usairforcepilot Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 well Ive started on my very fist build with a fish tank and lucky for me Calvin 415 live 5 min away and hes been helping me out alot. Thanks Calvin!!! i will be getting pictures as soon as possible. Link to comment
usairforcepilot Posted September 6, 2008 Author Share Posted September 6, 2008 ok heres what i've got so far. i went to PetCo and bought a 10G glass tank and then melted a piece of acrylic and molded into place as an overflow in the back and put 2 holes in the sides for current. then I used silicon to glue the overflow to the back of the tank.I also painted the back outside black to look nicer. I'm still working on the pictures Link to comment
Mischeif Nite Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 We need pics!!! +1 Link to comment
usairforcepilot Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 k heres some pics Link to comment
calvin415 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Great pics! Can't wait to get the canopy and base done so we can get'r filled!!! Link to comment
usairforcepilot Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 same here again thanks for all your help calvin!! Link to comment
nanoty Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Sweet setup, I like it a lot. Link to comment
Project7Studios Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 What are you gonna do about air bubbles? The skimmer will skimm the top and will produce bubbles and the power head will return the water up and around the pvc pipes right? Im eager to know cuase Im about to start my own 10g Link to comment
itzclayyo Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 awesome setup! what lighting you gonna put on this baby? Link to comment
usairforcepilot Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 the lighting is most likely going to be a 150W metal halide. yes the water will come out the PVC pipe to create a top current Link to comment
Mischeif Nite Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Can't wait for water, rocks, light etc. Link to comment
calvin415 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Ty, I hope it's okay to answer for you... Plus I'm not sure if you'd know since this is your first tank. What are you gonna do about air bubbles? The skimmer will skimm the top and will produce bubbles and the power head will return the water up and around the pvc pipes right? Im eager to know cuase Im about to start my own 10g Air bubbles? Shouldn't have any... The overflow will be filled just below the bottom edge of the overflow to allow surface skimming but not cause much turbulence; so any possible "splash" should be minimal if any... Recommended overflow size for 160 GPH (maxijet 600) is only 2 inches and we have approx 14" (7 times the recommended) so the spill should be very very smooth and very very quiet. We will also be putting Chaeto in the overflow to help pull excess nutrients while creating a barrier for any possible bubbles. Yes the powerhead will return the water through the cpvc pipes running the perimeter, and all plumbing (other than the return pieces) should be out of sight once the canopy is done and will be covered in coraline once the tank matures. awesome setup! what lighting you gonna put on this baby? 150w HQI retro that will be mounted in a custom canopy (still to be built). It's coming with a 10,000K bulb, but we'll likely trade it out for a Phoenix 14,000K or maybe even a 20,000K once everything is going. the lighting is most likely going to be a 150W metal halide. yes the water will come out the PVC pipe to create a top current Wow! You beat me to it! LOL! Link to comment
Kentanner11 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Very cool! Your in HS right? I know that there are a few of us on here, its cool to see the tanks of others our age. Link to comment
itzclayyo Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 good choice on the lighting, and with calvins DIY skills it should turn out amazing. id go with 14k phoenix, unless your going to have actinics maybe you want a 10k bulb. a friend of mine did an experiment with a 10k, 14, and 20k bulb over the some frags coming from the same mother colony and said that he got way more growth out of 10k then 20k. just incase growth speed is important to you Link to comment
kermitthedaniel Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 looks awesome man, just a suggestion, why does the left pvc only go so far and the right go all the way to the front, i think if you got a maxi 1200, and had a corner and then have one going down but continued it along then you wouldnt even need that other maxi in there to create other current, here i will do a picture. well its not working but just make a tee right after the corners and then end it at the front. Link to comment
fish_chips Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 nice big overflow box... i likes Link to comment
usairforcepilot Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 heres a rough draft on my canopy and stand Link to comment
Aqua newbie Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 if you could do this again would you use black silicon? I'm thinking of making one. Link to comment
calvin415 Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 good choice on the lighting, and with calvins DIY skills it should turn out amazing. id go with 14k phoenix, unless your going to have actinics maybe you want a 10k bulb. a friend of mine did an experiment with a 10k, 14, and 20k bulb over the some frags coming from the same mother colony and said that he got way more growth out of 10k then 20k. just incase growth speed is important to you Rapid growth would be nice, but since we busted the bank on the 150 HQI, there is no more funds for actinics... We'll switch to a bluer bulb when funds are available, but it should help get everything going for now. I love the color of the 14k Phoenix, but since we're putting 15w/gallon into this, I was thinking a 20k would still be plenty bright enough... looks awesome man, just a suggestion, why does the left pvc only go so far and the right go all the way to the front, i think if you got a maxi 1200, and had a corner and then have one going down but continued it along then you wouldnt even need that other maxi in there to create other current, here i will do a picture. well its not working but just make a tee right after the corners and then end it at the front. It's just to create some more random flow... We only did the one on the right like this so we didn't have flow coming from the same corner with the additional powerhead. We water tested the flow tonight, and while I think it could use a little more (probably a koralia down the road) flow in the tank, the flow through the overflow box was perfect. We don't need all the flow in the tank to go through the overflow box, we're shooting for nice and slow to maximize the chaeto contact time and ensure it's bubble free. Thanks for the feedback, but I only had 600's on hand else the pump in the diplay would likely be higher (again something we can upgrade down the road). nice big overflow box... i likes Thanks! heres a rough draft on my canopy and stand Looks good bud, keep playing with SketchUp, I love it. I just sent you a quick and dirty of what I'm thinking of for the base... Canopy is still to be drawn. if you could do this again would you use black silicon? I'm thinking of making one. Nope. Black silicon looks great at first, but as the silicone starts to chip and wear, it is ugly (imagine a jagged line going down each seam). Clear you don't notice when it's new, and still don't notice when it's 6 years old. Link to comment
calvin415 Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Ty, sent you another file, this time with base and canopy... Here's a couple shots of what I came up with. Again, we don't have to go this route, I'm just shooting from the hip, let me know what you'd like to do... Again if you want to two tone the woods we can, if you want inlays we can, just talk it over with your folks about what kind of wood you'd like to see. You can see the canopy hinges here: Link to comment
calvin415 Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Look what came in the mail!!! Man this thing is bright! I hope we don't vaporize the water! Link to comment
Jhect Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Green? First time ive seen a green MH. Where ya pick it up at? Link to comment
calvin415 Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 It's just the white balance... It's a 10000K bulb. Link to comment
Aqua newbie Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Those can damage your eyes???!!!! Link to comment
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