Half Cylinder 90-Gallon Rebuild

[AIRDADDY]

Here I go again! I recently purchased a 90-gallon half-cylinder aquarium. The original stand was in bad shape because it's MDF and that stuff ain't gonna last in a wet environment. So I got a good deal because he knew the stand was trash. I had a bunch of plywood at the house so it wasn't going to cost me much more than my labor hours to build a new one. I'm currently running a 29 gallon AIO half-cylinder but small aquariums can be frustrating with all the limitations on equipment and livestock. As of this post, the new stand is 80% complete, I just need to paint and attach the glass doors with the new hardware. I modified the design by extending the height 5 and a half inches because it's going to sit behind the corner of the couch and I don't want the view obstructed. I'm also thinking about building a new canopy, the original is in great shape but it's just a poor design. The canopy doesn't have any openings except for the large hole in the top, so any time you need to get in the tank you have to remove the whole thing. I haven't drawn any plans yet but I'm thinking about extending the height from 8" to 11" and creating a hinge towards the front so I can lift it up to get my hands in the tank. This will also give me the clearance to mount the lights 9" above the water.

 

[revhtree]

Congrats on the new tank! So you're buding a whole new stand yourself?

 

[AIRDADDY]

Congrats on the new tank! So you're buding a whole new stand yourself?

Oops, I forgot to add the build progress pictures.

 

[revhtree]

Oops, I forgot to add the build progress pictures.

Dang that looks great!

 

[blaxsun]

Really nice work! Based on your obvious talent, I think redoing the canopy is a great idea as well.

 

[Reeferjunkie]

Looks really good so far and nice score on the tank hard to get those half moons

 

[AIRDADDY]

So... This has turned out to be a lot more work than I originally planned for. This rounded shape has tested all of my skills and most of my patience. I'm getting close to wrapping it up though. I have one more drawer and a little bit of sanding before painting this weekend. Here are some proof of progress pics.

 

[AIRDADDY]

My custom drawer that took a lot of nails, screws, glue, and a bucket of curse words. All it needs is a hinge, wood filler, and a ton of paint! I still have to trim the face panel to make it flush.

 

[AIRDADDY]

I got swamped with work right as I was finishing up so the last bit took a month longer than it should’ve. My wife wants to paint the wall behind the aquarium first so now I’m in a holding pattern until we find the perfect color. Here’s a few shots of the build all painted and ready to go. I made a big mistake by not setting the glass doors before I put the top piece on so when I mis-drilled one of the holes on the right hand door I had no choice but to live with the gap at the top corner. I could probably fabricate a metal plate as a hole adjustment but I’m mentally done with this project and I have a ton of other projects waiting for me. So WYSIWYG!

 

[AIRDADDY]

I was able to attend #reefapalooza in Orlando and stock up for the bigger tank. The confusing advance ticket process cost me an extra $50 so my coral buying budget took a little hit. I was able to pickup a few nice pieces with my remaining funds.

 

[AIRDADDY]

Happy and healthy new additions.

 

[AIRDADDY]

I guess my Quick video Was too large a file.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Looks awesome

 

[AIRDADDY]

I’m just putting the finishing touches on the build. Mostly cable management left.

 

[AIRDADDY]

The light spread is a little tricky because of the plastic bracing on top of this style tank. If I didn’t already have Kessils I would have opted for the Neptune sky in the center and maybe the smaller Kessil to fill in the corners.

 

[AIRDADDY]

It's been a while since the last update. I hit a rough patch for about 6 months dealing with low nutrients and nuisance algae. Everything is pretty stable at the moment.

 

[AIRDADDY]

I guess it’s true that your tank will do well if you leave it alone and keep it steady. I may have gone overboard with the hands off approach but the growth has exploded. Sadly the bubble algae and red slime has also exploded. My first point of action will be thinking out the overgrowth of the hammer, Cotton candy torch, Styliphora, and Bubblegum Digi.

 

[AIRDADDY]

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I guess it’s true that your tank will do well if you leave it alone and keep it steady. I may have gone overboard with the hands off approach but the growth has exploded. Sadly the bubble algae and red slime has also exploded. My first point of action will be thinking out the overgrowth of the hammer, Cotton candy torch, Styliphora, and Bubblegum Digi.

Love the way your tank looks!

 

[AIRDADDY]

Love the way your tank looks!

Thanks, I think I'm going to set up a frag tank to sell these frags. I took a couple large colonies to the LFS and they gave me about as much as I paid for the frags they started from. I can sell a bunch of frags dirt cheap and make a whole lot more.