RK_Tek's 25g rimless-DIY Addiction

[RK_tek]

3830638[/url]']

Updates? Great DIY tank. Wish I had the time for more DIY stuff.

 

The tank has suffered through another move and the only casualties were a few broken tips of SPS. I have added a few more corals as well as a Sand sifting starfish and a red starfish. Livestock had had some ups and downs. My mandarin dragonet went carpet surfing and was replaced with a red headed goby that went through my MP10. I've decided that the tank only wants 3 fish so it still has my clowns and purple firefish.

I am currently considering adding some OCW LEDs to add some more spectrum and promote better growth

[RK_tek]

OCW LEDs are in. I mounted four along the center light support. I'm having problems with the inventronics driver not working with PWM from my controller. I think I'll have to get something else but I'm having trouble finding something that will drive 36v at 500ma and be dimmable.

Hopefully the new color spectrum will add color and promote growth in my corals. I've noticed they tend to fade over time.

[NanoTopia]

Spectacular LED Build, and the tank is lookin' 10+

[Paigee]

Nice DIY jobs! Awesome tank

[TheWAND]

Can you show me how you set your light mount up? How did you get the bend on the aluminum and cut out the joints all while keeping enough strength to keep the lights up? Can you post a picture of the joint for me? I'm looking to do something similar for a 40 breeder I'm setting up.

[RK_tek]

3850452[/url]']

Can you show me how you set your light mount up? How did you get the bend on the aluminum and cut out the joints all while keeping enough strength to keep the lights up? Can you post a picture of the joint for me? I'm looking to do something similar for a 40 breeder I'm setting up.

 

The bends on the arms were made by cutting a triangular notch out of the sides of the channel do that the point lands on the line you want it to bend on. Cut inward at 45 degrees on each side for a 90 degree bend. The secret is to make the cuts so they don't come to a perfect point but rather fall on either side of the line. This is somewhat confusing without pictures I know. You want a flat spot equal to the thickness of the aluminum at the point of the triangle. This is to provide relief so that when you bend the arm, the joint can fully close. To bend the aluminum, it should be heated so it doesnt crack. I just heated it on a stove burner to about 300 degrees. I then used corner braces inside the channel to keep the joint rigid. The joints themselves are very strong. The channel does twist because it's not as thick as I would have liked. I may add some diagonal wire braces to it eventually, but it only moves when bumped. The fan don't vibrate enough to make it move. The whole light arm is height adjustable. I made a stack of plywood about 1/16 shorter than the thickness I the arms with a channel for the arms to slide in. a block o plywood is then put over the channel and one side is screwed down to put pressure on the aluminum channel but not so tight that I can't slide it up and down if I want to adjust the height. I know this was long winded, but I hope it helps.

[TheWAND]

Did you just use a dremel to cut the aluminum?

[jm82792]

Matrix/Terminator/Industrial style light

[RK_tek]

3851152[/url]']

Did you just use a dremel to cut the aluminum?

 

I started out using a dremel, but in the end I just used a hacksaw and a file.

Also, all the hardware used to screw it together is 4-40 stainless cap head screws from fastenal.

[RK_tek]

Afte winning the battle with Neomeris once and for all, I decided to rescale my tank as the war had left it in ruins. I didn't mess with the left side bc it is hiding some ugly frags that are recovering or growing. Feedback is appreciated. BEFORE

AFTER

[RK_tek]

Went to see family in Baton Rouge this weekend and came home with a YWG. Normally the store I visit there has a really nice selection but it was rather sparse on coral and the few I liked we're way over priced.

[RK_tek]

Quick update. I've added a green head goby and a neon goby to the tank as well as a very richly colored head of hammer coral. Also scored a frag of red zoas on the cheap that I really liked. I have had my eye on a piece of ORA ponape birdnest that my LFS finally fragged and a ORA bird of paradise. The biggest news is that after battling Neomeris for the last year, it is finally under control. I used peroxide dips twice that seemed to wipe it out only to have it come back with a vengeance. I had also bought an emerald crab that was supposed to eat it. No such luck. I once again drained the tank and broke down the rock work so I could manually remove the Neomeris and then use a pencil torch to burn the remaining tissue on the rocks and corals. For putting fire directly on coral, the losses were minimal with only a few polyps of zoas an palys being lost and a few white patches on SPS. A few neos survived but a new emerald crab with a healthy appetite is keeping them in check. Short update with no pics over.

[RK_tek]

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set up my PicO again as a test bed for getting rid of neomeris. I thought i had beaten it, but it is back like an ex-girlfriend at your wedding. I am going to run this at reduced calcium, temp, and salinity. No water changes for a while and going to let the nitrates and phosphates creep up a bit. Supposedly my tanks are TOO clean as this algae needs SPS conditions to survive and mine is thriving. No wonder I have to dose so much calcium, this stuff is a Ca sponge.

[RK_tek]

My how things change when you don't update your page in ages. PicO is down and big tank has been transferred to a 20L while I cycle new rock, build a sump, revamp the whole thing. I had a heater explode a few weeks ago, that took out my remaining SPS and a few others. Right now I have about 1/4 of the coral that I had a year ago. Oh well, that's how this hobby goes. I bought a second AI sol and currently have it runni. On the 20l but will be transferring both sol's to my tank, gf's tank will be lit by the DIY LEDs that were over my tank, And the sump will get the Ledtric par38 I have left. Gomer my clown goby checked out about a week before the heater went, so now I have Jaque and Pablo the clowns, now 3yrs old and Twitch the green banded goby who is 1.5 yrs. I've been working on an overflow for the main tank and wanted all the components to be clear. I finally tracked down clear 3/4" bulkheads from JEHMCO And some clear PVC piping for drains. The return is 1/2" ID acrylic that is my first attempt at a lily pipe. It will extend over the overflow box, hence why it looks so long. I've been considering the waveline dc4000 pump for return but no DIY has them in stock. I did find two Red Fromias(ok, the LFS ordered them for me) as I liked my old one so much. They just add so much color to the tank.

 

Lily pipe. Excuse the scratches and bubbles, it's a prototype

 

Clear bulkheads

 

Tank o'rock beginning cycle. You can't make it out, but there is a sculpted piece in there that will be the only thing in the tank. All other rock will go to sump and gf's tank

 

Red Fromia. Thing 1?

[RK_tek]

 

DIY lily pipe from 1/2"ID 3/4" OD acrylic. Running on my Waveline DC4000. I was worried that the lily pipe would restrict flow on the pump, but it is running on the lowest setting with plenty of flow. This will create surface agitation and push film to the overflow and allow me to run my MP10 near the bottom for in tank flow.

 

[RK_tek]

The time has come for my tank to get a sump. I started by making a plywood jig the layout the overflow holes and then punched two holes in a perfectly good tank. After taping off all the glass I siliconed in the overflow which is two pieces of Starphire glass in an L shape at the short end of the tank. I ended up waiting 6 weeks to get this glass made right. I then moved everything from my 20L into the new tank and cleaned the silicone from all the seams of the 20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took a different approach to my sump design. The water comes into the middle of the tank through a filter sock and secondary chamber before going to the skimmer chamber at one end of the tank. A frag grow out chamber is in the front middle, then a bubble trap and the return section at the other end of the tank.

 

 

 

Stay tuned for more plumbing with clear PVC and finally getting this thing up and running

[RK_tek]

Started my stand today. It's roughly 45x20. It's amazing how much work you can get done when you are not getting paid by the hour. I have to finish cutting the doors and top down to size then mill them for hardwood edging. I have a unique plan for hanging the doors but you'll have to wait to see that. The stand has a removable center support that is getting painted seperately. I couldn't sleep so I went out and finished sanding things and got a coat of primer on everything. That will let me fill nail holes and smooth things out tomorrow and hopefully after work on Monday I can get a top coat on it before leaving for a few days. Anyway tl:dr. Look at the pics

 

 

 

I didn't take any pics of the carcass construction really. It was exceptionally hott today, especially in an in-air conditioned shop and it was busy in there with lots of people finishing things before the holidays.

[Kauai]

wow those clear bulkheads are ridiculously cool.

and your diy sump. looking forward to seeing how this all turns out.

[RK_tek]

Ughhhh. I finished all the woodwork on the cabinet Monday but the finishing continues. Prime, sand, fill, prime, topcoat one side, top coat other side. It's endless. I am hoping that by new year's I'll have everything together. I previously ordered 1" plastic hose clamps from BRS and they were too big for my 1" o d tubing so I ordered 3/4" clamps from another vendor as brs was out and they are too small. I think they have different sizing charts. I still have to make a light hanger, I'm thinking simple conduit painted white to match everything else.

[RK_tek]

I added the under cabinet lights today. I would have preferred LED over Xenon, but they will only be on for short periods and the cost was about half.

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The final coat of paint is on the doors and top. I still have to fabricate hardware and two doors, but they are not going to hold up the installation of the rest of the equipment

 

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[RK_tek]

I'll stop posting pics of every screw I put in. But, I got the two flush doors and the top mounted. The more I think I get done, the more I realize I have to do. Light hanger, electrical panel, plumbing, plumbing, plumbing, transferring the tank, moving my other tank

[RK_tek]

Ok, the last major hurdle of this build has been finished. The sliding door. My GF has a damsel that is being relegated to the sump bc of aggression and she requested that Squirt, the damsel, be visible. I didn't want to leave a door open all the time and I wanted to be able to close the stand up completely instead of making a display sump.

I promise I won't post anymore until there is a tank on the stand. A few pics below. I made the track from 1/2" U channel aluminum and cut one side down for the axle of the roller to clear. The rollers are sliding shower door replacements. The door fronts will be painted to match

 

 

Door closed

 

Door open for regular maintenance

 

For in depth work, the door easily lifts off

[RK_tek]

Tank is on the new stand, light hanger and sliding doors are in primer, and all the plumbing parts have been modified as necessary to start plumbing the sump. I actually spent Friday night taking the sump apart and rebuilding it as a mirror image. Plumbing will have a straighter run and the frag section will face the front. Total pain to do, but if it's worth doing it's worth redoing.

 

[RK_tek]

Tank is plumbed and running!! I couldn't have wished for a better overflow. I'm running a 'not bean animal' one full siphon with gate valve and a 3/4" backup. The full siphon is turned waaaay down and I have tested it fully shutoff, the 3/4" backup kicks in and sucks it all down. I have a small return section in the sump that can't overflow the display, and when there's a loss of power, the display drains down to the sump which still has 1" clear to the top. I'm just happy to get rid of all the heaters and HOB from the display

 

[RK_tek]

Today was productive. I bought a 2.5G aquarium for top off water and built new acrylic brackets to hold float switches in the sump.

 

I also built an ECB 'electrical containment box' to control the rat's nest of wires. I ordered an American dj 4 outlet switched power strip that will help organize things into Zones. I.e. sump, lights and vortech, under cabinet lights. I have never had an easy to access panel for controlling everything. I already feel better about the way things look under the cabinet and I know that when I have to turn off the return for water changes I won't have to dig the controller out of the tangle of wires.

 

 

How things look for now. I have an extension cable for the lights coming as well as my American dj power strip. When they go in, I will organize the wires and mount the power bricks to the sides.