Jay's 150 Gallon Reef Build Journal

JJsBoas

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#21
I added some top trim using finishing nails. I used a punch to recess the nails a bit, more wood filler and sanding and I got a nice smooth finish.



Onto the cabinet doors... I used some nice 1x4 and 1x6 pine from HD and I was going for a shaker style door. I again used the kreg jig and joined the wood with pocket holes and used wood plugs this time. Here are some shots of the wood plugs before and after sanding.





I didn’t take pics of the whole cabinet door building, but I used more left over in ply for the middle of the side door panels and some ” ply for the front panels. Used more wood filler to cover up the screw and finishing nail holes on the back of each door panel because I again wanted this thing to look as clean as possible (per wife’s request).

Here’s the end result. I only took some pics of the front door panels clamped in place so I could make sure I didn’t “F” anything up.







So doors are done. I would’ve stained them and the trim, but my woodworking skills were a bit sloppy and I’m afraid that stain wouldn’t work out so well or look so nice. My wife picked out a color she liked, kind of a black-brown espresso color (more on the black side to luckily hide some imperfections in the build), so I’m going to be doing some late night priming and painting this week and next. Also ordering some cabinet hardware, so hopefully the stand and tank will finally be in the house in the next couple weeks.

Then more fun stuff on the list, like reconfiguring a DIY sump I used on my old tank, plumbing, deciding on lights, aquascaping the pile o’ rocks I have waiting in the garage, deciding on reactors and flow, etc.—basically everything else a proper reef build needs.

More to follow in the coming weeks. I really hope my next update isn’t in another six months.

Hope you all enjoyed the pics.

Jay
 
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#22
Looking good,
Staining wood is easy. Just wipe it on, wait a couple seconds and wipe it off, then let dry. After its dry clear coat with a polyurethane sealer. Done
 

JJsBoas

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Looking good,
Staining wood is easy. Just wipe it on, wait a couple seconds and wipe it off, then let dry. After its dry clear coat with a polyurethane sealer. Done
Thanks Jim,

Yeah, I'm not too worried about doing the actual staining, I'm more worried about how the finished product would look. I did some shoddy work on the top trim and went a bit overboard on the wood filler, so the wood grain kinda got ruined there. Still I was strongly still considering wood staining, especially since the doors came out a bit better than expected. I'll mull over it a few more days and make a final decision. I appreciate the input though. Thanks.
 

JJsBoas

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#26
Thanks David!!...I tell you though, I never want to build another big tank stand again. I'm all for DIY and stuff since it adds an extra layer of satisfaction to this hobby, but man this has been a pain in my arse. But my wife is happy I'm saving a decent amount of money by building the stand and it's turning out to be decent looking. Still, if I ever have another chance for an upgrade, I'm totally going custom metal stand with wood skin.
 

JJsBoas

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#27
Very nice build...big fan of corner overflows right here.
Hey thanks Jesse! I'm not a fan of center overflows, so if I was going with an affordable overflow it had to be a corner overflow and it had to go in that back right corner since that corner is more or less near the back corner of the living room where the tank will be located. I wasn't so concerned about viewing on that side, but I wanted the left side to be unobstructed since that would be clearly visible upon from anywhere in the room. Also, I plan on putting a chair (wife's choice) on that left side for chillin' and hangin' out with the kids while observing the tank.
 

JJsBoas

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#29
Before calling it a night, I'm debating whether or not to add some molding to the top trim to add a fancy touch to the stand. Any thoughts?

Might have to try and score a scrap or two of some decent molding and see how it would look.
 
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#31
Looks really good!! U purchase any other equipment yet?

I would look into the Fluval sp4 as a return pump. There has been a lot of issues with the Jebao DC return pumps. The sp4 should be strong enough to run a manifold and still have enough flow for your return. I have the sp6 on my 250, and love it. Pump is REAALLY strong and absolutely silent.

Excited to see some more progress on the tank.
 

JJsBoas

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#32
Looks really good!! U purchase any other equipment yet?

I would look into the Fluval sp4 as a return pump. There has been a lot of issues with the Jebao DC return pumps. The sp4 should be strong enough to run a manifold and still have enough flow for your return. I have the sp6 on my 250, and love it. Pump is REAALLY strong and absolutely silent.

Excited to see some more progress on the tank.
Thanks Nick!! Nah, haven't really bought any more equipment except for some plumbing parts a few months back when there was a sale at marine depot.

Funny you should mention the SP4, because lately I've been seriously contemplating those new Fluval pumps. I got a Jebao DC12000 during the last group buy last year, but I'm starting to get some doubts regarding longevity. It would make for a good backup or salt mixing pump in the garage, but I'm hesitant to plumb it to the DT only to have fail in a few months time like I've been reading in some reviews. Also, I hear the Jebao aren't so great with pressure. I was hoping to eventually run one or two Sea Swirl returns with eductors and I'm assuming the Jebao won't cut it for that kind of setup since the eductors require a decent amount of pressure to function properly. We'll see though, I'll be happy with some black PVC elbows for returns for awhile, since budget is gettin kinda slim for the build.

Thanks for the heads up about the SP4, it's definitely on the top of my list for system pumps when the time comes to make a final decision.
 
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#33
Thanks Nick!! Nah, haven't really bought any more equipment except for some plumbing parts a few months back when there was a sale at marine depot.

Funny you should mention the SP4, because lately I've been seriously contemplating those new Fluval pumps. I got a Jebao DC12000 during the last group buy last year, but I'm starting to get some doubts regarding longevity. It would make for a good backup or salt mixing pump in the garage, but I'm hesitant to plumb it to the DT only to have fail in a few months time like I've been reading in some reviews. Also, I hear the Jebao aren't so great with pressure. I was hoping to eventually run one or two Sea Swirl returns with eductors and I'm assuming the Jebao won't cut it for that kind of setup since the eductors require a decent amount of pressure to function properly. We'll see though, I'll be happy with some black PVC elbows for returns for awhile, since budget is gettin kinda slim for the build.

Thanks for the heads up about the SP4, it's definitely on the top of my list for system pumps when the time comes to make a final decision.
Funny u mention black PVC elbows. I bought 2 eductors to run with my sp6, but After I plumbed the pump and turned everything on, there was NO way I could run eductors. I ended up running PVC 90s that I painted black. With the eductors on, the flow was way too strong. Wherever I pointed them at, It would end up kicking up a bunch of sand...and that's on a 8' tank.
 

JJsBoas

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#34
So I made some decent progress on the stand build and got it into the house with the help of some buddies.

I decided to paint it semi-gloss dark gray/black. Here are some pics prior to front door assembly. Paint is drying after several coats. My apologies for the crappy iphone pics.





Here’s the stand in its final spot. Again sorry for the crappy pics and morning glare.



I decided to use these drawer slides to have the front doors slide open instead of out like normal cabinet doors. I thought it made for a decent look to the stand and I would have complete access to the sump area with both doors open. Hinges would’ve worked just as well, but I wanted to do something somewhat different for my build.







Thank goodness this thing is level. Hope it stays this way once the tank is on and it’s filled.



Things still left to do for the stand: Install cabinet handles; Install side doors; and paint touch ups.

After that, I gotta figure out what I want to do about a light stand. I don’t want a canopy because I found that I can do maintenance a lot easier with the lights hanging. Wife said NO to hanging lights from the ceiling…so light stand it is. Then on to reconfiguring my DIY sump and start on plumbing.

Pace of the build is a lot slower than it would’ve been back in my single, child-less days, but I like the slow and steady progress as it gives me a chance to think, re-think, and re-re-think everything out before each step.

Hope to have more updates soon.

Thanks for checking out my progress.

Jay
 

JJsBoas

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#35
So thought I would have this thing running by now, but life and some screw ups on my part have thrown a hiccup into this build progress.

My baby boy was born earlier this month so the tank had to wait until things settled down and my wife and I got used to our new routine with a newborn and toddler to take care of. Definite blessing, but it still pains me to see my tank empty.

Then my buddies and I were able to get the tank on the stand, but upon closer inspection, I notice the tank isn't sitting completely flush against the top of the stand. The front right corner is about 1/16 in off that corner and I then remember I may have overdid it on the sanding there because i was trying to get a nice even, clean look using wood filler between the top plywood and that piece of 1x4 around the top of the stand. UGH!!! So gonna get another 3/4" plywood layer to place on top, make sure there's proper contact with the aquarium rim all the way around, add another piece of molding around to cover up the additional ply layer, paint, and hopefully move on to plumbing. Needless to say, I am NEVER building my own stand again. This stand has almost taken all the fun out of DIY for me.

Hope to find time to get this done soon since our new little guy is healthy, growing, and doing fine.
 

Efrainz28

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#36
So thought I would have this thing running by now, but life and some screw ups on my part have thrown a hiccup into this build progress.

My baby boy was born earlier this month so the tank had to wait until things settled down and my wife and I got used to our new routine with a newborn and toddler to take care of. Definite blessing, but it still pains me to see my tank empty.

Then my buddies and I were able to get the tank on the stand, but upon closer inspection, I notice the tank isn't sitting completely flush against the top of the stand. The front right corner is about 1/16 in off that corner and I then remember I may have overdid it on the sanding there because i was trying to get a nice even, clean look using wood filler between the top plywood and that piece of 1x4 around the top of the stand. UGH!!! So gonna get another 3/4" plywood layer to place on top, make sure there's proper contact with the aquarium rim all the way around, add another piece of molding around to cover up the additional ply layer, paint, and hopefully move on to plumbing. Needless to say, I am NEVER building my own stand again. This stand has almost taken all the fun out of DIY for me.

Hope to find time to get this done soon since our new little guy is healthy, growing, and doing fine.
Try using 1/4 or 1/2 styrofoam under the tank.
 

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Try using 1/4 or 1/2 styrofoam under the tank.
I wish it were that simple, but the tank is a standard 150 gal Visio with the plastic rim around the top and bottom. My understanding is that it's a big no-no to use styrofoam under rimmed tanks, especially to try and compensate for a uneven gaps between the stand and tank itself. It it were a rimless tank, then yes styrofoam would be an easy and cheap fix. But I need to do things right to have piece of mind, so gonna do another plywood layer, shim under the plywood to ensure proper contact between the ply and the tank rim, and then hopefully be able to move on to more fun tank building tasks.

Thanks for the input though.
 
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