2 meter Orinoco basin tank setting up...

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 03 May 2007, 09:22

Hello,
This Saturday i just ordered the 2 meter tank i wanted

Here is what exactly i ordered:
200-60-70cm tank
220-60-100cm wood dressed metal tank stand with a wooden extension above the 20cm that the stand will project from the tank so that it will cover the overflow hoses and the ''external'' box overflow i will use.The over flow box will in fact be a glass box glued outside the tank and connected with it with a lond drilled hole were the water suface will be.
90-55-60cm sump
60-55-80cm holding tank
The tank will have inner covers and outer covers.Both completely removable and mabe from clear polycarbonate(my idea,glass is too heavy for me to move it all the time...)The outer covers will be dressed with melamine.
The tank and stand will be made in my basement as they cant go down the stairs...

So,hopefully i will have tank and stand making photos too

I am very excited and cant wait the glasses to come!!!!

They will most probably come next week

As for the sump pumps,i am between three:Aqua medic Ocean Runner,Eheim Hobby pumps,Tunze Master electronic pumps...Which one would you suggest?I have heard the Tunze do the least heating of the water,something very good as in summer heat is a problem and a great one in Greece...

Thank you very much in advance

Really cant wait the glasses

Bas Pels · Post by **Bas Pels** » 03 May 2007, 10:04

Eheim and aqua medic both are very good pumps indeed. However the Eheim use moor power - amnd is thus able to lifit the water higher - or better put, it does not loose so much of it outpunt lifting the water

I never heard of Tunze, so i can not comment of them.

in my eyes, auaa medic are best suited for internal filters, Eheim for sumps below the tank

Post by **Janne** » 03 May 2007, 11:49

I have and use pumps from Tunze that are more then 20 years old...and they still works like they was new, maybe some makes very little noise but thats all.

Janne

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 04 May 2007, 11:08

Thank you both for your replys

After hearing that,i will go with Tunze

It heats the water less anyway...

I will buy a Master electronic 1073.090 which pumps 8,500l/h plus another smaller pump just for safety reasons(if one stops,there will be the other).

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 04 May 2007, 12:05

This is going to be one fantastic tank Kostas.

You are putting a lot of thought and effort into it.

I'm looking forward to pictures.

apistomaster · Post by **apistomaster** » 04 May 2007, 15:04

Kostas wrote:Hello,
This Saturday i just ordered the 2 meter tank i wanted Here is what exactly i ordered:
200-60-70cm tank
220-60-100cm wood dressed metal tank stand with a wooden extension above the 20cm that the stand will project from the tank so that it will cover the overflow hoses and the ''external'' box overflow i will use.The over flow box will in fact be a glass box glued outside the tank and connected with it with a lond drilled hole were the water suface will be.
90-55-60cm sump
60-55-80cm holding tank
The tank will have inner covers and outer covers.Both completely removable and mabe from clear polycarbonate(my idea,glass is too heavy for me to move it all the time...)The outer covers will be dressed with melamine.
The tank and stand will be made in my basement as they cant go down the stairs... So,hopefully i will have tank and stand making photos too
I am very excited and cant wait the glasses to come!!!! They will most probably come next week
As for the sump pumps,i am between three:Aqua medic Ocean Runner,Eheim Hobby pumps,Tunze Master electronic pumps...Which one would you suggest?I have heard the Tunze do the least heating of the water,something very good as in summer heat is a problem and a great one in Greece...

Thank you very much in advance

Really cant wait the glasses

No matter what pump(s) you choose you could consider mounting it externally rather than submersing it in a sump. Then almost no heat from the pump will be transferred to the system's water. Common pratice among reef tank owners where excess heat is avoided at every possible step in the design and many still need chillers. Fortunately our fish can tolerate or even demand warmer temperatures than live corals.

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 07 May 2007, 10:39

Thanks racoll

I try to make it easy mantainance,practical and at the same time good looking and as close a nature simulation as possible

apistomaster,
The pumps do will be mounted externally for the reasons you say and because i dont want to waist sump volume

But thank you very much for pointing this out as i forgot to mention it in the first post

I would like to ask you something regarding the lighting...I am thinking of putting some halogen spots to light the front as i want it generally dark and with only some concentrated light...How should i mount them as from what i know they generate a lot of heat and having plastic covers this could be quite a problem...The availiable height is 9cm...I would greatly appreciate some help on that

Thank you very much in advance

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 17 May 2007, 10:03

Hello,
I have got some update!!!

This Tuesday they called me to go to the industry to make the actual plans of the sump and tank...Mainly for the overflow and where exactly the holes will be drilled and how big the sump compartments will be made...
The glasses where there,ready to be drilled

About the overflow,we talked more than 30minutes for it because i wasnt satisfied with what they proposed(solutions which would turn to a disaster with the floating plants i want to keep in this tank and also dangerous to fry and Copella compta...).So after much discussion we concluded that and internal overflow bo would be the best solution...This bow will be removable and will be mounted to the left side of the tank.The dimensions will be 50-5-15(L-W-H) and there will be strainers all over the top of the overflow...The water will drain to sump via two 8cm holes and flexible tubing...I concluded to this because it can overflow more than 12000l/h(dont remember exactly how many...) and its virtually impossible to clog,something absolutely necessary when keeping floating plants in tanks with overflows...
As for the sump,it will have 4 compartments.The first and last will be 15cm long each and the middle ones 30cm long each.More on the sump when its ready along with many photos

The main tank will have four holes near to the four corners...Where the right ones are,two fans will be put...The holes are between the two tank covers so as to blow hot air away and not allow it build up and heat the water...
They told me they will most likely come tomorrow to my house,bring the glasses and construct the tank stand on place!!!So the first pictures will be up soon!

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 22 May 2007, 13:04

No pictures yet unfortunately because the constractor decided that he will make some part of it in his enterprize taking full responsibility if it cant go down to where i want to put it or if something goes wrong on the transport...So i guess there wont be many construction pictures

But the good thing is that he will bring the tank to my home within this week and so the wait is towards its end

Will keep you posted...

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 02 Jun 2007, 07:46

Ok,now time for some serious update...

The glasses and the stand arrived yesterday in the morning for a good day's start...

Tank construction started soon after trasfering all their equipment and tank parts to the basement and the whole proccess lasted 4hours and a quarter and in the meantime i took many many photos

Only 53

Enjoy!!!

Tank stand...

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 02 Jun 2007, 07:53

Main tank's glasses and tank stand's wood dressing...

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 02 Jun 2007, 07:56

And a few photos of the tools...
Air compressor...

jizzz...

...and various other tools...

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 02 Jun 2007, 08:08

Tank stand's iron skeleton constraction...

Regulating the legs...

Painting the joints with a paint against rust forming...

...and the tank stand's skeleton is ready!Here can be seen with the protective plastic layer already laid on...

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 02 Jun 2007, 09:11

Now the more intresting part:Main tank construction!!!

Tank bottom placed on the protective plastic...

...then lifting in up on one side to write with silicone the constraction date and the company's logo on the plastic...

Then the glass was laid down again...You can see the date and the logo ''A'' from Antonakakis....

The silicone used...An ecological,high pressure silicone...

Applying silicone on all edges of the bottom glass...

Close up...

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 02 Jun 2007, 09:23

Left tank side with silicone already applied...

Positioning the back glass...

...and now the left side glass...

Done and running for tape...

Preparing the right side glass...

...and putting it in place...

The tank at this stage with the three sides on...

Bringing the front glass...

...positioning...

...and done!!!

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 02 Jun 2007, 10:14

Putting clamps to hold the glasses together tightly...

...and tape to the upper part...

And now the first tank inhabitant...

...removing the surplus silicone...

The first rim in place...

Applying silicone to the second rim...

Second rim in place too...

Removing surplus silicone...

The tank as it is now...

...and as it should be for another 10days...

At least i have something to look at now and dream it with its inhabitants...

On a side note,the glasses were thoroughly cleaned and dried before gluing...
For removing the extra silicone,they used water diluted soap for dishes in the white container where they were dipping the piece of plastic used to remove the silicone,so that it could easily be removed from it...

Hope you liked it!!!

YouTube · Post by **Jools** » 02 Jun 2007, 15:01

It's a pretty lame response, but this is a really interesting set of photos! I'm looking forward to seeing what the drilled holes are for.

Jools

WhitePine · Post by **WhitePine** » 02 Jun 2007, 18:05

I would be more worried of the first fill to see if it leaks. I have heard enough horror stories of large built tanks leaking.

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 02 Jun 2007, 18:55

Wow! How many days did it take to put it together?
Amanda

zenyfish · Post by **zenyfish** » 02 Jun 2007, 21:02

I like it alot! I always admire those that have the inclination to attempt a projects like this ... looking forward to the finished product.

I thought the holes were for an external overflow box that would be attached to the tank?

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 03 Jun 2007, 10:24

Thank you very much for your comments

Jools,
I am happy you like it

As for the holes,the 2 holes of the right side glass are for fans.The upper 2 middle holes of the left side are for fans too,if i need to put four and the 2 of the right side are not enough...The 2 lower holes of the left side are for the overflow box and the upper 2 side holes,that are smaller than the rest,are for passing the hoses of the return and runnind them accross the hood to the right side of the aquarium to have the river tank effect...

whitepine,
Lets hope it doesnt leak...Or i will have to wait another 10 days from the day we figure out it leaks...

Amanda,
The whole assembly you see at the photos took only four hours...

But of course the work before this was a week(having the glasses cut,assembling and disassembling again the tank stank for transport,etc)

zenyfish,
I am happy you like it

I too look forward to the finished product

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 03 Jun 2007, 18:49

Kostas,
Do you have a plan in mind for testing? When I re-seal a tank, I usually bite my nails first

, then, do it in a few stages: test the bottom, and leave it for a few days and move upwards. But, the largest tank I've done is a 55 gallon(American). The 55 gallon tank had sat in someone's backyard, in the elements for one year. On top of that, it was over 15 years old, possibly 20 years old. Six months later, I still feel as if I'm in the testing phase. It's so difficult to be patient.
Amanda

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 03 Jun 2007, 20:41

Come on everyone, that's no way to improve someone's confidence!
That tank is not going to leak, period.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 04 Jun 2007, 12:39

bronzefry wrote:Wow! How many days did it take to put it together?
Amanda

kostas wrote:... the whole proccess lasted 4hours and a quarter ...

Quite a lot quicker than I could have done it, that's for sure... but of course, it doesn't include the cutting, drilling or initial assembly of the stand.

--
Mats

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 04 Jun 2007, 13:22

Thanks for sharing all the photos kostas, it is quite fascinating to see the assembly process. I would not be too concerned about filling it up, it is well finished and looks like they did a professional job. The only thing that puts me off building a big tank is the thought of hundreds of silicon fingerprints that would surely end up everywhere if I did it!

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 05 Jun 2007, 08:18

Thank you very much for your comments

Amanda,
No,i dont have a testing plan...Yours sound very good but i dont think i will have the patience to gradually test the tank

I guess i will just fill it up and see what happens...

Thanks Mark

I too hope it wont leak...

Mats,
Yeap,it doesnt include them...It includes everything shown in the photos,starting with the parts shown in the first ones...

snowball,
I am glad you like them

Thanks for building my confidence,i have started to worry a bit if it will leak...
If thats the only thing that puts you off,then start building one!!!

Even if silicon fingerprints end up everywhere,it will be worth the extra job cleaning them for such a tank

But just to let you know,they touched silicone only once and that was by mistake...So you dont need to touch it...

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 05 Jun 2007, 12:17

Kostas wrote:But just to let you know,they touched silicone only once and that was by mistake...So you dont need to touch it...

That's because they know what they are doing, right?

I was laying felt on my roof, using the black "mastic" ( stuff that you're not supposed to apply with your fingers, but after two "lines" of 1meter wide felt, I had it all over my hands, on my shoes and some on my legs. Another 6 lines to go after that, which didn't get me any cleaner...

--
Mats

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 05 Jun 2007, 13:35

Right!

I understand what you say,you just dont feel right if you dont touch it!

When you see it and you think:''I must not touch it'' then somehow you manage to get it on you

It happens to me too sometimes...

Now,i want to ask all of you something:The metal stand,as you see it will be dressed on the outer side with wood.On the inside,the bottom will be dressed with a piece of wood cut accordinly too(can be seen in the third photo,the front wood...).So,when it is all dressed up with wood,the vertical metals of the stand will still be visible from the inside,as well as the metals of the upper metal frame on which the tank rests...
Ok,so here are my questions:Should i leave the bottom wood as it is,plain with no varnish or anything to protect it from humidity(bear in mind the sump and holding tank will rest on it so it would be quite easy and possible that some water may spill on it too apart from the constant high humidity that will prevail in the stand...)or should i paint it with a non toxic varnish?Do you have any particular non toxic varnish in mind?
Another question,the vertical metals of the stand are painted with an anti-rust paint...Is this toxic for fish in case water gets onto them and then into sump?(as sump will be in direct contact with them...)Should i paint them with a water resistant and non toxic paint?Do you know any paint that fits these requirements?
Also,the upper frame and untreated wood that will be visible too,i was thinking of dressing them with something...Do you have any proposal about this?I have two things in mind that could be used but i am open to suggestions:i was thinking of dressing it with either wood or with polycarbonate...The wood would be more beautifull but the polycarbonate wins in all others and so i am more thinkng to go with the secong which is non-toxic and has no problem with water...
And yet another question,should i leave the back of the stand uncovered or not?I would like it covered but dont know if would can stand all this humidity

Can i cover it and make many small holes or grills on the upper part of this wood?

Thank you very much in advance!

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 05 Jun 2007, 14:23

For the lower "shelf" piece of wood, I would use a waterproof varnish. "boat-varnish" is generally available, and it's a strong, usually polyurethane and solvent-based varnish (so it smells lots). Once it's "dried", its completely harmless to humans and fish (assuming it's not got "antifungal additives" - which is usually declared on the front of the can, but sometimes you have to read the fine print).

I wouldn't worry too much about spillage leaching chemicals from the upper tank to the sump - it's a fairly short time contact and the paint doesn't look like something that is really bad (like the red lead-based paint that used to be popular some 50-100 years ago). It is most likely a plain "ordinary paint", which doesn't contain anything particularly strong - I'm not suggesting you use this pain INSIDE the tank (or washing the inside of your stand with water, letting it drain into the sump), but for small amounts of spillage it should be fine - you may of course want to ask the manufacturer of the stand what sort of paint they use, and if it's known to be "OK" with fish. But I expect it is OK.

Note that most paints have a lot of warnings about "VOC - Volatile Organic Compounds". These are indeed harmfull for all manner of creatures - but they are also volatile, meaning that they don't stay around for long, given good ventilation.

My tank-stand that I've built in my fish-room is completely unfinished [1], but if I were to finish it in any way, I'd use the a polyurethane-based varnish.

[1]In the sense that it's not coated with anything - not in the sense that it's a pile of wood waiting to be put together.

--
Mats

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 05 Jun 2007, 14:45

Thank you very much for your reply Mats

Then i will do ask for a polyurethan based varnish and paint the wood...And i think i will search for a black non-toxic paint to paint the vertical metals too...just to have my mind calm...

Its not ordinary paint,its against rust for the iron...Its called minio in Greek,not sure in English...

I too would let the would unfinished if it wasnt in a place where it can be easily ruined by water and humidity...I imagine having a monthly crop of mushrooms if i let it that way...

For the upper frame and the wood its above it and is visible too,should i cover it with polycarbonate or do you have a better idea about how to dress it?

Thank you very much in advance

2 meter Orinoco basin tank setting up...

2 meter Orinoco basin tank setting up...

Re: 2 meter Orinoco basin tank setting up...