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Tim's 65 Gallon Build!

Printed From: Utah Reefs
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Forum Name: Tank Threads
Forum Description: A place to show off your tank build.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639
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Topic: Tim's 65 Gallon Build!
Posted By: superman1981
Subject: Tim's 65 Gallon Build!
Date Posted: December 31 2015 at 9:33pm
Well, after 5 years of planning on setting up a bigger tank, it's finally happening! I spent my last afternoon of 2015 working on the frame for my stand. Here are a few pictures of my progress.

Here is the top and bottom of the stand.



The sides of the stand have been glued and clamped. Good thing I had a bucket of Utah Rock to weigh it down so that the middle doesn't bow.



Here's the empty tank sitting in my basement. I'm hoping to have time to replace the bulkheads this weekend.



All of the left over equipment from my old 125 gallon. Hopefully everything still works...



And of course, curing live rock.



This guy's really anxious for his new digs to be ready. He's been in the neglected nanocube for the past 5 years and he recently lost his long-time roommate, a black clown goby... RIP Gobes.



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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread



Replies:
Posted By: Fatman
Date Posted: December 31 2015 at 10:16pm
Tis the season for new tank setup. Keep us posted with the progress.


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: January 05 2016 at 10:26pm
It's time for a quick update.

Here's the stand frame:



Here's a close up on the corners of the frame. I started by putting a notch in the 2x4s so they fit around the top and bottom. Then I added a second 2x4 to the corner for extra strength... It's probably overkill, but 2x4s are cheap and it really didn't add much extra weight:



The last thing I did this evening was attach the first side. I'll let it sit over night so that the glue has time to dry, then I'll attach the other side tomorrow:



I'm hoping to have the sides and front finished by this weekend so that I can start on molding and the door.

Then we'll be onto the real question... Which color? White (Superwoman's vote), natural (my vote), black (Superboy #1's vote), or every color (Superboy #2's vote).

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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: January 05 2016 at 10:27pm
Originally posted by Fatman Fatman wrote:

Tis the season for new tank setup. Keep us posted with the progress.


Will do! I'm excited to be back. I've been away for far too long!

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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: January 05 2016 at 10:29pm
5 years!!!

Adam

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Come to a meeting, they�re fun!


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: January 05 2016 at 11:40pm
Originally posted by Adam Blundell Adam Blundell wrote:

5 years!!!

Adam


It hasn't been 5 years, it's only been like 4 3/4 And I've kept my happy clown alive in a 6 gal nano cube the entire time (officially my longest fish success story).

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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: Chevmaro
Date Posted: January 06 2016 at 8:33am
I wish I was handy with a saw like that.  I tried to build a stand once, we turned it into fire wood.  


Posted By: Hogie
Date Posted: January 06 2016 at 9:25am
Cool!


Posted By: Marcoss
Date Posted: January 06 2016 at 9:26am
Originally posted by Chevmaro Chevmaro wrote:

I wish I was handy with a saw like that.  I tried to build a stand once, we turned it into fire wood.  

I did a real LOL. I pictured my wife trying to get the dog bed I built into our gas fireplace... I am surprised I didn't drill through my finger building the stupid thing. 


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RedSea Max S400 - 90G Rimless Frag Tanks x2 - 185 Lookdown Bin


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: January 06 2016 at 12:22pm
Originally posted by Chevmaro Chevmaro wrote:

I wish I was handy with a saw like that.  I tried to build a stand once, we turned it into fire wood.  


Youtube and Home Depot books taught me everything I know (and maybe that summer I spent in construction). I'm by no means a Dion Richins (his stands are amazing!), but I know enough, from making a lot of mistakes, to make a cool thing every now and then.   

Plus, I have found that after spending days working on a computer and getting frustrated with underperforming employees, cutting a few boards and pounding a few nails can be cathartic.

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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: January 12 2016 at 9:51pm
It's time for another status update. The stand build is going a bit slower than I'd like (stupid work keeping me too busy), but I'm really happy with how it's turning out. Here are a few pictures from the past few days:

I finished added both sides late last week. I started off this week by adding the different front panels:



Here's a close up to show the nice rounded corners. You can also see that I have my fair share of wood filler and sanding ahead of me.



Here is the full stand. All of the panels have been added.



The next step is going to be building the molding to go around the top and the bottom and then I'll be onto the door. After that it will be time to start figuring out what style of canopy I want to build.

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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 13 2016 at 2:46am
Cool!


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: January 14 2016 at 11:03am
No really an update. I just looked at this thread on my computer at work and the pictures looked way darker than they did on my home computer, so I snapped a daylight photo this morning.



I'm hoping to make some major progress this weekend.

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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: January 14 2016 at 8:54pm
Second status update of the day!

This evening, I added the molding to the base of the stand and I added the floor for the sump:



Here is a close up on the corner. The molding has a nice 1/4 round corner.



This piece had some killer grain and knots in it. I think I'm going to have to go with a natural finish. It's too beautiful to hide it with paint.



Remember that one time I added extra 2x4s for more strength? I'm now wondering if that was a good decision... This thing weights a TON!

This evening I'm cleaning up an old 20 gal that I have. I'm going to use it to start curing some of my dry Utah Rock. I'm also going to start growing some cheato in it.



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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: February 01 2016 at 5:38pm
It's time for another quick update. I'm not progressing as quickly as I'd like, stupid back to back business trips getting in the way of the important stuff

The stand is basically built now, I just need to sand and finish it.   Over the weekend I built the doors for it. I wanted to go with a raised panel, but couldn't bring myself to buy the necessary router bits, so flat panels will have to do. I think they'll look good once the edges have been routed and they have a finish on them.

Here's one of the doors. I had to make them one at a time since I didn't have enough clamps:



Here's a quick look at how I built the joints. They need a little wood filler and sanding, but should look nice. I believe this is called a dado joint (I could be wrong, it's been 20 years since I took wood shop).



And a top look at the joint.



Once the stand is finished, I'm thinking I'll fill it with water and start seeding my dead Utah Rock while I work on the canopy. At my current pace, it will have several weeks to allow bugs to grow without any predators around. I'll also get some chaeto growing in my sump.

Oh yeah, one more important reason why I haven't had much time to work on my stand I'd like to claim I built this as well, but honestly, Superwoman is doing all the work



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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: Reefer4Ever
Date Posted: February 01 2016 at 6:42pm
Congrats on the wee one on the way.

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90 gal reef w/refugium
24 gal softie tank
11 gal nano anemone tank
5 gal fresh water


Posted By: Krazie4Acans
Date Posted: February 02 2016 at 7:06am
That's two club members with sharks in the pod. It must be contagious!

Nice work on the stand. Your door joint is called a dado joint. Good memory. You can make a pseudo raised panel with a couple of common moldings and a piece of 1/4" ply glued to the flat panel in your door. No need to buy those expensive router bits.


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My ocean.
90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems
PADI Advanced Open Water
http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63568&title=krazies-nano-paradise" rel="nofollow - Tank Thread:


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: February 02 2016 at 1:02pm
Originally posted by Krazie4Acans Krazie4Acans wrote:

That's two club members with sharks in the pod. It must be contagious!

Nice work on the stand. Your door joint is called a dado joint. Good memory. You can make a pseudo raised panel with a couple of common moldings and a piece of 1/4" ply glued to the flat panel in your door. No need to buy those expensive router bits.


Great suggestion, Krazie! I'm still in a debate whether to paint the stand or to stain it. If I paint it, I may create some pseudo raised panels. If I stain it, I'll probably stick with what I have.



-------------
Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: February 02 2016 at 1:04pm
Originally posted by Reefer4Ever Reefer4Ever wrote:

Congrats on the wee one on the way.


Thanks, Reefer! We're pretty excited to add another Superboy (or girl... I'm just not convinced we can make girls...)

-------------
Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: Reefer4Ever
Date Posted: February 02 2016 at 6:53pm

I'm convinced I can only make girls lol. We are 11 weeks today yay!

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90 gal reef w/refugium
24 gal softie tank
11 gal nano anemone tank
5 gal fresh water


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: February 02 2016 at 7:48pm
Originally posted by Reefer4Ever Reefer4Ever wrote:


I'm convinced I can only make girls lol. We are 11 weeks today yay!


Well congrats to you! We're only 2 weeks ahead of you, and since I only make boys and you only make girls, we should work out some type of swap... If I can get a girl, we're done, if not #4 is probably only 2 years away

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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: March 01 2016 at 9:26pm
Wow, it has been nearly a month since my last update. Unfortunately, things aren't going as fast as I'd like, but here are a few pictures of my stand and... wait for it... wait for it... canopy build! Yes I have started the canopy.

Sorry that this one is so dark, but you can see the stand, the doors which need to be sanded and attached, and the frame of the canopy on top.



Here is a close up of the canopy frame. I put a shelf in the back to hold the ballasts for my MHs, power strip, and light timers.



I'm hoping that I'll have time this weekend to build the door for the front of the canopy. I'm going to design it so that the entire front lifts open.

-------------
Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: July 07 2016 at 12:32am
Simply put, life has been crazy. Hence the reason I haven't posted since March...
But, one job change, several minor remodel projects in preparation for SuperBoy #3, and a "fun" semester as an adjunct professor with way too much grading, I'm finally back on track!

Nothing too exciting has happened on the stand beyond wood filler and sanding. So, today's pictures are of some curing live rock in preparation for the tank setup. Here are few pictures of my temporary setup I put together this evening.





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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: July 20 2016 at 12:35am
Tonight was a good night. I probably made the most progress I have made in months. While the stand has been sitting with no work being done, a couple of the seams separated slightly. Good thing this happened while it was still in the garage and not setup in the basement with 65 gallons of water sitting on top of it

So I had to glue, reclamp, and reinforce some areas:



Where possible, I used also used screws (yay, more holes to fill ). Where screws weren't possible, I used brackets:



Then, after consulting with Dion (last week) I filled those tough cracks with Bondo:



Assuming the Bondo holds, I should be sanding in a few days... Then I'll probably have to refill holes one more time, sand again, and then I'll be ready for grain sealer and painting!

Over the past few days, I have picked up rock from several members to add to my 20g "curing" tank. I say "curing" because the rock is either cured and full of life, or pretty much dead and starting over. This evening I picked up some from a member who's parting out and it had a few nice frags stuck to it. I was going to put it in my nano, but couldn't get it to fit. Since I'd hate to lose those frags, my evening turned into... DIY time!

Here is my DIY pendant light built from scraps in the garage:



And here it is, lighting the tank in all it's glory!



Assuming I can keep up this pace, I might actually have my tank set up by Christmas

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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: September 06 2016 at 10:09pm
Nice project. I can't wait to see it all together.


Posted By: phys
Date Posted: September 07 2016 at 1:50am
doesn't hurt to take it slow :) get it how you want it from the get go!


Posted By: superman1981
Date Posted: September 07 2016 at 9:59pm
Thanks for the comments MadReefer & Phys. It has been a fun project... I just wish I could move it from project status to full of water status, but life has gotten in the way.

Now that the weather is cooling down & the yard is mostly under control, I should be able to get this thing up and running. I have to set it up before the snow or I won't be able to park my car in the garage

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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix

6 gal nanocube
65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread


Posted By: Hogie
Date Posted: September 08 2016 at 7:56am
I hear you! It look me a yr to get my 180 up and running. Looks like you've got a jump on it though.



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