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squirrel's 40g CAD 2.0 - Stuff n Junk


squirrelieygrrrl

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squirrelieygrrrl
Hey, no problem. Its better to have people watching than talk to yourself like I do in my threads :P

 

Oh and Hi, from one wolf to another.

 

lulz! well this is true!

 

i so loled at that. your pup is super cute too!

 

If you have the money to spend, LED is where things are headed. Ecoxotic, par 38's, panoramas, all good. You just have to be creative when placing your corals because LED is like growing your corals with lasers.

 

even though it seems like im hemorrhaging money, and i probably am....... im totally tapped. im gonna have to save up for led's so in the mean time its gonna have to be mh. ill definitely keep coral placement in mind. thanks for the tip!

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squirrelieygrrrl

alright,

 

after more thinking, im definitely pulling the trigger on a lumatek 250/400w dual channel dimmable ballast, and a lumen bright 3 mini de reflector, or the lumen max elite hqi reflector from sunlight supply. the lumen max has better dimensions for my ultimate plan, but i dont know about the hammertone reflector. i kind of like the faceted parabolic lumen bright more even though its just a smidge too large.

 

does any one have any experience with either of these reflectors or those types of reflectors? advantages or disadvantages with hammertone vs parabolic? both seem to have pretty good reviews, and the price is about the same.

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squirrelieygrrrl

so i did it,

 

ordered the lumatek 250/400w dimmable ballast, lumen bright de reflector, an xm 20k bulb, and a suspension kit.

 

in a few days i will be ordering the live rock as well. im trying to time it so it all arrives with in days of each other.

 

a little down the road i am still going to go for the AI Sol Blues, i just needed something for the time being. though after the cost of the 250 set up i could have almost bought one Sol. ouch...... oh well.

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squirrelieygrrrl

more progress has been made!!!

 

im friggen STOKED! im almost ready to get water in the thing! probably another week, week and a half or so, but closer none the less!

 

my reflector, bulb and the tb aquatics order should be here on mon/tues. then its just a waiting game on my lfs. they put out for a large 100lb order of my favorite rock, Totoka LR from indonesia. per my prodding, so i can cherry pick each piece. it should arrive at my lfs mon/tues as well and then an approx 1 to 2 week lead after that for curing. depending on how grody it is i may take it sooner.. dunno bout that yet. ive never used uncured before.

 

and now more pictures! not the exciting kind with water and rocks, but its better than nothing.

 

DSC04224.jpg

fts! ;)

 

DSC04217.jpg

pictures of whats been done with the stand, i drilled two holes just below the wiring holes above the shelf. those are for the media reactors, ato, and potentially dosing equip, so i can run them externally from the stand. thats one of the benefits to setting the tank up in the corner, but away from the wall enough so i can get back there. its turned out to be a great place to set up and conceal equip. it should keep the clutter down in the stand a bit and make servicing easier.

 

DSC04232.jpg

pic of the now complete tray. all i have to do is seal the seams and put in the drain. spray painted it after all, the only thing that didnt turn out awesome is that the paint is still pretty tacky. im hoping that goes away after it dries some more. disregard my uber messy spray job, ill touch up the wall later. oops.

 

the only other thing to complete my tray system is to line the stand under the sump, and place a small piece of 1x1 along the front edge of the stand. so that if the sump overflows it should drain back into the tray. im almost considering creating a drain that goes through the floor to outside. but that might be excessive overkill. :lol:

 

DSC04233.jpg

the equipment pile grows!

 

i also mounted a piece of 1x8 to the ceiling so i have something to mount the lights to. now im trying to figure out cord concealment for my lights. curtains mounted to the walls, conduit painted white? i think hanging some curtains is probably the better route, plus i can make the backdrop to the tank what ever i want. now black or white? if i go the curtain route.....

 

also do i make some sort of box on the celing to contain light spill?

 

yargh...... its never done is it?

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yargh...... its never done is it?

Try a pico sometime. I got mine done in about a week of actual work and 11 days from buying it. I got everything retail, but still I did it in good time.

 

Still I think your going to pull of something really sweet here with all the effort your putting into your lighting.

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squirrelieygrrrl

pfft!

 

quit your braggin pyro! :lol:

 

thanks bud!

 

i sure hope so, it had better not turn out like a hammered pile of dog chit, ill be pissed! :P

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Lol, I actually got really lucky with everything. It's a nice change of pace for me :P

 

You've already gotten a TOTM. I don't see why you'd have a piece o'crap.

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I ordered the same tank. It would arrive in a few days :lol:

 

For the light, I am going to do a LED DIY project, since I would use dry rock to the tank. So no rush, lol...

 

BTW: how would you put the Jager 150W heater to the sump? I think the Jager is too long for it.

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squirrelieygrrrl
Lol, I actually got really lucky with everything. It's a nice change of pace for me :P

 

You've already gotten a TOTM. I don't see why you'd have a piece o'crap.

 

lulz

 

i know, sorry bout that. you definitely deserve an easier time than youve been having with the 20. im gonna catch up on your tanks soon.

 

thanks, i really dont think i deserved totm.... i always felt like it was premature. so im really hoping i can correct all the mistakes i made with the 16. get it right the first time. ill have to take pics of the ol attention whore for you all, cuz its rough right now. verging on piece o' crap status if i dont get things back in order and stable.... its agonizing.

 

Nice setup. Love the rimless. Any ideas you have for your rock scape?

 

thanks neu!

 

you sparked something last night, i had thought about it before. though i went into serious thought mode last night. probably two islands, one with a peninsula maybe. though ill have to wait till i have it to really say!

 

i want to get a gold assessor so a cave/overhang is a must.

 

im also really really toying with the idea of a leopard wrasse. probably not really practical at all, but i want something a little more challenging. so a good sized patch of open sand is a must.

 

 

Sweet tank... Following.

 

 

thanks lattes! :D

 

I ordered the same tank. It would arrive in a few days :lol:

 

For the light, I am going to do a LED DIY project, since I would use dry rock to the tank. So no rush, lol...

 

BTW: how would you put the Jager 150W heater to the sump? I think the Jager is too long for it.

 

sweet!

 

ive been really pleased with mine so far. though there isnt water in it yet! :lol: cant wait to see what you do with yours! send me a link once you start a thread please.

 

ill probably upgrade the sump soon, so ill just stick it in there how ever i can. i want to play around with carbon/amino dosing so the fuge area will probably not be necessary.

 

 

wait, there is one thing i dont like. the over flow box is friggen huge! i so wish i would have spent the extra cash to have eddie put an external overflow on it.

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i know, sorry bout that. you definitely deserve an easier time than youve been having with the 20. im gonna catch up on your tanks soon.

 

ill have to take pics of the ol attention whore for you all, cuz its rough right now. verging on piece o' crap status if i dont get things back in order and stable.... its agonizing.

We'll the 20 is my own problem. What I'm annoyed about is the 30G that didn't work. Was cycled and everything. Oh well.

 

Tell me about it...

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squirrelieygrrrl
We'll the 20 is my own problem. What I'm annoyed about is the 30G that didn't work. Was cycled and everything. Oh well.

 

Tell me about it...

 

 

i know that has got to be a real bummer. im sure youll get it all sorted soon enough.

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squirrelieygrrrl

so im a complete moron and made a slight oversight......

 

i thought i had my fixture thing all sorted, turns out not so much.... the reflector (lumen bright 250 de) dosnt have the right end on the cord for the ballast (lumatek 250/400w dimmable) i picked. both of the components are totally bad arse, but not compatible cuz im a #### tard...

 

can i rewire the proper cord to the reflector with out causing any issues? providing i do it right that is.

 

while i was digging for the right cord for the pendant and ballast, i some how stumbled across sch80 plumbing parts.

 

should i hard plumb everything using sch80 and ditch the stock plumbing kit? its terribly tempting, though ive never actually plumbed anything before so its slightly intimidating. check valves and unions seem like a great idea.

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so im a complete moron and made a slight oversight......

 

i thought i had my fixture thing all sorted, turns out not so much.... the reflector (lumen bright 250 de) dosnt have the right end on the cord for the ballast (lumatek 250/400w dimmable) i picked. both of the components are totally bad arse, but not compatible cuz im a #### tard...

 

can i rewire the proper cord to the reflector with out causing any issues? providing i do it right that is.

 

while i was digging for the right cord for the pendant and ballast, i some how stumbled across sch80 plumbing parts.

 

should i hard plumb everything using sch80 and ditch the stock plumbing kit? its terribly tempting, though ive never actually plumbed anything before so its slightly intimidating. check valves and unions seem like a great idea.

 

I just received my tank today. Everything seems fine but the cooling fan is missing. Just called Eddie and hopefully he would send me one.

 

I don't like the plumbing either and the T unit of the drain is broken. I think overall it's usable. I am also thinking about the sch80. Let me know if you figure out the setup.

 

For the light, right now I am going for the Odyssea T5HO first, and will mod it to the LED hybrid later. I was going to buy the ATI fixture. However, I think it wastes too much money if I mod it. I know Odyssea had some negative reviews, but it's only 80 dollars for the whole set(including LED moonlight) which is less than a set of decent T5 bulbs. Why not give it a try?

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squirrelieygrrrl
I just received my tank today. Everything seems fine but the cooling fan is missing. Just called Eddie and hopefully he would send me one.

 

I don't like the plumbing either and the T unit of the drain is broken. I think overall it's usable. I am also thinking about the sch80. Let me know if you figure out the setup.

 

For the light, right now I am going for the Odyssea T5HO first, and will mod it to the LED hybrid later. I was going to buy the ATI fixture. However, I think it wastes too much money if I mod it. I know Odyssea had some negative reviews, but it's only 80 dollars for the whole set(including LED moonlight) which is less than a set of decent T5 bulbs. Why not give it a try?

 

 

sweet! glad you like it! im sure eddie will send you out another fan no prob.

 

ill have to mull over my plumbing ideas, though i was thinking a simple set up, 2 45's, some straight pipes, a couple of unions, and check valve for the return. ill probably leave the parts that go in the overflow as they are. though im going to have to cut the hole in the stands shelf to accommodate the straight pipes. where my hesitation lies is that i dont know if its really necessary.....

 

as far as the light goes, ive spent a good chunk of cash on the components (almost $500) and i want the best i can get out of an mh. i wish i had access to the mzOnes, cuz there awesome, but i dont want to drop $1000 on one fixture. so if i can make it work im dead set on it.

 

i think its feasible, i found the right cord. so i know its been done before.

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sweet! glad you like it! im sure eddie will send you out another fan no prob.

 

ill have to mull over my plumbing ideas, though i was thinking a simple set up, 2 45's, some straight pipes, a couple of unions, and check valve for the return. ill probably leave the parts that go in the overflow as they are. though im going to have to cut the hole in the stands shelf to accommodate the straight pipes. where my hesitation lies is that i dont know if its really necessary.....

 

as far as the light goes, ive spent a good chunk of cash on the components (almost $500) and i want the best i can get out of an mh. i wish i had access to the mzOnes, cuz there awesome, but i dont want to drop $1000 on one fixture. so if i can make it work im dead set on it.

 

i think its feasible, i found the right cord. so i know its been done before.

 

I am also thinking adding another outlet to the left side of the overflow. The new design has only one outlet which is on the right side of the overflow. I think with two outlets I can distribute the flow in a better way.

 

BTW: Did you figure out the new sump? I am a little bit confused about the new design. What's the part with the eggcrate for?

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squirrelieygrrrl

im going to be doing two mp10s so ill probably just stick with the one return loc line, aim it at the front glass and place the two mp10s on the left and right panels. fingers crossed it works right. kletsch made me aware of the fact that the glass is .5mm thicker than the mp10specs. though he did say it works, just that the magnets dont have as much grab.

 

i believe the sump is intended to go: small side on the left, then the fuge chamber, then the filtration chamber with the eggcrate, and finally the return.

 

im going to attempt laying it out something like this, filtersock in chamber one, with a biopellet reactor directly after/under(will be using a mj1200), plumb the return from the reactor into the skimmer. a cryptic fuge, followed by another reactor in the carbon chamber(eggcrate removed) and finally heater,in probes, ato and return pump(in no particular order) in the large chamber.

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im going to be doing two mp10s so ill probably just stick with the one return loc line, aim it at the front glass and place the two mp10s on the left and right panels. fingers crossed it works right. kletsch made me aware of the fact that the glass is .5mm thicker than the mp10specs. though he did say it works, just that the magnets dont have as much grab.

 

i believe the sump is intended to go: small side on the left, then the fuge chamber, then the filtration chamber with the eggcrate, and finally the return.

 

im going to attempt laying it out something like this, filtersock in chamber one, with a biopellet reactor directly after/under(will be using a mj1200), plumb the return from the reactor into the skimmer. a cryptic fuge, followed by another reactor in the carbon chamber(eggcrate removed) and finally heater,in probes, ato and return pump(in no particular order) in the large chamber.

 

Thanks. Copied your setup : )

 

Post post a pic of the sump once your setup is done.

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squirrelieygrrrl

lulz!

 

they are covers for the sump. but i intend on running mine topless as long as i dont have any serious evap issues.

 

oh and i will definitely be posting lots more pics of my build. im trying to document every single step.

 

in other news,

 

i just cracked open the top of the reflector to see how its wired. an easy fix, no soldering just wire nuts. so i should be able to rewire a new cord on it no prob.

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squirrelieygrrrl

huzzah!

 

so it turns out im not as big of a #### tard as i thought. thankfully i live in the land of hydroponics (humboldt county ca). so one of the local hydro shops is going to rewire the proper cord for me! yay!!!!!!

 

and now off to humboldt hydro!

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squirrelieygrrrl

back from humboldt hydro!

 

got the right cord wired and two freebie tds meters! gotta love stuff like that. dunno if they are junk or not. so we will see there.

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but i intend on running mine topless

 

oh and i will definitely be posting lots more pics

WOO!

 

got the right cord wired and two freebie tds meters! gotta love stuff like that. dunno if they are junk or not. so we will see there.

WOO!

 

Also, misquoting FTW.

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squirrelieygrrrl

lulz!

 

sorry pyro, no bobs for you!

 

 

just tried out one of the tds meters, it says 0007, what ever that means. is that 0.007? or just 7 tds. i find that hard to believe if its 7, cuz i just changed filters for the ro/di. odd, maybe i have to calibrate it. never had one of these before.

 

now im working on getting the light hung and gonna attempt to install the bulkheads by my self.

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