jcumpstay Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 So i am a long time fish enthusiast but have been away for the hobby for more than 10 years. My girlfriend's sister recently set up a 3ft Malawi display and upon each subsequent visit i got more and more jealous. The time has now come to re-enter the world of fish keeping and get an 8ft display tank up and running in the living room. I started on the cabinet a few weeks ago. Some progress pics below: The beginning... The frame starts to come together Hanging the doors Starting look like a piece of furniture The staining test The painting begins So another weekend or two and the cabinet should be complete :-) I have ordered the tank and sump (G&J Maher) and now it's time to sort out pumps, media, aquascaping, substrate, etc etc. Being that i have been away from the hobby for quite some time i will no doubt have some questions for all you knowledgeable folk out there so watch this space... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken-f Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Nice work! Always wanted to do something like this....maybe one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcumpstay Posted November 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Is there a Mod who can move this to the "build" section? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlidwife Posted November 13, 2013 Report Share Posted November 13, 2013 another good build................. bring on plenty pics mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mq_camo Posted November 13, 2013 Report Share Posted November 13, 2013 Beautiful stand man, bring on the progress shots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve6610 Posted November 13, 2013 Report Share Posted November 13, 2013 moved for you [MENTION=11165]jcumpstay[/MENTION] nice looking build, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcumpstay Posted November 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Picked up the first of the fish that will soon make this upcoming tank their home. These five little guys are staying in a friends tank until mine arrives and has cycled. Ikola Frontosa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
african-cichlids Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 Nice build mate much more appreciated when done yourself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPee Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 Love it keep the updates coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcumpstay Posted November 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 Weekend Update Still about two weeks until the tank is done and the cabinet should be ready to move inside next weekend. Today it was carpeting, electrical and another coat of Wenge stain/sealer. Overall i'm pretty stoked at how this is turning out. Now thinking about mounting some LED strip lights inside with push button that activates when the doors are opened. Can anyone else share some thoughts on whether a light to illuminate the sump & accessories would be worthwhile? Purchased a few sheets of egg crate to lay on the bottom of the tank Got the marine carpet installed to help dampen any vibrations A start on the electrical hopefully the final coat of Wenge stain Hopefully some more updates next weekend... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictoga Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 Lights under the stand would be good idea for when ur doing matinance and to help spot any leaks, touch wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcumpstay Posted November 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 Lights under the stand would be good idea for when ur doing matinance and to help spot any leaks, touch wood. Cheers Lictoga that's some good advice. Just ordered some LED strip lights and reed switches so i should have plenty of light under there. Hopefully it wont be needed to spot any leaks anytime soon . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcumpstay Posted November 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 (edited) Update time. I spend the weekend finishing off the electrical within the cabinet, swinging the doors and finally moving the lump of a thing inside to its final destination. I wired up proximity switches on each of the front cabinet doors so that 2 x 500mm strip LED lights will activate within each bay once the doors to that bay are opened. Tested to make sure everything works with some old LED downlights while i await delivery of the strip lights. Once the tank arrives, i will finish off the final timber fascia around the top of the cabinet, then i can see that the Xmas holidays will be spent building the hood to hide the lights etc. A few pics below to show progress: Following the final coat of stain The LED driver The tank light transformers In its final resting place A big thanks to JayPee for sending down the vinyl which i will use for the back of the tank. It will be my first time applying vinyl so i hope it comes up well. I'll also be picking up a colony of Tropheus Lufubu fry from Trofius on Friday. Can't wait to get these guys home and settled in, although they wont be going in this display tank. I have something else reserved for those guys ;-) Edited November 26, 2013 by jcumpstay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcumpstay Posted January 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 So while i haven't updated this thread for a while, i haven't been slacking off. The Xmas holidays has afforded me some time to pretty much complete the tank, filtration and cabinet. I will let the below pics do the talking: Filtration running, cabinet just waiting for finishing fascia and grill and then some tidying up underneath. under cabinet LED lighting and exhaust fans working a charm. Finally sorted out my K1 chamber and achieved a nice smooth tumbling action too. I think it's all got to do with the media maturing. I went to town on the filtration for this setup with 2xFX6 canisters and a sump. As a display, i'm trying to minimise visible muck on the bottom of the tank. the Tunze powerheads also really help in this regard to have a constant flow of water within the tank. Cabinet finished all but the last piece of fascia which should go on later today. Love the sleek modern look. ~50 fish (mostly Mbuna) added so far and there's still HEAPS of room in this monster. Now to think about the best way to hide the pipes etc within the weir. Thinking about covering this with some blue or black acrylic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mq_camo Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Nice build, quality and no expense spared, good job mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mq_camo Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 So while i haven't updated this thread for a while, i haven't been slacking off. The Xmas holidays has afforded me some time to pretty much complete the tank, filtration and cabinet. I will let the below pics do the talking:Filtration running, cabinet just waiting for finishing fascia and grill and then some tidying up underneath. under cabinet LED lighting and exhaust fans working a charm. Finally sorted out my K1 chamber and achieved a nice smooth tumbling action too. I think it's all got to do with the media maturing. I went to town on the filtration for this setup with 2xFX6 canisters and a sump. As a display, i'm trying to minimise visible muck on the bottom of the tank. the Tunze powerheads also really help in this regard to have a constant flow of water within the tank. Cabinet finished all but the last piece of fascia which should go on later today. Love the sleek modern look. ~50 fish (mostly Mbuna) added so far and there's still HEAPS of room in this monster. Now to think about the best way to hide the pipes etc within the weir. Thinking about covering this with some blue or black acrylic. I used black color backed glass on my weir and fixed it into place with black 999a, looks pretty sweet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcumpstay Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Which side of weir did you stick it? Inside or outside? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPee Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Came up a treat mate. Love the design of the cabinet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
th3f0rg0t3n Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 looking great ! oh how i wish i was that handy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hell YES! Awesome build. Those rocks are really going to make the fish colours pop when they get some size. Excellent work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mq_camo Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Which side of weir did you stick it? Inside or outside? On the outside mate, had acrylic on the weir when I got it that wasn't shiny and lifting in places cause acrylic and silicon don't bond well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcumpstay Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Came up a treat mate.Love the design of the cabinet. Thanks JayPee - Likely gonna hit you up for some more vinyl shortly too. Another small project about to start :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatfish Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 For the wier if u wanna hide it. Use foamex. Perspex and acrylic dont bond well with silicone. Where foamex does. Local suppliers should be able to cut to size and even cut the comb into it if need. Looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcumpstay Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 For the wier if u wanna hide it. Use foamex. Perspex and acrylic dont bond well with silicone. Where foamex does. Local suppliers should be able to cut to size and even cut the comb into it if need. Looks great. Any idea on Foamex distributors in Brisbane? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlidwife Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 mate, looking good and great attention to detail in all aspects............... taking plenty pics here in kuala lumpar Malaysia, plenty full sized tanks here. arrived Singapore today and have plenty more new ideas for future builds................... mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
