415 Gallon Plywood Tank Build

[acrylic51]

The Gels are nice, since they don't run/sag, but it seems there missing something....Maybe it's me...maybe it's the wrong color for me......I know the finishes are the hardest thing to decide.....I'll have to take a pic of my work bench and cabinet I'm building in the garage.....I run to many projects at 1 time......Love the stain on the cabinets, but think it's alittle dark for the house though.......The cabinet looks like it's wet all the time!!!!!! Quite a few neighbors have stopped and asked....

The garage cabinets even feature crown molding!!!!!!

 

[2quills]

Cabinets fit for a king. Everything in our house is dark wood...accept the ugly dinning room table we have right now but that will change. I'm a creature of habbit I guess. I've made lots of shelving and such and red mohagany has been my favorite for a long time but I'm getting tired of it. Wanna try something new for the aqarium this time.

 

[acrylic51]

I wish you could change the stand/canopy colors as a women change purses, curtains, bed comforters.......

Damn life would be easy!!!!!!!

 

[2quills]

(Sigh)...if only it were that easy. But then you'd be sitting there for hours wondering what color to have it on holidays and special occasions.

 

[nikesb]

have you checked out the minwax bombay mahagony its a really nice color at 2 coats. i wish i stayed at 2 caots

 

[acrylic51]

No haven't checked out that color Nikesb..... What happens more than 2 coats? Any pics you can post?

 

[nikesb]

2 coats

3 coats

 

[acrylic51]

I like!!!!!!!

 

[2quills]

Hey, that's actually the stain I was thiking about going with. I like the look in the first pic...is that one coat or two? What kind of plywood is that, oak or birch?

 

[acrylic51]

Corey pretty sure the first pic is with 2 coats. Are you guys sanding, then using sanding sealer or what?

 

[nikesb]

the plywood is birch. i sanded, used the pre-coat, then followed minwax's instructions. first coat then steel wool it. wipe off. second coat.

 

[2quills]

After finish sanding I like to use wood conditioner, especially over softer wood. It's actually a little more forgiving when working with stains that way IMO. Typically 2 coats is plenty. Depending on what kind of finish goes over the stain I usually like to do at least 2 or 3 to get a good protective layer. Still considering going with a tung oil finish for mine (but not sure)...that could end up being several coats.

 

[acrylic51]

Tung Oil is beautiful!!!!

 

[acrylic51]

Not much to update on!!!!! With the new work schedule, still trying to adjust to this sleep thing as normal people do!!!!

Did finally pick up the black ABS sheet I was wanting to use for the back splash area around the RO/DI unit, and the work table that will double as a stand for frag and QT tank.....I used it in my last setup and find it easier to wipe down the ABS than wiping down the walls from water splashes....
Did alittle more work on the trim of the stand....Actually I have it all trimmed out except for the 1 end. Just got lazy, and wanted to go do something fun with the young 1 for a change....Here's a couple pics of what I've gotten done. Still have alot of detail sanding to do, but the rough stuff is out of the way. Hopefully I can make a little headway on getting the rest of the stand sanded down and ready for a couple pics on that work as well. The only thing I added was the trim work at the top of the corner cap. That same molding works it's way around the top portion of the stand. Still working on the ledge/bar top portion of the stand....Have the materials, and the initial cuts are done, just need to see if I want to make any changes before I put the router into action.

 

[acrylic51]

Here is another pic of the corner end cap, that I had shown previously....It's hard to tell by the pic, but I'm considering putting in an insert piece on the open area of the corner cap to match the inserts on the door panels. You can see it mocked up on the end cap in this pic....Excuse the pic, the insert is just held in place with tape and isn't cut down to correct size, and the edges aren't beveled, and it's alittle crooked, but kinda gives an idea of what I want to do......
What do you guys think???? Add the insert cut down like the doors have or leave it alone?

 

[2quills]

I like the insert, Shawn. If it were my choice, I would use it.
Ya almost gotta hate to put a finish on it. Freshly sanded wood looks so clean.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by 2Quills
http:///forum/post/3294252
I like the insert, Shawn. If it were my choice, I would use it.
Ya almost gotta hate to put a finish on it. Freshly sanded wood looks so clean.
Yes it does....I'd almost just put a protective gloss on it.....BUT then again...I'd have hired someone to do this...LOL

 

[acrylic51]

Ok guys......still haven't any gotten any good input on the direction for the canopy.....Some things I already have planned out and thought about, but I'm struggling with how to trim the canopy out??? I'm thinking of trimming the canopy out with crown molding, but I'm considering putting in corner caps as the stand has. Basically the coner caps would be the same as the stands, and they would be lined up directly with the stand below, just they would be trimmed out with the crown molding. I have the crown molding in house, have to get a pic of it posted up here.
Come on guys!!!!! You have to have some input; some thought as to the direction of the canopy..... A pic of what I have so far and the direction I'm considering. Need your input!!!!!!
The 3rd pic shows the corner caps on the stand and the first 2 pics are of the canopy....the corner caps on the stand would just be scaled down and transferred to the canopy, but a little different molding. What's your thoughts?????

 

[acrylic51]

Originally Posted by 2Quills
http:///forum/post/3291487
Ahh...changing shifts eh...going to the 1'st or 2'nd?
I really like that poplar wood, has some nice variations in it...reminds me of cedar. Hopefully you're going with a lighter stain to keep some of that grain visible? I'm a fan of darkwood myself, but if I were using poplar I think I would have to go with a lighter color for sure.
Nice idea going with the shocks in order to have access on both sides. Might also come in handy if you ever have to tag team wrangle a fish lol.
The epoxy looks great. Those 45's have almost dissapeared from what I can see in the photo. How many coats are you going to do total?
If it were me I would leave the speaker, route out the the panel and either make or purchase some type of grill out of wood that you can stain. Here's a couple pics to get the thoughts flowing. Most of these are A/C returns...but I think you'll get the idea...
Corey, I did Google the grill/AC covers, and man they are up there for something of decent quality, and unfinished....Were talking $150.00 plus depending where you look.....Still haven't come up with a solid solution for that area. I want it to blend in and not noticeable. Might have to take the time and try to fab something up completely from scratch. I have thought about trimming it all out and using black speaker material, but feel it would take away???? Any thoughts?

 

[2quills]

What...$150? Holy cow!
I agree, the black speaker grill would stand out too much and not look right. Pluss, that would be the easy way to go, and we're way past easy at this point.

I would definately fab something up but not excactly sure how yet. I'm thinking something along the lines of thin square strips of wood and notching them out to fit them together in a square cross patter. Or possibly making up a jig to cut out some slits with the router.
I'll have to give it some more thought...the creative juices aren't always the greatest this close to bed time. I'll see what I can muster up and get back with ya on that one.