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  #26  
Old 06/25/2007, 09:17 PM
NO1B4ME202 NO1B4ME202 is offline
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Carol,

This is going to be awesome. I still need to come over to get the reflectors.
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  #27  
Old 06/25/2007, 09:26 PM
boydx6 boydx6 is offline
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Carol, how tall is the fish room going to be? Will it be below the garage door railing or will you be building a wall in place of the garage door?
  #28  
Old 06/25/2007, 09:50 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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NO1B4ME202 - yes you sure do, come over anytime.

boydx6 - I'm building it below the railing. The bottom of the rail is 7'4" from the garage floor and I measured it out today - looks like I'd have about 14- 16 inches from the top of my tank to the ceiling.

My garage floor is 6" below my living room floor so that's a little tricky with the stand. We'll get together and work on the stand together - once I get the plans we will be good to go!

This is really getting exciting!
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  #29  
Old 06/26/2007, 02:59 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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I've revised my stand and I think this is the basic design I'd like to go with. I'm gaging on about 3500 lbs for the tank, water and rock - this is just a guess but should be within a few hundred lbs.

Think she'll hold?

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  #30  
Old 06/26/2007, 03:28 PM
lisaFL lisaFL is offline
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Carol,

Could you post up your DIY calcium Reactor by any chance? I'm looking to build one as well - fairly soon here.
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  #31  
Old 06/26/2007, 03:32 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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Sure can - I actually have the build instructions on my web site:

http://www.reefdiversity.com/DIYPage...iumReactor.htm

This gives you a good idea of how to make them - I think I have the final hook-up yet to do - but it's 90% finished.

Hope this helps,
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  #32  
Old 06/26/2007, 03:36 PM
cwegescheide cwegescheide is offline
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Oh this is going to be really nice!!! Taggin along
  #33  
Old 06/26/2007, 05:09 PM
mflamb mflamb is offline
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Yo Carol, looking great. Something to think about...some form of angle bracing from the legs to the top to prevent side to side or front to back movement.
Will the stand be attached to the studs in the wall/bookcase?
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  #34  
Old 06/26/2007, 05:31 PM
triggerfish1976 triggerfish1976 is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by mflamb
Yo Carol, looking great. Something to think about...some form of angle bracing from the legs to the top to prevent side to side or front to back movement.
Will the stand be attached to the studs in the wall/bookcase?
Great point espeically if you're going to go with a wavebox. The frequency of the wave will cause the weight of the tank to shift back and forth across the long axis of the tank so which could cause the stand supports to flex.
  #35  
Old 06/26/2007, 06:09 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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Whoa - I was thinking about putting some bracing on the floor around the perimeter like 2x4's but I need to figure out how to attach them (attach to concrete). It will be secured by the wall about mid way, I haven't been firm on the side viewing yet (12" or 18"?). The wave box is a big possibility so I do want to make it wave proof.

Also between the openings in the legs, I'm going to build cabinets (Display area) under the tank. What I could do in the front area is attach cabinets firmly to the stand legs (They will be about 24" deep). Do you think that would be secure enough.

Also do you think I should add another 2x6 in the center or would it just be a waste of good lumber? I'd rather over build than under, but not waste.

Thank you for the heads up!
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  #36  
Old 06/26/2007, 07:46 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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Here is my design with my cabinets shown. One side of the cabinet will be directly attached to the stand, the other side I will see how much of a gap I have and fill it appropriately with wood then attach. Again on the garage side, I was just going to attach 2x4's at the bottom, unless you all feel I need more.


This gives more details of what I have planned in the future. Think this should stop the swaying?
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  #37  
Old 06/26/2007, 08:53 PM
mflamb mflamb is offline
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I'm not sure on the engineering of the wood to provide the bracing. I just remember how my welder would not let me go without the bracing on my stand. I would think that on the fish room side of the stand you would be able to install enough bracing that combined with the "inwall" support, you would be ok.
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  #38  
Old 06/27/2007, 06:13 AM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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I agree Mike. With the wall, book shelves, and cabinets under the stand it should not sway. With the addition of the wave box and as Triggerfish pointed out, I do need to ensure I build this into my design. The living room side isn't a problem (to me) at all, but like you said the fish room area I do need to brace for side to side movement. I would like to use this area a little for storage but if I can't it wouldn't be a big deal. I think once I get it in place the bracing will just happen (I need to visualize this) to come up with the best solution.
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  #39  
Old 06/27/2007, 06:03 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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Hello everyone! I again rechecked GlassCages to ensure they still required the sheet of 3/4" Styrofoam. They do just surprised because I'd heard so much about it in other threads (Other manufacturers) getting away from it.

Mike is this what you used (Or anyone else that has a tank from GlassCages)? The normal Styrofoam from Home Depot/Lowes? I read that it must reach completely side-to-side and front-to-back and must be placed between the tank and the surface of the stand. I'm sure I will not find one solid piece that fits without having to put two together.
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  #40  
Old 06/27/2007, 06:30 PM
RocketEngineer RocketEngineer is offline
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ReefArtist,

The stand you designed has spans of less then 36in in all directions so the 2X6 should be capable of holding up the weight of the tank nicely. However, you do need to prevent the legs from splaying out from under the tank. This can be accomplished by attaching the legs to a 2X4 or 2X6 running under the legs. If done correctly this will lock all six legs in relation to the others. A handful of "L" brackets between the legs and the top frame should keep the whole thing from turning into a parallelogram rather then being square. The idea with the bottom boards is to allow you to install cabinets on top of the bracing rather then fighting with it.
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  #41  
Old 06/27/2007, 07:07 PM
mflamb mflamb is offline
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Carol, I bought my 8' piece of blue 3/4" foam at HD in Brandon.
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  #42  
Old 06/27/2007, 07:23 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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Nice - blue would be a lot nicer then that bright white they have in my area. How wide were you able to get it in? I'd love to get it in one piece but 36" might be tough.

Things are going fast now but once I get this baby on the stand things will slow way down. I can't believe I'll have the tank on the 14th! I don't want the tank sitting on the floor - that's the reason for the quick building. This however will allow me to put all the walls up for the fish room. I did find an old outlet for cable in the wall - might need to have a small TV in my new room . All the conforts of home!
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  #43  
Old 06/27/2007, 08:43 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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Thanks RocketEngineer for the information on the stand build. I'm going to reinforce the stand legs with 2x4's on the garage side. This will allow me to still use this area for storage mainly salt. As long as the 2x4's will do the job - I'll go with them. With this being a built-in and having cabinets between the legs - it shouldn't go anywhere - but that is a lot of water! Thanks again.
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  #44  
Old 06/27/2007, 08:56 PM
mflamb mflamb is offline
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96" x 48"
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  #45  
Old 06/27/2007, 09:00 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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Oh - very cool! If I can't find it around here, I'll hit the Brandon store. Thanks Mike - did you get your light frame finished?
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  #46  
Old 06/27/2007, 09:31 PM
acropora nut acropora nut is offline
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ReefArtist I just PM you Mike.....
  #47  
Old 06/28/2007, 12:12 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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Nice talking to you last night Mike - I love your tank - everyone here's a beautiful tank - a must see:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1148987
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  #48  
Old 06/28/2007, 12:13 PM
ReefArtist ReefArtist is offline
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I have a question about protein skimmers. I'm thinking about purchasing the new Sequence Skimmer the skimmer is equivalent to the Royal-Exclusive Bubble King skimmers. It sounds like a great skimmer and will fit my needs and then some. What I want to know is what are your feelings on gravity feed verses pump feed. I was talking to Joe (poknsnok) about this and he thinks it's a great idea- one less pump and I agree. I've talked to some people about the skimmer and it will operate either way. Is there any disadvantages of the gravity feed system?

After talking to Joe - the plan would be to have a Tee at the input to the skimmer - one going into the skimmer and the other as an overflow that would go directly into the sump. Any other ideas on this?
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  #49  
Old 06/28/2007, 01:32 PM
mflamb mflamb is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by ReefArtist
Nice talking to you last night Mike - I love your tank - everyone here's a beautiful tank - a must see:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1148987
I've been following that thread. Great tank!

I would call the Brandon HD store before going. It is usually quite a mess and you never know what's in stock until you get there.

I've never gravity fed a skimmer. I've always had the in sump before this dual beckett I have now.
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  #50  
Old 06/28/2007, 10:43 PM
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It may be too late for this or it may have been addressed in another manner. To my eyes, the lateral bracing seems absent. I did see the suggestion to add 2 x 4's for connections between the legs in conjunction with "L" brackets, but all too often, it is so very easy to allow 2 x X construction to get slightly out of plumb or square. Plywood is an another ideal solution as long as two "factory edges" are attached to outside planes.

What I mean is that I would not trust the surrounding elements to correct the side-to-side or front-to-back tendencies an out-of-plumb (or -square or -level) stand might have.

I would use screws to assemble the stand, for the additional piece of mind. It is a bit hard to tell from the diagrams and descriptions but I am guessing that the "notched to fit" means that a 1.5" section of the 4 x 6 will be removed, allowing the 2 x 6 to rest on the four corner legs. This seems very reasonable but I would go a step further and remove 2" from the 4 x 6 on both sides, allowing me room to "face" the 2 x 4 with .5" plywood, glued and screwed. That plywood could be cut to run down the 4 x 6 and then s&g'd to the 4 x 6 (6 - 12" past the bottom of the 2 x 6, necessitating removing .5" from the faces of the leg to allow a flush fit). The plywood is then incorporated into the stand without changing your proposed cut lengths.

Lastly, it appears from the diagram that the two 2 x 6's in the center are face-mounted to the 4 x 6's. It will be stronger to cut your two center legs down by 5.5" and make a header out of those two 2 x 6's. That allows the leg to carry the weight and not the item you use to attach the 2 x 6 to the leg.

I hope that helped but I fear it may have confused. If any of my response is unclear, I am happy to clarify. And I apologize for offering advice on a design that I may have mis-interpreted.

Best of luck with your build! Tagging along....
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