DIY LED rig legs

[uglybuckling]

I started with kgoldy's plans from here:

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=275736

 

Then I made a few changes so I didn't have to drill through the hard as diamonds zinc-plated angle irons.

 

Since I'm going with DIY LEDs, I made a few changes to accommodate wiring as well.

 

 

Here's the whole rig, with one endpiece removed for purposes of showing it to y'all:

 

The heatsinks are fairly nice, with grooves built in for splash guards and specialized fan mounts. They're 6" by 9" each. The fans are 100mm.

 

Here's a more close-up shot of one end:

 

It's fairly sturdy even with one end removed for purposes of photography. This thing could easily hold up two or three times the weight of the heatsinks that I've got, maybe more.

 

 

Here's where I deviated a bit from kgoldy. I used the same 90 degree "lip" channel to go over the edge of the tank that he did, but I cut mine 2.75" longer on each end than it had to be, trimmed away the extra, and bent the edges upward, in lieu of using the second set of angle irons that he did. This way, I didn't have to mount angle irons to other angle irons, which necessitates drilling one of them:

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the part I built, removed and laid out to specifically show how it does the job of two angle irons and the 90 degree channel, plus doesn't have screws on the underside to butt up against the tank's rim:

 

 

Another shot with the two short stubby legs:

 

 

Here it is halfway back together. You can see the order I assembled them in: bent-upward part of the 90 degree channel is on the outside, then angle iron, then the short stubby leg:

 

Here it is all the way back together:

 

 

I also made some changes related to this being for a full-spectrum DIY LED build, as follows...

 

 

Here's how the front of the heatsink is mounted to the front rail:

 

And here's the back of the heatsink mounted to the back rail. Note the extra, larger hole in the center--this is for wires to pass through into the portion of the heatsink that holds the LEDs (between the heatsink base and the channels that hold the acrylic splashguard, in other words...):

 

I have a piece of 1/2 inch channel that fits PERFECTLY inside the piece of 5/8 inch channel, and will hold the wires inside like an electrical conduit almost, while still looking fairly girlfriend-approved (read: not a rat's nest of wires) from the outside.

 

And here's the underside of the heatsink. You can see where the wiring hole comes through:

 

 

This is how it sits on the edge of the tank:

 

And here's the whole thing over the tank:

 

Yeah, my living room definitely brings the creepy pictures.

[Lingwendil]

Very nice! Im considering something simar for my 20long, with a coat of black paint.

[dling]

I used 1/2" pvc to make my legs. They look ok but I plan on getting some 1/2: conduit and bending them painting them black and hanging my lights from them. I've come to realize that I dont like them on my tank.

Yours do look better my was just cheap and easy. Good job.

[uglybuckling]

...with a coat of black paint.

 

 

...painting them black...

 

 

These are getting a bath in some black plastidip soon.

 

And thanks for the kind words. =)

[epicfish]

Nice build. Why the black eggcrate top?

[uglybuckling]

Nice build. Why the black eggcrate top?

 

 

I run my house kinda warm (lots of snakes belonging to the girlfriend, etc). I figured open-top was the way to go, but I don't want stuff jumping out of my tank.

 

I always found home-made screen tops to look rather tacky--even though one of my other tanks has one (it came with it, I wasn't going to fix a problem that didn't exist...there are plenty of real problems for me to spend my time worrying about).

 

Is there another way?

[epicfish]

I run my house kinda warm (lots of snakes belonging to the girlfriend, etc). I figured open-top was the way to go, but I don't want stuff jumping out of my tank.

 

I always found home-made screen tops to look rather tacky--even though one of my other tanks has one (it came with it, I wasn't going to fix a problem that didn't exist...there are plenty of real problems for me to spend my time worrying about).

 

Is there another way?

 

I have one made from a window-screen kit found at Home Depot and clear mesh netting from BRS. It doesn't block too much light from getting into the tank and when it sits on the lip on the rim of the tank, you can barely see the metal frame.

 

My concern was just because the eggcrate blocks a lot of light from getting into your tank.

[uglybuckling]

I have one made from a window-screen kit found at Home Depot and clear mesh netting from BRS. It doesn't block too much light from getting into the tank and when it sits on the lip on the rim of the tank, you can barely see the metal frame.

 

My concern was just because the eggcrate blocks a lot of light from getting into your tank.

 

 

Ahhh, I see. Kgoldy used eggcrate and I rather liked the idea because it's cheap, looks good, and is designed to have lights (fluorescents, I guess, in elevators) on the other side of it.

 

Anyway, I'll see if it's a problem. I'm thinking this LED rig I'm building may bleach corals (total of 24 RB, 12 NW, 8 TV, 4 DR, 4 C, and 4 CB over a 75 gallon), so a little light blockage might not be a bad thing. Also the tank is going to be mostly for softies, with maybe a few LPS thrown in. I'm not an Acropora freak or anything. I'll keep the BRS mesh in mind if I'm unhappy with the eggcrate blocking too much light.

[uglybuckling]

Yep, it's a problem.

 

Just say no to eggcrate, kids.

 

*puts in BRS order*

[epicfish]