Mota's 125 Tank build thread(custom)

[Michael Mota]

Originally posted by Tiki G.
Nice job on the tank. I couldn't decide on what color to paint the back, I wanted black, but the gal friend wanted blue....so it's blue. Looking forward to the cabinet project.

True blue is the color of the blue acrylic over flows which is what I used in the past for my tanks. On the 90 I used black for the back. But on this one I wanted to go with blue again but this time I went with royal blue for it is not as overpowering as the true blue. Thank you for the comments but I have to tell ya I am a bit nervous about testing this tank. I know it will hold water just fine but you know the nervous factor is in the back of my head, call me crazy

[pito]

Just water test it in the garage. You should be fine.
What do you plan on makeing that bottom platform out of? I'm just wondering if there's a chance of the ends cracking since there's no real weight on the ends.

[pito]

Ohh, after calling a few LFS's in the area about special ordering my trim, I found one that can do it. $24.99 each.

[Michael Mota]

Originally posted by pito
Just water test it in the garage. You should be fine.
What do you plan on makeing that bottom platform out of? I'm just wondering if there's a chance of the ends cracking since there's no real weight on the ends.

It will be made of 2"x4" studs and enclosed with popular wood and of course some routed edges to make it look pretty,lol All the weight will be carried through the studs to the floor. The ends will also have weight on it from the cabinets and all the stuff in them.
Water test will be done in the basement due to not having a garage. But if theres a leak it will be OK since the basement is not finished and it is concrete.
Glad to hear you found the trim pieces.

[Tiki G.]

Good luck on the test. I like what your doing here. It is going to really nice.

[Michael Mota]

I got water in it today!!!!!!! Yep thats right the tank is full of water and holding very nicely with no leaks. I will leave it full of water for a few days just to satisfy me that it will hold. As soon as I get some batteries for my camera I will take some pics of the tank full.

[pito]

Good job! Bet you was nervous as heck. Now get busy building that stand. Finally got mine all torn apart. Now I need to get all the silicone off and rebuild, but I gotta get the new floor done first. Also, new trim is on it's way.

[Michael Mota]

Originally posted by pito
Good job! Bet you was nervous as heck. Now get busy building that stand. Finally got mine all torn apart. Now I need to get all the silicone off and rebuild, but I gotta get the new floor done first. Also, new trim is on it's way.

To tell you the truth I was not nervous at all but I did expect to see a Niagara falls size leak. Give me a break, I am going as fast as I can, lol I just finished the room painting for my parents and today the oil furnace quit heating my house, so I spent my free time finding, getting and replacing the circulating pump. But I still had time to fill the tank and now its off to work for a 16 hour day. All will get done in due time my friend, as they say in this hobby bad things happen fast and good things take their sweet time. But seriously, I too am anxious to get started on the cabinetry.

[Tiki G.]

No leaks! Cool. Let's see some pics now.

[Michael Mota]

Ok Ok!!!
Here is the tank a few days after it was filled, no leaks.




And here I am draining the tank.

[Alphabet]

Looking Good..

[pito]

I can't wait to even get to that point.

[Michael Mota]

Thanks Alphabet! Hey Pito don't worry one thing at a time and before you know it you'll be there. Heck look at how long it took me to get here, quite a while.

Not sure if I said this already but I have decided to go with popular wood for the cabinet/stand. Picked up some wood last week and I need to get my brother-in-law's miter saw so I can start to make some cuts to get the wood to look like a stand.
On a good note my new router table came in and its ready to go. I also completed the durso stand pipe and a modified stockman as the emergency back-up in the overflow. I also have begun to work on the strainer system for the closed loop pump. I am almost done with these small pieces so once complete I will post pics.

[pito]

If you don't mind, take as many pics as possable when building the stand.

[Michael Mota]

Originally posted by pito
If you don't mind, take as many pics as possable when building the stand.

I will do my best!!

[Michael Mota]

OK tank is completely done and here is a few updates of what I did:
I fixed the overflow hole at the bottom by applying a small piece of acrylic with weld on-3. I did this before the wet test and it held up just fine with out leaking water into the overflow. See pic:


Today I made the Durso Drain pipe, this will be the primary drain. I did not glue the elbow so it can be remove for easier installation of the Durso drain. The Stockman modified (just the pipe) will be the emergency back up drain in case anything happens to the primary drain. I think by leaving the stockman drain like it is will make the drain loud that way I will know something is wrong when I hear louder water noise. See pic:


Last but not least I was able to complete the strainer for the closed loop pump. It is just two 1" tees with one inch thin wall pipe full of holes. I think it came out pretty cool. With most of the pipe open like it is I think that there should be minimum suction so the animals won't get hurt or sucked onto it. See pics:

[pito]

I like that closed loop strainer. Are you gonna add the rest of the stockman? Why did you go with one durso and one stockman? When I make my external overflows for my tank I plan on adding two stockmans or or two gurgle busters in each overflow for back up. Kinda like your doing. Will the primary be taller than the secondary?

[Michael Mota]

Originally posted by pito
I like that closed loop strainer. Are you gonna add the rest of the stockman? Why did you go with one durso and one stockman? When I make my external overflows for my tank I plan on adding two stockmans or or two gurgle busters in each overflow for back up. Kinda like your doing. Will the primary be taller than the secondary?

Closed loop strainer does look cool On the stockman all I am doing is the straight pipe part and thats basically because it is cheaper and takes less room in the overflow and I want it to be loud too so that way if it is being used I should be able to tell just by listening to the tank. The durso is the primary drain so it will be lower in the overflow than the stockman drain. This way if the durso gets clogged for some reason then the water level will rise up to the stockman level where it will begin to drain the water to the sump. Hope this explains or helps you understand what I am doing here. Sometimes I am not good at describing things.

[pito]

Michael, I understand why you're useing two. I just dont understand why two different styles. You could've used two stockmans instead of one of each and saved some room. Or was there a reason for two different styles? I like your idea of keeping the secondary pipe only. In theory you would be able to hear a difference in the tank when the primary is plugged.
I'm getting some good tips and ideas from you. Keep it up and thanks.

[Michael Mota]

Originally posted by pito
Michael, I understand why you're useing two. I just dont understand why two different styles. You could've used two stockmans instead of one of each and saved some room. Or was there a reason for two different styles? I like your idea of keeping the secondary pipe only. In theory you would be able to hear a difference in the tank when the primary is plugged.
I'm getting some good tips and ideas from you. Keep it up and thanks.

I like the durso style stand pipe, thats why I am using it. The other is cheaper to make and uses less room and for a backup I think its fine. Thats all there is to it nothing too complicated, I think.
My brother in law is brining the miter saw for me to use tomorrow so maybe I can get started on the stand soon. I am undecided on what color stain to use for the stand/cabinets. Does anyone out there have any sugestions as to what color stain would look nice?
Take care
Mike

[pito]

I like a natural stain because thats what goes with my home.

[Michael Mota]

Originally posted by pito
I like a natural stain because thats what goes with my home.

Thanks, anyone else? Man I thought I would get much more participation than this (no offense Pito), maybe I am doing everything right Come on people help me decide what stain to go with. Post pics of stands with different stains if you like.

[Fache]

Hey Michael, wow....looks like you have a busy fall ahead of you. Best of luck to you and hope all goes well. I had one question for you as I am in the process of re-siliconing my tank as it recently crashed and I have the oppourtunity to resilicone the tank as it is in need of some repairs - no leaks but why wait until that situations presents itself. What type of Silicone did you use? i.e brand etc. Any help, suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Fache

[Michael Mota]

Originally posted by Fache
Hey Michael, wow....looks like you have a busy fall ahead of you. Best of luck to you and hope all goes well. I had one question for you as I am in the process of re-siliconing my tank as it recently crashed and I have the oppourtunity to resilicone the tank as it is in need of some repairs - no leaks but why wait until that situations presents itself. What type of Silicone did you use? i.e brand etc. Any help, suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Fache

OK be prepared for a bit of elbow grease to be applied here.I actually use 100% silicone sold by Ace Hardware stores and never had a problem with it. Heck I built my frag tank with the stuff and it is still holding nicely. I would say any 100% silicone would work just make sure it does not say that it fight mildew or resists mildew, I think they have something called micro-ban that GE adds to their silicone, do not use this stuff. Remember just use 100% silicone and you should be OK. First thing is take the tank apart with out breaking any glass panes and also be careful in removing the trim if you want to save it. The next most important thing is to remove all of the old silicone and I do mean remove it all. What I did was used a razor blade to get as much off as I could and then I used a fine wire wheel attached to my die grinder ( a drill will also work) and I just wire wheeled all the silicone off. If your careful you can do this without causing any significant damage to the glass. Last I used acetone to remove the film of silicone that was left over. Acetone is a good cleaner and it will leave the glass ready to take on silicone. Once it is done get some help putting all back together. I set the bottom glass down first then as I placed the side pieces they were siliconed also. move quick cause once silicone dries it is not easy to work with nor will silicone stick to dry silicone. Do all the edges as you go along. Use masking tape or painters tape to help get a nice looking edge. Once the silicone is applied and you worked it into the corner remove the tape and you should have a nice straight silicone edge. I would say it is easy to do but that comes with practice. Take care and good luck.

[Michael Mota]

OK I decide to go with Golden Pecan 245 stain made by Min Wax. Click on the site to see the color:http://www.minwax.com/products/woods...nish-color.cfm
So what do you Guys and Gals think? Good stain color or would you recommend one of the other colors on that page?