Katchupoy's (Cesar) 40Breeder X2 Reef Project

[Katchupoy]

For the past several weeks, I have been very busy working on a house I just bought recently (with the help of Todd-Disturbedreefer). Of course, this is a good opportunity for me to redo my 5 yr old reef tank.

This thread hopes that people out there will learn from this build, or at the same time I in return will learn from those of you who will help me with this project.

So lets start.

So here is the tank before the move taken last July...

And here is another one taken August after I moved all the RBTA's and softies to another tank...

And here is the shot after the move but on a temporary location...

And the whole temporary setup I have right now while I work on the house and the garage where it will go permanently...

WHAT A MESS!!!


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[Katchupoy]

So here is the stand that I have been working on...

and

The stand is 8' long x 2' deep x 3' high.... hoping that this stand can handle any future tank upgrade... (if budget permits)... They are on 2x6 with 3/4" plywood on top and 1/2" inch OSB board on the bottom...


Now here is my question to all of you... to paint or not to paint? or polyurethane clear coat?
Also the tank itself will have a 1/2 inch styro insulation in between the table.




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[Snowboarda42]

I say paint. It will keep it from possibly rotting due to all the evap in that room.


Looks great so far!

 

[prbhasson]

I agree to paint. It will keep the wood in better shape. Looking good so far. The only thing I would leave out is the styrofoam. Most manufacturer's will not warranty a tank if place on it...

 

[Scooterman]

Looks like a big project, should be nice to watch as you build it!

 

[DisturbedReefer]

Wow, Cesar, you have been busy! Watch that back...no more injuries:shock: When you are ready to start moving tanks and doing lifting things ask for the help...that's what were here for Give 'er a good coat of paint!

 

[steven11]

I say paint as well! And as Todd says, we are here for help. Talk to you soon!

 

[Katchupoy]

Thanks guys.

Ok so I paint. Just the top or the whole table? or the whole table? Kind of special paint? I have Zinsser water based primer? I also have left over Moore paint (used in walls). Can I use these? What about those epoxy paint that I keep seeing?

Well the reasons for these questions is, having a house takes away all my budget, as in all my budget. So Im running really thin right now.... if you get what I mean...

 

[Katchupoy]

Steven, sorry about last Sunday..... I received the pm Monday afternoon.... will hook up with you soon... promise...

 

[Katchupoy]

Ok, time to update.

I added more support on the legs.

Did I mention I love this KREG!

A closer look... The "S" shape leg here... attached to the shelves which is then attached to the wall for extra support.

 

[Katchupoy]

Now those legs are 4 feet apart... do i add more so it will be 2 feet apart?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Very overbuilt as it is

 

[class clown]

Here's a vote for stain w/ polyurethane clear coat! I just like the look of wood vs. paint, but it's all personal preference. I used a pecan colored stain/poly combo that i picked up at Lowes and it's nice a repels water pretty well.

looking good!
Ben

 

[Katchupoy]

Thanks Mike.
Ben I agree, me too want the wood look, but considering that i did not do well in the quality side of it and you can see a lot of screws all over.... hmmmm.... we will see....

 

[DisturbedReefer]

I would say stain if you were going to skin it with something decent but this is in the garage and I don't think you are planning on skinning it are you? Paint it white (all over) and be done with it for now...you can always skin the area around the tank later and stain/poly that...2x4 and 2x6 dont look any better polycoated:lol: they still look like a 2x4 or 2x6.

 

[JoshF]

I'm with Todd on the paint versus stain thing. I LOVE the look of stained wood, but if you're just using contruction grade 2X material, several coats of paint will not only help the wood last longer, but make it look a bit cleaner as well. Oh, and my vote is for black paint. That's what I'm going to use on my prop set-up which is built similarly.

Cool project!

How are you going to vent the garage? Having done a garage tank before in an unvented space, it only took 6 months before I started seeing mildew on the ceiling. That wasn't going to work so I had to take the set-up down. Even just a powered attic vent on a basic humidistat would do the trick. It's amazing how just the airflow through a garage wasn't enough in my case. I don't know about yours, but it's relatively cheap insurance.

Josh

 

[Katchupoy]

good point there Josh. I guess I have to do more research on that part... But maybe the window behind me can help with air flow. So are you saying as long as there is air flow inside the garage its going to be good? Or you are saying that there should be an exchange of air inside the garage and outside of garage. Will the frequent open and close of garage door do the trick? Hmm I wonder how Fragman does his? What about Salmonslayer? Anybody out there with garage setup? Humidity a problem?

Humidistat? is that a device you use that acts like a thermostat but this thing checks the humidity? Or are we better off using a de-humidifier?

 

[big t]

Hey Cesar, check out the totm. He uses a couple different extraction fans and dehumidistats to take care of his humidity.

 

[Scooterman]

Did you use coated or stainless screws? I like that Kreg kits also, they work well. I painted my stand with exterior grade oil enamel, about three coats. I then wrapped it all in 3/4" Oak & stained then sealed it with Exterior Spar Urethane. It is difficult to work with oils & exterior grade paints but well worth it once all done.

 

[Katchupoy]

stainless or coated screws? OOPS!! i did not use those....

I will start the paint soon... only if i can get away with this office overtime...

BigT, how are you? do you still work on acrylics? Yes I saw what he (TOTM) did. very fancy and effective.

Scooter, thanks i will do the same....