Stand is finaly done

[StirCrazy]

ok will finaly I got the stand all done. well on the outside anyways. I did another change today I made it so oneof the sumps is visable like a second display tank.. well you'll see what I mean.
http://members.shaw.ca/stircrazy/finnished.jpg

Steve

[Canadian Man]

Very nice. have been following your project. keep up the good work images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[DJ88]

Looks really good Steve. Keep adding pics as you add the rest of the stuff in it.

One question tho. Why did you get the end of the tank drilled and not the bottom?

[StirCrazy]

the idea of a bottom drilled didn't sit right with me, I know I know lots are bbut I kinda felt a bit safer having only 20ish gal leak out than all 90 if something went wrong.. also if I decided to use it with out a sump I can just plug the holes and not wory about if it is on a solid stand or not.

another big factor was realestate. a bottom drilled bulkhead and overflow takes away probably 20 + in square of surface area. the way I did it I can start the overflow boxes 15" above the bottom so I reclaim all that sand bed area. (if I use overflow boxes)

I hope this makes sence..
at leastt it did to me... images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

Steve

[DJ88]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quotethe idea of a bottom drilled didn't sit right with me

Why? Sea Star has made probably thousands of tanks in this manner. It is the standard in reef keeping to have a bottom drilled if all possible.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quotehaving only 20ish gal leak out than all 90 if something went wrong

You wouldn't have all the tank drain. Only what is able to flow over the teeth on the overflow. You will get the same amount of water overflowing with your design as if the power went out with a bottom drilled. I don't know if you realise this but, the bottom of the overflow is sealed against the bottom glass. I get a feeling that you have read about overflows but haven't seen it in action. I am probably wrong but I just get that feeling.

I guess I am just confused by all this. You speak of saving space. Yet now you need to run the plumbing inside the cabinet where with the bottom drilled the plumbing runs straight into the sump. With bottom drilled drains along side your returns your entire cabinet would be free for storage or equipment.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quoteanother big factor was realestate. a bottom drilled bulkhead and overflow takes away probably 20 + in square of surface area. the way I did it I can start the overflow boxes 15" above the bottom so I reclaim all that sand bed area. (if I use overflow boxes)

My 33 is set up like this. And to tell you the truth, it is a PITA! yeah you get the sandbed. But good luck managing the rock and such. It is dead space IMO. In a small tank like mine it is a bit of a space saver, but in a large tank you may find it causes a lot of headaches. That space you have reclaimed may be costing you another bag of sand.

Oh well. I do hope it works well. Am just kind of confused about it is all.

[Silverfish]

I saw Steve's stand tonite and it looks pretty cool. I think if you have the means, a welded internal frame is the way to go. (like Steve's)

The cabinet doors look nice too, I want to get some for the stand I am helping my brother build for his 135.

Good job man! images/smiles/icon_cool.gif

[StirCrazy]

well all the over flows I have "seen in action"
have had surface skimmer teeth and also bottom ones so that is why I have shyed away from them. (even my new surface skimmer atachement I bought for my fresh tank has both top and bottom slots. it is doing a wonderfull job mind you images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif )

I did think about getting the bottom drilled I just didn't like the idea.. and the way I plan on putting my rock I think will work out much better this way for some reason images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

the whole overflow was a big deterent also for this kinda aplcation. when you only have the front as a main view you can put overflows int he back corners and they don't interfeer with the view, but when you have 3 "main view" sides as I am using it as a room partition, I didn't want to be looking at the inside of a overflow on the long glass sides.

I did think about getting the bottom drilled I just didn't like the idea.. and the way I plan on putting my rock I think will work out much better this way for some reason images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

oh one thing that might actualy make sence is that because of the hight of tanks I am using for sumps by the time I plummed the threaded union and ball valve I would pretty hard pressed to fit everything.

Steve

[DJ88]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quotehave had surface skimmer teeth and also bottom ones

But even with those bottom ones once the water goes below the opening for the durso or the lowest water level in a stockman, the siphon will breakand water stops flowing. The bottom teeth don't make a big difference other than removing some water from lower in the water column

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr> I didn't want to be looking at the inside of a overflow on the long glass sides.
<hr></blockquote>

I am doing the same thing with the 120 I have(viewable fom three sides) and all you need to do is recess the tank inside the stand or put a six inch(or less) piece of wood to cover the overflows. Simple as that. I actually like to be able to look into the overfow. Lets me see what is growing in there. And you will still have an overflow to look at as your stand is now don't you?

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quoteoh one thing that might actualy make sence is that because of the hight of tanks I am using for sumps by the time I plummed the threaded union and ball valve I would pretty hard pressed to fit everything.

Your stand is 32" high under the tank right? That is lots of room.

images/smiles/icon_confused.gif

I'll stop asking now. Just confused.

[Troy F]

Beautiful work Steve.

[StirCrazy]

naa didn't end up 32 on the bottom.. once the wood and stuff was put it it ended up about 28", the 32 was from the floor. when I was designing I wwas thinking of just having everything tank sit on the steel frame but sence they I have put 2 layers of 3/4" plywood for them to sit on.. this also give me a place to screw supports into for stuff I want to hang on the level underneith


Steve

[Canadian]

A standpipe inside the overflow box negates any possibility that more than say 5 gallons of water would ever drain out of the main tank (save for both the overflow box and the stand pipe or bulkhead breaking, but I don't see that happening, ever).

There are only two companies that you'll see in Victoria who put holes in the sides of overflow boxes: Seastar and AGA (when you see their corner tanks and their rounded overflows). However, AGA's holes are at the bottom of the overflow but they DON'T feed straight into the overflow box; they actually run the water up an internal wall where it spills over the top. Seastar puts holes in the sides of their overflow boxes but they also put standpipes in all of their overflow boxes (which basically renders the holes in the side useless).

As far as seeing the sides of the overflow box is concerned: there really is no need to see the inside of the overflow box. All you would have had to do is make that side cabinet door (or a piece of trim) cover say 5" of tank length (or however far the overflow box was going to stick out) and you'd never even see the overflow box. And the tank would look like that side of it had a black background. You also could have made it like a back-center overflow box (3 sides) so that the sides of the overflow box didn't actually extend all the way to the side walls of the tank.
Furthermore, as it is now, with a smaller overflow box used as you intend, you're going to need to put a 90 degree elbow in those bulkheads and then place a length of PVC in them (effectively making a stand pipe) unless you enjoy the sound of a sucking and slurping waterfall in your living room.

With that said, this thread is about your stand and your stand looks great. Good work.

[DJ88]

I'll stop asking questions. Sorry Steve. Just curious.

I do think it looks awesome. images/smiles/icon_smile.gif The stand is almost the same as how I had designed to build my 120.

[StirCrazy]

hehe, I don't mind the questions.. I guess I just didn't want overflows hehe images/smiles/icon_smile.gif I was also toying with the idea of just using the holes for a closed loop and having a hang on skimmerso I guess I picked this way for the versatility of uses for the holes and I didn't want holes in the bottom of the tank as I figured there would have been enuf stress on the bottom from the sand and rock that I didn't need to add any stress points by drilling the bottom. (weather this is a justifyed thought... who knows but it made sence to me at the time. as I don't know if they aneal glass after it is drilled to releive the stress points drilling causes or not)

but at the end of the dayI got the end drilled and I was planning on using a spray bar in reverse as a surface skimmer and I still am planning on it, so no boxes in the near future that I can forsee.

Canadian, Thanks, I think it looks better on the computer than in person..
Bruce he has seen it in person now so he can be more objective than I, as I see every little part that is not how it was suposed to be hehe..

Steve

[christyf5]

Wow that is one spectacular looking stand. Nice work!

Christy images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[StirCrazy]

Thanks Christy

BCReefer
I drilled holes in the metal frame and then used screws from inside the frame into the wood.

Steve

[titus]

Hello,

What type of wood did you use to build this? Was it expensive?

[StirCrazy]

um I spent maby 200.00 all togeather to build it.
the metal I got for free ( probably about 150.00 worth of metal). the doors I got for 5.00 each from a kitchen cabnet place (they were left overs) and the wood I used in the frame was 3.5" x 3/4" x 12' pine from home depot 3.99 ea
and 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood. 3 pints of paint (1 spar poly, 1 water based poly, and 1 blue marine epoxy) this could have been realy expensive could I have not found "spare doors" as to buy doors alone of this type would have been 60.00 each and not the 5.00 each I paied for them. If you were to do this and use oak for the wood frame and buy oak raised pannel doors I could see the cost being around 1000.00


the stand its self is done but I have started plumming now and I want to build a power distrubition box in the stand for everything to plug into.

Steve

[BCReefer]

Steve,

How did you mount the metal frame and the wood frame together.?

Great stand. Now I know what to do for my future tank.

Thanks
Patrick

[Aquattro]

Steve, how does the water get out of the tank? What is that contraption in the tank? Are you adding holes to it?

[StirCrazy]

Ok I decided to actualy do something today so I built my overflow pipes.
http://members.shaw.ca/stircrazy/overflowpipes.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/stircrazy/inplace.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/stircrazy/skimmerbar.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/stircrazy/skimmerbar2.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/stircrazy/side.jpg

Steve

[StirCrazy]

I am cutting slits in it Brad, it will be a skimmer bar when I am done.. that was just the fitting when I took the pic. I am not glueing anything on the inside of the tank so I will be ble to change it around if it doesent work like I want it to.

Steve

[Aquattro]

Well, that's certainly unique. Be interesting to see how t works.

[StirCrazy]

Ok here is my overflow bar, I decided to drill holes instead of cutting slits (easyer for me to do at work) images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

http://members.shaw.ca/stircrazy/overflowpipe.jpg

Steve

[Jack]

whoa, that must have taken forever to drill all those holes!! looks like it might work good though, the only thing left is to see how it look in the tank.