Swannyson7's 180g mixed reef

[swannyson7]

Spent the day cleaning up the disaster in my tool shed so that I actually have room to work, so not too much accomplished today beyond another coat of paint on the canopy and I cut the acrylic for the sump. I also cut a few piece of acrylic to DIY a hang-on filter sock holder. By this weekend I should be able to get all the baffles in the sump and the filter sock holder finished. All that's left for the canopy is painting the inside with a couple coats of primer and hanging the lights and then I'm ready to go.
Here's a pic of the stand and canopy next to each other to show how they match up:

and a little MS paint hackjob artist's conception:

 

[condor]

where did you get that power strip, bad butt

 

[swannyson7]

where did you get that power strip, bad butt

Actually, it's a cheap-o from BigLots that I got for $25. It's 5 feet long and the plugs are spaced out enough that I have room for a timer in each outlet if I wanted.

 

[TANKSALOT]

That is coming along very nicely!

Thanks for sharing!

TANKSALOT
aka - Steve

 

[condor]

Actually, it's a cheap-o from BigLots that I got for $25. It's 5 feet long and the plugs are spaced out enough that I have room for a timer in each outlet if I wanted.

cool, my new set up that im doing is 4 foot but ill find something. where the heck is bantam?

 

[gar732]

It looks great man! It makes me want to start building something else.

 

[condor]

found it....... take a trip down ...there are 4 good lfs in my area and im one of them ill hook it up for a r2r member

 

[swannyson7]

cool, my new set up that im doing is 4 foot but ill find something. where the heck is bantam?

It's a borough of Litchfield, about 20 minutes from Waterbury and Torrington and a half hour from Danbury

 

[swannyson7]

I DIYed a filter sock holder today out of some acylic I had sitting around and put the baffles in the sump. Here's a shot of the filter sock holder... I overheated the acrylic and it bubbled a bit. It may not be pretty, but it's functional.

Also put the baffles in the sump and made a little frag rack for in there:

 

[swannyson7]

Got bored today, so I made a little hang-on acrylic test tube holder for testing parameters. Nothing special, but it will hang on the canopy when the door is open to make testing a bit less of a hassle. No more spilled test tubes!! Here's a couple pics:

And on a more productive note.... Got the DT water tested today and she's holding water just fine. I added handles to my mesh tops so that they're easier to get off, updated all the modules on my RKL, and started programming it. I also gave the DT, sump, & plumbing a vinegar bath. Hopefully, I'll be ready for the move this weekend!!

 

[litenyaup]

hey that is a great idea!! im going to have to make one as well!!

 

[WrasseSandwich]

great looking build, those LEDs are SICK

 

[swannyson7]

Got a bit of more productive work done today... Dosing pumps mounted, under cabinet lights installed, and most importantly....lights mounted. Here's a few pics:
My new dosing pumps:

Used two 24" undercabinet lights to light the inside of the stand when I'm working:

Lights mounted:

and turned on.... WOW THAT'S BRIGHT!!!

Yesterday I set up a remote webcam so that I can monitor the tank from my cell phone. These pics are just using the cheapo webcam built in to my laptop, but I have a pan/tilt cam that I can control from my phone to watch the tank and a second one to monitor the tank. Between that and the new Droid-based software for the RKL that lets you monitor parameters and control outlets, I'll have a little mobile command console!! :nerd:

The video looks much better on my phone, but i couldn't get a descent pic. With the other camera I have, the video is much clearer too, but I didn't have the ambition to set it up for the pics.

 

[johnanddawn]

nice build

 

[swannyson7]

Well with the help of a couple buddies, I got the tank in place last night and today I'll finish up the plumbing and get the canopy on top. After I get the plumbing all worked out, I have to work on the boring stuff....wiring everything through the controller, setting up the dosing pumps, hooking up the ATO, and getting the lights on timers. Right now it's just running with some T5s up top, but once the canopy goes on the LEDs will be added. Can't wait!!

Starting to fill er' up:

Rock and livestock in:

And the aquascaping:

I really like the way the left side came out

But the middle and right are going to have to change a bit. There's too much space in back, and hardly anything in front:

 

[swannyson7]

Plumbing is done, and canopy is on. And here is the realization of my dream...

I'll play around with the camera tomorrow to get a few decent pics with the LEDs. I was using my P&S camera and they all came out horible. Tomorrow I'll try to get out the SLR and snap a few pics that show the color a little better.
All that's left at this point is little things...
1. Program the RKL
2. Hook up webcam for cell phone monitoring
3. Figure out the lighting for the frag area of the sump
4. Set up dosing pumps
And of course mounting some more frags and working on the rockwork a bit more.

 

[litenyaup]

Plumbing is done, and canopy is on. And here is the realization of my dream...

a beer for a job well done!!!

 

[swannyson7]

a beer for a job well done!!!

I needed it after this weekend....LOOOONG DAYS

 

[Alpha Aquaculture]

Looking very good! I like the idea of monitoring everything on your cell phone and the live video!

 

[Paul_N]

Excellent job! I love the look of the led lights you got from Luke. Are those 1w or 3w? Those are impressive next to the phoenix bulbs. The test tube holder is ingenious. I can't even count the number of times I spilled them on my desk while testing.

1smile1