Anyone have the tools?

[kmitch]

So I am looking to build this that I saw on N-R.com.

Someone basically took a Hagen Aquaclear filter and modded it into a fuge area. This would be perfect for me since I dont really want to drill for a sump and I would like to get the equipment clutter taken care of.

I have worked with acrylic before but I dont have the tools to cut the notches in acrylic like this would need. Ideas?

Heres his post: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=103826&hl=temp&st=20


Thanks

 

[surfnvb7]

i have an AC110 set up as a fuge on my 7g minibow. it works great with minimal modifications. all you need to do is put a piece of acrylic inside as a baffle to keep sand out of the pump.

i dont recomend going out and buying one, only to completely hack it up and glue it to some acrylic. when all is said and done, depending on how much the acrylic is, you might spend around $150 on the whole project. you'd save money and simplicity by just making a box out of acrylic without the AC.

shoot, IMO drilling a hole in the glass of a new empty tank and installing a bulkhead, along with buying a 10g sump/fuge is a heck of alot easier than dealing with all that acrylic work found in that link.


if you are looking to make it simple, with no equipment hanging around the tank, think about buying a larger tank, and buying a piece of black acrylic and glue it several inches off the back, essentially adding a false wall just like those nanocubes. add some baffles/bubble traps, and a return area, and you've got yourself a fuge. do a search on nanoreef for "false wall", for some DIY projects. i'm going to attempt one for my small mantis tank.

 

[coolfish5]

I think I'd agree. Cutting and getting a good seal between the aquaclear filter box and acrylic seems like it'd be pretty tough to do without leaks. I see the person in that thread had a leak in his.

Cutting small acrylic I don't think would be that difficult, I have a table saw, but I'm not quite sure how to get a real good cut on the more brittle plastic of the aquaclear.
I have a aquaclear 500 that I'm going to use as a fuge with just the acrylic baffle.

If you want one that size I think it would be easier to just feed it from a powerhead and use a drilled aquarium or just a simple acrylic box more like the CPR hang on refugiums you can purchase pre-made.

Here is a basic description/layout of the baffled aquaclear 500.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=679159
I have a 13 watt (I think) compact florescent that I'll be using over it.

If you're interested going this route, I may have a little left over acrylic.

John

 

[kmitch]

I already have the AC filter I could hack up, so I wouldnt just buy one.

I am also considering using a pump to get water out.

I dont really want to just mod the AC into a fuge because 1. i dont have a really large space on the back of my small tank to work with. 2. that still leaves other equipment in the tank an i HATE that look....

 

[manderx]

i got the tools. like noted, that AC mod is like going around your L-bow to get to your A-hole. we can make a box just like an aquafuge a whole lot easier, better, prettier, and safer than hacking apart an AC. we can put the powerhead (pretty much anything) on the outside like the AC, or on the inside like it would be on an aquafuge.

 

[manderx]

ug. just read that guy's thread and saw he used silicone. he's looking at a major leak in his near future...

 

[kmitch]

yeah i was at least going to use weldon!

 

[HOC]

I use Elmers on all my acrylic projects Buy it at Walmart