Helloo to all & new stand + canopy

[LDSP]

Hello to all. I am a newcomer to here and hopefully I can contibute as wll as learn. Soooo... Just finished building a stand for my tank (135 gallon) and am working on finishing up the canopy. I am planning on using one of the mods from here and installing overdriven Magnetic ballasts (thanks guys) with switches so I can choose how many of the lights I want to turn on (3 four foot bulbs). Am looking for opinions on whether sliding black plexiglass doors on the canopy I built would look good or should I go with doors like my bottom cabinet? Issues with plexiglass in an aquatic enviroment? Also what material have people found that works good and is cheap to use as reflectors? The tank is going to house puffers (wife hasnnt decided fully whether they will be freshwater or brackish water species) so have to look at how materials hold up to both enviroments. Filtration will be handled through a cannister and a wet / dry with HOB overflow (CPR) and a MAG 12 pump. Anyways... Have tons more questions and hopefully some solutions down the road. See the pics of my stand and give me feedback It was built using clear pine 4x4's notched inside for the corners, routered on three sides, The rest of the framework is 1x4's joined with pocket screws and glue, and covered with tounge and groove bead board. The to[ and bottom boards are 2x4's routered.

Leo

 

[brian1973]

very nice looking stand.. love to see more pics of the build process so I can steal ideas for my next stand . What color stain is that?

 

[Lotus]

Welcome to the site

It looks like you've done a good job with the setup so far. Plexiglass shouldn't be a problem to use. Personally, I think wood would look better for the doors.

 

[LDSP]

AQhhh.. pictures of the build process... LOL. Built it kinda on the fly as I have NEVER built stuff before. My daughters were amazaed and swore I paid someone to build it. First, I got my basic dimensions needed for the tank (it is 58L x 28D x 21H), Made the bottom and top rails out of 2x4's mitered at the corners and routered all the way around. Then took clear pine 4x4's and routered them on three sides. I then cut out a 2 1/2" square all of the way down out of the inside section of the 4x4. This allowed me to atach the side frameworks (1x4's joined with pocket screws and glue) directly to the L formed by the remaining 4x4. I will post a picture tomorrow of a peice of the 4x4 section. I could have built the corners out of 2x4's but the joint would have been weaker than with the solid peice created from the 4x4. The top and bottom rails were attached to the side, back, amd front frames with 3' long screws. The whole structure (except for the 4x4 material was skinned with pine tounge and groove beadboard (each bord is esentially a 1x4 with the bead board effect milled every inch). Boards were glued and finish nailed. Just the framework without the bead board is like a rock!!! And once the beadboard was installed I wouldnt hesitate to stack 3 more tanks on top of it. Yet it really isnt super heavy. The pocket screw joints on the 1x4 framework make creating the framework easy. Check out Kreg.com With glue on the joint it becomes even more strong. No nails for me in high load cabinet structures. I will try to post pictures tomorrow of some of the basic inner structure.

Thanks for the compliment. BTW..the stain is Minwax Early American.

Leo

 

[Kalavek]

Regarding plexiglass in an aquatic environment; I have a piece of 1/16" plexi in use as a splash-guard on my tank right now, temporary until I get around to building something proper. I've noticed it has warped with water contact - quite a bit, actually. If I let it dry for a couple days, it flattens out again.

Then again, it's stupidly thin, and 1/4" plexi might not warp at all. I have not done my research into whether I should eventually use polycarbonate or acrylic for my hood parts.

 

[brian1973]

Regarding plexiglass in an aquatic environment; I have a piece of 1/16" plexi in use as a splash-guard on my tank right now, temporary until I get around to building something proper. I've noticed it has warped with water contact - quite a bit, actually. If I let it dry for a couple days, it flattens out again.

Then again, it's stupidly thin, and 1/4" plexi might not warp at all. I have not done my research into whether I should eventually use polycarbonate or acrylic for my hood parts.

I didnt catch the plexiglass question lastnight but 1/4 will warp as well..I built my cover for my 90G oscar tank out of 1/4 plexiglass and the lids are now almost U shaped..Lexan might be a better choice but it is alot more expensive.