Chadf Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Nice build, love the detail. No reflectors? Link to comment
The Salt Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Nice build, love the detail. No reflectors? Thank you Chadf! Yes, I have reflectors for the insert. I placed the bulbs first to test and make sure I wired everything correctly before I moved onto installing the complete insert into the canopy. I'm still waiting to get a second Molex connector in the mail for the wire harness before I can call the lighting done. Hopefully It will be here early next week! Thanks again! Link to comment
RollaJase Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Looking really good, great work on the lighting. Link to comment
The Salt Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Looking really good, great work on the lighting. Thank you! I'm getting really excited about this again. I cant wait to get water in it but the more I do the more ideas I get. I'm not sure if I'm going to get water in it this month. I still need to work out my electrical, plumbing, and aquascaping. AAAHHHH! Link to comment
The Salt Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 Hello Gang! I cut the harness today to add a couple of Molex connectors to act as a breakaway cable for the insert. I ordered the connectors at different times and ended up with two sizes. Normally I would have returned one but I think it will help differentiate the two. One is running four bulbs and the other is running two so they don't require the same amount of wires. The pins where crimped and soldered. The harness doesn't have enough extra wire to mount the ballast off the canopy so I ordered two new connectors like the one's on the Ice Cap harness, hopefully its the right one. They are coming from Hong Kong so it looks like I have a week wait before I can test the lights again. Wish me luck! Thanks for reading! Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 A few better shots today. I still need to put the vents and fan in. Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 I must be getting old... Weeks ago when I received the Molex connector I ordered form MCM online I only received one set. Not thinking about it until I was getting ready to use it, I need two sets. So I ordered a second but I did so through Amazon, shipping was less. I got it earlier this week and wired it in. Yesterday I get an email from MCM letting me know my order shipped? I just checked to see what it was because I didn't order anything... it was the second connector. Apparently the connector was on back order and I did ask for two... so yeah, I'm old. I think I will be using the new one coming. The one I got on Amazon was bigger and I wired it in thinking it was a good idea because it differentiates the two plugs. Turns out the smaller one is better because it has a locking nub and the larger one doesn't... I guess I'll be doing some more soldering after all... I was told I have OCD after creating a diagram for my custom harness. I guess it was a good idea after all but changing the connector also backs the OCD theory. So I'm old and I have OCD. Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 Hello Gang! I have been spending a little time here and there on the sump. I cleaned up some excess silicone around the baffles and did some painting. I ended up painting the back, bottom, and the two sides black. First I was just going to paint the back to hide wires, then I painted sides because I didn't want to worry about creep and water spots in such a tight area, then I thought the same about the bottom... Blue or white paint would have been nice but not thinking I asked for black silicone to match the tank. I have been doing some homework on filter sock holders and I think I have a good idea of what I want to make. I'll be making a Home Depot run tomorrow for the stuff... and could it be, could I really be ready for plumbing? AAAHHHH! I'm so excited! Thank for reading! Link to comment
iPhone Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 your name reminds me of bath salts. Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 your name reminds me of bath salts. Yours reminds me of something too but I just can't seem to place it... I'm sure it will come to me later. Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 7, 2013 Author Share Posted May 7, 2013 Hey Gang! I finished up the lighting today. I'm not going to bore you with more wire harness soldering but I did take a few shots with the lights on. Last weekend I picked up the stuff I need to make a few filter sock holders. I held off on getting plumbing parts because I wanted to give it more thought over the weekend. I think I have it all worked out and I ordered a couple things from U.S. Plastics Corps today. As far as I can tell all I have left to do before aquascaping is plumbing, adding a few electrical outlets, two filter sock holders, and putting in the canopy fan. Soooo close! Link to comment
adk13 Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Wow, that's some serious DIY....awesome setup cant wait to see it wet and I thought my DIY 25mm fan hook up was a job hahaha Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 Wow, that's some serious DIY....awesome setup cant wait to see it wet and I thought my DIY 25mm fan hook up was a job hahaha Thank you! It's been a lot of work but it's been lots off fun too. I cant wait to get water in it. I'm hoping to get it wet by June but I'm not sure if it will happen. Thanks for stopping by! Link to comment
BeardedReeferLLC Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Beautiful work on your lights man, hurry up with that filter sock holder.. I'm looking to DIY one too. Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 11, 2013 Author Share Posted May 11, 2013 Beautiful work on your lights man, hurry up with that filter sock holder.. I'm looking to DIY one too. I'm hoping to start the sock holder tomorrow and possibly install some moonlights I ordered from Steve's. They are pretty cool, stay tuned! Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 14, 2013 Author Share Posted May 14, 2013 Well it's been hot here the last few days so I haven't been out to work on the sock holder. It's not as messy so I worked in the house tonight on the LED moonlights. I also put in the vent covers and fan in the canopy, much cooler in there now. I ordered these moonlights from Steve's but the wiring was too short for my application so I rewired it. It came with a cool remote control that allows you to change the color and intensity. The blue moonlights in the dark picture are set to the lowest intensity. Thanks for reading! Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 14, 2013 Author Share Posted May 14, 2013 Well I had the moonlights running for 8 hours and two burned out... I emailed Steve's and they got back to me in less then an hour letting me know they are sending a new set out free of charge. They said they haven't had any returns and a are surprised, let's hope it is just a bad strip. These guys have been really pleasant to deal with. I told them I rewired it and they are still sending me a new set no questions asked. I know most company's would have turned me away. I think I will let the new one run a few days before I install it. It was a lot of work putting it in the way I did. Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 16, 2013 Author Share Posted May 16, 2013 LED update.... One more down after running them last night. I know my wiring was perfect but I'm left wondering if using the heavier Molex connector could be causing this somehow or is it just cheep hardware? I'm really thinking twice about replacing the moonlight with the incoming shipment. Pulling my T5 lighting out isn't exactly easy and what is the point if the new set has the same problem? Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 16, 2013 Author Share Posted May 16, 2013 In the words of Tom Waits "What's he building in there... Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 Hey Gang! No Tom Waits fans here huh?... Here is an update on the filter sock holders. I know they don’t look like anything yet but hang in there. I have been playing with the idea of keeping a ‘sand sifting goby’ in the refugium so this will have a dual propose. I’m hoping it will keep the refugium critters from getting into the sump, and as I’m sure you all know goby’s are jumpers. The lighting egg crate is easy enough to cut but I have been sanding it down to size with a dremel. There was a little bit of a learning curve as I kept snapping the little fingers off. I figured out it was the direction I was starting to sand with. Once I got that figured out (4 attempts) it was smooth sailing. I have a few more parts to cut down to size and glue before I’m done with the egg crate part of this project. Stay tuned! Link to comment
RollaJase Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Sump is coming together really well. Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 Sump is coming together really well. Thank you! Link to comment
The Salt Posted May 18, 2013 Author Share Posted May 18, 2013 This is coming out better than I thought it would. I sanded all the parts today, glued it up, and sanded it again. I'm thinking about painting it... but I'm not sure if Krylon Fusion paint is as good on plastic as they say it is? What do you folks think? Thank for reading! Link to comment
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