DIY Monster Fish Tank

Sea Life Dive GIF by Ovation TV
ronda rousey omg GIF by Shark Week
All Good Ok GIF by Ovation TV


He's just taking a holiday break.
@Parka
You kicking back watching TV and some fish swimming around yet ???
 
@Parka did you put the tank on hold, or did the leak test reveal an issue?
 
Peter Gozintite said:
@Parka did you put the tank on hold, or did the leak test reveal an issue?
Click to expand...
No leaks, and I'm getting around to building the hood for the second time. The first one, it was too tall to have enough clearance to open so I had to scrap it mid build and start over.

The thing is, I copied the design for the stand and tank but Joey (not my brother Jofie) his design for the hood was butt ugly to me.
And it was way too heavy too. His hood design was just another rectangle box that sat atop the tank, made of solid 3/4" plywood, an overkill X ten.

So I was just winging it, and I ended up with a super light weight stick frame and I covered the openings from the inside with 1/4" plywood and I put 12.5 degree angles on the sides. So the recessed panels and 12.5 degree angles add visual interest compared to Canadian Joey's rectangle hood. And after it's painted I will use the same brass handles on the hood(s) as I'm using on the doors on the stand to tie it all together.

Here's a pic of what I have done so far. I have the hood pieces for the other side of the tank ready for assembly, my task for tomorrow.
Fish tank fez hat..jpg
 
Parka said:
No leaks, and I'm getting around to building the hood for the second time. The first one, it was too tall to have enough clearance to open so I had to scrap it mid build and start over.

The thing is, I copied the design for the stand and tank but Joey (not my brother Jofie) his design for the hood was butt ugly to me.
And it was way too heavy too. His hood design was just another rectangle box that sat atop the tank, made of solid 3/4" plywood, an overkill X ten.

So I was just winging it, and I ended up with a super light weight stick frame and I covered the openings from the inside with 1/4" plywood and I put 12.5 degree angles on the sides. So the recessed panels and 12.5 degree angles add visual interest compared to Canadian Joey's rectangle hood. And after it's painted I will use the same brass handles on the hood(s) as I'm using on the doors on the stand to tie it all together.

Here's a pic of what I have done so far. I have the hood pieces for the other side of the tank ready for assembly, my task for tomorrow.
View attachment 56453
Click to expand...


Jimmy Fallon Yes GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Happy Daniel Bryan GIF by WWE
Will Ferrell Reaction GIF
 
Parka said:
I have also been making some important and pricey purchases too and I will get into all that after dinner!
robert downey jr eating GIF
Click to expand...
What purchases are these?
 
SlinkyRedfoot said:
Can I come over and press my dick against the glass?
Click to expand...
I respect that you asked first! Of course you can come over! But I am a strict follower of the 6 foot social distancing standard. However in this case let us just make it 7 feet instead, just in case you're, just the fuck in case, okay!? HAHAHA!
 
Last edited:
Mofo said:
What purchases are these?
Click to expand...
Before I started this build I thought it would be cool to build my own filter too and it would be a cool thing to do but it's even cooler to shell out a few bucks, $340, and get a high quality high performance package ready to go.

To DIY one, it would be perfect if I had half the stuff or more needed laying around but I don't so to get the DIY one that I'd like, it would still cost around 200 bucks. The pump alone is 100 bucks and up to 150. You can not skimp on a pump that must run 24/7.

And even more reason not to DIY a filter now, I don't know all the details and I'd need so many different parts that I don't even know the names to... I just don't feel like wrapping my head around it right now. Maybe down the road after a while...

And I know I won't regret this purchase because I read review after review of customers just praising this Fluval company filters. And one guy said his was still working after 12 years. These filters are so cool, they are like a tiny mini municipal water treatment plant!

Here's a couple pics
The Pro's choice.jpg(not) Made in China.jpg
 
And I got three of these led grow lights, I think they were 70 bucks each. They are 100 watts each and I'm pretty sure it will be plenty of light for heavy plant growth. So the tank has 4 openings across the top and one section on the end I'm using only an 18 watt light, well that's the plan for now but anyway these led lights are kinda fascinating. It's just a flat plate. I can't have a flat plate going off in my head!
100 watt led full spectrum grow light.jpg
 
Mofo said:
What purchases are these?
Click to expand...
I almost forgot to mention probably the most important purchase. The four glass lids. It was pointed out to me just how dangerous regular window glass would be for lids and so I went with tempered glass for the lids and it cost 130 bucks delivered. It was a special order item, that adds to the cost and glass prices have been raising just like lots of other building materials. But again, I won't regret this purchase.

I understand that tempered glass is 7 times stronger than regular glass. I've seen guys stand on sky lights but not me!
 
Parka said:
Before I started this build I thought it would be cool to build my own filter too and it would be a cool thing to do but it's even cooler to shell out a few bucks, $340, and get a high quality high performance package ready to go.

To DIY one, it would be perfect if I had half the stuff or more needed laying around but I don't so to get the DIY one that I'd like, it would still cost around 200 bucks. The pump alone is 100 bucks and up to 150. You can not skimp on a pump that must run 24/7.

And even more reason not to DIY a filter now, I don't know all the details and I'd need so many different parts that I don't even know the names to... I just don't feel like wrapping my head around it right now. Maybe down the road after a while...

And I know I won't regret this purchase because I read review after review of customers just praising this Fluval company filters. And one guy said his was still working after 12 years. These filters are so cool, they are like a tiny mini municipal water treatment plant!

Here's a couple pics
View attachment 56476View attachment 56477
Click to expand...
Our salt water tank had a fluval system too. Had to have been 15 years ago
 
Peter Gozintite said:
Our salt water tank had a fluval system too. Had to have been 15 years ago
Click to expand...
Were you pleased with the quality of that brand's equipment? I never tried salt tanks, it was always too intimidating to me. Like ya gotta be a chemist to get that shit figured out! I'm lousy at calculus, I don't even know how to spell it right!

I never heard of this brand until I ran across them at Amazon. I'm pumped! Pun intended!

So I spent another 200+ dollars on more tank equipment today. When I started this thread I mentioned I wanted to track costs and so I'm going to break it down to how much has been spent up to today.

1. Lumber for stand and tank - $300
2. Glass panels on tank - $295
3. Pond Shield epoxy paint - $110, I bought a gallon for $220 and used about 'ave of it.
So the tank and stand together cost about $700, I think that's pretty good.

Now the equipment.

1. Four tempered glass lids - $130
2. Fluval canister filter - $340
3. LED lighting - $250
4. 96" x 18" under gravel filters - $120
5. Four power heads (for the under gravel filters) - $80

And so another $920 in equipment and that number will increase but not too much. All the biggest items have been bought, I still need to get a lot of gravel and I can get nice natural pea gravel from Home Depot.

Here's the guys I ordered today.
Amazon product ASIN B0002APVAWAmazon product ASIN B004IMVMAI
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top