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ilyad
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Thanks Rakie, I see that Mike helped you drill your tank. He helped me drill my nano and helped me build the sump too!
Thanks! Hopefully it'll be up and running sooner than later.
Thanks for following!
75 Gallon technology heavy tank with DIY
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Thanks Rakie, I see that Mike helped you drill your tank. He helped me drill my nano and helped me build the sump too!
Thanks! Hopefully it'll be up and running sooner than later.
Thanks for following!
Yeah Mike's kind of a DIY guru. He helped me rebuild my glass sump, drill my tank, built me an adjustable skimmer stand. Definitely couldn't have had my tank as-is without his help.
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ilyad
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Not much to report so far since I didn’t have time to work on the tank, but did some additional planning for the tank.
In this installment, I was figuring out the design for my floating canopy to accommodate 2 XR15s and 2 24 inch t5 bulbs. The design is the standard floating canopy with wires running through the tube, but with a twist.
For a few months I’ll have to have only one XR15 on the new tank while having the other on the original nano while I slowly move the fish and coral. I had to make the design modular in order to be able to add the 2nd Radion without needing to take off/apart the canopy. To accomplish this, the canopy top will be recessed slightly and have cut outs for the xr15s. Then c channel aluminum strips will hold the leds by providing cross support, laying down into the cut out. This way I’ll be able to add a light later.
Some other benefits of this design is that I won’t have to cut out vent holes for Radion fans, and I’ll be able to pull any light individually in case of upgrades or repairs.
In this installment, I was figuring out the design for my floating canopy to accommodate 2 XR15s and 2 24 inch t5 bulbs. The design is the standard floating canopy with wires running through the tube, but with a twist.
For a few months I’ll have to have only one XR15 on the new tank while having the other on the original nano while I slowly move the fish and coral. I had to make the design modular in order to be able to add the 2nd Radion without needing to take off/apart the canopy. To accomplish this, the canopy top will be recessed slightly and have cut outs for the xr15s. Then c channel aluminum strips will hold the leds by providing cross support, laying down into the cut out. This way I’ll be able to add a light later.
Some other benefits of this design is that I won’t have to cut out vent holes for Radion fans, and I’ll be able to pull any light individually in case of upgrades or repairs.
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ilyad
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Another little update today. Last night I had the outlet for the tank rewired to a new location so it’s not behind the stand. This will allow me easier access to it in the future. Also expanded from 1 to 3 gfci outlets where each one is protected separately. I did it this way so that in the event one outlet is triggered, the other two continue to work.
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ilyad
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It’s been a while... a little update is in order. Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to work on the new tank, but I did receive some plumbing parts and misc items for the tank. Not worth a picture though.
This, however, is. A few professional snaps of the current tank.
This, however, is. A few professional snaps of the current tank.
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ilyad
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Thanks for following along
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ilyad
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Thanks! Their tanks are pretty nice. And the stand was better quality than I had assumed it would be. I read a few places that said the stand is a bit unfinished and people would sand them down and repaint. That’s true about the inside, sort of. It’s plenty fine inside. The outside is def furniture grade. I don’t think you really need to do anything else unless you must have it super nice and smooth inside and out.
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ilyad
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So I’m still moving slow on this build due to not having too much free time. Since it’s been a while from when the tank got delivered and I experienced a few delays, I decided to at least leak test it without the plumbing part (up to the teeth of the overflow). It’s been about 48 hours and everything is bone dry!
I also picked up the custom acrylic shelf I had designed to hold the Profilux (top) and Doser 2.1 (bottom). This will be mounted on the inside of the stand. Sorry about the pics, but it’s very hard to snap photos of a clear shelf.
I also picked up the custom acrylic shelf I had designed to hold the Profilux (top) and Doser 2.1 (bottom). This will be mounted on the inside of the stand. Sorry about the pics, but it’s very hard to snap photos of a clear shelf.
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ilyad
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Finally another update available for this tank. I have finalized the return plumbing and the manifold.
The initial attempt failed by just a few mm because the space was just too tight. Here is the first attempt.
Note the little blue, which made the manifold too long to fit in the space allowed and would hit the vertical wood in the stand.
I still mocked up the rest of the fittings to figure out a way to plumb the return and allow space for the reactor which will be mounted to the inside of the stand.
The initial attempt failed by just a few mm because the space was just too tight. Here is the first attempt.
Note the little blue, which made the manifold too long to fit in the space allowed and would hit the vertical wood in the stand.
I still mocked up the rest of the fittings to figure out a way to plumb the return and allow space for the reactor which will be mounted to the inside of the stand.
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ilyad
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Thank you, thank you! It is coming along. Wish it was a bit faster, but the process allowed me to refine some design elements that you’ll see later that will make this nicer than originally planned. So the delay helped in that sense.
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ilyad
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While the followers wait for an update on the 75 gallon tank, I would like to also include a short build of a Shrimp Tank I have put together for a contest held on this forum.
The rules are to make a brackish tank that is no larger than 2 gallons for the Hawaiian Super Shrimp (Opae Ula). The only live things allowed must be purchased through petshrimp.com. Any non-living things are allowed for decoration so long as they are ok for the shrimp.
I started with this 0.5 gallon cube tank, sold as a Beta fish tank at Petsmart. Note, this tank is not large enough for a beta fish, but it is plenty big for the Opae Ula Shrimp.
The Hawaiian shrimp often live in areas where lava rock is abundant therefore my attempt at its natural habitat was to include lava rock. Petco carries random lava rock pieces so I picked out two that I though might be the most interesting.
Initially, the plan was to use both pieces, but after putting them into the tank, I realized that they are too large to keep both in, so I decide to use only one. Here are the test fits.
I then settled on this rock in this particular formation. In my opinion, the rock creates an interesting scape, while allowing for some open space to later put a moss ball in.
The next step was inspired by my current nano tank where I had the background painted blue to make it appear more “ocean” like. Another added benefit is that it allows me to hide any of the wires behind it, as well as providing a contrasting color to the red shrimp and green moss that will inhabit the tank later.
On my nano, I ended up paining the tank back after a failed attempt of gluing a blue background. Taping a large glass panel allowed for too many bubbles and created streaks of glue being visible from the inside. However, this is a smaller tank, so I gave it a shot to see if I can make that work here. I started out by measuring out and cutting the material to size.
Unfortunately, after I did the work, I realized that the piece that I cut out had damage.
A new piece was cut out.
The tank glass was cleaned and the backing was applied
View from inside the tank.
And how it looks with the rock inside.
The tank was to go in my office to give my cubicle a bit of interesting appeal and something fun to look at. Here it is in its place
For wire management, I attached a few sticky zip tie holders and zip tied the wires to it.
Adding the sand.
Filling with water (it’s a bit cloudy from the rock and sand. I rinsed the sand, but forgot to rinse the rock)
The next morning the tank was looking nice and clear
As a side note, the tank has a timer (purchased on Amazon) that automatically turns on and off the light. Water will be topped off manually, and there is no need for a heater, any pumps, or filtration for these shrimp. Now to wait for the tank to cycle.
The rules are to make a brackish tank that is no larger than 2 gallons for the Hawaiian Super Shrimp (Opae Ula). The only live things allowed must be purchased through petshrimp.com. Any non-living things are allowed for decoration so long as they are ok for the shrimp.
I started with this 0.5 gallon cube tank, sold as a Beta fish tank at Petsmart. Note, this tank is not large enough for a beta fish, but it is plenty big for the Opae Ula Shrimp.
The Hawaiian shrimp often live in areas where lava rock is abundant therefore my attempt at its natural habitat was to include lava rock. Petco carries random lava rock pieces so I picked out two that I though might be the most interesting.
Initially, the plan was to use both pieces, but after putting them into the tank, I realized that they are too large to keep both in, so I decide to use only one. Here are the test fits.
I then settled on this rock in this particular formation. In my opinion, the rock creates an interesting scape, while allowing for some open space to later put a moss ball in.
The next step was inspired by my current nano tank where I had the background painted blue to make it appear more “ocean” like. Another added benefit is that it allows me to hide any of the wires behind it, as well as providing a contrasting color to the red shrimp and green moss that will inhabit the tank later.
On my nano, I ended up paining the tank back after a failed attempt of gluing a blue background. Taping a large glass panel allowed for too many bubbles and created streaks of glue being visible from the inside. However, this is a smaller tank, so I gave it a shot to see if I can make that work here. I started out by measuring out and cutting the material to size.
Unfortunately, after I did the work, I realized that the piece that I cut out had damage.
A new piece was cut out.
The tank glass was cleaned and the backing was applied
View from inside the tank.
And how it looks with the rock inside.
The tank was to go in my office to give my cubicle a bit of interesting appeal and something fun to look at. Here it is in its place
For wire management, I attached a few sticky zip tie holders and zip tied the wires to it.
Adding the sand.
Filling with water (it’s a bit cloudy from the rock and sand. I rinsed the sand, but forgot to rinse the rock)
The next morning the tank was looking nice and clear
As a side note, the tank has a timer (purchased on Amazon) that automatically turns on and off the light. Water will be topped off manually, and there is no need for a heater, any pumps, or filtration for these shrimp. Now to wait for the tank to cycle.
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ilyad
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Thanks! Looking forward to a few of them climbing around as well. This one was a lot quicker to set up than the 75 which has been in the works for 4+ months now.
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ilyad
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Finally got around to doing some more work on the new tank since we had an extra day off.
Today I partially constructed my floating canopy.
First and foremost, I picked up a cool mount that will work as a mount for the floating canopy. For those curious, this is actually a wall projector mount. The benefit of this mount, is that it will allow me to rotate the canopy any way I wish and run the wires through the mount and then the wall, for an absolutely clean look.
By adjusting this screw, I can rotate the canopy 360 degrees.
By adjusting this screw, I can move the canopy back and forward.
And finally, by adjusting this screw, I can tilt the canopy up to 15 degrees back and forward.
You’ve already seen the plan for the canopy in my previous post. Well, I finally got around to cutting the pieces.
Start by actually getting the measurements that will be needed.
Now the pieces have been cut and labeled. The reason they were labeled is because the design will allow the side panel pieces to wrap around so the front is without any visible cuts, the sides with one cut and the back (least visible) having the remaining cuts.
Here is the approximate look of how the canopy will look. The only noticeable difference will be that the flat panel will actually sit higher.
Mocking it up with the mount.
The two Radion XR15s will sit in each of the openings. The T5 tubes will be mounted on the underside of the canopy, but the wires and the ballast will be mounted on the top side of the canopy.
The T5 for this system will be 2x24in, with an adjustable ballast that will be controlled via the Profilux 4. The kit is a LET retrofit kit.
Today I partially constructed my floating canopy.
First and foremost, I picked up a cool mount that will work as a mount for the floating canopy. For those curious, this is actually a wall projector mount. The benefit of this mount, is that it will allow me to rotate the canopy any way I wish and run the wires through the mount and then the wall, for an absolutely clean look.
By adjusting this screw, I can rotate the canopy 360 degrees.
By adjusting this screw, I can move the canopy back and forward.
And finally, by adjusting this screw, I can tilt the canopy up to 15 degrees back and forward.
You’ve already seen the plan for the canopy in my previous post. Well, I finally got around to cutting the pieces.
Start by actually getting the measurements that will be needed.
Now the pieces have been cut and labeled. The reason they were labeled is because the design will allow the side panel pieces to wrap around so the front is without any visible cuts, the sides with one cut and the back (least visible) having the remaining cuts.
Here is the approximate look of how the canopy will look. The only noticeable difference will be that the flat panel will actually sit higher.
Mocking it up with the mount.
The two Radion XR15s will sit in each of the openings. The T5 tubes will be mounted on the underside of the canopy, but the wires and the ballast will be mounted on the top side of the canopy.
The T5 for this system will be 2x24in, with an adjustable ballast that will be controlled via the Profilux 4. The kit is a LET retrofit kit.
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