Journey of a Dream Tank

[SnakeIce]

I know pictures are more interesting than reading this soliloquy, but please, befor asking questions, make sure you can't answer them by READING.

I also request that any how to questions be taken to the apropriate forum. If you want stand building tips, help those that use advanced search and take that discussion to the diy forum. That way when someone searches diy for stand building information it can be found there.




The first aquarium I remember seeing was my grandfather's 20 long with fancy guppies, chest bubbler, dull colored gravel and air pump driven ugf. After my parents became more settled my dad obtained his tank from my grandfather and he has had various tetras, rasboras, danios, chinese algae eaters and angelfish over the years. The tank was slightly better looking with reproduction plastic aquatic plants.

It was about this time that I began to have an interest in my own tank. I checked out every aquarium book in the library and nearly had the various aquarium trade fish species memorized by catagory if not species. After a childhood history of not being able to afford extras I left the desire for a tank to the distant future.

So when I finally was able to start off on my own aquatic adventures in August of '02 I knew I wanted planted tanks, that I liked smaller fish, and when I could afford more than the 20g tank I started with that a 75 gallon tank was the dream tank. I have built this tank in my head more times than I can count.

The various ideas coalesced into a plan for a medium light planted tank with a pair of angels, and one or two species of dwarf cichlids. The other fish would depend on what is available and has to work around the cichlids.

I finally saw the first step towards getting this tank together when 10 months ago for my birthday my wife got me an All Glass 75 gallon tank and a 20 long for her. Aquatropics in Kennewick WA has a deal twice a year where they have standard 20g, 55g and 75g for a buck a gallon.

75g All Glass tank 75$ plus tax

I fully intended to build my own stands and covers. Not haveing more than a hand saw and hammer I had to begin aquireing tools for the job (oh darn, I've always wanted a woodshop). So with new circular saw, miter box, level, and bar clamps I could begin. I decided to build the stand for the 20 long first for the experience. Materials for this Oak finished stand cost me about $120. At this point I was out of money again.

[SnakeIce]

After learning my own limitations with the circular saw I added a compound miter saw to the tool list for the construction of the frame of the 75 gallon stand. As a front porch and liveing room craftsman I've had to make sure I don't make to much of a mess. Little progress was made on the stand over the winter, but with warmer weather here I have it down to a few final steps to finish on the stand.



I spent about $125 on materials for this stand. I had some trim left from the other stand and a friend gave me some 4"x4"s for the legs that he had sitting around.

The stand has 4x4 legs, and double 2x4 top rails. The outside front and back 2x4 rails are full length with the ends butt jointed inbetween. The inside 2x4 rails are mitered so a part of each rests on the corner legs. I used two 2x4 sill plates to spread the weight and tie the bottom of the legs together. I used pocket set screws to hold the top to the leggs so I didn't have to drive extra length screws down from the top.

The paneling is 1/8" oak veneer plywood, I grabbed 1/8" instead of 1/4" by mistake but used the 1/8" anyway. The doors are 1/4" oak plywood. Solid oak trim: top and bottom is backsplash, panel trim is 1.5"x3/8" bevel edge, and 1" corner trim covers panel edges.

Tool list: circular saw, compound miter saw, drill, Kreg pocket hole jig, hammer, level, bar clamps, square, measure tape, wood filler and putty knife, 100 and 220 grit sandpaper, wood wrasp, stain, polyurethane, paintbrushes, and an understanding wife who lets me use the front porch and liveing room as a workshop. I build and she sands and puts the finish on.

Will update with pictures when the stand is complete.

[SnakeIce]

I recieved on july 6th the Soilmaster Select charcoal shipped to me from a Lesco in northern CA.

Jeff Senske picked out a grand amount of driftwood for me. That arrived monday the 10th. More on that transaction can be found here.




Just some preliminary playing around I've done with the driftwood. The box with the SMS charcoal in it is on the left and the tank is in the background. I'm not sure I like the right side yet, I may spread it out some more to get more area usable for the dwarf cichlids.

[wesleydnunder]

Nice lookin' stands, SnakeIce. I like the 4x4s on the big stand. Looks like it will hold the weight with ease.
I like the driftwood you got from Jeff. I've met Jeff a few times. I bought my co2 regulator, sol. and needle valve set-up from him. Our reef club meets at ADG once a month. Mike and Jeff are really nice guys and amazing aquarists.

Mark

[Blinky]

I love build threads
This thing is going to be sensational, keep us fed with lots of yummy pictures as you go along

[SnakeIce]

I thought I would have this done a few days earlyer but we discovered that the bottom didn't have any type of protective coating put on the wood so that delayed the completion by a day or two.

Here I am putting the magnet latches on inside the stand.


One last look at the back of the stand, showing the frame, floor, door sills and shelf I installed. The light colored ovals are where I drilled pocket set screw holes after the peices had been stained.


And finally the tank on the stand where it is going to be.

[JinxXx0085]

Snake,
the stand is looking sharp!!!! I like it!
I love the picture of you in the stand

[wickerman]

nice looking stand.
looking forward 2 more pics

[djlen]

Originally Posted by JinxXx0085

Snake,
the stand is looking sharp!!!! I like it!
I love the picture of you in the stand

Obviously, Snake really gets into his work.
Very nice.

Len

[SnakeIce]

Today I put the substrate in and started placeing the driftwood.

I put some mulm from another tank, about 2 cups worth, and about a quart of peat moss under the SMS. I did use almost all of the 50lbs. I kept a small amount out to use to level out those areas that end up messed up when I am planting.

View from front room



Liveing room angle



Most viewed end




I am not quite done with the right side. It is to symetrical the way the "roots" are at the moment. I think I will rotate it towards the end to solve some of the current angle problems.

[SnakeIce]

I have been torn between waiting to set it up till I can order the plants I want for it and getting it running for the pet fish that is feeling neglected away from the main liveing areas. The latter won out, so I cleaned out my lfs of hygrophila and set it up with that adding to what I have already.

I did rotate the right drift wood structure a little counter clockwise to open it up more towards the end of the tank. Plantings may shrink a little after I get the rest of the flora for the tank, especially in the case of the Crypt beckettii, but except for the stems ocupy the areas I intend them to.

The back section of crypt beckettii will be changed out for a taller crypt species, an anubius coffefolia will go behind where the bedraggled rotala is and more java fern will cover the extreme left driftwood. I would like to have several forground plants for variety, probably chain sword and glosso or HC depending on how much I can spend.

This first picture shows the angle I will view the tank the most often, and the second is more true to color.

[wannabefishguru]

a little weary about my post, don't want to be hasty here but good work though,

i don't know snakeice, i know i don't have the expertiese to do planted tanks but i think the landscaping could be rethought, well at least your focal points are distractive, were you going for like the dead tree stump look? but yet it still is early in the game to be critisizing and it is your tank, but i was just putting in my 2 cents but that stand is killer, you should do a diy thread. sorry if i seem rude, not trying to be, critizim is the foundation for a master piece, just remember that or you can just put on selective reading and not pay attention to me your choice, but hey your on the right track keep us posted

[SnakeIce]

I actually agree with you. The tank is missing over half the intended plantings that would soften things. I hope to show the process to getting the finished product, which is still months if not a year or more away.

[djlen]

I think it's gonna shape up nicely.
Just work at not making things symmetrical for a natural look.
What species are you going to use as a Crypt. background?
And if you mentioned it I missed it......what will the wattage be over this bad boy?

Len

[wannabefishguru]

hey snakeice could you give us a full detailed list of your tank, just out of curiosity

oh and how about that tank build DIY thread too

i think a canopy would complete the look too

[SnakeIce]

Len,
I have a 3x 32 watt t8 fixture over it now, and the plan is to have a 4x 54 watt t5 dual switch tec light fixture. I would use just two of the tubes for regular lighting and the other two for a short higher light period. I won't be upgradeing the lighting until I can add pressureized CO2 to keep a handle on that much power.

I have two possible choices on the taller crypt, crispatula or spiralis. I like the look of spiralis but crispatula is probably more available. Most of the larger missing plants would go on the left side, so symetry isn't to much of a worry when I finally can fill things in.

Wannabefishguru,
I'm not sure what you mean by full list on the tank. I don't know how to do a complete accounting on something that isn't complete. If you want more information on something I have glossed over or omited due to oversight ask about that specificly.

I didn't build the tank, I bought it 11 months ago. I posted this recently, but I started the stand some 6 months ago and some of the details are hazy. I am a bit of an absent minded designer. I don't have written plans or records of what I did or the specifics of the dimensions of the stand (I'm guessing you meant stand when you said tank build) What I could come up with on the stand is in the second post in this thread.

[SnakeIce]

The journey and dream includes the tank, but the tank is incidental in that. The journey is about the kind of person I have been and hope to be.

I am going to share some things about who I've been, not to incite concern or pity, but simply to acknowlege information that is as defineing for me as an refugee's country of origin is to those in a strange country. If you do not care to think about troubleing things, please pass the next paragraph of this post over.







One side of my family is very abusive, controling and participated in some of the most awefull twisted stuff I know of(look up project paperclip and Gelli for hints at the kinds of behaviors). My imediate family is away from that now but still harrased on a daily basis. The first portion of my life was either trying to deal with the abuse or liveing on the run with my parents. The specifics of the abuse are still unrecalled due to blocking it out, but that effort really messed with who I am and my ability to keep continuity from day to day. I was paranoid, fearful and unable to do anything but survive. My first year in highschool really drew a contrast between how I was exsisting and the pleasant appearing lives of my classmates. I was failing all my classes due to stress but only had to crack the book to get the highest score on a test. The next 5 years of school I only managed to get through day to day things without completely looseing it. I dropped out of college to try to get space to work something I had the inkling was very disturbing to me. It has taken me 8 years to go from a complete multiple personality complex to (mostly) back in my right mind. The dream and goal I've had all along was that I would be a contributeing member of society and have a healthy interaction with others in the space I call home. For the longest time the only plants I could keep alive were cacti since they could deal with however long I spaced out on them. I knew I wanted fish tanks even then, but being as mobile and poor because of that as we were there was no way to even think of it.








This idea of haveing a tank that is here and will be here in my home where one can relax means so much to me that if I didn't spread this out over a long time I'd just go nutz giddy over it and ya'll really would have to ship me off to the loony bin. I get caught up focusing on the long term goals that the details of now or even yesterday are water under the bridge. The whole history of this tank includes to much to think about at once for me, so unless a specific question is posed I don't know where to start.

So while I may have the tank set up, the journey is only just begun. I still have some rough edges but I know He is faithful and sure to complete the good work He began in me.

[reiverix]

I think the tank is less incidental than you might think. From despair comes a thing of beauty. Something you've created and then nurture into a living piece of art. And even though the tank is set up, it's far from over. It will always need attention and you will experiment with a plant here and another plant there. Maybe more than a few days picking out algae

You've set a wonderful goal, snake. I'm really cheering for ya.

[SnakeIce]

I have moderately soft water here with low levels of Ca and Mg. I had seen from my first tank here that the more waterchanges I did the better the plants continued to grow. On a 20 gallon tank 2, or even 3, 20-40% waterchanges a week isn't to much trouble, but with the 55 and now this 75 that isn't as feasible. I have done large weekly waterchanges but had noticed that the first rush of growth I had seen slowed down and last week I found a hygro tip all curled up with calcium deficiency.

So I started adding Ca and Mg. I had no idea it would make that much difference. The rotala I put in with the hopes of saveing something out of the algae mess it is has started growing bigger than I have ever seen it in my care.


I can't express how cool I think that is. I can give everything that is needed but I can't make the simplest blade of grass. No amount of concentration will add one inch to my height. Truely a moment to be still and know the Creator by his creation.

[wesleydnunder]

Sounds like you've overcome many hurdles, Snake. I think your dream tank is cathartic for you. You should keep this thread going as a journal.

Mark