satchiel Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 On the back end of building a custom cabinet & hood for my wife's new 3ft marine tank over the past 6 weeks, I've decided it's now high time to utilise the 4ft tank I received for Christmas...which has meant further trips to Bunnings for building materials (such a bummer ), & copious use of power tools. At the end of the process, I'm planning on turning out a 4ft native biotope tank with plants & fish endemic to my local area on the northside of Brisbane. My wife's new marine pride & joy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchiel Posted March 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Today's effort: Most of the timber, which has been cut to size over the last few evenings (my neighbours must love me!): The skeleton of my cabinet finally all together: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchiel Posted March 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Today's progress...fitted internal floor in cabinet (will eventually be carpeted), & tank bed above - recess is about 3cm, so with foam should allow the tank to sit about 2cm below the lip which will conceal the bulk of the substrate. Will be coming inside soon to have the tank dropped in to ensure a snug fit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchiel Posted March 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Another look before it heads inside until next weekend... And absolutely perfect fit! Still a truckload of work to do enclosing the cabinet beneath & custom-fitting with all the bells & whistles (have some grand plans for underneath), custom hood & plumbing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Nice stand mate. Can't wait to see the finished product Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchiel Posted March 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Thanks Am taking my time on this one, & is going to be a labour of love...am a great believer in "do it once...do it right." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buck Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 looks good man, im keen to see how it turns out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatic Paradise Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Very very nice, thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchiel Posted March 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Has been a little bit in between powertools, but have managed to squeeze in a few hours on the build this afternoon...cabinet sides, back & mock-up front are now all done, & now almost at the point where the staining/varnishing can begin on the outer... View from the back, but still need to cut the holes for ventilation panels and plumbing on left & right sides: View from front with the mock-up front panel in place - this needs to be tidied up a little still & door apetures cut, but will act as a lockable doored front to the cabinet that can be completely removed for major work below if necessary: Looking good inside (although the contrast on the mobile pic at night is a bit deceiving), with plenty of room to play with - looking forward to fitting this section under the main tank out with twin canisters, dual quarantine tanks, airation system, CO2 sytem, & plumbing galore...amongst a handful of other special touches! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchiel Posted March 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Finally found a little extra time in between shifts this afternoon to get some more work done on my cabinet: Rear venilation ports cut high in the back of the cabinet to exhaust hot air, which will eventually be capped with brushed aluminium grills - air intake ports still to be cut at base level in the sides for grill/intake fan ports, & bulkead holes left & right to accomodate the twin canister filters: Front cabinet panel sitting in place with door apertures cut - this one's going to sit to one side & will probably be the last component completed as it'll be the least functional (apart from the attachments planned): Cabinet's now in the garage on blocks ready for varnishing externally & waterproofing internally, tonight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcumpstay Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Very nice looking build. Keep the photos coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satchiel Posted January 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 10 months & a change of company later (barely remember where the last 6 months went!?), & my pet project has collected considerable dust in the garage...as has the 4 foot tank sitting dormant in the living room reminiscent of Christmas 2013. A few extra ventilation ports were cut into the case prior to applying the first few coats of stain/varnish, & then the project was laid up...until now... New year, new tank...after some prodding, it's time to pick up where I left off & get the 4 foot up & running, as I plan on overhauling the long-standing 2 foot native I have, & have been dreaming of the mods possible for a bigger tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetley Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Great to see you're picking this up again. Obviously sounds like you had big plans for the inner workings of your cabinet when you started (a year ago!). Still looking to cram it full to the brim with gizmos and gadgets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
