CrazyPuy
02/01/2011, 01:13 PM
Hello everyone!
A lot of my build is DIY but some are store bought/ordered but I figured I could add it here. I wanted to add to the collective knowledge to help people start or get back into the hobby like myself. I'm by all means no expert in the hobby but I'd like to think that I've learned enough over the years to successfully maintain a tank. Mod's if this thread is in the wrong place would you kindly move it to where it belongs?
A little background:
Back in college I owned a 60g long reef tank. This guy:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/CrazyPuy/Fish%20Tank/IMG_0070.jpg
It looks washed out since I didn't/don't really know all that much about photography but I was quite happy with it. It was beautiful while I had it but unfortunatly the tank crashed during a move and I didn't have the heart to start over again.
Fast forward to today =]. While bored at work I often browse these forums to read up on what other people have done and are doing. Beautiful tanks everywhere I must say. So I made the hop, step, and a jump and decided to start again. I'm not in a permanent residence yet so I wanted to start small to keep the costs down and potentially make a future tank move easier.
Current/planned build:
I've already received lots of parts for the entire system but the basics are:
- 18x18x12 (roughly 17 gallons) 3 pane starfire undrilled glass tank with black pine stand. It should be coming in this Friday!
- I plan on an all in one system so I'm creating a false wall for the tank with 1/4" thick black acrylic to hide the plumbing and filtration. It will probably section off 5-6" off the back of the tank.
- Shaping, drilling, epoxying, and inserting acrylic rods to live rock for aquascaping.
- Lighting wise I'm going to go with a DIY LED lighting system. Many thanks to the LED heads/Electrical Engineers/overall knowledgable people: Soundwave, DWZM, Taqpol, Fishman, Kcress (just to name a few) for helping me understand the intricacies of the electricals.
Equipment (partial):
(Some things might be overkill but I've always wanted to try some of the things I've seen here)
- Loc Line 3/4" parts
- AquaticLife Internal Mini Protein Skimmer 115
- SCWD for a closed loop
- 2 MaxiJet 1200's for the closed loop and return
Progress:
Its going to be a tight fit behind the false wall since I under-estimated the size of 3/4" loc line parts and hose barb fittings but I think I can make it work. Once I get the tank and cut the false wall I'll have a better idea of what I have to work with. I can only plan so much with a foot print layout.
I started drilling the heatsink for the LED's with a router attachment for a Dremel tool and subsequently stopped after the first one. I have to say without a real drill press it's going to be a pain in the butt so im going to go the thermal epoxy route. Until it arrives the lighting will have to wait.
That's it for now. I hope to get a nice update with more pictures this weekend!
A lot of my build is DIY but some are store bought/ordered but I figured I could add it here. I wanted to add to the collective knowledge to help people start or get back into the hobby like myself. I'm by all means no expert in the hobby but I'd like to think that I've learned enough over the years to successfully maintain a tank. Mod's if this thread is in the wrong place would you kindly move it to where it belongs?
A little background:
Back in college I owned a 60g long reef tank. This guy:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/CrazyPuy/Fish%20Tank/IMG_0070.jpg
It looks washed out since I didn't/don't really know all that much about photography but I was quite happy with it. It was beautiful while I had it but unfortunatly the tank crashed during a move and I didn't have the heart to start over again.
Fast forward to today =]. While bored at work I often browse these forums to read up on what other people have done and are doing. Beautiful tanks everywhere I must say. So I made the hop, step, and a jump and decided to start again. I'm not in a permanent residence yet so I wanted to start small to keep the costs down and potentially make a future tank move easier.
Current/planned build:
I've already received lots of parts for the entire system but the basics are:
- 18x18x12 (roughly 17 gallons) 3 pane starfire undrilled glass tank with black pine stand. It should be coming in this Friday!
- I plan on an all in one system so I'm creating a false wall for the tank with 1/4" thick black acrylic to hide the plumbing and filtration. It will probably section off 5-6" off the back of the tank.
- Shaping, drilling, epoxying, and inserting acrylic rods to live rock for aquascaping.
- Lighting wise I'm going to go with a DIY LED lighting system. Many thanks to the LED heads/Electrical Engineers/overall knowledgable people: Soundwave, DWZM, Taqpol, Fishman, Kcress (just to name a few) for helping me understand the intricacies of the electricals.
Equipment (partial):
(Some things might be overkill but I've always wanted to try some of the things I've seen here)
- Loc Line 3/4" parts
- AquaticLife Internal Mini Protein Skimmer 115
- SCWD for a closed loop
- 2 MaxiJet 1200's for the closed loop and return
Progress:
Its going to be a tight fit behind the false wall since I under-estimated the size of 3/4" loc line parts and hose barb fittings but I think I can make it work. Once I get the tank and cut the false wall I'll have a better idea of what I have to work with. I can only plan so much with a foot print layout.
I started drilling the heatsink for the LED's with a router attachment for a Dremel tool and subsequently stopped after the first one. I have to say without a real drill press it's going to be a pain in the butt so im going to go the thermal epoxy route. Until it arrives the lighting will have to wait.
That's it for now. I hope to get a nice update with more pictures this weekend!