RobW's 280 Gallon Build

[RobW]

Well, I finally got all the 3/4" plywood installed on the outside of the tank base today. Got it all puttied up and ready to sand. Now I have to prime it once it is all sanded. Then I can go around and do some touch up puttying and sanding once more and then I will get it all caulked inside and start the epoxy finish.

 

[RobW]

This is what the inside of the entire stand will be finished with. It will get a base gray color. Then the flakes, then a high gloss clear coat. Should make everything water tight and make cleaning a breeze.

 

[RobW]

Still doing body work on the stand. Got to get it as smoothed out as possible before the final priming stage. Tedious now...

 

[Crystal Reef Aquatics]

Awesome setup! Looking forward to seeing it running!

 

[RobW]

This is just like working on a car now. Lol!

 

[Reef Dude]

Great job so far! It’s been fun to read, and I look forward to your build progresssing. Sorry if I missed it, but what are the dimensions of the tank? What tank manufacturer are you going with?

 

[RobW]

Great job so far! It’s been fun to read, and I look forward to your build progresssing. Sorry if I missed it, but what are the dimensions of the tank? What tank manufacturer are you going with?

The tank is 72"L x 24"D x 36"H. No tank manufacturer. Having the glass cut and tempered and building it myself.

 

[Reef Dude]

Nice dimensions... hope you have some long arms lol! At one point about 10 years ago I had a 30” tall tank, and that was pretty much my limit as far as being able to reach to bottom. Tall tanks look awesome though.

I’m super jealous of your tools to make straight boards. I just built a wood stand for a new tank that I’m in the process of setting up, and I was fighting warped boards the entire time. Even when you eyeball them at the store and they look straight, you find out they’re really not that straight when you cut them up and try to build a stand. I like your attention to detail with the stand build.

So I guess this build thread just got even better since you’ll be building the tank yourself! I look forward to seeing that too! I DIY pretty much everything around my house that needs built/fixed/renovated, but I don’t have the guts to build the actual tank myself. Not much scares me, but for some reason, I draw the line at building a fish tank lol.

 

[RobW]

Nice dimensions... hope you have some long arms lol! At one point about 10 years ago I had a 30” tall tank, and that was pretty much my limit as far as being able to reach to bottom. Tall tanks look awesome though.

I’m super jealous of your tools to make straight boards. I just built a wood stand for a new tank that I’m in the process of setting up, and I was fighting warped boards the entire time. Even when you eyeball them at the store and they look straight, you find out they’re really not that straight when you cut them up and try to build a stand. I like your attention to detail with the stand build.

So I guess this build thread just got even better since you’ll be building the tank yourself! I look forward to seeing that too! I DIY pretty much everything around my house that needs built/fixed/renovated, but I don’t have the guts to build the actual tank myself. Not much scares me, but for some reason, I draw the line at building a fish tank lol.

It will be a first for me... but, I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once! Lol. I decided to give it a shot because I have a friend that has a glass shop. He has built a couple of aquariums for himself and they've been fine. Plus getting all the glass for like 1,200.00 bucks compared to someone building me a tank for more than 3,000.00... it was a no brainer. I can use the extra couple of grand for equipment. And that's with 2 panels being starphire glass too.

 

[RobW]

More puttying, more sanding... more puttying, more sanding... this is the boring part for me.

 

[Caravanshaka]

Lots of work but rewarding in the end!

 

[RobW]

Lots of work but rewarding in the end!

This is very true, my friend. Its tedious. Not my favorite part. Spraying some paint on the other hand.... I'll have to do this all over again when I build the side cabinet and the top. Then all the removable panels that will look like doors. I need to get the glass for the tank after the stand portion has its final primer coat and the inside epoxy is all finished. I dont want to build the other components just yet. Need the glass for the exact measurements. I probably have another week or so before the stand will be ready to accept glass for the tank build portion.

 

[RobW]

Once the tank is built, I will let it cure for a solid week. I'm going to assemble the tank right on the stand. Once it has cured I'm going to do a full water weight test to check for leaks and make sure the stand does its job. I'm sure the stand will have no issues supporting the tank and water weight but if for some reason there is a leak or something I can address it before it becomes a real problem.

 

[RobW]

Been working on prepping the stand for the epoxy. I didnt bother with pictures the last few days because nothing has really changed all that much. I'll post more when I get a little further along and am ready for the epoxy inside the stand. Lots of prep work. I want the inside just as pretty as the outside.

 

[crusso1993]

Been working on prepping the stand for the epoxy. I didnt bother with pictures the last few days because nothing has really changed all that much. I'll post more when I get a little further along and am ready for the epoxy inside the stand. Lots of prep work. I want the inside just as pretty as the outside.

I dig your attention to detail and all the effort. It will pay off. It already has in some ways because of the pride you can take in what you're building.

 

[RobW]

I was going over some things... I may have to shorten the height of the tank. Access my be a pain to reach in and clean or place things at the bottom. Unless I can come up with a little different solution. It may lose a few gallons of water volume. Not really what I want. I like the idea of the tank being deep.

 

[Caravanshaka]

I was going over some things... I may have to shorten the height of the tank. Access my be a pain to reach in and clean or place things at the bottom. Unless I can come up with a little different solution. It may lose a few gallons of water volume. Not really what I want. I like the idea of the tank being deep.

Aluminum step-stool....I need one to get in and do anything near the sandbed on my tank! I still can't reach the back corners without getting my armpits wet, lol. It's worth it to have the tank at an enjoyable height with enough room to work on everything underneath the tank.

 

[crusso1993]

I was going over some things... I may have to shorten the height of the tank. Access my be a pain to reach in and clean or place things at the bottom. Unless I can come up with a little different solution. It may lose a few gallons of water volume. Not really what I want. I like the idea of the tank being deep.

I cannot recall so can you please remind me how tall the tank will be and how tall the tank and stand will be combined?

 

[RobW]

I cannot recall so can you please remind me how tall the tank will be and how tall the tank and stand will be combined?

The stand sits at 42" tall and the tank is 36" tall. 6' 6" to the top of the tank off the floor. My issue is when I have to reach through the top canopy panels that open down into the tank.

 

[RobW]

Aluminum step-stool....I need one to get in and do anything near the sandbed on my tank! I still can't reach the back corners without getting my armpits wet, lol. It's worth it to have the tank at an enjoyable height with enough room to work on everything underneath the tank.

I agree with you there.