Stand and Hood Design

I've never used a CAD program before so go easy.  Here is the plan for the framing/finishing of the stand and hood of the aquarium (WIP).  If you have Google Sketchup (free!) you can spin the model around and have a look at the interior details.

Stand and Hood Design:

3D model by colin.p

The Master Plan

I've kept two successful salt-water reef tanks in my life.  The first was a little 30 gallon test drive.  I had seen the pictures of spectacular tanks like this and I was determined to have a slice of the Caribbean in my basement.  During the long cold months of an Ottawa winter the proposition was tempting and I had kept a variety of pets and aquariums going back to my childhood.

The 30 gallon was a moderate success and I dove headlong into a more ambitious build.  I purchased a 120 gallon tall aquarium (60" x 18.5" x 26"), had the back drilled by a local enthusiast and proceeded to custom build a stand and canopy.  I acquired equipment bits at a time and built the tank over the process of two years.  

The final results were pleasing, but the carpentry was admittedly clumsy at best.  The plumbing was equally poor and many systems were piggy-backed or inefficiently implemented.  I had seriously under-estimated the amount of planning required to successfully keep a large scale reef tank.  

Compounding the error was a jump from mostly easy to keep soft corals and hardy fish to more demanding hard corals and larger more exotic fish species.  The shortcomings of the initial build were quickly revealed in succession: calcium deficiencies, heat fluctuations from the lighting system, water evaporation... the solutions increased exponentially in cost and complexity and made keeping the tank going a serious challenge. 

With a move across town anticipated, the tank was torn down and the livestock was sold.  It was sad, but the increasing cost and time requirement of the hobby contributed to my decision.  I planned to start fresh when the time was right.

I decided before Christmas this year that I would begin planning a rebuild of my tank as a new years project.  

In my experience there is no hobby like reef keeping.  It requires a strong grasp of so many different disciplines.  Carpentry, plumbing, chemistry, biology.  Planning and project management.  

This time I'm not going to wing it.

The Master Plan

1. Design Stand and Hood

2. Inventory Equipment

3. Test Equipment

4. Repair/Replace Equipment

5. Design Plumbing System

6. Design Lighting System

7. Design Sump & Filtration System

8. Build Stand and Hood 

9. Build Plumbing System

10. Build Design Sump & Filtration System

11. Build Lighting System

12. Fill Tank

That's a lot of work before I can even think about a fish.