Here are a couple of new pictures showing the tank progress. I've basically finished with the West System epoxy and need to install the glass and then apply some black paint epoxy to the inside. In the mean time, I've been working on a pedestal and stand.
The tank stand is to be positioned in a unique place. The front is located over the wall that used to separate the living room (ca. 5” depressed floor) and porch. The wall is nonstructural but the arch was reinforced like it was structural. This edge/surface represents about 1/8 of the surface that the pedestal spans. 2/8 span over what used to be the closest floor (see 2nd surface label) with particle board with basement below (left side of photo). The remaining 5/8 span the new floor that I build up over the porch. The three surfaces were not all level. I probably could have solved the leveling issue with leveling cement. Instead I built the pedestal to support the stand/tank and help disperse the weight more over the floor. Also, I’m plumbing the pedestal with a floor drain and additional drain for tank changes and an emergency overflow of the sump. I’m trying to avoid every having to tear up the floor that I build over the patio. I plan to add trim around the pedestal to hold any water so the drain can do its job. Everything will eventually be coated with polyurethane. I’ll route some grooves in the surface to lead water under the stand and to the drain.
This is the front of the pedestal and stand. Notice how high the top of the pedestal is over the living room floor (ca. 10”)
This is the rear of the pedestal and stand. The level shows the location of the inset drain. "Primary surface"= 5/8 surface; "2nd surface" is the 2/8 surface.
My primary concern is how the stand will be tied into the wall… Originally, I was planning to build out the stand so that it has a surface even with the wall and tie it into the wall with drywall. I’m somewhat concerned that some settling may occur and the drywall will crack… A couple of other options are as follows: First, proceed as planned but do add some sort of decorative trim that connects the ultimate tank trim to the floor like decorative legs to hide the drywall seem. I’m also considering adding particleboard and plastering over it (after its coated with poly) to have a more rigid surface (is this a bad idea?). Another option is to position the stand back enough to build a wall section across the pedestal (sort of like the pictures at the top of this build thread
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1046155). This last option might still have cracks but at least will be tied directly into the wall with screws and 2*4 instead of just drywall. It might also help make the stand more stable.
Because the living room floor is ca. 5 inches below where the pedestal sits, the stand feels a bit tippy (99% illusion because its sitting on an edge instead of a flat surface) from the front since it is propped up on a stand sitting on the edge of the pedestal which is sitting on the edge of the wall with a recessed floor (see pic its tough to explain… The last option would be to tie the front of the tank and stand into the wall and make it feel more stable. Honestly, once water is in the tank, I suspect it will feel plenty stable. I’m thinking of taking some liquidnails and gluing the stand down to the pedestal. This would prevent me from ever moving the stand and changing the alignment/cracking the drywall...
Re: ~210g inwall epoxy/plywood tank & fishroom build
I'd love to do something like this, but I don't know where all the time would come from. (Maybe less time on the forums would be a good start. Yah right.)
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