Hi Everyone,
Like many of you who spend time in the DIY section; I get as much enjoyment out of designing and building fish related projects as I do out of the fish themselves. This time around, I have decided to build my own stand, canopy, and sump. I looked around at all sorts of design ideas, and have put together a design that should be simple to build, be solid, and look nice enough to keep in the living room.
The design for the stand is simple; I liken it to an Oreo cookie. 2x4s around the top and bottom, supported by board and ply in the middle with some inside 2x4s for extra bracing. It is very similar to what you get when you order an unfinished wood stand from a LFS. I basically just reverse engineered one, and am adapting and scaling it to my needs.
Given that 6x2x2 is a popular size, I thought that if my build goes well, others who enjoy DIY projects may also want to give it a try. For those who want to build their own, I will post the exact specs for the build including the list of lumber that I buy, the costs, and the cuts that I make.
I have used Google Sketchup to design each of the components for the build. Everything is built exactly to scale, so that all I have to do is measure the pieces on the model, and then cut to those dimensions in real life. There will likely be some building material irregularities, so I will take that into account when making the actual cuts. IE: ¾ plywood is often 0.71 inches.
Here are some overview pictures-
Front:
Back:
Front w/ doors open:
Front w/ doors open:
Here are some pics showing the structural design-
Placement of sump:
Structural view from back:
Structural view from front:
Here is a closer view of the sump:
The sump is a combination refugium and wet-dry filter. I started a design thread for the sump a while back that had some very interesting discussion. Here is the link to the thread: -Feedback on FW Refugium / WD Sump combo design. Some of the details are a little different, but the design concept is still the same. Basically, I will stuff it full of plants and light it. Until I have room for an additional tank, the refugium portion of the sump will also be housing the plecos who have developed a taste for the fire eels. For this reason, I am building the sump with the largest possible footprint. I am still working on deciding what I want to use for a base tank. I have found a 60x18 acrylic, but bonding in the baffles could be a bit tricky if it isn't perfectly square. I am also considering looking into the cost of buying the glass, and building it myself. We have a family friend who owns a glass shop, so I will post updates as I get more information.
The tank has been ordered, and will be ready for pick-up Monday. Last night I wrote up the shopping list for lumber. I will clean it up for posting a little later along with some other details.
-Eric
Like many of you who spend time in the DIY section; I get as much enjoyment out of designing and building fish related projects as I do out of the fish themselves. This time around, I have decided to build my own stand, canopy, and sump. I looked around at all sorts of design ideas, and have put together a design that should be simple to build, be solid, and look nice enough to keep in the living room.
The design for the stand is simple; I liken it to an Oreo cookie. 2x4s around the top and bottom, supported by board and ply in the middle with some inside 2x4s for extra bracing. It is very similar to what you get when you order an unfinished wood stand from a LFS. I basically just reverse engineered one, and am adapting and scaling it to my needs.
Given that 6x2x2 is a popular size, I thought that if my build goes well, others who enjoy DIY projects may also want to give it a try. For those who want to build their own, I will post the exact specs for the build including the list of lumber that I buy, the costs, and the cuts that I make.
I have used Google Sketchup to design each of the components for the build. Everything is built exactly to scale, so that all I have to do is measure the pieces on the model, and then cut to those dimensions in real life. There will likely be some building material irregularities, so I will take that into account when making the actual cuts. IE: ¾ plywood is often 0.71 inches.
Here are some overview pictures-
Front:
Back:
Front w/ doors open:
Front w/ doors open:
Here are some pics showing the structural design-
Placement of sump:
Structural view from back:
Structural view from front:
Here is a closer view of the sump:
The sump is a combination refugium and wet-dry filter. I started a design thread for the sump a while back that had some very interesting discussion. Here is the link to the thread: -Feedback on FW Refugium / WD Sump combo design. Some of the details are a little different, but the design concept is still the same. Basically, I will stuff it full of plants and light it. Until I have room for an additional tank, the refugium portion of the sump will also be housing the plecos who have developed a taste for the fire eels. For this reason, I am building the sump with the largest possible footprint. I am still working on deciding what I want to use for a base tank. I have found a 60x18 acrylic, but bonding in the baffles could be a bit tricky if it isn't perfectly square. I am also considering looking into the cost of buying the glass, and building it myself. We have a family friend who owns a glass shop, so I will post updates as I get more information.
The tank has been ordered, and will be ready for pick-up Monday. Last night I wrote up the shopping list for lumber. I will clean it up for posting a little later along with some other details.
-Eric
