300 Gallon Acrylic Restoration & System Build

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
DarylMac said:
You're making great progress!
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Thanks. I'm slowly chugging along. I gave away my rotary saw when I moved to Arizona so I will need to buy another one to cut the plywood to size.

I will also need to figure out what I will go with in regards to sump for the filtration. At some point I will need to measure all of the holes on the bottom to order the correct sized schd 80 bulkheads.

The biggest challenge is just taking the aquarium off of the moving platforms and getting it back on. Not easy to do by myself.

I'm hoping to have the tank up and running in a couple of months as long as I make progress on the build every weekend. I can get it setup quicker but there really is no rush.
 
Steve_C said:
Nice project it'll be well worth the effort in the end. I looked but didn't see mention of what you plan to stock unless I just missed it.
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You are right, I'm remiss in mentioning the fish. I currently have growouts in 100 gallon aquarium the following fish that will be moved to the 300 once it is setup:

4 Indo Datnoids
1 Fossochromis Rostratus
5 Silver Dollars
1 Flagtail Prochilodus

I plan on adding some more silver dollars but not much else in the future. I want to see the guys I have grow and thrive and not risk overstocking the aquarium.
 
Planning on borrowing a circular saw from a friend at work to cut the plywood to size for the stand and getting that wrapped up this weekend.

Looking ahead, I've been thinking about the sump and return pump. What are everyone's thoughts on using a standard 55 gallon as a sump with a fluidized bed of K1? I'm thinking of going with the Jebao DCP pump for a return pump but can't decide if I need the 8000 or 10,000 model. I want to keep the % of output on the pump at 55%-65% of max.
 
Ok time to update this thread with some progress. I cut the 2 sheets of plywood to size Thursday after work.

This morning I used a router on the bottom piece to fit it. It took much longer than I thought it would. It was also really messy.



I decided to see if the sump I got with the aquarium would fit in the stand. Which it looks like it does without a problem. With this sump I will go ahead and run a wet/dry setup. Still haven't figure out what size pump to get but that is a ways down the road anyway.



Installed the second level of of vertical supports and doubled up the corner joints too.



This is where I am ending the day at. Stand isn't completely assembled but pretty darn close at this point.

 
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Final update for this weekend. Last night I pulled the stand off of the moving platforms and mapped out all of the bulkhead holes. I also cut the holes for the bulkheads with my router. Sorry no pics. It was a spur of the moment thing.

This morning, I went ahead and cut some more cross bracing for the top of the stand and went ahead and got it all put together.



Once the crossbracing was done, I went ahead and secured the top plywood sheet and screwed it down too.



On another note, I tried to test fit sliding in the sump since I realized the corners will slightly more narrow due to the corner reinforcement. Sure enough, I can't slide the sump in through the sides nor can I slide it in through one of the middle openings. I'll have to figure out some sort of solution to this at some point. I think I might just have to temporarily remove the corner pieces on one end, slide the sump in and them put them back on.

On a final note in regards to the stand. I'm going to waterproof it with some Krylon paint and call it good. This will be my project for next weekend. Either that or buffing the aquarium depending on what I am in the mood to do.
 
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Just tossing this out there...With the stand being as beefy as it is (well built btw nice job) I would think you would be fine to take the router and just router the corner braces flush on one end to make sump install or removal easier rather than having to take them off & on. Defiantly wouldn't compromise any strength with as many uprights as you have so that would not be a concern.
 
Steve_C said:
Just tossing this out there...With the stand being as beefy as it is (well built btw nice job) I would think you would be fine to take the router and just router the corner braces flush on one end to make sump install or removal easier rather than having to take them off & on. Defiantly wouldn't compromise any strength with as many uprights as you have so that would not be a concern.
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Thanks for the idea. I have enjoyed the problem solving aspect of this build so far. What you haven't seen pictured is the use of random things such as stacking 35 bottle containers of water bottles as a way to weigh down slightly bowed 2x4's prior to screwing them down, using 2x4's as levers to help me move the tank off the moving platforms by myself, etc...

One thing I have decided on is going with 2 return pumps. I cleared out a conduit pipe in the overflow tower in the middle of the aquarium, which turned out to be the same size hole as I planned on using as my return. I think that was perhaps the original intent when the tank was built but the previous owner used it for another purpose. So all that being said, I think 2 Jebao DCP 8000 pumps should have me covered. I like the idea of having 2 pumps in the off chance one goes down for some inexplicable reason.

Going into this coming weekend, I'm hoping to have the tank buffed out and ready to go.
 
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