8 Foot 250 gallon build

Haven't been on here a lot recently, about a year ago i started a build but with my poor diy skills i failed dismally. So this year i did a little more research and tried again i am making a 8'x2.5'x2 reef tank below you will see the stand that i have built. It is made from 35x90 structural pine or 2x4. it is screwed together with 65mm timber screws. The tank will be arriving in about 2 weeks. Now luckily for me my neighbor is a builder and always bringing home spare stuff for me. he gave me the laminated black mdf that i used for the top i think its 12mm for anyone who wants more details on how i have built it i will be happy to describe in further detail just let me know. I purchased all the pine its cost me roughly 50 bucks for wood and about 10 bucks for screws. You will have to excuse the poor photos there a bit dark but i get most stuff done after work and as its winter in australia its dark buy about 6 i will take some this weekend. Oh also ignore the clutter in the shed its got a whole bunch of my neighbours junk in it for the next few weeks he ran out of room lol

 

I'm doing a (complete DIY) build of my own... I'll be tagging along. Looks like a good start so far, granted that's a TON of weight for 2"x4" but with your vertical supports, you should be ok. Is the stand "upside down" in that last picture?

 

sorry not the last just struggling to upload my photos
its very strong my neighbour is a builder like i said i had him take a look at it and he said " that would hold a house "

 

last 2 here is the tools that i use very basic also i have a very cheap mitre saw that i used to cut all the peices of pine

 

now allthat is left is to dress it i have an old kitchen in my shed thats half the mess lol it has lots of white doors and a bench top should be able to dress it with that will look nice over the next week or so i will be plastering the shed and laying some carpet turn it into a bit of a man cave the tank is going on the back wall post a link of your build when it gets going

 

Lol... oh, it's going.
http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/jimmys-90-gallon-build-thread-138406.html

And yes, you must build it like it would hold a house... because it will hold a small house haha. It looks very strong, especially with the last set of pics. Hope you have a solid place picked out for it. 250 gallons plus a sump should weigh what some cars weigh. What other plans do you have ready for it after the stand?

 

like i said before im man caving up the shed thats on a solid concrete slab so the weight wont be an issue also im going to carpet it which will make it easier to ensure its level

a red sea c skim 1800 vertex illuminex 900mm 50/50 led x2 will be running a 4 foot sump at this stage i already have a ecotech mp40 i will run at the start will just be running to 4 foot 3x t5 tube fittings once the tank is cycled and more stable i will upgrade the lighting and start hitting the corals after i have added some fish hopefully will have photos of the tnak with water in it im still trying to decide where to put the weirs.

oh i was looking at your build earlier looks great your stand is almost exactly the same as mine structurally must have watched the same youtube videos lol

 

There's only so many ways to build a rock solid stand lol. It's a pretty common design (because it works). I looked at an MP40, but for now, it just drives the cost up a bit too much (especially considering the APEX). How long are you thinking until the tank is wet?

 

Looks good so far! Well what you have of the stand at least. I'll be following along as I too am working on a build right now. Although quite a bit smaller. Good luck

 

Looks good! But I would highly suggest taking that black thing off of the stand. Water will collect under the tank and stand through normal maintenance. When you seal it off like that, you'll have no way to get to it, and that can start all kinds of problems, like mold and rot. It's better to leave the top and bottom of the stand open so any spilled water can be easily dried.