Hood and stand blue prints?

[DrkShadow]

Know of any sites that might give you plans to follow (so I don't have to reinvent the wheel) on hoods/stand designs for let's say a 75 or 120 gallon?

If not, how about some pics or suggestions.

[rldavis]

You can start in the DIY section of this message board. :D You can also search the old posts and see if there's something about pictures of people's setups. A lot of times they post links to their personal websites and usually have a section on their equipment. If you decide to use your 75gal, does it have a wood stand or iron? The DIY forum is really cool, although subjects come and go, so you'll probably have to search to find what you're looking for. I'll try to find some more information and email it to you later. :-)

You've got the bug!! We've assimilated another one. :p
Becky

[DrkShadow]

The stand for my 75 is wood, or some form of wood. :confused:

Yea I need to dig around the board since I'm sure all these Q's have been asked here and answered MANY times.

I've always had the bug, mainyl when my dad had his reef setup, but it didn't do so well but things have come a long way since he had his setup. 6 years ago I think <G>.

So I think I'll take a stab at it now and see if I can assimilate my dad back into it. baaahahaha.. Resistance is futile. You WILL be assimilated into the reef collective. :D :D :D

[rldavis]

Hey, if you'll take a picture of your stand tonight and email it to me or post it here, we'll put our thinking caps on and see if we can come up with something for a canopy. If you buy another tank we can do the same thing. That's what Don and I did, the stand came with the tank and we just built a canopy to match. I don't think we spent more than $100 on materials and built it over two weekends in my Dad's woodshop. BTW we can build yours there too. He's got every woodworking tool available to man. That is if you don't already have a connection to someone that already has the stuff you'll need. You're going to spend more than enough getting this thing up and running, so I'm sure you don't want to have to go buy a bunch of woodworking stuff too.:p

Becky

[DrkShadow]

Sweet.. My dad has the basics but since I want it to be fancy, I'll need a good router with a good bit for eye candy :D

I'll snap a few pics of what I currently have. I bugged bro to call his ex-gf to inquire about "the tank". I call it, operation get tank for free. Maybe if I pay him to date her for a few weeks.. Hrmmmm... :D :D :D evil grin.....

[DrkShadow]

He's my currently boring :o freshwater tank, 75g. The stand is kind of old so since I have to build a hood, might as well make a new stand.. Not sure what this other tank looks like. Hopefully I'll find out soon.

http://24.250.58.29:8080/forum/images/75g.jpg

[rldavis]

I like that stand. I think if you use that tank you should keep it. :p Good luck on "operation free tank" Let me know how that goes. Do you think you'll hear something tomorrow?

Becky

[DrkShadow]

I hope I do, but my bro just closed on his house and he's helping the carpet guy to save a few bucks rip out the old carpet so I don't think he's had time to call.. When he get's home if it isn't too late, I plan on nagging to hurry the "operation free tank" into full operation :D

[DrkShadow]

You still think if I got a 120g that this 75 could possibly be used as a nice big sump? What brand of pumps do you rec? I'm making a shopping list or prefer'd brand's so to say. I found a real nice water filteration on one of the pages you sent me.

KENT MAXXIMA RO/DI
A combination of R.O. unit and deionizer giving you water purification no matter what type of impurities are present in your water. Includes TFC membrane, carbon, sediment pre-filters, mixed bed deionizing filter, and clear canisters. 247.50 and does 24g/day. What ya think?

[Don Davis]

Good Lord, I think we've over-assimilated Richard. We've created a monster!!!

If the 120 gallon is standard size (48x24x24) the 75 (48x18x??) will be a tight fit for a sump. The tanks are the same length, so your stand would need to be longer then your tank. It won't leave much room to work around under your tank either. I'd look into a smaller tank for a sump, or build your own out of acrylic. Something 3' long or less.

For pumps I like Magdrive for submersible, and Iwaki for external. Powerheads- maxi-jets are good, I've also heard good things about the tunze pulsable powerheads. Or you could go with sea-swirls or a closed-loop for your return from the sump. That would look cleaner in the tank then a bunch of powerheads.

As for the RO/DI- This is a better deal. (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PA&Product_Code=KENT-HI-SRODI60&Category_Code=Sales)

Premium Aquatics is hard to beat on service and price most of the time. Definitely worth a bookmark.

Later,

Don

[DrkShadow]

Great.. Thanks for the brand tips. I don't want to make those costly mistakes and have those coulda woulda shoulda things. I believe it spend the extra and buy it right, then to replace it after it fails or doesn't work well enough.

Moster? Created? Well, When was I not? :D I inherited that gene I think.

[Lilgrasshopper]

Don't laugh but I just bought myself a Router table and a used Dewalt 625 router (3hp!!!). And yes, I'm planning on buying all the woodworking equipments just to build a stand and canopy. I figure every household ought to have it anyways. So far I've got a electric drill, a 6" grinder, and a table router (with plunge capability). My next target is gonna be a nice table saw, possibly on a commercial level like Makita or Delta since those two are of good quality and cheaper than Dewalt and Porter Cable. Oh, I've got to have a sander as well. :D
BTW, this is the design I liked the most. Can you and Don help me make this?
http://www.rmgconstruction.com/stand.htm

[DrkShadow]

Originally posted by Don Davis
For pumps I like Magdrive for submersible, and Iwaki for external. Powerheads- maxi-jets are good, I've also heard good things about the tunze pulsable powerheads. Or you could go with sea-swirls or a closed-loop for your return from the sump. That would look cleaner in the tank then a bunch of powerheads.
[/B]

Close loop? Other than visual apperance, would it cost more or less? I assume this is something I would need to construct?

[Don Davis]

Lilgrasshopper, We can do that, my father-in-law can do ANYTHING when it comes to wood. He would be more then happy to give advice, loan us his shop, etc... He won't do the actual work for us, but he will answer any questions we have.

I didn't know you had a bowfront tank. Those are sweet.:D

Drkshadow, you would have to construct the closed loop yourself. There are many ways of doing plumbing. That's where the individuality of each tank and it's owner starts coming out. I don't think I've ever seen 2 tanks plumbed the same way.

Later,

Don

[DrkShadow]

My 75g tank specs
L48" H20" W18" Width with plastic trim 18.5"

Inside stand specs
L48" W16.5" H16"

[Lilgrasshopper]

Don,

I don't have a bowfront tank. That was just for visual purposes. I like the stand and canopy to be one piece. I would like to build that for my 75 gallon tank (still in Houston). It's dimensions are 42"x18"x23.5"H. Can you help me build this? I want the stand to be 38 or 39" tall, perhaps use 4x4" for the 4 corners and 2x4's for the frame. We'll use 3/4" oak or birch plywood for the sides and front. The sides will connect the hood and stand together just like that picture of the 155gal bowfront tank. Let me know when you're free Don so we can do this. I always work the afternoon shift...2-10pm so I have mornings or every other weekend. BTW, do u have a pickup truck?

[Don Davis]

Lilgrasshopper, Building that shouldn't be too tough. When can you get the tank here? It would be best to have it close by for exact measuring and test fitting as we build the enclosure. It would suck to finish it and have it be too small or have a gap that's too far between the sides.

Is the tank glass or acrylic? How much of the glass do you want to conceal around the top and bottom? How tall and wide is the plastic trim on the tank? How tall do you want the canopy to be? How far from the wall do you want it? I would make the sides about 6 inches deeper then the tank and put them flush with the wall. Maybe make them removable in case you ever want to get behind your tank. I wish I would have left my tank farther from the wall sometimes.

Sorry for all the questions, but it's stuff we'll need to know early in the planning.

I don't have a pickup, but I do have a blazer. I have carried full sheets of plywood and sheetrock in it. We can easily borrow a truck if we need to.

Later,

Don

[Don Davis]

DrkShadow, I think you will want a taller stand. 16" is not a lot of room to work with under a tank. Your tank is pretty close to the ground too. That's like a kiddie tank.:D :D :D

Your tank is standard size though. You should be able to go anywhere that sells Oceanic tanks and pick up a taller stand pretty easily, if you don't want to do something custom. You can always make a canopy to match. That's all we did. Although now I'm considering putting sides on my tank. Thanks Lilgrasshopper.;)

Later,

Don

[Lilgrasshopper]

Don, what's your phone number so I can contact you? I'll be in Houston this weekend...don't know if I'll have enough room to pickup my tank...since a few family members might be comming along on this trip. BTW, the acrylic tubes have been cut to size for 50 bucks at Regal's. The tubes are really nice looking...cast acrylic. It looks like glass tubes rather than acrylic. All I have to do is glue them together for a beckett skimmer. ..only if I have the time for it now. :(

[Don Davis]

Lilgrasshopper, I sent you a private message with my phone number. Feel free to call anytime before 10:00pm. I go to bed early, I am old.:D

Later,

Don

[DrkShadow]

Lilgrasshopper, Don and I were planning on going to Dallas Sat. If Don were up to it, if this beast would fit in my blazer, I'd be happy to help. Just a thought. I'd borrow my bro's truck but I can't smoke in it.. Grrr... too long a drive for that.. :D

[Don Davis]

DrkShadow, Houston is nowhere near Dallas.:D

Later,

Don

[DrkShadow]

yea I know...It's a bit farther... hehehe

Isn't it past your 10pm bed time? hehehe :D