175 Gallon Bowfront Build

[Robb in Austin]

Update!

[+boognish]

Update!

working on it... working on it... darn CO2 regulator went out and having elec issues that cut all power to my 75 today. I 'Fonzied' the wall right above an outlet and it all came back on... that can't be good. Always something to suck the $$ out of my wallet and prevent the new tank from getting done.

I have an electrician friend coming out this week to put in a new box with a few new breakers exclusively for the new tank. My current one has no room for any more breakers.

I'm punching a bigger hole through the wall tonight to run the return line out to the garage, to the chiller and back in. Hockey tomorrow night, so hopefully I'll be leak testing Wednesday. I have a feeling this mag24 might be too much...

SHOW ME YOUR CUSTOM CANOPIES!!!

HERE

[+boognish]

I'm not quite done with the plumbing, but I thought I'd post an update and see if anyone has any feedback before it all gets glued. The staff at the Lowes and HD by my house are getting pretty sick of me coming up a couple times a day. I should get stock and get some of this back. I also have a nice collection of PVC parts, now. It was pretty nice when I changed my mind during the process to have what I needed already as this nears the end... Forgive the blurry pixellated iphone pics.

Underneath the tank:

I'm sure glad I built the stand with doors that come completely off and open on the ends. It makes working underneath a breeze and working on the sump easy since it comes right out.

I have a mag24 that I have never used. I know it would would be too much for the overflow to handle, so I am going to try to run the entire system off of it: Through the wall to refugium, calc reactor, UV filter (when/if needed), and chiller/heater then back to return.

The Fishroom (garage behind the tank):

Here's the fun part...

• V1 controls flow to the refugium.
  
• V2 and V3 will control flow to the calc reactor and UV filter when/if needed.
  
• V4 closed with V5 open sends water through chiller/heater and returns thru wall to tank return lines.
  
• V4 open with V1 and V5 closed = Dumps water from the sump to the curb via garden hose for water changes
  

I had an old 20 gallon long sitting around, so I went to Fishy Business and got it drilled to use as a refugium - thanks Shane!. Just need to add a baffle/guard to prevent anything from creeping down the return line.

I picked the 4 month old chiller/heater and controller up from an ARC member last month for a great deal that I can't believe no one else got before I did.

Mixing Station

25 gallon resevoir I make RO/DI into that will gravity feed the sump for ATO. I manually turn the RO/DI on and off, but have a float switch connected to the RO/DI shutoff valve in case I forget to turn it off. When I need to make saltwater, I'll dump 30 - 35 gallons into the mixing barrel via the black valve, dump salt in, and turn on the pump.

There is a pump at the bottom of the right PVC tube that pumps up. To mix salt, I close V1 and open V2. To finish a water change, once I have pumped enough out of the sump, I open V1 and close V2 to send new saltwater to the sump.

A concern is that I will either not have enough flow with the head-pressure from the Mag24 or too much power, and have to send too much through the refugium. If so, I'll need to make some adjustments and remove/add some pumps. Possibly breaking the refugium off onto its own pump. Guess we'll see...

Any recommendations or input?

[+boognish]

I filled everything with hose-water and turned the mag-24 on. One of the return PVCs has a crack, so I need to do some patching. It seems like there is enough flow through the sump, but not enough in the display tank from the returns. I think the chiller/heater is restricting too much when combined with the split off to each side of the returns. After hockey tonight, I am going to put the chiller on it's own closed loop and see if I can get better flow into the tank. Also... the mag-24 is a bit noisy. Pump recommendations? Ones I need to avoid?

[+Hydro]

Man great job.

When I had that tank I believe that it had a Mag 9.5 and it ran everything. Chiller, refugium, and UV at the time. I actually still have the pump and can double check the size. I had to put a valve in line to the tank because with it wide open it would overflow the tank in about 10 seconds.

[+Hydro]

Oh and I don't remember it being loud at all. You can try putting something underneath it to lift it off the bottom of the sump, this typically makes them quiter.

[+boognish]

I have a towel under the pump, but it is still noisy. I am starting to think something is wrong with the pump if a Mag 9.5 was too much for you. I took the heater/chiller out of the loop and still don't seem to get much pressure out of the return lines in the tank. Barely enough to ripple the surface of the water. There seems to be a lot returning into the sump, but not enough to create a visible flow through it and make use of the baffles, even. There certainly isn't enough to overflow the tank.

I am going to check out the other 2 Mags I have and see what they do. I think they are 9 and 12.

[Robb in Austin]

Remember, you don't want all of the tank flow to be provided by the return. It just needs to match you overflow GPH. In tank flow should come from powerheads or a closed loop. And slowish flow through the sump/fuge its best. It maximizes the contact time for nutrient export via skimming, any reactors, and macro algae.

[offroadodge]

Remember, you don't want all of the tank flow to be provided by the return. It just needs to match you overflow GPH. In tank flow should come from powerheads or a closed loop. And slowish flow through the sump/fuge its best. It maximizes the contact time for nutrient export via skimming, any reactors, and macro algae.

+1 for what Robb said, Thats where most ppl go wrong. I have a Mag9 on the main return with a ball valve back down about 1/2-3/4 way and a Mag12 running to chiller and back to tank wide open (but it has about 13' of head) so i use the Mag9 to adjust the flow threw the sump. Contact time for the FUGE and SKIMMER is pertinant. Looking like its coming together well.

[setfree23]

Boognish!

I just came across your tank build and I am blown away by your cabinetry skills! I just bought my husband a 72 gallon bowfront tank for Christmas. We are newbies to the saltwater world and are just beginning to gather our needed equipment and supplies. After my husband talked me into a saltwater tank (originally we were going to try freshwater, but now he has the "fever"), we realized that we will need a sump; and along with that, a stand that will hold all of that mess. I've been googling images and researching non-stop for over a week and found your beautiful tank stand. It is exactly what I am looking for! I love the design of bowfront tanks/stands, but don't want to mess with the bending/vacuuming process to curve the wood to match (yes, I am the builder in our house). I love how you incorporated the angles, the clean trim work, and your removable panels are genius! I also agree that hinged doors would just get in the way of having to wade around in the sump.

My design ideas are a little different style-wise, but, utilizing a design like yours will achieve the look I am going for. I am choosing a white cabinet finish, beadboard panels, and I think I will add a false drawer front to the removable panels as well. I want it to look like a useable piece of furniture and not just a fishtank stand (That way I can use the drawer handle to grab the panels in and out too). Ideally, I would love the cabinet doors to be recessed, but I haven't got that far yet. Maybe a stop block behind the cabinet rails or stiles? I could go on forever, I suppose...That's the nice thing about building the furniture myself- I get to pick the style and finish.

I was wondering if you could share a few tips with me regarding your stand build. I am particularly concerned with the angles and exactly how you got them. Are there any simple tricks to your math on the stand front? How much larger is the stand from the tank (not counting the top trim that makes it look inset)? Also, I was noticing that the framework is doubled in the front with the angled frame and the straight frame behind it. Is that necessary?

Did you use simple magnetic cabinet closures for the panels or a kind of heavy duty magnet? I've seen a tank canopy designed with removable magnetic access panels here (I love this CustomColor's tank and stand, definitely check out this build!) and thought they were a good solution.

I appreciate any help you can give. I also wanted to ask if there is anything you would do differently now that you have lived with this design for some time? Any small things that could make a difference to the functionality that you didn't think of at the time? I'm reading up on overflow designs, and I think I am set on using BeanAnimal's design for a quiet system. Would you recommend expanding the stand depth to incorporate plumbing braces for all of the stand pipes? I've seen canopies attached via 2x4s that run vertically behind the tank. A hinged canopy could anchor to the rear if I attach like this and I could fit the plumbing in the frame space.

and that leads to...the canopy! Did you ever complete your canopy? It's on my build list too...After all, that's how my husband negotiated the fish tank in the first place. He had to convince me the whole tank would look like a nice piece of furniture *complete with canopy* instead of a bachelor pad beer stand- little did I know, I would be building the furniture! I've seen several designs and really want to avoid a super top-heavy looking canopy. I guess there is a happy medium between aesthetics and functionality.

Sorry for all of the questions, your stand design is the first I've come across that meets my expectations for a bowfront tank. Many DIY plans I've found online consist of a flat front cabinet with a curved top leaving no support for the apex of the bowfront. I'm anxious to hear any feedback you can give before I try to start drafting plans. I'm pretty handy with a miter saw, just trying to wrap my head around the front panel design angles (including the trim).

Thanks so much, I look forward to your input!

Edited December 12, 2011 by setfree23

[Robb in Austin]

Yeah, where's the update?

[+boognish]

Yeah, where's the update?

Funny you should ask... Growing and expanding my company this year has left me barely enough time to maintain the 75 gallon, so the 175 was put on hold. Gotta love an empty tank in the living room reminding me every day that I could have a bigger, better tank...

Well the company made money this year and we don't want to pay taxes on profits, so... BONUSES!! That means I get a tank controller, reflectors, and to build a canopy finally! I got the the 3 reflectors yesterday from a local hydroponics supply warehouse here in Austin and I'm planning to start canopy construction soon. (If you are looking for great lighting or hydro equipment, contact me. These guys went WAY down on price to match an online price I found without my asking. I was happy to be able to support the local economy.)

Are there any simple tricks to your math on the stand front? How much larger is the stand from the tank (not counting the top trim that makes it look inset)?

Measure twice, cut once... The biggest challenge was getting the curve exactly right. I have an image on the first page of the template I created to cut the bow into the trim. I set the tank on plywood, bent a slat across the front and superglued/nailed it to the plywood in the curve. I kept it to use on the canopy.

Also, I was noticing that the framework is doubled in the front with the angled frame and the straight frame behind it. Is that necessary?

No that is not necessary. The stand build was not done with any plans and I always tend to over-build. That is something I am trying to avoid on the canopy since it needs to be as light and streamlined as possible so it is easily lifted with the lift system.

Magnets - I used fairly small magnets and so far that is the only thing I think I am going to change. We have a new puppy and he got rambunctious and knocked off a door playing.

I added approximately 6 inches of depth to the stand in anticipation of creating a lift system and possibly a shadowbox type of backlit area behind the tank instead of painting it black. I'll let you know if that comes to fruition...

I will definitely document the canopy build here. I cannot find any info online about a custom bowfront canopy, so I hope it turns out good and helps anyone looking to build something similar. Hoping to incorporate a lift system, hinged bow area, and a way to easily replace bulbs. So far all of those plans are only in my head...

[Robb in Austin]

Excuses, excuses. GET TO WORK MAN!

Glad things at work are going well.

Can't wait to see this thing up and running.

[+boognish]

Canopy and lighting update...

I couldn't have asked for a better New Year. My dad was able to come up after Christmas and help me architect and start to build the canopy. He's a master woodworker & wood artist who loves a challenge and I value the time and woodworking knowledge I get out of it. Between my work and his 'Grand-dad time' with the kids, we managed to make some good progress.

Reminder: The main functional features of this canopy are:

1. Hold a lot of light: (3 400W MH + as much supplementary light as I can stuff in)
   
2. Ventilate to the garage behind via 6" air duct
   
3. Ability to easily maintain tank on a daily basis (feeding, etc so front should open). Also, the entire canopy needs to lift out of the way when I really need to dive in.
   
4. Match the custom design of the stand: three faced front instead of curved like the bow-front of the tank.
   

Much appreciation to my neighbor, Jeremy for letting us invade his home and inspect his awesome build setup and lift system, as well as doing the leg-work in Austin to find the metal suppliers.

There's very little out there on custom canopies for bow-front aquariums so I'll post some pictures in hopes they help others looking for some ideas/direction in their build. Sorry I don't have 'plans'... My dad and I just don't work that way. We build using the agile method. We know where it needs to end up and get there in sprints.

Sorry for the grainy/blurry iphone photos. My wife the photographer is a bit busy:

This is the molding that rests on the top of the tank. The template I used to cut the tank impression out of the stand's molding is clamped to it. I used it as a guide to router out the bevel that would overlap the front of the tank.

Molding cut and joined to the front 'door'.

Front of the canopy propped open. I plan to attach a couple T5's in the front hinged door.

The beginnings of the lift system behind the tank - We welded these steel tubes for the lift system. More on that later... I need to get the lights figured out first...

Canopy upside-down with the rack system I will hang the 3 400W MH lights from. I used a 6' closet shelf and cut out the part I needed. Using chains, I'll be able to raise and lower the lights within a range of about 5 - 10 inches above the water.

...That pretty much leaves you room for 3 quality reflectors.

Yes I would say the canopy should have 3 faces like the stand. You got your work cut out making that canopy and lighting work, I went through the same thing. Every screw and bolt is custom.

You hit the nail on the head, Hydro!

Air cooled reflectors hung to see how much room I have for T5s. This is about the lowest they might ever be. They're just hung for horizontal spacing in this picture. I can only fit 3 of the long t5s with reflectors. Two in the front door and one behind. these reflectors are designed to be air cooled via the 6" duct flanges. I'll pull air from the house or garage and pump it into the garage or house depending on the time of year.

Lights hung and front open.

I'm hoping to have time to work on the lift system and to skin this canopy soon. With the workload, it wont be this week or next week...

[JamesL]

Wow. that is one impressive canopy... very nice looking!

[JasonJones]

Great woodworking! This looks like it is going to be a beast. Looking forward to seeing it all come together.

[offroadodge]

Looking SWEET!!! I realy hope that if your gonna use actuators they are heavy ones. If its gonna be a pulley system it will be no biggie. Let me know when your gonna work on the lift and if its on the weekend i'd love to help you if i can. I guess that your gonna have the 6" exhaust out each end (left/right). It WILL be very hot air coming out, water over air for the inlet might be something you should look into. (get ahold of HYDRO) Venting it into the house might be ok in the winter but remember theres no way to turn down the heat once the lights are on. If you vent it to the garage i would run it all the way outside unless your gonna do some kinda water over air to inlet air. JMO i am not an expert (HYDRO is). As far as your return flow my tank is the same way, it doesnt seem like alot of flow but it is. Just match how fast it drains to the return flow, if you have to slow down one no biggie. Thats what i have to do, my 2-1" drains are to fast for a mag 24 and mag 18 together...this is just alot of the stuff i have gone thru, dont let me make your decisions. Give me a call.

[+boognish]

Great woodworking! This looks like it is going to be a beast. Looking forward to seeing it all come together.

Thanks! I wanted to make it as lightweight and small as possible, but I think I've maxed out both of those parameters. I need the height to get the lights more than 6" off the water. I used Poplar so isn't really that heavy, but is sturdy enough to handle it's own weight and that of the lights, etc going into it.

As far as venting it... I am planning on daisy-chaining the MH lights with 6" duct with an exhaust fan in the garage pulling air from one end of the canopy in the house, past each light, then to the garage. I don't think I will need *too* much flow, so I am going to experiment with the different fan strengths. I don't want a windstorm or tornado sound. Hydro? Any input as to what fan I should start with? The total distance will be the length of tank (6') plus about another 4 - 6 feet to the fan. Total of 12' max. Ideally, I'd like to be able to redirect the exhaust into the garage OR the house if I wanted heat, but that would require either a fan in the house or another hole back into the house from the fan in the garage.... I am considering pulling air from the garage and through, but not sure the wife will be happy with duct and holes on each side of the tank. Not sure I would either, but sending all my AC to the garage might not be a good idea either. I am going to extend the canopy on the exhaust end to hide the duct coming out the side. That side is closer to a wall on the far side of the room and shouldn't really be noticeable.

Here's a 'not-to-scale' mockup I made:

I am designing a pulley system to raise it. I don't want to afford the actuators that will lift this beast. Two anchored on each end and one at the bottom of the stand. I will be able to slide it off the front of the lift system for maintenance, light changing, etc. I'll diagram that soon. I need to get all the lights figured out first so I know what I have to work with.

[setfree23]

Boognish! I'm glad I checked back. You canopy looks great. Thanks for the tips.

I am hopeful to get our stand going in the coming month. My husband turns 30 toward the end of February and I want to surprise him. Trying to figure out a canopy system too. My mom is a welder so I am a little curious on the details of your lift system.

Those are some HUGE lights! You are going to have a coral forest when things get going in there. I SO wish I had a garage on the other side of my wall. That looks like a great set-up.

[DerrickH]

I didnt want to go through the trouble of bowing the front either. Guess I took the easy way out.

setfree23, not sure what type of stand your after and style

http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/20826-72g-oceanic-bowfront-project/

[+boognish]

I didnt want to go through the trouble of bowing the front either. Guess I took the easy way out.

Your stand looks great. The bowfront has definitely been a hurdle in this build.

Lighting, lift, and canopy update:

Jeremy (offroad) and I brainstormed a way to squeeze 3 t5's in for supplemental light. Mounting 2 in the canopy door and 1 across the back between the overflows.

I ended up going with a lift system using pulleys and a hand-wench instead of hydraulic lifts. I was unsure what the final weight would be, so I didn't want to guess which to buy. I probably won't be getting hired on as a welder anywhere, but it's definitely going to hold. I can always replace the hand-wench with an electric wench if I come across the right one.

Once I got the lift figured out, I was able to skin the beast. Here are some pics of the progress so far. No trim, stain, or paint yet, but I'm getting closer...

Hinged bowfront door open. I'm using a stick to prop it open here, but will end up with gas springs eventually. This will do for now...

I only have about 12 inches of clearance when lifted to the ceiling. I would have liked more clearance, but I prefer the taller stand and needed the canopy height for the 400w MHs. This will get the lights up for changing and out of the way when I need to lean in to get deeper into the tank for any reason.

I've never said "That's what she said..." more often in one weekend than this past one. Every time my wife or friends saw it the first reaction was "thats so big" or "that's huge"... What else would one say?

This week, I'll be coating the inside with Killz, staining the oak panels, painting and putting on the black trim. Unfortunately, I don't have a compound miter saw... Once that's done, I need to get the lights and fans installed, holes cut in the back for wiring and ventilation, then the main airflow for the MHs figured out. so close, yet so far away.

[mFrame]

What a monster build, I'm impressed. Seems like a lot of metal parts in the canopy. I know that with the limited parts I have in my stand that the metal attracts salt and started rusting almost immediately. What are you doing to protect the metal parts (I'm hoping to steal some ideas)?

[+boognish]

What a monster build, I'm impressed. ... What are you doing to protect the metal parts (I'm hoping to steal some ideas)?

Thanks - It has definitely proven to be a pretty big undertaking and turned into quite the piece of functional furniture. I always end up over-building. So far this looks good in the living room, which keeps the wife happy... At least until I punch more holes through to the garage.

I painted the 2 steel supports from the lift with Rustoleum. As an added measure, I am probably going to coat them with oil-based white Killz. Not sure if that is going to be enough to completely prevent rusting or not. The only metal from the lift are the 2 horizontal supports that stick through the back of the canopy. Other than that, the only other metal is the shelf rack and the hardware used to mount it. I'm not sure that I am keeping that yet, but the hardware is stainless steel. If the rack rusts too much too quickly, I will find a way to mount the lights directly to the wood. By then, I'll know exactly where I want them and thus, not have a need to adjust height and position forward or back inside the canopy.

Any recommendations to prevent rusting are greatly appreciated.

[offroadodge]

have the bars powdercoated for rust prevention or when it is at the bare metal stage use and EPOXY base primer then topcoat with a good enamel base spray paint. Looking good. 12" of lift is fine since you can open the front. i only have 6" and a hinge and its plenty of room to do anything. Keep up the good work.

[+boognish]

Actual progress!

Canopy is skinned, painted, and stained, and lights are finished. I made an air intake box so that fresh air was pulled through the lights/ducts.

I filled the tank with fresh water again to test out the Reeflo Dart and I was getting too much noise at the sump, so I re-did all of the drain plumbing except the dursos.

- That story here.

Tonight i drained it and no wI need to clean it, put a sandbed in, and fill er up with saltwater.

I got half of my live rock order in today. I set up "The Cycler" made from an old 55gal aquarium and 27gal tub, a couple pumps and a skimmer. I put the live rock in with the marco rock and a few old pieces I either collected from members or pulled from my other tank and dried out for a year or so. Once I get the rest of my order in, it will be about 1/2 live rock and 1/2 dry rock. I have pretty good flow across all of it and I'm setting up powerheads tomorrow. The skimmer has already started to produce. As the live rock cycles, the plan is for the life to spread to the dry/dead rock.

The maro rock is nice. Very good range of shapes and sizes.

Live and marco rocks starting their liffe together.

Hopefully I'll be posting some pics of the pillar building process soon. I have started re-thinking it and need to test out some stands of PVC and some bases of Acrylic plates to support the acrylic rods. I want to make sure the pillers aren't going to topple and break the tank...