mattskims Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Looking for some recommendations on skimmer stand design. The super reef octopus is touchy when it comes to water level so I want to make a skimmer stand to really take advantage of it. I have been battling this as well as I have an SRO XP1000sss. Since my pump is "under" the skimmer body, my design is going to incorporate an acrylic piece, as the platform, which I will drill holes in the corners. The "legs" will be made from eggcrate zip tied to the acrylic (reason for drilling holes) so that I can adjust the height of stand if ever need be. I plan on bending two pieces of 3/4" conduit pipe for 90 degree hangers that will attach to the stand. The giessemann is pretty heavy (~50 lbs) so I wanted more sturdy conduit. I'm going to paint it black. Did you have to buy a bender as well? Thats the part that sucked when I was making my hangers. Luckily, I was able to find an electrician to let me borrow one. I'm also looking into designing an actinic strip of LEDs that are dimmable for supplementation and moon lights. They would attach to the back of the tank similar to a clip on lamp but be elevated enough that you wouldn't see them below the fixture. Is your Giesemann fixture black or silver? If silver, you might want to look at the 48" Reefbrite fixture. You could mount it to the "vertical" section of your light hangers and angle it as necessary. I just cannot recall if they are dimmable or not. Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 The fixture is silver but I'm not sure how I would attach it. I also want to be able to dime it for moonlights. I do have a pipe bender to make it easy. Gonna knock that out tonight. Link to comment
Arkayology Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I do have a pipe bender to make it easy. Gonna knock that out tonight. Your luck you have a conduit bender. I had to look around for a local reefer who had one as I did not want want to buy one for 50.00. Anything new that you could post pics of? Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Waiting for the stand for new pics. Not much to see other than the back of the tank. I "should" get the stand on Wednesday assuming they don't send a 72" stand again. I'll pick up the calcium reactor this weekend. Here is the package I'm picking up. Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 I started messing with the plumbing last night. I'm not all that impressed with the stock plumbing kit. The bulkheads are kind of shady and the bulkhead wrench is made of plastic. Glad I have another one. I may have to replace one bulkhead. I'm going to try it first but two o rings for each bulk head is kind of shady. I heard these tanks scratch easily so I will have to take it easy there. Link to comment
timdanger Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Just wanted to say I'm a proud VCU alumni right about now. I don't hold them responsible for the Hokies getting screwed out of a tournament invitation (that is reserved exclusively for the selection committee), but it certainly would be easier to point figures if they had lost as bad as UAB did to Clemson. Oh well, good for you guys. In the meantime, I'm forced to defer to U of R for postseason rooting interest. I'm also looking into designing an actinic strip of LEDs that are dimmable for supplementation and moon lights. They would attach to the back of the tank similar to a clip on lamp but be elevated enough that you wouldn't see them below the fixture. reefbrite LED strip looks nice... Did you have to buy a bender as well? Thats the part that sucked when I was making my hangers. Luckily, I was able to find an electrician to let me borrow one. i just went into Lowe's at Short Pump, measured and bent the conduit right there in the aisle, bought the conduit and left the bender there. a guy working there came up to me and asked if i needed help. i said "nah, i've got it." seemed good enough for him! Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 Conduit bent last night. I will drill the holes in it tonight. I may drill an extra set for some LED love to be hung behind the fixture. Finally the stand came in and I will pick it up tonight. I will hopefully finally snag some pics. This thread is seriously lacking some pics. Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 I really like this new tank. It's so clean looking. I may like the stand even more. It's so spacious inside. The doors open so wide leaving such a wide opening to work around the sump. Plenty of room for biopellet reactor and a calcium reactor setup. I still need to attach the conduit hangers after drilling them. I haven't decided yet on whether to paint them black or not paint them at all since the fixture is silver. I also need to water test the bulkheads before adding any sand or rocks. This should be fun but will be up and done by the end of the weekend. I plan on making sure there is no cycle before moving corals back in there. Link to comment
SpringFever Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Looks great, Dan! You most likely are already ahead of me, but have you thought about moving the plant and mirror? If it were me, I would want the tank centered on that wall (alone) without a mirror reflecting the light into the room. Just a thought... Whatever you do, I'm sure it will look killer. Thanks for the pics! Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 I plan on leaving it as is for now. It's the same set up as I had with 40 and I didn't notice much and didn't see any light reflected. The light will all be aimed downward so it doesn't catch much on the mirror. It was a different story with the 150. Link to comment
timdanger Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 looks awesome, dan. i would recommend painting the conduit, one way or the other, because the metal is very industrial-looking -- fine for outdoor/garage, not as fine for indoor. even if you don't paint it black, you could paint it silver or something like that. Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 Probably will. Just want to drill the holes first and cut any extra length off the pipe. Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 Thanks. Here's a few more from underneath. Link to comment
Arkayology Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 This tank looks great! I like center overflows. It is something about the symmetry of it all heh. Link to comment
d9hp Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Looks great! Can't wait to see this thing stocked up. Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 Thanks. I'm going to try and grab some new bulkheads on the way home from work today. I really don't like the supplied plumbing kit so it's beat to start fresh. I want to water test it today or in the morning and get things set up by tomorrow or Sunday. Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 New bulkheads leak tested and approved. Conduit light hangers are bent and painted black to match. I just need to let them dry, cut off the extra, drill them to attach to the stand and cap the ends. That shouldn't take long in the morning. Once the light is hanging in place I will start to add sand and water. I will try to get the biopellets and calcium reactor going tomorrow if possible. Link to comment
jtgordon20 Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Woooaah. Almost time to fill it up?? Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Yes. Doing this one extra right. It looks so nice empty I want to make sure it runs and looks like a gem. Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 Things are taking a little longer than I hoped but should go smooth from here. The hanging arms took a bit of time. I added some extra paint, cut the extra tubing, drilled and mounted it to the stand. I wanted to make sure it would look good and be sturdy. I'm happy with how it turned out. I may try and move some sand, rock and water over tonight. Link to comment
steely185 Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 I'm thinking about moving the hangers for the light further out towards the edge of the tank to open it up some. It will also clean up the wires more. Let me know what you think. Link to comment
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