10G Skate Shop Build (new light mod)

[evolsk8shop]

Hello people,

 

Currently I have a 28g JBJ PC Nano at my house. Technically that tank has been running for about 3 years. I realized that I have all kinds of extra parts and pieces laying around from running that tank. In fact, I have enough stuff to start another tank.

 

I own a Skateboard shop in North East Ohio and I spend most of my time there. I work there everyday from 12 to 8pm. That is why I decided to build a tank at the shop since I am there most of the time the tank lights are on during the day.

 

Last summer when I bought the new JBJ 28g it got smashed in the mail. When I opened the box it was just a pile of broken glass. I told the company I bought it from and filed a claim with UPS so the retail store sent me a brand new one. This means I was able to keep all the parts and pieces from the broken one. I salvaged the hood with the 105 watt PC light and moon LED's, the pumps, the wavemaker, the plumbing, the filter box and all the filter media. This is the stuff I used to build the new tank.

 

I also just built a half pipe and a wall dividing it from the rest of my shop. This wall has plexiglass windows. I was able to salvage some wood and extra plexiglass from that project. I used those materials to build the stand and the false wall in the tank.

 

So far the only money I spent on this tank was for the Krylon Fusion ($5), GE1 Silicone ($5) and a PVC coupler ($0.24). I plan on taking a chunk of live rock out of my other tank and leaving the new bottom bare. I also plan on using frags from my other tank to decorate this one. I have plenty of Kenya Trees and Mushrooms to spare. I am doing everything I can to not spend money on setting up this 10g. So far it is working...

 

 

 

 

 

[ulver982]

Sweet. How are you going to get those lights on the tank?

[evolsk8shop]

Thats a good question. I don't know yet. I actually have a MH fixture with 2 150watt bulbs in it. I am thinking about using the MH instead because I can probably get it to fit better and I like the look of MH light better on a tank. I saw someone else on here take the cap off the end of the MH fixture and then cut the fixture down and put the cap back on so it looked original. I might be able to do that with mine too. I am a little worried about the MH and the heat in the summer too though.

 

If I don't use the MH I will have to just hang that JBJ hood above the tank for now.

 

Here is the MH on my original 50g tank:

 

[evolsk8shop]

I decided to use my 2 bulb 300w metal halide fixture for this 10g tank. I am going to cut the fixture down to 1 light and 1 fan so it is only 150w. I bet you were worried there for a second. That still might be too much for this tank but I think I am going to test it out. The light fixture will end up being 21 inches long and I am pretty sure it will look like it came right off the shelf when I am done with it.

 

I took apart the fixture today. It looks like it will be relatively easy to shorten it. It was a used fixture so there is some salt corrosion on it so I am going to sand the bad spots down and re-paint it. If it works out I am probably going to get a new 20,000k bulb soon.

 

Here are some pictures of it in pieces:

 

 

 

[bfam4t6]

Hey a fellow boarder! I wish I had my own skate shop. Hell, I just wish I had my own business period.

 

Oh well. At least I get a few breaks throughout the day to putz around on the internet while I'm getting paid.

 

Great start. I'll definitely be following this thread. Kudos for the DIY work.

 

Back to skateboards... you don't sell snowboards too, do you? Believe it or not, I lost a pair of giant snowboard boots. I still have my pair of skate shoes from 6th grade, but lost my snowboard boots. Go figure. So anyways, if you do, PM me. I need boots

[evolsk8shop]

I added 5 gallons of water from my other tank and 5 gallons of freshly mixed salt water. Today I took a piece of live rock out of my other tank and put it in the 10 gallon. I also grabbed two blue legged hermits and a snail.

 

Here are some pics of the rock:

 

 

 

[Nemo Niblets]

Will trade coral for a new deck?

 

Haha, just kidding. Awesome idea

[evolsk8shop]

I got the MH retro finished. I turned a 2 bulb 1 fan 36 inch fixture into a 1 bulb 1 fan 21 inch fixture. It turned out perfect. Now I hope it doesn't boil the water...

 

Here are some pics:

 

 

[bfam4t6]

Wow that's a badass light for that little tank! Can't wait to see some color in there.

[evolsk8shop]

Wow that's a badass light for that little tank! Can't wait to see some color in there.

 

I know, I almost want to put it on my 28g instead...

[evolsk8shop]

I harvested some coral from my 28g tank this week. I brought over some zoas, mushrooms, montis, a birdsnest, kenya trees and something else. I also got a Green Clown Goby for this tank. Oh yeah, and I brought plenty of aiptasia tooooo.

 

I need a magnet to clean the glass though. Sorry it is dirty in these pics. I think my light might be too bright too. I might have to get a smaller watt bulb. Can you put a 70W MH bulb in a 150W bulb fixture? Are the bulbs the same size? Do you need a 70W ballast or something?

 

Here are the new pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Degener8]

nice setup on the cheap (since it was all laying around.. ) you gonna stay BB on it or add some sand later?

[evolsk8shop]

I'm going to keep it BB for now. I might get sand some day but that won't be in the near future.

[evolsk8shop]

Not much has changed over the past 3 months in this tank. I just got a Green Chromis and a Bubble Anemone today to give this tank a little bit more color.

 

Here are some pictures:

 

 

[Arkayology]

Very ingenious custom tank.

[sayn3ver]

great build. Low budget, bare bones but clean and well though out. The OSB covered stank matches the block wall and skate shop/park feel well.

 

I also like you didn't overcrowd the tank with rock. I hate when a tank looks like someone backed a truck up to their tank and dumped a ton of rock into it.

 

I bet an ATO would be a nice addition but since you are there almost every day it might not be worth the money.

[gulfsurfer101]

Nice jobe on that light fixture, It came out looking like a proffesional set up and the frags on your rock look almost completely natural. When I first started I would snap everything off the plugs they would come on and just glue it to the rock. Over the years I haven't noticed how I just learned to accept them into my tanks. I can remember when a skateboard was my only way of transportation. 15 years have past like days.

[evolsk8shop]

Nice jobe on that light fixture, It came out looking like a proffesional set up and the frags on your rock look almost completely natural. When I first started I would snap everything off the plugs they would come on and just glue it to the rock. Over the years I haven't noticed how I just learned to accept them into my tanks. I can remember when a skateboard was my only way of transportation. 15 years have past like days.

 

 

Thanks! You should check out the thread in my signature. It is the tank I have at home. It also has that natural reef look. I take all the frags from that tank to put in this one.

 

I bet an ATO would be a nice addition but since you are there almost every day it might not be worth the money.

 

Thanks! Probably not going to do the ATO anytime soon. I don't even have one on my 28G at home lol.

 

Very ingenious custom tank.

 

 

Thanks!!

[evolsk8shop]

I decided I don't like the BB look any more. The tank has been up for about 6-7 months and I finally decided to add some sand today (even though I have been strongly considering selling the tank). The fish are gone so I don't think it will have any real negative effect on the tank. The anemone is still in there though. Here are some foggy pics:

 

 

 

[andru24]

what didn't you like about teh bare bottom? I was thinking of going sandless on my new 15g tank... just curious.

[jdl]

you gotta build a tombstone tank for the ramp...

[evolsk8shop]

what didn't you like about teh bare bottom? I was thinking of going sandless on my new 15g tank... just curious.

 

 

I just like the natural look of the sand. I didn't like how the coraline was growing on the bottom, it just didn't look right to me.

[evolsk8shop]

I've decided that the 150W MH light was way to bright for this tank. My corals are not growing at all and some of them bleached. At the beginning of this thread I mentioned I have an extra NC28 hood with the 105W PC bulb in it. Today I decided to modify that hood to put above the 10 Gallon tank instead of the Metal Halide.

 

First I had to cut the rounded sides off the hood to make it a rectangle that would fit above the 10 gallon tank:

 

 

 

Then I found some scrap plastic pieces to use as legs for the new light. I made them 10 inches long so I would say the light sits 9 inches from the water. My dad's garage/barn has a ridiculous amount of random parts and pieces for me to sift through. I found some white pieces to use as legs. I also found some aluminum angled pieces to use on the bottom of the legs. The angled alum. is going to be what rests on the tank:

 

 

 

A standard 10 gallon tank is 20 inches long but the hood from the NC28 is only 18 inches long. That means I cannot bolt the legs directly to the hood. I had to make two 1 inch spacers for each side of the legs. That would hold the legs out to 20 inches. To make the spacers I found some black plastic rod. I cut the rod to 1 inch pieces. Then I put the pieces in the vice and drilled holes in them so that the bolt would fit through them. They are basically 1 inch plastic washers.

 

 

 

 

Then I drilled holes in the hood to bolt the legs to. So far this project only took me an hour and 30 minutes to complete.

 

Since I was running short on time I piled all these fabricated pieces into my car to assemble at work. I was really hoping they would fit since I didn't have the tank at home to test fit anything. I got to the skate shop and put everything together.

 

I plan on taking the aluminum pieces off tonight and painting them black. I was going to paint the white plastic black also but I think I like the way the white looks. Here are the finished pics, sorry about quality because I was just using my cell phone the whole time:

 

 

 

 

 

And now I will have moon lights, that's the most exciting part:

 

[evolsk8shop]

Here's one more photo of where the legs are mounted to the hood. It shows where the plastic spacers go so that the legs are spread 20 inches apart:

 

[ajmckay]

Tank looks good. Interesting idea at a skate shop. Do your customers like it?

 

There's a woodworking shop near me that has probably a 180g reef tank and I'll sometimes go into the store just to check it out.