130 gal reef project.

[sgc0286]

Hi! I bought this 130 gallon aquarium a couple of weeks ago. The plan is to have this set up by summer time. I will be setting up a 75 gallon DIY sump in the basement. Iam still fairly new to the hobby but have already learned so much from this forum, and still have a LOT to learn.

Here are some pics of the tank and stand. It came with a small sump protein skimmer, and pump. But I wont be using them.

 

[sgc0286]

I have been sanding the stand for a few days, it was pretty dirty. I still need to stain and finish it.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Quick question. Why a sump in the basement?

 

[sgc0286]

Convenience. I will do water changes down there. Also thats where my RODI is, so I wont have to carry buckets up the steps anymore. So top offs and almost all maintenance will be done down there. If I should ever have an overflow it will be on the basement floor and not the living room. There lots of advantages to having it in the basement IMO.

 

[neilanh]

Tagging along. I've always liked these corner tanks. Having the sump in the basement is a good plan too, but has to be planned correctly to ensure you get enough flow.

What type of tank (FO, FOWL, REEF, FW?)

 

[sgc0286]

This will be my first reef.

 

[ccCapt]

Nice! Looking forward to the build project. They are always lots of fun.
A basement sump IS the way to go.

 

[jimmy c]

i like the shape of the tank! and i dont know much about sumps but a leak in the basement is always better than a main floor!

 

[Aquarium1]

Following along.

 

[Mitchell0605]

Nice stand. It will good very good once it's stained. I love a corner tank. They are rather unique and offer some different opportunites.

 

[sgc0286]

So, today a got a 75 gallon tank that Iam going to make a sump out of. And I started construction on a stand for it. (First time Ive ever done something like this ) After I get it done Iam going to start installing acrylic sheets to seperate compartments in the sump.

 

[sgc0286]

I havent made much progress lately...my roof started leaking because of all of the snow we got out here, been dealing with the insurance adjusters..BLAH.. Anyways I started staining the stand and it looks HORRIBLE, I dont know how to make it look uniform and its all botchy. Anyone know any tips on staining? Or should I just take a sludge to it and start over.

 

[mfdrookie516]

i used to have a hard time staining too. what you have to do is when you brush it on, use a paper towel to remove the excess, but you have to do it about the same time each time you brush it on. so if you brush some on, if you wait 5 seconds to remove the excess, you have to do it that way the whole way through. if not, it gets blotchy. at least that works for me, maybe others have other ideas that work as well

 

[yetee]

what color are you staining the stand, and what kind of stain are you using?

there are several reasons to why you get blotching. one of the most common is just that the wood is prone to blotching. another is the use of dull sand paper. when sand paper gets "dull" it can actually sand the wood so smooth that the pores of the wood become sealed in certain spots and the stain doesnt accept as well into those spots. also be sure that you have removed all of the old finish as that will inhibit stain from penetrating.

one tip I know of is to coat your project before you stain it with a very diluted shellac then stain on top of it. doing it this way you wont get as dark of colors though.

another tip is to put a first coat on with your regular stain and then put a top coat on with a gel stain.

if you are going for an ebony stain (black but you can still see all your grain) you can always use a solution of vinegar and iron which will turn the wood black. if you know what you are doing you can also use it to make a lighter stain apear to be darker by spraying the solution very lightly and evenly across your entire project before you stain.

 

[sgc0286]

Thanks for the reply. Im using Cabot and the color is american colonial..I used 80 Grit, and thin 220 grit. I need to start over... how can I get the stain off(I know I cant get it off completely)just sanding? or is there a solution I should use?

 

[PaulieFish]

Gonna tag along with this one as well, very interested in this thread, and cant wait to see how it turns out.

 

[yetee]

Sanding will work but you cant get into all the nooks and crannies with sand paper. If you want you can use a two part hydrogen peroxide solution that you can get at most paint stores, this doesnt remove the stain but it bleaches the stain so you cant see it anymore. I have never used this method (never had to strip stain all the way off) but it should work as long as you follow the directions and as always test it in a place you wont see first. Minwax sells a pre-stain product that helps with blotching that you can try too. I would use the oil base one to avoid grain raise, unless you want that look.

 

[sgc0286]

Sump Stand

Thanks for the tips yeetee!

Just a quick update. Ive got the base of the stand for the sump done, I may just put a foam pad in between the tank and the stand and leave it this way because its staying in the basement.

 

[jcmelski]

Thanks for the tips yeetee!

Just a quick update. Ive got the base of the stand for the sump done, I may just put a foam pad in between the tank and the stand and leave it this way because its staying in the basement.

I would only use the foam if it's an acrylic tank.

 

[mattgreen]

sump looks good but your first pics dont work