I'm in the process of constructing a custom 300g salt FOWLR. It's a small tank by MFK standards but I'm doing a few things differently than most might, so I thought I would give back by sharing a few photos and process thoughts. I got a tremendous amount of guidance from Pharaoh's structural analysis thread, some of which I've recalculated here, so for those who love a good OVERKILL CENTRAL, read on.
I was originally planning to do a custom-sized plywood tank, because I have a particularly useful little nook right inside my front door that would house a ~325g volume quite nicely. Quite by accident, I found an acrylic 300 local to me for $450, so I snapped it up. It has some crazing, but it's 3/4" acrylic and overall in good condition, so I think I probably got off with a few dollars saved.
2-year-old for scale...
Empty tank in its prospective space. Final position marked on wall. Former front-of-tank 1" Polycast piece also visible (and for sale, haha)...
A couple initial aesthetic and practical choices are informing the rest of this build:
- I have access and capability to make use of a fairly robust woodworking shop, so I have some tools that will make the more complex parts of the build a little easier.
- Due to the layout of the house, and the height that I want the tank to be seen at, I will be locating the sump (a combo-75+55gal) in the garage, which is on the other side of the wall from the stairs. The door seen behind the tank leads to my small utility closet, through which I will run the overflow and return lines. They will go through the wall behind the tank, under the stairs, through the firewall to the garage, and connect to the sump. This gives me the ability to have a much larger and spacious sump, which will make maintenance and ongoing tinkering (as we all do, just admit it) much easier.
- The flooring in this area is laminate, over a concrete slab, so weight concerns are much reduced. Locating the extra 135gals of sump in another area further reduces the concern. Estimated total weight of the display tank is around 4000lbs, and I'll get into those numbers later.
- I have a robustly energetic 2yo daughter, who spends her days playing around and in the vicinity of the tank.
Largely on that last point, I've done the math and realized that the cost of building a stand that will support a male African elephant vs. the cost of building a stand that will support a measly 4000lbs +/- 20%, is negligible compared to the cost of the rest of the tank (I mean seriously...the heavier lumber will cost me an extra $80, or basically $.003/lb). Given the stability and overall rigidity gained (not to mention peace of mind) it's a no-brainer expense. Chances of a crossbrace weakening and the stand catastrophically failing? Zero.
I drew up some very basic 2D diagrams so I could make a shopping list and cut list.
Since I did a fair amount of 3D modeling and rendering in a past life, I mocked this up in an hour or two as well, accurate to scale and perspective:
So, all that in mind, on to the actual build itself, and a few more details on the construction of the stand that aren't in the diagram above.
To be continued…
(details on lumber choices, and loadbearing calculations)
(details on construction methods, including dovetails and aesthetic)
(details on cost)
I was originally planning to do a custom-sized plywood tank, because I have a particularly useful little nook right inside my front door that would house a ~325g volume quite nicely. Quite by accident, I found an acrylic 300 local to me for $450, so I snapped it up. It has some crazing, but it's 3/4" acrylic and overall in good condition, so I think I probably got off with a few dollars saved.
2-year-old for scale...
Empty tank in its prospective space. Final position marked on wall. Former front-of-tank 1" Polycast piece also visible (and for sale, haha)...
A couple initial aesthetic and practical choices are informing the rest of this build:
- I have access and capability to make use of a fairly robust woodworking shop, so I have some tools that will make the more complex parts of the build a little easier.
- Due to the layout of the house, and the height that I want the tank to be seen at, I will be locating the sump (a combo-75+55gal) in the garage, which is on the other side of the wall from the stairs. The door seen behind the tank leads to my small utility closet, through which I will run the overflow and return lines. They will go through the wall behind the tank, under the stairs, through the firewall to the garage, and connect to the sump. This gives me the ability to have a much larger and spacious sump, which will make maintenance and ongoing tinkering (as we all do, just admit it) much easier.
- The flooring in this area is laminate, over a concrete slab, so weight concerns are much reduced. Locating the extra 135gals of sump in another area further reduces the concern. Estimated total weight of the display tank is around 4000lbs, and I'll get into those numbers later.
- I have a robustly energetic 2yo daughter, who spends her days playing around and in the vicinity of the tank.
Largely on that last point, I've done the math and realized that the cost of building a stand that will support a male African elephant vs. the cost of building a stand that will support a measly 4000lbs +/- 20%, is negligible compared to the cost of the rest of the tank (I mean seriously...the heavier lumber will cost me an extra $80, or basically $.003/lb). Given the stability and overall rigidity gained (not to mention peace of mind) it's a no-brainer expense. Chances of a crossbrace weakening and the stand catastrophically failing? Zero.
I drew up some very basic 2D diagrams so I could make a shopping list and cut list.
Since I did a fair amount of 3D modeling and rendering in a past life, I mocked this up in an hour or two as well, accurate to scale and perspective:
So, all that in mind, on to the actual build itself, and a few more details on the construction of the stand that aren't in the diagram above.
To be continued…
(details on lumber choices, and loadbearing calculations)
(details on construction methods, including dovetails and aesthetic)
(details on cost)