Chartwell's 50 gallon CAD cube
- Thread starter chartwell
- Start date
chartwell
New member
Auto top-off
Auto top-off
For our next trick we are going to try to set up the auto-top off. I've never had one before and I bought this:
There is also a magnet in the photo, but even I know how to use that :lolspin:
Why does nothing come with any sort of instructions in this hobby? :hammer:
If anyone knows where I could find instructions for (or even just pictures of) this type of top-off I would appreciate it.
Sorry to be so helpless...
Auto top-off
For our next trick we are going to try to set up the auto-top off. I've never had one before and I bought this:
There is also a magnet in the photo, but even I know how to use that :lolspin:
Why does nothing come with any sort of instructions in this hobby? :hammer:
If anyone knows where I could find instructions for (or even just pictures of) this type of top-off I would appreciate it.
Sorry to be so helpless...
kevantheman35
Member
i dont suppose you could post some more pics of how the stand is constructed could you? Im building a stand about the same dimentions and that looks like just about what i want to do. If your husband followed some plans i would love to know where to find them. By the way the new cad is my new favorite tank and i cant wait to see it running!
chartwell
New member
kevantheman35: Here's the only other picture of the stand "innards" I have:
And here are the side panels, which attach with magnets.
This is the frame for the front:
And this is the front door, and the piece leaning around it will just go on top to make the top look bigger and we'll have a trim piece to cover a little of the bottom of the tank so I don't have to get as close to the sand when cleaning to avoid scratches.
He just kind of made it up but would be happy to write up what he did.
And here are the side panels, which attach with magnets.
This is the frame for the front:
And this is the front door, and the piece leaning around it will just go on top to make the top look bigger and we'll have a trim piece to cover a little of the bottom of the tank so I don't have to get as close to the sand when cleaning to avoid scratches.
He just kind of made it up but would be happy to write up what he did.
chartwell
New member
Sand
Sand
We continue making glacially slow progress and I'm hopeful that sometime today I'll be able to put water in the tank. So I'm rinsing my sand. I'm going to have a shallow sand bed and I went with the Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand:
I washed it in shallow pans in my dog bathing tub:
I love this sand! It is just the right size to where it doesn't stay suspended in the water forever but it also isn't really big.
Sand
We continue making glacially slow progress and I'm hopeful that sometime today I'll be able to put water in the tank. So I'm rinsing my sand. I'm going to have a shallow sand bed and I went with the Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand:
I washed it in shallow pans in my dog bathing tub:
I love this sand! It is just the right size to where it doesn't stay suspended in the water forever but it also isn't really big.
chartwell
New member
Sand is washed and in the tank, adding water now...
Here is the plumbing - please be gentle, neither one of us has ever done this before!
I'm a bit surprised at how little water the tank holds. I'm at 35 gallons and it is about to start going into the overflow, and that is without any rock added yet. But that's cool, the tank fits really well where we wanted it to go, so I guess I wouldn't want it much bigger.
Here is the plumbing - please be gentle, neither one of us has ever done this before!
I'm a bit surprised at how little water the tank holds. I'm at 35 gallons and it is about to start going into the overflow, and that is without any rock added yet. But that's cool, the tank fits really well where we wanted it to go, so I guess I wouldn't want it much bigger.
kevantheman35
Member
thanks a lot for the pics and info! is the stand 24x24 as well? i like how he did the legs i was just planning on using 2x4's for the whole frame. anything your husband wants to write up for me would be greatly appreciated
Last edited:
theyammieguy
Active member
Looks real good, but you and one other person are the only ones with build threads. We NEED a lot more pictures. Lol
chartwell
New member
More pictures coming, I promise. In the meantime, help me understand where to drill anti-siphon holes in my return lines. I'll have Loc-line in the aquarium and I understand it can start siphoning water down the return if the power goes out. Everything I read says to drill the holes about 3/4ths of an inch under the usual water level, but that would almost mean I would have to drill the actual Loc-line because the elbows it goes into will be slightly above the water level in the overflow box. But then it almost seems like you could just position the Loc-line facing upwards so it would make a siphon break pretty fast without any holes.
chartwell
New member
I think I figured out the anti-siphon thing on my own - we just fired up the return pump -YAY!- and while we don't have our Loc-line yet we have two pieces of vinyl tubing pretending to be Loc-line and we have them bent slightly upwards and they did a siphon break almost immediately when we cut power to the pump. So I don't think we need holes as long as we make sure the Loc-line is positioned right.
Next maybe I'll get really brave and turn the skimmer on!
Next maybe I'll get really brave and turn the skimmer on!
chartwell
New member
Ladies and gentlemen....drum roll.... we have water in the tank :celeb1:
Still need a little more to get the level in the sump high enough for the skimmer, but we're getting there. And no leaks! And nothing exploded or otherwise went crazy like I was half expecting.
We got a DJ switch mounted in the front, and I really like how that works. The face frame of the stand is not finished yet, still needs another coat of stain and poly, but we wanted to get it on before the sump was full of water and hard to move.
Still need a little more to get the level in the sump high enough for the skimmer, but we're getting there. And no leaks! And nothing exploded or otherwise went crazy like I was half expecting.
We got a DJ switch mounted in the front, and I really like how that works. The face frame of the stand is not finished yet, still needs another coat of stain and poly, but we wanted to get it on before the sump was full of water and hard to move.
theyammieguy
Active member
That looks nice.
I need to pick up a 4 way switch like that for my nano.
I need to pick up a 4 way switch like that for my nano.
chartwell
New member
Bonta: Yes, the sump came configured with a chamber (split vertically) where you can put filter media, live rock rubble, etc., then it goes into the skimmer area, then the refugium, then the return. Lots of baffles and I'm not getting any microbubbles in the tank at all. I'm going to put some live sand, live rock and cheato from my current tank in the refugium once I get the water at the right temp and SpGr.
I have the lights on the tank now and I am mesmerized by the shimmer! I've never had a metal halide before and it is so beautiful. The ceiling of the room and the wall behind the tank looks like I'm at an indoor pool with the light reflecting off the water.
I have the lights on the tank now and I am mesmerized by the shimmer! I've never had a metal halide before and it is so beautiful. The ceiling of the room and the wall behind the tank looks like I'm at an indoor pool with the light reflecting off the water.
theyammieguy
Active member
You can get the dj switch from amazon or ebay.
