Flatback hex cinder block stand build!

[jetajockey]

So I finally got around to building a stand for the flatback hex that I've had sitting around for a year. What a crazy tank shape this one is, it's very long and very narrow. Dimensions are 67 x 9 x 16.5 along the back edge.

So I started with some cinder blocks

I spray painted them a flat black and stacked them accordingly. Because of the shape of the tank I had to put some half blocks in the center rather than full blocks, since I wanted to put the canister down there as well.

I also added a piece of sheet plywood cut to fit the shape of the tank, and it is braced with 2 2x4s for extra support.

I didn't like how wobbly this stand is because of its narrowness, so I found the studs in the wall behind the tank and added some braces. I plan to add 2 more braces at the top to hold the inside lip of the tank to the wall as well.

At this point I'm doing the plumbing, it is bottom drilled but I had to redo the parts because it was all glued into place previously and had to be broken when the tank was removed from the wall it was mounted in.

I also put a background on the tank.

I'm planning to put some sort of track lighting over it since it's up against the wall already, but we'll see. Will update as I make progress, stay tuned.

 

[jetajockey]

Filled with water today.

 

[butterfly_koi]

Wow that was a quick build
Looks better than I thought it would, it looks great!

 

[jetajockey]

thanks! It's been easy so far, bit i still need to rig up some more lighting and bracing.

 

[skywhitney]

looks good! this is a cool build, i'm excited to see it stocked.

 

[jetajockey]

Thanks! Stocking Friday/Saturday weather permitting.

 

[jetajockey]

Update, put a few shiners in but still have yet to have a day to go after the bulk of the stock.

I did paint the tank trim black and painted a royal blue background.

Swapped the fluval 104 for a magnum 350, but still not impressed with the flow.

Im still looking for a sizeable powerhead to get the water moving.

Also added a sand/gravel mix that came from their actual habitat.

Once I get some dye I'll also paint the plumbing blue so it blends in.

Also ghetto fabbed a shoplight till I find some cheap decent track lights.

 

[absolutangel04]

Looks good. I would never guess it was cinder blocks by looking at the final product.

 

[jetajockey]

No major updates, just planning to get a big powerhead to push the water faster. Still mid-stocking as I catch new fish.

 

[jetajockey]

Got a pair of seio m1500 powerheads for a great price on
cl today, it's gonna look like a wind tunnel in there.