In-Wall 180 Project

[bergzy]

what kind of lights are those?

is it a modified vho lighting strip?

the halides that i have all use glass uv lens. but all i run are de bulbs and they require a uv filter glass. i think acrylic, esp being that close to the halide bulbs, may melt.

also, i dont know if the light you got was designed to be hung as a pendant, it may not be a good idea to find out by hanging it. i would think that pendants were constructed to be more rigid to withstand any flexing that may occur. of course, it may be light enough that the whole thing doesnt flex. my pendants are horrifcally heavy because the ballasts are located in the fixture. most other pendants use a remote ballast.

as for not having any hanging fixture hardware on the light themsleves, i would be hesitant to try only to find out that they were not meant to be hung.

looking good so far!!!

 

[NexDog]

What you just do is screw in beam at either end a few inches below the ceiling. There has to be some studs in there that you can attach them to. Then run a few beams lengthwise that sit on the beams you screwed in and hang the canopy from that. There's one joist in the middle in the ceiling by the looks of it that you attach everything to for extra space. Think that's what I'd do if I had no overhead beams but then again, I'm pretty dumb.

 

[jarhed]

Basically, it's a custom fixture, sort of like this:

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_lighting_metal_halide_fixtures.asp?CartId=

White interior, three MH's, two VHO's. Push-pull fans. Not too heavy, but bulky. The ballasts are remote. Not sure how the person I bought it from mounted it, but it was over a canopy on a 180 that he had. Mine of course, have to be mounted in wall somehow.

I'm kinda thinking that I could make some sort of brace to mount them on like a canopy on a freestanding tank. Gotta be careful how much weight I put on the hanging wall though. My original plan was to somehow hang them from the rafters or hang some sort of track from the rafters so that I could slide them from front to back. I should be able to mount them high enough to still get plenty of light but not bleach out the corals, and to be able to reach into the tank for maintenance.

 

[Ehydo]

Drill the fixture and put Eye Bolts in it.

 

[jarhed]

Drill the fixture and put Eye Bolts in it.

That is exactly what I was thinking to hang them from the rafters. Not sure how strong the steel is though. I imagine if I went through the shell AND the inside white reflecter it may hold, or is this not a good idea?

 

[bergzy]

i have jerry-rigged a lot of stuff with great success...but i would hesistant to do it with lights that were not meant to be hung.

i would have mentioned the eyebolt along with really wide washers to distribute the weight and force etc...that's very easy to solve...

but...

my main concern is something you already were looking at...if the metal is strong enough to hold it. it is an awfully big fixture to come crashing down if it should ever decide to give way. since i can't see it physically, you of course, are going to have to be the judge of that.

 

[WAGERJA]

just use some big washers and you'll be fine....

Edit: what Ben said...

 

[Ehydo]

Fender washers. Ask your local Ace Hardware helper. Put one on each side and put nuts on both sides.

 

[jarhed]

Awesome. I can also put a long strip of metal on the inside and put the eyebolts through that to add extra strength too. That way the weight will be distributed more evenly along the metal strip rather than just around the bolts and wide washers.

I think I'll give that a try. Thanks all!

BTW Bergz, get some frags ready, I'ma comin!!

 

[jarhed]

Fender washers. Ask your local Ace Hardware helper. Put one on each side and put nuts on both sides.

Fender washers? Not sure if I've ever seen those before.


Edit: Oh, ok. Just found them on Google. Just very wide washers. Good to go. Eyebolts, a strip of steel running the length of the light box, and fender washers.

 

[scooters reef]

Uh oh. You're catching up to me! I better get working again !!!!

Will have to get pics to update my own though. Have gone a long way even if plenty left to do.

At least when you pass me up I have a somewhat justified lame excuse: "But, I was working on the entire basement, not just my tank!!!"

Looking good there Jarhed!

 

[scooters reef]

LOL

You're a MUCH neater plumber than me too!!! Although, I made the additional mistake of purple primer and blue glue so it stands out that much more! Oh well, is all hidden in a room anyway.

Hmmm, didn't think a Marine would be able to do that

 

[Ehydo]

Eyebolts, a strip of steel running the length of the light box, and fender washers.

I do not think that you need the strip of steel unless the light box is really flimsy. In that case I would use a aluminum strip not steel unless you want to paint it.

 

[captbunzo]

Hehe - want to talk about anal-retentive plumbing...

My first attempt at plumbing my sump was pretty sloppy looking. Then I cracked a bulkhead and decided. And I learned alot during the first install about how I would have done things different (placement of unions, valves, etc.)

And so I redid it all and the second job was much nicer. The back of my tank stand is 1/4 plywood. For the return in and out, I screwed a bulkead into the hole in the stand to provide better stability to the pipe going through there - it has worked awesome!

And I used Q-tips to apply the PVC primer and glue for every joint. The result - almost no visible purple nastiness.

Pretty crazy, I guess, but I love the clean look.

 

[Ehydo]

Hehe - want to talk about anal-retentive plumbing...

My first attempt at plumbing my sump was pretty sloppy looking. Then I cracked a bulkhead and decided. And I learned alot during the first install about how I would have done things different (placement of unions, valves, etc.)

And so I redid it all and the second job was much nicer. The back of my tank stand is 1/4 plywood. For the return in and out, I screwed a bulkead into the hole in the stand to provide better stability to the pipe going through there - it has worked awesome!

And I used Q-tips to apply the PVC primer and glue for every joint. The result - almost no visible purple nastiness.

Pretty crazy, I guess, but I love the clean look.

You may see purple on my joints but I have never had a leak. I always have glue push out the edges along with primer. I treat it like soldering...The more flux (primer) the better the solder sticks (glue). Same principle just different materials.

You could always primer up the ends then sand the purple off. While your at it sand off all the pipe markings also.:rollface:

 

[jarhed]

LOL

You're a MUCH neater plumber than me too!!! Although, I made the additional mistake of purple primer and blue glue so it stands out that much more! Oh well, is all hidden in a room anyway.

Hmmm, didn't think a Marine would be able to do that

ROFL!!!

Well, I dont know if I'm gonna catch up anytime soon! I'm finding it impossible to find any Southdown, Oldcastle, Hardcastle, stupidcastle, whatever sand, and I'm NOT paying friggin LFS prices!!!! :mad2: Not to mention, I've spent WAY too much on my CC's! I gotta cut back or make some GIANT payments or something. Going to go slow now until I get some DI water in there with sand and salt. Forget whether or not a Marine can do it, I didnt think I could do anything NEAR this scale! Like I said, I surprised and amazed myself with this monstrosity.

Ummmm, neat plumbing? You think so? I think it's a mess! Your supposed to use primer when plumbing PVC? :eek2:

Ehydo, thanks for the tip! I'll make sure it's aluminum. I dont think the box is flimsy, I just need to be able to sleep without freaking out when I hear creaks in the house. :lol:

Thanks for the kind words and tips everyone!

 

[scooters reef]

Actually, it's the blue glue that stands out on mine. I globbed it in good on every joint and had it dripping all over. I think I ended up with more on myself than I did on the pipes

I considered clear glue, but not being 100% comfortable with the plumbing in the first place, I at least liked being able to visually see the glue better as I applied it.

 

[scooters reef]

We went through the same thing on the sand. Since she was anxious my wife pretty much led the effort, driving all over town and calling across half the state, picking up possibilities to check out or test. She finally called and said we WILL just get some at the LFS because she was tired of the hold up. She went to 4 different stores and cleared them out of everything they had that would work

I understand the CC thing too !!!! Between this tank and an entire basement finishing we've been running them up too! We just decided we would have to slow down and catch up for awhile too. AFTER the whole basement and landscaping is done I will probably get everything appraised and refinance, but I don't want to count on it.

 

[cediss]

Drain size

Drain size

I'm laughing cause I put two 2" drains for a 75 with a reeflow dart pump. Talking about overkill. I didn't want to dial down the pump too much.
I changed my design to run dual 75 gallon tanks and now that second drain will end up being the inlet for a fuge.

I too overplanned with two 2" stand pipes, but on a 180 reef and a Reeflo Barracuda that I didn't want to dial down. It was still more than I needed, in fact I could have got away with one 2." It's the overflow teeth that are the limiting factor for me, but luckily for me the water drains at the top of the teeth (approx 2" height) without mod. to teeth. I am pushing atleast 3000 gph conservatively!

 

[jarhed]

Got a few things done this weekend. First of all, the idiot HVAC guys never bothered showing up, nor did they return my phone calls. I'm harrassing them by phone tomorrow to find out exactly why they are so worthless. Anyone wants to know who they are so you can avoid their horrible communication skills and non-existent customer service in the Inland Empire, email me and I'll let you know who they are. Just dont go through Home Depot for your HVAC needs. Were it not for those toothless losers, I'd be putting water in the tank now.

Started building my electrical panel. I have 16 outlets total, with four of them switched. If I need to add another switch later, it should be pretty simple. I stole ideas from right here on RC and found a little help on some Home Improvement DIY sites regarding electrical work. Here's the first one of the panel just about done:

Here it is mounted looking into the closet from the door. BTW, the junction box is NOT yet permanently mounted:

Here it is from against the wall in the closet, looking toward the door. You'll notice the original two outlets up at the top of the picture. They will be replaced with GFCI.
http://users.adelphia.net/~jarhed/images/panel3.jpg

Picked up a vent and installed it over the door. The temp in the room, even without any machinery running, went down immediately. Should have done this when it was sitting in the back of my mind as I was putting up sheetrock. A friendly HVAC expert on another thread told me to definitely do it. Not bad for $6.95.

I also picked up some chains and eye bolts, along with some S-hooks and wide washers to hang the lights. Before I do that though, I'm trying to find a vent hose that will fit around my square 4" light fan so I can duct the hot air to the attic.

Be back soon with more pics!