2x4's are cheap, easy to find, and strong. I made a stand for my 45 hex from them, and it is much stronger than it needs to be. Just because the main part of the stand is ugly, doesn't mean you cant make it look good. Just skin the stand with something else to hide it. I have used cedar toungue-in-grove boards (1/4" x 3) to skin the stand, and you would never know it really is 2/4s, untill you open the door up.
New 300 acrylic tank. Help!!!
- Thread starter those1
- Start date
so working 12 hour days (noon-midnight) doesn't leave much time to work on the tank. I got pretty far on the stand tonight however I hit a snag. I bought tons of 2" deck screws to build this however i need to attach a 1X4 to a 2X4 about 9 different times so its off to the screw store to get so 1.5" screws tomorrow. More updates and pics tomorrow
So here is what you have all been waiting for lots of pics.
Btw I'm 5'8" so you can have something to gage the over all height of the tank.
Btw I'm 5'8" so you can have something to gage the over all height of the tank.
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so far i fixed that last crack that was in the corner and looking to finish sanding and polishing the inside. lucky for me Menards put pin wick on sale this week so this weekend it will be trip time. just wondering tho where do you guys go to get bulkheads i have most of them but some of them are missing the center plug and i also need to pipe the pluming in the over flows. going to pick up a 55 this weekend so I can set up my sump. depending on th work schedule maybe more pics mid week next week.
got the 55 but going to trade a buddy tanks. The one i bought was in more show quality then his. I also was able to get ahold of a 20 something gallon tide pool so will be running 2 sump filters on this monster. anyways need some ideas of what you guys have found to work best for sump designs in a 55.
So i got all the holes figured out and plugged except for the main overflows and the returns. This is where I really need help! I also got the wood to finish the stand however i think I'm going to fill test it first so that if there is a leak its easier to find. Any help you guys can give is much appreciated.
First skin the top of the stand with at least 1/2 ply. Acrylic tanks need a bottom.those1;4340000; said:
The 55 sump is perfect. Your going to need to put some glass pieces in the sump to direct the flow of water efficiently through the sump. Check out 55 gallon sump designs here on MFK.
I like to position my sump right under one of the overflows to save on bends and plumbing. Once I get the sump positioned, for you it would be on the left or right side, Then I like to start plumbing my sumps with the pump.
Pick out a pump you like. Something that pushes 5 to 7X of water through your tank.
You have two overflows, one on each side of your tank, just like mine. I plumbed my pump return right in the middle of the tank to keep the clean water away from the overflows. Put your return there unless you have a hole already drilled that high enough to not flood your sump when you loose power. Once the pump is plumbed then it's time to work on your return drains.
One return should be easy, just drops straight down to your sump. The other return should take an immediate 90 bend towards the other side of the stand then drop down into the same area as the other drain.
The return water should go into some kind of mechanical filter, like a filter sock or something. Then through some bio media then to your pump.
Another tip: I fill my overflows with bio balls and keep them from going into the plumbing by cutting "egg crate" or "light diffusers" to fit in the bottom of the overflow then fill with bio balls. This makes a huge bio tower inside your overflow. It maximizes the bio surface area and really cuts nitrates. It can be noisy so I cover mine with a piece of glass.
Good luck
