Finally, my build thread...

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

I think they may have been new when I first found one. It must've been 12-13 years ago.

Unfortunately I was pretty new to the hobby and couldn't keep anything but mushrooms and zoas alive... lol

I'd love to see one with SPS now though, especially since i'm slightly more educated. I'd go nuts waiting for July, but at least you can do the build right!

 

[K-Philly]

I think they may have been new when I first found one. It must've been 12-13 years ago.

Unfortunately I was pretty new to the hobby and couldn't keep anything but mushrooms and zoas alive... lol

I'd love to see one with SPS now though, especially since i'm slightly more educated. I'd go nuts waiting for July, but at least you can do the build right!

I've learned that patience is key, especially with this hobby. When a hobby becomes a chore, typically we end up quitting. Which is usually before we even got started! I want to make the "foundation" of my tank as rock solid as I can. That way, I spend more time enjoying it, than I do battling. No need in dealing with problems that could be avoided by necessary planning. Most do not realize, that there are ways to get into this hobby and be a top notch reefer without breaking the bank. It's all about what's under the hood! But hey, there is also nothing wrong with brand name and sometimes brand name can be the only route to go, especially when it comes to peace of mind.

Fortunately for me, I have a bit of renforcer for my patience. I can't physically set anything up since I am moving from this place in less than 4 months. But what I can do is research, consult, and source equipment out like a madman! Haha, and I also have other things to keep me busy and away from the aquarium when it starts to become to much. Such as 60+ hungry ponies, with half of them leaving this week to head off to the NCAA collegiate National Championship!

 

[Captain Quint]

I have some more brainstorming and researching to do, so I figured tonight I would switch it up. I have a good feeling that this post will get quite a few replies, which is what I am hoping for! For tonight's topic, I would like to ask everyone's opinion on livestock! I am certain that a lot of my aquatic critters will depend heavily on how strategic I am when designing my aquascape! I am open to most anything, other than overly aggressive and non-reef safe of course! Just to kick it off, I would like to give everyone my thoughts on what I was contemplating on keeping!

I like different, but all the while I feel like some things are best left the same.

I know for certain that I would like a Spotted Green Mandarin and a Red Dragonet. I would be sure to design the rockwork to where these guys would have plenty of sand space to booger about and not be on top of each other. I would also be sure that the tank has reached a stable point before even thinking about purchasing them, and that I have also obtained a healthy amount of pods to sustain a colony.

What's a reef without clownfish? Love those guys! I am undecided between several different species which are: the Lightning Maroon, Yellowstripe Maroon, Red Saddle, Domino, and the Black/White Ocellaris!

Love the tangs too! As far as the go I am pretty certain I want a blue or a yellow. The only way I will try a powder blue, is if I do in fact build a QT tank and am capable of getting him on a very balanced diet. The tank would most definitely have to display some very stable parameters. I want this guy to be set up for success to not just survive in my tank, but to live happy and healthy! Less stressed he is, the less stressed I am. I plan to look into some other species as well.

I will most definitely be after a red serpent starfish!

Of course, we want the goby and pistol shrimp pair. Has anyone had any luck with this relationship with other species of gobies other than the Yellow Watchman?

There are way to many Wrasses to name! So definitely still looking into that!

I can't say these are all %100 because I am still deciding. Let me know what y'all think and feel free to offer suggestions! I would really like to hear what some of y'all think as far as inverts go.

The clown selection is a toughy...I really like almost all variations.

 

[RobW]

Hi Mr. K-Philly. Take a look here. I'm in the process of a 280 gallon build. If you need help with some design questions, please feel free to ask me. You can actually achieve more support with less by some proper wood joinery. Wood is a lot stronger than you think. Obviously depending on spieces and grade. If you're are thinking of just buying some 2x6 and 2x4 and just screwing it together... it will be a lot less sturdy in the long run. Pre-drilling keeps the wood from splitting. Slliting makes the joints weaker. You said your display tank is 72 x 18 x 17? So that's less than 100 gallons which equates to roughly 800 lbs of water weight. The tank is probably another 100 pounds or so. Plus some rock, etc. Let's say you're at 1200 pounds to be safe. If you do the math you are roughly 133.33 pounds per square foot. That's really not a lot of weight spread over the 9 square feet of tank that you have. You can definitely use 2x4 construction and wrap the outside with 3/4" plywood and carry twice the tank providing you glue every single connecting point.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/robws-280-gallon-build.572693/

 

[crusso1993]

1.) I'm enjoying following along on your build thread.
2.) To chime in here about wood strength; below is a capacity of wood column calculator. I have been using it for a number of years. It gives the user quite a number of input options with very specific results. Additionally, there is contact info for the developer and an open invitation to ask any questions. Please feel free to share this wherever there' are questions about wood strength it is great educational tool.

https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/arch264/calculators/example7.1/index.html

 

[RobW]

The thing when you go to purchase any lumber for your project is to sight all you boards. Be real picky for straightness, bows, crowns, knots, etc. Lots of knots can be weak points. All of the 2x material I purchased I ran through a jointer first to give me a true 90 degree corner from edge to face. Then I ran them through the planer to get the other sides of the boards exactly parallel with my known 90 degree sides of the boards. By the time I was finished the boards actually measured 1-1/4" x 3" from 2x4 and 1-1/4" x 5" from 2x6 material.

 

[RobW]

You can see here by making tight fitting joints and using wood glue that these seems will not come apart. Even if you remove the screws, you wont be able to pull them apart. The wood will actually snap or break itself before the glue joint does.

 

[crusso1993]

You can see here by making tight fitting joints and using wood glue that these seems will not come apart. Even if you remove the screws, you wont be able to pull them apart. The wood will actually snap or break itself before the glue joint does.

Looks really nice @RobW ! Did you plug and then finish your stand? Pics?

 

[RobW]

This is a picture from yesterday of the stand for my 280. I still have a ways to go. This tank/wall unit will stand 86" wide x 108" tall in total. It will be all wrap in 3/4" plywood on the outside and 1/2" inside the stand. The tank will be 72" long x 36" high x 24" deep. The bottom of the tank sits 41" off the floor giving me nearly 36" of height inside the stand for large skimmer and bio-reactor inside a Bashsea SS-60 Sump. The open area of the stand on the left end that you see is where my drains and returns plumb up and down to the display and also provide a chase for wiring, etc to pass from top to bottom. There will also be an exhaust fan in the ceiling above to pull excess heat and humidity out of the inside of the cabinet.

 

[RobW]

Looks really nice @RobW ! Did you plug and then finish your stand? Pics?

I literally just started the build a few days ago. There is more work to be done on the structure of the stand. The entire inside of the stand is getting coated with epoxy paint with colored chips like they use on garage floors to completely seal the wood from moisture and also to match all of the red equipment and plumbing from bashsea.

 

[crusso1993]

I literally just started the build a few days ago. There is more work to be done on the structure of the stand. The entire inside of the stand is getting coated with epoxy paint with colored chips like they use on garage floors to completely seal the wood from moisture and also to match all of the red equipment and plumbing from bashsea.

Very nice!

 

[RobW]

1.) I'm enjoying following along on your build thread.
2.) To chime in here about wood strength; below is a capacity of wood column calculator. I have been using it for a number of years. It gives the user quite a number of input options with very specific results. Additionally, there is contact info for the developer and an open invitation to ask any questions. Please feel free to share this wherever there' are questions about wood strength it is great educational tool.

https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/arch264/calculators/example7.1/index.html

Good find. See, my point is proven. The weakest of all the wood species (Douglass fir) comes in at 636 pounds downward force. So if you are using the next grade up from there with proper joinery and your load evenly distributed amongst all the bearing posts you are way more than able to support a tank of substantial size. I just laugh when I see all these tanks with stands that are built with 4x4 pressure treated posts. You could literally stack 4 diesel trucks on top of them with your tank and it wont go anywhere! Not to mention all the valuable space people lose under the stand for equipment. Not all of us have the luxury of entire fish rooms in our living spaces. Like me my tank is in an area of my house where there is no adjacent room for equipment. So I had to design this thing to carry weight and maximize my equipment space in the stand, the left side floor to ceiling cabinet, and the lighting canopy.

 

[K-Philly]

Thanks for all the helpful advice @RobW and @crusso1993!



I actually already have my frame together together, and I did pocket hole joinery combine with wood glue! I don't have access to a jointer and really only hand tools. The only thing that I have been worried about is the picture below. Someone from the earlier comments mentioned that it would be fine!

I am still lost as to what kind of paint to seal the inside with and what to paint the actual outside with. I was going to put 3/4" plywood on top and as the flooring. I wanted to wrap it in something lighter than 3/4" if possible.

*Edit* My wood is also spruce if I am not mistaken

 

[K-Philly]

The clown selection is a toughy...I really like almost all variations.

I agree, and if I could get a bigger tank I would more than likely end up with at least 3 different species, haha. I really like the Lightning Maroon and Domino though!

 

[RobW]

Thanks for all the helpful advice @RobW and @crusso1993!



I actually already have my frame together together, and I did pocket hole joinery combine with wood glue! I don't have access to a jointer and really only hand tools. The only thing that I have been worried about is the picture below. Someone from the earlier comments mentioned that it would be fine!

I am still lost as to what kind of paint to seal the inside with and what to paint the actual outside with. I was going to put 3/4" plywood on top and as the flooring. I wanted to wrap it in something lighter than 3/4" if possible.

*Edit* My wood is also spruce if I am not mistaken

Use kilz oil based primer first. It penetrates the wood and seals it. Then you can paint whatever you like over that. I'm finishing mine with epoxy inside.

 

[K-Philly]

Use kilz oil based primer first. It penetrates the wood and seals it. Then you can paint whatever you like over that. I'm finishing mine with epoxy inside.

Thanks! What do you think about that chip?

 

[RobW]

It should be fine. I wouldn't really worry a whole lot about it. Especially if you plan to wrap the stand in plywood. Just glue all the plywood surfaces to the structure before screwing it on. Like I said earlier, your tank is not a massive tank. It's not going to go anywhere. Only think with the white spruce lumber... it is kiln dried. Depending if you got top choice or second grade that wood likes to split a lot. Especially when you try to drive long heavy screws through it. Hence the pre-drilling I mentioned earlier on and why i mentioned when people do not use glue and rely on just screws... bad idea. As soon as you try to drill a heavy screw into that wood and when the head tries to counter bore itself it usually splits the board. Then there goes all your fiber strength.

 

[RobW]

In my situation the water in my tank alone weighs almost 2400 pounds. I'll have roughly 200- 225 pounds of rock inside and the tank itself is all glass so it will weigh a couple hundred pounds I would imagine considering it will be all 5/8" thick with euro bracing around the top. So I'm in the ballpark of 3000 lbs. My sump is 60 gallons but doesn't hinder the tank and what supports it.

 

[K-Philly]

Are you going to run a back on your aquarium?

 

[Captain Quint]

I agree, and if I could get a bigger tank I would more than likely end up with at least 3 different species, haha. I really like the Lightning Maroon and Domino though!

Had a single dot domino and double spot...loved them but someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse.