Phase 1 of garage conversion started - Page 3

thor109 · 02/21/2012, 06:23 PM

I'm going to use cheap primer and paint with a good kitchen n bath paint. My entire house is white. I'm thinking about painting room some shade of blue. It would be first wall I ever painted that was not white.

samiam1975 · 02/21/2012, 06:26 PM

awsome build looks great so far can't wait to see more

thor109 · 02/25/2012, 08:24 PM

Dry wall is done and I got first coat of primer on. Tomorrow ill top coat and buy material for stand. It scares me having tank sitting in garage.

thor109 · 03/08/2012, 02:12 PM

Drivers finally came for led.
This is how my power board is going to look. I'm building into side of stand with a glass door.

thor109 · 03/11/2012, 03:18 PM

I got started on stand today.
I cut a sheet of 3/4" plywood into 8 5 1/2" x 8 foot strips. I glued 4 sets of two together for main beams.
The stand is upside down in pictures. I'm going to place a 3/4" sheet on top of beams and another sheet on bottom. I plane on runing 1x4's around the bottom and sealing it. I'm going to paint the entire stand in a epoxy paint and install a drain line in bottom that runs outside to my driveway just incase.
Every step feels good as I'm a little bit closer to adding water.

thor109 · 03/12/2012, 03:13 PM

I made some big decisions today.
I bought a reef octopus 3000int skimmer and I'm going with a 40 gallon breeder for sump.
I decided on Marco dry rock. I can get it locally for $2.19 lb. It will be nice to pick out pieces myself. I might order a few pillars from Marco if I can't them locally.
I'm going to use red sea coral plus salt.
The only thing really left to decide is fish.

NanoReefWanabe · 03/13/2012, 09:22 AM

great build so far..things are really coming together...

i like the idea of laminating the ply to make beams (hoping you used a industrial strength glue) just the same it is likely overkill as plywood stands can be made from single thickness of plywood...

i think i would have either used PT or at the very least wrapped the 2x4 floor joists bottom side in plastic...dew point and mildew aside, concrete will suck the moisture from regular wood and can create dry rot, which can be as bad as soft mushy wet rot...

i would use a larger sump myself, a 40 breeder is only about 15% of your display volume...it just seems really small for such a large (and by the looks of it, beautiful) tank...i have always shot for 30-50% of display volume myself...

you are going to love working with the marco rocks...

i really look forward to the tank filling up...man i would love a fish room...

thor109 · 03/13/2012, 09:58 AM

I thought about pressure treated wood but I read about it

CCA wood - also called pressure treated wood - is the green-tinged lumber sold in almost every home center and lumberyard in America. It has the indisputable benefit of being highly resistant to rot and insects. The lumber is treated with a pressurized solution containing Copper, Chromates and Arsenic, hence the name CCA lumber

I decided I will paint the inside with epoxy paint to seal it.
I'm getting excited but still a long way to go.

thor109 · 03/13/2012, 02:53 PM

I've been reading on sump size. I might go with a 75 just for extra space. I sold one last fall for $60. Hopefully I can find another one.

Indymann99 · 03/13/2012, 03:33 PM

I would go with the biggest sump you can reasonably use.. nobody every complains of too much room in the sump... usually the exact opposite. And increased water volume is always a benifit.

thor109 · 03/13/2012, 03:39 PM

I'm getting up to 300 gallons. Water changes are not going to cheap. I think I'm going with a 75 and run it at about 14 inches of water.

thor109 · 03/16/2012, 05:46 PM

I received my octopus 3000 skimmer today. It's a monster.
I really like the engraving in the lid

thor109 · 03/21/2012, 05:41 PM

The stand is done

thor109 · 03/21/2012, 05:45 PM

Well its not done but the tank is ready to go on it. I'm going to finish in red oak with raised panel doors. This picture puts size in perspective

thor109 · 03/22/2012, 03:29 PM

My stand is not level. It is off by .350" in an 8 foot span. I thought about this before, my garage when cemented was graded to let water drain out door. Should I leave it or try to shim stand? If so how? It's only a 1/3 of inch in 8 foot. Ugggg my water level will show it and I notice every day....

nemosworld · 03/22/2012, 03:51 PM

I have the same issue in my garage with my 225, rather than shim it, i built my canopy to cover it.
if you are going with a rimless, then you may have to shim it.

thor109 · 03/22/2012, 04:48 PM

I need to sleep on this one. I want to shim but I don't know which way. Shim the top of stand under tank or bottom of stand?

peppie · 03/22/2012, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thor109

I need to sleep on this one. I want to shim but I don't know which way. Shim the top of stand under tank or bottom of stand?

Bottom of the stand. IMO

Hagisan · 03/22/2012, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Bottom of the stand. IMO

I concur. Now get back to work on the build. Sleep is overrated.

Looking good!

privitor · 03/23/2012, 10:09 AM

me and my wife are looking for a house currently.Her wish list is pretty big, but mine only has 1 thing... I want a 2 car garage so i can conver one side like you are doing! Great build, I will be tagging along!

thor109 · 03/23/2012, 01:20 PM

Thanks everyone, I cut these today. Its .100" thick fiberglass floor. It's used in airplanes for cargo pit flooring. I cut them 1 1/2 x 5 1/2. I'm going to remove the plywood bottom and add these as needed under the 2x6's. The stuff is super strong and will never rot or rust.

thor109 · 03/24/2012, 03:06 PM

Finally level

thor109 · 03/25/2012, 05:05 PM

The tank is on the stand

privitor · 03/25/2012, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thor109

The tank is on the stand

thats gonna be nice!! cant wait to see it

thor109 · 03/28/2012, 07:11 PM

I've got all the plumbing. The tank was drilled for a 3/4" and a 1" bulkhead. I want my return to be 1 1/2" so I drilled the 3/4" bulkhead to a 2 1/2 hole size for a 1 1/2 fitting. I did not like it at all. I drilled each hole in 3 steps cooling the hole saw in frezzer in between each cutting. It worked out good , holes are perfect . I just didn't feel good drilling into my new tank. I'm glad that's over....I'm happy I have two over flows each with 1" pressure and 1 1/2 returns.
I installed bulkhead fitting wet with 100 % silicone. I only hand tightened them and will snug them up once silicone is cured.

02/21/2012, 06:26 PM	#52
samiam1975 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: michigan Posts: 59	fish room awsome build looks great so far can't wait to see more

03/13/2012, 03:33 PM	#60
Indymann99 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 1,347	I would go with the biggest sump you can reasonably use.. nobody every complains of too much room in the sump... usually the exact opposite. And increased water volume is always a benifit. __________________ FOWLR 120g DT 100lbs LR / 200 lbs LS 45g fuge Mag 9.5 Return 2xK4 1xK3 ASM G2 Nova Extreme Pro 6x54w T5 Coralife Lunar Aqualight 4x65w Tank startup 6/2008

03/22/2012, 03:51 PM	#66
nemosworld Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,097	I have the same issue in my garage with my 225, rather than shim it, i built my canopy to cover it. if you are going with a rimless, then you may have to shim it. __________________ Felix Nice to meet you! Current Tank Info: 90g rimless cube with pvc bottom

03/22/2012, 04:48 PM	#67
thor109 Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Plainfield, Indiana Posts: 823	I need to sleep on this one. I want to shim but I don't know which way. Shim the top of stand under tank or bottom of stand? Last edited by thor109; 03/22/2012 at 05:31 PM.

03/28/2012, 07:11 PM	#75
thor109 Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Plainfield, Indiana Posts: 823	I've got all the plumbing. The tank was drilled for a 3/4" and a 1" bulkhead. I want my return to be 1 1/2" so I drilled the 3/4" bulkhead to a 2 1/2 hole size for a 1 1/2 fitting. I did not like it at all. I drilled each hole in 3 steps cooling the hole saw in frezzer in between each cutting. It worked out good , holes are perfect . I just didn't feel good drilling into my new tank. I'm glad that's over....I'm happy I have two over flows each with 1" pressure and 1 1/2 returns. I installed bulkhead fitting wet with 100 % silicone. I only hand tightened them and will snug them up once silicone is cured. Last edited by thor109; 03/28/2012 at 07:19 PM.

02/21/2012, 06:23 PM	#51
thor109 Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Plainfield, Indiana Posts: 823	I'm going to use cheap primer and paint with a good kitchen n bath paint. My entire house is white. I'm thinking about painting room some shade of blue. It would be first wall I ever painted that was not white.

03/12/2012, 03:13 PM	#56
thor109 Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Plainfield, Indiana Posts: 823	I made some big decisions today. I bought a reef octopus 3000int skimmer and I'm going with a 40 gallon breeder for sump. I decided on Marco dry rock. I can get it locally for $2.19 lb. It will be nice to pick out pieces myself. I might order a few pillars from Marco if I can't them locally. I'm going to use red sea coral plus salt. The only thing really left to decide is fish.

03/13/2012, 09:22 AM	#57
NanoReefWanabe A Pico Vase Guy Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,661	great build so far..things are really coming together... i like the idea of laminating the ply to make beams (hoping you used a industrial strength glue) just the same it is likely overkill as plywood stands can be made from single thickness of plywood... i think i would have either used PT or at the very least wrapped the 2x4 floor joists bottom side in plastic...dew point and mildew aside, concrete will suck the moisture from regular wood and can create dry rot, which can be as bad as soft mushy wet rot... i would use a larger sump myself, a 40 breeder is only about 15% of your display volume...it just seems really small for such a large (and by the looks of it, beautiful) tank...i have always shot for 30-50% of display volume myself... you are going to love working with the marco rocks... i really look forward to the tank filling up...man i would love a fish room...

03/13/2012, 09:58 AM	#58
thor109 Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Plainfield, Indiana Posts: 823	I thought about pressure treated wood but I read about it CCA wood - also called pressure treated wood - is the green-tinged lumber sold in almost every home center and lumberyard in America. It has the indisputable benefit of being highly resistant to rot and insects. The lumber is treated with a pressurized solution containing Copper, Chromates and Arsenic, hence the name CCA lumber I decided I will paint the inside with epoxy paint to seal it. I'm getting excited but still a long way to go.

03/13/2012, 02:53 PM	#59
thor109 Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Plainfield, Indiana Posts: 823	I've been reading on sump size. I might go with a 75 just for extra space. I sold one last fall for $60. Hopefully I can find another one.

03/13/2012, 03:39 PM	#61
thor109 Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Plainfield, Indiana Posts: 823	I'm getting up to 300 gallons. Water changes are not going to cheap. I think I'm going with a 75 and run it at about 14 inches of water.

03/22/2012, 03:29 PM	#65
thor109 Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Plainfield, Indiana Posts: 823	My stand is not level. It is off by .350" in an 8 foot span. I thought about this before, my garage when cemented was graded to let water drain out door. Should I leave it or try to shim stand? If so how? It's only a 1/3 of inch in 8 foot. Ugggg my water level will show it and I notice every day....

03/23/2012, 10:09 AM	#70
privitor Seasoned Noob! Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Palm City, Florida Posts: 170	me and my wife are looking for a house currently.Her wish list is pretty big, but mine only has 1 thing... I want a 2 car garage so i can conver one side like you are doing! Great build, I will be tagging along!

03/23/2012, 01:20 PM	#71
thor109 Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Plainfield, Indiana Posts: 823	Thanks everyone, I cut these today. Its .100" thick fiberglass floor. It's used in airplanes for cargo pit flooring. I cut them 1 1/2 x 5 1/2. I'm going to remove the plywood bottom and add these as needed under the 2x6's. The stuff is super strong and will never rot or rust.