ClowningAround Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Ok this is my first DIY and first saltwater tank, i got my equipment and it wouldnt all fit so i messed around with some ideas and came up with this. I also modded the AC300 from plans from all the AC500 mod threads. I used some 5/8"-3/4" square molding from home depot. I made a u shape to go around the the top of the aquarium then added two more peices to support the powerquad that rest where the mounting legs would normaly sit. Im going to paint it black when i get a chance. Now it fits all under...somewhat neatly I took the AC300 and took apart the filter basket, used the bottom peice for the grate across the outlet and cut one of the sides for the baffle. I used a small hacksaw to cut a v in the back to feed the wire through. If anybody has any questons, comments, concerns, dislikes, constructive criticism...etc let me know Baffle...Dont laugh at my silicone skills (Perfecto Mft Aquarium Sealant) Grate to hold back anything in the fuge area with 50 AGA heater, slot cut for the wire Again dont laugh at the silicone Link to comment
chipmaker Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Looks good to me. There certianly is nothing wrong with the way yu have the light mounted, as yur probably not going to lose any of it, since the quad bulb is setback in the overall length of the housing anyhow, so the ends have approx 2" on each end which are essentially dead areas anyow. The only two things I would have done different, and this is just my opinion, is I would have used Marine Goop in place of the silicone, as it holds a lot better and does not peel from plastic like silicone is prone to doing, and I would have notched the lid instead of the resivoir portion just incase it managed to get say a clogged filter and start to fill up higher in the resivoir, it would not have the ability to spill out the back where the notch is. Granted the AC filter is designed to allow water to spill out the section where the inlet tube goes in case of such a problem, but I would have nothced the lid....But that being said, I myself did not want to notch my lid either as I may want ot use it on the hob on another type setup at a later date, and I wanted a clear lid for better fuge lighting, so I made a custom lid out of acrylic, and put my origonal lid in storage.... I can not readily tell what type of moulding you used, is it wood? If so make sure its sealed well. I seen square tube PVC stock in our local HD store which would be perfect for this extension of the top. Once again looks good, should be plenty of light, as well as lots of water flow. Link to comment
ClowningAround Posted February 5, 2006 Author Share Posted February 5, 2006 Thanks for the input chipmaker, it is infact wood molding i am going to use some sort of sealant when i get a chance i just put this together last night. One question i have it running and it seems like i am getting a bunch of microbubbles...any suggestions? Link to comment
chipmaker Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Well in regards to the micro bubbles in the tank and since I do not htink you have a skimmer in use, my guess would be.... 1....Everything is new, so air buubles seem to stick to everything and accumulate for awhile, and from time to time get picked up and recirculated. Give a new tank and filter a few days and bubbles should subside to "0" 2.... Another source of bubbles is in the water inlet tube itself, if its sucking air anywhere it will induce bubbles. I had a AC110 that came with a small leak in the top U shaped portion of the water inlet tube. It primed etc and pulled water but in the process it also pulled in air. There is aseam or joint where the top U shaped pieces are joined together (top and bottom halfs of the U portion itself) That is where I had a seam that leaked. 3....If your water level in the tank is too far below the outlet spillway from the hob, it can pull in a lot of air which makes bubbles as well. If its not full try adding some more water to it and see if that doe snot solve the micro bubbles. It should be easy to tell though by looking at the water directly under your outflow spillway and see bubbles being induced by the falling water action. Link to comment
ClowningAround Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 --- pictures w/water SG 1.025 ---- No Mas el MicroBubbles! top water movement with the AC300 revved down a bit Link to comment
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