My slow but fun progress....

[Nurse Payne]

Holy vaulted ceiling!!! You got room for 1000 gallons +.:xd:

Yeah, but no pockets full of money to fill it :)

 

[760mason]

Id fill that room with water and teach scuba lessons to supplement the cost....LOL

 

[gcrawford]

LOL...Well, I am sure my husband knows the feeling! I've enjoyed every minute of it, but I don't think he has.

Great idea on the step stool, Crawford. If you have any tips on how to service everything without taking that canopy off, it would be much appreciated.

Unfortunately, no great advice here.... I took mine off and hung an led fixture from the ceiling.

I have seen systems that will raise the canopy for servicing using pulleys and steel cable, but that would ruin the overall appearance IMO.

 

[TrishW]

This is SWEET! Can't wait to see it in person one day soon.

 

[Nurse Payne]

I have seen systems that will raise the canopy for servicing using pulleys and steel cable, but that would ruin the overall appearance IMO.

Yeah. I've tried to come up with something but no luck. At least I have long arms. I just need to figure out how to bend like Gumby!

Thank you Trish. I'm hoping it will have some life before long.

 

[H@rry]

It may not be too late to saw two inches back on the top an sides and add a piano hinge to the top. If your hubby is that handy with tools it would not be a really big job. You'll appreciate it later on. Then the whole front of the canopy could be lifted up and back so the entire front of the tank would be accessible. With a tank that deep it would be very hard to work through those doors on the front of the canopy.

 

[Nurse Payne]

It's hard to work in with NO canopy much less between those tiny doors. He is wanting to add some kind of hidden handles for easy removal. I made all the lights disconnect quickly... So hopefully he will figure something out. I will mention some type of modification but he's pretty OCD about all that trim work.

I think he needs to add a lift under neath that would crank up about 2-3 feet at the press of a button. How hard would that be?? :) it could have accordion like legs so it would stay hidden under the canopy. Harry! Invent that and patent it.

Right now, I'm trying to get this fine dust cleared out. I ordered some 25 micron filter socks to polish the water with but they haven't arrived yet.

 

[H@rry]

Several years ago 8Ball had his canopy rigged with cables and a track on the wall where he could press a button on a remote and a motor would wind the cable up and raise his canopy almost to the ceiling.

 

[kpiotrowski]

this is a "garage gator" availble online boxed in with switch on wall.

hope you don't mind me posting a pic on your thread. I can provide more info/pic if you like

 

[Nurse Payne]

I don't mind at all! That looks sweet. Hmmm. Definitely an option. That would be so easy and kinda cool!

 

[Nurse Payne]

Well I've given him some "gentle" ideas on how to make that canopy easier on me while he's out of town (he does travel months at a time). He says he's been trying to figure it out for me.

My diatom algae bloom appeared this morning, just like horrid black magic. I'm so tempted to turn on that monster skimmer but I know I need to let it finish the cycle. My ammonia has started going down and nitrites are barely registering. I did add chaeto and a few cups of sand from an established tank but I doubt that is helping a whole lot.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

The front section of my canopy is connected to the rest of the canopy with a long piano hinge. The front section flips up on top of the back section. As Harry suggested, it should be a relatively easy modification. Some people call it a clam-shell design. You are welcome to take a look at the design of my canopy if you like. I hope you can see this picture:

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Here's another picture with Lumenbright fixtures.

 

[Nurse Payne]

That looks neat and clean. Thank you so much for sharing. Once I get this semester out of the way, I would love to take a look. I've played with sumps, flow, and everything else and now trying to finish up an assignment that's due tonight. Oops.

Thank you so much for the pic. I couldn't visualize how it would work.

 

[Osteoclast]

Lifts are available but unfortunately not cheap. I have a chandelier lift raising and lowering my light platform above my tank. The platform is approx. 8' by 30" suspended by cable with my lights connected via AI rails. I am running AI sol blues plus Radions. A turn of a key activates the motor.

 

[Nurse Payne]

Do you have a pic of that? Tim (my hubby) says he's found some lifts that would do it, but he says they're for cars?? I'm seriously ready to invent my own. Hidden, of course. :)