250 Gallon room-divider project log

[Jamesurq]

Looks pretty - I'd be a little concerned with discoloration of the granite - you do know that granite is porus and will change colors as the moisture from condensation and the inevitable spillage occurs. If you're having trouble visualizing this - take a cold cup of icewater and leave it on your granite countertop overnight. The hope is that the sealant that they used will hold up well - you'll want to reseal the exposed portions of the granite twice as often as you reseal the other countertops...

[Justdrew]

You probably want to check if the installers did any sealant at all. I know my granite installers do not seal granite. It is the responsibility of the customer.

Later,
Drew

[willra]

Also I would recomend putting a thin sheet of foam under the tank to make sure there are no stress points on the granite. Looks awesome!

[ohioreef]

Catfish?!?

[jeffbrig]

Thanks for the granite tips guys, I'll look into that.

willra, no need for a foam sheet, the granite is 100% flat, as is the acrylic bottom on the tank, so there can be no stress points. Hmmm, I wonder if the granite will help act as a heat sink for the tank?

Actually, one thing I did notice is that the stand isn't quite perfectly level. It varies by exactly 3/8 of an inch across the 6' length. I'm trying to make up my mind how I want to shim this up. I hate to shim just the perimeter, because the stand is actually built on a flat plywood bottom to better distribute the weight on the wood floor. If I shim every few inches, I'll probably only succeed in imprinting the floor underneath.

[NewSchool04]

that sounds like a very good plan for the lights. I'm not sure if you are planning to run them individually or combine but either way I have a suggestion. I would run the blue + and then the aquablue with the blue + , and then the MH with the blue +. The aquablues are very bright white, I think 11K and when combined with the blue + makes for a very nice 14K'ish look. Not too blue, not too white.
It's all personal preference I just don't like to walk into a room and slap on my Raybans!
I forgot to mention, your project looks great so far . . . and I'm jealous!
One more thing, have you thought about just using T5's? There are some very impressive tanks growing SPS w/ just T5's and your heat issues are basically non existant. Just a thought.

[jeffbrig]

My favorite tank shots tend to be of 10k MH plus actinics, so I'm not sure I'd be happy with a 14k look for my full lighting. In reality, I won't know for sure until the tank is setup and I can see what it looks like. And I can't go straight T5, I LOVE the glitter lines that MH create. Right now I'm leaning towards running 10k Ushio or AB MH bulbs. I think combined with the T5s, this will give a color I will enjoy.

[Fliger]

That is fantastic and you have no idea how much it helps me. I have been trying to figure out what type of skirt to build around my stand frame. I have a quick question though, I see you have some trim work between the frame and the doors (is that what you call the face frame?) bolted to the wood frame that matches the doors exactly. How did you get it to match, or did Kraftmaid make the frame AND the doors?

The guys are definitely right about the granite. Make sure you seal it well. The granite near the sink in my kitchen is a little faded after just 2 years due to the extremely hard water here. Who knows what saltwater will do. Somehow you will need to make sure that water doesn't creep between the tank & granite. I'm not sure how this will be done, or even if it matters since it won't show. Just keep an eye on the granite that shows, so it doesn't stain/fade.

It is a PITA sometimes having a wife that commands the decor, huh? Great, but a pain sometimes. I have to design my tank furniture around her "modern/contemporary" mode right now. But I have to admit it is kind of fun.

One thing I'm doing instead of painting the bottom inside - I'm making an acrylic basin instead. Easier than painting, inexpensive and it will look nicer/cleaner. Basically I'm getting a 4' x 8' sheet of acrylic, cutting out a 3' x 7' to place under the tank, using the rest to build a lip. It should look very nice and clean - and is much easier to clean than painted wood. Just a thought.

[jeffbrig]

Yes, the face frame is the trim that the doors are mounted on. If you go to a cabinet shop, kraftmaid can order any cabinet as a "CFO" (Cabinet Face Only). This is simply the wood face that goes on the front, plus the hinges and doors. In doing my stand, I simply built the full stand structure, then covered it with these face frames using a finish nailer (they're non-structural to the stand).

I don't mind the wife acting as decorator. This is one area in which I have absolutely no clue, and she seems to be pretty good at it. My main problem is that I can't visualize how things like paint colors are going to look once you bring them home. After several years, I've decided to trust her instincts, and I've always been pleased with the results.

Another suggestion I've heard for the inside of the stand is laying tileboard on the bottom and a few inches up the sides. Caulk the seams and it's water tight. Similar to your acrylic idea, but much less expensive, and probably easier to work with too.

[Fliger]

I'm not sure what tileboard is, I'll ask over at HD this weekend. The acrylic really is pretty inexpensive since you just need 1/4" max.

I enjoy having a wife with good taste. That way, when she has an idea, and it costs an extra thousand - I can say it's her idea. ;-)

I'd love to see more pix of the stand detail - if you have any and could email at dfliger@yahoo.com I'd really appreciate it. My stand is steel and it's been difficult figuring this out.

[jeffbrig]

Tileboard is a piece of what looks like masonite with one side coated in some sort of plastic/epoxy/waterproof "tile". It's the material that's sometimes put on the wall when making a cheap shower enclosure. The beauty of it is that it's only $10-$15 for a 4x8 sheet. I've bought some before at Lowes, it was near their paneling.

Let me know what you're looking for on the stand, and I'll send you some pics tonight or tomorrow morning.

[Fliger]

I will definitely check it out. Price really isn't a concern since I figured the acrylic would be less than $100, but ease of working with materials is.

If you can just snap some pix of the seems, how the hinges are attached, how the faceplate is attached to the frame - whatever you think might help in my first real DIY project.

Did you attach the doors to the face frame yourself? Were there pilot holes to help you? Uneven cabinet doors would drive my wife up the wall, and mine will be similar to yours - the entire face will be pretty much 100% doors. I plan on having 3 very large ones, 28" long and 26" high if the hinges can hold the weight. I guess the cabinet guys can help me with that.

Well, thanks for the input. I'm in for a lot of work.

[jeffbrig]

I'll snap some pics for you showing the hinge and face detail.

The nice thing about the premade cabinet faces is that everything is fully assembled coming out of the box. The hinges are already mounted, and the doors are attached to the frame. I'll unbox one of my canopy door pieces and show you what they look like.

As far as sizing, you're only mildly limited to the standard cabinet sizes, unless you want to pay more for custom sizing. Wall cabinets can have doors 24, 30, 36, or 42" tall. For widths, you can get single doors as small as 12", or double doors in anything up to 36" or more (in any multiple of 3"). My stand uses 36x36" double doors, two sets on each side, with a 30x36" set on the end. I sized my stand and tank to take advantage of the standard cabinet sizes available.

[javajaws]

Originally posted by jeffbrig
Another suggestion I've heard for the inside of the stand is laying tileboard on the bottom and a few inches up the sides. Caulk the seams and it's water tight. Similar to your acrylic idea, but much less expensive, and probably easier to work with too.

I've seen people use formica on the inside of their stands - its impervious to water except around the edges (which can be sealed with silicone caulking). It's also cheap and easy to apply.

[beaver]

Two thumbs up on the progress so far.....
I can only dream of such a wonderful setup and maybe in the future (after school) can afford something so divine.
Al Brown

[AlienSpawn]

Nice project, a little more ambitious than my 215 gallon Oceanic project in progress with a closet opposite the wall the tank will be on for some of the out of the way equipment. Will be looking for more from you!

[jthnhale]

looks great so far, i love the stone.
I like your "inspector" in that one shot. (cat looking in the hole)
I painted the inside of my stand, and it's getting so much spray from the return
lines that I'm going to line the whole thing with plexi. putting in the tile board will be less trouble than trying to paint around the sump, plus it will be water proof.

shimming the tank. I had this problem too. I have a 1.5" piece of MDF for the bottom of my stand (it's sealed) my floor is old and had a gap from 1/8 to 5/8 in certain spots. I got some hard board from HD in 1/8 and 1/4" thicknesses. I built up under the stand till the bottom was as supported as I could get it. if the cabinet is attached to the wall already you can use a block of wood and mallet to tap the board in as far as it will go. you definitely want to spread the weight load out as much as possible.

[beaver]

jthnhale and any others you will chime in:

I have a thread in the sps forum and am facing the same thing.
My house was built in the 40's and is way out of wack as far as being level is concerned. My question is, with just a small tank, compared to the this thread, could I use wooden shims all around the bottm of the stand or should I space them out.

TIA Beaver

[jthnhale]

depending how much rock and sand you have your tank weighs around 800 lbs.
that's still a bunch of weight. If the stand has a flat bottom it's better to support as much as the bottom of the surface as possible. all the weight is going to be transferred to the areas touching the floor. if the stand bottom is flat it's designed to evenly disperse the load, if you push all the load to a few points this may not be good for the stand, and the floor, with old floors it pays to plan this out as much as possible. I made a big mistake by forgetting to check my own floor. I knew it was off but i did not realize by how much. the front edge of the bottom of my tank is sitting right on the line where two of the old oak floor boards meet. the weight of my tank has pushed the floor down in one section because I did not get the weight dispersed enough. it's still dead level, but that's because I had to hammer the shims in after the fact.

[Bocaswim]

Beautiful tank and kitchen. I have a three sided tank in my breakfast area also and love it.

What are your planns for cooling the tank? What type of corals and livestock are you planning to keep. I also have 3 x 250 DE's with t-5's and love it. Nice crisp white light.

[jeffbrig]

jthnhale, buying hardboard is EXACTLY what I had decided to run to HD for today. I'd like to get this thing level tonight and hopefully have some friends come help hoist the tank on Friday.

Gayle, time will tell just how much cooling I need. I've tried to design the tank to minimize heat retention (aside from using acrylic). Sequence pump, tunze streams, open top canopy, you get the idea. Once water is in the tank and the full lighting cycle running for a few days I can see where the temps are running, and make a decision from there as to what/how much cooling I need.

As for inhabitants, it will be mixed. I would like to keep LPS, SPS, clams, probably a few zoos too. My goal is to populate the tank strictly through frags and tank raised corals and watch it grow in. I am also planning to get LR from one of the FL aquaculture companies. As far as fish go, I'd eventually like to have a couple of tangs (purple and achilles are my favorites), a pair of clowns with an anemone, a mandarin, etc. I would love a flame angel, but I don't really trust them.

As an aside, plumbing the kitchen sink has turned into a bit of a project, and is stealing time from my tank project . We went with an undermount, and it's a few inches deeper than the previous sink. Unfortunately, it's very close to the level of the drains coming out of the wall, so I'm not sure if a standard P trap will be able to hit it. I would hate to have to tear open the wall and lower the drain lines, but it may come to that. Should know more tonight.

I just finished tearing the tank crate apart this morning. The screws holding the sides on were only accessible on one of the 4 sides. For two of the other sides, I was able to remove a few screws from underneath the pallet using an angled screwdriver attachment on my cordless drill. For the last side a prybar, a hammer and lot of cursing eventually did the trick.

[original-reefland]

Originally posted by jeffbrig
....a prybar, a hammer and lot of cursing eventually did the trick.

even a square peg fits nicely in a round hole doing that.

[reefah]

Very nice tank, any updated pics?

[jeffbrig]

reefah,

Nothing new to show yet since yesterday's pics. Tonight I plan to level the stand and install the toe kick. Sometime tomorrow I'm going to have a few friends from work come help me get the tank up on the stand. Then I'll get another round of pictures to post.

[Fliger]

Hey I just wanted to say thanks. I spent a couple hours with the guy at Lowe's and I'm having some really nice cabinetry & face plate made. I'm either going with Kitchenmaid or Diamond - but a "slab" style door in Cherry with a orangish tone. I'm going to do stainless trim and stainless pulls. Enough about me - just wanted to say thanks. It is considerably less than a custom guy doing it for me, and I have hundreds of options with catalogs and websites to see the options.

Everybody should consider this option rather than the basic LFS fish stand look.

Give us some more pics, man! Did I miss how/if you're going to do a canopy? I'm also buying some extra matching 8'x4' boards to face a canopy.