Ok so some more thoughts. With the whole talk of the algae scrubber i might want to put one inline, eventually… The only problem i have is where and after the return or connected to the overflow… I think its going to just be too hard to maintain under the DT… so i still have to work that out.
In other news, i tested the seems in the sump, and there was 2 small leaks on 1 baffle right where i thought they would be… I have pics of it filling up that i will put up hopefully later tonight.
Making a laundry list of items, and heading out to homedepot for what i hope is the last time…
ill update when there is more interesting stuff… still no varnish on the stand… ill have to do that next week, and then get everything situated and strategically placed to get ready for the big day…
If it is a small leak from one area of the sump to another it shouldn’t be a problem. Could be something that grows into a bigger leak though, hard to say with out seeing it. Though if it is still easy to fix it I would do so at this point.
I’m growing anxious with all these small steps. I want to see this thing running, lol.
Lol, well you will be the man of the hour… just dont crack the glass lol, once u drill it shouldnt take more than an hour to get it all hooked up and working…
Got all the pvc fittings tonight, got the skimmer mod, got the pipe, heaters, and glass magnets…
Lol, its easy lol, ur pro… lol… its not like its a 300 gal tank that would cost me a million bucks to get a new panel… if worse comes to worse just buy another one for 40 bucks… but i have confidence… my father on the other hand will try to talk us out of drilling until its over…
I hung my home made MH/T5 light strip like a swing from a frame over the tank. real simple. a couple hooks in the overhead bar(a 2x4 cut in half) supported by a pair of tall tapered 1x5s screwed into the stand frame ends, reaching about 28 inches above the tank top, and a couple chains from the hooks. i can raise/lower the light with the “S” hooks . I’ll draw a pic for you at the meeting next week. or maybe Jon has a pic. he dropped by and took some the other day.
Okay. I put a shelf up. One that has the supports internally so its floating on the wall. I think i will reiforce it with some wire. But the whole point in paying too much money for the ATI lights are they way they look. And the quality. They are going to be suspending somewhere around 18-24 inches off the shelf. And they will be suspended by the cable that came with them. I guess i could run some little chain and weave the wire in and out. Then us that to ok. The problem comes on how do i attach the chain. As the hanging wires are attacked internally in the light, so i can put them in there.
The whole point of being able to raise it was A) to light aclimate tank B) work on it. Maby it would be a good idea to put a hook on the wall, and just push the light back and allow it to hang on the wall when i work then unattach and swing it back over the tank. Then use some screen to like acclimate. 15 sheets 1 sheet a day taken off. How does that sound.
The other problem that is arising, is where to hide the plugs and timers. My initial thought was to run them down behind the tank, but the powercord is the same color as the light and 8ft long, so i might just run it up to the shelf. Then run an outlet up to the top of the shelf, and put the lights on top of there… O well its almost ready to move now. I think the shelf is the last step.
dont do chains. the weight capacity for linked chains are a joke not to mention that they are an eyesore! 1/16th steel rope has a capacity higher than a typical chain more than 10X its size. not to mention that its just as cheap, if not cheaper, and just as easy to install. the only problem is the swag tool needed to compress the connectors is a little pricey. luckily, i know someone in the club that has one! the rest of the parts you will need will cost less than $10 at lowes.
huh? just push it out of your way! if you want to get real fancy you could use a motorized winch. i bought a small one off ebay a couple of years ago for less than $50 that i used to electrically raise and lower an 8’ canopy over my old in-wall 250g. in your case though? just push it out of the way! ;D all of my light fixtures are suspended this way with all of the cables wall fished. very clean. its no big deal to simply swing the fixture out of the way if you need to access the tank. i do it all the time.
o, gotcha, What do you think i should do with my power coords as i will need 2 timers. there is one cord for 8 ft then it splits into 3 separate coords. I need 2 timers for them. Do you think it would be better to let them hang down the back and go into the stand. or run them up to the shelve.
Well the day has come, today i tore it all down, and tomorrow me jon and my father build itback up, here is a little picture trail of today, and a lot of tomorrow…
