Managing Monday: Let's talk cable/cord management!

[Slim64684]

I like spaghetti. And please forgive the mess on the floor. In the middle of an upgrade.

Also I would love to have a nice clean cable routing setup, but I know as soon as I do I will have to pull something out and it will end up spaghetti again so I choose not to fight the inevitable.

 

[Mical]

Lots of nice rigs here. For you guys that are using cable ties - use these velcro ties

 

[Mikeltee]

I am electrician by trade so it's my job to make it look like art, but there is a problem with this. Under normal circumstances in this hobby, there isnt much space to work with if you want to keep electronics hidden from normal views. In order to achieve this, all wires must be bundled into 1 run and velcroed up to make it look pretty. This works great for about a year and then you add a couple devices. You try to sneak them it but it just doesnt look right. Then in another year something goes bad so you got to undo your beautiful wrap and trace out whatever you are replacing. Cables get stretched out and it's never going to look as good as the original install. After a few more years you just say screw it and deal with the birdsnest.

 

[ylreefer]

With so many good ideas on R2R to follow and since setting up the new tank from scratch I really had no excuse not to do a tidy job .

There's a million reason why it makes sense to just get it nice and tidy from the get go, easy of maintenance, safety, replacing parts, even just turning off 1 item. And if course who doesn't like to see a nice tidy picture.

I used cable raceway that I purchased locally but I've added an amazon link to a similar product.

Credit where its due but I cannot for the life of my remember who I got this idea from as I've been using this for years now. But Thnx to that man

With the lighting cables I was lucky enough to be able to hide them inside the extruded aluminium diy light rack.

And, the last pic is what the cat likes to do when I like to play with cables

 

[FLSharkvictim]

With so many good ideas on R2R to follow and since setting up the new tank from scratch I really had no excuse not to do a tidy job .

There's a million reason why it makes sense to just get it nice and tidy from the get go, easy of maintenance, safety, replacing parts, even just turning off 1 item. And if course who doesn't like to see a nice tidy picture.

I used cable raceway that I purchased locally but I've added an amazon link to a similar product.

Credit where its due but I cannot for the life of my remember who I got this idea from as I've been using this for years now. But Thnx to that man

With the lighting cables I was lucky enough to be able to hide them inside the extruded aluminium diy light rack.

And, the last pic is what the cat likes to do when I like to play with cables

@ylreefer -I really like how you floated your canopy over your Rimless Tank Like I want to do with a pair of my new Orphek Atlantik Compact V4 (Gen 2) LED fixtures over my SCA Rimless 150 that I am getting ready to hang from my ceiling or use there Orphek Mounting Arm Kit! What all hardware did you use and did you make your canopy if you don't mind me asking?

 

[ylreefer]

I

@ylreefer -I really like how you floated your canopy over your Rimless Tank Like I want to do with a pair of my new Orphek Atlantik Compact V4 (Gen 2) LED fixtures over my SCA Rimless 150 that I am getting ready to hang from my ceiling. What all hardware did you use and did you make your canopy if you don't mind me asking?

I used extruded aluminium which I ordered from China using a Chinese system from Hong Kong. Unfortunately they don't ship outside if China but you can probably find that locally. The trim around the side is actually just white foamboard as its very light and easy to clean and remove. This is just stuck on with double sided tape to the light rack.

Below is a link of the same material I used so It looks like you can orderrin US.

 

[Mark]

I'm not super OCD about it, but I do think some panduit helps keep a small space clean and maximizes the usable space.

 

[Erick Armanii]

I prefer all of the gear that can be in a separate space. I also like for the back of the cabinet to be organized as much as possible. One thing is I don't do is tie everything up to neatly behind the cabinet since you do need to remove stuff for maintenance. Since this pic I have added a Trident but is sitting on top of the cabinet

Where did you get the power cords from? Looks very clean and sharp

 

[Sold4jc7]

@Erick Armanii
Nekteck Extension Cord, 3 Prong Power Cord 14AWG Extension Cable with 360 Degree Rotating Flat Plug, 3 Pack Short 1 Foot, UL Listed

 

[ca1ore]

OCD Scorecard:

1. Is your plumbing color coordinated - yes = 3, somewhat = 2, no = 1; I'm colorblind = 0
2. Is your plumbing perfectly parallel - yes = 3, somewhat = 2, no = 1; what's parallel = 0
3. Are all your tank modules and power-bricks mounted to a display board - yes = 3, somewhat = 2, no = 1; I'm allergic to Velcro = 0
4. How long does it take you to figure out which cord belongs to which piece of equipment - less than a minute = 3, a few minutes = 2, more than a few minutes = 1; hang on, still checking = 0
5. How many labels do you have on pipes, lines and wires - more than 20 = 3; between 10 and 20 = 2; less than 10 = 1; cannot find the labeler I bought = 0

FWIW, I self scored a 3 LOL.

 

[Dal-Reef]

Where did you get the power cords from? Looks very clean and sharp

I got em off Amazon.. What I like about them is they have a rotating head. Here is the link to them

 

[ADAM]

Don’t have a pic....but just imagine the worlds largest rubber band ball

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

Some organization is a good thing. But with as much as I change and move around it’s tough to keep it perfect.

in the beginning I had this

then this, we can agree this was a step backwards. But I had to move things for room under my tanks dry side.

more changes

to this

I like the first setup best

 

[NS Mike D]

I repurposed a cheap bookshelf

Even though the wires on the BRS DIY ATO are double wrapped (ties and tape), they remain unruly. Maybe my OCD will flair up one day and I will trim all that extra cord way and tighten it up. And yes, the cords are tagged using wire labels that print from a computer.

I had all the extra wire wrapped and secured to the back wall, but the sheer weight the cords were too much pulling most of the adhesive anchors off and that's where they remain today. I'm lucky in the OCD is less concerned when it's out of sight. (but I know it's there!!!

Speaking of which, I repurposed a piece of the cheap cardboard to cover up the front. Two cloth baskets in the lower half store my test kist and various equipement

I think the bookshelf cost $30. and yes that is a bottle cap hot glued until I pick up a proper handle.


The Apex display is fix to the wall behind the tank (and the pvc is about to get a coat of blue paint. My guests can't see it but I can.

And my OCD friends, the books were moved to get the back side cabinet shot. They will be put back in size order and properly displayed in a few minutes.

 

[Deviant Nation]

No controllers, cables more or less in place. Must important is to have them accessible to change equipment if necessary.

You win an award for most creative use of a freezer shelf I have ever seen or heard of. That is perfect!

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

Behind and under my tank looks like a bomb went off (salt creep... dead crickets (pet frog)...) ugh it is not pretty. Don't even get me started on the cords.

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

I repurposed a cheap bookshelf

Even though the wires on the BRS DIY ATO are double wrapped (ties and tape), they remain unruly. Maybe my OCD will flair up one day and I will trim all that extra cord way and tighten it up. And yes, the cords are tagged using wire labels that print from a computer.

I had all the extra wire wrapped and secured to the back wall, but the sheer weight the cords were too much pulling most of the adhesive anchors off and that's where they remain today. I'm lucky in the OCD is less concerned when it's out of sight. (but I know it's there!!!

Speaking of which, I repurposed a piece of the cheap cardboard to cover up the front. Two cloth baskets in the lower half store my test kist and various equipement

I think the bookshelf cost $30. and yes that is a bottle cap hot glued until I pick up a proper handle.


The Apex display is fix to the wall behind the tank (and the pvc is about to get a coat of blue paint. My guests can't see it but I can.

And my OCD friends, the books were moved to get the back side cabinet shot. They will be put back in size order and properly displayed in a few minutes.

If I had more patience I'd totally do something like this. But... I just set up a shelf to prop my light on... and it took at least two hours to assemble. Let's just say I did not inherit any building skills.

 

[Acskippy]

I have added and removed sooo much equipment over the past 2 years that i cant keep up with cord management.... drives me crazy... but with only 1-2 hrs a day to play around with tanks, leaves me with little time to play w cords... i wont even show a picture of mine cuz its do embarrasing lol.... but it is at the top of my list when i get a weekend to myself! I do agree that you should be OCD with cord management, could prevent very dangerous situations.

 

[Erick Armanii]

I got em off Amazon.. What I like about them is they have a rotating head. Here is the link to them

That’s awesome!

 

[Dal-Reef]

That’s awesome!

Makes getting all of the cables to fit nice and tight.