OK so I got some time Saturday to work on the stand and drill the tank. It was bit of an ordeal regarding the tank. I purchased the 75 gallon tank at the Petco $1 per gallon sale. I ran across a thread purely by accident that another user recently posted indicating the 75 gallon tank had he recently purchased at Petco had tempered glass on all side. The Aqueon data sheet located at BRS and on here indicates only the bottom is tempered. So I took my laptop and some polarized glasses out to the garage to check my tank and sure enough all panels were tempered. I returned the aquarium Saturday morning and just for grins I took my laptop and glasses with me as I new they had 1 more on the floor. I checked it and this one checked as tempered only on the bottom panel so I did the swap and took it home. So now I'm back in business...I live in a rural area so getting a 75 gallon tank from another source would be difficult if not expensive.
First thing I did was cut out my main panel for the front door. I matched the grain and cut it about 1/16 of an inch smaller out of 1/2" finished plywood. I then started to cut my trim pieces and dry fit them as I went.
I also dry fit (installed a single finish nail in each piece to hold it) them on the stand itself to make sure all my lines ran true.
I've noticed no matter how hard I try I always end up with some primer on the side of the wood I plan on staining. It is a good idea to remove this prior to assembly as it is much easier to do.
Everything was checking out but I must admit the last piece was tough to match up perfectly. Nothing a little wood filler wont cover up.
I had a bit of a mishap with my stain but don't have any pictures. The rolling tub I have been using somehow developed a hole in the bottom. Of course I didn't figure this out until I had walked around my garage with the tub in had. I was wearing flip flops and once my toes started to get sticky I realized there was something wrong. Needles to say my feet and my garage floor are a bit of a mess. Looks like someone took a hatchet to my feet and they are bleeding... I did 2 coats of stain on the door and decide to start working on the tank while it dried.
I am using a Modular Marine Overflow and sump kit. I must say the I am very impressed with the packaging, workmanship and overall design of this product. On my current system I have and external overflow and it takes up so much room in my tank. The Modular Marine design is sleek and very well though out. Here area few pictures to show you how it comes and what comes with it.
As ordered the unit comes with the overflow, Uniselas (2 X 3/4" and 1x 1" This was done at no extra charge), removable covers on both the skimmer and external box, 2 bulkheads and gaskets, hole saw, drilling template made of PVC so your hole saw doesn't jump around. You can also see that the internal box is removable for cleaning if needed. It is pressure fit into the bulkheads on the tank side.
I measured the center line of my tank and the template. I used some spring clip to hold this in place. You do have to be aware of where yo are putting this vertically because if you put it to high the tank lip will interfere with the external box preventing a seal and you might not be able to remove the lid on the internal skimmer. I checked this several times before I proceeded to drilling.
Here is the step that accommodates the tank lip. Critical you don't mount this to high.
Next I took the tank outside added some tape to the back side to catch the glass puck as it was cut. I had my son spraying water on the hole saw as I was cutting and as everyone says I did not push I just let the weight of the drill drive it through. I must say the noise it makes is awful. I had to stop and get some earplugs. I also used a power drill not a battery drill. It really didn't take that long and in hindsight with a fresh battery I probably could have used my battery drill.
One bit of advise I would give is that after drilling make sure you wash the top of the tank and more importantly to make sure you you get lots of water between the tank trim ring and the glass. I didn't do this and after paining noticed I have some very unsightly white residue trapped under there. I should be able to get this cleaned out fairly easily but it would be easier to do prior to me painting than after.
I then added 3-4 coats of flat black exterior paint to the tank. I know lots of folks use Krylon or rustolium but this stuff is cheap and I apply it with a roller so I don't get any over-spray. Just make sure your surface is clean and dry. Also don't try to put to much on with your first coat. I am planning on running bare bottom so I panted the back and bottom black. I avoided putting any paint close to where the gasket seals on the outside of the tank. This will be covered by the internal skimmer box and I wanted to minimize any opportunity for a gasket leak.
Here you can see that white crud I referenced earlier. I will wash it out with a hose once the paint is all dry. You can also see the internal skimmer box and how sleek it really is.
Here is a side shot showing the entire unit installed. Next steps are to work on the front door mechanism and start working on the sump.
