150 gallon cube that costed less than $400

Hey all. I guess that I will start with what I have and how I got it started. I have a 150 gallon cube that was about to be thrown in the trash. It was a display tank somewhere that had plumbing issues, the glass cracked where the bulkhead for the return came through the bottom. They tried to repair it without totally emptying the tank. this entailed adding a whole new slab of glass on the bottom and a lot of silicone. Didn't work so I got it for a deal with another 90ish gallon all in one tank. 50 euros for both. 75-90 bucks depending on the day.

when I got it home I had to get all of the foam rocks and hidden plumbing out of the tank to repair it. Once cleaned out I simply covered the hole in the bottom with a 18x12x1/2 inch piece of glass, added bulkheads for the drains, and let it sit in the garage for a month with water. No leaks!

So the project was on!!

 

how big is a 150 cube

 

39 wide x 31deep x 28 tall.

 

thats real tall you probably will need halides.

anyway we need pics lol

 

Yeah it has been up and running for a while now. It has 2x250 metal halides on it. I will start with the build then put the completed setup on here. All in good time my friend..................lol

 

Here is where I saved money on this. The framing is free. When we get in our explosives shipments in comes with a ton of 2x4s. I made the frame in 2 halves, for some reason I saw it being easily taken apart to accommodate my moves that we seem to do every 3-4 years. I think that I overbuilt it. The thing has sixteen 40" 2x4s holding it vertical! I found a few different sets of plans and they all suggested four vertical 2x4s. I wanted to be able to trust it as 1,800 plus pounds will sitting on it. I hate to bend down to look at a tank so I went tall. That was another reason for the overbuilding. Taller = less stable. Younger kids from the neighborhood have to be picked up to look in it but the tank is for me. Look at the pic that is a 48" level sitting next to it.

 

awesome.. !

 

I skinned the sides of this stand with some leftover material from another project of mine. Again $0.00. The hood will be the same look. These pics show the frame to the invisible door on the sides. I wanted full access so they come off and go as far away as I need them to.
I am putting 2 Phoenix 14K 250 watt MHs above this. Icecap ballasts will be the power behind it.

 

Lookin good.

 

Sorry I pulled out of the thread. I got deployed to Iraq and, well, quite frankly got side tracked. The tank was finished before I left and I will continue this thread if I can dig up pics. The wife is maintaining it well enough. She has spilled a bunch of water once while doing a water change but that is about it. 2-3 more months and I will be able to mess with it again.