You know your kids are gonna want to do an overnight campout in there at some point. I know I would.Oh it’s happening.
Let's build a trap door leading to a secret fish room under my porch!
- Thread starter kenchilada
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OP
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kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
Added a school of dispars a couple days ago. Fully quarantined from Fishotel! Sorry for the messy picture I was feeding them.
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
Getting a bit complicated and not even done yet...
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
Thanks! Its the best way to get things done.
Elbereth
Active Member
Absolutely. I struggle with perfectionism and anxiety around doing things "right" which really bog me down when it comes to big projects.Thanks! Its the best way to get things done.
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
Day 13. Junction boxes installed. Ran cable for electrical outlets and light, just need to join to circuit. Started running plumbing.
The multi-conductor cable for the Hydros runs got here too late today so I’ll install that tomorrow. Boxes are in and studs drilled so it won’t take long.
Tomorrow I’m going to plumb the freshwater line over to my laundry closet where the RODI filter will live.
This should all go pretty quick now that I have most of the details worked out to support what I want to do.
The multi-conductor cable for the Hydros runs got here too late today so I’ll install that tomorrow. Boxes are in and studs drilled so it won’t take long.
Tomorrow I’m going to plumb the freshwater line over to my laundry closet where the RODI filter will live.
This should all go pretty quick now that I have most of the details worked out to support what I want to do.
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
I suffer from the exact same problems. It’s taken my entire life to learn other ways to work. I can easily over-think things to the point of making a project insurmountable, so I try to just get started and let it come together.Absolutely. I struggle with perfectionism and anxiety around doing things "right" which really bog me down when it comes to big projects.
Elbereth
Active Member
That makes it even more impressive what you're doing here! I'm trying to learn to work around the problem too but not quite there yet. I'm having so much trouble planning my first plumbed system with sump - something so simple for most aquarists here!
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
Draw it out and ignore all the unessential things at first (like unions and valves). Figure out the bare minimum version that will work and then tweak it from there one thing at a time.
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
Day 14. Ran more wiring and trying to finalize where things will go.
I ran all the cable for in-wall Hydros runs. There will be one box by the RODI with two sense port cables in the wall. Another box by the salt tanks where all the Hydros cables meet up. From there, a few other 6-conductor Hydros cables run back to the display. These are for linking command bus and 0-10v to the X4.
I added the 0-10v cable so I can put eTape water level sensors in each salt tank if I want to.
The Hydros box is the top one with the black cables.
The entire thing is loaded with termites right now. Maybe hard to see in the picture. These are big ones, bigger than a grain of rice. Every year at this time we get massive swarms of these. There are thousands of them just around our house. They are attracted to light so when you see them you have to turn off all your lights. Last night I saw them too late so they caught us with the lights on. These are damp-wood termites and are not a threat to your home… they can’t start a colony in your house lumber because it is too dry for them!
I ran all the cable for in-wall Hydros runs. There will be one box by the RODI with two sense port cables in the wall. Another box by the salt tanks where all the Hydros cables meet up. From there, a few other 6-conductor Hydros cables run back to the display. These are for linking command bus and 0-10v to the X4.
I added the 0-10v cable so I can put eTape water level sensors in each salt tank if I want to.
The Hydros box is the top one with the black cables.
The entire thing is loaded with termites right now. Maybe hard to see in the picture. These are big ones, bigger than a grain of rice. Every year at this time we get massive swarms of these. There are thousands of them just around our house. They are attracted to light so when you see them you have to turn off all your lights. Last night I saw them too late so they caught us with the lights on. These are damp-wood termites and are not a threat to your home… they can’t start a colony in your house lumber because it is too dry for them!
Sleeping Giant
Proud Canadian Reefer
love this build, are you putting in pot lights?
OP
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kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
No because the 2x8 joists hang down every 32” and I’d need two lights in between each one to not get weird shadows. I’m using a few low-profile wall sconces instead, 36” off floor. Trying to keep it simple!
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
Day 15. Another 90 minutes spent, this time under my house. I ran the electrical from the porch room across and over to my display tank. One 12-2 for plain power, plus another two 12-2 for Hydros-controlled pump runs.
Also ran two 6-conductor 22AWG
for Hydros.
Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures when I was done! I’ll get more tomorrow.
This is under the display tank. That big beam is reinforcement I added directly under the front of the stand. The jacks are bolted to concrete pads. There’s 3000 pounds sitting here, so I sleep better at night knowing I did this.
Next picture. This is the wall behind my display tank. When I installed it, I put in two dedicated 20A circuits (the yellow wires). Now I need to run another wire in for the porch power, and two more for the pump pass-thrus to the Hydros XP-8. But there is no room! I’ll have to drill new holes. Thankfully, before I put in the tank I installed an access door in the wall so I can get a drill in there and drill down through the plate into the crawlspace.
Those pipes were put in at the time for future expansion. I might use one to pass 1/4” RODI tubing thru the wall!
I still need to run the RODI tubing. Waiting on that to arrive. But I can do that any time later. I’ll install one of these “brush plates” in the wall in front of the opening in the foundation so I can always pass things through as needed.
Hopefully this isn’t getting too boring.
Also ran two 6-conductor 22AWG
for Hydros.
Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures when I was done! I’ll get more tomorrow.
This is under the display tank. That big beam is reinforcement I added directly under the front of the stand. The jacks are bolted to concrete pads. There’s 3000 pounds sitting here, so I sleep better at night knowing I did this.
Next picture. This is the wall behind my display tank. When I installed it, I put in two dedicated 20A circuits (the yellow wires). Now I need to run another wire in for the porch power, and two more for the pump pass-thrus to the Hydros XP-8. But there is no room! I’ll have to drill new holes. Thankfully, before I put in the tank I installed an access door in the wall so I can get a drill in there and drill down through the plate into the crawlspace.
Those pipes were put in at the time for future expansion. I might use one to pass 1/4” RODI tubing thru the wall!
I still need to run the RODI tubing. Waiting on that to arrive. But I can do that any time later. I’ll install one of these “brush plates” in the wall in front of the opening in the foundation so I can always pass things through as needed.
Hopefully this isn’t getting too boring.
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
Here’s a pic of wiring done yesterday. Pretty much done with wiring. This is under my living room where out passes out to the porch.
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
Day 16. Insect attacks and wall paneling.
I finished up the wiring and other utilities. I got stung by a wasp while doing that. But I won in the end and he is smashed on the wall.
My goal was to get some wall paneling up. I got two pieces up, couldn’t even nail the second one on because termites attacked suddenly. As soon as the sun went down there were thousands. They were crawling all over me so bad I couldn’t work and had to stop. But I did get some paneling done!!
My phone camera wouldn’t capture the termites, there’s like 50x more in this picture than you cansee.
Termites all over!…
Hopefully I can get started earlier tomorrow before the termites swarm.
I finished up the wiring and other utilities. I got stung by a wasp while doing that. But I won in the end and he is smashed on the wall.
My goal was to get some wall paneling up. I got two pieces up, couldn’t even nail the second one on because termites attacked suddenly. As soon as the sun went down there were thousands. They were crawling all over me so bad I couldn’t work and had to stop. But I did get some paneling done!!
My phone camera wouldn’t capture the termites, there’s like 50x more in this picture than you cansee.
Termites all over!…
Hopefully I can get started earlier tomorrow before the termites swarm.
Last edited:
OP
OP
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
Day 17.
56longroof
Active Member
Very nice! Maybe I missed it but how do you get rid of the waste water on a auto water change system? Do you run it in another storage tank?
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