http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums For all the Do-It-Yourselfers out there en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:04:46 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/52492-tank-brighter.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:22:28 GMT Oh what a differance a day (light) makes. :D I made a canopy for my 29 g reef and added a 3rd T5 to it and boy is the tank brighter. Can't wait to see the changes in the corals (if any). The 29 had a Nova Extreme, 30" 2 bulb light. One 10K and the other actinic. No IDF. The LFS said it would be fine (over a year ago when I didn't know better) but I thought the tank always looked a little dark/gray looking. Some one gave me a retro kit for 1 T5 with a work horse 1 ballast so I got a 24w Giessman (sp), made the canopy out of 1/4" scrap plywood and mounted the retro and the Nova Extreme in the canopy. The differance one bulb with IDF makes is amazing.

This is not a good picture but its a before shot.



Now the after




The canopy is nothing fancy but I learned a lot from doing it so when I get to make a canopy for my 180 build, I won't make the same mistakes. :) ]]> DIY Rhodes19 http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/52492-tank-brighter.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/52319-diy-35g-stand-complete-newbie-so-help-welcome.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:53:45 GMT Hi all,

I'm planning on building my own stand for a 35g reef tank. The tank dimensions are 36" wide x 15" deep x 18 " tall.

Here is the frame for the top and bottom:



And the frame completed:



Do you think this looks like a sturdy design? The plan is for the tank to sit on the smaller rectangle within a recess on the stand top.

This is the finished look I'm going for:



]]> DIY adsyrah http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/52319-diy-35g-stand-complete-newbie-so-help-welcome.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/52224-diy-led-fixture-work-progress.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:11:38 GMT Hello all. Figured I'd make a thread to chronicle my progress.

I've been looking into LED lighting for a LONG time (see my other long, ridiculous thread about it). Something about the 10+ year bulb life, near MH equivalant PAR output, low power consumption, and minimal heat output has had me interested for a while.

I'm going to be putting the research and knowledge to work. In cooperation with BigAl07, I'm going to be making an LED retrofit for his 12 gallon Nanocube. All the parts are ordered. It will consist of 14 LEDs total. 12 will be Cree XR-Es, 6 royal blue and 6 cool white, and the other 2 will be UV LEDs. All LEDs will be FULLY controllable with dimmers and on/off switches for each color type, giving complete control over the color of the lighting.

Started receiving parts today. Pictures of progress to come. Feel free to ask questions or give comments :D ]]> DIY chipmunkofdoom2 http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/52224-diy-led-fixture-work-progress.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/52173-can-spa-flex-used.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:19:26 GMT Hi All, Can spa flex be used safely with reef tanks and if so, how are they connected to sch 40 pvc? I was thinking of using some between the sump and pump and pump and return lines for vibration control and maybe use it for all of the return lines to minimize flow restrictions. Any thoughts or recommendations are appreciated. Thanks. :) Hi All,

Can spa flex be used safely with reef tanks and if so, how are they connected to sch 40 pvc? I was thinking of using some between the sump and pump and pump and return lines for vibration control and maybe use it for all of the return lines to minimize flow restrictions. Any thoughts or recommendations are appreciated. Thanks. :) ]]> DIY Rhodes19 http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/52173-can-spa-flex-used.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/52019-can-done-make-your-own-t5-light-fixture.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:31:49 GMT Like the title said for this topic. What items would be needed to do a job like this. No I'm not talking about buying a T5 retro kit.

from what I can think of for the following things.

IDR's
T5 Endcaps
power cord x2 ( for dusk and dawn effect)
of course build a canopy for DT.
A few LED's for moonlight
fans

I keep thinking that there might be other things I might be missing so can everyone fill me in. Also I would need links to where I can get the supplies for the light.

So don't be shy let's here what you got to say. ]]> DIY SiNiStEr NaTiOn http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/52019-can-done-make-your-own-t5-light-fixture.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51974-simple-question-about-acrylic-rods.html Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:43:24 GMT where can you get acrylic rods online, also if I want to try and find local what kind of store should I check for acrylic rods? where can you get acrylic rods online, also if I want to try and find local what kind of store should I check for acrylic rods? ]]> DIY SiNiStEr NaTiOn http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51974-simple-question-about-acrylic-rods.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51973-question-about-pvc-plumbing-adhesives.html Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:41:54 GMT Like the title says, I was wondering if the normal pvc adhesive would be safe enough to use in the plumbing, if not then what can be use. Like the title says, I was wondering if the normal pvc adhesive would be safe enough to use in the plumbing, if not then what can be use. ]]> DIY SiNiStEr NaTiOn http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51973-question-about-pvc-plumbing-adhesives.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51936-starting-5-5-frag-tank.html Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:51:55 GMT I want to start a 5.5 gallon frag tank. it will have

-in tank refugium
-2 powerheads(one intake, one return)
-pvc pipe
-eggcrate

I dont know the type of lighting i will use,and im not sure what type of powerheads i will use and how much gph flow they should have.
here is an example of what i am talking about

side view-
[IMG]C:\Users\Virgil\Pictures\5.5 tank.jpg[/IMG]
top view-
[IMG]C:\Users\Virgil\Pictures\tpo.jpg[/IMG] ]]> DIY Sir Virgil http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51936-starting-5-5-frag-tank.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51857-55-gallon-sump-fuge-work-progress.html Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:12 GMT Well since my 55 has been reseal with fresh silicone and water tested, everything at that point was thumbs up. I layed out the sump/fuge roughly, and at this time I have the fuge wall in place.

This give the fuge area a dimension of 10.5 x 13 x 13, using a calculator online with those dimension minus the .5 on the length, it came back the size of the fuge is 7 gallons. figuring this should be big enough for either a 75 or 90 dt tank, this is the third chamber.

the first chamber is where the protein skimmer will be in, and the size of this chamber will be about 11 or 12 x 13. the only thying is deciding how high i need the first and third baffles, for a over under over baffles. I have a AquaC Urchin skimmer with the dimension of 19" tall x 6" wide x 2-3/4" deep, and the footprint is 6 x 6 with the mj1200. plan on overdrive this skimmer with a mag 3 with a valve.

the Water level exit height is 12-1/4" and this 55 height is 18" - 19", so knowing this how tall should the first baffle be. because the 2nd baffle will extend down from the top of the tank and have a clearence under it of about 1.5 - 2" then the water will go up and over the 3rd final baffle into the return area. Thinking on the thirdx baffle should be 1.5" - 2" lower than the first baffle. So I just need help on the height of the first baffle.

Lets here everyone input on this please. ]]> DIY SiNiStEr NaTiOn http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51857-55-gallon-sump-fuge-work-progress.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51705-cheap-70w-hqi-diy-about-70-a.html Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:30:39 GMT Okay, so I stumbled across this when looking up lighting DIY projects, as I frequently do:

DIY 70W Metal Halide pendant - Nano-Reef.com Forums

Basically, it's a 500 watt halogen work lamp, then you wire up a 70w ballast to the existing endcaps, and since the halogen bulb is the same size as the 70W HQI bulb, get your 70 watter and voila! Cheap MH lighting.

Any input on this idea? I want to do something like this eventually, but I feel like there must be a "catch" for the price of the system. The reflector probably isn't the best, but if you get a good quality electronic ballast and a name brand bulb, would this be a viable lighting option?

Opinions? Concerns? Comments? ]]> DIY chipmunkofdoom2 http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51705-cheap-70w-hqi-diy-about-70-a.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51693-light-friendly-clear-mesh-screen-cover-open-top-tanks-standard-rimless-w-pictures.html Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:35:13 GMT Hi everyone,
The following is a step by set how-to for making a mesh lid for those of us with open top tanks. I have always liked open top tanks with hanging lights for ease of maintenance and heat dissipation, but of course, the downside is that certain species of fish, wrasses and gobies come to mind, can jump out of the tank because they don't have the safety a canopy provides.

I own a standard AGA 210 gallon (72” x 24” x 24”) with top trim, and a custom 100 gallon rimless (30” x 30” x 24”).

I have several Hawaiian Flame Wrasses in my 210 gallon, and a wrasse and 12 scissortail gobies in my 100 gallon, and the reason I made my screen cover was for them. I lost a couple scissortails to carpet surfing

These clear mesh tops will work for tanks with top trim and tanks that are rimless. I have a set of instructions for placement on rimless tanks as well, located towards the end of this DIY. I know that a mesh top somewhat defeats the aesthetic purpose of a rimless tank, but whether you place one on your tank depends on what fish you have and how likely they are to jump.

So here is how to do it:

Step 1. Pictures of my 210 and 100 gallon tanks. You can see the carpet surfing potential there.



Step 2. Gather your materials. For anyone that has installed or replaced screening this is a no-brainer. You can source everything at Lowes Home Depot, or any local hardware store You need the appropriate length of 5/16" screen frame, plastic screen corners, plastic screen corner pieces, .140" screening spline, and spline installation tool. Total materials cost to do my 210, except the clear mesh netting, was about $15



You also need to decide what type of netting you will use. I have found that the best type, considering the factors of light blocking and opening size, is a clear Ό” square opening, polypropylene mesh. This is the best choice because it allows light penetration, but the opening is small enough to keep small fish like gobies and small wrasses, in the tank if they jump, and since it is 100% polypropylene, it is reef safe. I had to buy a large roll of the stuff, as it is very hard to find in small quantities.



Step 3. These are the 4 sections of screen channel I cut for each of the openings I made a cover for, and the plastic corner pieces.


Use the instructions on the plastic corner pieces for proper measurements. I used a hacksaw and a miter box. The pieces are simple butt end cuts. The plastic corner pieces are really handy. I determined total length of the inside lip of each section of the 210, then subtracted 1/8" so each cover would go on and off easily.

Step 4. The corner plastic pieces slide into the channel frame. Nearly idiot proof, as they only go in one way.





]]> DIY acroholic http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51693-light-friendly-clear-mesh-screen-cover-open-top-tanks-standard-rimless-w-pictures.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51689-how-much-end-space-baffles.html Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:07:54 GMT Hi All,

How much room/clearance do I need in order to install glass baffles into my sump? 1/8", 1/16" on either side? I know I don't want a snug fit but I don't know how much room I need to leave for silicone. The inside measurement from front to back is 12". I just successfully cut a hole in the end of my 55g without shattering it and now can move on to installing the baffles. Thanks. :) ]]> DIY Rhodes19 http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51689-how-much-end-space-baffles.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51607-how-do-you-overdrive-t5-bulb.html Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:08:18 GMT Hi All, Is there a formula used to figure out how much you can safely over drive T5 HO lights? If not, what percentages are most folks using when overdrive their lights? Some one gave me a T5 retro kit with out the bulb and I’m trying to figure out what bulb to get. The ballast is a Workhorse 2 and puts out 35W and I have end caps for one bulb. Based on available bulbs, I figure my bulb choose is a 24” 24W bulb. Next size up is 39W, which is more than the ballast out put. I want to make sure I won’t overload the 24W before I get it. My thought is to use this to supplement my 2 bulb Nova Extreme over my 29 g tank. Thanks. :) Hi All,

Is there a formula used to figure out how much you can safely over drive T5 HO lights? If not, what percentages are most folks using when overdrive their lights? Some one gave me a T5 retro kit with out the bulb and I’m trying to figure out what bulb to get. The ballast is a Workhorse 2 and puts out 35W and I have end caps for one bulb. Based on available bulbs, I figure my bulb choose is a 24” 24W bulb. Next size up is 39W, which is more than the ballast out put. I want to make sure I won’t overload the 24W before I get it. My thought is to use this to supplement my 2 bulb Nova Extreme over my 29 g tank. Thanks. :) ]]> DIY Rhodes19 http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51607-how-do-you-overdrive-t5-bulb.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51571-sump-fug-design-vs-flow-rate-help.html Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:08:41 GMT Hi All, I received my glass hole cutter form glass-hole.com yesterday and I am about ready to cut the hole but now I am having second thoughts about my set up and need some design confirmation or recommendations for changes. My concern now is that I will have too much flow through the refugium. My DT is a 180 and my sump/fuge will be my old 55 g tank. I have an external Pan World pump rated at 1100 gph. My initial plan was to have the overflows empty into chamber 1 where a skimmer will be, the fug in chamber 2 (center) and the return at the other end. With this set up, will I have too much flow through the fuge? If so, what changes would you recommend using my existing equipment? The sump is going under the tank. Thanks. :) Image: http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/Warrpiper2000/180%20build/medallion1-1.jpg Hi All,

I received my glass hole cutter form glass-hole.com yesterday and I am about ready to cut the hole but now I am having second thoughts about my set up and need some design confirmation or recommendations for changes. My concern now is that I will have too much flow through the refugium. My DT is a 180 and my sump/fuge will be my old 55 g tank. I have an external Pan World pump rated at 1100 gph. My initial plan was to have the overflows empty into chamber 1 where a skimmer will be, the fug in chamber 2 (center) and the return at the other end. With this set up, will I have too much flow through the fuge? If so, what changes would you recommend using my existing equipment? The sump is going under the tank. Thanks. :)



]]> DIY Rhodes19 http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51571-sump-fug-design-vs-flow-rate-help.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51560-my-dyi-sump-need-advice.html Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:19:02 GMT So I'm in the planning stages for my sump and this is what I'm thinking for my sump/refugium design. I already got the right overflow and return pump, skimmer, heaters, and tank. All I need to do is get plexi and silicone so I can make the baffles, etc.

Please let me know what you think or if ya see any problems!!!! Thanks!

]]> DIY MountainFish http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/51560-my-dyi-sump-need-advice.html