Below is a running log of what I did to get the new tank set up and how long they take. Please let me know if you want additional details. I'm happy to post. I try to photodocument everything, so I expect this post to become quite picture heavy by the time I am done.
/////Tank Setup\\\\\
The previous owner used the tank for cichlids. It was in pretty dirty shape when I picked it up, but had no scratches or chips. It was coated with dirt and dust and had a couple moving bed bio filters built in that I wanted to remove:
It also had a wall painted blue that I wanted to remove. A razor blade made easy work of that:
The previous owner was nice enough to include some high-quality fish tank sand that I will wash and add to the tank.
Future:
Background Poster (back)
Frosted Window Film (bottom and right side)
Decorations
Filters
Heaters
ATBA (I plan to build an 18"x18"x10" basking area on the right side with frosted window film on the back and right side and a clear pane on the front. I may end up building mirrored ATBAs on the left and right hand side to give them more options)
/////Stand Build\\\\\
Obviously for a 150g my current stand (patio table) won't work. So I looked in to building my own. First, take some measurements:
First I draw a diagram for a frame using a template I found online:
I used some basic mathematics to determine the Center on Center values. I used this to make sure the center of the tank frame will land exactly in the center of the top 2"x6".
Materials Used:
Four 2"x4"x96" boards ($12)
Two 2"x6"x96" boards ($8)
Forty Eight 2.5" coarse thread screws ($6)
One bottle wood glue - Titebond II waterproof ($4)
Shims - 12 pack ($1.39)
Total cost: $31.39
Tools Used:
Tape measure
Chop saw (10" sliding compound miter)
Hammer
Framing square
7" and 12" Speed squares (Framing square did not fit between the short posts, so I used the 12" and the 7 was for marking up 2"x4"s)
Pencil - Mechanical works great here, no need to resharpen
18v Lithium ion screw gun w/two batteries (swapped them 3x during the building)
Drill bit 1/8" x 3" shank
#2 phillips bit
Paper towels dry and wet for wiping glue
Clamps I used two 12" and two 6" bar/speed clamps. I only used 2 at a time, but probably could have held things better with 3.
I'll skip boring pictures of 2x4's being cut, but it took a few hours to cut and assemble the frame:
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Small Update 08/01/2016
I made it to the store and purchased my plywood.
I went with 1/2" birch plywood for the sides and door panels and 3/4" birch plywood for the top, front, and door frames (this will make sense when you see it)
I build a rip cut jig for the circular saw after tons of trouble. I'll write it up and hopefully save someone else the effort and exhaustion that I spent building it. That being said, it cuts like dream. My cut boards at 96" length are within 1/64" all the way down. I'm sure I could improve it because I have still been eyeballing the 1/16" kerf width of the blade on each end, but I think 1/64" is plenty close for my needs. The last time I built a cabinet I used a straightedge clamped straight to the work piece without a jig and was coming up 1/16" off over a 96" cut, so this is a good improvement. (That's about 1.6mm off over 2438mm for you enlightened folk who get to use the metric system)
Total cost was $100.39
Future:
-Wrap frame in 1/2" plywood
-Apply veneer to plywood edges
-Build doors
-Prep, Stain, and Finish all plywood
