Want to Start a Marine Aquarium?: A Step by Step Guide - Page 3

fio1022 · 08/24/2006, 05:09 PM

Great thread Travis...
I've done alot of siliconing in my day and I've found that it is worth the effort to tape both sides of the silicone,smooth out w/a wet finger then remove the tape.
Makes for very clean lines.

Travis L. Stevens · 08/25/2006, 07:14 AM

Yes, I should have suggested that and thank you for bringing it up. I've just had past horrible experiences trying to do it that way. Boy what a mess!

luke30mm · 08/25/2006, 08:30 AM

this is a great thread wish i didn't already have mine up and running a sump would be very nice

Liquid Hobby · 08/26/2006, 10:25 AM

Travis,

How does one determine the height of the return hole you drilled inside the overflow?

T

WaterKeeper · 08/26/2006, 11:59 AM

Paul,

The first tanks I remember where steel framed and held together with Litharge-glycerol cement. I wonder how SW fish and inverts would do with a tank loaded with lead oxide?

Six-line,

I was born after Archimedes so we already knew how to screw water up.

jeffmerrill · 08/26/2006, 03:29 PM

great thread, love the pvc for the overflow, have been thinking of a nano to go with my 180 and this is the inspiration that I need

UrbanSage · 08/26/2006, 07:58 PM

Where can I get Krylon Fusion spray paint? Menards? Home Depot?

Thanks

jaugat · 08/26/2006, 11:22 PM

Great Job Travis!

divecj5 · 08/27/2006, 07:41 AM

Hey UrbanSage. I know that I got my Fusion paint from Wally World (WalMart) but I'm almost positive that any and all home improvement stores carry it as well.

Adam

latazyo · 08/27/2006, 08:05 AM

instead of paying 32 bucks for that 6" PVC here is an alternative for only a few bucks

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=894704

good thread

Travis L. Stevens · 08/28/2006, 07:37 AM

I'm back from my non-work weekend so I can post. I'll have a couple pictures posted up soon of what I did during the weekend

Quote:

Originally posted by Liquid Hobby
Travis,

How does one determine the height of the return hole you drilled inside the overflow?

T

There's really no Right or Wrong as far as I know. Just make sure that the top of the hole is below the bottom of the teeth. This will ensure that the surface skimmate falls a little and gets churned up and taken to the sump for filtration (usually by a skimmer)

Quote:

Originally posted by UrbanSage
Where can I get Krylon Fusion spray paint? Menards? Home Depot?

Thanks

I wasn't able to find it at Lowe's, and I'm not sure if Home Depot has it. There isn't an HD in Stillwater, OK. And I don't know of any Meynard's in Oklahoma unless you count my mother's dog.

FWIW, I was able to pick it up at my local WalMart

Quote:

Originally posted by latazyo
instead of paying 32 bucks for that 6" PVC here is an alternative for only a few bucks

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=894704

good thread

Very nice indeed. I'm sure there are many other ways of doing it, too. I was just lucky that I had some 6" PVC on hand. I realize not everyone does though.

divecj5 · 08/28/2006, 07:50 AM

Non-work related weekend ehh? Sounds like a weekend full of messing around with the tank, doing meaningless chores, and drinking a couple cold ones if that's your thing

We are awaiting updates and pics with baited breath....

Adam

Travis L. Stevens · 08/28/2006, 08:06 AM

Step 3: Building a Stand and Canopy

Now here comes the fun part. This is something that I'm not very good at yet. So, most of the hands and body parts that you see in the next few pictures are that of nIx_tank. He knows wood; I know water.

First, we took a trip to Lowe's and made some decisions on what wood to buy for our stand and canopy. We decided to go with 2x2's for the legs and 1x4's for the frames. It seems like it would be weak, but for a 10g tank, there wouldn't be more than 150lbs on the stand in the first place. Heck, that's about 1.5+ of me

I didn't get pictures, nor did I get prices. I'll do that later. But I do know that I spent $29 and some cents and I got the following:

A - (2) 2"x2"x8' Pine (~$3.00)
B - (2) 1"x4"x8' Pine (~$3.50)
C - (1) 1"x8"x4' Pine (~$4.00)
D - (1) Box of 2" Coarse Drywall Screws (~$4.00)
E - (1) 1.75"x1.75"x10' 90Âº Trim (~$11.00)

I'm sure that either I'm missing something, or I have the prices wrong. I know tht the 90Âº Trim was $10.??. It was the most expensive piece. I still didn't buy any sort of plywood or anything to skin the frame. Here is what I used each piece for:

A - Vertical part of the frame
B - Horizontal part of the frame
C - Sides and Front of the canopy
D - Screwing. Duh!

E - Trimming. Double Duh!

Now, for the fun part. Most of us know that just because wood is called 2"x2" doesn't mean that the wood is actually 2" x 2". What a pain in the rear, huh? Well, the wood that I got, the 2x2's were actually 1.5"x1.5". So, using that, and measuring the width of the tank including the frame, we were able to come up that we needed the following cut out of the 1x4's

(4) 17 1/8" pieces from the 1x4's for the front and back of the top and bottom
(4) 7 3/8" pieces from the 1x4's for the sides of the top and bottom.

We then needed to determine how tall we wanted the stand. This was a little bit of a problem with using such a small tank. I wanted it tall enough that I didn't have to stoop over to look into the tank, but short enough that it wouldn't be top heavy and wobbly. So, we decided to make it 36" tall. Now we need the pieces for the legs.

(4) 36" pieces from the 2x2's for the vertical pieces.

Now, it's time to take the screws we got and get to work. Since we were working with rather large screws and thin wood, we drilled pilot holes. Then, as a safe measure, we counter-sinked the screws a little so we could get it to go into the 1x4's better.

First, we took two of the 2x2 pieces and put one of the long 1x4's inbetween to make a pair of legs.

We then repeated that step for a second pair. Now, we screwed in both of them together with the shorter 1x4's for the sides.

Lastly, we filled in the bottom with more of the 1x4's for a complete box.

Future updates will include building the canopy, skinning the stand, and building a door.
To be continued....

Travis L. Stevens · 08/28/2006, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by divecj5
Non-work related weekend ehh? Sounds like a weekend full of messing around with the tank, doing meaningless chores, and drinking a couple cold ones if that's your thing

We are awaiting updates and pics with baited breath....

Adam

"Non-Work Related" as in my home computer is down, and I don't have internet at home at the moment

But FWIW, yes, that is what my weekend was composed of

divecj5 · 08/28/2006, 08:17 AM

Stand looks great Travis. When I was building my stand, I quickly found out as well what a PITA it is that 2X2 and 2X4 really aren't the exact dimensions. Hopefully that statement will save a lot of people heartache when they're trying to construct a "true" box frame.

Glad you had a good weekend then

divecj5 · 08/28/2006, 08:18 AM

Looking at your current tank "projects" do you have any pics of those tanks? I'm curious what the 2- 2 gallon tanks look like. Sound cool to me.

Travis L. Stevens · 08/28/2006, 08:19 AM

I lied. I do have some pictures of wood for you dendrophylliacs

2"x4"x8' from Lowe's. It's not the stuffed that I used. But if you are doing a tank larger than a 10g, then I would use this instead.

1.75"x1.75" 90Âº Trim - Lowe's - The 8' piece is about $9 and the 10' piece is almost $11. It's EXPENSIVE!

Travis L. Stevens · 08/28/2006, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by divecj5
Looking at your current tank "projects" do you have any pics of those tanks? I'm curious what the 2- 2 gallon tanks look like. Sound cool to me.

I sure do. For those that are interested, here you are. Not all of them are being worked on. The Hex and Corner tanks are on the back burner.

44g Corner Pentagon (Black and White Tank) - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=600226
42g Hexagon (The Great Seahorse Tank) - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=682002
75g Tank (Montipora Only Tank) - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=875880
29g Tank (Currently: Holding Tank Future: Soft Coral Only) - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=789454
2g Cube (Mine: Harlequin Shrimp Wife's: Sexy Shrimp) - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=902677

Any missing pictures can be found at my photobucket account still. I just had to rearrange it. Just click here

for a link to it. Look in TravisStevens/Aquariums/Saltwater/ and then the size tank that you would like to see.

divecj5 · 08/28/2006, 08:51 AM

Thanks Travis. I'll have to check them out when I get a chance.

Travis L. Stevens · 08/28/2006, 08:55 AM

FWIW, I think that the 42g, 44g, and 29g pictures can be found in my photobucket account. Sorry for the hassle. I can't find a mod with enough time or patience to edit all those posts to just fix pictures

UrbanSage · 08/28/2006, 10:15 AM

Found Krylon Fusion at Wallmart.

Travis L. Stevens · 08/28/2006, 10:29 AM

Whoops. It looks like I forgot a few pictures of some objects that I've used or will be using. Here they are. Sorry, I don't have my price list with me today. I remember a ballpark estimate on how much it costs though.

Krylon Fusion Spray Paint - WalMart - $3.97

12" Long Hinge - Lowe's - $4.87

Olympic Stain - Lowe's - ~$6

Polyurethane Sealant - Lowe's - ~$8

1" ID Vinyl Tubing - Lowe's - ???

rodgod20 · 08/28/2006, 12:18 PM

I really like this thread, I just got into the hobby starting in april with a 6-gallon nano from JBJ. I just bought a night stand from wally-world for a stand. Works well, I wish I have seen this thread before getting that tank. An extra few gallons would be nice.

I know this is late but to the person that stated starting out with a nano doesn't work well....I think it does IF the person puts the time into the tank and the research. And thats a big IF. I research this hobby for 2+ months before getting into it and now I have a really cool 6G nano tank. I have been working on it very slowly. I only have 2 corals, zoo's that are growing like a weed and some GSP which...of course is growing like a weed. With this 6G nano I just use distill water from walmart to help make the water so the expense is a little less at the start for someone starting. Just thought I would throwing my 2 cents into that part of the discussion.

I am thinking about going to a 20 or 30 gallon soon. (Once I get settled somewhere!) This thread will really help with that.

Can't wait for updates!

divecj5 · 08/28/2006, 12:41 PM

I think that's a really great point RodGod. Just like anything, and especially with this hobby, the R&R (Research and Reading) phase is really important. With diligence, patience, and taking things as they come slowly, it is very accomplishable to have a nano tank.

Have you seen Travis' pics of his two 2 gallon tanks? Pretty cool

Adam

Travis L. Stevens · 08/28/2006, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by divecj5
I think that's a really great point RodGod. Just like anything, and especially with this hobby, the R&R (Research and Reading) phase is really important. With diligence, patience, and taking things as they come slowly, it is very accomplishable to have a nano tank.

Have you seen Travis' pics of his two 2 gallon tanks? Pretty cool

Adam

This is what I hope to accomplish later in this thread. I want to be able to some up my years of research into one thread and link as much possible information as I can to this thread. That way, it'll be your one stop reef source for the new and not-so-new aquarists. I'll start to get REALLY in depth when we start adding more stuff on the biological side.

Oh, and thanks on the 2g Cube compliments.

08/24/2006, 05:09 PM	#51
fio1022 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: NY Posts: 1,557	Great thread Travis... I've done alot of siliconing in my day and I've found that it is worth the effort to tape both sides of the silicone,smooth out w/a wet finger then remove the tape. Makes for very clean lines. __________________ its all about time,space,and money Current Tank Info: 240g,64g acrylic sump/fuge.

08/25/2006, 07:14 AM	#52
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	Yes, I should have suggested that and thank you for bringing it up. I've just had past horrible experiences trying to do it that way. Boy what a mess! __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

08/26/2006, 10:25 AM	#54
Liquid Hobby Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 810	Travis, How does one determine the height of the return hole you drilled inside the overflow? T __________________ 120 DT/200 G mixed reef: birthed on Dec 1, 2010 * Neptune Systems controller * 40G Sump + 40G Fuge which gravity feeds into DT * Huge Reef Octopus Skimmer * Calc, GFO and Carbon RXs * 2x250W 20K Radium MH with VHO supplement * 3600 GPH closed loop with OM 4 way * 1700 GPH return

08/26/2006, 11:59 AM	#55
WaterKeeper Bogus Information Expert Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 16,147	Paul, The first tanks I remember where steel framed and held together with Litharge-glycerol cement. I wonder how SW fish and inverts would do with a tank loaded with lead oxide? Six-line, I was born after Archimedes so we already knew how to screw water up. __________________ "Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29

08/26/2006, 07:58 PM	#57
UrbanSage Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Tea, SD Posts: 1,657	Where can I get Krylon Fusion spray paint? Menards? Home Depot? Thanks __________________ You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails. Current Tank Info: 270 gallon reef.

08/25/2006, 08:30 AM	#53
luke30mm Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 61	this is a great thread wish i didn't already have mine up and running a sump would be very nice

08/26/2006, 03:29 PM	#56
jeffmerrill Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 51	great thread, love the pvc for the overflow, have been thinking of a nano to go with my 180 and this is the inspiration that I need

08/26/2006, 11:22 PM	#58
jaugat Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 439	Great Job Travis! __________________ A big 135 gallon margarita, extra salt please Current Tank Info: 30gal Cardiff Bullet Nose

08/27/2006, 07:41 AM	#59
divecj5 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 709	Hey UrbanSage. I know that I got my Fusion paint from Wally World (WalMart) but I'm almost positive that any and all home improvement stores carry it as well. Adam __________________ "I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted" - George Best Current Tank Info: 20H, Vortech MP20, Aquatinics TX5, SPS Only Tank

08/27/2006, 08:05 AM	#60
latazyo Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 3,972	instead of paying 32 bucks for that 6" PVC here is an alternative for only a few bucks http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=894704 good thread __________________ Friends dont let friends use HOB overflows.

08/28/2006, 07:50 AM	#62
divecj5 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 709	Non-work related weekend ehh? Sounds like a weekend full of messing around with the tank, doing meaningless chores, and drinking a couple cold ones if that's your thing We are awaiting updates and pics with baited breath.... Adam

08/28/2006, 08:06 AM	#63
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	Step 3: Building a Stand and Canopy Now here comes the fun part. This is something that I'm not very good at yet. So, most of the hands and body parts that you see in the next few pictures are that of nIx_tank. He knows wood; I know water. First, we took a trip to Lowe's and made some decisions on what wood to buy for our stand and canopy. We decided to go with 2x2's for the legs and 1x4's for the frames. It seems like it would be weak, but for a 10g tank, there wouldn't be more than 150lbs on the stand in the first place. Heck, that's about 1.5+ of me I didn't get pictures, nor did I get prices. I'll do that later. But I do know that I spent $29 and some cents and I got the following: A - (2) 2"x2"x8' Pine (~$3.00) B - (2) 1"x4"x8' Pine (~$3.50) C - (1) 1"x8"x4' Pine (~$4.00) D - (1) Box of 2" Coarse Drywall Screws (~$4.00) E - (1) 1.75"x1.75"x10' 90Âº Trim (~$11.00) I'm sure that either I'm missing something, or I have the prices wrong. I know tht the 90Âº Trim was $10.??. It was the most expensive piece. I still didn't buy any sort of plywood or anything to skin the frame. Here is what I used each piece for: A - Vertical part of the frame B - Horizontal part of the frame C - Sides and Front of the canopy D - Screwing. Duh! E - Trimming. Double Duh! Now, for the fun part. Most of us know that just because wood is called 2"x2" doesn't mean that the wood is actually 2" x 2". What a pain in the rear, huh? Well, the wood that I got, the 2x2's were actually 1.5"x1.5". So, using that, and measuring the width of the tank including the frame, we were able to come up that we needed the following cut out of the 1x4's (4) 17 1/8" pieces from the 1x4's for the front and back of the top and bottom (4) 7 3/8" pieces from the 1x4's for the sides of the top and bottom. We then needed to determine how tall we wanted the stand. This was a little bit of a problem with using such a small tank. I wanted it tall enough that I didn't have to stoop over to look into the tank, but short enough that it wouldn't be top heavy and wobbly. So, we decided to make it 36" tall. Now we need the pieces for the legs. (4) 36" pieces from the 2x2's for the vertical pieces. Now, it's time to take the screws we got and get to work. Since we were working with rather large screws and thin wood, we drilled pilot holes. Then, as a safe measure, we counter-sinked the screws a little so we could get it to go into the 1x4's better. First, we took two of the 2x2 pieces and put one of the long 1x4's inbetween to make a pair of legs. We then repeated that step for a second pair. Now, we screwed in both of them together with the shorter 1x4's for the sides. Lastly, we filled in the bottom with more of the 1x4's for a complete box. Future updates will include building the canopy, skinning the stand, and building a door. To be continued.... __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

08/28/2006, 08:17 AM	#65
divecj5 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 709	Stand looks great Travis. When I was building my stand, I quickly found out as well what a PITA it is that 2X2 and 2X4 really aren't the exact dimensions. Hopefully that statement will save a lot of people heartache when they're trying to construct a "true" box frame. Glad you had a good weekend then __________________ "I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted" - George Best Current Tank Info: 20H, Vortech MP20, Aquatinics TX5, SPS Only Tank

08/28/2006, 08:18 AM	#66
divecj5 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 709	Looking at your current tank "projects" do you have any pics of those tanks? I'm curious what the 2- 2 gallon tanks look like. Sound cool to me. __________________ "I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted" - George Best Current Tank Info: 20H, Vortech MP20, Aquatinics TX5, SPS Only Tank

08/28/2006, 08:19 AM	#67
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	I lied. I do have some pictures of wood for you dendrophylliacs 2"x4"x8' from Lowe's. It's not the stuffed that I used. But if you are doing a tank larger than a 10g, then I would use this instead. 1.75"x1.75" 90Âº Trim - Lowe's - The 8' piece is about $9 and the 10' piece is almost $11. It's EXPENSIVE! __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

08/28/2006, 08:51 AM	#69
divecj5 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 709	Thanks Travis. I'll have to check them out when I get a chance. __________________ "I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted" - George Best Current Tank Info: 20H, Vortech MP20, Aquatinics TX5, SPS Only Tank

08/28/2006, 08:55 AM	#70
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	FWIW, I think that the 42g, 44g, and 29g pictures can be found in my photobucket account. Sorry for the hassle. I can't find a mod with enough time or patience to edit all those posts to just fix pictures __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

08/28/2006, 10:15 AM	#71
UrbanSage Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Tea, SD Posts: 1,657	Found Krylon Fusion at Wallmart. __________________ You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails. Current Tank Info: 270 gallon reef.

08/28/2006, 10:29 AM	#72
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	Whoops. It looks like I forgot a few pictures of some objects that I've used or will be using. Here they are. Sorry, I don't have my price list with me today. I remember a ballpark estimate on how much it costs though. Krylon Fusion Spray Paint - WalMart - $3.97 12" Long Hinge - Lowe's - $4.87 Olympic Stain - Lowe's - ~$6 Polyurethane Sealant - Lowe's - ~$8 1" ID Vinyl Tubing - Lowe's - ??? __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

08/28/2006, 12:18 PM	#73
rodgod20 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 459	I really like this thread, I just got into the hobby starting in april with a 6-gallon nano from JBJ. I just bought a night stand from wally-world for a stand. Works well, I wish I have seen this thread before getting that tank. An extra few gallons would be nice. I know this is late but to the person that stated starting out with a nano doesn't work well....I think it does IF the person puts the time into the tank and the research. And thats a big IF. I research this hobby for 2+ months before getting into it and now I have a really cool 6G nano tank. I have been working on it very slowly. I only have 2 corals, zoo's that are growing like a weed and some GSP which...of course is growing like a weed. With this 6G nano I just use distill water from walmart to help make the water so the expense is a little less at the start for someone starting. Just thought I would throwing my 2 cents into that part of the discussion. I am thinking about going to a 20 or 30 gallon soon. (Once I get settled somewhere!) This thread will really help with that. Can't wait for updates! __________________ "If your going through hell, Keep going" -Winston ChurchHill- Current Tank Info: 65G (90lbs of LR, CSS125, ATO,Oceans Motions, 33x turnover) LPS tank

08/28/2006, 12:41 PM	#74
divecj5 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 709	I think that's a really great point RodGod. Just like anything, and especially with this hobby, the R&R (Research and Reading) phase is really important. With diligence, patience, and taking things as they come slowly, it is very accomplishable to have a nano tank. Have you seen Travis' pics of his two 2 gallon tanks? Pretty cool Adam __________________ "I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted" - George Best Current Tank Info: 20H, Vortech MP20, Aquatinics TX5, SPS Only Tank