.:25g DIY Build:.

[gregbot9000]

Hey all!

I have decided to start a nano tank after having my 72g FOWLR for about 5 months. I wanted to grow some coral now since i can't in my big tank due to lack of lighting and coral-eating fish. Im trying to be as cheap as possible like most of here. So here it goes....

The tank is a 25g AGA 24x12x20
..Agenda..
-build stand/maybe canopy
-drill/plumb tank
-mod sump/fuge
-mod skimmer
-build lights
-add stuff

This is the stand so far..

My g/f want the tank to sit high so she didn't have to lean over..haha stand dimensions= 24x14x40!

Frame..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P9220140.jpg
Skin..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P9240144.jpg
More Skin..and shelves
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P9240149.jpg
a 10g will sit on the bottom shelve
and a 5g or 10g will sit in the middle

[gregbot9000]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P9250156.jpg

tommorow i will be able sand, stain, and build my door. Ill post more pics.

[divecj5]

Looks great so far. I really like the look of the stand and of course the height is nice if the misses agrees with it :)

You''l have to updated when it's been stained.

Adam

[alien9168]

Wow! What will you be using for lighting...will they be placed in a matching hood?

[Holokai]

Hey! it's Tomorrow! Where's the update and pics?!? :D

[gregbot9000]

Hey sorry. had alittle trouble with the staining.

I had filled in the edges with some wood filler and i didnt sand it off all the way(i thought you wouldnt be able to tell with the stain) but it turned out really bad. so i had to sand alot and stain it all over. Its drying 2nite so i will have pics up tomm. promise :D

I want to do t5's prob 4x24w..still debating though...
and yes, most likely ill build a matching hood to put in the lights. i dont want it high though only like 4"-6"

[rp marine]

can't wait

[gregbot9000]

there is 3 coats of colonial maple and 1 coat of gloss finish. ill probably add another coat of gloss when it dries.

I also decided to keep the trim its natural color(no stain). kind of pops out alil. What do u guys think!?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P9270159.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P9270160.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P9270161.jpg

[gregbot9000]

Finished my door!

I started on the canopy, so it'll be done soon.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P9290170.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P9290169.jpg

[Holokai]

Looking good, Looking good. You sealed the trim, right? or did I miss that?

[gregbot9000]

yea. every thing has 2 coats.

[mmd]

looks great

[drummereef]

lookin' good! :thumbsup:

[Kronk]

sorry double post

[Kronk]

wow looks awesome!!! i would have added a couple of verticle pieces of 2x4 under the middle shelf only because it will be shearing weight on the 8 screws but its not necessary if only a 10g is going there. Great choice keeping the natural color

Ken

[RobsReefs]

looks good man

[gregbot9000]

WOW! its been what...3months. haha!
so yes i am finally back into finshing this thing up. hopefully within a couple of weeks. Here is some plumbing i did today. I used a dremel with the diamond point thing to drill the holes. the one on the left is the closed loop, the other is the drain.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P1010299.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P1010298.jpg

going to finish the sump tonite..ill post pics.

[InvaderJim]

Great job on the stand. Looks great.

[tigga]

Very good woodworking skills. Stand is amazing! How much did it cost to make it and how tall is it?

[gregbot9000]

thanx guys! i would say about ...alil over $100(including stain, wood, etc..). sits at 40", makes easier to see my tank, so i dont have to bend over=)

heres my sump, it sit in the bottomg shelf of the stand. ill put my skimmer in first chamber and Return pump in the middle, then the little chamber all the way on the right is where my refugium(5g on 2nd shelf) will drain into.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P1010300.jpg

[Jimsmowen]

Sweet work on the stand!!!

Never used silicone before ;)

kidding

[gregbot9000]

haha!, yea i have...i could better but it was to small and i didnt really care..its only a sump.

[gregbot9000]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P1010320.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P1010319.jpg

ive done 2 water tests everything seems to be ok (crossing fingers).

im finishing the overflow now...and im planning to move everything in on sunday!

[gregbot9000]

I finished my orverflow yesterday. ive never worked with acrylic before, so it took a couple trys. Its 1/4" thick and i used a heat gun to bend it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2090214.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2100217.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2100215.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2100222.jpg

[alien9168]

Great work on that overflow!!!

[EWC88]

Nice build, keep us updated!

[arthurlo]

Any thoughts on putting valves in the drain and closed loop plumbing to control/stop flow for maintenance?

[gregbot9000]

thanx guys =)


Any thoughts on putting valves in the drain and closed loop plumbing to control/stop flow for maintenance?

I do have several valves. ill try and post better pic tomm of the entire plumbling.

[trigger05]

How did you get your overflow from clear to black?

[gregbot9000]

krylon fusion spray-paint(black).

[gregbot9000]

well i got ahead start on my tank this morning, woke up at 8am..thinking i would have it filled by 12:00 just in time for my FMAS frag swap.. but turns out my closed loop wanted to leak..none of my DIY bulkhead which is surprising just my closed loop where the viynl tubing and pvc meet. i spent all day looking for the proper fitting. so the tank is filled and run. but to unclear to take pics..but here is my ghetto/crazy plumbing..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2110224.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2110223.jpg

[gregbot9000]

turns out my DIY bulkheads failed...=( its really sad. I had it running for about 24hrs..then the leaks happened. i drained everything. my LR and corals are in a temporary 15g for now.
im probably gonna buy another 25g and buy real bulkheads this time. you live and learn i guess =).


my broken 25g...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2190224.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2190225.jpg



my temporary 15g with a HOB...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2190222.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2190221.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2190223.jpg

[gregbot9000]

in the mean time ive been working on my lights for the 25g(4x24w T5's). i bought 2 48" Icecap SLR's then cut them in half. 2 for 1 hehe. I also scored some endcaps and standoffs for fairly cheap, 6 pairs for $20! i just need to buy 2 more sets.

a 48" reflector...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2190218.jpg

a 24" reflector....BLING BLING!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2190219.jpg


a finished product with endcaps....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P2190220.jpg

[Krypticol]

Bummer about the bulkhead failure, without the lessons in ife we would never get any further down the road!
Anyway, everything looks great keep up the good work and thanks for sharing. I'm building a 28g bowfront and am making a very similar overflow and plumbing system, so I appreciate the pics!!!
Have a great day!

[gregbot9000]

i went ahead and bought a NEW 25g, instead of trying to fix the old one. i bought REAL bulkheads this time. changed the holes around a little bit. Heres some pics and a quick vid of it being tested for leaks(dont want to make the same mistake twice).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P1010136.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P1010139.jpg
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/th_P1010140.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/?action=view&current=P1010140.flv)

Whats the best way to control the amount of air that goes into the drain pipe? when i stick the plug in its too loud and when i take it out its splashes water...any help?

[gavij012379]

Real nice DIY. You have some skills. I wish I had the skill and place to make my own. The cost is holding me to get back in the hobby after I sold my 100 gal to move to Tx.

[ek9vboi]

nice work so far.

[mindaugas]

that looks awesome, the stand looks great. good job

[Absinthe]

Whats the best way to control the amount of air that goes into the drain pipe? when i stick the plug in its too loud and when i take it out its splashes water...any help?

Drill a small hole in the screw-on cap for the drain pipe just large enough to accomodate a length of airline tubing.

Thread the airline tubing into the durso pipe.

You can experiment with different lengths of airline tubing in the durso...submerged/not submerged...different lengths outside the durso. You can even try adding a venturi valve attachment (like you get with the Maxijett pumps) and see how that helps.

My external durso went from sounding like a toilet to dead silent...and I mean so quiet that I could hear the gentle hum of the Mag drive pump over the durso.

Hope that helps.

[gregbot9000]

april..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P4030230.jpg

may...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/fish007.jpg

My first LPS
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/fish001.jpg

shroom..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/fish003.jpg

some zoas..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/fish002.jpg

sorry for the blurry pics. i need a new camera

lmk what you think?!

[NanoReefWanabe]

looks very good...

i would be worried about the overall height of the water in the DT...it looks to be splashing on the trim ring a bit...

what pumps are you using for your CL and return?

[gregbot9000]

i would be worried about the overall height of the water in the DT...it looks to be splashing on the trim ring a bit...

i belive your refering to the video..i dont have the return nozzles in to angle the flow. so the water was coming straight out of the bulkhead, aiming straight at glass. it doesnt do that when you have the locline in.=)

what pumps are you using for your CL and return?
for my return im using a rio 2100...i dont like the pump and its too much flow for my sump baffles. i have alot of microbubbles.

planning on getting a new pump either mag3 or eheim 1250! which one should i get?!?!

and im using a mag 7 for the CL. im satisfied with that one.

-thanx

[gregbot9000]

test fit....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P6150068.jpg
staining...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P6150070.jpg
lights...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P6190073.jpg
final result...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P6190079.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/fotoboto/P6200084.jpg
what do you guys think?!

[Tyler.L]

nice stand thats how i am going to build mine for my 20g. thanks for that idea!

the t5's are where to go imo. with t5's you're still able to do clams so i dunno even lta, bta, and some carpets. nice build for sure keep it up..

[EWC88]

wow coming along great!!!!!!!! LOVE THE STAND AND HOOD

[TheChief]

nice,build

[EWC88]

hey do you have any pictures of the back of the tank? I saw how the old one was but didn't know if you changed anything

[EvilE]

impresive!!!!

[TriGa22]

Looks great Wanna build me one??

[reefman13]

Nice job. Hows the fuge, and modded skimmer coming along?

[shouldabenacowboy]

Nice setup.....be glad you found out about the bulkheads early in the game...it would suck to have to tear it all down 3 months from now :)

SBC

[Cody Ray]

OMG I was reading and looking at your pics of the diy bulkheads and I was thinking "oh no I wish I could tell him to ditch them and use real ones!!!" Then I saw that they leaked before adding too much to the tank and was quite happy to see real ones a couple posts later. The furniture is rockin' my friend!

[Lytehouse]

Greg, Great looking tank. You made a simple beginning on the stand look like a million bucks. Nice job.

[Apachie]

AMAZING:eek2:

[reef165]

i like the 15 gal

[EWC88]

I hope you don't mind but I might have to steal your stand build from you

[chkit]

nice job, wish i had the knowledge to build.

[Jester]

Searching for other 25 gallon tanks... your build was awesome... any updated pics..??

I have been thinking about buying another 25 gallon and getting it drilled since I have a HOB overflow... it takes up way too much room for a tank our size...

Jester

[Felix1021]

aw3some set up...I may need your help when i get to do my Close loop set up tank...good stuff man

[sktr021]

where did you get those endacaps for lighting?

[sktr021]

where did you get those endacaps for lighting?