alternative stand, I also have the Nuvo 20 and I picked this up at Petsmart - item: 5203446Top Fin® Aquarium Standhttp://www.petsmart.com/fish/supplie...d-5203446.html Its pretty good and has no stability issues at all, and I think it was on sale for less than $100, Im starting mine back up, as well! I will be following along! Just wondering what's the skimmer on the back? Quote Link to comment
jazzmik Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 51 minutes ago, NanoReefMinimalist said: Just wondering what's the skimmer on the back? Think it's the Eshopps Nano Skimmer. Quote Link to comment
NanoReefMinimalist Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 9 minutes ago, jazzmik said: Think it's the Eshopps Nano Skimmer. Does it fit into the second chamber of fusion 20 without mod? Can you give a product link. Many thanks! Quote Link to comment
jazzmik Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 57 minutes ago, NanoReefMinimalist said: Does it fit into the second chamber of fusion 20 without mod? Can you give a product link. Many thanks! I don't have it. Think that's on @Waynkel tank. You can Google Eshopps Nano Skimmer and should get plenty of product links. Amazon has it for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment
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