Adrift's 20 High

[AdriftQuasar]

That pun was so bad I damn near fell out my chair. Thanks for that. The comments are nice too.

[121a]

here you go, i'll have ones with dimensions a bit later:

[AdriftQuasar]

Thank you so much, that is extremely helpful.

 

Just so everyone else knows, I'm going to be upgrading from a coralife 24" Lunar Aqualight with 130w of PC to a DIY hood with 250w of MH. 121a has graciously been answering my questions via pm and has come up with a design for me. That's how cool he is.

 

Another question has occurred to me though.

 

How do I acclimate my tank to the increase in light?

[121a]

a lot of people use widow screens and a short photo period. After a few days start removing the screens 1 each day, and making your photoperiod longer.

 

here is the drawing with dimensions. I am fairly certain this will have a snug fit over the tank, with slight gaps on the sides and back.

[AdriftQuasar]

What thickness plywood do you recommend? If I had to guess, I would say 3/4", but I would appreciate your input. You have been incredibly helpful.

[av8ffej]

here you go, i'll have ones with dimensions a bit later:

Edit - design graphics deleted

 

121a - That's some serious geeked out stuff there!!! I wish that there were more people like you because the descriptions of builds and mods serve nothing to me. Something about a picture being worth...? My envy is strong, because I couldn't draw up plans to save my gender.

 

Awesome.

[AdriftQuasar]

So I got my other K1 working today, all it needed was a good soak in a vinegar solution. Since I have two K1's, with 800gph of total flow, I pulled off the skimmer to make the tank look cleaner. I must say, I am very satisfied with the results. Expect pictures before the day is done. I just moved stuff around, so there is some stuff flying around.

 

I ordered the fans

for the hood last night. I bought three of them, it was about $18 after shipping.

 

Went to Home Depot to price wood, looks like it will cost me about $32 for a 4'x8' sheet of plywood and 8' of 2x2. On the plus side, I'm helping my dad build a shed, and we will need some plywood for the floor, so there may be a possibility of getting out of things a little cheaper than that.

 

This is the lighting kit I plan to buy. It was only $2 more expensive than the 150w last night, guess I missed the sale. $10 more still isn't bad. I'm going to be getting it with a 12k Reeflux bulb and I'll go ahead and pay the $3 for the high-temp wire nuts. Total should be about $230 after shipping.

 

The goal is to come out cheaper than what a 250w sunpod would retail for. I also plan to have some LEDs for night lighting, but I haven't quite figured out where to get what I want.

 

Thanks for staying tuned.

[121a]

thanks, i think...

It only takes me about 30 minutes to draw that.

 

AQ: yes 3/4" for the top. I would also mount the halide on a 2x2 just to let the heat 'escape' more.

[squirrelieygrrrl]

sounds sweet adrift,

 

i wanna see pics once youve got it all put together! ive been thinking about doing a diy metal halide for both my reef and my fw planted tank (its waaay to deep for standard flourescents at almost 2&1/2ft) keep us posted.

[AdriftQuasar]

I really apologize if any of my gratitude came across as being sarcastic or insincere, that was definitely not it's intention.

[AdriftQuasar]

Today's FTS sans Skimmer

 

Requested pictures of the sponge:

 

[av8ffej]

I really apologize if any of my gratitude came across as being sarcastic or insincere, that was definitely not it's intention.

 

I think that was in reference to my comment, and thus, my apologies 121a, it was only ment as a high compliment!

 

AQ, that sponge is really cool. The tank is looking great!!

[Whacked]

Nice tank!

I like seeing other 20H tanks so I can get ideas of what I can do

 

Question tho, why 250W MH? wont that be a bit much?

[AdriftQuasar]

Nope.

[Matty1124]

i dont think you need 3/4inch wood to make a canopy... i built one for my t5s out of 1/2inch... 3/4 seems like it would add a ton of weight, if your not having the ballast in or on it i dont think you need to make it super strong... i have my 29g tank on top of 3/4 inch... so that tells you how much weight plywood can handle, the light its self will weigh at max 10lbs you could just frame it with 2x2s and do a skin in a 1/4 inch or so nice wood

[AdriftQuasar]

Thanks for the tip! I was thinking 3/4" seemed a little heavier duty than what I really needed. A 2x2 frame would be really easy to build too. Skinning it with 1/4" would definitely lighten the load. Hell, perhaps even just using the existing plans from 121a with 1/4" would be viable option. Though, what would I know? I'm just some guy.

[AdriftQuasar]

So my fans should be delivered today, so I might go buy wood and get things started. The hard part is waiting for payday this Friday to order the lights. What's that virtue we all talk about in reefing? Oh yeah, f***ing patients.

[AdriftQuasar]

I just went and bought two 8' long 2x2's, two 2'x4' panels of 1/4" pylwood, some hinges, screws, and a couple of knobs. Got it all for about $27. I think I will start construction tomorrow once I have some assistance and have acquired permission to use my father's tools. I will be sure to take some step-by-step pictures for those who would like to do something similar in the future.

[AdriftQuasar]

Just did some math for making the 2x2 frame.

 

As it turns out the 2x2s are actually 1 1/2 x 1 1/2", so I took that into account.

 

I will need:

4 x 21 1/4" sections

4 x 10" sections

4 x 8" sections

 

The base of the frame will be 24 1/4" x 13" and it will be 8" tall.

 

I plan to frame the top as well just to add stability for the light and I should need:

 

2 x 10" sections

2 x 21 1/4" sections

 

To skin the frame, I am using 1/4 plywood and will need:

 

2 x (24 1/4"x9") panels for the front and back

2 x (13"x9") panels for the sides

1 x (24 1/4"x13") panel for the top.

 

In the side and back panels there will be a 3 1/2" hole to accommodate for the fans. Holes will also be drilled in the top to vent hot air from the light.

 

So basically, I'm combining 121s's plans with Matty1124's idea for a frame. I think everything works out, if anyone sees a potential hiccup, let me know.

Edited July 2, 2008 by AdriftQuasar

[121a]

i always wanted to try it that way, i think it will look a lot cleaner, then again i just reused my wood from a 40gBreeder i kinda cheaped out. Oh and i didn't take any offense to the comment, i do consider myself a geek!

 

The reason i suggested 3/4 is because screws might still stick through, like they do on my 1/2" wood. I guess it is a matter of getting right screws. Mounting it on a 2x2 is smart though, it will be a lot easier to remove.

Might i also suggest quick disconnects, so you don't have to move the ballast every time you want to get into the tank. Maybe i'm thinking too much like my tank, it is on a 4' stand so i need a step ladder to get into it, LOL.

[AdriftQuasar]

I was thinking quick-disconnects would be a good idea and well worth the money. I really would like to have things running on an on-off switch or something so I can turn the lights off if I need to get into the tank. Other than that they are going to be on a timer.

 

For the hood itself, I was planning on pre-drilling holes and then using finishing nails to attach the plywood skin to the frame. I think that should keep things looking nice and clean.

 

I think I might give everything a coat of black paint, but I can't help but think that a nice stain and some good sealant would look better, or at least it might to my mother, who prides herself on her decorating ability. My father on the other hand, probably doesn't care as long as it doesn't look like crap. His standards are fairly low, so I think I might be good; the parts of the house he has decorated (low-traffic, areas that guests don't often go to) look more like a bar than they do a house. Go figure.

[121a]

ya i know what you mean, my dads office has a mini-fridge and a keg. LOL.

 

I tried to stain my wood, and well it just didn't work, maybe that was because i sealed it then tried to stain it...

[Whacked]

2x2 will definately beef it up.

could probably get away with 1x1 frame with the 1/4 plywood

After all, it just needs to support 10 or so pounds.

use wood glue with the finishing nails

[AdriftQuasar]

Something I will still require detailed instructions on is how to wire up the fans. It looks like hellolights.com is having a 10% of everything sale tomorrow, so I will be ordering then. I will be broke as hell, but I think it will be worth it. Hopefully I will have things within the next couple of weeks. I'm still going to need to get some screen kits so I can acclimate everything to the GREATLY increased lighting. I'm going from 130w of PC to 250w of MH. Hopefully nothing dies.

 

I haven't even considered what I'm going to do for the night lighting, I know what I would like to do, but I have no idea where to get what I would like to have. 121a, mentioned something about some LED pads in a pm, I suppose I could go read that...

[AdriftQuasar]

It will make things more expensive, but I think I might rig up a fan controller for the three fans as shown in this thread.