13$ DIY BIOCUBE Media Rack

[SaltineSage]

Ok so your directions say you need measuring tape and to measure your rear chambers. Since you did this mod on a bc29 could you post the dimensions of your media rack?

 

Thanks...I want to construct something and this is a perfect idea. Also I'm feeling lazy...

 

I went ahead and measured my rear chamber (including clearances for shelves that hold the stock components.)

 

The center chamber is:

 

3 inches front to back

8.5 inches side to side

12.5 inches deep

 

Can I get some confirmation?

Edited January 11, 2010 by SaltineSage

[tangov559]

I have made this rack and used it for over a year already...i have also tried stevie's..to me..not that big of a difference...almost similar results...great water and reef...

[timdanger]

Yes, to start such a project if you have no scraps you need a full sheet of egg crate. You can't cost things by just the amount you use.

 

don't forget to add in the cost of zip ties or other means of holding the thing together. those aren't free.

 

it doesn't make sense to try and calculate the % of an item you use when DIYing. You have to pay for the whole sheet of eggcrate, or the whole bag of zip ties, or the whole tube of epoxy.

Edited January 11, 2010 by timdanger

[SaltineSage]

don't forget to add in the cost of zip ties or other means of holding the thing together. those aren't free.

 

it doesn't make sense to try and calculate the % of an item you use when DIYing. You have to pay for the whole sheet of eggcrate, or the whole bag of zip ties, or the whole tube of epoxy.

 

 

It's still not a bad price for even the full materials required. I just hit Home Depot (who, of course, did not have broken egg crate).

 

$10.90 sheet of egg crate.

$1.91 cable ties (4").

Sub Total: 12.81

+.05% tax

=13.45

and an optional ~2.00 for super glue.

 

That's still a super deal for modifying your tank and having a project to entertain you for an hour or so.

[reeftankguy]

I like my DIY Media Rack best of all!

 

Edited January 11, 2010 by reeftankguy

[StevieT]

are the blacks strips made of acrylic?

[Lawnman]

Ok I am going to give my 2 cents on this. Pros of this media basket price.Cons It does not force the water to go thru the chambers like some dork StevieT already said it just holds the media. A inTank media basket is made to make the water go thru the media. It has the stay hold piece that makes the water flow right into the top tray.If you keep the floss clean it will not spill over the sides. When it comes time clean or change the media you just pull it out lift the side piece out and change the media. It might not seem like that big of a deal BUT I would much rather have water flowing thru my ChemiPure than have it just floating around it. I give you 2 thumbs up for the DIY build. But I am happy with my inTank basket.

[marinekeeper]

Seems to me like gravity would force the water through the media, im no expert, im just sayn physics don't lie

 

Im gonna attempt this project myself. I already have all the materials from other projects laying around.

 

Thanks for the heads up OP

[AJ_Tsin]

I wasn't going to respond since there have always been DIY egg crate racks, and many threads about them out there but the statement about it functioning the same is just false. Your rack does not force water though any media just keeps it suspended for easier changes. Which is helpful but when you say that a closed in box will cause nitrates is just a lie. A four sided media basket is far more effective and with filter floss on top all detritus is caught.

 

Honestly I don't see the reason to debate. We are turning my attempt at a positive contribution into an entirely negative tit for tat weigh in. I am not lying more like speculating. What do I have at stake here that would merit lying?

 

I changed the name of the thread to read 13$ that should appease some tension. Although it cost me next to nothing if you were to go out and start from scratch it apparently costs 13 dollars give or take a quarter.

 

I agree with Stevie.. if a $10 media rack made out of egg crate worked, he would sell it. I don't want just some of the water moving through the media.. I want ALL my water going through it. My system has only benefited from Stevie's rack. Thanks!

 

Thankyou for your input and no one is asking you to throw out your current products for my flimsy eggcrate. It is makeshift and it's for the people who need an answer to this problem and don't want to spend much money. It has obviously already sparked some interest so my intent is fulfilled and I am happy leaving this thread at that. To be cliche "If its not broken don't fix it, but if you don't have one at all, you can try building this one."

 

 

I have made this rack and used it for over a year already...i have also tried stevie's..to me..not that big of a difference...almost similar results...great water and reef...

 

Again thank-you for the input, its good to have a lot of well rounded opinions voiced here.

 

 

It's still not a bad price for even the full materials required. I just hit Home Depot (who, of course, did not have broken egg crate).

 

$10.90 sheet of egg crate.

$1.91 cable ties (4").

Sub Total: 12.81

+.05% tax

=13.45

and an optional ~2.00 for super glue.

 

That's still a super deal for modifying your tank and having a project to entertain you for an hour or so.

 

Awesome thankyou for the $$ update and also your measurements. I am in Canada and numbers are wayyy different here and as I mentioned I had all this stuff lying around and hadn't priced anything accurately. I agree it still is super cheap especially when you can make a frag rack or any other submergible structure with the remaining eggcrate and you'll have enough zip ties to last you a while.

 

Ok I am going to give my 2 cents on this. Pros of this media basket price.Cons It does not force the water to go thru the chambers like some dork StevieT already said it just holds the media. A inTank media basket is made to make the water go thru the media. It has the stay hold piece that makes the water flow right into the top tray.If you keep the floss clean it will not spill over the sides. When it comes time clean or change the media you just pull it out lift the side piece out and change the media. It might not seem like that big of a deal BUT I would much rather have water flowing thru my ChemiPure than have it just floating around it. I give you 2 thumbs up for the DIY build. But I am happy with my inTank basket.

 

This is more the type of feedback I figured would come thankyou for being rational. I had my chemipure laying on the bottom of the middle chamber floor so this is an upgrade for me. I have been pleased with the results so I posted how I got them online. If I had an inTank Basket already i would not need to "Do It Myself"

 

As far as which is better they apparently work the same or at least similar so in my opinion no point in debating. I apologize if I came off as affirmative, I tried to make all my statements clearly subjective, but apparently they were taken as absolute. If I was offensive particularily to you StevieT, it was more an attempt at being defensive as my original post was scrutinized and rediculed by a few members early on and I was merely stating my logic and reasoning for doing so.

 

Personally I feel a closed in design is much like a canister filter or any typical filter setup and could promote nitrates, but once again this is an opinion and could easily be debated.

 

Bottom Line: I found a way to achieve a goal for next to no money, and I went out of my way to voice that method to contribute to this community in some facet. Myself like tons of people on this site read and read and read, I felt like perhaps I had something to write instead of read all the time. I did this not to challenge, compare, or assault. I have absolutely nothing to gain from this I have shared that is all.

 

Hopefully the people who have decided to build this, already have, or will in the future now have enough information based on the thread to make an educated decision if this DIY is right for your tank. All I know is like most of us here my reef has wall to wall coral and I needed an answer to the media bag problem ASAP. This worked just fine so far.

 

- A.

 

 

 

 

Seems to me like gravity would force the water through the media, im no expert, im just sayn physics don't lie

 

Im gonna attempt this project myself. I already have all the materials from other projects laying around.

 

Thanks for the heads up OP

 

You are correct, there is a waterfall effect from chamber one into the middle, the water falls into the media and comes out nice and clean on the other side.

 

Post your pictures when you are done building it. I am interested to see what other people come up with.

 

GL

 

-A.

Edited January 12, 2010 by AJ_Tsin

[PIPS]

ibtl ??

[marinekeeper]

nyfb

[crazydante23]

Mine works perfect, water goes thru my media bags and not around.

[AJ_Tsin]

ibtl ??

 

Hope not...

[blibo]

Why can't we just appreciate the fact that this guy took his time to take pictures of his ideas to share with his fellow reefers. It looks like there's an organized mob running around destroying anything that may seems like a competition for their commercially made product. The term DIY also implies to leave your pride at the door because the stuffs you're going to see is not all shiny and new. Thank you again AJ for bringing up this great idea and I'm sure the majority of us appreciate it very much

[SaltineSage]

I understand there are two sides to this fence. And there should always be two sides for worth-while DIY mods, otherwise we'd all own professionally made sleek n' sexy mods for our reefs.

 

But seriously, let's not discourage the creativity in the DIY section, unless it poses a threat to the inhabitants of the system. The DIY section makes things accessible to folks that otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to modify their tanks... leaving them with bioballs. Now that's a danger to the system!

 

And AJ, I expect American measurement translations on your blog for whenever you post any more creative ideas I won't stand for the use of the metric system! It is far too precise, and is forces me to turn my ruler upside down. Completely absurd!

[AJ_Tsin]

Why can't we just appreciate the fact that this guy took his time to take pictures of his ideas to share with his fellow reefers. It looks like there's an organized mob running around destroying anything that may seems like a competition for their commercially made product. The term DIY also implies to leave your pride at the door because the stuffs you're going to see is not all shiny and new. Thank you again AJ for bringing up this great idea and I'm sure the majority of us appreciate it very much

 

Good to hear your feedback blibo thanks again greatly appreciated. I have a few more DIY and step by steps on NanobyAdrian.

 

- Cheers.

[timdanger]

Ok I am going to give my 2 cents on this. Pros of this media basket price.Cons It does not force the water to go thru the chambers like some dork StevieT already said it just holds the media. A inTank media basket is made to make the water go thru the media. It has the stay hold piece that makes the water flow right into the top tray.If you keep the floss clean it will not spill over the sides. When it comes time clean or change the media you just pull it out lift the side piece out and change the media. It might not seem like that big of a deal BUT I would much rather have water flowing thru my ChemiPure than have it just floating around it. I give you 2 thumbs up for the DIY build. But I am happy with my inTank basket.

 

+1

[timdanger]

I changed the name of the thread to read 13$ that should appease some tension. Although it cost me next to nothing if you were to go out and start from scratch it apparently costs 13 dollars give or take a quarter.

 

now i like your idea.

[Nemo Niblets]

Where in the world do you have to pay 13 dollars for some eggcrate? This is more like a 2 dollar project.

[reeftankguy]

are the blacks strips made of acrylic?

 

Nope... 1/16" thick - Black ABS (From work, we are a Plastics Manufacturer)... Fused to EC with Weldon#4

[MikeTR]

Lookin at OP tank.. wondering where he got all his cheap a$$ coral from? Maybe he's selling his $2 rack for $18 somewhere.. J/P..tank looks nice. Too much work to save $20 IMO.

 

Where'd you get your $10 clam?

Edited January 12, 2010 by MikeTR

[AJ_Tsin]

Lookin at OP tank.. wondering where he got all his cheap a$$ coral from? Maybe he's selling his $2 rack for $18 somewhere.. J/P..tank looks nice. Too much work to save $20 IMO.

 

Where'd you get your $10 clam?

 

I actually got this clam for $20 which is still an awesome deal. It was a little larger than a one dollar coin when I got it.

 

All the other coral came from $5 or $10 dollar frags. There are only one or two pieces I bought as a colony. Pretty much all of it came from other reefers.

 

Ironically I just added 10 SPS frags last night and a new Vortech MP10. All the money I saved I just blew on frags a Vortech, and a refractometer. But I got each frag for about 5 bucks each which again is an incredible deal that did not involve a store at all.

 

Updates on the frags, the pump and a few other things later this week via blog and my thread.

[The_Macs]

Really like the idea AJ!

 

This inspired me to build my own...only, I didn't have any eggcrate. I'm new to corals and reefkeeping, so anything I have I either bought cheap, or got from someone else.

 

So anyways, keeping with the DIY theme, I decided to make a media rack for my DIY pico with the extra acrylic I had lying around. I simply cure 3 equally sized pieces (6"x1.75") and glued them together with one side raise up 2" from the other. Next I cut thin pieces of acrylic to make ledges for the eggcrate to lay on. This way, water will enter my sump and be "forced" to flow through the media. Well, since I have no eggcrate, as stated earlier, I cut squares of the same acrylic to sit on each ledge and drilled as many holes as I could fit. Project didn't cost anymore money than what I had already spent, so in my book total cost = $0.00.

 

I'll try and post pictures later tonight and let you all know how well it works (or even if it does work) when I get the Pico up and running.

 

my pico build (slowly getting there)

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=220760

Edited January 13, 2010 by The_Macs

[The_Macs]

Here's a pic of my media rack. Put it together pretty fast and just needed it to do the job. So don't hate on it so much, this was done using some recycle acrylic that I had previously ruined.

[AJ_Tsin]

Here's a pic of my media rack. Put it together pretty fast and just needed it to do the job. So don't hate on it so much, this was done using some recycle acrylic that I had previously ruined.

 

Looks interesting. Thanks for sharing.

 

There are new updates today on the blog. a review and unboxing of a vortech MP10 for the 29g Biocube.

Edited January 14, 2010 by AJ_Tsin