RVANANO's 300 peninsula reef build

[RVANANO]

Got the skimmer and 120 lbs of caribsea special grade reef sand. Started the painful process of washing it.

[johnike]

My sand of choice!
Let's do this Brandon!

[RVANANO]

Going to shim the tank this weekend. I really would prefer to leave the ply out. I have people scaring me about any adverse chemicals etc that could be leached out of the marine grade ply when salt creep and moisture build up on the bottom and rain back down into the sump. The gap on the left side when full is .022 across the entire 3 foot end. It goes inward from the end about 1.5-2" and the fabricator has a .018 piece of sheet metal to use that he has cut down. He actually cut a few from 1"-2" so we can get the exact depth. I figure this will allow .004 room for further deflection when the tank has coral, rock etc. I have been told shimming the tank is a no no but it's just a low spot. The shim would just give the tank something to rest on where the gap is and shouldn't create any type of pressure point since it's fully touching on the other side and in the middle where the real load is.

I did order the marine grade ply and had my cabinet guy clear it just in case I do decide to use it. Hoping for some more thoughts and suggestions on the matter. TIA.

[sirreal63]

Brandon, there are no chemicals in marine plywood that are not in any other untreated plywood. What makes Marine Plywood a Marine Grade is the construction method, it is made up of grade B and better inner plys with no voids, this makes it a structurally very strong plywood but it is not treated against rot or decay. It is regular plywood with strict standards to ensure structural integrity. I have spent the last 30 years selling this stuff wholesale and retail. I have watched it being made at the Roseburg mill.

There are no chemicals to leach out. Whomever is telling you that is full of crap. Treated plywood is treated with a high copper concentration to prevent rot, decay and bugs but that is not marine plywood, it is regular plywood that has been treated. The reality is neither is needed for your stand, regular Fir plywood is perfectly fine, the grade you choose is up to how few knots you want to see.

[sirreal63]

Maybe this will help, it is direct from the American Plywood Association.
https://www.apawood.org/level_b.cfm?...elp_prd_marine

[RVANANO]

Good to know, thanks. I would still prefer to avoid the ply altogether but only if shimming the plastic frame itself is acceptable.

[sirreal63]

I hope the shimming will work but if not, go with Fir plywood, it is the most dimensionally stable.

[RVANANO]

I've already ordered and paid for the marine grade ply and am out of time. I have to get it shimmed this weekend b/c the cabinet guys have been waiting on me. They are almost out of time to do the work before they start on another big job.

[sirreal63]

Other than cost, there is no downside to the Marine. I used to love selling it, the profit margin was high. It is also virtually useless in today's world. The product came from an old Military spec when they used to make boats out of plywood. It stopped having much use when they stopped building plywood boats in the 60's.

[RVANANO]

Thanks for the insight on the ply!

[power boat jim]

Just stumbled across this. Great looking build. Cant wait to see it full. I am officially jealous of the house and tank.

[RVANANO]

Thanks, Jim! I hope to have a lot more updates next week. Then it should move swiftly.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by RVANANO

next week.

[Misled]

Originally Posted by power boat jim

Just stumbled across this.

You really need to start Walking 1.0.

[RVANANO]

A little more done. Heavy duty thick rubber mat to prevent noise and vibration. Then I had a plywood enclosure made and wrapped it with pond liner. Not the prettiest thing in the world but should be very effective for protecting the floor and even holding water in case of a spill.

[Saltydrip]

Why not just seal the seams with paintable caulk and then paint the wood a few times with oil based paint? That would waterproof it. It would look nicer too.

[RVANANO]

Not a bad idea. I had hoped I could get the material a little tighter but it didn't turn out as I had planned. I still have time for that so I will give it some thought over the weekend. I would prefer to use a liner as it would give the sump a little more material to help eliminate vibration and noise but white would look super clean.

[d2mini]

Another option, and you could probably do this on top of the liner, is to line the pan with some acrylic and seal the seams.
Either way, you are going to love having that once you get your first big spill.
And regardless of what it looks like behind closed cabinet doors, i think something like this is a better option than paint. For the big spills.

[Vinny Kreyling]

Mine was delivered with a PVC lined bottom tray.

[GQuinn]

Originally Posted by RVANANO

Got the skimmer and 120 lbs of caribsea special grade reef sand. Started the painful process of washing it.

Is that a standard aquarium with a couple of pre-made inserts added making it a sump. If it is where did you get those inserts?

[RVANANO]

The local LFS did them. I went out and bought paintable sealant and white garage floor epoxy with clear for the enclosure

[rocride]

for you leveling problem why not weld 3"x1/4" flat bar on top of the stand and remove the camber that way, shim the flat bar or tack it level and weld

[RVANANO]

We already took care of the issue today. Marine grade ply that was edge banded and cleared. And then a piece of sheet metal that was .018 x 1.25" to fill the void from before. I just sealed the seams in the sump tray (even though they are also glued and screwed) and am going to try the garage floor epoxy. Went ahead and added about 70 lbs of sand too.

[johnike]

Great to see Brandon!!

I got my stand primed yesterday and will finish coat today.

[RVANANO]

Looking forward to seeing it, John!!

I finished the sump area. 6 coats of white garage floor epoxy rolled on and then another 5 coats of clear brushed on. Each time, I allowed it to dry in the sun between coats.