Diy 24" Cube

[TAftonomos]

Hi everyone! After searching for something used, I've decided to take the plunge and build my own acrylic tank. I've done a skimmer in the past, and a sump before, but never a display tank.

By my calculations, I'll need:

24x24 x 2 (Bottom, Top)
24x19 x 2 sides
24x20 x 2 Front and back

Idea came from another VERY nice cube tank that I've seen. Cost on the tank would be ~$550 with shipping I'm estimating if I just bought it (Where is the fun in that?) A sheet of cast material runs ~210$ + shipping.

I've got a decent table saw, a router, and a router table. I will need an edge guide. I'm also trying to figure out if I need a joiner/planer or not, will it make the seams that much nicer, or can I accomplish the same thing with the router somehow? I will need to purchase a blade for the saw, and new bits for the router.

I plan on building the tank out of 1/2 cast material, this place: http://www.delviesplastics.com/ACRYLIC%20SHEET.htm
Seemed to have OK prices.

I can't decide if:
I should do the overflow on the back side of the tank, and do one side out of black, or just do a corner type overflow and paint the sides.

Intended use of tank would be for SPS

Lighting, 250hqi, actinic supplimentation if needed
Chiller - I hope not, but if needed, so be it
SQWD or Ocean motion with a decent CLS setup through the floor


I should have enough room in the stand to hide a decent skimmer, top off water, and the electronics.

I'm apprehensive because 40 gallons of water on the floor would be BAD. I've done small sumps (20g) before, but this is quite a bit more. I can't imagine how someone feels the first time they build a LARGE acrylic tank.

Recap Questions:
Am I crazy?
Thickness OK (1/2") ?
Router to clean up table saw cuts, or joiner/planer?
Why the hell don't I just buy this and be done with it ?

Thoughts?

[Geoff]

1/2" thick is plenty. you could get away with 3/8" if you wanted, but would have just a bit of bowing on the sides.

i would put the overflow on the back of the tank. as in outside the tank. leaves more room for stuff in the tank.

a router would work fine for finishing the edges. if you have a nice perfectly straight fence for the router than you will be fine.

G~

[TAftonomos]

I've secured the tank, about halfway done on the stand. I've also got a sequence dart and an ocean 3500 pump for the return. A MR-1 and a mag 12 are planned for skimming duties.

Concerns are with the dart pump. The origional CL system was setup so the dart was drawing water through 2 1" bulkheads, and squirting it back up into the tank through 2 .75" bulkheads, and 4 more 1" ones.

I was planning on using a OM super squirt to run the CLS, but money is running low right now. How much am I'm going to lose out on without the randow flow of the OM?

[TAftonomos]

Just had a thought. Use the .75" bulkheads for the skimmer/sump pump return, and the 4 1" bulkheads for the CLS (either straight forward, or the OM)

What do you think?

[Geoff]

do you have a pic of all of these holes?

are you draining the water out to a sump, or running the skimmer directly off of the tank?

3/4" drains are not going to move much water out of the tank.

G~

[TAftonomos]

I'll try and take some pictures tonight. The tank is setup with a overflow and a 1" drain.

The CLS system has 2 1" drains in the bottom of the tank.

The 6 bulkheads are in the sides of the tank, 4 -1" and 2 .75". My thought was to use the 2 .75" ones for the sump return with an ecean runner 3500, and use the 4 1" bulkheads in the side of the tank for the CLS return. The CLS is fed by 2 1" bulkheads on the bottom of the tank.

I'll try and get some pics up after I get done with work today.

[Geoff]

i think i am following you now. that sounds pretty good. was a bit worried about trying to shrink the plumbing on that pump. it does not do well with small plumbing sizes. it is a high flow, low head pump.

G~

[TAftonomos]

maybe sell it and get a different pump? What about a manifold with 4 1" outlets on it, and just run all the outlets wide open with a ball valve to control flow if need be? The OM would be nice, but it's another $225 to the budget....

[Geoff]

that will only work if the manifold itself is 1.5" in diameter and the outlets are 1". if the entire manifold is 1" than the backpressure would be killing your total gph.

G~

[TAftonomos]

Could you suggest a pump that would work better for my planned LPS/SPS setup?

I did find a 1 into 4 manifold, 1.5" in, 1" out Spa industry.

[TAftonomos]

Pumps aside, I'm now stuck visualizing about the stand and canopy.

The tank is 24" square, but the stand/canopy must be 30" square to accomidate the plumbing behind the tank. How am I going this is while still letting me get access to the plumbing behind the tank? I've already got the basic 24" stand done with a ply top and bottom, now I have to make some sort of structure to skin the thing with. I was thinking of using 1/2" ply for the skin, thought, does someone make a 6" wide "door" ? I need to be able to access all areas of the stand, incase of a leak/problem, etc.

This is going to require pics, lemme see what I can come up with..




Anyone else run into problems like I'm envisioning ?

[Geoff]

pics would be very helpfull.

if you are able to keep 1.5" plumbing for most of the runs than the Dart will be fine. you really can not beat that pump for the price.

G~