Mirage's 12 Gallon Long

[MGDMIRAGE]

Lol thanks, yeah i went overboard on bulkhead because I'm going to be using only the return for the flow it should be something around 58x turnover. Going to have two return lines with a SCWD hoping it works out as well as i imagine.

The lighting is the one that has me stumped a bit. If it wasn't peninsula style it would be much easier to figure out.

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Water tested the overflow box and it passed fine.

Starting on stand this week.

 

[fishguy95]

This may be a good idea for mounting the lights.
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l/
The long board could be a 2x6 board, with vertical and slanted boards being 2x4s. With the vertical board screwed into the wall for added support. That would make it able to hover over the tank. The lights would be mounted to the long board. I hope this at least helps you get a idea of what to do.

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Thanks, i was thinking something along those lines. I think i'll attach it to the stand once i get it built. I was trying to find a way to make it easily adjustable up and down. I wish they made adjustable shelving brackets so they could support boards straight out instead of resting on the supports parallel with the wall.

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Worked on stand a bit today. Man it sucks to build stuff without a shop and on carpet lol. Not going to overbuild this stand as the tank is only 12 gallons so i'm not too terribly worried about it. Stand is about 44" long and 31" tall, and 15" front to back. I'm going to add three center braces to bottom and top and maybe some 2x2s for side supports. Then I will skin it with probably birch plywood, and final color will be solid white or black, i haven't decided yet.

As of today 7/28/11

 

[user 2204]

Looks like everything is coming along. Can't wait to see the stand when it is done.

Cheers,
Alex

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Thanks Alex, wish i still lived on that side I'd love to get some pointers on building this, your stand build is a great inspiration.

 

[fishguy95]

So how are things going on the stand? Is it done yet?

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

I've been getting it skinned a little bit here and there, but mostly trying to finish up school for the summer. Hopefully i can spend more time on the setup soon.

 

[Krish]

Looking good!! Is that stand supporting a 12 gal or 120 gal?? . That's more than strong enough!! Looking forward to seeing this thing up and running

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Haha yeah my wife was being silly and doubting it was strong enough, so i jumped on it a bunch of times and it didn't budge. I'm like this tank probably won't weigh 150lbs full of rocks and water. I also tried the 29 gallon underneath to see how it would fit and it fits like a glove.

 

[Peppie]

They do make an adjustable shelf bracket. I have got an idea in my head. I sent you a PM.
If it is going to be viewed on 3 sides I think it will work. You would need to mod your stand a little.

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

They do make an adjustable shelf bracket. I have got an idea in my head. I sent you a PM.
If it is going to be viewed on 3 sides I think it will work. You would need to mod your stand a little.

Haha you might be thinking what i was thinking. I found some industrial 20" long shelf brackets at Lowes and was thinking about drilling more holes in the top of them and mounting the boards on them with bolts. Then hooking them up to the adjustable railing along a board attached to back of the stand. I think they would be more than strong enough if i use two of them. Is that kinda what you were thinking?

 

[Peppie]

Yes kinda in a way. I was thinking of having 2 uprights comming out the top of your stand on the left side or right. And attaching the wall mount part of the adjustable shelf system to the uprights. Then you could screw the hood or plank to the brackets to mount your lights. Does that make sense?

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Yep, i have a starting point at least now.

I want the stand to be fairly straightforward so i want to paint it black, same with floating hood. What sort of prep and paint should i use to accomplish this. I'm using typical 1/4" plywood paneling. Haven't really done any woodworking or painting since High School so I'm pretty clueless to this part. The glass cutting, hole drilling, silicone was cake compared to the stand for me hehe.

I'm also considering making a mini rockwall to totally mask the return lines and hide the overflow more. I really wish to see no equipment at all in the tank.

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Another toy i was playing with recently. 4 watt chinese made GU10 LED blue bulbs.

I was thinking about adding these to the setup as well to increase the blue further, there are 9 bulbs(36watts) on that 36" piece of 2x2.

 

[Peppie]

The prep for your wood is simple. If you are going to use glue be sure to clean up any squeeze out with a wet rag right away. once all the parts are assembled you need to sand every thing smooth. I would start with 150 grit then finish with 220 grit. Prime everything with a coat of primer, and lightly sand with 220 grit to smooth all the nubbs off. Then you are ready for a couple coats of a good oil based or latex paint. Lightly sanding between coats with 320 grit. Be sure to prime and top coat are the same product. ( Oilbase or Latex)
Your lights look good

 

[user 2204]

Very nice progress you've got going and I am diggin those PAR38? light set up.

For glue squeeze out you can also allow the glue to start to get set and somewhat hard and then take a chisel (flipped over) so that the flat portion will gently scrap the glue off. This needs to be done about 30 minutes after glue up and will give you a super clean edge for paint, stain or anything you want to put on the wood.

As for sanding to a smooth finish this is what I've found to work best for me.

Currently sanding with 100grit --- Next would be 150 grit
sanding with 120 grit --- the next step is 180 grit
sanding with 150 grit --- the next step is 220 grit
sanding with 220 grit --- the next step is 320 or 400

Depending on wether you are painting or staining and the type of wood you're using will determine if you proceed beyond the 220 grit.

I can go into more detail about finish and color sanding if you'd like to know how to perform those steps to get a smooth as glass finish. This usually requires any where between 20 hours to 100 hours of sanding.

Cheers,
Alex

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Haha that helps a ton, thanks you two!

The Par38s i haven't hooked up yet(they are about 5+" across), these lights are GU10 very small maybe 2" across. These ones i'd use just to add more blue

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

The glass like finish sounds like what i want but the 20+ hours of sanding sounds not so fun lol.