How many conductors total, Sanjay?

I am initially going with 3 lights and will see how I like them. I have 4th one in case I am not happy with the lighting.

So for now 3 will do.

sanjay.

Sanjay, I did it with regular old extension cord ends that you can get at any hardware store, just be sure to get good ones. Also, be sure to put the female end on the ballast side so you don't forget the powers on one day and zap yourself.

You can get male-female plugs at any marine store that connect together like a union. Thats if you want the connection close to the fixture. That way moisture won't corrode your metal connections in the sockets.

They use them on boats all the time. I had to use them for my Dads boat connecting some appliances to the generator.

Ok.. another big step out of the way.... Here is the big tank lift.

After evaluating several options, and running into physical constraints such as height of ceiling, limitations on holding it due to walls, etc. A really unique method of lifting was selected. AIR BAG !!!

Here are some of the pictures of the BIG LIFT

Tank positioned right in front of the stand.. still partially crated. Thanks Jon for the suction cups.


http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...tanklift-1.gif

Air bag being placed under the tank

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...tanklift-2.gif

In the air....

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...tanklift-3.gif

Crate screwed into the stand.. and leveled for the slide off.. partially slid

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...tanklift-4.gif

Almost done

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...tanklift-5.gif

In its final resting place....

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...tanklift-6.gif


Framing almost complete

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...tanklift-7.gif

Still have a few issues to resolve. There are some gaps between the styrofoam and the tank around the edges... like 1/16 of an inch or 3/32.... wonder if this is a big issue or it will go away as the tank is filled with water and styro compresses some more.


sanjay.

wow! So you really didn't need the suction handles...great idea to use an air bag. I was surprised that the styro under my tank did not appear to compress much at all. Especially after it was filled, but I imagine that 1/16" will fill in.

I thought that glass tank manufacturers recommended not using styro under their tanks? Didn't I read that somehwere on RC? That is going to be a great tank Sanjay!

That is friggin impressive. Great job Sanjay!

I can't speak for any other tank manufacturer, but we do recommend the use of Styrofoam.

As for the gaps. I recommend that you try to figure out if they were compressed due to a lot of weight being in those spots or if the stand dips in those spots.

Measure the thickness of the Styrofoam in several spots to determine if it is compressed or not.

If it is compressed it is not a big deal. If it is the stand, it could become an issue. It will cause un needed stress on the glass because the Styrofoam will not compress enough to disperse the weight in that matter.

Awesome idea on that airbag..I'll have to remember it. I wonder if that would work on getting my 19yo our of bed in the morning?

Try an M-80. Those seem to work well. :D

Yeah we use those in the fire dept for lifting vehicles off of people and such. that is a great idea for lifting a large tank we have a system that will individually regulate 8 bags at once for precision work. It would be awesome for putting a large tank in the air.

Hey Sanjay....all I want to know is where were all the people who said they'd help in this thread!!!!

It was fun, but I don't want to do it again anytime soon! The airbags were life/back savers that's for sure!

Wow, that air bag was awsome.

I see you are in the picture helping. I got a call from Sanjay today that the tank is up already. We were not invited for that fun job. I was sick and could not do much anyway except complain about chest pain :) and I'm sure you guys did not need that :)

Hey Zooqi...from the looks of the basement there'll be plenty of opportunity to pitch in and help the old professor!

well sanjay i have to hand it to ya that was awfully clever. Although i never would have thought an airbag would have supported the tank.

so what is sitting on top of the I beams? 3/4 ply then styrofoam then tank?

Can't wait to see water in that beauty!

Great idea using the air bag!

Yes.

sanjay.

Well, I think I have changed my plans to use a rubbermaid tub as a sump, due to some space restrctions under the stand, and decieded to go with a custom sump. THe sump will be 48X30X18.

Here is what my current design looks like. The water will come into the box and one end, and leave via a serpentine flow though the lenght of the sump. This should give the water enough time to get the bubbles out.

The sump wall thickness is 3/8" and I was wondering how much more cross bracing I should add to prevent bowing of the sump.

Any other mods I should do to the sump ? I will have a hang on bracket to mount the probes, float valves, and any other devices.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...sump-assly.gif

sanjay.

Sanjay, that looks like a nice sump design. I would go ahead and add some baffles in the raceways anyways. It couldn't hurt anything. One thing I did on my newest sump was have the overflow drain compartment completely enclosed to eliminate salt creep from all of the bubbles in that area. It really worked well. Here is a diagram I made for the builder:
<img src=http://sio.midco.net/cdshelton/website/page16/sump(draincompartmentwithoutlid).bmp>
and here is the drain compartment of the sump before I drilled the holes for the drains and the bulkheads:
<img src=http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/17792136_3618.JPG>
You can see in the picture, there is a removable lid that allows for access to the compartment for cleaning or changing plumbing. I also did what you are planning on doing where all of the water from the drain compartment is forced to go under a baffle before traveling to the rest of the sump. This helps keep most of the bubbles in the drain compartment where they will rise to the surface and pop in an enclosed area preventing salt creep problems.

One other thing I did that I would recommend is have your skimmer intake right where the water exits the drain compartment. This will help capture the rawest overflow water possible before the proteins have a chance to start rising to the surface again. Of course, this is a moot point if you are planning to gravity feed the skimmer. Sorry if you already mentioned that.

The last thing I would add to your sump design is probe holders and float switch holders if you plan to use them.

I built my 53"h x 14"w x 16"L skimmer out of 3/8" and have no bowing problems at all, but I did install square rod in all corners. Based on your dimensions I think it should be OK. As far as baffles go, I doubt many bubbles will make it past the first under baffle. This would be especially true if you use any filter socks at the entry point.

What are you going to put in the sump chambers?

i think you need to eurobrace at least the other side from your drain section. you don't have all that much internal bracing in the sense that most panels don't span the sump.

Sanjay,

Jeff H. here............With that design that you have pictured I would go with 1/2" and somewhere I would have some sort of cross bracing to prevent the long sides from bowing out. Do you already have someone building it?

If you really want to eliminate any cross bracing and build it exactly to what you have shown I would no doubt build it with 3/4" or even 1".

PM me with a contact number if you want to discuss it.

Jeff

Jeff:

I have no problems adding cross bracing on the sump. Going to thicker material would increase the cost. So I was hoping to get away with 3/8 by adding the necessary cross bracing.

I am currently planning to build it myself, not yet started.

I'll send you a pm with my number and we can chat.

Thanks,

sanjay.

Sanjay,

Very impressive and am now thinking of doing my stand for my 450 like that!!! I really like how its all open and gives easy access.

One question please. Ok 2.

How did you secure the plywood to the beams and did you secure the styrofoam to the plywood with any glue or such??

I read the thread and did not see these answered so if they were I am sorry

Thanks
Tony