Do it yourself

I always use a chainsaw for my fine cuts. : )

Quote: petroglyph

I always use a chainsaw for my fine cuts. : )

Show off ;)

I'm sort of not sure what I'm doing now lol. Got it boxed in; it's sturdy enough by "Good Enough" standards. I reckon I could park my truck on it as it and it'll hold just fine. I'm just not entirely sure how to connect the support columns for the tank. I obviously need to run some boards joist-like throughout the middle, but I don't currently have screws long enough to do so. I also haven't decided on what bracing if any I'll use, and whether I'll buy it or make it. In short, I ran out of brain today.



Did figure out one thing, though... this thing is f#$%ing huge.

Are you going to do some kind of cross bracing Face? Nothing is stopping your box from twisting and collapsing flat. If you don't want to put 2X into it for triangle braces you could run some 1/8" aircraft cable from each corner with some screw tighteners. You have a lot of weight to support.

Quote: Face

Show off ;)

I'm sort of not sure what I'm doing now lol. Got it boxed in; it's sturdy enough by "Good Enough" standards. I reckon I could park my truck on it as it and it'll hold just fine. I'm just not entirely sure how to connect the support columns for the tank. I obviously need to run some boards joist-like throughout the middle, but I don't currently have screws long enough to do so. I also haven't decided on what bracing if any I'll use, and whether I'll buy it or make it. In short, I ran out of brain today.

Moderately easy fix! Here is what I would do at this point. The 2x4s that are the top, you screw another 2x4 on top of them. EXCEPT where those three vertical 2x4s are you leave a gap for a 2x4 to go across like a joist. Better yet, put a 4x4 on top of the 2x4's and leave the same gap, then put 2 2x4s across like a joist but they are sitting vertical like a proper joist. The joists will not be totally proper (too much already done to rebuild) but I think it would give you the strength you need. Put plywood on top of it all.

Make sense?

Quote: Face

If that's you below with the fish, who's
the guy above with the Chia pet on his
head. I like the bald look better.

Nice box!

With the depth and the weight of the water involved, do vertical supports in the middle of the span also need to be added to the joists across the center?

Has it been checked for level? When would final adjustments need to be made, and how close do you need to be? I think with that much surface area, a small variation could translate into gallons more water on one side than the other, but who could tell?

The aerator/filter is going to need a fresh air inlet, but it is also going to need sound insulation as the pump required to handle this much water is pretty beefy. Short of moving this function outside, I don't know how to balance those two things inside a house. Many of the big set ups I have seen actually have these lines and the equipment above the water line in order to keep the system from siphoning the water out of the tank if the pump goes out.

Quote: Ayecarumba

The aerator/filter is going to need a fresh air inlet, but it is also going to need sound insulation as the pump required to handle this much water is pretty beefy.

Couldn't you just use 2 smaller double setups?

Quote: Face

I reckon I could park my truck on it as it and it'll hold just fine.

Good, you'll be finally getting that automotive work up off the ground.

Quote: kenarman

Are you going to do some kind of cross bracing Face? Nothing is stopping your box from twisting and collapsing flat. If you don't want to put 2X into it for triangle braces you could run some 1/8" aircraft cable from each corner with some screw tighteners. You have a lot of weight to support.

OMG certainly. I'm at about 65%-70% confidence that my floor can handle it as is. I'm 100% confident it will if I faff around in the basement and shore it all up. But both those confidences drop to just about zero if the ~7,000lbs comes dropping down from 2'+ ;)

I just wasn't sure how to go about it. I really didn't want to do wooden cross braces; too much wood, too many angle cuts to make. I sort of thought about doing the cable thing, realized it was an option, and immediately put it out of mind. That's sort of where the "ran out of brain" came in. I know what I want to do, just not exactly how to go about it as I've never done this stuff before. I know what I need, or at least what it looks like, I just don't know where to get it or what it's called. But no biggie. "There will be water if God wills it".

Quote: AZDuffman

Make sense?

Complete sense, but that's leaves just 3 "joists". I ain't trusting no 3 sh!tty pine 2x4's to hold 3 and a quarter tons lol.

Quote: Evenbob

If that's you below with the fish, who's
the guy above with the Chia pet on his
head. I like the bald look better.

As do I, but you're a Great Laker. You know how it gets. My entire route is within spitting distance of Erie if not right on it, it's February, and my giant window is completely down for 5-9 hours at a time. Would you want to do that bald?

It's just my winter plumage. It'll all be gone in a month or so.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Nice box!

You're lucky I'm a man or that would be suspension worthy XD

Sorry, I'm feeling childish today ;)

Quote: Aye

With the depth and the weight of the water involved, do vertical supports in the middle of the span also need to be added to the joists across the center?

I don't think so. If I just went with the three as AZD suggested, then I wouldn't do it without them. But I plan to fill that void with a lot more than three. Plus, they're short. I'm more worried about shear (breaking where they rest on the box) as opposed to them snapping in twain.

Quote: Aye

Has it been checked for level? When would final adjustments need to be made, and how close do you need to be? I think with that much surface area, a small variation could translate into gallons more water on one side than the other, but who could tell?

It's Good Enough ;) I mean, it's on carpet and this is raw pine, so we're not up to NASA specs here. But as far as the level is concerned, yeah, it's level all the way around. And, it's almost actually square. I think I'm off 3/8ths end to end. Not bad for an eyeballin' hack =)

Quote: Aye

The aerator/filter is going to need a fresh air inlet, but it is also going to need sound insulation as the pump required to handle this much water is pretty beefy. Short of moving this function outside, I don't know how to balance those two things inside a house. Many of the big set ups I have seen actually have these lines and the equipment above the water line in order to keep the system from siphoning the water out of the tank if the pump goes out.

This part is going to be an entire home job, sort of a project within a project.


Basically, the lines will all be flex/PVC that will go into a regular old Gatorade type cooler. Drill a hole in the top and affix a do-jobber to connect the lines to. Inside, rough mesh, fine mesh, bio filter, activated charcoal, all in layers. The spout where you'd normally receive your drink will be removed and another do-jobber to affix lines to will replace it. It's pretty much this, only in a sealed cooler...



As I can make it for really cheap I can make as many as I want, though i was only going to start with one or two (tank won't be stuffed with fish, don't need to go crazy yet). The only thing missing is the pump to make it work. The one I have sized for my 125g garden pond is only the size of my fist. 3 or 4 of them placed naked on the plywood floor would probably hum a good bit, but a simple towel laid down will be more than enough to quiet it to a comfortable level. With my setups now, the sound of running water completely drowns out some 250g worth of pumps and aerators; I can't hear them at all unless I literally stick my head into the cabinet.

Since said cooler filter will be completely sealed airtight and the outlet will be above water level, I've no worry of a power failure siphon issue. But, as I haven't really planned that part out yet, I have left room to place them as needed. Whether under the tank in the stand or building shelves next to it to hold them high, I still have all the options. I think under will work, though.

Since I was still thinking about getting a commercially manufactured aquarium (but still haven't) I had been checking out various items required. If you have time, do some looking on youtube for some nifty things people have come up with regards to filters, pumps ,etc., Possibly more money to be saved, or improvements to be made, or both. Plus there is plenty of show & tell with actual use.