Upgrade Build-Custom 120

Gillguy · 12/30/2012, 02:02 PM

Out grew my 90 and wanted something a little bigger but not too big. I wanted to stay smaller than a 150 so I could use all of my existing equipment. Found a custom 120 gallon, (60x18x26) with Euro Bracing. It was a perfect size. 12 inches wider than the 90 which allowed more space for aquascaping and more room for the tangs to swim. Bought the tank but needed a stand and canopy. Not many choices out there for that size tank and the ones available were expensive. So I decided to make my own. The build for the stand and canopy took about 40 hours total. Not bad for my first time and limited carpentry experience. Here are some pics of the build.

Gillguy · 12/30/2012, 02:05 PM

2x4 and 2x6 framing

Gillguy · 12/30/2012, 02:09 PM

Skinned, Doors, and Trim

Gillguy · 12/30/2012, 02:17 PM

Stand with stain. Also framing for canopy. I wanted to have access to the tank without doors on the canopy so I would not have to deal with the brackets so I made the entire front of canopy lift up.

Gillguy · 12/30/2012, 02:21 PM

I also wanted to be able to replace my bulbs with easy access so the entire top also opens up. Fans installed in canopy and stained.

Gillguy · 12/30/2012, 02:26 PM

Placed into the house, lights installed in canopy, and all livestock transferred. Whoo!!! Lots of work but well worth it. Thanks for looking.

Solisimo · 12/30/2012, 04:25 PM

Very nice congrats!!!

Stylo328 · 12/30/2012, 07:31 PM

Stand looks great! Congrats on the upgrade.

mrx66699 · 12/30/2012, 08:09 PM

nice

Cliff519 · 12/30/2012, 08:34 PM

Nice set-up

Gillguy · 12/30/2012, 09:24 PM

Thanks for the comments. Here is a pic of the sump and chiller and a full tank shot.

reeksreef · 12/31/2012, 03:25 AM

That's a nice build, was building on an uneven floor a challenge?

Joshporksandwic · 12/31/2012, 07:35 AM

Very nice! Thanks for sharing.

Gillguy · 12/31/2012, 11:03 AM

reeksreef, it was a pain building it with an uneven floor. Most of the work was done on the garage floor which is completely out of whack. What I ended up doing was build the frame but left the screws loose. Then I moved the stand frame into the house and placed it in the exact location it was going to be. You can see this on post #2 picture #3I leveled it and then tightened the screws. However, the family room floor was not even either so I had to use shims. It took some time but it actually wasn’t too bad.

reeksreef · 12/31/2012, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gillguy

reeksreef, it was a pain building it with an uneven floor. Most of the work was done on the garage floor which is completely out of whack. What I ended up doing was build the frame but left the screws loose. Then I moved the stand frame into the house and placed it in the exact location it was going to be. You can see this on post #2 picture #3I leveled it and then tightened the screws. However, the family room floor was not even either so I had to use shims. It took some time but it actually wasn’t too bad.

That's what I'm afraid of, I want to build a stand for my girlfriends 65 gallon tank but my back porch is sloped. Hopefully I can gain the confidence to pull it off.

Fish2reef · 12/31/2012, 07:51 PM

Good work
My only question is the chiller enclosed in the stand; usually this generates more heat making the chiller work harder.

Gillguy · 12/31/2012, 08:08 PM

It really wasn't that hard. Check with a level the spot the aquarium will be located. That will give you an idea how far off the floor is. As far as where you will be building it, it really doesn't matter much. The only worries about leveling should be in the initial 2x4's for the top and bottom frames and then connecting them with the four corner 2x4's. Once that is done, the rest is measuring in between the frames for an exact measurment. I used mostly 2x6 which was actually overkill but for a 65 gallon 2x4 will do fine. Here is the link on YouTube that gave me the confidence to do my build. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN4Y9AYuwcQ I made some modifications but followed mostly the same concept. I spent less than $300 in materials for both canopy and stand and it's to my specs. Good luck.

Gillguy · 12/31/2012, 08:25 PM

Fish2Reef, yes the chiller works harder being enclosed. With my last stand I had to crack the door to allow for air flow. On this stand if I leave the door open the chiller takes approximately 10 less minutes to bring the temperature down to preset levels. That's not bad and it works fine because the entire back of the stand is open and the stand is 5 inches away from the wall. The front of the chiller is about 6 inches from the front door. Also, there is about 8 inches from the top chiller to the bottom of the tank. There is plenty of space inside for air flow. I just like the clean look of having all equipment concealed.

12/30/2012, 04:25 PM	#7
Solisimo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Coral Springs Fl Posts: 50	Very nice congrats!!! __________________ REAL HDTV LIVES IN YOUR TANK! Current Tank Info: 150 Gallon

12/30/2012, 08:09 PM	#9
mrx66699 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: ft. laud Posts: 5,994	nice __________________ Nano with a few dozen tangs. Life is the slowest form of suicide!

12/30/2012, 07:31 PM	#8
Stylo328 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: South Florida Posts: 1,970	Stand looks great! Congrats on the upgrade.

12/30/2012, 08:34 PM	#10
Cliff519 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada Posts: 189	Nice set-up

12/31/2012, 03:25 AM	#12
reeksreef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Miami, Fl Posts: 353	That's a nice build, was building on an uneven floor a challenge?

12/31/2012, 07:35 AM	#13
Joshporksandwic Moved On Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Hialeah Posts: 2,918	Very nice! Thanks for sharing.

12/31/2012, 11:03 AM	#14
Gillguy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Plantation, FL Posts: 558	reeksreef, it was a pain building it with an uneven floor. Most of the work was done on the garage floor which is completely out of whack. What I ended up doing was build the frame but left the screws loose. Then I moved the stand frame into the house and placed it in the exact location it was going to be. You can see this on post #2 picture #3I leveled it and then tightened the screws. However, the family room floor was not even either so I had to use shims. It took some time but it actually wasn’t too bad.

12/31/2012, 07:51 PM	#16
Fish2reef Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 1,615	Good work My only question is the chiller enclosed in the stand; usually this generates more heat making the chiller work harder.

12/31/2012, 08:08 PM	#17
Gillguy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Plantation, FL Posts: 558	It really wasn't that hard. Check with a level the spot the aquarium will be located. That will give you an idea how far off the floor is. As far as where you will be building it, it really doesn't matter much. The only worries about leveling should be in the initial 2x4's for the top and bottom frames and then connecting them with the four corner 2x4's. Once that is done, the rest is measuring in between the frames for an exact measurment. I used mostly 2x6 which was actually overkill but for a 65 gallon 2x4 will do fine. Here is the link on YouTube that gave me the confidence to do my build. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN4Y9AYuwcQ I made some modifications but followed mostly the same concept. I spent less than $300 in materials for both canopy and stand and it's to my specs. Good luck.

12/31/2012, 08:25 PM	#18
Gillguy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Plantation, FL Posts: 558	Fish2Reef, yes the chiller works harder being enclosed. With my last stand I had to crack the door to allow for air flow. On this stand if I leave the door open the chiller takes approximately 10 less minutes to bring the temperature down to preset levels. That's not bad and it works fine because the entire back of the stand is open and the stand is 5 inches away from the wall. The front of the chiller is about 6 inches from the front door. Also, there is about 8 inches from the top chiller to the bottom of the tank. There is plenty of space inside for air flow. I just like the clean look of having all equipment concealed.