First I had to cut the 4x4 leg posts down to size from the original stacked tank stand design so that the 90gal tank would not be closer to the top of the 40gal. Here's a picture of where I cut the old legs (and my extremely messy workbench!)...
...and a picture of the leftover leg pieces...
And here is where I was working on taking apart the old stand and putting together the newly cut-down one...(this is silly, I wish I had taken a "before" picture of the stand, but you get the idea
)
Now this is the California Kingsnake's cage that I had to move out of the corner to make way for the new 90gal tank...
And here is the newly cut down stand in place in the corner next to the 40gal turtle tank. It's made out of pressure treated 4x4 posts with 2x6 framing and 3/8" galvanized carriage bolts and lag screws (like an outdoor deck)...
Here, I'm making sure the stand is level...
And here it is with the 3/4" plywood top secured to the frame...
...and (with the help of my son) with the 90gal in place...
I've drawn in where the above tank basking platform will go along with the ramps into each tank. There will be a solid wall in the back and a plexiglass wall in front when completed.
With this design I will be able to house my 3 RES in 135 gallons using 2 separate tanks joined together by a common basking area. This way I only need to get another heater and filter for the 90gal but will be able to use the same basking lights as before. None of my turtles have ever shown any signs of aggression towards eachother but now they can have more privacy if they wish.
I'm going to order an XP3 or XP4 for the 90gal. I also still have to build the basking area so I will hopefully have it completed in another week or two. I can't do any more work on it this week because of a work ("real" work) deadline coming up and then I'm going to be away this weekend. So hopefully I can get some more done next week.
Now if you can shrink it down and get it added to the smiley box for posts... Hey, Steve, is that possible?
