metrokat Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Looks very detailed. Nice work. 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 Looks very detailed. Nice work. Thanks Kat. I've definitely spent more time then I should have on the finer details but it should make maintenance and general running of the tank more enjoyable. 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted November 26, 2015 Author Share Posted November 26, 2015 My spare power board arrived yesterday. Hopefully this means I can start on finishing up some of the power system. We did have a pretty big storm yesterday/last night though, lots of dropped limbs off trees around the house. Hopefully cleaning that up doesn't kill all my time this evening. The best thing about having the stand in the house now and not the shed is that I don't have to leave the house to work on it, especially when working on the smaller things. What sucks about this though is that all the power tools are still in the shed . Never satisfied haha. Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Everything looks fantastic, I could never ever have the patience to DIY this much! 1 Quote Link to comment
Sunar357 Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 That is one slick looking setup! 1 Quote Link to comment
gena Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Looks awesome, Jase!!!! Keep those pics coming . 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 Everything looks fantastic, I could never ever have the patience to DIY this much! Thanks Mark . DIY is always something I like to try and do as much as possible but I think I may have bit off more than I could chew with this one haha. Time is always against you when you work full time and have to fit in family and friends. It's really coming together though and isn't far off being finished. That is one slick looking setup! Thank you very much. Looks awesome, Jase!!!! Keep those pics coming . Thank you Gena, I should have another update during the coming week as I try to finalise the cable management side of things. 2 Quote Link to comment
Newtybar Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 awesome, looking great. I know how much of a pain DIY is, especially doing a good paint job. 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 awesome, looking great. I know how much of a pain DIY is, especially doing a good paint job. Thank you . Yes painting was definitely a challenge. I had a couple of mishaps and not having enough room to paint a lot of the components at once made it take a lot longer than I thought it would. I am happy with the result though . Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 Dug through the last few pages to find my To Do List! Updated it to reflect where I currently stand with the build and added a few other things that I have wanted to change. Important:- sand base of stand flat- level top of stand- cut and mount stand top - final mount of cladding (possibly reinforce cladding), mount magnet clasps - drill holes in rear of stand for cable pass through - drill holes in power supply mount for cable pass through - finish fan mounts (plate for fans to attach to) - make plumbing manifold mount - Make plumbing manifold - additional reinforcement if required (additional wood or brackets) - final fill and sand of stand- paint inside of stand with water proofing - paint stand whiteNot So Important:- mount light hanging kit- mount doser shelf - make and mount internal stand lighting (can be done once stand is in place) - cut side panel for control box access, install window/lid (can be done once stand is in place) - mount cable management channels - make and mount cable management system for rear of power board mount - Install some hooks on rear of stand for cable management of external sump equipment - electrical work (need to make some extension leads for a few pieces of equipment and power board) Misc: - DIY battery backup for DC pumps - DIY heater controllers (2 heaters) - DIY twin heater hard mount (suction caps are average) I want to get all the cable management side of things completed over this coming weekend and then the stand will be ready for everything to go in. I think I may also attempt to cut the side panel for access to the control box. I have already measured up and marked the panel for the cuts but am really hesitant to do it (don't want to mess up!) Undecided whether or not the acrylic window I plan to install on the side panel should be clear or smoked. I think smoked looks cool but may be too dark considering the stand is all white and silver. I have some clear and smoked off cuts laying around so may wait and see what looks better once the hole is cut before ordering a piece large enough. 2 Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 cable management....i need to get on that sooon... 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 cable management....i need to get on that sooon... I hate a rats nest of cables and tried my best not to let it get out of hand on my 30G. Not only does it look ugly but it's also a fire hazard. I have a lot of room in this stand up high so I want to run cables away from water where I can. Routing them neatly will also make it less likely for me to knock stuff around in the stand and will make working inside the stand a lot easier. 1 Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 I plan to velcro all the apex stuff to the side of the stand. The Red Sea Reefer is nice in that it has an extra chamber for stuff that's separated from the sump. No worrying about stuff falling into water. 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 I plan to velcro all the apex stuff to the side of the stand. The Red Sea Reefer is nice in that it has an extra chamber for stuff that's separated from the sump. No worrying about stuff falling into water. Ultimately that's what I would have liked to do also as I think it's a great idea. Less cables in your sump space is always a good idea . I really like the Reefer series and definitely think it will be one of my options when I get my own place and can go wild with a tank lol. 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted December 4, 2015 Author Share Posted December 4, 2015 Just got the call, tank is ready, finally . Plan was to collect it this weekend but we are supposed to have some pretty hot weather (100+ F) and they were concerned about the silicon getting bubbles in it seeing as it is still curing. I will be collecting the tank next weekend some time . This way at least it gives the tank time to sit before I try to move it. Sump skin and ATO reservoir are done also along with all the pieces of glass they cut for me to finish the sump myself. Looks like I'll be going to the hardware store tonight to get a heap of misc bits and pieces I need to finish off the cable management. 4 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 Stand Build - Cable Management Part 2 & Shelf Install: Over the last week and the weekend just gone I have spent my time just tidying up various bits and pieces of the stand. My last large project was the installation of the cable management system which I wrapped up over the weekend. I was going to also try and cut out the window in the left side panel for access to the control but but realised I need to do a little more sanding on the front edge of this panel to make it sit as flush as I would like. I'm going to do this sanding first before re-measuring and cutting out this window. I started off by using the spare power board that I ordered as a template to install mounting hardware so that I could mount a pair of them in the area I had designated for them. I also installed some cable channel to be able to keep all the cables neat and tidy. The power board mounted on the left has been given extra space to make sure the digital timers that I use don't foul on anything. Cable channel was also mounted up the rear of the stand to keep all the cable that enter and exit the stand tidy. An additional length of cable channel was also mounted across the top of the stand to get the cables for the lights and fans to the control box that will be mounted above the power boards. Here is the control box side of things. I had to shorten the cable management bar that runs under the control box as it would have fouled on the power supply for my LED fixture that I am making. The power supply was mounted and then I cut to size and painted some aluminum strip to act as cable mounts. These strips have a washer placed behind them to ensure they are not sitting flush with the wood. This is to make sure that I can run cable ties behind them with ease. Lastly on the rear I mounted a pair of hooks. This is purely for convenience to allow me to hang any excess cable from the light or pumps neatly. The last thing I need to do cable management wise (which I only just realised) is to probably mount a small length of painted aluminium strip to neatly run the power cables for the fans up to the cable channel that I installed. Either this or use some nail in cable saddles when it comes to doing the final mount of the hardware. The shelf for the doser has also been mounted. It has been mounted in such a way not to conflict with the fans while also allowing me to stack an expansion unit on top of the doser if I ever require it. I think I can safely say now that besides cutting the cladding to accommodate the control box window, the stand is complete. Updated to do list below. Important:- sand base of stand flat- level top of stand- cut and mount stand top - final mount of cladding (possibly reinforce cladding), mount magnet clasps - drill holes in rear of stand for cable pass through - drill holes in power supply mount for cable pass through - finish fan mounts (plate for fans to attach to) - make plumbing manifold mount - Make plumbing manifold - additional reinforcement if required (additional wood or brackets) - final fill and sand of stand- paint inside of stand with water proofing - paint stand whiteNot So Important:- mount light hanging kit- mount doser shelf - make and mount internal stand lighting (can be done once stand is in place) - cut side panel for control box access, install window/lid (can be done once stand is in place) - mount cable management channels - make and mount cable management system for rear of power board mount - Install some hooks on rear of stand for cable management of external sump equipment - electrical work (need to make some extension leads for a few pieces of equipment and power board) Misc: - DIY battery backup for DC pumps - DIY heater controllers (2 heaters) - DIY twin heater hard mount (suction caps are average) 6 Quote Link to comment
JavaJacketOC Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 How much to fly you to the US to do my cable/cord management and make my stand to sessy like that? 2 Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Stop by Chicago too 1 Quote Link to comment
joshky Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Really great setup you have coming along here, very nice! You're doing things I wanted to do to my stand but I was rushed into setting up because I was holding livestock in my brothers tank who was trying to break down. I've been working on installing a dosing shelf myself, it's about 75% completed. 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 How much to fly you to the US to do my cable/cord management and make my stand to sessy like that? I'm sure we could arrange something lol. Stop by Chicago too I'd love to. The Bulls are my team and I was so disappointed I couldn't squeeze in a short trip to Chicago while I was in the states at the start of the year. Really great setup you have coming along here, very nice! You're doing things I wanted to do to my stand but I was rushed into setting up because I was holding livestock in my brothers tank who was trying to break down. I've been working on installing a dosing shelf myself, it's about 75% completed. Thank you very much . In a way I'm glad I have had the time to build the stand the way I want it but it is also a curse. I have been quite unproductive over the last month or so waiting for the call to say the tank is ready. Ah that's a bummer, shame you didn't have any more time to get things just right for yourself. I'm sure the shelf will turn out great . Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 Woot Woot tank tomorrow . At this stage, all going well I'll either get this installed between Christmas and New Years or New Years and when I go back to work (I have between the 22nd December and 6th January off). I'm in two minds whether or not to get the tank and stand installed and run it sumpless while I get that side of things sorted or do it all in one hit. Considering I need to build the sump and plumbing still I may go ahead and get the stand and tank swapped out while I work on the rest of it. It all depends on whether or not I can get all the plumbing done while the system is still dry. The sump build shouldn't be too difficult as 90% of the glass baffles have been cut for me, I just need to silicon them in. The only things I need to make for the sump are lids for the filter sock and drain chamber as well as the filter sock holder which I will make out of acrylic and use bulkheads for the drain lines to pass through. Hoping to do the migration in one day by keeping as much original water and rock as I can and using new sand. I have been seeding as much new rock as I can in the tank and sump so I am hoping I wont have a cycle. Going to need to buy a big tub to hold as much water, rock and live stock as possible while I'm breaking down the current set up. 2 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted December 13, 2015 Author Share Posted December 13, 2015 New tank is in the house! More to come . 11 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted December 14, 2015 Author Share Posted December 14, 2015 Revised the 'To Do' list as another issue arose. I cut what I believed would be a generous hole in the top of the tank for the bulkheads to pass through, turned out it wasn't large enough. I estimated a hole of roughly 200mm x 200mm, turns out I need 300mm x 150mm. Oh well, pretty easy to take the jigsaw to the top of the stand and lengthen the hole towards the center of the stand. I'm hoping to get the bulk of the sump built over a few nights this week. There are a lot of pieces to silicon in so I'll need to glue them in in stages to make sure everything is straight. Important:- Sand base of stand flat- Level top of stand- Cut and mount stand top - Final mount of cladding (possibly reinforce cladding), mount magnet clasps - Drill holes in rear of stand for cable pass through - Drill holes in power supply mount for cable pass through - Finish fan mounts (plate for fans to attach to) - Make plumbing manifold mount - Make plumbing manifold - Additional reinforcement if required (additional wood or brackets) - Final fill and sand of stand- Paint inside of stand with water proofing - Paint stand white - Enlarge hole in stand top for plumbing pass through - Assemble sump, make filter sock holder and lids - Make lid and pump holder for ATO tank - Sign writers vinyl on rear and side of ATO reservoir and sump to block out lightNot So Important:- Mount light hanging kit- Mount doser shelf - Make and mount internal stand lighting (can be done once stand is in place) - Cut side panel for control box access, install window/lid (can be done once stand is in place) - Mount cable management channels - Make and mount cable management system for rear of power board mount - Install some hooks on rear of stand for cable management of external sump equipment - Electrical work (need to make some extension leads for a few pieces of equipment and power board) - Labels for power boards/power supplies Misc: - DIY battery backup for DC pumps - DIY heater controllers (2 heaters) - DIY twin heater hard mount (suction caps are average) - waiting on parts to arrive Quote Link to comment
jack1978 Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 New tank is in the house!More to come . Looks great, buddy.....Congrats!! 1 Quote Link to comment
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