Hello,
I am new to MFK, and up until this point have owned a single convict cichlid for about 8 years now. I was inspired by cvermeulen's build (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=221526) and decided to use his design to build a tank of my own. I've been looking at large tanks for some time but they've always been rather pricey, not that that this process has been cheap, but cheaper than buying one outright. I have a 55 gallon now with 3 Green Terrors, 5 Firemouth Cichlids and 3 Asian Cichids.
Any how, I am posting some pics of my progess thus far. I have used 2x4s to frame the entire inside of the tank as well as for the base. 3/4" plywood for the walls. I used fiberglass cloth and resin to fill the corners and have applied 2 of 4 coats of sweetwater epoxy paint to the inside. I am using 2 2" drain pipes which will drain into my sump underneath the tank and cycle back up to a spray bar.
Glass will be ready Wednesday, so I'm hoping for a test fill on Thurdsday. I am still questioning the base and how much support it has to offer. It appears to be extremely sturdy and solid, but was wondering if I should add some 45s of some more supports on each side of the base.
I am new to MFK, and up until this point have owned a single convict cichlid for about 8 years now. I was inspired by cvermeulen's build (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=221526) and decided to use his design to build a tank of my own. I've been looking at large tanks for some time but they've always been rather pricey, not that that this process has been cheap, but cheaper than buying one outright. I have a 55 gallon now with 3 Green Terrors, 5 Firemouth Cichlids and 3 Asian Cichids.
Any how, I am posting some pics of my progess thus far. I have used 2x4s to frame the entire inside of the tank as well as for the base. 3/4" plywood for the walls. I used fiberglass cloth and resin to fill the corners and have applied 2 of 4 coats of sweetwater epoxy paint to the inside. I am using 2 2" drain pipes which will drain into my sump underneath the tank and cycle back up to a spray bar.
Glass will be ready Wednesday, so I'm hoping for a test fill on Thurdsday. I am still questioning the base and how much support it has to offer. It appears to be extremely sturdy and solid, but was wondering if I should add some 45s of some more supports on each side of the base.
