Custom Cabinet for 260g Reef

[RedEDGE2k1]

Hi guys,

I've been out of the hobby for about 15 years (marriage, 3 kids, career, the usual) and decided to jump back in this year. I documented my last tank over on RC, which was a 90g:

Custom Cabinet for 90g Reef (Build Thread) - Reef Central Online Community

Custom Cabinet for 90g Reef (Build Thread) Do It Yourself

reefcentral.com

We lived in a townhome at the time, so space was limited. We have since moved out to the 'burbs and have a lot more space to play with, particularly on the basement level. A couple years ago we renovated the basement space, removing walls and turning it into an open floor plan with large TV, big comfy couches and a home bar that I I built. The far end of the basement, next to the bar, will be the home for this new tank.

I spent a lot of time modeling the space in SketchUp and playing around with different tank sizes and cabinetry layouts, and ultimately decided on this design.

The tank I went with is a Planet Aquariums Mega Matrix custom which is 84" long x 28" deep x 29" tall, with dual corner internal overflow boxes. Before ordering the tank I built a scale mockup out of 3/4" rigid insulation board to make sure I would be happy with the size.

It quickly became apparent this window would need to move, as it would end up being awkwardly close to the aquarium cabinetry if left alone.

Once I was happy with the design and layout, I taped the mockup to the wall as a reference and started working on the various mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-in needs for the tank.

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

With my old 90g tank, I ended up having to run a dedicated circuit/outlet to the tank after the fact when the breaker would trip once my metal halides turned on. So on this build I knew I wanted to run dedicated outlets from the get-go. My garage is almost directly above where the tank will sit, and it already has an electrical sub-panel installed for all of my woodworking machines. So it was pretty easy to run wiring for 4 dedicated 20A GFCI outlets for the tank. I know that's overkill and I will never need that much power for this setup, but what the heck.

Open space in the garage subpanel

Running the wire/conduit for the four dedicated outlets

There were two existing can lights in the ceiling next to the tank that also needed to move a little further away, so as to not be so awkwardly close to the tank/cabinetry.

I then got to work on the in-wall rough-in for the tank. I ran a 3/4" air line in case I ever want to pull in outside air to my protein skimmer, as well as a 1-1/2" drain line so I can pump water directly outside for water changes, maintenance, etc. The concrete foundation wall of my house had to be worked around in the corner, but that was easy enough to do and this will all be hidden by the cabinets later anyway. I'll eventually pipe the drain outlet to my roof gutter/downspout drain piping outside the house, but for now it just dumps outside. I ordered some grate caps for the ends of the piping, so critters can't climb inside the house through the pipes.

The existing electrical outlets on the wall got removed as they won't be accessible (or needed).

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

Next step was the ceiling rough-in. I knew I wanted an exhaust fan inside the canopy, controlled by a humidistat, to keep the basement area from feeling swampy. I went with a Panasonic FV-0511VF1 bathroom exhaust fan that I got from Amazon, and it ducts a few feet over to the exterior wall through a wall louver.

Our laundry room is directly above the basement where the tank will sit, so it was easy to install a RO/DI system in that room and run the water line down through the floor to the tank. I went with the BRS 7-stage system. The water line will eventually feed my auto top-off reservoir.

Next up was patching the drywall walls/ceiling back and covering the back wall with FRP paneling prevent drywall damage from the inevitable tank splashes.

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

Not it was time to move that window...I started to do this myself, but quickly realized I'm too slow and didn't want my home exposed to weather for any longer than I had to. So I hired a contractor who sent two guys out and they moved the window, including all the repair work, in a single day!

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

At the opposite end of the basement we have a typical storage/mechanical room that houses out HVAC unit and a bunch of random stuff we keep in storage. I wanted to use part of this room for my saltwater mixing station, and also have the ability to set up an automatic water change system in the future. So I put a 200g vertical water tank in there for saltwater, along with a 105g vertical water tank for fresh water, all connected to another BRS 7-stage RO/DI filter. I taught myself how to sweat copper pipe from a YouTube video, and that process was pretty easy. A Reeflo Manta Ray pump will push water from this room, up and over to the tank through 1-1/2" pipe in the ceiling.

 

[twentyleagues]

Nice start! Following.

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

After all the planning and rough-in work, I could finally focus on the fun part -- building the stand. The construction is all 3/4" plywood, with the front panel being 3 layers thick and the back/side panels being 2 layers thick. I had to get the actual stand portion built and primed/painted as a priority, so I could take delivery of the tank from my LFS and then build the rest of the cabinetry around the tank.

Picking up the plywood from my local lumber yard....think it was 11 or 12 sheets:

The first of three layers that make up the front panel of the stand:

Gluing three layers together to make up the front of the stand:

Once the glue was dry I flushed everything up with a router:

The completed front panel:

The stand is entirely too big (and heavy) to build in my shop then carry to the basement, so I cut all the pieces in the shop and did a dry fit to make sure everything worked, carried them to the basement, and assembled/glued up the stand in the basement:

I used a boat load of heavy duty steel leveling feet on the bottom of the stand to carry the ridiculous weight this tank will be when it's full of water and stocked, and primed/painted it with boat paint to help stand up to saltwater drips/spills in the future:

I ordered the tank in early May 2024 and it arrived about 2 months later. I hired my LFS to deliver and set the tank on the stand, given the size and manpower needed:

Once the tank was in place, I could build the rest of the cabinetry around it:

 

[GoReefin]

Beautiful work! Can't wait to see the beast filled with water!

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

Once the cabinets were installed I got everything trimmed out, puttied & sanded and just sprayed a coat of primer yesterday. Lots of sanding in my future....and I hate painting.

 

[Tuna Melt]

amazing!

 

[Fishy Guy]

Wow! Tank looks great and the attention to detail is impressive. Following along.

 

[danreef55]

Great job. I really like your workshop and your carpentry abilities. Keep us posted

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

Tonight after work I got a coat of primer on the cabinet doors

 

[Texx]

Wow, this is amazing--following!

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

For the tank lighting, I went with four Radion G6 Pro fixtures for the primary lighting and added three Kessil A360x fixtures for shimmer which I will tune to my liking later.

 

[Fishy Guy]

Let there be light! How long do you estimate before you'll be able to fill it?

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

I attended my first Reef-A-Palooza this year in Orlando, which is where I picked up the lighting since it was 15% off at the Top Shelf Aquatics booth. I got to meet Ryan Batcheller from BRS, who I have basically learned everything I know from via his BRStv YouTube videos. I also visited the World Wide Corals store, which is pretty freakin amazing.

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

Let there be light! How long do you estimate before you'll be able to fill it?

I'm hoping to have water in it by Halloween. Still have to install the sump/plumbing, all the various devices/controllers, and build the aquascape. I'm gonna try my hand at Ryan's negative space aquascape method using dry Marco rock and epoxy. For the sand I'm going with a 50/50 blend of special grade aragonite and TBS ultra live sand.

 

[areefer01]

Tonight after work I got a coat of primer on the cabinet doors

Some nice pieces of wood above the doors there. Also noticed the Festool sustainers.

Great work.

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

Some nice pieces of wood above the doors there. Also noticed the Festool sustainers.

Great work.

Thanks! Yeah I love me some Festool. They're not cheap but they're the best, and unlike the cheaper tools, they only make you cry once (when you pay for them!).

The boards on the rack are from a cherry tree that was going to be cut down and thrown away on one of my jobsites years ago. I bought an Alaskan chainsaw mill and cut it into boards for future use...been sitting there ever since