Squatch's Continuing Adventure with a 40g breeder

[Squatch XXL]

Building custom sump, or using a tank to start with?

Petco dollar days just ended. I happen to have a HUGE supply of panes and sheets of glass in my garage. I figure at this rate, I might as well save a few bucks and just cut it myself. If I get lazy, Ill look at a 20g long and baffle it as necessary.

The stand has an ever so slight wobble that can be fixed with one shim, but its from the concrete floor. I may make adjustable feet for the front from scrap steel at work. Something I can weld a nut onto a flat piece of steel and affix to bottom corners. Than just weld a washer onto a piece of threaded rod, and I have the thinnest adjustable foot ever......Although, now that I am thinking about it, I could try moving the stand to a more level spot. Ill report back on that if/when I do.

I would skip the Styrofoam in the video, opt for a pc of mdf, or 3/4 ply instead.

Like you said, I am going to top the stand with plywood. I will probably plywood the bottom shelf as well. Then Instead of purchasing one of them foam mats that are all the rage for supporting the bottom glass, I am going to get a size of "Armaflex" insulation and use that to support the bottom. I figure if I go slightly thicker than needed, and it will compress so that the support brace rests back on the plywood top.

I also need to make "reinforcement" plates for the back of the tank. I am going to cut 2 pieces of glass that square out and silicone them in place. I am almost 99.2% certain that I will have no issue, but It certainly won't hurt to have them.

I am working a "shutdown" right now which works great. Next week looks to be 12 hour days, 7 days a week for at least 3-5 weeks. I sure do love paper mills. Contrary to most beliefs, it smells like money to me, and not cabbage or vomit.

 

[Squatch XXL]

I came down to the cave to do some hard-core layout on my overflow boxes. I have a huge sack of fittings and the bare minimum.

I left every ruler, tape, level and pretty much all of my precision tools at work. I had enough however to get the durso stand in place.. I laid this out to make the durso take up wasted space. It should result in a very small overflow.

From the front:


From the top:


Both sides are symmetrical in the corner, but Id like to reduce my distance from my tee to my caps. The only way is to remove part of the cap, and the connecting pipe. I did not want to drill lower than what I did, but still want to have the cap under the tank canopy


Also, the bar codes will be vanishing.


Estimated tank weight full: 405lbs

 

[Squatch XXL]

I returned to strike again with tape measures and levels.

I took some concise measurements, then gave myself a minimum of 1" clearance away from the stand pipe. Here is a photo of either minimum design. In reality, both take up about the same real estate.

The 10" long idea gives 20" total of surface skimming at 24-1/2" square surface area, while the 4"x4" box only takes 16" square area.....whereas a 5"x5" would be 20" surface skimming area @ 25" square .



Any opinions on either design. I am going out for supplies tomorrow, and am pretty well set on the 10" long at the 45 degree angle.

Also, I am thinking about keeping the tallest part of the teeth about 1/4" from the plastic lip of the tank. Does this seem too close?

 

[Pat24601]

I don't know enough to have useful opinions,but I enjoy reading your thought process.

 

[Squatch XXL]

I don't know enough to have useful opinions,but I enjoy reading your thought process.

Thanks Pat. I am no expert reefkeeper. I had a few SW & reef tanks over the years, all of which were great but needed improvement. I have literally thought for a decade about having another SW and how I would want it to be. I over-engineer bacon and eggs in my spare time.

I've also thought about the possibility that the mantis is unavailable due to shipping during cooler months......If I don't get this tank stable by July/August, I doubt I will be able to source the critter I want.

To do list:

*Where is this shipment of crushed coral at? Oh my god fed ex, Now all I see is the arrow!

Issues with backorder etc. LFS has bags that are comparable in price. I think that doing CC after rock decisions are made is best, and I don't mind another short cycle in the tank. I do have to plan for a burrow made of pvc pipe, which really dictates how I stack rocks.

 

[StirCrayzy]

I like the angles better than boxes , much less invasive.
In my opinion, the higher the teeth, the less chance something will jump over. The bottom of the teeth will dictate running water level, so that is a much more critical measure.

 

[Squatch XXL]

Stand is done:
Always wear gloves kiddos.

(NOT SAFE FOR THE SQUEEMISH> Skip this post)

I Added eggcrate to the bottom of the tank yesterday. I am planning the 2-1/2" pvc burrow for the stomapod. It looks like I will have the "U" shape come out toward the front of the tank, and have exits under the left and right side near under rockwork.

Also. There is an addendum.

Correction: Stand was not done. Not at all.....It was off by over 1/8" inch.

My mancave floor is off by enough that I decided to re-do a few things. The stand was built plumb, level and square....however the floor is not co-operating.

I re-did the bottom of the stand so that it mated with the floor. This then made the top where the tank rests well over 1/8" out. After mowing the lawn and making the wife happy, I got to making this stand level.

I took out EVERY support brace, and then un-did the frame around the top. I then put ONE screw into a corner of that frame, and built it based on level, and not on square measurements. I cut new support beams to match the new measurements. I could have made things shorter and not have had to cut new beams, but I did not want to go any shorter with this stand. It is 33" to the bottom of the tank from the ground.

Here are some photos showing my level layouts.

Also, My handsaw is sharp. I got myself again. Thumbs up! There are more than a few splotches of blood already...this just adds a few more.

Issues with backorder etc. LFS has bags that are comparable in price. I think that doing CC after rock decisions are made is best, and I don't mind another short cycle in the tank. I do have to plan for a burrow made of pvc pipe, which really dictates how I stack rocks.

I ordered another 40lbs that was competitive in price to the LFS. Lets see if this place actually ships it.


My wife likes the attention to detail so much that she has requested a stand made identical for the kitchen with a butcher block top....AND on wheels. It would be great for storing pots and pans in as well as being a rolling cutting table/island. I certainly will do more for it than spray-painting it. I may have to break out the mahogany veneers for a project like that. I just happen to have a set of computer chair wheels that would work great for that sort of thing....

 

[Squatch XXL]

Both sides are symmetrical in the corner, but Id like to reduce my distance from my tee to my caps. The only way is to remove part of the cap, and the connecting pipe. I did not want to drill lower than what I did, but still want to have the cap under the tank canopy

I fixed the Durso so that they fit under the canopy. They look tragic because I used a pvc cutter, and did not use a hack saw. (Pvc cutters essentially are the same thing they use to fix farm animals)

Also, I added the top of the stand in 1/2" mdf. The stand is OFFICIALLY Done.

Next week I have to get the sump and plumbing done. I am in the process of having a company quote me on making my overflows. I know for a fact I could do it myself, but Apparently no local business sell black plex, so either way I will have to order materials....only to waste time and have excess that I will never use. I figured my overflows to take up about 220 square inches.....Id rather have an expert build me this than for me to do something that I will be able to see all of my imperfections.
Here are some juicy photos:

 

[StirCrayzy]

That's funny mine wants the same thing for this year's project.

 

[Squatch XXL]

That's funny mine wants the same thing for this year's project.

A rolling island cutting block/storage for a kitchen seems like something that EVERYONE would use. I never herd of such a thing till my sister in law mentioned it the other week.....It just seems like it could save quite a bit of time, and have more use than simply a cutting board on wheels.

 

[Squatch XXL]

I fed my "live" rock today a deli shrimp. I had spaghetti for dinner. I can see this being a pattern......Ill know in a few days based on the smell test IF that bottle of "bacteria" actually did something.

Also I picked up a 10 gallon tank that needs to be baffled. It too will be getting drilled for a pump to save sump space, and this will reduce errant heat to the tank water.
Thanks again @Frankie for the great idea.
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/...llow-rimless-build.54348/page-33#post-1296909

Now I just have to figure out how to keep my wife's pain in the bottom cats from playing in my sump....I may have to break down and create a door and sides on the stand.

 

[Frankie]

Can't wait to see it brother! Be sure the pump is sealed well put your mouth over one in a left palm over the other and suction make sure there's no leak.

 

[Squatch XXL]

Can't wait to see it brother! Be sure the pump is sealed well put your mouth over one in a left palm over the other and suction make sure there's no leak.

I am imagining water in my tank this weekend.


I spoke with the head Marine Biologist at "That Pet place" in person and discussed a delivery date of livestock early to mid August. I was assured that there would be stock in through the fall. They cannot promise size or sex, but I know enough to sex these critters from my long reading sessions. They currently have a 6" female in stock, and I felt bad for her....in a little 1 gallon display tank with a warning "Do not harass" written with sharpie. I got a giggle out of it. She seemed focused on my sunglasses, and followed them where ever they looked. She was bigger than I want to start with only because I would like to keep this critter as much of its natural life as possible.


****EDIT****

But then I remembered that I don't have my overflow boxes yet. DRAT. I still haven't got a quote back....and Clear Plex would work and end up covered coraline just the same.

 

[Frankie]

Get the tank setup and running before looking for the live stock. It is ok to get a list going of what you want but stay focused on the build first.

 

[Frankie]

Glad your only 4 pages! I will catch up tonight on your thread.

 

[Squatch XXL]

Background cut to fit:



Cure tub had developed a minor stink from the shrimp. Nothing terrible.

 

[Frankie]

Looking good!

 

[Squatch XXL]

I have to find "reef" safe silicone....Home Depot apparently does not stock it.

I had a bad day at work. Wrestling with 12" steel pipe that weighs about 60lbs per foot just got me frustrated. Then traffic home was a nightmare....So I had to take more than a few detours to keep in motion (I hate sitting still).....Either way, my neighbor who knows nothing of my needs happened to be throwing out a 1/4" piece of plexiglass in clear.....it was 3'x4'. He had been using it on top of a table, but the table gave out from years of the legs touching the damp basement floor.

I haven't heard back from the business that allegedly would give me a quote for my overflows, so DIY for free is better than paying for someone else to do.

Also, my crushed coral 40# bag is here. Time is fleeting, and Ill be working 60+ hours next week and the following 4-5 weeks. I guarantee a slow down on progress....though I am nearing the home stretch.

 

[Frankie]

Where are you located?

 

[Squatch XXL]

Central PA USA