Well I have recently purchased a 92 gallon corner bow front tank. My good friend is building the stand and canopy for it. This is his first time building a fish tank stand. Here are some pics of the process, we are almost done!!!! We should have it inside and ready to start cycling monday. We are going to be breaking down our 29 reef and transferring everything into the new one. Here are some details and then i will post some pics.

Tank:
Perfecto glass 92 corner bow front.

Lighting:
Current 36' HQI 470 watts

Filtration:
refugium sump
(soon a protein skimmer)

Misc:
2 Hydor Koralia Power-heads
-2300 l/h
-600 gph

Here are some pics of the tank building process...

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0013.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0029.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0042.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0043.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0044.jpg

What do u guys think so far???

looks great !! i really like the way the stand opens. i wish mine did that, the shelves will be a well used piece of the stand too.

Here are some pics of my lights....

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0045.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0046.jpg

Here are pics of my light in my dark garage
1st if the T5 blue and purple actinics

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0047.jpg

2nd in the T5's and the MH's

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0048.jpg

sweet !! what "color bulbs are you gonna be running ?? (10K, 14K, OR 20K) ??

i really like the stand good job

The light is

2 - 10 k MH

2 - 420 actinic blue
2 - 460 actinic purple

I will be running both actinics

Thanks THESAENT14!!!

Its not completely done. Ill post more pics when it is.

I am loving the stand!! I also wish mine did that...Such a great idea!! The tank is Beautifull...Cant wait to see it filled......Good job!

Fill Er Up !!

HAHAHAHA Thanks! I wish I could fill er up!! Trust me it has been killing me looking at it for the past 2 weeks. I

Nice! I love a corner tank!

Thanks CarmieJo!!

Very Nice! I like the window in the bottom.

What kind of finish will you use for the wood?

Thanks Keith P! We are going to put a cherry veneer on the front, stain it and put some trim on to hide all of the seems. SHould be done sunday. Ill post pics when we get it done!

Jen, i was currently working out how to perform the bowfront duties myself, when boom, i stumble across you & your thread.
1stly i dont know if ive said welcome to the site.
2nd Can i stea......borrow some of your design idea please?

wow, im chuft with the effort you've gone to, all DIY too which adds to the experience!

Jens Arc of Truth! just make sure you have a built in section for a box of tissues, just for when visitors arrive..lol i think that bottom backlit square should automaticly dispence them! :D

actually, after revisiting your design, the very front section, how much over hang is there from the bracing underneath. keeping in mind a tanks main support is on the outer most parimeter edges. Im just thinking aloud here, but you might need to look at this, its hard to tell from these pic or the angles, but with weight of fully stocked it could even impact that the top of your front hinged door?

Thanks Veriann....... I like your tissue idea, ill keep it in mind. A friend of mine is actually building it, but i will try to help u get the basic concept of what we are doing. Since (the pics at the top) we have added a lot more bracing going all directions. So it is well sturdy enough to hold all the weight, and the door should not adjust much (if at all) when we put the tank on and fill it up.

I know I told all you guys that it would be done sunday, but you know how little things can set you back when you are DIY. We got a lot done today, we "should" have it inside with sand, water, and rock cycling tuesday night. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :fingers:

sweet, keeps us informed!

Love the design of the stand...looks great! I'll enjoy following along. Can't wait to see it with stuff in it!

Ok guys time for updates!!! Here are a few more pics so u can see where we are. We still need to touch up on some of the stain.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0077.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0096.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0079.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0088.jpg


Hopefully we will have water and sand in it tonight!!!! :fingers:

Hook 'em Horns! :)

Nice touch

must be american, never heard that saying before?

must be american, never heard that saying before?

ONLY from Austrialians !! :rotfl:

So those three pillars are enough (along with plywood) to support almost half a ton of weight? The reason I ask is I am interested in making a tank stand of my own (for fun, I wouldn't even have a tank to set on it :rotfl:). I want to make a pretty basic rectangle stand with a surface area of 50" x 20". My idea had like nine 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" pillars. I guess that's a tad on the overkill side?

must be american, never heard that saying before? University of Texas at Austin, we love our sports!
Go Buckeyes!

thats a great looking setup I love the stand and the window idea thats genius!!!!!!!!!!

fill er up !! sorry, i get a little excited sometimes.

Thanks everyone!! Trust me I'm very excited also. We have it inside, setup, plumbed, and we have OR water cycling. This is our first tank that we had to do all the plumbing our self and first time using a refugium. So we are a little nervous about leaks, things not working right, so we are taking our time. As of right now it has been running perfect for 24 hours. We are going to be putting our salt in later tonight, and when we get the salinity right we are going to add our sand. I will post more pics when we get to that point.

Thanks for all the positive feed back!!!

alright !! you filled er up !! cant wait for pics.

ok guys I have a question completely off topic, but I didnt wanna start a new forum. I recently bought a hippo tang for the new tank, he is hanging out in my 29 until the tank is ready. He is nice and fat, eating like a champ. color is beautiful. and has been doing great!!! but for some reason he has been rubbing himself like crazy on this one rock. He has NO spots, I have 2 cleaner gobies and a cleaner shrimp and they are leaving him alone. My first thought what ICH, but no spots and all my other are just fine.

What are your thoughts about this???

he is flashing, probably from being in a small tank. your new tank is also going to be small for him. i seriously suggest taking him back to the LFS. if not, he is going to get very stressed and create some serious issues for you and your tank. if the LFS wont take him back try selling him or giving him to another reefer with a big enough tank for him (at least a 6' long tank). if you cant find one ... PM me, maybe we can work out something to get him shipped to me.

must be american, never heard that saying before?

I'll translate for you V,

Hook 'em Horns is an oft heard phrase in Austin Texas expressing an appreciation for University of Texas Longhorns, usually in reference to their many fine sports teams. (Notice the Texas Longhorn logo on Jenn's stand.) This is usually stated along with the hand gesture of a raised fist with the index finger and pinky extended.

This is often countered by the phrase "Gig 'em Aggies!" which is more often heard in College Station Texas in reference to the Texas A&M Aggies and their respective sports teams. This phrase is often said with a raised thumbs up sign. Looks kinda like this :up:

I've attended and have degrees from both schools, so I don't show a preference usually.

HOOK EM' HORNS all the way!!! No aggies allowed!!! Ha Ha Ha At least you went to UT also, u can stay ;)

Bobby- What do u mean "flashing"??

rubbing against anything it can. its called flashing and is usually caused by stress or parasite infestation ...

IchArtMar (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichartmar.htm)

OK guys!!! The time has finally came. We now have sand in the tank :mrgreen:

Here are a few pics.

Finally filling it up!
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0099.jpg

Water only
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0100.jpg

We added the salt
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0110.jpg

And drum roll please.........................SAND!!!!
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0116.jpg


Im like a little kid on christmas morning!!! LOL :clap:

Question Jen,

I was at Home Depot and I was trying to figure out what it would cost to build a stand and the numbers I was coming up with were about the same (or more) as a basic stand would cost. Something like THIS ONE (http://www.petco.com/product/101397/Aquatic-Fundamentals-75-or-90-Gallon-Upright-Aquarium-Stand.aspx) from Petco is about the same price as if I were to try and make it myself with minimum supplies. Did you price various stands that were already made, and if so, was the final bill for the stand you built more or less than it would have cost to just buy one?

Now obviously your stand is a lot cooler looking than the one in the link with that cool little window and all, and I understand that bowfront stands are sort of a different animal, but I was curious if making it yourself ended up saving money or not.

i am sure that the DIY stands are cheaper to build. 2x4s alone are only around $3 each, and 1/8" plywood is really cheap.

i am sure that the DIY stands are cheaper to build. 2x4s alone are only around $3 each, and 1/8" plywood is really cheap.

What quality 2x4's are we talking? The high quality ones are close to 10 bucks for 8 feet. I am nervous about building my own tank stand so I think I may be going the overkill route. :rotfl: I have 6 (3 sets of 2) 4"x4" pillars as the support beams for an 80 gallon tank stand in mind. I am nervous about using little 2x4s. I was thinking something along the lines of this. (Obviously not to scale.) ;)


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/Pogomako/tankdiagram.jpg

I think this might be a bit overkill, but it would be sturdy.

that is WAY overkill !! lol it would work, but not really very cost effective. i have a friend with a 2x4 stand we built for his 180, that would hold a tank.

that is WAY overkill !! lol it would work, but not really very cost effective. i have a friend with a 2x4 stand we built for his 180, that would hold a tank.

Yeah. It is a bit overkill. LOL. I just want to make sure it doesn't collapse on me.

Yeah it was way cheaper to DIY. We mainly used 2x4's. I will see if my friend who built ours will explain our stand to ya'll alot better than I can.

The pre-fab ones are not built nearly that sturdy!

sweet, thanks for the info session.
americans & their sports:p


coolio, your up an racing with the liquid stage, any structural flex to talk of?

rubbing against anything it can. its called flashing ...

ive tried it, but usually results in restraining orders :huh:

So those three pillars are enough (along with plywood) to support almost half a ton of weight? The reason I ask is I am interested in making a tank stand of my own (for fun, I wouldn't even have a tank to set on it :rotfl:). I want to make a pretty basic rectangle stand with a surface area of 50" x 20". My idea had like nine 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" pillars. I guess that's a tad on the overkill side?

Yours is a lot overkill, BUT I Like The Way You think. Be warned though, my kids joke that much of what I build can never be moverd:showoff:

Just look at the construction on even the high end stands and you will see how much "faith" they have. For your design I would use the pillars in the 4 corners and framing around the base and the top edges. I'd notch the pillars to accept the 2x4 rails. Then add the plywood to stiffen and support.. IMHO

overkill can never be underestimated. even on my hardcore metal stand i get almost 1mm bow flex due to max weight, that might not seem alot but in the case of volume, glass in general doesn't like to flex to much. :huh: im assuming acrylic would be kinda simular.

just like hotting up cars people, over engineer, then de-tune to ensure safe work loads.

Yours is a lot overkill, BUT I Like The Way You think. Be warned though, my kids joke that much of what I build can never be moverd:showoff:

Just look at the construction on even the high end stands and you will see how much "faith" they have. For your design I would use the pillars in the 4 corners and framing around the base and the top edges. I'd notch the pillars to accept the 2x4 rails. Then add the plywood to stiffen and support.. IMHO


You should see some of my original stand ideas. Absolutely ridiculous in terms of overkill. :rotfl: I have no idea how I would lift some of them. But they'd be sturdy as all heck.

Is it OK to use thick particle board instead of plywood. If I were to throw down 3/4 particle instead of 1/2 ply, would that be just as sturdy? The reason I ask is because they sometimes have particle boards with a rounded edge whiche might be cool for the top and bottom panels. And particle board is cheaper. ;)

I would NOT use particle board as it tends to delaminate when it gets wet, and it just will at some points with a tank. Also, you can seal the plywood easier.

For rounding over the edges, find someone with a router, OR look at the thread for this stand and how they used molding around the top to dress it and hide the rough edge. Plus, for plywood you can get edge banding veneer that applys with an iron. This makes the edge appear like solid wood

Ok everyone we finally are getting stuff in the tank!!!! Here are some more pics of our progress.

Full shot....
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-1.jpg

Tank w/ rock... (we are adding more)
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-4.jpg

Refugium...
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-3.jpg

Refugium through stand.....
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-2.jpg


Slowly but surely we are getting there!!!

great progress,i really like the stand

Looking good! The sump/fuge is really pretty! Bobby tells me I need to clean mine every time I post a pic of it! Unless you are planning on a fish only tank I would remove the bio-balls.

Love the stand. It looks very classy.
I'm with CarmieJo. Remove the bioballs. If they have been there for some time then remove them slowly. If they are new just take them out.

The window for the refugium is way coool!

Agree with removing the bioballs if it's a reef. They are not necessary and will cause nitrate problems.

thanks everyone!!!

We have been doing some research about the bioballs and we were thinking about taking them out. We have matrix in the same chamber that the bioballs are in. Would we just leave the matrix in there by itself??

Is a matrix some other way to grow bacteria?

i think it is Matrix Activated Carbon.

No its not matrix carbon. It is suppose to take out Nitrates, Nitrate and Ammonia....... So I'm told. My fiancé does all that.

No its not matrix carbon. It is suppose to take out Nitrates, Nitrate and Ammonia....... So I'm told. My fiancé does all that.


Seachem Matrix (http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~action~view~idProduct~SC3171~idCategor y~FIFMBOCR~category~Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies-Filter_Media-Biological-Ceramic___Resins_Type~vendor~.html)

I have some of this stuff. I bought a bottle of it before I started to learn things about the hobby. I have no idea if it works or not. It may be great, but I just heard live rock rubble, live rock rubble, live rock rubble, live rock rubble so I went with live rock rubble.

Sounds interesting. I would love for you to keep us posted on your nitrate levels.

nice stand... that thing came out awesome!!!. i would remove those bio-balls they always seem to be nitrate factory's.. NICE BUILD!!

Ok Guys here are some more pics........

Whole tank.....
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-7.jpg

Frogspawn and Hammer.....
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-9.jpg

Candycane, SPS, mushrooms and some zoas........
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-8.jpg

Zoas, Ricordias, small Candycane and Acanthastrea lordhowensis......
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-12.jpg

The fun brown alge stage......
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-10.jpg

The Refugium........(and to let everyone know i took OUT the bio balls and put live rock)
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-11.jpg

Well we are finally getting there, we still have to add our fish. They are still in the 29 with only rock. We are treating copper for a little bit just to make sure everyone is nice and healthy.

ENJOY!

Things are looking good, I look forward to seeing this tank mature.

Very nice! (said with a Borat accent)

I love all the different colors.

Lots of pretty colors! I would not move the rock you are dosing with copper into the main tank. The rock will absorb the Cu and leach it back out into the tank killing your inverts.

Thanks everyone!!!!

I thought I would give you give an update on how everything is going. Things are going great, the fun brown alge stage is DONE!!!! Well the 29 is completely gone, and everything is put in the 92. Fish and all. Here are some new pics.

So far we have fish wise:
- 1 cinn clown
- Blue Hippo Tang
- Pink Spotted Gobie
- 2 little blue and black cleaner Gobies
- Coral Banded Shrimp
- Blood Red Shrimp

We are looking into getting a
- 6 Line Wrasse
- a few more cleaner gobies
- Royal Gamma

Here are a few pics:

Tank from the Front
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0199.jpg

Tank from the right side:
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0207.jpg

Refugium w/o bioballs ;)
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/IMG_0200.jpg

So what do u think???

Looks great Jenn.

Have you thought about getting any schools? A small school of anthias would look cool in there. :agree: I'm looking at the colors in there and most of them seem to be on the darker side (although that could just be the picture). A school of 3-4 anthias would really pop.

i am getting ready to set up my 92 corner and was wandering if you had any problems with water flow in your tank

a master piece for s&#ts & giggles!

what a cracker! i love it , this is a fantastic effort that still only just begining.

keep up the great effort kiddo!

Ok guys. Sorry i haven't been around in a while, been busy with work. Well I finally got some updated pics for you! So enjoy.....

BTW (92 gallonReefer) No i don't have any problem with water flow

Full Tank:
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-13.jpg

My Zoas:
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-14.jpg

Mushrooms, clove poylps, Ricordias, and a cup coral
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-15.jpg

Right Side of tank: (kinda bare i dont)
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-17.jpg

The Cave: (right side shot of whole tank)
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-19.jpg

The Refugium:
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-20.jpg

My newest piece! Elegance
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-16.jpg

My pink spotted Gobie in his house. We laugh because it looks like he have 2 little bushes next to his front door :)
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z10/JSharrett4183/photo-18.jpg

Current fish:
Pink Spotted Gobie
Blue Hippo Tang
6 Lined wrase
Cinn Clown
Royal Gramma
2 black and blue cleaner gobies

I also have 1 coral bannded shirmp and a blood red shrimp

So what do u think?

Jenn, the tank looks GREAT!