Max's "almost a cube" tank

[maxxxim]

Hey everyone, this thread will be about my 50g tank.

I guess I'll start of with a bit of history, and how I got into this hobby. You can skip this part, it might get a bit boring ahah. I've always had fish tanks since I was little, but the addiction to salt began about 4 years ago. At the time I was working a a petstore with one of the members on here. One day he told me he had a salt water tank and to me that sounded pretty awesome. I started doing some research, and about 6 months later I had my first salt water tank. It was a simple 10 gallon with some zoas, acans, hammer, and a two clowns. The 10g didn't last very long, because after 3 months I realized I needed to go bigger. So I upgraded to a 29g, which I had running for about 2 years. Then I had to move to a new house, which is how this tank started.

Tank and Project info:

The tanks was build in May of 2009, I had it sitting at the new place since then. During the summer, the stand was build and painted. That was about it, I was working some mad hours, so not that much got done. In September school started again, and I was doing some little things here and there just to keep this moving. Everything was officially finished during the winter break, and it is now up and running.

Specs:

Tank: 24x24x20 50g with an external overflow (Herbie)
Sump:25x19x12 25g with 3 sections
Lighting: LumenBright 250w DE pendant running on a Lumatek ballast. I'll be using a Phoenix 14k bulb.
Skimmer: Vertex IN100 Gen.2
Flow: Vortech MP20 + QO 4000 return (I have some doubts about this pump, but we'll see how it goes for now)
Misc: TLF Reactor (for carbon, etc), ReefKeeper Lite

Enough talking, here are a few not so great pictures:

This is the skeleton of the stand, and the sump. I used 1.5" square tubing for the stand.... I know it is a little overboard haha.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish%20Tank/DSC02070.jpg?t=1263867562

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish%20Tank/DSC02075.jpg?t=1263868080

Up on the stand.

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish%20Tank/DSC02256.jpg?t=1263868020

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish%20Tank/DSC02259.jpg?t=1263868116

The panels are painted in New Vogue Silver Metallic. This is the same color Honda uses for their cars. So if you drive a silver Honda, it might look familiar to you haha. They are also held in place by 4 Neodymium magnets on each panel.

I'll have a few more pictures up later this week.

Criticism, comments and questions are always welcomed.

Thanks for looking everyone.

Max

[kien]

4 out of 5 stars! You can have that 5th star when you paint that strip of pink foam running around the tank/stand :-) hehe

looks really nice actually, what are your plans for the tank?

[the marine apprentice]

that tank and stand looks awesome. where did ya get the tank from?

[pelle31]

Nice lookin tank!! Can't wait to see it all filled up.

[fishytime]

Agreed.....tank and stand look "killer"

[maxxxim]

Thanks for all the kind comments.

4 out of 5 stars! You can have that 5th star when you paint that strip of pink foam running around the tank/stand :-) hehe

looks really nice actually, what are your plans for the tank?

Hahaha I knew someone would mention that. Actually the pink is gone, these pictures were taken a few weeks ago during the test fitment of everything. It will all be silver in the next set of pictures.

As for plans, I would like to try out some SPS. My last tanks were mostly softies with a few LPS here and there. I don't want to clutter the display with a bunch of rock, so I was thinking of doing a few islands. A big one for the SPS and a little baby one to the side for the zoas and all the other good stuff.

that tank and stand looks awesome. where did ya get the tank from?

The tank was build by Elite. I build the sump myself, it was a bit scary but not as bad as I tought it would be. Turned out alright for my first DIY sump.

[lorenz0]

Nice tank, very clean. lol once you mentioned the color it did look a tad bit familiar

what are you in school for?

[maxxxim]

Nice tank, very clean. lol once you mentioned the color it did look a tad bit familiar

what are you in school for?

Thank you. I was hoping someone would recognize it...didn't want to look like a fool haha. I can now polish, wax and clay bar my stand :lol:

I am studying geophysics, here at the UofC.

I'll have a few more pictures up on Thursday.

[lorenz0]

lol clay bar your stand. but could you take some shots of how you assembled your skinning. i'm just about to go mine (should have done it from the start) and i really like how yours turned out

[Fish Head]

i agree tank and stand are gonna be sweet when its done. Currently trying to skin my stand but work keeps getting in the way. Booo work

[JDigital]

Cube tanks are awesome. This one is no exception.

Looking forward to this. :)

[Jason McK]

Looks Great can't wait to see more

J

[christyf5]

Wow that is one slick looking setup so far! Can't wait to see it progress :biggrin:

[lastlight]

I'd also like to hear/see how you made those panels. Is this paint available to anyone? And in what colours. This could be the answer to my dilemma! I'm assuming you need a nice furniture grade plywood to spray to achieve that nice finish you have there. I love it btw.

[maxxxim]

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

Thanks Josh, your cube was definitely inspiration. Everytime I saw it, I had to go work on mine hahah.

Brett, I bought the paint at a local autobody paint supply store. They will mix any colour for you, from Lamborghini Orange to the Honda silver that I got. The panels are made from MDF sheets. They were primed, painted and then followed by a few coats of clear, just like painting a car. You can get everything (primer, paint, and clear coat) in spray can form from the paint shop. I am just now sure how well it would work because we used a paint gun.

If you have anymore questions, do not hesitate to ask. I will try my best to answer them. New pictures will be up tomorrow.

[maxxxim]

Update: Here are some more pictures, as promised. The water is a bit cloudy still. I just threw in a few pieces of LR to see how the tank looks with some rock in it lol.

This is how the magnets are embeded. I just user a router to make a hole and glued in the magnets.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02560.jpg?t=1264118786

Four magnets per panel, holds nicely.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02571.jpg?t=1264118905

DIY polished glass edges. Took forever to do this.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02572.jpg?t=1264118959

Lighting setup.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02575.jpg?t=1264119061

The height is adjustable, and it rotates out of the way.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02583.jpg?t=1264119105

ReefKeeper.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02588.jpg?t=1264119204

Sump, still need to clean up the wires. The water is not yellow, just the lighting in the room.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02602.jpg?t=1264119247

As you can see, the pink is all gone :biggrin:
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02593.jpg?t=1264119495

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02606.jpg?t=1264119609

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02616.jpg?t=1264119796

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02609.jpg?t=1264119829

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02617.jpg?t=1264119855

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/123/DSC02621.jpg?t=1264119875

After taking these pictures I realized that this camera sucks hahah.

Thanks for looking everyone.

[JDigital]

Which reflectors are those? I think I like them better than the Lumenmax Elites... Looks like you went with 20K bulbs?

Tank looks great so far!

[maxxxim]

Which reflectors are those? I think I like them better than the Lumenmax Elites... Looks like you went with 20K bulbs?

Tank looks great so far!

Thanks, that is a LumenBright pendant. I read the huge thread on RC and thought I'd give them a try. The bulb is Phoenix 14K, the camera made it look way too blue than it really is, it's just a point-and-shoot.

[LeeR]

what type of wood did you use for the panels? sorry if i missed it?

[lastlight]

the diy polishing...that's on the wood panels?

that stand looks incredible!

[maxxxim]

The panels are made from MDF.

Nope, DIY polished tank edges :mrgreen:

[burtonboy]

Tank and stand looking really nice! What did u use to polish the glass edges?

[Triggz]

Sweet looking build man! Can't wait to see you start stocking it :biggrin:

[lastlight]

That output fitting needs to be sch80 man =)

What sort of spray gun did you use for the finish...is this something a person needs experience and skills with to get that level of finish?

I'm not opposed to paying you to do it =)

[LeeR]

thats what i figured.

tank looks awsome keep up the good work!

[maxxxim]

Tank and stand looking really nice! What did u use to polish the glass edges?

Thanks. I used sandpaper for polishing. Started out with 100 grit and went all the way down to 2500.

That output fitting needs to be sch80 man =)

What sort of spray gun did you use for the finish...is this something a person needs experience and skills with to get that level of finish?

I'm not opposed to paying you to do it =)

I went to Rona and HD to look for the sch80, but both of them didn't have it. So I put that one on for the time being. I'll try to track one down this weekend.

We used Iwata spray guns. Not sure if it would be a good idea to do it yourself, if you have never done this type of thing before. I am not opposed to getting paid to do it for you, but I am currently neck deep in school work. I just won't have the time. Sorry.

[burtonboy]

Updates?:mrgreen:

[imcosmokramer]

nice looking tank.
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[maxxxim]

Sorry, haven't been on in some time. I'll put up some pictures on the weekend.

[lastlight]

Looking fwd to the pics.

I was looking at some vids on youtube such as this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt536vRR-qY&NR=1

Is the key to this painting similar to tips when using spray cans? Not a lot at once but nice uniform passes progressing downwards?

Think I could buy a gloss paint in a spray can and come close?

Edit: Guess you had already said I can do all 3 steps from a can. But not the stuff from say home depot...you mean stuff from an automotive place?

[Kryptic4L]

your light bar is brilliant, is that a telescoping painter handle ?

[maxxxim]

imcosmokramer: Thanks man, much appreciated. Your tank is a amazing.

Looking fwd to the pics.

I was looking at some vids on youtube such as this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt536vRR-qY&NR=1

Is the key to this painting similar to tips when using spray cans? Not a lot at once but nice uniform passes progressing downwards?

Think I could buy a gloss paint in a spray can and come close?

Edit: Guess you had already said I can do all 3 steps from a can. But not the stuff from say home depot...you mean stuff from an automotive place?

Yeah, you want to be as smooth as possible. If you spary too much, the paint/clear is gonna run, and the only way to get that out would be wetsanding.

Not entirely sure about the gloss paint. It MIGHT work if you use the high gloss paint, and then buff it. But again, not 100% sure on that. Maybe buy a small can at HD and give it a try. Who knows, it might be excatly what you are looking for.

As for the spraycans, I think I was wrong. I know you can get primer and paint in a can. But I think I ws talking out of my ass about the clear coat. The urathane clear coat (what I used) is a two part system that has to be mixed before application. Sorry for getting you all confused. Tell you what, PM me about the details and how soon you need this done. I'll see if I can help you out :biggrin:

Kryptic4L: Thanks. You are correct, it is a telecoping painters handle haha.


Pictures will be up in a few. You know I'm good for it...

[maxxxim]

Alright, here is the update. I bought a coral beauty a few weeks ago, and so far so good. He is eating everything I put in the tank. I didn't want to get crazy with the coral yet. I want to see if he starts to pick on the zoas and the acan I have in there right now. This week I'm going to order the calcium and magnesium from ChemMaster and start bring up my levels. Then I'll add a few SPS test frags to see how the angel does with those. So those are the plans for the next few weeks. Here are some pictures, not great as usual hahah.

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02930.jpg?t=1266202211

My lame attempt at taking cool shots haha.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02919.jpg?t=1266202336

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02933.jpg?t=1266202638

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02926.jpg?t=1266202426

It is Valentine's Day afterall...
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02924.jpg?t=1266202557

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02922.jpg?t=1266202240

He is too quick.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02942.jpg?t=1266202763

I have a sixline in there aswell, but he was camera shy today.

Ohh yeah, forgot to mention.... my clowns live in a cup hahah
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02944.jpg?t=1266202884

Instead of islands, I went with an E shaped scape.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02935.jpg?t=1266203013

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02945.jpg?t=1266203176

View from the stairs.
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz77/maxx_im/Fish2/DSC02938.jpg?t=1266203124

Thanks for looking everyone.

[burtonboy]

How u liking the MP20? I just ordered one myself!

[maxxxim]

I'm really liking the MP20. I have to running at 100% on Lagoon mode right now, and I was having trouble finding a calmer spot in the tank to put my hammer. So far, it is one of the better purchases I've made ahah.

[christyf5]

What kind of clownfish are those in the last few pics? Onyx? They're quite striking. Love their "house" :wink:

[maxxxim]

I bought them as tank raised true percs. I think Onyx clowns have a bit more black in their stripes. As for the house, I used the cup when I fraged some rics a few years back. The clowns found the cup in the corner of the tank, pushed out all the frags and moved in. They actually lay their egg in it too haha.