amoonklein 1,212 Posted April 27, 2016 I recently acquired a "new to me" tank and thought it would be fun to post a thread dedicated to this tank set-up. It's already been a slightly laborious project, but one that has me so excited for the day when my goldies will be swimming in their new Kastle. It all started when one of my fancies, Hef, started having issues with his swim bladder... no... scratch that. I've been on the lookout for a sweet tank upgrade for almost a year. Hmm... that still doesn't seem right. Let's try this again. I'm pretty sure I'm always on the lookout for a bigger tank. A bigger tank means more goldfish, DUH! I clearly just want more goldfish. Sadly, the idea is usually dismissed as cash is tight, space is limited, and blah blah blah. OK, now that we got that out of the way... The idea of a tank upgrade was rehashed when one of my fancies, Hef, started having issues with his swim bladder. He was moved from the current 75 gallon Kastle into his own 70QT shallow studio. As I suspected, Hef doesn't much like being a bachelor and thrives off of the companionship of his other fancy friends, which are still chillin' in the 75 like nothing ever happened. The 70QT has been a good temporary solution, but I feel bad for Hef (and me... for having to change water in more tanks). I started thinking that if there was a way for me to find a large shallow tank with the right amenities, then I could keep them all together again (and maybe add some more ) Enter the new tank! As luck would have it, I stumbled upon a CL ad for a 120 gallon acrylic tank that was 8' x 2' x 1'. Yeah! Trying not to get excited, I set up a meeting with the seller to inspect it and find a way to convince my husband that this is a really great idea (he surprisingly didn't need convincing). Also, me trying not to excited was futile effort but I sure did try. Turns out the guy selling the tank has his own reef business and happens upon custom pieces like this frequently and usually has a few side projects going on. He was selling it since he and the wife are expecting and he won't have the time and the extra cash would be nice. Hooray for me! It was in very good condition, especially for the price. Remember that futile exercise I was telling you about?! Yeah... when The Hubby and Seller asked what I thought... I HUGGED it. For realziez. It totally came home with us: This thing is 1/2" thick Truvu acrylic with a built in corner overflow (which I may or may not use), slight scuffing, one scratch on the back (but the scratch is on the outside and looks like it could be removed), and I COULD NAP IN IT! All for $400. <-- kinda steep for me right now, but my plan is to sell the 75 gallon and try to get $250 for it, which would make my end cost on the new tank $150. Sweet. I definitely have my work cut out for me... which is where this post comes into play. Took me long enough to get to the monkey, right?! First up: the stand. Technically this tank has the footprint of a 240 gallon tank, but is half the height so I thought I might find a used 240 gallon stand on CL, but most people also want you to buy their 240 gallon tank too... that wasn't going to work. Plus, holy cow is that stuff expensive! So I decided to make my own stand after watching a lot of videos of The King of DIY (and lurking on diyfishkeepers). On Saturday I figured out what I needed, and Sunday I bought lumber, screws, and all the other things (there were quite a few things) and promptly set out to get a beast of a stand built. And then the project began: By the end of Sunday, I almost had the basics of the frame done: By the end of Monday, I had the corner supports and the center braces in place: Tonight, I'm hoping to get the shell of the stand done! I just need to put more support on the top of the center brace, add in some more supports along the width of the top of the tank, get the plywood in place, and then I can bring it inside! Whew! I think that's it for now. It will be fantastic for me to see the progression and how this whole thing looks when it's done. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flipper 13,057 Posted April 27, 2016 Wow! That is a totally awesome find and build and I love the pictures Thanks for sharing this with us Keep us updated too Btw, I love your enthusiasm And it's nice seeing you around Kokos again 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jenzaar 11,605 Posted April 27, 2016 WOW! Omg! That is ssooo awesommmeeee and i am mega jealous!!! But more happy for you than i am jelly!! Aahhh! 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Speckles 1,178 Posted April 27, 2016 Yep, me too! Sooo jealous, looking forward to more updates soon Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amoonklein 1,212 Posted April 29, 2016 Wow! That is a totally awesome find and build and I love the pictures Thanks for sharing this with us Keep us updated too Btw, I love your enthusiasm And it's nice seeing you around Kokos again Thank YOU for actually reading through that novel of a post. Haha. Let's hope my enthusiasm continues for the entirety of the project ;D And it's nice to see you tooooo! WOW! Omg! That is ssooo awesommmeeee and i am mega jealous!!! But more happy for you than i am jelly!! Aahhh! Thank you thank you! I'm STILL pinching myself Yep, me too! Sooo jealous, looking forward to more updates soon Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Thanks a bunch... I still can't believe I actually pulled the trigger and got it. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amoonklein 1,212 Posted April 29, 2016 Progress! I got the frame of the stand completed Tuesday night. It was forecast to rain on Wednesday so I knew I needed to get it inside asap. The shell of the frame with center braces in place and additional top support for the tank: With the plywood in place: It's currently taking up A LOT of space in the dining room/fish room. I have to wiggle around it to feed the goldies. It is going to stay like that through the weekend since Hubby and I are going to be gone at an AFM event, but am looking forward to getting that tank clean next week. Hopefully I can start planning what the skin of the stand will look like soon too. Hooray for things happening 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites