# 300 gallon plywood tank build



## rotccapt

hi all i am just getting started on my 300 ish gallon tank. the tank will be built with a 2x4 frame but instead of the 2x4's being oriented like a wall they will be turned 90 degrees so the long side of the board will be parallel to the tank sides. the bottom of the tank will be a solid piece of 3/4 inch ply and the back and one side will be 1/2 inch plywood. the front and the other side will be 3/8 inch glass. the external dimensions of the tank will be 76 inches long 36 inches wide and 29 inches tall. there will also be a 12 inch tall hood/above tank basking area for my western painted turtle. the inside dimensions will be 72 inches long 32 inchs wide and the water level will be 26 inchs high. the stand is also 29 inches tall and will be doubling as a dresser since this tank will be in my bedroom. i will be using "MAX ACR epoxy and fiberglass cloth to water proof the tank.

for decor i will have a large drift wood stump that i found in a local river it has been drying out for about a month now and i will be dumping boiling water over it and it will soak in the tank for the entire fishless cycle. i will also have another smaller driftwood stump that i had in my last tank along with some rock piles. i will also be using tan pool filter sand for substrate. the background will be a custom foam and drylock rock wall that will consist of lots of overhangs and caves.

stock list will be:
1x tiger oscar
1x salvini
1x green terror
2x nic
2-4x fire mouth
5x bala shark

so far the i have the stand framed out and im about to start on the drawers.

so on with the pics.

drift wood








background i am going to try and recreate








tank





























stand


----------



## quentin8

NICE :drooling: Keeps us updated..


----------



## 13razorbackfan

opcorn:


----------



## rotccapt

well been busy at work so not much progress but the stand is almost complete. i still have to build the drawers and attach the plywood top i hop to get it done this weekend. then i will start the tank frame


----------



## cantrell00

What are you using to make the interior water tight?


----------



## rotccapt

i will be using MAX ACR epoxy and fiberglass cloth to seal the tank and will be using GE silicone I for the glass


----------



## rotccapt

well got some more work done on the stand today. i have all the rails installed for the drawers and have all the material except the bottoms cut and routered so i am ready for more pocket holes and assembly. in the pics you will notice there is a large space behind the drawers this is for the sump which will run the whole length of the stand


----------



## 13razorbackfan

Looks sweet so far...great craftsmanship.


----------



## mel_cp6

Looking good so far. I'll be following this thread till its done as i am looking into building ply tank myself.


----------



## rotccapt

well guys sorry for the slow progress. but here is a few more pics of the progress. i have three of the drawer frames assemboled and installed i still need to cut out the bottoms for the drawers and drill a ton more pocket holes


----------



## Mr.Dempsey

Looking good man! Keep up the good work!


----------



## bernie comeau

rotccapt said:


> the back and one side will be 1/2 inch plywood. 3/8 inch glass.29 inches tall.


I supose with the 2 x 4's, even turned sideways, the tank will be very strong.....but 1/2" plywood really is very feeble stuff compared to 3/4". Though fiberglss adds a lot of strength

I doubt 3/8" glass is advisable to be used on a 29" deep tank. Unless it's tempered. Tempered does have one potential disadvantage.....might be dangerous if anything very hard hits it with some force as it will blow, unlike plate glass which is inclined to crack. Don't beleive I have ever seen a tank 6 ft. long, 24" deep or more, that is not 1/2" glass. A standard 90 gal. is the deepest tank I know of that uses 3/8" glass.....24" deep but it's only 4 ft. long. And of course, there is a lot more pressure, with every little bit of depth. IMO, if it's plate glass, definately should be going with 1/2".


----------



## rotccapt

well i was discussing it with my wife and we have decided 1/2 inch would give us better piece of mind

for the 1/2 inch ply i was basing my design off another build i saw that was bigger than mine and the person used 1/2 inch OSB but the sides of the tank were built like walls and the tank was taller than mine too.


----------



## bernie comeau

rotccapt said:


> well i was discussing it with my wife and we have decided 1/2 inch would give us better piece of mind


That would be wise! :thumb: 
Other thing i just noticed is your tank is not braced in the middle. Wood is pretty strong but it definately will bend under pressure, over time. My 100 gal (48" X 24" x 21") was not braced across the top. It was very well fiberglassed, with 2 layers of fiberglass on 3/4" plywood....sturdy, yet over the course of 25 + years has become quite rounded across the back! My 180 gal. (6' X 2' x 2') has angle iron frame. The two iron strip braces in the middle across the top, rusted away over the years. The front is very heavy 2" angle iron, the back much lighter 1" angle iron. During the many years, with out middle brace, the back is some what rounded across the top, despite the 1" angle iron. I have since re-fiberglassed (2009) the tank, inside and out including fiberglassing the iron frame and added a glass brace across the middle of the top (2 peices of 1/4" glass stacked on top of each other siliconed to the iron frame).


----------



## rotccapt

i have not decided yet how i want to brace it. for now the top of the tank is a 2x4 with a 2x3 screwed to it to create a 90* angle glued and screwed every 6 inches. my plan was to fill the tank and have a gauge on the front and back of the tank and see how much it deflects with water in it. my thinking was no more than 1/8 inch total deflection would be acceptable any more and i will put a center brace in. my plan for the brace is either a 3 inch wide piece of 1/2 inch acrylic or a 3/8 diameter aluminum rod leaning towards the rod


----------



## bernie comeau

rotccapt said:


> my plan for the brace is either a 3 inch wide piece of 1/2 inch acrylic or a 3/8 diameter aluminum rod


Yeah, that would work. Or fiberglassed wood could make a good brace as well. Even a silconed peice of glass will also do the trick.

Even if it does not show any deflection innitially, it will bend over time with out a brace. If it can bend 1/4" thick angle iron (1" sides on the insides) holding 3/4" fiberglassed plywood at only 24" deep, wood is definately going to bend in a 29" deep tank with out being braced horizontally


----------



## rotccapt

on your tank was the top just 3/4 inch ply with the angle iron attached to it? for my tank design i will have a 3.5 inch wood lip all the way around the top of the tank. attached to this is a 2.5 inch piece of wood as well so there will be a 90* frame all the way around the top of the tank


----------



## lilscoots

Your top frame should be very strong. If you're fiberglassing the rest of the wood, you'd probably be fine just ripping a 3-4" brace out the plywood you're using and fiberglass it. I'm not convinced you need a brace with the top framed like you're doing.


----------



## bernie comeau

lilscoots said:


> I'm not convinced you need a brace with the top framed like you're doing.


So what tanks have you built and how many years have they held up well?. Size of tanks. Dimensions. type of build. how many years?

4 ft. you need a brace. 6 ft., even with angle iron :lol: 3ft. maybe you can get away with it. Wood is about the last thing you can get away with not using a brace, Better fiebergalss extremely well if you think you can get away with no bracing :lol:


----------



## bernie comeau

rotccapt said:


> on your tank was the top just 3/4 inch ply with the angle iron attached to it? for my tank design i will have a 3.5 inch wood lip all the way around the top of the tank. attached to this is a 2.5 inch piece of wood as well so there will be a 90* frame all the way around the top of the tank


No, absolutely not. the tank has anagle iron all the way around . 2 1/4" around the whole front and 1 1/4'around the back and sides. The two top braces rusted through and were removed. They were on top of the tank and were exposed to the full evaporation of the tank. the rest of the angle iron is more then solid today as I grinded the surface rust away in 2009 and re-fiberglassed the whole tank inside and out including the angle iron. Wood will bend .....or you think i am talking for nothing :lol:

Helped my oldest brother build this tank in 1980, when i was almost 14. My dad welded the frame because he knew from previous tanks built, that water has a lot of pressure  I built a few fiberglass tanks after this one, so I know what i am talking about!


----------



## rotccapt

im not denying that wood will bend. i am just trying to point out that a 3/4 inch ply tank with the angle iron for the top perimeter is build differently than mine will be. a 2x4 is a lot stronger than a piece of plywood. i am going to press on with my design and do my tests to see how much it bows and if i feel its too much then i will add a center brace


----------



## bernie comeau

rotccapt said:


> a 2x4 is a lot stronger than a piece of plywood. i am going to press on with my design and do my tests to see how much it bows


2x4 can bend very easily, especially over some time under constant pressure. And no it is not stronger then angle iron, and certainly will bend a lot eaiser.

To me it's common sense to brace something that is 6 ft. long and under a lot of pressure :roll: 2 1/4" angle iron.....maybe you would not have to, but i still would. I-beam....you wouldn't have to :lol: 
I've said enough, and i am done talking on this thread.


----------



## rotccapt

well i got a little bit more done on the stand. all the drawers are constructed and all i need to do is cut the bottoms for them. next up is coat the whole stand in kilz primer then i can start the electrical, ply top, and paneling


----------



## JimA

Curious why all the drawers and where is the sump and or equipment going? Nice build so far!


----------



## 13razorbackfan

JimA said:


> Curious why all the drawers and where is the sump and or equipment going? Nice build so far!


Was wondering the same thing...


----------



## Mr.Dempsey

If you guys notice the drawers are not very deep, he still has a lot of room to put a sump and equipment, how he plans on maintaining them as it will be hard to get to is another story.


----------



## fusion

"well got some more work done on the stand today. i have all the rails installed for the drawers and have all the material except the bottoms cut and routered so i am ready for more pocket holes and assembly. in the pics you will notice there is a large space behind the drawers this is for the sump which will run the whole length of the stand"

stated in an earlier post

nice work :thumb:


----------



## rotccapt

like fusion posted the drawers only go half the stand width. also there are no horizontal bars between the drawers so to access the whole sump all i have to do is remove the drawers. also the side of the tank will have a door on it so i can access the end of the sump that will house the mecanical filtration. more to come.

also this stand is also a dresser that is what all the drawers are for


----------



## rotccapt

well the stand is done except the sheeting and the sump door. i ended up coating the whole stand in sanding sealer because i had it on hand. i did a water test on it and the water just beads up on the surface of the wood so i think it will work. i also got the wiring done so i have a 2 gang box mounted into the stand that is connected to a switch so when i do tank maintenance i just have to flip the switch and it kills the heaters and the pump. also i used a gfi plug on it so my tank will be gfi protected.

so after finishing the stand i started cutting the wood for the tank frame. all was well until i started dry fitting the parts and realized all of my boards for the tank sides were 3 inches too short. turns out when i was designing the tank my original plan was to butt joint the corners but after some though i decided a mitered corner would be better both in looks and strength. well when i made my cut list i made it before i changed my mind. so all is on hold till i go to the store and buy more wood. i will start drilling all my pocket holes though in the mean time.


----------



## rotccapt

well here are some pics of the progress. fist is a shot of my nics, green terror and a gourami that will be in the tank once built. also included is a shot of my sump compartment and wiring and a shot of the corners for the tank


----------



## rotccapt

got the front and back framed up and i temporarily set up the tank and put my drift wood in to snap a few pics. what do you think so far?


----------



## 13razorbackfan

I think you are doing a very good job. What do you think the overall total cost will be? What have you spent thus far?


----------



## rotccapt

well so far i have spent around $200. my glass will be around $200, i have one more trip for more wood which will be $100-$150 and then my epoxy and fiberglass will be around $150 so for the tank itself my guess will be 7 to 8 hundred


----------



## 13razorbackfan

rotccapt said:


> well so far i have spent around $200. my glass will be around $200, i have one more trip for more wood which will be $100-$150 and then my epoxy and fiberglass will be around $150 so for the tank itself my guess will be 7 to 8 hundred


Wow....that is a very affordable. Does that include all the hardware, drawer pullout rails, knobs, etc?


----------



## rotccapt

yep everything but the pump, plumbing, heaters and filter media


----------



## cantrell00

rotccapt said:


> yep everything but the pump, plumbing, heaters and filter media


You can probably get away without the heaters on a tank this size. JMO.


----------



## fusion

Looking good
I happen to have 4 gals of epoxy and a big roll of fiberglass 

opcorn:


----------



## rotccapt

yea i probobly could but i already have two 300 watt heaters from my 120 that are not in use so i will be using them. also for now i will be using a quiet one 4000 to get the tank started then upgrade to a mag 18 once the tank is up and running. for media i am toying with using Poret foam found here *Vendor Link Removed*


----------



## Mbunaaddict

I may have missed something but where do you plan on putting this tank? The stand looks to large to fit through a normal doorway. It looks as though its in your garage now. how do you plan on getting it into the house?


----------



## rotccapt

the tank will have CA cichlids and the tank will be going in my bedroom. my stock list is 
1x tiger oscar
1x salvini
1x green terror
1x jack dempsey
3x nic
4x fire mouth

the tank and stand are 36 inches wide but only 29 inches tall so when put on its side it will go through the door. the tank and stand will clear the bedroom door by 1/2 inch


----------



## mel_cp6

Is the 2/4" frame going to be the only thing that will hold the glass or will it have 3/4" ply behind it?


----------



## rotccapt

just the 2x4 frame. the back and side will have 1/2 inch ply


----------



## mel_cp6

Oic. How do u know it won't buckle under pressure specially it being 29" high?
Why also use 1/2" when 3/4" sound Iike a better option?

Thanks just trying to get the logic behind your decisions for future project.


----------



## rotccapt

well the water height will be 27 inches. also i have been looking at other tanks that are bigger than mine that used just a 2x4 frame for the front. also i chose the 1/2 inch ply because i was watching another tank which was 400 gallons that was built using 1/2 inch osb and a 2x4 frame so i figure that my tank should be fine


----------



## mel_cp6

Ok. 
I've seen 2/4" used on front frames but the 4" were the one sitting on the bottom ply not the 2". 
I just hope it all goes well for you after you put all the hard work. You are obviously a skilled and know your way with carpentry. 
There was a member who did the same thing with the 2/4" and everyone was advising him to to it the other way. He didn't listen and after the fill up he was supposed to update and was never heard of again. Lol
We can only assume that it didn't go as he hoped or planned.

Good luck with the built and just try to keep an open mind when it comes to experience members giving advises. Not from me obviously as im waiting to see this tank progress.


----------



## rotccapt

thanks for looking out. my last build was a 120 and the front and sides were assembled with 1 inch (3/4 inch actually) oak boards that were glued and screwed with pocket screws. and it stood up well. granted that tank was only 24 inches tall and 48 wide but i think my design should hold up well. i have decided to do a removable center brace. this center brace will also give me something to brace myself on to do maintenance on the tank


----------



## rotccapt

new update i got the back and sides glued together today but i still need to add my screws from the other direction. also i built a 2x6 pedestal to set the stand on to make the tank a bit higher. dont mind the cap board it is just sitting there for the moment i will glue and screw it once i get the front installed























here is a pic of the corners and how all the slats are installed


----------



## 13razorbackfan

Did you glue the wood as well as screw?


----------



## rotccapt

yes i used tite bond III


----------



## cantrell00

Those are some huge RC airplanes hanging from the ceiling. Looks good. I am really curious to see how you join and make watertight the glass to the front frame.


----------



## rotccapt

i was wondering if someone would pick up on my planes. us guys and our toys. lol

the glass will be fun i will need a couple people to do it. my first though is to lay the tank down on the face that will need glass then just slide it in and do a test fit then raise the glass up with spacers apply the silicon and remove the spacers. my other though is to just leave the tank upright position the glass and lean it against the back wall apply the silicone and then slid the glass forward and with some precision cut braces wedge the glass in place till it cures. not sure yet.

on a different note i have built as much as i can build with the tank. i will be on a 2 week business trip starting next week and i will be buying the rest of the materials once i get back. but in the mean time i took one of my extra shop lights down and positioned it on a pvc support to try out some lights for the tank. this is a standard 4 foot 2 bulb fixture and i think i like it what do you think? i might go with a 6 foot fixture though


----------



## cantrell00

Will you be able to suspend the light that high above the tank after it is set up? If you can I think it would work. Adding water will will tell you for certain.


----------



## rotccapt

yes i can it will be inside a hood that i have yet to make but it is at the correct height


----------



## cantrell00

I would roll with it. Having shadows in the ends where the drift wood is resting will look really cool. SA's right?


----------



## rotccapt

CA's yea i think i like the look


----------



## mel_cp6

That big driftwood fits real good and it looks awesome in that tank.


----------



## fusion

Love the look, are you going to make a background for it?


----------



## rotccapt

yea im planning on doing something like this guys tank (forgive me i dont remember whos tank this is)


----------



## Ibnzmonkey

Subscribed. I've been looking into building one of these style tanks for an "in wall" type setup for my new home.


----------



## CCichlids

WOW! Looks very nice so far. Can't wait to see more :drooling: opcorn: . I was just curious (because I haven't had any experience with something like this), how long do these plywood tanks last? Given it was properly made, of course. Excited to see the final product! :drooling: opcorn: :drooling: opcorn:


----------



## rotccapt

well i have heard of tanks lasting 20 years it all depends on how water tight the tank is and how it was built.

sorry for the lack of progress on the build i am on a business trip and i cant work on the tank. more to come in another week


----------



## cichlid_crazy

Any updates?


----------



## rotccapt

well i have not been able to get any work done on the tank, i just got back this past Saturday. waiting for payday to get the next batch of materials so i can keep working.


----------



## CCichlids

opcorn: :drooling:


----------



## rotccapt

so not much progress but i started designing my sump for this tank. the total water volume will be around 55 gallons

what do you think of the design?


----------



## fusion

A noob question
What is the purpose of the lava rock?


----------



## Koteckn

It is a very porous rock and acts just as bio balls would. It is used as a cheaper alternative to bioballs to grow beneficial bacteria. Not sure if it is better or worse however.

Correct me if I'm incorrect but that is what I debated to use in my sump but I decided to go with bioballs (even though they are much more expensive compared to lava rock) just because it seems as if most people tend to use bioballs. This was my only deciding factor really as I mentioned I'm not sure which is actually better.

Just a quick point though... Doesn't lava rock float? Keep that in mind

Howie


----------



## Baggly

Somewhere on here is a thread that lists bio media by how porous it is. Lava rock is rather inefficient compared to other readily available material. I believe the only pro of lava rock is cost. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think even the five for $0.99 pot scrubbers are more efficient.


----------



## rotccapt

i have also though about using k1 media in the second chamber but i am still undecided. i think that i would be fin with the first chamber of pot scrubbies but i figured since i have the space more is defiantly better than not enough. so i decided to try the lava rock it is better than nothing


----------



## cantrell00

I would think that lava rock would be subject to trapping detritus moreso than other bio-mediums also.


----------



## 13razorbackfan

cantrell00 said:


> I would think that lava rock would be subject to trapping detritus moreso than other bio-mediums also.


This is what I was going to post as well. I would consider making a wet dry section in the sump and using bio balls. According to Dr. Tim the bio media that is completely submerged is not able to clean itself so that the nitrifying bacteria will start to become smothered under gunk. I would imagine that the small lava rock would be a nightmare to have to remove and clean every so often. Just a thought.


----------



## rotccapt

since this tank will be in my bedroom i am trying to make the tank as quiet as possible so i will be going with a wet sump. i am doing research on k1 media at the moment and i am thinking about ditching the pot scrubbies and lava rock all together.


----------



## 13razorbackfan

rotccapt said:


> since this tank will be in my bedroom i am trying to make the tank as quiet as possible so i will be going with a wet sump. i am doing research on k1 media at the moment and i am thinking about ditching the pot scrubbies and lava rock all together.


Sounds good to me. Have you thought about putting the media in large mesh bags so you can remove them when needed? I am not sure how big they make the bags and how much media you are using but you could use a few different bags and just snatch them out when you need to clean off some of the buildup.


----------



## kojak76

Another suggestion you could consider is what I did. I used a mixture of pond matrix and ceramic noodles and put 5 airstones under the compartment I fashioned out of egg crate. It works great and silent too. Not sure about K1, I considered it as well but at the time I did mine pond matrix was cheaper and it filters my 240 great. Just an idea I figured I would put out there.


----------



## rotccapt

how much pond matrix did you use on your 240? from what i have read i would need 3 liters but i will probably run 4 if that is all i need. does that sound about right. this is much cheaper than the k1 if thats the case


----------



## kojak76

rotccapt said:


> how much pond matrix did you use on your 240? from what i have read i would need 3 liters but i will probably run 4 if that is all i need. does that sound about right. this is much cheaper than the k1 if thats the case


I used 4 liters of pond matrix and 5 liters of the noodles but, I think I overdid it a bit. I might add more later but for the price I feel its a great deal. I got it off eBay I think 4 liters for under 50 shipping included. I can let you know the seller if interested. Just lemme know.


----------



## rotccapt

its update time!!!!

hi all i finally got the money together to buy the plywood to finish the tank and the sump so i will finally be working on the tank again. today i got the bottom of the tank cut and installed. it is made from 3/4 inch b-c plywood. i glued this to the base of the stand and also screwed it down with 2.5 inch exterior grade deck screws. i had to do a bit of tweaking because the frame had slightly warped in the center from all the hot weather we have had here. to do this i put a screw in each corner and then took a ratchet strap and put it around the center and tightened it down till the front and back came into alignment then screwed it all together with a screw every 3 inches. i also got the1/2 inch plywood cut and trial fit for the back of the tank. i used 1/2 inch 7 ply birch plywood for this. this stuff is very tough and my saw had a hard time cutting it so it should give me great results.

so what do you think?


----------



## CCichlids

Looking good! I was worried you had forgotten about this thread haha.....


----------



## Storiwyr

Me too! But I figured it was hard to forget a 300g tank worth of plywood, so I was hoping he would return.


----------



## fusion

Looking nice :thumb:


----------



## rotccapt

yea i did not forget about the thread i just ran out of expendable funds to dump into the tank. i have enough materials to get the tank ready for epoxy and fiberglass and to get the sump to that point as well. then i will have to wait for some insurance money to come in to finish the tank. hopfully i will have it done by the end of september


----------



## rotccapt

well got some more done today and i am really liking the way this tank is coming together. the tank construction is finished now i need to start filing all the screw holes sand it all down and add some epoxy/filler mix to the corners to give some nice rounded filets except the front of course. so for giggles i decided to throw the drift wood back in and put the light over it to see how it looks now that the tank is all closed up.

how does it look?

back








side








view from side window








view from front window








top view


----------



## 13razorbackfan

The two words I would use to describe it are sturdy and craftsmanship. Good job so far.


----------



## fusion

13razorbackfan said:


> The two words I would use to describe it are sturdy and craftsmanship. Good job so far.


+1

Love the driftwood


----------



## kojak76

Man your doing an awesome job. It is making me want to sell my 240 and build one too. Did you ever decide on what bio media to use?


----------



## rotccapt

thank you for the kind words. i cant wait to get this done.

for bio media i am still unsure but im leaning towards the pond matrix and some pot scrubbies

i have started thinking about my overflows for the tank, since the overflows will actully draw water from the bottom of the tank i am planning on adding a couple valves to automaticly do a 25% drain and also a 100% drain of the tank. i will do this by adding tees to the drain pipes at different levels and have these teminate at lockable valves so that when i want to either drain the tank compleetly or just do a 25% water change i can hook a hose up to the drain line open a valve and it will drain till it reaches the level of the tee.

here is a quick sketch to show how it will work


----------



## mightyevil

I currently use pot scrubbers to filter my 110 and while they work well, they do trap a lot of detritus and very fast. To clean the scrubbies takes very long because you need to clean them one by one (if someone has a better way of doing it, please let me know) to get all the nasty stuff out of them. I have not changed the scrubbies for something else because I am waiting to re-do my 110 gallon and I will be making major changes but I am not too pleased with their maintenance and detritus trapping.


----------



## mel_cp6

Mightyevil,
I made a basket out of black window screen to make it easier when cleaning pot scrubbed. I just simply lift the basket and clean In a bucket. I then remove the egg Crates and fully clean the sump x2/yr.


----------



## rotccapt

do you guys use some kind of mecanical filtration befor your pot scrubbies? i am planning on having a couple layers of quilt batting befor my scrubbies


----------



## rotccapt

do you think i could keep a pair of green terrors and a pair of firemouth in this tank?


----------



## lilscoots

for mechanical before the bio, I have a a narrow chamber large enough for filter socks to go over the inlet pipes. The water then flows over a baffle into the drip tray


----------



## rotccapt

so i am trying to decided if i want to attach my sump return to my spray bar and under sand jets or if i want to run my jets with there own power heads. on my last build a 120 plywood build i did just that and made the sump return attach to the jets and it worked ok but the gravel i used was huge and the poo just got trapped anyways. but since i will have sand in this tank i think i will have a much better result.

so when i laid out my jets i found that i needed 11 jets so if i go by what i have found i would need 1100 gph fed to my jet system which i will have coming from my return pump and it would also simplify the build. so i think im going to go this route. to do this and prevent the possibility of siphoning out the tank when power or the pump quits i have to run the plumbing all the way to the top of the tank create a siphon break with the spray bar then go back to the bottom of the tank. now the thing with a setup like this, i would end up with most of the water going out the spray bar and not go down to the jets so i will add a ball valve to the spray bar line so i can tune the amount of water that goes to the bottom of the tank.

here is a pic of my 120 builds plumbing. this setup worked great on that build so i think it will work just fine for this one.


----------



## mightyevil

rotccapt said:


> do you guys use some kind of mecanical filtration befor your pot scrubbies? i am planning on having a couple layers of quilt batting befor my scrubbies


I used to have a filter sock and while it did help some, it didnt help enough to make me want to keep it and have to maintain that as well. Over so many years of fish keeping, I have learned that keeping things simple are sometimes the best way to maintain and enjoy your fish. Here are a couple of pictures of my setup, looks clean (in my opinion) and in the sump there are only pot scrubbers and equipment (heaters, return pump, magnum 350 as a return)...


















Yes, I know, weird community in there but my JD does not eat other fish unless they are agonizing...why? beats me! but she was supposed to keep the numbers down in the tank, not working (I have at least 12 1" baby Metriaclima greshakei in there. The red hook, my dad bought and threw in there without me knowing so...yeah!



mel_cp6 said:


> Mightyevil,
> I made a basket out of black window screen to make it easier when cleaning pot scrubbed. I just simply lift the basket and clean In a bucket. I then remove the egg Crates and fully clean the sump x2/yr.


I used to have mine in a laundry bag and I was able to toke them out all at a time but since they trap so much detritus I had to clean them one by one and it was just easier to take them one by one from the sump anyway so I ditched the laundry bag.


----------



## mel_cp6

If it as me, I would run the spraybar with the pump and use a separate power head to run the jet system. 
I use a Tupperware by Lock&Lock as my mechanical box. I drill 1" holes for the inlet and 1/4" holes for the drains. It works great as it is water tight and fits perfectly on a 40g sump. Probably wouldn't apply in your case since your tank is much bigger. 
Come to think of it, my 40g sump with the type of overflows were both using only empties about 10g when I turn off the pump and I do have all 3 tanks connected to it. Thats a total of 250g from all 3 of my tanks That uses exact same overflows with the 1/2 water change Valve. The only difference is I also use 1" Pvc overflow in each tanks tO skim the surface.


----------



## rotccapt

well i have decided to try the under sand jet system the way i had it before and if it does not work i will run a separate pump for them.

so now that i am done drilling holes in the tank for bulkheads i have started prepping the tank for fiberglass. to do this i took some "us composits" epoxy that i had from other projects and mixed in silica powder till it was at a frosting consistency. i used this mix to fill all the screw holes on the outside and also to fill in the seams between the 2x4 frame. after this drys i will be sanding it all down and applying more epoxy/filler to smooth out the seams so they and not noticeable when i paint the tank. for the inside i have also used the same mix to fill the screw holes and i am in the proses of making fillets in all the corners. for the front and side i will only fill the seam but for the other two sides i will make a round fillet. this project might get put on hold again due to some life events that will be using up some of the funds for this project. more to come.


----------



## rotccapt

well not much to say but i am still working on the project. i am almost done with the fillets and hope to be ready for fiberglassing by next week. i have my resin and cloth on order so i hope to get it next week also


----------



## rotccapt

well i finally have another photo update for this project. i am about 95% done with the filling and sanding on the front of the tank and about 50% done with the side. i still need to apply 6 more fillets to the inside of the tank but i am waiting on my current batch of epoxy to cure so i can flip the tank. so here are the pics. the first few are of the front of the tank. after sanding it all down i applied a bit of tan spray paint to highlight any dips and groves that i need to fill. also it shows how nicely the seams will disappear


----------



## rotccapt

hi all, well the next stage of construction has begun. all the corners have been filled and the front and side have been smoothed over and a coat of kilz primer has been applied to the front and side. now it is finally time to seal this puppy up.

for those that just tuned in, i will be using max acr epoxy resin (found on ebay) to seal my tank. after the initial thinned coat i will be applying 4 inch pieces of 6 ounce fiberglass cloth to all the seams and corners. after that i will be applying two layers of 6 ounce cloth to the bottom and one layer to the sides. i will also be applying resin to all my bulk head holes and also to the back of the tank around the bulkhead holes to prevent any water getting into the plywood. after all the epoxy work is done i will be applying kilz primer to all exterior surfaces to prevent water penetration. i expect this stage of the build will take about a week. more to come. what do you think so far?


----------



## rotccapt

i still have a bit of finish work to do to the front and side of the tank but i decided to stop where i was because i will most likely have to do some sanding after i get the fiberglass done. so befor i am done the front and side will be very smooth


----------



## cantrell00

Glad that you are posting this. Please don't be bashful with the photos when you apply the cloth and resin and seal the front glass.

A plywood tank is on my list of things to do.

Great work so far!


----------



## rotccapt

well first coat is down. now i have to wait till it cure to apply the fiberglass to the corners. the first few pics were taken by my 4 year old (pretty good shot for a 4 year old) last pic is the back of the tank around one of the bulk head holes


----------



## fusion

Still looking good opcorn:


----------



## rotccapt

well i now have 8 ounce fiberglass in all the corners and have got a layer of 6 ounce on the bottom and curing on the back wall. up next is the sides and front. one thing that i do when working with fiberglass is to wait till the resin gets to its gel stage then i take a knife and cut off all the excess cloth. by doing it this way you get a nice clean easy cut but if you wait too long you either have to break out the dremel or the sand paper.

here are a few pics of the fiberglass process

before adding resin















just a test fit you want to make all your ruff cuts before adding resin otherwise it turns into a sticky mess

starting to work the resin








on this project i am using a bondo scraper to apply my resin i start in a corner and work my way across the longest side then in kinda a triangular pattern to work the resin into the cloth. it also helps to have a colored background to work on. it makes easier to see dry spots in the cloth

here it is a wet out


----------



## rotccapt

well i got some more done. i have finished all the fiberglass work, now im working on putting the final coats of epoxy on to seal everything up and cover up the wood grain. so i think i will need one more tinted coat of epoxy to color the tank. so when i am done i will have about 4 layers of epoxy on the tank so i should be good. now i need to finish up the outside of the tank by painting it with kilz primer. then i will put the finish coat of latex paint on the front and side then it will be time to work on plumbing and get the glass ordered. im hopping to have the tank built by mid October i am almost done but i will have to wait on the glass i can only get the glass from the company if i meet their truck on the 16th of each month so i have to wait on the funds to order the glass. so in the mean time i can work on setting up my plumbing.

so i need some thoughts from you guys. with my current stumps i am planning on adding a couple branches to the tank and some rocks and plants. should i still try to do a background or should i just leave it black? i figure if i decorate with the rocks and wood and plants the background will not really be seen


----------



## rotccapt

also i have finally decided on my sump. i will go with the pot scrubbies and for the sump its self i got a really good deal on a 55 gallon tank so i will be using it for my sump, this will save me a ton of time.










for a pump i am torn between a mag 18 or a Supreme Pro HY-DRIVE™ 1600 gph. both pumps coast about the same and at ruffly the same watts the hy-drive is 20 watts less. but at 5 feet of head i will get 1200 gph from the mag and 1400pgh from the hy-drive. has anyone used either of these pumps?


----------



## cantrell00

Just an FYI but you can export 2D jpeg images of your drawings by selecting File>Export.


----------



## rotccapt

did not know that i will have to look into that


----------



## rotccapt

well i decided to throw the stumps into the tank today and start laying out my under sand jets. also i decided to do a water test on the bottom of the tank so i filled up the bottom of the tank till the water was about 1/2 inch from the top of the 2x4 and all seems good. also i got the center brace temp installed i still need to epoxy coat it and drill it for the mounting screws. here are a couple pics


----------



## rotccapt

so do you think i should make a continuous loop for my jet system? currently the plumbing ends at the sides of the tank but it would not be hard to loop it back to the beginning. i have heard you get a more consistent flow through the system if you make it continuous


----------



## rotccapt

hi guys got some more done on the tank. still looking like mid October before i can get my glass :roll: 

so in the mean time i have my plumbing ruffed out i have not glued anything yet. so my overflows will actually be drawing water from the bottom of the tank where 99% of the fish poo will be. my plan is to have my USJ (under sand jet) system push all of it towards my two 1.5 inch overflow drains. to prevent a flood when power goes off the drains head for the top of the tank where they make a 180 back down to the sump. this will set my water level and this 180 will be vented to prevent a siphon from forming. as an added precaution my vents head back over the tank and will stop about 1/2 inch above the water. by doing this if for some reason my drains clog up and the water raises up to the point where it covers the vents my drain tubes will instantly become a full siphon and should prevent a flood. once the water drops back below the vents the siphon will break and normal flow will resume. in my pics you will see that my return line goes through my drain line, im not sure if i like this yet but we will see how it goes worst case i have to do something else. at this intersection i took a 2" cross and used a reducer to plug the ends that the return line goes through. i then sanded out the ridge that usually would stop the pipe from going any further into the fitting so that the pipe will slide all the way through it. this will allow my tank to sit closer to the wall. if i did not do this i would have to space the tank out another 1 to 2 inches to accommodate the return lines. for my return the water will flow to the top of the tank where it will make a 90 to go across the top then it hits a tee that will divide the water between the spray bar and the USJ system from there the water will either go back down or continue across the tank to a ball valve to adjust the flow through the spray bar. also, on one of the drain lines i have two 3/4 inch lines coming off these will be my 25% water change and 85% water drain lines that will terminate at a ball valves that will have a hose bib on them so that i can hook up a hose turn a valve and either drain 25% or 85% of the water.

how does it look?
















here is my USJ system









here is my return which do you like better? photo 1








photo 2









also here is a pic of my new sump design made from a 55 gallon tank


----------



## David R

Great looking tank, thats some rather intense plumbing work!

My only comment would be that I've found the filter socks work far better (longer intervals between cleans) if they're suspended above the water, at least partially, to provide enough pressure to keep the water flowing thru them. Otherwise it looks great.


----------



## ratbones86

Should be able to might wanna watch when they go into breading I heard the gts can get Lindy mean when breading but there's alot of room in there also you should be good


----------



## rotccapt

hi all got a bit more done. not really much but it is progress. i finally figured out what i am going to do with the connection between the tank and the stand and i found that i was able to adapt a sink friction slip joint to work with my 1.5 inch plumbing.

also i have finally picked the colors for the tank and i got the first coat done one the side. what do you think?


----------



## rotccapt

hi guys i have some great news. my glass is on order and i will be picking it up on Friday. installation will either be Friday night or Saturday then i will be on a 48 hour dry time. also i have been working on the stand. i have all the skin on and got the first coat of paint on. also i hinged the sump access door using euro style concealed hinges. today i will be painting the drawers and getting the trim installed on my stand pedestal. i will post some pics tonight.


----------



## rotccapt

here are the pics as promised. i have the drawers and the paneling painted. next up is to get the trim work done on the pedestal that the stand sits on then paint it white to match the rest of the trim.

the pedestal trim consists of a piece of 3.5 inch base board and some 4.5 inch crown molding. i will also be attaching corner molding to the corners of the stand and after the tank is installed i will attach a section of molding to cover the joint.

so what do you guys think of it so far? more to come


----------



## mel_cp6

It's looking great. I hope the tank goes well as well. 
Can't wait to see this up and running.


----------



## rotccapt

hi all well i finished the construction of the pedestal for the stand and boy was that a pain the the rear. crown molding is a little confusing. i was mostly having problems with the corner lining up right and at the right angle. my glass will be ready for pick up tomorrow so i hope to have it installed by Friday. then i will let the silicone cure till Sunday then i will start filling. after it is full and i test all my plumbing it will be on a leak test till next Friday. during this time i will be soaking my drift wood in the tank. more to come.

what do you think of my pedestal? i will be painting it tomorrow. also i am going to fiberglass the inside of the corner to give it a little bit more strength


----------



## Steve C

I like the pedestal it looks good. Your right molding can be a real pain to get right, but once done it does add a real nice finished look. Looks like your moving along nicely now.

Steve


----------



## rotccapt

great news. i have my glass, i hope to have it installed tonight so i can fill on Sunday.

i do have a slight problem though. the front pane fits great but the side pane on the other hand, not so much. i am finding that my dimensions are slightly off and i did not account for this when i bought the glass. so i am having to sand the top rim and back wall to get the glass to slide in. last night i got the side panel to with in 1/2 inch of its final destination so i need to do a little more sanding and i think i can get it in. after i get the glass siliconed in i will mask off the glass and apply new epoxy on the now exposed wood. after the epoxy cures i will apply a fillet of silicone to the edges of the glass to bridge the glass to the epoxy

so here are the pics


----------



## rotccapt

well after some coaxing the glass is now in and the silicone is curing later on tonight i will remove the necessary bracing and repair the epoxy that i had to sand off to get the glass in. after the epoxy is cured i will then run a bead of silicone around all the edges of the glass. i hope to get water in the tank on Sunday

so how does it look?


----------



## UNIDEKE

Great thread, one that will be referred to often!


----------



## rotccapt

well all the silicone is done. i now have a bead around all the glass edges and from what i can tell i have a solid seal around all the glass. so after some thoughts i have decided i want to have two separate drain lines instead of the two into one that i originally planned. my thoughts on this is that with having two separate drains if on clogs up (although not likely) the other will still flow. next up is to paint the pedestal.

unless you guys think otherwise i am planning on filling the tank tomorrow.

here are a few new pics. i decided to toss the drift wood back in. also what do you think of my drain covers? they are the press in type that are used for yard drains, i found that after cutting off the flange that the covers are a press fit over a 1.5 inch female slip to male threaded adapter. i am toying with installing a few nylon screws to help hold them on though.


----------



## mel_cp6

Looks great. 
If u don't mind me asking, how much would something like this cost not including making a nice stand/drawer?
So basically just the ply tank and glass.


----------



## rotccapt

i have not been keeping to many records of price on this tank but i can give you a close number.

glass: $340
one 4x8 sheet 1/2" ply: $30 ( i used blond wood plywood because it had more layers than b/c sanded ply)
one 4x8 sheet 3/4"ply: $33 (b/c sanded ply)
six 2x4x10: $25
three 2x3x8: $6
one kit max acr epoxy: $100 (only used 1/2 the kit)
5 pounds polymer coated deck screws 3 inch: $23
1 pound polymer coated deck screws 1.25 inch: $7
5 yards 6 ounce fiberglass cloth: $20
4 tubes ge silicone 1 clear: $20

total: $600

im sure im missing something but i think that is close.


----------



## Steve C

Looking real good now. I hope you have 3-4 strong friends to help you get it inside


----------



## mel_cp6

That's pretty good. It's more than half price of an acrylic tank. Is the glass tempered and starfire?


----------



## rotccapt

standard annealed plate glass not starfire. i could have gotten the glass cheaper from glass cages but i did not want to wait till October 15th to get my glass. they quoted be 270 delivered but i would have to meet their truck when it got in town. so i compromised a bit and used a local company. also i have my 1/4 inch glass for the sump as part of the 340


----------



## rotccapt

so i was doing some yard work today and found a couple rocks that we had in a planter that i though would look good in the tank. what do you think? if i keep the two rocks i think i am done with the hard-scaping. i will be adding some plants to the tank also.


----------



## rotccapt

so unless you guys think i should wait a little longer i plan on filling the tank in stages starting at noon


----------



## mel_cp6

Those rocks look good in there. I say your hard scale is done. 
If it were me, I would wait until the silicone are fully cure. I wouldn't risk it and what's another day or two anyways.


----------



## rotccapt

how long will the silicone take to dry. the silicone that is holding the glass in has been drying in a 80-90 degree garage for two full days if i wait till noon


----------



## rotccapt

do you think i would be ok to put about 3-4 inches of water into the tank (enough to flow out my drains when they are turned upside down) so i can test my under sand jets?


----------



## mel_cp6

Double post


----------



## mel_cp6

Ok. I thought the silicones only been curing for 1 day. 48 hrs should be enough and it's not like you're setting it up today anyways. Your just doing a leak test I assume. 
Btw, I usually wait until it doesn't smell like vinegar anymore before I put water in tanks that had been re siliconed.


----------



## fusion

I would go by whatever it says on your silicone tube for full cure time, they normally say on this forum its ok when you cant smell that vinegar smell anymore its ok for fish, but you need it to cure fully for strength so that dont count..


----------



## rotccapt

yea im wanting to fill it up to do my week long leak test. there is some silicone that has only been in for a day but that is just the fillet from the glass to the ply (this is still a bit soft). the silicone that is holding in the glass and that i am relying on for the seal has been curing for two days


----------



## UNIDEKE

I believe you will be ok. Curing time of 48 hours will be sufficient for a full water test, with that being said, I suggest you pick up all your tools and what not off the garage floor, sweep up the saw dust in case it does leak, you won't have to clean up a bigger mess. Make sure to take plenty of pictures of this process...once completed (fish in, etc) a slide show-movie of how the process went would be awesome! If you don't have software to do that check out animoto.com. Keep us posted.


----------



## rotccapt

ok well in that case i think i will add about 6 inches of water every half hour or so till the tank is full


----------



## rotccapt

so i walked in to the garage to start my fill and i found a 4 year old animal in my tank.


----------



## fusion

Lol love it, gives some perspective on how big it really is, dang its huge


----------



## rotccapt

well it is now on a 5 day leak test so far no leaks and the tank is now full. i only had one hiccup in the whole fill and that was when i went to tighten a bulkhead and shattered the retaining nut. nice thing is it was a pool bulkhead so all i had to do was run to the pool supply store and buy a new one and we were back up and running. so here are a couple progress pics of the fill. my son decided he wanted to play in the tank while it was filling.









































































here is the tank full with the light on what do you think? i might add some more light to the tank we will see


----------



## mel_cp6

Congrats on the job well done.


----------



## kojak76

I have to say that I have followed this thread since day one. You have done an outstanding job and have inspired me to do a similar project in the future after my new house is built. I hope you would not mind some questions through pm if I have any once I start.


----------



## UNIDEKE

Looking good!


----------



## iwade4fish

Great looking pool!!!!!


----------



## rotccapt

kojak76 said:


> I have to say that I have followed this thread since day one. You have done an outstanding job and have inspired me to do a similar project in the future after my new house is built. I hope you would not mind some questions through pm if I have any once I start.


no problem i will gladly help in any way i can

thank you all for the nice comments i cant wait to get the tank on the stand and get it up and running. i am afraid the fun has yet to begin though, on Friday i am planning on trying to get some guys together and get the tank moved into the house. after it is all up and running i will start work on the hood. the hood will have a set of doors on the front that will be used for feeding and then the whole top will hinge back to expose the entire front half of the tank for doing maintenance. im thinking i will need a mack and snorkel to do any maintenance on the back of the tank


----------



## 13razorbackfan

Looks awesome!!


----------



## PaNiK

It's coming along very nicely!


----------



## Steve C

Nice job :thumb: It had to feel good to get it full and see no leaks!


----------



## rotccapt

oh yea i really cant wait to get it on the stand. next up is to test my overflows and to test my emergency overflow prevention system. after i get that all tested i will drain the tank and glue all the plumbing together and get it ready for the trip inside the house. i will be suing a quiet one 4000 to do all my testing which at this head height it will give me ruffly the same gph (for each the jets and the spray bar if i had equal flow between both) i will have with the new danner supreme hy-drive 2100 pump


----------



## rotccapt

so i was doing some water flow tests today and i am a little disappointing at how much water my drains flowed. granted i was only running one overflow my pump was only putting out half the flow i want fro the tank so i feel it is a valid test. i found that once the water flow stabilized i had a total of 24 gallons of overflow water when i turned the pump off. my sump can not handle that much overflowing water. in order to run it the way it is i would only have one gallon of water left in my pump section. so im thinking about adding a surface skimming overflow what do you guys think?


----------



## fusion

Could you just bring the intakes up to the top of the tank and have 2 Durso's? would mess up your water change system though.


----------



## fusion

Just looked again, are those 2 pipes on either end just vents? you could very easy turn them into Durso's if they are, just block off the inside intakes, you would need to work out how deep to set them depending on how much room you have in your sump if the pump went out.


----------



## rotccapt

yea i could. i may just turn one into a corner overflow and keep the other as a bottom overflow. do you think i would have better flow with radiused elbows instead of the strait 90* elbows?


----------



## fusion

yes if you have the room. lmao i guess you have, im thinking if you leave one of the overflows at the bottom, your still going to have the same sump problem, as in it would syphon down to that overflow if the pump failed or power went out. is there a syphon break in that line anywhere?


----------



## rotccapt

yes the siphon break is that vent line at the top of the tank. if i make one of the drains a corner overflow i will raise the bottom overflows top pipe so that it is just below the top of the corner overflow


----------



## Steve C

I can't comment about skimmers because I know nothing about them....But I have to comment again and tell ya Nice Job man. That really looks good. Looking forward to seeing it once you get it inside in a day or two. I don't remember if you said earlier...but whats the stock list on this?

Steve


----------



## PaNiK

Lowering your baffles in your sump will decrease the amount of water "in use". In your sump, and free up more auxiliary for back flow in a power outage. Does that make sense?


----------



## rotccapt

Steve C said:


> I can't comment about skimmers because I know nothing about them....But I have to comment again and tell ya Nice Job man. That really looks good. Looking forward to seeing it once you get it inside in a day or two. I don't remember if you said earlier...but whats the stock list on this?
> 
> Steve


stock list is as followes:
1 albino tiger oscar
1 male green terror
1 male jack dempsy
1 female nic (macaw cichlid)
2 fire mouth (presumably a pair but not sure yet)
5-10 giant danio
5 dension barbs (currently only have one the otheres died dont know why i got them from my lps so that might have somthing to do with it)
1 sail fin pleco
1 rapheal cat



PaNiK said:


> Lowering your baffles in your sump will decrease the amount of water "in use". In your sump, and free up more auxiliary for back flow in a power outage. Does that make sense?


i am looking in to that right now i got some glass scraps from the glass shop and one of them is the exact width of my sump and is 4 inches shorter than my last baffle got to do some more calculations. but that would defiantly free up space.

what would you think of my putting my heater in the first compartment of the sump when the water enters. if i did that i could just remove that baffle all together then i would have 36 gallons of reserve space

if i did that i would remove the last two baffles in this pic


----------



## PaNiK

Your sump design is kind of backward, any baffles after your wet dry chamber will dictate the water level


----------



## PaNiK

I just re read your last post. Yes. I would get rid of those Lat two baffles, they don't really serve much of a purpose, except to control the water level as previously stated. or to premptively counter potential bubbles, you could shorten them considerably to form a bubble trap, not sure if bubbles are as big of a factor in freshwater, like they are in marine aquariums. I sure hope not, I didn't have room for one in mine 

As for the heater, if space, and heater design allow. allows I would consider laying it flat in the pump section. That area would likely hold the most water


----------



## rotccapt

yea by taking out those last two baffles i will free up 10 gallons of water.


----------



## rotccapt

well guys i finally figured out how to solve my problem. i have decided to install an acrylic surface overflow in the back corner. i have decided to run a modified "Heirby style" overflow system. this system consists of three drain lines, one full siphon that is regulated with a ball valve, one open drain, and an emergency overflow which is actually out of the water. so here is how it will work for my tank. the full siphon will be behind the corner surface overflow the open drain will be my bottom overflow which will double as the emergency overflow. my overflow will still function the same as a standard "herbie" overflow except the full siphon will be used to regulate the entire tank water level instead of just the overflow chamber. so i will be setting the bottom overflow pipe so that the water will stop flowing at the top of the surface overflow chamber that way the full siphon will just drain the overflow chamber. i will be regulating the tank water level so that it will only fluctuate 1 inch when the pump is off this will give me about 11 gallons of back flow when the pump shut off. i hope that all makes sense

i will take some pics of it once i get it all set up


----------



## mel_cp6

Looking at the sump and its actually not a wet/dry due to the height of the 2nd last chamber. Water has to go over that chamber and in doing so turning this into a wet wet filter. Meaning the biomedia will be fully submerge at all time and not exposed to air. It still works but its better when its mostly above water line. I would get rid of the last chamber and cut the next one to less than half to determine the water height in the return chamber. 
Filter socks also requires a lot of changing. Just something to consider since the sump will be behind the drawers. The key to freshwater sumps is making if simple and easy to maintain. 
What will you use for mechanical filtration. Without it that filter sock will collect a lot of debris like I mentioned. I agree with moving the heater to the return chamber and just lying if flat.

I didn't read the whole thing about the sump but just wanted to share some if my concerns.


----------



## rotccapt

that pic is a bit old i have decided to ditch the last two baffles so the sump will be a wet dry. i am also planning on having a couple layers of quilt batting that will be on top of the filter socks to catch all the big stuff. also the mechanical filtration will be right next to the door that i have installed to access the the sump.

here is the access door and the new sump design


----------



## rotccapt

well i tested my new overflow design today and it worked perfectly. so with three days down and no leaks i decided to drain the tank today so i can finalize the plumbing and install my overflow chamber. since it is acrylic and silicone does not stick well i will be making some mount tabs to hold it in place that will be siliconed to the acrylic and then screwed together with stainless steel screws. i will then apply a bead of silicone to the inside and outside of the chamber. i will take some pics of it after i get it all glued together.

also by keeping the one bottom overflow i was able to keep my water change system so i tested it and it took ruffly 30 min to drain the tank down to the lowest drain pipe. took about 10 min to drain down to the first pipe.


----------



## rotccapt

I'm almost finished with the whole installation of the overflow, it is waiting on paint to dry so i can apply the silicone. I have the underwater drain all glued together, it just needs to be attached to the tank. The return to the spray bar and the under sand jets is roughed out and is waiting to be glued together. What do you think?





















The blue on the overflow chamber is just a reflection from the blue tape, the color is actually flat black.


----------



## cantrell00

What size drain do you have in there?


----------



## rotccapt

inside the overflow chamber is a 1 inch full siphon drain that is tuned with a ball valve to adjust the water level in the tank. here is a link to how the system works i have just modified the design a little bit so that it controls the entire tank level instead of the overflow chamber level.

http://www.beananimal.com/projects/sile ... ystem.aspx

i can up the pipe size to 1.5 inch if necessary but i dont think i will need it though. with my test i had to open the ball valve about 1/4 turn to get the desired result and that was at about 1/2 my total flow so once i get the new pump i will have to open it up some more we will see.

my free flowing drain is a 1.5 inch drain and while operating i have about 1/2 inch of water running through it


----------



## rotccapt

well i siliconed in my overflow today and i just did a leak check on it and so far so good. this is the last step i needed to do before i am confident enough to move the tank into the bedroom. im hopping to get that done tomorrow. so i was thinking about doing a time lapsed video of the trip from the garage to the bedroom what do you think?


----------



## Koteckn

:thumb: i dig it


----------



## kittyk

Wow...just found your thread. Amazing project....can't wait to see it done.


----------



## fusion

Vid would be good


----------



## rotccapt

thanks i am really looking forward to getting it up and running.


----------



## rotccapt

well guys the tank is on the stand, sand is in, wood and rocks are in, plumbing all finished up, and filled up with water. all i have left to do is put the 29 gallon sump from my current 55 gallon tank in place and hook up the pump and it will be ready to go. sorry no video of the install the video camera was broke. the move went off without a hitch. it only required two of use to get the tank in position. once we got it into the bedroom we tilted the tank over so that the heavy end was already on the stand, then we picked up the other end and slid it in place. also it turns out the tank was level so i did not have to shim it at all.

on a side note if you all decided to use the quikrete all purpose sand rinse it first. i was not looking forward to rinsing 200 lbs of sand so i omitted that step and decided to just fill up the tank with the sand then add about 4 inches of water and stir up the sand. although this did work for the most part i found that i had a colony of sugar ants living in one of the bags of sand, so when i started to add water to the tank i had a flood of ants trying to escape, not fun. well tomorrow i will be doing about a 25-50% water change to try and get the rest of the dust out of the tank then i will add some water conditioner and get this thing running.

for my lights i took and got some 6500k 40w bulbs for my 48 inch fixture. i defiantly like this color light over the 4100k that i was testing before. it is a lot brighter now i just need to clear up the water to see if i will need more light.

since i will be using an established filter i will be adding fish right away i think i might add about 5 minnows to the tank first though and see if they survive before adding my cichlids.

here is a pic of the tank up on the stand. as a size reference in the second pic that is a six foot ladder next to the tank


----------



## PaNiK

Aw man that looks fricken sweet!


----------



## rotccapt

so i need your thoughts. my original plan was to set up the tank with the 29 gallon sump so that i can move all the fish from the 55 into the 300. while this should work well, i am thinking about moving all the fish to my 46 gallon bow front that is not being used so that i can go ahead and build my sump out of the 55. then i dont have to set up the tank twice. what do you think about that?

i figure if i start the 55 sump in the next hour or so i could have the tank up and running by around 3 or 4 today then i dont have to shut the tank down to make the sump swap.


----------



## PaNiK

If use the 55 and only do it once, make sure you're going to allow enough time for your silicone to fully cure.

Are you going to Cycle the tank before adding fish?


----------



## rotccapt

i will be using the established filter media from the 55 gallon tank as the media for the new tank so i should not need to do a full cycle. i will be adding some bacteria supplement though to help it along.


----------



## fusion

As PaNiK said, only thing to worry about is the silicone, i did my sump yesterday and it still has a very strong vinegar smell, i belive you have to wait at least until that smell is gone, great build BTW


----------



## rotccapt

well the sump was tanking longer to put together than i though so i went ahead and put the 29 gallon sump in so i could get the tank running. the tank is clearing up i did about a 50% water change on it today and will probably do another 25% tomorrow. i will also be adding some carbon to the filter to help clear up the tank. i have had 5 minnows in the tank for about an hour and they are all swimming around so i n about another hour i will add my fish. i will be going on another business trip at the end of the month and when i get back i will be getting the proper pump which will be a danner supreme hy-drive 1600 pump. i will also be building the hood when i get back. more to come. i will post some pics later


----------



## rotccapt

well the tank is starting to clear up. i think i will do another water change today and that should help a lot. so i have added some decent looking fake plants for the time being. also all the fish are in and it appears that there are no aggression issues.

my stock list that is in the tank right now is as follows:

1 ea 3.5 inch male green terror
1 ea 3 inch albino tiger oscar
1 ea 1.5 inch male jack dempsy
1 ea 2.5 inch female Nicaragua Cichlid (macaw cichlid, nic)
1 ea 4 inch blue gourami
1 ea 2 inch opelecent gourami
1 ea 2 inch gold gourami
5 ea 2 inch giant danio
1 ea 1.5 inch dension barb
1 ea 3 inch sail fin pleco
1 ea 2 inch rapheal cat

and last some pics. what do you think of my decorations?


----------



## PaNiK

I'm glad I don't have room for something like this, or should I say I bet my wife is glad I don't have room for something like this. Are you going to make a canopy for it too?


----------



## rotccapt

yes that is up next


----------



## mel_cp6

Very nice and congrats on job well done.


----------



## rotccapt

thank you all. i still have lots of work to do though. i need to add the rest of the trim to the stand and then start working on the hood. i have all the trim so i will be getting that all done this weekend. the hood will be started in about a month after i get back from my trip. also i will be replacing the ball valve that i have on my full siphon line with a screw style gate valve so i can fine tune the overflow chamber


----------



## fusion

I bought all my fittings today and was looking for plastic ball valves and couldnt find any, do you think a gate type valve is better? going to go to a different place tomorrow


----------



## cantrell00

fusion said:


> I bought all my fittings today and was looking for plastic ball valves and couldnt find any, do you think a gate type valve is better? going to go to a different place tomorrow


Gate valves are much better if you need more varied control over flow. More expensive typically.


----------



## fusion

cantrell00 said:


> fusion said:
> 
> 
> 
> I bought all my fittings today and was looking for plastic ball valves and couldnt find any, do you think a gate type valve is better? going to go to a different place tomorrow
> 
> 
> 
> Gate valves are much better if you need more varied control over flow. More expensive typically.
Click to expand...

TY, ill look for those :thumb:


----------



## rotccapt

i will only be replacing the ball valve on the siphon line because i need a finer adjustment to get my overflow level right. i have found that a ball valve is way to stiff to make accurate adjustments. for my overflow i need to be able to make very slight adjustments to get the water level right in the overflow chamber. too much flow through the siphon and i get a waterfall with lots of noise. too little of a flow and i dont get any surface skimming, it still keeps the water level right but i loose the benefits of the surface skimming. so for my situation a gate valve will be the right choice. i have found them online for about 11 bucks before shipping. i have one more store to look at tomorrow to see if they have them.

does any one know if i can use a brass gate valve on my tank?


----------



## du3ce

not too fond of the choice of color but everything looks great


----------



## rotccapt

here is another pic of the tank. the water is almost clear. also i will have to order that gate valve unless i step down to 3/4 inch. lowes and homedepot have cpvc shutoff valves but the biggest they have is 3/4 inch. i think i could get this to work considering that i am only needing about half to one third the flow through the pipe anyways. what do you think?


----------



## cantrell00

rotccapt said:


> here is another pic of the tank. the water is almost clear. also i will have to order that gate valve unless i step down to 3/4 inch. lowes and homedepot have cpvc shutoff valves but the biggest they have is 3/4 inch. i think i could get this to work considering that i am only needing about half to one third the flow through the pipe anyways. what do you think?


Should work assuming you use a multi-purpose (PVC & CPVC) cement.

3/4" CPVC is obviously a smaller ID than PVC though.


----------



## rotccapt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzqLEzxA ... ture=g-upl

i dont know how to embed videos but here is a link to my tank


----------



## 13razorbackfan

Very nice....


----------



## rotccapt

hi guys got a couple new updates. the tank is running well and i have not seen any real aggression problems. also i got the trim installed on the stand but i will be removing the top trim and replacing it because i dont really like the way it looks.

also i have started the hood. half the hood will be stationary and the front of the hood will have two doors on it and it will also hinge up for maintenance

how does it look.

here are a couple pics of the fish, new sump and the beginnings of the hood


----------



## PaNiK

I'm glad you went with the color change. Looks awesome now. What are you going to do about water top off and water changes?


----------



## rotccapt

as far as water changes go i have a valve that when opened will drain the tank down 25%. for water top off i will just have to fill up the sump when needed. its looking like i will have about two weeks between top offs but that is with no cover on the tank or the sump. i would like to make some kind of float to tell how much water is in the pump section but that is a later project.


----------



## Steve C

Looks good. What are you planning on replacing the trim with? I think the upper trim actually looks pretty good right now though.

Steve


----------



## rotccapt

i am planning on getting some chair rail molding that way it is a bit more contoured. i dont really like how much it sticks out.


----------



## rotccapt

well guys the hood is 90% complete and is installed on the tank. all that is left is molding and paint on the exterior. i will be getting some gas assist lift shocks (like used on camper shells and hatchbacks) to help open the hood for maintenance. it weighs in at around 70 pounds or so so i think i will get two 50 pound lift shocks. the two front doors will have some swing down props to hold them up ( just like the hood on cars)

here are the pics


----------



## ratbones86

Looks great! I cant wait untill i can build one. i seen a goraumi (cant spell it) in a 12 ft tank that was freaking huge talking bigger than oscar size. i was shocked at how big those buggers get


----------



## rotccapt

there are some species that do get huge but the ones i have top out at about 4 inches


----------



## asombrio02

not sure where your build progress is, but i see you need some hinges. my recommendation, used to keep my 18 month olds fingers from being smashed in his toybox, is to go to rockler.com and check out the lid stay torsion hinges. they are attractive and work great. downside-price. however, when building 300 gal aquariums, why spare on parts so close to the end. they have a calculator to determine how many you need based on lid weight, but my boy has perfectly healthy fingers because they work as if they cost their weight in gold.


----------



## rotccapt

those are cool but the weight of my top hatch is too much for those hinges. instead i will use gas springs to lift the hood


----------



## asombrio02

youd be surprised. they can accommodate any weight and i can speak to their longevity, the downside is that they cost about 20 per hinge. i have 3 on the toybox lid which weighs 35 lbs, so thats a big downside. just thought id throw that in there since i have no idea what your looking at paying for the hinges you are partial to. in any case, your project looks fantastic. i seem to be in the long line of people you are inspiring to plan their next big project.


----------



## rotccapt

im looking at about 12-15 bucks per gas spring and they will easily handle the weight. my hood half weighs in at almost 60-80 lbs so i would need a lot of those hinges


----------



## Meisterkiyoh

Woo, I just sat here and read over the whole post. That is a beautiful tank. I wish I could put that much time into making a tank and sump. I can't wait to see the fully finished tank.


----------



## rotccapt

i should have it finished by early December


----------



## johnnymax

I really enjoyed this thread. I wish I had construction finishing skills like your.
I am not a finish carpenter. I am a start carpenter, because I can start any project.
The problem is finishing them.
As I get older I am getting better, because I don't start as many projects.


----------



## rotccapt

Since this thread has been resurrected, I figured I would give you guys an update on the tank. I never fully finished the tank hood. I did get it painted but never finished the trim work. The tank is still running strong with no leaks. After several years of running I decided to redo the plumbing. I set the tank up with a more common central overflow with surface returns. The under sand jets also went away when I redid the pluming. They did not preform the way I wanted them to. As for the sump I decided to ditch the filter socks, they plugged up too quickly and required more maintenance than I wanted to do. I switched to using filter floss sheets for mechanical filtration. Another thing that I changed was the lights. I was using a 4 foot twin tube florescent fixture be it was not designed for the high humidity and eventually failed. I have since switched to two IP65 rated led canister lights ( like you would find in the ceiling of a room). So far they are doing well. I have also added a 8" computer fan to help with air circulation inside the hood. I was starting to get some mold problems. Thank you all for the positive words and advice while i was building the tank. I hope I have helped anyone looking to do a similar project.


----------

