DIY down and dirty 90g/40b sump on the cheap (ballin' on a budget)

mudbuttjones

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2014
1,375
58
66
Wisconsin
Tl:dr - got a baby on the way, decided to give myself a parting gift before 18 years of responsible spending. Im weird. This build is weird and unnecessary in many ways. Love it, hate it. Or Learn what not to do on your next one.

The budget on this bad ma is $500, because your father doesn't have to own a saudi oil field for you to enjoy a glass box full of fish! I've seen some beautiful builds on here where guys almost build their house around a tank. Not this guy. 90g may not be a monster to everyone but it sure looks monster in a tiny 3 room apartment.



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Here's the old beast. An AGA 75g from 1994. Got it fo' free because it leaked. I had to reseal it. It's a boss of a tank. But its time for it to go. Currently it has an aqueon quietflow 75g, a fluval 406, fluval 104, and a recently retired ac110 (which btw hate eating sand.) Inhabitants include an unknown number of african cichlids. Most of them bred in substandard wisconsin tapwater by yours truly.

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Species include petsmartus cichlidus and a hybrid petcosia-walmartae

The plan is a 90g AGA reef ready w/ a herbie set up running a 40b sump. Pump is a mag 9.5. Ill be reusing my heaters and crappy lights/glass top from the 75.

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get some wood and saw it up. I reccomend a miter saw. I tried to boss it up with a circular saw.

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I used construction grade 2x4s. You know the subpar warped crap from the big box store. Got alot of wood for free from work in the form of industrial shipping crates. The free wood was better.

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A bunch of crap on the stand. I let the wood sit for a few days and checked the level before continuing.
 

lardieleftover

Candiru
MFK Member
Jan 9, 2014
255
11
48
san diego
I've had my fair share of poor cuts using a circular saw! Make sure you paint/primer the inside the stand for the sump moisture
 

mudbuttjones

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2014
1,375
58
66
Wisconsin
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I used pine 1x6 boards for the top. Thats how I built my last stand, but after some retrospective thinking I realized is spent more on beer than wood while building that stand and the only way that it is level is the fact it's been sitting 3 years.

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This is my radical patented support removal system to slide the sump in the back of the stand.

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Always jam some 2x4's between the bottom and top frame so your stand isnt supported by screws and wood alone. If you have to install them with a rubber mallet than your probably doing it right.

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I let it sit for another full week with several hundred pounds of junk on it to see if it settled/bowed/sagged/warped. Probably not necessary. But good insurance before a guy drops the coin on plywood

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mudbuttjones

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2014
1,375
58
66
Wisconsin
I've had my fair share of poor cuts using a circular saw! Make sure you paint/primer the inside the stand for the sump moisture
I am pretty proficient with the circular saw. I checked all my cuts before using thr lumber on the stand.. screwed up a few boards in the peocess. I definitely reccomend a miter saw. My problem is ive got everything I need for metal fabrication and not so much wood. come to think of it The 14" 1/2 hp chop saw I have could probably take a wood
blade.

I am painting the inside with zinnser mildew resistant white paint. also plan on leaving the back of the stand partially open and using a fan inside the cabinet to keep air moving
 

mudbuttjones

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2014
1,375
58
66
Wisconsin
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Put the sides on and added more 2x4s between the top and bottom frames.

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Added some more bracing to the bottom where the sump will sit on top of plywood. The back of the stand sticks out 1.5" further to accomidate the sump which is the same width as the display

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This is how men sand wood btw. 8 amps@11,000 rpm with a 60g flap wheel. Ive got a handheld belt sander but ive never used it. I figure ive got the skills and many many hours of practice shaping metal with the angle grinder.. so this particular project would be a bad time to learn how to shape wood with a belt sander.

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mudbuttjones

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2014
1,375
58
66
Wisconsin
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Gross. Like I totally like hate nails. Like omg. Eww

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I sanded the top of the stand tediously, checking the level constantly. I then Added a 3/4" piece of plywood over the 1x6's. Just for the sake of smoothness and uniformity. Now I guess its truly overbuilt.

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I also sealed all of the cracks (from the radius ends of the lumber) that were too large for the paint to cover. I used a paintable latex caulk. Im paranoid about mold and mildew.


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mudbuttjones

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2014
1,375
58
66
Wisconsin
Little sidetrack to the main project.

I planned on sticking several hydro v sponge filters in the sump. With shipping 4 of em were like 60 bucks so I decided to take the low road.

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Total cost is a few bucks each. I used 1/2" & 3/4" pvc, and old heater holders I had laying around. I bought pond sponge prefilters from the bigbox store. Found them in lawn and garden for a couple bucks.

As you can see they actually move some water. However they are not clogged with waste in that pic.

I have them currently being seeded in the 75g to help with the transition to the 90g. I will have 4 sponges in the sump. They will not be the primary filtration, as im running a wet dry but they are amazing little pieces of modular filtration. I can add or remove them to any display tank or quarantine tank as I need to and then hide them back in the sump where they'll be ready whenever I need em.

Also sponge filters bring the ruckus. There I said it. If they werent so damn ugly I'd probably use them exclusively on all of my tanks. Dont judge me.



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mudbuttjones

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2014
1,375
58
66
Wisconsin
Well im a total nerd. Got a call that my tank came in. Stopped by the LFS on my way to work to see my tank and see if my bulkheads fit.

I was told it had holes to accomidate 1" and a 3/4" bulkheads. To my surprise they are both for 1" !! Thats so awesome. I have to order anothet 1" bulkhead and another gate valve but im so stoked. This makes this tank way more awesome with 2 1" drains

too bad it'll be a week until I can get a hold of my old man's truck to pick it up.
 

mudbuttjones

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2014
1,375
58
66
Wisconsin
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Santa claus came and delivered some goodies

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Are you gonna skin that ugly monstrosity in plywood?

HECK NO. you guys have jokes. Covering this beast in 1" pine. The 1x4s were about a dollar each, the larger 1x6 and 1x8 pieces were under 3 bucks each, so still pretty reasonable compared to high quality plywood.

I Used wood glue and an unreasonable amount of finishing nails. The vertical pieces are fitted flush between the border trim, ultimately adding even more needless structural integrity to this thing.

Its so strong I'd let my 92 year old grandmother sit inside it while holding an oroginal copy of the declaration of independence while Nicholas Cage jumps the stand in a diesel pickuptruck full of explosives
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Just have to do some wood filling around the cracks in the trim and some sanding to hide my shoddy carpentry skills.

Next step paint and some doors.



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