# Pics of my 225 gallon project. Tell me what you think.



## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

Just bought a 225 gallon tank off of Craiglist that came with a pretty crappy stand. I'm goint to build a new stand/ cabinet and build my own DIY sump and UGJ system. Here are some oics of what I've done so far. Please feel free to comment or offer some advice. Hope you like them.
Here are pics of the original tank and stand when I bought them.


































Her pick of my brother-in-law and I constructing the new cabinet for the tank.


























































































































































Here are some pics of the new filter and sump that I'm making. Still need to finish it up.


































Here is the UGJ system I made. All I'm missing is one piece of PVC to finish.


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

Nice work so far. :thumb: Looking forward to seeing the finished product.


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## Pali (Dec 22, 2009)

Yeah looks nice indeed :thumb:


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## electyellowdude (Feb 18, 2010)

rgr4475 said:


> Nice work so far. :thumb: Looking forward to seeing the finished product.


+1!!


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

Just finished putting the molding on the stand. I must say, I think the cabinet looks amazing. I didn't have my camera with me yesterday so I couldn't take any pics. I will take pics today and post some up later. I was wondering if some one could tell what type of paint I should use to paint the back glass of the tank. I want to paint it black. Is there a certain paint that I need to use to do this? Please let me know as I'm trying to get this project fifninshed by this weekend. Thanks


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

really interested in the jets..thats what i want to use in my next big tank..any more info? and a close up of the head..

my only worry is that if you are feeding the canisters directly into the jet system ..then what about surface aggitation?


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## cdnarcher (Feb 24, 2010)

sezaro21 said:


> Just finished putting the molding on the stand. I must say, I think the cabinet looks amazing. I didn't have my camera with me yesterday so I couldn't take any pics. I will take pics today and post some up later. I was wondering if some one could tell what type of paint I should use to paint the back glass of the tank. I want to paint it black. Is there a certain paint that I need to use to do this? Please let me know as I'm trying to get this project fifninshed by this weekend. Thanks


I used Krylon Fusion Gloss Black on mine. When it had cured 24 hours I used masking tape and covered the entire back so the paint would not get scratched. It turned out amazing.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I used flat black latex wall paint and a roller. I masked off the tank trim first. Will probably need a couple coats, mine did.


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## PauloSilva (Apr 17, 2006)

This looks likely an excellent build, well thought out and the carpentry looks great.

Few questions:

What type of plywood is that? How do you plan to finish it off? Stain? Paint?
Where did you get the black pvc? or did you dye it or paint it?
What size pump are you using for the return? Are you using just one pump and T'ing off the return?
Are you drilling the tank for the overflow?

Stocking ideas?

Sorry to ask all the questions, I'm just interested.

Btw, I've heard of people just rolling on black latex paint with a roller. Many thin coats works best.


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## bertolli (Aug 18, 2009)

Awesome so far can't wait to see updates.
I painted the back of mine with black latex wall paint like someone else mentioned. It needed about 4 coats which isn't bad because it dries fast and then there were a few spots it needed touch up. The best way to see is to put a light shining at the side of the tank you are painting and then go around to the front (viewing side) and see if any of the light shines through.


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

PauloSilva said:


> This looks likely an excellent build, well thought out and the carpentry looks great.
> 
> Few questions:
> 
> ...


Thanks for all the complements. To answer your questions.
Few questions:

What type of plywood is that? How do you plan to finish it off? Stain? Paint?
I used 3/4" plywood for the front, back and side panes and 1/2" plywood for the top and bottom pieces. I will be painting it Black with the trim and molding a metalic silver.
Where did you get the black pvc? or did you dye it or paint it?
I got the black PVC pipe in the plumbing sectiong of Lowes. Its the extensions that are used for the sprinkler system. I used these instead of PVC because they were already black and they are threaded on both ends which makes everything easier for me.
What size pump are you using for the return? Are you using just one pump and T'ing off the return?
I'm going to use the strongest pump i can find. I will be T'ing off my return so that it works both UGJ systems. I will have a making a spraybar that will go from one side of the tank to the other side and will agitate the surface water for me. That will be powere by a Rena Filstar 4XP canister filter. That will create more then enought power for the spraybar.
Are you drilling the tank for the overflow?
The tank will not be drilled. I will be creating my own PVC overflow for the tank.

As for the stocking. It will house an F1 7" trimac, a 6" Wild Caught Barred Midas, a 7" Kahula Flowerhorn, a 5" Jaguar/Umbie hybrid and a 7" pleco. That is all. I might throw in a few convicts as dither fish.
The 100 gallon that I currently have up and running will house a mated pair of Wild Caught Festae. I think the happy couple deserve a little privacy. LOL. Any thoughts? Please let me know.
I think I will use the Black Latex paint for the background on this tank.

Oh by the way, since I wasn't able to get a pic of what the stands currently looks like i sketched this up. Hopefully in the end it should look something like this.


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

test


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## johncl (Mar 10, 2010)

Lookin good so far can't wait to see some more pics.


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## gatorsaver (Jan 3, 2010)




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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

Sorry for not posting pics last night. I was real tired after working on the project. I finished priming the entire stand and I sprayed 5 light coats of Kryon Fusion Black paint on the back of the tank glass last night. I will be doing another 4 coats to the glass to make sure that it sticks and covers fully, later tonight. I will also start painting the stand black tonight as well. What type of paint should I use for the stand? I need something that will be water resistant but will also look good. I want to make sure that it is a paint that I can clean real easy as well. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.
I will also be picking up the return pump today so that I can finish with the sump and the return hoses.


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## bubG (Jan 24, 2010)

lookin good. I actually paint for a living, and when i build my stands i always use an oil base primer, preferably gray in color if you want to paint it black. For the finish coat i like to use an oil base enamel. oil enamel is a little tougher to work with than latex but it will dry harder, and it levels out better also showing less brush stokes or roller stipple. it will hold up to getting wet a lot better than latex also. I use sherwin williams all surface enamel, gloss. Hope that helps


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

I like your stand. Looks like its going to be nice. I'm just finishing up work on a DIY stand as well, and painted my stand black. Although my construction does not look nearly as polished as yours, it'll get the job done nicely. The latest pics of my progress are here.

I used a white oil based primer. I used white because I wanted to prime the inside as well for moisture resistance, and someone suggested painting the inside white to help with lighting when you have to do maintenance under the stand. I didn't want to use 2 different primers, so I did the whole stand in white. The black paint was actually Rustoleum, an oil based enamel. Went on really nicely over the primer in 2 coats. I thought about painting my trim silver as you're planning on doing, but to save a little $$ on paint just decided to go with all black. I think it came out looking pretty nice, and thats all that matters as I'm the one who's got to like it... well, me and my wife, but she approves as well 

Keep up the great work. Can't wait to see it finished :thumb:


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

Sorry it took so long to add new pics. Painting got a little harder then expected. I decided to paint the molding last and that ended up being a mistake. Had to reprime the cabinet except for the molding and then repaint. Here are some pics of what the cabinet looks like painted. I still need to finish the doors. That will be done this week. I will be moving in the cabinet and the tank into the house this week. Should have some completed photos later this week.

Here are the pics.

























Tell me what you think.


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## SlawDawg (Feb 25, 2009)

wow! That looks great, I really like the molding!


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## bertolli (Aug 18, 2009)

SICK :drooling:


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

Sanded the doors last night. I need to put a coat of primer on them and then paint them. They should be ready by thursday. Tonight I will be painting the wall that the tank will go against. That way I can at least move the stand and the tank in the correct place by this weekend. If all goes well then the tank should be up and running by this weekend. This weekend I will be buying an Umbee and a about 6 convicts to put in the new tank with the other fish.


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## bremz8 (Apr 9, 2010)

Is that a jeep i see??? awesome tank. probably awesome jeep. are you on jeep forum as well?


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

bremz8 said:


> Is that a jeep i see??? awesome tank. probably awesome jeep. are you on jeep forum as well?


Thanks, yes that is a jeep you see in the pic. I do belong to a few jeep forum.(Jeep Forum, Florida Jeepers, Jeepz & 4WD) Fishkeeping and jeeping are my 2 favorate hobbies. here are some pics of the jeep.


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## bremz8 (Apr 9, 2010)

nice rig, jeeps and fish are my hobbies as well. if you dont count jeep related ones such as camping hiking so on.


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## Intyme (May 27, 2009)

The wood working looks great, I wish I was that good at it. I think you should use some type of polyurethane over the stand to help with water from getting to the wood and keeping the paint fresh. They have satin finishes instead of a high gloss unless you like hg.
opcorn:


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## TheBanker (Jun 14, 2008)

nice build, looking forward to seeing water in it. You got a idea on the stock yet?


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

I will finally be moving the tank and the stand from the garage into the house. I will be setting it up today so once it's done I should have pics up later today. The only thing I have left is fininshing the doors to the cabinet. I should hopefully fininsh that up this week.


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

Here are the pics of the tank. I finally got it into the house and filled it with water. I'm still working on the wet dry filter as well as the doors. They should hopefully be finished before the end of the week.


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## Coln (Dec 17, 2007)

Thats looking Ace, solid build looking forward to seeing the fish going in :thumb:


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

Ran into an issue yesterday. Got everything for my sump and wet dry all hooked up but the sump container will not fit under the cabinet.  Now I need to find a new rubbermaid container that will fit under the stand. Once that is done then I can ad my :fish: as the filter system will be running. I also decided to cut some big squares out in the back od the cabinet. It's really hard to work with the hose and connections throught 3 2-1/2 holes. I figured once I get the doors on, you won't even notice that the back is open.


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

Found a new rubbermaid sump that will fit under the tank. Was getting all the hoses hooked up when suddenly the hose from the overflow would not reach the sump. Just got back from Lowes and bought the last pieces I need. All I need to do when I get home is connect the hose and turn on the pump, move fish to their new home, grab a beer and lasty enjoy my hard work.
Here are some pics of the new sump and a few pisc of the DIY PVC overflow I made.

It's made of 1" pipes.


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

Let us know how loud the DIY overflow is, if at all. I noticed you used a Durso type on the outside of the tank - was that to reduce the sound?


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

Looks great by the way! Bookmarking your thread for my eventual DIY!


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## Amazilia (Sep 5, 2009)

Your stand looks awesome! Nice job!


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

Almost done but here are some updates on the tank. I redid the the UGJ system and finished all the tubing and the tops. I put in the rocks and the driftwood. It still a little cloudy but the hopefullyt should clear up with some time. I've icluded some pics if the almost finished product. All i got left are the doors. They are already made, they just need to be painted.









































*Here are some pics of the fish,*
http://i204.photobucket.com/
albums/bb101/sezaro21/New%20Fish%20Tank%20Build/IMG00061-20100422-2141.jpg


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## 00_MACKIE_00 (Apr 24, 2010)

Your tank looks great.

Nice work on the stand.


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## FishyFishy! (Dec 2, 2009)

Are you planning on putting doors on the stand?


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

FishyFishy! said:


> Are you planning on putting doors on the stand?


I do plan on putting doors on the stand. They are sitting in my garage waiting to be painted. I have just been a bit lazy these past few weeks. I plan to get them done this weekend. I also plan to getter a bigger sump. The sump that I bought is 30 gallons and it is BARELY enough to hold the amount of water that drains back into the sump once the light go out. Besides that the tank has been great. I had to replace some of the connections as the cracked and started spilling water on my floor. The sump is really quiet and yo barely even hear it. A lot of fine tuning because when I originally set it up it was loud. Now I can watch TV in the other room and you don't even hear it. I will post up pics later tonight.


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

Here are some updated pics. Still have the doors to put on but HOPEFULL I should get those done this weekend. I think I'll also work on making a canopy for the tank as well. I think the canopy would really finish it off.


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## tyhoward08 (Apr 23, 2006)

Just read the this start to finish. What an excellent DIY. The stand looks fantastic. Great work!!

You got me dreaming about a 100+ tank. Should probably wait until I have a house though


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## TheBanker (Jun 14, 2008)

nice update. tank is coming along nicely.


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## dainiusiva (Jul 25, 2009)

great project


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## aa7jc (Jun 1, 2010)

Awesome looking project.. Would like to see more


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Wow your water is crystal clear now!  ! Congrats great looking tank and everything


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## Pali (Dec 22, 2009)

Very nice

The reflection of the leaded window looks funny, first thourt was "huh did he really add a leaded window to the BG" that can't be healthy hehehe

The tank is looking sweet


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## herny (Nov 30, 2007)

dude i have to say thats one sick ass tank


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## aa7jc (Jun 1, 2010)

The tank stand looks awesome!
So, What was wrong with the initial UGJ design?


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## englishfishyman (Jun 15, 2008)

Very Nice, Love it!!


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## sezaro21 (May 3, 2005)

I have some sad updates to give. 
1st, I still have not put on the doors. I so much happening that that was the last of my concerns.
2nd, when I first set up the tank, there were 2 fish who pretty much ran the whole tank. They forced every other fish to the other side in the corner. Well, the other fish must have got fed up because I came home one day and the 2 fish that ran the tank where now almost dead. They were beat up so bad that by the time I went to save them, it was to late. Now I'm down to 3 fish in a 225 gallon tank.
3rd, the UGJ system was a total fail. I could not get it to work . I scrapped the whole idea and now need to come up with something different.

The only good news is that since the fish have so much room now, They have really started to grow. I'm down to a Flowerhorn, a male Red Terror an Umbie/Jaguar hybrid and I just bought a baby Jaguar that seems to be doing great. I was thinking of adding some convicts, just to mix things up. The 2 that I lost are the Trimac and the Barred Midas. They had such nice color too. May they RIP. :fish:


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## aa7jc (Jun 1, 2010)

Dang, Thats too bad about the UGJ system. I want to try something like that on my next tank.. Was it the size that was the issue or were the jets disturbing the sand too much?


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## kuhliLoachFan (May 30, 2010)

Any updates? Happy with everything?

I'm very interested in your stand, it looks very nice. Nice shots of your fishies! Thanks.

I re-read through and couldn't find what was wrong with the UGJ. What was up?

W


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## mark P (Jun 14, 2010)

Looking good !! 8) 
I used flablon black for my tank, went on easy as self stick and comes off easier than paint if you change your mind in the future. I got it from focus diy store, not sure what the eqivalent in the USA is though.
Keep up the good work m8 :thumb:


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## SYcichlid (Jul 14, 2005)

Great looking stand. everything came out sweet. Thank You for shopping at your local Lowes as I work there and appreciate your business :thumb:


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## iwade4fish (Jan 5, 2009)

Not to ruffle feathers, but, would look nice with mbuna!! Great thread, sir! Adding some molding to my stand, thanks for the inspiration!!!


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