After being back from trip to Jamaica and snorkeling there started rebuilding my tank that was badly zapped. (former post I did, the return pump connection popped and made lovely fountain right into the electrical outlet zapping me and all the fishes). Was already planning to rebuild it before my trip, but really got going afterwards seeing all the wild coral and fish.I do apologize, like an idiot I did not think, hey, take pictures of all the steps for cool series on the development. So it's half way into the project. But better late than never.
I've done a lot of fresh water and paludariums (tanks with river system and land, so has fish, frogs, newts, all in one) in the past. So my last "build' was my first adventure in to salt water. Taking much slower this time. First time I started with 20 gallon and then ended up gutting my non-used custom tank using as paludaruim and transferred the 20 into the 65. Which then later I used the and build into a sump. So main guts I started with this time the 65 and 20.
The tank stand I had before was for a custom built paludaruim tank which was as long at my 65, but not as wide (was think 50 gallon or some odd size). So first thing I did is took the pile of 2x4's and 2x1's and made a new tank stand from scratch. Based it off the structure of the old one but it's deeper and taller. So the tank fits perfectly. Also I made sure it will fit some nice cabinet doors I am planning to pick up from Ikea. Painted it black to match the doors I want.
I cleaned out the old stuff out of the sump and tank. That was a stinky project in itself. The sump design, I still like, just needed good cleaning. The upper tank, I had to get perfectly clean to add new overflow. I decided to go with corner overflow and return. Before I had just the PVC overflow, which I will still do similar plumbing (hey, it works). But wanted the better looks and management with the corner boxes. To my shock when I painted the boxes using Kylon to bond to the plastic (don't want chunking in the tank), the cap was not the color of the paint! Darn can does not have a label for the color and had black cap (all the different color had different caps). Yeah... oh well. Brown matches the tank's trim. I used scroll saw to cut out the teeth for the overflow and holes for where the return flow will go. Then I painted the back of the tank black so don't see all the cables and pipes (used same paint as tank stand, so knew it was black).
Oh! I fixed the darn return pump that killed the tank! The adapter ring to the casing of the pump both are smooth plastic. So roughed it up with sand paper, and epoxy it back in place. I can't pull it apart now pulling with all my weight, so should be good now.
Pictures I have, tank stand start (but not done with out tanks... sorry), upper tank with boxes in it and back painted. And sump (sorry, need new light for sump, ended up moving it to wife's cichlid tank.
I'll try to post more in future if remember so show more stages verse all at once.
I've done a lot of fresh water and paludariums (tanks with river system and land, so has fish, frogs, newts, all in one) in the past. So my last "build' was my first adventure in to salt water. Taking much slower this time. First time I started with 20 gallon and then ended up gutting my non-used custom tank using as paludaruim and transferred the 20 into the 65. Which then later I used the and build into a sump. So main guts I started with this time the 65 and 20.
The tank stand I had before was for a custom built paludaruim tank which was as long at my 65, but not as wide (was think 50 gallon or some odd size). So first thing I did is took the pile of 2x4's and 2x1's and made a new tank stand from scratch. Based it off the structure of the old one but it's deeper and taller. So the tank fits perfectly. Also I made sure it will fit some nice cabinet doors I am planning to pick up from Ikea. Painted it black to match the doors I want.
I cleaned out the old stuff out of the sump and tank. That was a stinky project in itself. The sump design, I still like, just needed good cleaning. The upper tank, I had to get perfectly clean to add new overflow. I decided to go with corner overflow and return. Before I had just the PVC overflow, which I will still do similar plumbing (hey, it works). But wanted the better looks and management with the corner boxes. To my shock when I painted the boxes using Kylon to bond to the plastic (don't want chunking in the tank), the cap was not the color of the paint! Darn can does not have a label for the color and had black cap (all the different color had different caps). Yeah... oh well. Brown matches the tank's trim. I used scroll saw to cut out the teeth for the overflow and holes for where the return flow will go. Then I painted the back of the tank black so don't see all the cables and pipes (used same paint as tank stand, so knew it was black).
Oh! I fixed the darn return pump that killed the tank! The adapter ring to the casing of the pump both are smooth plastic. So roughed it up with sand paper, and epoxy it back in place. I can't pull it apart now pulling with all my weight, so should be good now.
Pictures I have, tank stand start (but not done with out tanks... sorry), upper tank with boxes in it and back painted. And sump (sorry, need new light for sump, ended up moving it to wife's cichlid tank.
I'll try to post more in future if remember so show more stages verse all at once.
