Saltwater & Reef

jwh0818 · 02-02-2014, 04:27 PM

So I'm a diy kinda guy and have envisioned a very nice pure 2x4 stand for my 75g tank. I know I should explain myself a bit more but I just don't know how so, ill just show you soon. The basic concept is a pure 2x4 look on the outside with a door or 2 with a nice gloss finish over it to hold the beauty of the natural wood. I'm not into staining wood, it kills the look for me but ill start this soon. Thoughts/ideas good or bad are always welcome! Pics coming soon after I square the cost away!

BillD · 02-02-2014, 04:47 PM

When you use a product like pH down, nothing will happen until you consume all the buffer in the water. At that point a small amount can have a dramatic effect.

jwh0818 · 02-02-2014, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillD

When you use a product like pH down, nothing will happen until you consume all the buffer in the water. At that point a small amount can have a dramatic effect.

Huh? I think you lost me

**Brookster123** · 02-02-2014, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillD

When you use a product like pH down, nothing will happen until you consume all the buffer in the water. At that point a small amount can have a dramatic effect.

Dude, you good??
Hey op! I am a finish carpenter by trade but do pretty much everything aside from electrical and plumbing, I would be psyched to consult if you need! I like stained hard woods, like oak or maple, pine looks awful stained; IMHO.

jwh0818 · 02-02-2014, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brookster123

Dude, you good??
Hey op! I am a finish carpenter by trade but do pretty much everything aside from electrical and plumbing, I would be psyched to consult if you need! I like stained hard woods, like oak or maple, pine looks awful stained; IMHO.

Yeah I wasn't gonna go with pine for the outside it does look pretty terrible. I was thinking a nice cedar or oak. I like cedar because it smells good and has a darker tone if you pick it right but what would you do here? I wanna corner all odd it so its nice and sharp!

**Brookster123** · 02-02-2014, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fish-R-friends

Yeah I wasn't gonna go with pine for the outside it does look pretty terrible. I was thinking a nice cedar or oak. I like cedar because it smells good and has a darker tone if you pick it right but what would you do here? I wanna corner all odd it so its nice and sharp!

cedar would be perfect for a Un-treated look, it is naturally resilient to rot and damp wood seeking bugs so under a tank would be fine with no sealer!

jwh0818 · 02-02-2014, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brookster123

cedar would be perfect for a Un-treated look, it is naturally resilient to rot and damp wood seeking bugs so under a tank would be fine with no sealer!

Yes that's very true and I could save myself hour of work! And cost might come out to be the same if not a little less without sealer. I just need to get some decent measurements and see how much wood I will need. The canopy is gonna be the tricky part but I'm gonna build it to have an inch overhang on the tank. I also wanna put the stock light I have km there which ill need to remove it from the plastic housing to do which is simple. I think ill need a router for that job to give it a neat finish. I also would like a door on the from of the canopy for easy access. I'm not good at making doors but with 2x4s it should be a bit more simple!

jwh0818 · 02-02-2014, 09:44 PM

While I'm pricing, I need a bit.of your expertise my friend. How many 2x4s will I need. They cost $7.47 each so I don't have much room for error. The tank is 48 1/2Lx18 1/2W. Each 2x4 is 4" long. I wanna make it 2 1/2 ft high for the stand so that will get me 3 pieces from each 2x4. I'm confusing myself thinking of this! So far with an open back and only the outsides as cedar I'm looking at 8 plus I'm gonna make a nice bottom brace out of cedar so that's another piece so 9 for the stand. On the insides of the stand I'm gonna do just pine because it won't be seen and its super cheap. Am I doing the math right?

jwh0818 · 02-02-2014, 11:00 PM

I think with the canopy it will be 1' high. This will give me 8 pieces from each 2x4 and at 20 inches wide that will be 5 pieces on each side and at 52 inches long it will be 13 pieces on the front so that totals to 33- 1ft pieces which is approximatly 5 more 2x4s. Now, I'm thinking about doing 2x4s as the too of the canopy. That will be 5 more 2x4s because it will be 52" long with the added wood. Now does it sound right?

**Brookster123** · 02-03-2014, 07:34 AM

Where are you purchasing your stock? I would use plywood for the canopy, 2x4's are going to get heavy.. Fast..

Fresh2o · 02-03-2014, 08:17 AM

+1 on the plywood for the canopy. Years ago I built one for a 55g and it had a plywood top (1/2" or 5/8") that was heavy, especially with four 48" lights mounted to it. I might have been able to get away with 1/3" plywood, idk. Thankfully the two ballasts were below the tank in the cabinet. I eventually split the top length wise and added a pair of hinges. This allowed access to the tank with out having to lift the entire top.

jwh0818 · 02-03-2014, 11:41 AM

Well I've been thinking about the canopy. Maybe ill split the 2x4s in half long ways so they are 1x4s and reduce the weight

**Brookster123** · 02-03-2014, 12:46 PM

Or just get rough 3/4" stock? About the amount if material, I always like to have more just in case, it's better to return stuff at the end of the day than run out mid day and have to waste time in the truck(not that driving around in the click isn't sweet!)

Fresh2o · 02-03-2014, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fish-R-friends

Well I've been thinking about the canopy. Maybe ill split the 2x4s in half long ways so they are 1x4s and reduce the weight

Instead of splitting them you could just get 1x3s or 1x4s. +1 on the other post about buying extra with the idea of returning the unused materials. If you plan your cuts carefully you can reduce what you use.
Do you know what type of lighting you will be using? If you are using LEDs you can really reduce the profile and weight of the canopy. At the time had to make room for BJB water proof end caps (4x48 watts). I think the they were T10 or T12s bulbs.

jwh0818 · 02-03-2014, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fresh2o

Instead of splitting them you could just get 1x3s or 1x4s. +1 on the other post about buying extra with the idea of returning the unused materials. If you plan your cuts carefully you can reduce what you use.
Do you know what type of lighting you will be using? If you are using LEDs you can really reduce the profile and weight of the canopy. At the time had to make room for BJB water proof end caps (4x48 watts). I think the they were T10 or T12s bulbs.

That's what I was thinking was 1x4s instead. For the lighting I'm just gonna use the stock T8 for now. I have no plant plans for this one anytime soon

jwh0818 · 02-03-2014, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brookster123

Or just get rough 3/4" stock?

What exactly is that? I've never heard of it. I'm just a basic DIYer and this is my first attempt at something like this! I'm pretty excited about it though

**Brookster123** · 02-03-2014, 05:02 PM

It's 1x3 or 4, it's just actually 3/4"

jwh0818 · 02-03-2014, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brookster123

It's 1x3 or 4, it's just actually 3/4"

Ahh okay so a bit thinner! My goal is to just make the top look exactly like the bottom so if that can remove weight then that will work. I'm also gonna use screws for this so the wood can't split either

**Brookster123** · 02-03-2014, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fish-R-friends

Ahh okay so a bit thinner! My goal is to just make the top look exactly like the bottom so if that can remove weight then that will work. I'm also gonna use screws for this so the wood can't split either

glue it, invest in a proper counter sink bit for the drill I'm hoping you have! Glue it! Screw it! Forget about it