LoJack's 144 Gallon Reef Build

Hey Guys,

Well I started this thread on ReefCentral, and my local forum ... but figured I'd post here for your guys too. The more feedback/brainstorming from 3rd party, the better I think lol.

So after a long hiatus from the game ... I'm back. I sold my 92 Corner bowfront reef due to time constraints at work, and a new puppy ... but I'm in a place where its time to get at it again.

Lets start with the problems:

1. The tank I had built (5ftx2ftx2ft) with black silicone and Euro bracing got chipped during the water test the day before I picked it up! This was my second trip to Winnipeg to get this same tank. The last time I came to the city, the silicone wasn't cured because the builder got a late start due to christmas stuff, and I had to leave it behind.

2. Didn't have room in the truck for the lumber I wanted from Windsor plywood ... So I've gotta use crappy oak from Thompson ( which is all I can get)

 

The tank is now different than what I wanted, so lets lay the ground work for the build.

Tank - 55" x 25" x 25" made with 1/2 " Glass, Clear silicone, and no Eurobracing from Andy

Stand - I want the bottom of the tank to sit at 36" tall this time ... better for viewing

- I also want the stand to be a ton fancier than anything I've built to this point ... so we'll see if I can actually pull it off.

Lighting - Also tackling a new project, as I have ordered everything I need from RapidLED.com to build myself quite the ridiculous set up.

 

Okay, lets start with some pictures. Woke up nice and early, excited to get started. I had all the studs and plywood to build the case of the stand without needing any special trips to the lumber yard ... so thought thats where I would start.

Top and bottom are 2x6's because I didn't want any support pieces throughout the middle of the stand:



I supported the frames for top and bottom with 2x4's cut to length and made sure everything was level.

Then I added 2x4 bracing between the top and bottom cut precisely to length so that the weight of the tank is supported by vertical 2x4's, and not just the woodscrews

 

I added one support that seems out of place ... simply because its where the sump is going to sit in the stand.



It will make sense later lol

 

Next step was to cut the plywood for the top and inside bottom of the stand.

The top was a piece of cake - 24" x 55" perfect rectangle.

The bottom was going to be a little bit more tricky due to all the supports and 2x4's on the bottom.

With some careful measuring you can make the jigsaw puzzle piece easily enough. I just used a jigsaw, straight edge, and measuring tape:





And if you're really really good ( or just plain lucky in my case) it should drop into place perfectly snug with no trimming required:





Next I used my random orbit to knock off any tear out, or loose edges or imperfections before I tackle the face frames.



And voila! 3 Cups of coffee and 3 hours later ... the main support for the tank is taken care of.

 

My next task was to begin milling the red oak for the face frames and doing my rough layouts. The wood for the exterior of the stand is all 3/4" Solid Red Oak Flat stock.



All of the face frames were assembled using pocket hole joinery for tight seems.



Beginning installation

 

Just a few more shots of assembling the face frames.

 

Definitely say I'm impressed so far. I cant even draw a straight line with a ruler or use my kids art supplies without injuries, so my hats off.

 

Impressive. Following. Have you thought about lighting at this point?

 

Next came building up the corners of the front for the Fireplace Mantle style pillars that I wanted on the tank.

I don't have a ton of pictures of the first pillar being constructed, because I seriously had no idea what I was doing ... or if it was going to turn out the way that I wanted it.



Here you can see how I built up the backing with solid oak stock in order to add depth.





Here is a close up of my mitres. They are not as clean as I wanted because my DeWalt 10" Mitre saw doesn't have the depth to put 45's in 6 inch stock. I had to make all of my 45 degree cuts on the table saw which made for a difficult task.