Metal Man 1221
FMMAS Executive Director
The electrical plans look very good, cant wait to see it all installed.
205G Tank Build
- Thread starter Fish4Me2
- Start date
Fish4Me2
New member
Time for a bit of an update. Last weekend's electrical progress was slowed when our dishwasher decided it would rather be a multifunction machine, and started washing our wood floors along with our dishes. Despite that setback, some progress has been made.
After cutting holes through the wall both below the tank for the under-tank electrical, and above the tank for the lighting, I assembled the gang boxes for the left side outlets. I used 3/4" plywood to mount everything directly to the wall.
With that done, I then measured out the various wire runs, based on which outlet on the tank side would power each outlet on the utility room side. Power is split between a DB8, EB8, EB4, and a DJ power strip. My controllers and other sensitive equipment will be run on a DJ power strip off a UPS, to ensure that any fluctuations in power don't fry the controllers.
For ease of pulling the wire, we used 14 gauge stranded. I cut the wires, and then stripped and soldered the ends. With 16 outlets on the left side of the tank, my garage workstation was covered in wire!
After cutting holes through the wall both below the tank for the under-tank electrical, and above the tank for the lighting, I assembled the gang boxes for the left side outlets. I used 3/4" plywood to mount everything directly to the wall.
With that done, I then measured out the various wire runs, based on which outlet on the tank side would power each outlet on the utility room side. Power is split between a DB8, EB8, EB4, and a DJ power strip. My controllers and other sensitive equipment will be run on a DJ power strip off a UPS, to ensure that any fluctuations in power don't fry the controllers.
For ease of pulling the wire, we used 14 gauge stranded. I cut the wires, and then stripped and soldered the ends. With 16 outlets on the left side of the tank, my garage workstation was covered in wire!
Fish4Me2
New member
Initially, I had all of the wires bundled with just painters tape at each end, to identify which outlet the bundle belonged with. This was my first attempt at pulling wire through conduit, and I discovered that the wires were able to tie themselves into mind-bending knots during the pulling process. With those knots, I couldn't get the wires all the way through. :worried:
Thus, I pulled them all back out, and used electrical tape to first bundle each triad of wire, and then each pair of triads going to the upper or lower outlets in the same gang box, and then each group of four in the same gang box, and finally each group of 8 sets going through the same 1" conduit run. After that, I pulled the one bundle through, and it worked out great. Here's a shot of the first 40 wires coming through the holes in the wall.
Back on the wet side, I was able to wire up the first 16 outlets. I will be replacing at least one of the white face plates with another wet environment cover.
Thus, I pulled them all back out, and used electrical tape to first bundle each triad of wire, and then each pair of triads going to the upper or lower outlets in the same gang box, and then each group of four in the same gang box, and finally each group of 8 sets going through the same 1" conduit run. After that, I pulled the one bundle through, and it worked out great. Here's a shot of the first 40 wires coming through the holes in the wall.
Back on the wet side, I was able to wire up the first 16 outlets. I will be replacing at least one of the white face plates with another wet environment cover.
Fish4Me2
New member
On the utility side, I have the board where I'm mounting my electrical equipment. You can see the wires coming out of the junction box. I still need to put heat shrink tubing and plugs on them, and run the last 8 outlets to the right hand side of the tank.
Much work left to do, but at least there's progress!
Much work left to do, but at least there's progress!
Fish4Me2
New member
More progress! All 24 outlets below the tank have been wired. This includes 16 outlets under the tank itself, and 8 outlets outside the tank. The board that contains those 8 will also have the controller mounted on it.
I still need to run ethernet, USB, and phone lines for the controller, and I still need to mount the EB8 and the other ballasts, but here's the "electrical panel":
I still need to run ethernet, USB, and phone lines for the controller, and I still need to mount the EB8 and the other ballasts, but here's the "electrical panel":
Metal Man 1221
FMMAS Executive Director
wow very very nice, I wish i had the time to make my wiring neat and clean looking
Fish4Me2
New member
Next step: I have to get my fish into QT. I admit, I keep postponing this step. I'm really worried about loosing livestock that I've had for almost 5 years. But I know I have ich, and I don't want to move it to the new tank.
Someone please give me some words of wisdom on the most successful, low stress way to treat fish for ich. I'm thinking hypo, but I've read others who have performed hypo and weren't able to eradicate the ich. Maybe copper is the better way to go?
Someone please give me some words of wisdom on the most successful, low stress way to treat fish for ich. I'm thinking hypo, but I've read others who have performed hypo and weren't able to eradicate the ich. Maybe copper is the better way to go?
Fish4Me2
New member
Well, today was supposed to be the day when I got the first two fish into QT in prep for the move to the big tank. Unfortunately, I think the stars are aligned against me on this one: the water main that feeds our house ruptured. Water has been gushing down the hill above our house for hours. The valve to shut the main off is busted, and the water Co can't find a crew with a backhoe to excavate our street and fix the leak. Instead of working on the QT, I've been trenching to keep our hillside from collapsing our retaining wall and filling our bedroom with mud.
Since no post is complete with out pictures, here's how things looked at our retaining wall right after the leak started. It's much worse now.
Since no post is complete with out pictures, here's how things looked at our retaining wall right after the leak started. It's much worse now.
Metal Man 1221
FMMAS Executive Director
that does not sound fun at all, good luck with everything
BTW I use life guard by IO for pre treatment on all fish, it works very well eradicating ich IME. Just make sure you dont add it with inverts, i dont think its as bad as copper but probably fairly close.
BTW I use life guard by IO for pre treatment on all fish, it works very well eradicating ich IME. Just make sure you dont add it with inverts, i dont think its as bad as copper but probably fairly close.
Fish4Me2
New member
The countdown begins: T-minus 8 weeks until the tank gets fish! I added the first two fish to the QT during a pre-dawn raid on Sunday, and started the hypo today. It really is easier to catch fish when: a) they're sleeping and b) they're sleeping in PVC parts that you can just scoop up in a net. 
Next project is building the light rack and figuring out how to hang it and how to cover it so it looks nice. That's the one part of this build I don't feel like I have any good ideas on. I want to be able to get in and service the tank, but the clearance I've got is very limited. The light reflectors will be almost touching the ceiling, so I can't raise them for service. There's a wall behind them, so I can't put them on tracks and slide them backward. In front of them is our living area, so I can't put tracks that will show on the ceiling to slide them forward. . . . .anyone have any ideas? I'm stumped!
Next project is building the light rack and figuring out how to hang it and how to cover it so it looks nice. That's the one part of this build I don't feel like I have any good ideas on. I want to be able to get in and service the tank, but the clearance I've got is very limited. The light reflectors will be almost touching the ceiling, so I can't raise them for service. There's a wall behind them, so I can't put them on tracks and slide them backward. In front of them is our living area, so I can't put tracks that will show on the ceiling to slide them forward. . . . .anyone have any ideas? I'm stumped!
Fish4Me2
New member
Thanks! My goal was to give the fish room and to hope that someday I'll have enough corals to grow out and need the room. With my tiny little frags, that may take a lifetime or two!
I also hope it will be easier to clean this way: open enough to have flow all the way around the rocks.
I also hope it will be easier to clean this way: open enough to have flow all the way around the rocks.
Fish4Me2
New member
I learned a very important lesson in the last few days: when trying to raise the pH of RODI water for hyposalinity purposes, a tiny bit of baked baking soda will do the trick, and when trying to lower the pH (if one uses too much baked baking soda), it will take a lot of water to make a change, but then the change will be dramatic. I guess this demonstrates the power of a buffer?
What I'm really learning is that I need to stock up on pH test kits!
What I'm really learning is that I need to stock up on pH test kits!
sharkman121
New member
great work so far.. i soon will be encountering my 200 gallon build. I jus hope i have enough patience as u during this process. Patience is not one of my strong points sorry to say but fishkeeping has brought me a long way.
Cheers mate.
Cheers mate.
Rotknee
Member
I know I'm on the late freight quoting this post but I just found your thread. First of all...Beautiful tank and I like the way you skinned the stand. Your electrical work is impressive. That is/was a great idea.:thumbsup:
Now...getting details regarding the bulkhead holes from Lee-Mar is not as simple as I thought it was going to be. I sent them the specs of my stand and simply asked...will this work with where you are going to place the overflow box and bulkheads? All I got back was "We estimate your overflow box to be 16"X6". I'm having the overflow set up to hold two 3/4" returns and two 1.5" drains. Going "Herbie" with this build.
Did they deliver to your house? From the pic it doesn't look like it but I thought I would ask anyway. I asked at my LFS and they said they probably won't deliver to your house so I made arrangements with my LFS to help me out when they get the tank.
Again, nice job on the build. Congrats!
Fish4Me2
New member
Thank you! I'll be honest, patience was never a strong suit of mine, either. But I set up my last two tanks pretty quickly, and then had to live with the annoyances of things I wished I would have done differently. That gave me a lot of motivation to be more deliberate this time.
Fish4Me2
New member
Rotknee, You have my sympathies that you're having the same experience I did with respect to bulkheads and your tank. The LFS I purchased from assured me that everything would be ok, and it was, but I really wanted to know for sure the exact dimensions of what I was getting. Basically what I was told was that Lee Mar does custom tanks, but not that custom. For anything that I wanted to specify that closely, say with CAD drawings, I should look for another vendor. This is one more reason I'm very happy with the finished product, and even happier that I plan to have this tank for a long time! :lol2:
In my case, Lee Mar did not deliver to my house. I picked up at the LFS I ordered from, where they do deliver. We wound up with a huge rental truck because I'd planned on picking up the stand the same day. The rental had a lift gate on it, so I didn't ever have to lift the tank. Lee Mar's delivery driver helped me load it onto my own furniture dollies, and we just wheeled it onto the lift gate for the truck, and then back out again once we were home. It was one of the easier parts of getting everything working.
Good luck with your tank. Do you have a delivery date yet? Even with challenges, it's pretty exciting!
In my case, Lee Mar did not deliver to my house. I picked up at the LFS I ordered from, where they do deliver. We wound up with a huge rental truck because I'd planned on picking up the stand the same day. The rental had a lift gate on it, so I didn't ever have to lift the tank. Lee Mar's delivery driver helped me load it onto my own furniture dollies, and we just wheeled it onto the lift gate for the truck, and then back out again once we were home. It was one of the easier parts of getting everything working.
Good luck with your tank. Do you have a delivery date yet? Even with challenges, it's pretty exciting!
Fish4Me2
New member
Similar threads
