DIY HELP Please!!!

K

knpickup

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#1
So I'm (a girl) trying to do a DIY...that might have been better suited for a guy (not that i'm gender biased), but it's building stuff... :help (2):


I'm setting up a small tank (10"x10"x12" and about 5 gallons) above my frag tank. I currently have it on 2 black heavy duty shelf bracket and a piece of wood I picked up from Home Depot.

If anyone can give advice that would be greatly appreciated and helpful!

Here are my two problems:

1. I dunno how to find a stud/probably wasn't one where I wanted my tank, so I used plastic anchors (the ones in the photo), but I'm paranoid and don't know if it'll hold. Do you think between the anchors and the brackets it'll hold or do I need to to change the anchors? And if I need to change the anchors, what kind do I need?

2. The way I have it plumbed is connected from my main tank and returning into my frag tank, but when I had the pump in the frag tank going straight up it wasn't able to pump the water all the way up, that is why I connected it to my main tank. That black tubing is from my display-- problem is it is too strong and sucking up water faster than my main tank is pumping water in... Any suggestions or ideas of how I could fix it or what I could do instead? I'm wondering if I have to connect it from my sump instead? I'm stumped.

Hope this makes sense lol. And again, any and all help/input is greatly appreciated!

No more DIY projects for me after this hahah :a11:

So it's going above the frag tank.










 
Zoarder

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#3
I got a better plan, sell all 3 and just one big tank, problem solved! lol I'm really not sure if it will hold. I got the same brackets but bigger for my light fixture but mine has 3 screws and also used those plastic anchors... on the pump, you can add a ball valve to control the flow.... and yes paint the wood with oil based paint.

Here is a pic of mine....
 
jbaeza83

jbaeza83

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I wouldnt trust those anchors holding that much weight on drywall only. I would try to find the actual stud behind the drywall and drill into that. Studs are usually 16" apart from each other. For the shelf you can just prime it with oil base paint and then paint it with black paint to match your other cabinets.
 
Tommy Ngo

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Studs are usually 16" apart. If you don't have a stud finder, you can do the knocking on the drywall method. If it sounds hollow keep going along the wall when you hear a solid sound. Mostly like the solid sounded area is where the stud is. Go 16" to the right or left n you'll find the next one.


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gumbii

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NOOO!!!... don't use them anchors... i know they're rated for 50lbs or whatever... but i wouldn't trust them with that much weight... the drywall will eventually get soft... there are some anchors that can hold up to 100lbs or more, but they are pricey and still won't help the wall from eventually losing it's strength...


you can paint the wood or just use a couple of layers of polycrylic to keep that wood rain... but any paint will seal the wood... another thing, since the tank is connected to everything else, i would advice not putting sand or live rock in it... that would save weight, and make it look like a modern piece of art... well that's my style...


but i agree with sexy boy toy [MENTION=6904]Zoarder[/MENTION] up there.. get rid of all of the tanks and get one huge tank...
 
R

ReeferB

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I have a stud finder you can borrow. It would be more sturdy even if you were to mount one bracket on a stud rather then just both on drywall
 
ndrwater

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As Several people have mentioned above, those anchors are not designed to carry the weight. Granted, a 5 gallon tank full of water is under 50 pounds, but.... Ever seen 5 gallons of water on the floor... Makes quite a mess.. Not to mention if the little tank woere to fall and take out the Frag tank.
Best answer is to mount the brackets to studs using MINIMUM 2" screws. Shy of that, there are drywall anchors rated to 75 pounds each. Home depot has them. Should cost you about $6
 
ndrwater

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Best answer yet.... Shy of hitting studs of course.. [MENTION=2546]gumbii[/MENTION] nailed it. No pun intended.. Well.... maybe, ever so slightly intended...
 
gumbii

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well, nothing beats hitting the stud, but i'm going to be honest... better have a guy do that.. LOL... not talking smack, but there's a technique that goes with it... right now i'm making a floating bed frame for my daughter... and it involves making huge holes in the drywall to anchor brackets onto the studs... hate it... but it will look swank i hope... LOL...


but hitting the stud isn't as easy as it sounds... or is.. LOL...
 
D

dbone

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As every one have mentioned it, you want to find the studs. You will need a stud finder and there's no other way around it. Knocking on wall would work to hang something like a picture frame but not something that is 50 lbs with lot of water. Get a stud finder. If you are nearby in 90620 I can lend you mine and show you how to use it. Find the edges of the stud and drive the screw right in the middle of it. Not the edges, not in an angle. Also, you want to use the deck screws.
 
J

Jhuneke

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#19
Plus one on ditching the anchors ( ... From one chic to another :p) you can prime the shelf and just spray paint to match cabinet . Regarding flow.. If it were me, I wouldn't mess with adjusting the flow in the return. For a tank that small , I would throw a little maxi jet in your sump
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/maxi-jet-powerhead-1200.html
( or into your frag tank if you can hide it) with some .75" vinyl tubing run up the back wall into the nano . :)


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J

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On a side note though ..
Don't discourage yourself about DIY projects.. Being female in this hobby , with a husband who literally despises it lol, I have found this forum super helpful .. Aside from [MENTION=6904]Zoarder[/MENTION] ;)... I recently did an upgrade and had to plumb the whole thing .. My first from scratch build. Advice and help is always forthcoming here, and it took a lot of input for me being a plumbing virgin.. But little by little I bang out the diy stuff and add that to my Reefing skill set. :) good luck!... Though I'm sure u won't need it.. Just be stubborn , works for me lol


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