i would go with 2 braces instead of just one brace..... it will give you more support and strength to the tank itself and a nice structure for the tops you plan to use...Acrylic will sag over time so the more bracing you have the better.
Absolutely, if you have any questions feel free to ask. Just about everything I've learned about this build was from watching other MFKers build their tanks.
I guess I have one question. When I try to reach certain pages it tells me i need to be a full member. So i posted on 5 different threads and I still can't access certain threads.
I guess I have one question. When I try to reach certain pages it tells me i need to be a full member. So i posted on 5 different threads and I still can't access certain threads.
Well another weekend has gone by and wouldn't you know my wife found something else for us to do so I didnt get as much done as planned. It was my niece's 3rd birthday so I couldnt miss that.
Anyways here is what I got done this weekend
Stand is complete minus the skin(I will be wrapping it later while everything dries). The rectangular holes you see are for the plumbing.
Cut and prepared all surfaces using 60 grit sand paper for pond armour
Starting making the top but still need to add trim before I epoxy it. This will slip over the top acting as a top brace.
Finally started taking the 200 gallon tank apart. It was much more difficult than I thought. Especially between the glass as a razor blade didnt fit. I started using fishing line and it worked ok but would break alot. So I pulled my old guitar out of the attic and used one of the strings to slice through the silicone. Worked like a charm. If you ever need to take a tank apart this is the only way to go.
I also started tweaking with the fluidized bed that I will be using. I was using a Rubbermaid for a sump on my 135g so I replaced it with my 90g and rigged it temporarily to see how it will work. I only have about 1/4 of the media that I plan to use in the tank right now. A few things I learned were the placement of the air stones and that I will need a solid baffle between the bed and the pump chamber so the media does not get stuck as you can see in the video. I am also thinking about building my own "air stone" out of PVC to get the bubbles right where I want them. If they do not flow directly up the side of the glass the media gets stuck. More on this to come.
The weather has been awesome (mid 70s) but a front is on its way so Im going to try and get off work early so I can get as much done as possible and maybe start laying pond shield tonight. Ill update when I do.