Refugium

Discussion in 'I made this!' started by ROAST N BEEF, Jun 30, 2013.

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  1. ROAST N BEEF

    ROAST N BEEF Astrea Snail

    Joined:
    May 25, 2013
    Messages:
    55
    Location:
    Sacramento
    This is the first part to my DIY refugium, this is going to be a 36x10x12 tank. The first step to this build is finding cheap enough acrylic to where this make sense to build and not buy the tank it's self. I checked out a local store that specializes in acrylic and it was $127 for just the acrylic tank not including the baffles. That was a just a little to high for me so instead I went looking again and found eBay My World - scrapplastic which has way cheaper acrylic and since my Refugium was going to be hidden inside my stand it doesn't matter if it is scratched. I paid $90 for the same amount of acrylic my local store wanted! Step two is the cutting of the glass I made an autocad so if some one wants to make the same refugium as me they can follow along, the numbers in the images are in inches.
    Picture 1:
    This is the size of the acrylic sheets I ordered. The sizes I got are a 72x10and 24x48. These sheets are only for the aquarium part of the refugium, I don't have the baffles included yet because I am still working on the aquarium. You do not need the 12x12" piece of acrylic it was a miscalculation! Sorry!
    Picture 2:
    Take the 72" piece of acrylic and cut it in half. This will make the bottom and and the sides.
    Picture 3:
    Now take the side your not using for the bottom.
    Picture 4:
    This piece will be cut into 3 different pieces. The two outside pieces will be used for the sides. Save the middle piece may come in handy later.
    Picture 5:
    This is the size the two sides should be after their cut.
     

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    Last edited: Jun 30, 2013
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  3. ROAST N BEEF

    ROAST N BEEF Astrea Snail

    Joined:
    May 25, 2013
    Messages:
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    Location:
    Sacramento
    Continuation of Part 1

    Picture 6:
    Since we are done with the 72x10" piece lets move on to the 24x48.
    Picture 7:
    This is showing you where to cut. These pieces will be making the front and the back of the refugium.
    Picture 8:
    Measurements after the cuts.
    Picture 9:
    That is all you need from the 24x48" so you can move back to the left over piece from the 72x10" piece. (I said it would come in handy!) This will be making the front and back support pieces.
     

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  4. ROAST N BEEF

    ROAST N BEEF Astrea Snail

    Joined:
    May 25, 2013
    Messages:
    55
    Location:
    Sacramento
    Continuation of Part 2

    Picture 10:
    Now if you are like me, you can see I miss calculated and I clearly don't need the 12x12" because the left over piece will cover everything so don't buy the 12x12! Anyways this just needs to be cut into two 24x2" pieces, two 11-1/2x2 and two 9-1/2x2. Sorry this picture is off!:-[
    That is all the cuts you need to make the main part of your refugium I will be posting the second part of the refugium build ASAP. If you have any questions you can PM me!
    -RON
     

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  5. khowst

    khowst Bangghai Cardinal

    Joined:
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    Messages:
    1,390
    Location:
    FLW, Mo
    Not to knock your design man, but I been down this same road. Cheapest way to build a fuge/sump, wait for petco $1 a gallon sale which is actually going on now at least in my area. your base dimensions the same as a 30 breeder. Granted with acylic for baffles and silicon the price different will be somewhat cheaper, but personally I feel more confident in their tank building vs mine.

    What thickness are you using and will you be bracing the top?

    Past that, what type of weldon are you looking at using? I would assume 4 and maybe 40 or 42? I also recommend guitar strings or acupuncture needles and using the pin method when you start building. If you dont have access to a plane or router consider wicking the edges with a torch, a plain cheap plumbers torch works fine and maybe a orbital buffer with some 3000 grit sandpaper on the but edges. Dont worry about them having a little bit of texture to them the weldon will fill that but even and straight is the most important.
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2013
  6. ROAST N BEEF

    ROAST N BEEF Astrea Snail

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Sacramento
    I will be using weldon 4 and if there are any leaks then I will move to weldon 16. All the acrylic i'm using is 1/4 inch and the baffles will probably be some cheap acrylic that Lowes has. As for the edges I have no plans to polish the edges, the only people seeing it will be me and my girlfriend.
     
  7. khowst

    khowst Bangghai Cardinal

    Joined:
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    1,390
    Location:
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    polishing the edges isn't for decorations, I meant to polish the edges you will be gluing so they are flat with good firm contact. This is even more important using Weldon 4 as your main glue as its very thing and liquid and is not a good gap filler. That calculates up to just under 19g, you looking at a fair amount of weight in there. You may way to think about some top bracing like eurostyle or something. 1/4 has more flex in it that you think.