A Stand and Canopy Done Wright

[Ciscokid]

wow the aquascaping is amazing.

Thanks for the reminder... I forgot to look at the tank.

I like how the lights are focused on the display and don't shine outside the footprint.

 

[Guss]

That is one impressive functional sculpture you have created. Brilliant!!!

 

[dphins]

Thanks for all the pics you took. It gives everyone a good idea of what it takes to make such a beautiful work of art. That stand and hood must weigh a ton!

 

[jlanger]

Thanks for all the pics you took. It gives everyone a good idea of what it takes to make such a beautiful work of art. That stand and hood must weigh a ton!

Thanks.
They do have a bit of weight to them, but I am able to move and install them both by myself. (Although, there may be a grunt or two.)
The toughest part is trying to get the mounting plate bolts started while trying to hold it in place. (Comical for observers, I'm sure.)

 

[johnike]

Stunning work Jason.

 

[jlanger]

I Need to Upgrade Phase

I Need to Upgrade Phase

I thought I would show everyone why I upgraded from the 45gal to the 120gal.

Overcrowded.

That picture was taken just minutes before I began the relocation. The Zero Hour Event.
You can see how overgrown the montipora sp. corals had become.
They were growing on the glass, they were battling each other for space and I didn't have any room to place the smaller corals.
And the fish needed more room to swim. They just needed room; period.

In the move, I was able to remove the six-line wrasse and the pulsing xenia corals.
Both had become issues I didn't want to have in the new system.

I really enjoyed the 45gal system over the years.
A little bit of remorse to see it torn down and put away.
But I am very pleased with the new 120gal.

 

[jlanger]

Stunning work Jason.

Thanks John.

 

[ReefDVMs]

One very sweet piece of wood craftsmanship. Love the tank look, you really have done a nice job setting it up. We can see skimmer in the sump and was curious if your dosing pump things, running any biopellets in future, macro algae or what your plans were to continue to have such a gorgeous tank.

 

[11f150]

Pretty amazing job. Little off topic, have you ever visited fallingwater before? House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I was there a while back it was pretty awesome and that he designed it in pretty much a few hours.

 

[Benson0219]

um... wow... amazing skills!

 

[jlanger]

One very sweet piece of wood craftsmanship. Love the tank look, you really have done a nice job setting it up. We can see skimmer in the sump and was curious if your dosing pump things, running any biopellets in future, macro algae or what your plans were to continue to have such a gorgeous tank.

I was beginning to wonder what more I could do with this thread, but I see there are some more things to discuss.
The black waste container on the left-side of the stand is for my ATO. I'm waiting for my BRS Top Off Doser pump and I will be using kalk as my top-off.
For the past month I have been testing at least every other day (if not everyday) to monitor my Ca, ALK and Mg. My tank has been using just about 2oz. of ALK per day, so I think it's time to start using kalkwasser as my top-off water.
I'm also waiting for an LED strip to mount inside the stand to light up the frag section of the sump. This may also evolve into adding some macro algae to the small section of the sump in the back right corner.
I'm also contemplating using reactors for carbon and GFO.
So, I guess there are still a few things I can update the thread on in the near future.

Pretty amazing job. Little off topic, have you ever visited fallingwater before? House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I was there a while back it was pretty awesome and that he designed it in pretty much a few hours.

I have not yet visited Fallingwater, but it's definitely one of the places to visit on my bucket list.
I can remember thinking this was a great house back when I was in elementary school.
If you get the chance, go to FLW Home and Studio in Oak Park, IL. Simply amazing.

 

[janey]

WOW, Awsome Carpentry................
Wished you were close and do mines.......

 

[Sonicboom]

Ya I wish he can show me how to do some basic doors for mine.

 

[jlanger]

Thanks for the kind words.

Ya I wish he can show me how to do some basic doors for mine.

All you need to make a simple pair of doors is a good table say and some clamps.
I've attached two links from earlier in this thread that show you the basic steps.
When broken down, a door is only five pieces. Two stiles, two rails and a panel.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21207974&postcount=9

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21216206&postcount=21

And for more detailed instructions, there are some really good YouTube videos for "cabinet doors made easy".

 

[Sonicboom]

Thanks for the tips, I don't own a table saw so I may be forced to buy some prefabbed ones. I'll don't want to thread Jack so I'll check you tube

 

[electronaught]

Very inspirational build all the way from start to finish.
I love the idea of building a frag section into your sump.

Still being in the early planning stages of a 125 build, this is the kind of thread that gives me all the right kind of ideas.

Can't wait to see how everything else finished up underneath.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[jlanger]

Thanks for sharing!

No problem.
Having Reef Central available for researching prior to setting up a tank is a godsend.
There are so many ways to accomplish setting up a successful reef aquarium that most books just cannot cover.
Everyone's contributions help make this hobby a more enjoyable one.
I wouldn't have the tank I have today without the helpful information from the people on RC.
Good luck with your build.

 

[jlanger]

LED Lighting Update - New Illumina Modules

LED Lighting Update - New Illumina Modules

The past two weeks have been very busy with my 120gal system.
Thanks in most part to BRS Bonus Rewards Point Sales!

I finally purchased two of the new Multicolor Aux Modules for the Vertex Illumina SR-260 light fixture.
Installation was very simple. And after I figured out all of the updates and got the modules online, I programmed the new color channels to slowly add to the overall light spectrum.
Most people are keeping the red LEDs to a minimum percentage, but I have mine set a bit higher (20%) as the red/orange/yellow colors on my trio of Red Sea Lyretail Anthias really pop now!

I'll have to have my brother come over and take new photos.
My camera sucks for actual display photos. SUCKS!!!

 

[jlanger]

Inside the Stand Lighting Update

Inside the Stand Lighting Update

I also upgraded the lighting inside the stand.
I first received a used Ecoxotic Panorama Pro White LED Light Strip as a gift. I was going to use this as lighting for the frag section of the sump. But I needed to buy a power supply first.
But what I received was more than generous...

I was shocked when I opened the box and found two brand new Ecoxotic Panorama Pro LED Light Strips. One was the 12000K/445nm Royal Blue strip and the other was the 445nm Blue strip. THANK YOU!!!
I set the two new LED strips over the frag section of the sump. I have the lighting controlled with my ReefKeeper Lite and the dimmer that comes with the lights.
My frag section now has better lighting than my old 45gal ever did.

I used the 'old' LED light strip to light up the sump.
Since I had extra parts from the other Ecoxotic lights, I used the power supply and dimmer.
To really make this effective, I added a magnetic switch to the light. When I open the doors to the stand the light comes on. When the door shuts, the light turns off.
Here's how I did it.

Here's the parts I used to make the switch work with the Ecoxotic light.
A dimmer from Ecoxotic and the magnetic switch.

I cut the wires from the dimmer and split the wires.

I connected the switch to the wires.

I then installed the switch on the stand and the door.

This works great!
Every time I open the door, light is on.
Close the door, light is off.
(Do you think we can install these on our kids? When they walk into a room the lights come on, and when they leave the lights go off.)

 

[jlanger]

Filtration Update

Filtration Update

I added some more components to my maintenance and filtration.
Thanks again to BRS sales.

I finally got my ATO set up.
I have been tracking my Ca/ALK/Mg levels for the past few weeks and kept up my levels with daily dosing.
I wanted to switch over to using kalkwasser in my make-up water.
For a reservoir, I am using a black Rubbermaid office trash can with a tight fitting lid.
I purchased the BRS Top-Off Dosing Pump and have it plugged into my ReefKeeper Lite. I have a timer set up to add the needed amount of kalk every hour. It turns out I need the pump to run 3-1/2 minutes per hour to keep up with evaporation.
I have been testing my levels to see if I need to adjust the amount of kalk I am adding to keep my levels stable.
As of now, I am only adding 1 tsp of kalk per gallon of RO/DI water. I'm sure that will have to be increased.
I really like not having to add top off water daily anymore!

I also purchased a BRS Deluxe Reactor for carbon and GFO.
My nitrates and phosphates have not been of concern, but I knew that someday I would like to have a reactor running.
The water coming out from the reactor is being pumped over to my protein skimmer intake, so that any dust from the reactor can get filtered out before entering the display.

And I also purchased one Ecotech Marine MP40w ES to add to the display.
So I finally have NO CORDS going over the top of the tank into the display.
That was one of my top design concerns. And it's done!
I know I want to add another MP40, but I think I spent enough money this past month already.

So here's an updated pic of the inside of the stand.

My next project is to clean up some of the electrical.
I might add another DJ Power Center over on the left side so the MP10s don't have cords running across the entire stand.

I might build a larger frag rack as I have too many frags right now.
And I really should start fragging the plating montipora sp. corals. They're fighting for space already.

Thanks for following along.