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Turbovr3six
07/05/2010, 08:12 PM
Is there anything you would have added to your stand or canopy to make life easier?

Example- Door switch to turn on lights in stand when doors open...
Bathrobe hooks to hang little towels from...

I'm trying to figure out every little detail on the stand before its paired with the tank and sump...

Ideas??

MyDogIsStill#1
07/05/2010, 10:18 PM
Is there anything you would have added to your stand or canopy to make life easier?

Example- Door switch to turn on lights in stand when doors open...
Bathrobe hooks to hang little towels from...

I'm trying to figure out every little detail on the stand before its paired with the tank and sump...

Ideas??

Led lights in the cabinet and color coded plugs on the power strip I installed in the back. Never would have used plain steel hinges. Wish I would have added the screen on the back of the canopy earlier, so I would never have had to come home to $60.00 fish jerky.

Turbovr3six
07/06/2010, 08:44 AM
i was thinking about a slide out sump tray, but i have a wooden stand.. I think it would be pretty sketchy with no wheels on the bottom... I found drawer slides rated to 500LBS and i think thats not all that much support... ideas?

WhoDey64
07/06/2010, 09:02 AM
i was thinking about a slide out sump tray, but i have a wooden stand.. I think it would be pretty sketchy with no wheels on the bottom... I found drawer slides rated to 500LBS and i think thats not all that much support... ideas?

Check out the build thread for V1Rotate (I think thats his forum name). He has a slideout tray but used multiple casters for support under the tray.

Turbovr3six
07/06/2010, 09:12 AM
His tANK was the insperation, but the way his steel stand is, it works... i cant figure out how to do that with wood..

Thanks man!!

WhoDey64
07/06/2010, 09:14 AM
Found it! The guy built a work of art by the way....

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1767159&highlight=a+reef+in+the+sky

MarkD40
07/06/2010, 09:15 AM
I made a unit of eight two plug electrical sockets all connected together wit the first plug a GFR. I put in a dedicated line from my fuse box just for the display. This way I can hook up my X10 timers right there and I always have a plug handy. Of course my sump and pumps are in the basement beneath my tank so I have plenty of room in my stand so this might not work for you.

phenom5
07/06/2010, 09:41 AM
I built my current stand in a bit of a rush (I know, nothing good happens fast... ), so there are a lot of things I wish I would have done different.

Planning out my electrical setup is probably at the top of the list.

I really like the door switch light idea though, definitely going to use that on my next stand.

Turbovr3six
07/07/2010, 08:10 AM
Any ideas big or small....

thegrun
07/07/2010, 09:00 AM
I installed plastic cable trays to tuck all the wiring into. I lined the inside of the cabinet with Melamine to make clean-up easy. I made the doors with wooden louvers to allow air circulation. I like your sliding tray idea.

Turbovr3six
07/08/2010, 01:29 AM
Bump...

trb
07/08/2010, 04:42 PM
I used 3 sets of heavy duty metal drawer sliders on my sump tray, each set rated at 100lbs. Two sets on the bottom and one set on the sides. So far it works pretty good, but one corner does get stuck on the floor, (the floor is not 100% level) so I have to use a piece of paper under the edge to pull it out all the way.

Some pics:

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu77/trbstang/Saltwatertank065.jpg

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu77/trbstang/IMG_4663.jpg

You can see my 3" deep white acrylic drip tray under the sump too.

I also added a drawer right below the tank. It is a great place to store all the little things we need and it covers up my DJ switch:

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu77/trbstang/IMG_4664.jpg

Full shot:

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu77/trbstang/IMG_4658.jpg

The ONE thing I wish I could do over, would be to make the stand hold a 48" tank instead of the 36" one I have now. It is already 24" deep and I could easily put a 120 gal tank on it, and have room in the stand to house my ATO reservoir and my external skimmer, if the stand was 48".

fihsboy
07/08/2010, 06:00 PM
I learned the hard way not to fully enclose it. Humidity becomes a problem with all the componets. Make sure if you want to enclose it you have a vent fan, or your asking for heat/air exchange/and humidity problems in the near future. Just threw the old stand away...which had all those problems.

euromomtx
07/08/2010, 06:02 PM
wow trb, that's snazzy! I like it a lot

trb
07/08/2010, 07:25 PM
wow trb, that's snazzy! I like it a lot

Thanks. That was my way of sneaking in an "extra" tank past the boss. It's not a sump like a typical sump is, but that's what I call it. She still doesn't like that it does not have doors, but oh well. :D

Eel Freak
07/08/2010, 09:30 PM
I placed electrical outlets strategically in my stand with a GFCI as the first in the circuit. Separate line for the pumps with an isolated switch during water changes. Also a master switch and the whole thing is integrated with no power strips or plugs on the floor so all I need for power is a single plug, GFCI or not. I also installed a $10 fluorescent fixture from Lowes under there with its own switch for working on anything and everything in the stand. All the wiring is enclosed in conduit except for a small bit which is outdoor/waterproof 12AWG and 14AWG wire.

fishnub
07/08/2010, 10:11 PM
Waterproof the sump area.

chrismunn
07/08/2010, 11:04 PM
forget the tank, if i could go back in time i would be investing in apple, microsoft, google, ect...! then i could have all the switches on all the doors i could ever dream of! ide buy an army of fish to take care of my coral, and an army of coral to take care of my fish. and ide spend so much money on it that i couldnt fail!

dg3147
07/08/2010, 11:13 PM
I added side doors for better access.

Turbovr3six
07/09/2010, 09:44 PM
Very nice trb!!

Heres what i came up with...Needs minor tweaking and major finishing, but you get the idea... :)

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m52/TURBOVR3SIX/016-2.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m52/TURBOVR3SIX/017.jpg