fitting a sump into a juwel rio 180

[buleetu]

hi all

i put a sump in here before, i had 2 small seperate sumps connected in the middle by bulkheads, worked really well for getting equipment out of the diplay tank,

now i have a different tank and i have the rio 180 empty and clean, ready for its new home in my girlfriends living room, no more nagging parents

i have a fair idea about how to do it, ill take the top off , re enforce the middle section, cut it out (middle section) drop the sump in from above,put the top back on(place where tank sits) and then put the sump in, im gonna use an overflow box

im just not sure on the size of the supports i need, and what size the sump will be, if anyone can suggest what thickness the wood should be or any of the measurments i would be really gratefull

the stand is
31" left to right
12" front to back
26" high

 

[bleedingthought]

What size tank is going on top? That'll determine how much weight needs to be supported.

I've only made stands using at least 2x4s. That's what I would reinforce the stand with. Put 2x4s in all four corners, turned so that you only see the 1.5 inches from the front. Then, take out the middle support completely and add a 2x4 in the front and one in the back but turned so that you see 3.5 inches from the front. That will bring your dimensions to 28"x9"x26". I would then either make or get a custom sump made. I'd probably go with something like 26"x8"x14". That would be about 12 gallons. You can always go the whole length and width and that would be about 15 gallons but a tight fit.

Of course, it might just be easier making a new stand that can fit a bigger sump, if that's what you're looking for.

 

[Anonymous]

Can't you take off the middle section, cut a square out of the bottom, put the sump in, and put the middle section back around the sump? I assume you never have to pull the sump out again.

Another alternative is to cut the lower part of it so that you can slide the sump in from the front, and put a supporting stud afterward in front of the sump. This way, you can still remove the sump after the display tank is installed.

For the stud, I think two 2X2 or one 2X4 is enough, but it never hurt to overengineer it as much as possible if space and cosmetic allows.

 

[buleetu]

the tank going on top is a juwel rio 180, its 180litres 35 gallonspermanent support in the front

ill be making the sump my self, so it will fit perfectly, i wont need to take it back out until the tank is dimantled again, so it doesnt matter if theres a

this is what ive done so far,
i am defo gonna over do it on the supports, this tank is going into my girlfriends house, so i cant have it collapsing on me because i would end up single again (not that i would like it to happen in my house either)

so i have 2x3 supports on either end, i only wanna have another support at the front in the middle if i can get away with it, if i really need to ill put one in the back,but hopfully that wont be needed because if i do ill end up with a 8" wide sump,and thats too skinny

so what do u guys think??

 

[Anonymous]

Since the tank is about 30 inch wide, you maybe able to use two length-wise beams and get rid of the center support (the one perpendicular to the back center piece) all together.

 

[bleedingthought]

Since the tank is about 30 inch wide, you maybe able to use two length-wise beams and get rid of the center support (the one perpendicular to the back center piece) all together.

I agree.

 

[buleetu]

kind of like this u mean,

lets say i put 3 beams going left to right from the new frames and then 1 more support in the middle at the front

 

[Anonymous]

1, no need for the center, hort. beam on the top since it is less than 3 ft width.
2, turn the beam 90 degree so that the thickness is increase. It is stronger that way.
3, cut a stripe off the center particle board and glue/screw it to the vertical center support. This way when the doors are closed, you can't tell the difference from the original stand. A 2X2 is good enoug for the vert. center support, I feel.

 

[Tanker]

At the rate your going you might as well just completely build a new stand. But everything looks good so far the way your going