Reefing on a Budget: 75g Tank Build
- Thread starter Travis L. Stevens
- Start date
I know I'm late in this thread, but I was wondering how tall is the canopy? How high is the lighting from the surface of water? I'm trying to figure out how tall I want to build my canopy for my 55gal. I'm debating on making an open top like yours, or making an open front.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7900245#post7900245 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Thanks Dustin. It never really left my mind. I look at it nearly every day waiting to move so we can set it up. I just got tired of not making any progress, and I started asking around for a little help. Of course as you can guess, Steve said come on over and I'll help you with the acrylic work. This was a huge benefit to me. For starters, Steve has all the good power tools. I just have a Dremel Tool and a Drill
On top of that, Steve has a little experience putting some stuff together, the clamps to do it with, and most of all the skill and knowledge. Honestly, I'll say that the whole skimmer was built by him. I want to help so badly, but it's just one of those projects that it would be nice to have help, but it's a one man job. So, instead, I took the time to take pictures since I didn't the first day.You know, I'm not too sure. Less than 12" and more than 4"
I'll have to measure that when I get home. If you are looking for help on your canopy, it depends on what lighting. If you want Metal Halides, then you'll want a taller canopy. Also, if you are building the canopy from scratch, then always make it taller than you need. You can always add pieces of wood or some other ingenius way to lower the lights closer to the surface of the water, but you can't do the opposite.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Okay, here is the progress on the Downdraft Skimmer that we have made thus far.
Day 1
The first day of the project wasn't really anything special. It was a matter of taking my designs and diagrams, affixing proper dimensions, cutting the pieces, and putting the body together. We also played and experimented on a lot of things. All work and no play makes Steve and Travis dull boys
First, you have to have the most sophisticated work area and equipment that money can buy
After all the cutting and such, we put the body together.
The rest of the night, we experimented with a few things, dug through the scrap heap for odds and ends, and much more. On top of that, Steve's wife makes a mean Taco Soup
Day 1
The first day of the project wasn't really anything special. It was a matter of taking my designs and diagrams, affixing proper dimensions, cutting the pieces, and putting the body together. We also played and experimented on a lot of things. All work and no play makes Steve and Travis dull boys
First, you have to have the most sophisticated work area and equipment that money can buy
After all the cutting and such, we put the body together.
The rest of the night, we experimented with a few things, dug through the scrap heap for odds and ends, and much more. On top of that, Steve's wife makes a mean Taco Soup
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Day 2
About the same amount of progress was done last night, but the progress was taking shape and made it seem like we did a noticable amount of work. First thing that we did was put the skimmer bottom together. It was a simple job none the less.
After bottom was clamped down and drying, we began the fun yet crucial part: the skimmer top and neck. After rummaging around the scrap piles Steve had, we found out that the inner tube of a SeaClone skimmer fits perfectly around a 2" PVC pipe.
Of course, the skimmer neck would be far too tall for my application and would need to be cut down to size later.
To be continued......
About the same amount of progress was done last night, but the progress was taking shape and made it seem like we did a noticable amount of work. First thing that we did was put the skimmer bottom together. It was a simple job none the less.
After bottom was clamped down and drying, we began the fun yet crucial part: the skimmer top and neck. After rummaging around the scrap piles Steve had, we found out that the inner tube of a SeaClone skimmer fits perfectly around a 2" PVC pipe.
Of course, the skimmer neck would be far too tall for my application and would need to be cut down to size later.
To be continued......
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Day 2 (Continued)
After the previous night's experimenting, we found that a heat gun applied to the top piece will make it flexible enough that we can use some homemade clamps and an extra piece of PVC to push out a bulge in the top part of the skimmer. The idea is that the bulge will force the bubbles to go up and in to the skimmer neck. I've seen a lot of Downdraft Skimmer designs, and a lot of them have had trouble with bubbles becoming trapped in places where the neck attaches to the skimmer body top. Here is the push-out that we did.
Top
Bottom
Side
Angle
Now that that is done, we then began to drill the holes. Steve accidently brought home the wrong size hole saw, so he used a dremel tool instead.
After the drilling for the skimmer neck riser, we then drilled for the bulkhead that connects the tank's drain pipe into the body of the skimmer
Finally, we tried out a little experiment to see if Weld-On 16 will hold the PVC to the Acrylic top. So far, so good.
Tonight, we'll be putting the skimmer top on the skimmer body, and finding a way to attach the skimmer bottom to the skimmer body. From there, it's just a few small odds and ends, and it'll be time to put the skimmer on the tank!
After the previous night's experimenting, we found that a heat gun applied to the top piece will make it flexible enough that we can use some homemade clamps and an extra piece of PVC to push out a bulge in the top part of the skimmer. The idea is that the bulge will force the bubbles to go up and in to the skimmer neck. I've seen a lot of Downdraft Skimmer designs, and a lot of them have had trouble with bubbles becoming trapped in places where the neck attaches to the skimmer body top. Here is the push-out that we did.
Top
Bottom
Side
Angle
Now that that is done, we then began to drill the holes. Steve accidently brought home the wrong size hole saw, so he used a dremel tool instead.
After the drilling for the skimmer neck riser, we then drilled for the bulkhead that connects the tank's drain pipe into the body of the skimmer
Finally, we tried out a little experiment to see if Weld-On 16 will hold the PVC to the Acrylic top. So far, so good.
Tonight, we'll be putting the skimmer top on the skimmer body, and finding a way to attach the skimmer bottom to the skimmer body. From there, it's just a few small odds and ends, and it'll be time to put the skimmer on the tank!
joshuasamuels
New member
That scaffolding design for your aquascaping looks like its going to be great. I have been debating (with myself) how to secure the aquascaping for my 90 gallon. Your design may be a winner (albeit a bit pricey)... Since the weight is spread across the whole bottom of the tank, you think you could use smaller PVC (say half inch)? It would hide better under the sand and the piping would at least be a bit cheaper, right? I dunno, what do you think?
Joshua
Joshua
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Joshua, the PVC that I have is still a .5" PVC. In fact, even though I dropped a whopping $50.00 on PVC that won't really be used except for support, the total amount of rock I'll be putting in there will still only cost about $0.50 per pound with the price of the PVC included. The $50 in PVC wasn't what I expected as being budget-friendly, but it will be worth it for a unique aquascaping.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Day 3
Last night was a short and sweet episode. All that we could really do was drill the hole for the pins, attach the top piece to the skimmer body, and the last side of the bottom to the bottom piece. Tonight, I'll take it home, drill the skimmer drain, and hook it all up!!! Here are some progress pictures. Nothin' really special
Here is the top being clamped on to the skimmer body. The top piece was slightly warped from being heated and pushed on, but the clamps took care of it.
Here is the last side of the bottom clamped down and gluing. You can see the skimmer body to the left of it.
Last night was a short and sweet episode. All that we could really do was drill the hole for the pins, attach the top piece to the skimmer body, and the last side of the bottom to the bottom piece. Tonight, I'll take it home, drill the skimmer drain, and hook it all up!!! Here are some progress pictures. Nothin' really special
Here is the top being clamped on to the skimmer body. The top piece was slightly warped from being heated and pushed on, but the clamps took care of it.
Here is the last side of the bottom clamped down and gluing. You can see the skimmer body to the left of it.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Finally, the weekend is over and it's time to update. On Friday afternoon, I picked the finished skimmer up from Steve. THANKS STEVE!!!! It looks great! There were a few last minute things that I needed to do, but other than that, it works great. I needed to make pegs to keep the bottom piece on the skimmer, drill a hold for the skimmer drain, and a few other things. It turned out real nice, and wasn't much of a problem at all. In fact, making the pegs was quite fun!
First, I took some pieces of acrylic rod, cut them to size, and rounded one side.
Then, I got a bunch of equipment such as pliers to hold the acrylic, a flathead screwdriver to flatten it, a bowl of ice water, and a pot of boiling water.
I then proceeded to place the acrylic half way in the boiling water and held it in there until it became soft. I then dropped the acrylic on the counter top and used the screwdriver to flatten half of the peg. I quickly tossed it in the ice water to cool it so it would keep its shape. Tah dah! I now have pegs with a flattened end for gripping!
After getting the drain of the skimmer cut out and installed and the pegs, I went to put it in the sump, and then all sorts of problems broke loose. I mis-measured!!! DOH! The skimmer fits in the area, but not the drain that sticks out. On top of that, I can't squeeze the 1.5" drain pipe to the opening of the skimmer. No worries though, I'll just turn the stand around, cut a little recess into the stand, and call it good. I'm only off by about a half an inch. I'll have to find some ingenious way of putting the drain in though The good part is, without the ball valve and the 90º Elbow on the drain, the skimmer fits in there perfectly. I think I'll just have to toy with it to get it right. I'll post more pictures of the skimmer later.
First, I took some pieces of acrylic rod, cut them to size, and rounded one side.
Then, I got a bunch of equipment such as pliers to hold the acrylic, a flathead screwdriver to flatten it, a bowl of ice water, and a pot of boiling water.
I then proceeded to place the acrylic half way in the boiling water and held it in there until it became soft. I then dropped the acrylic on the counter top and used the screwdriver to flatten half of the peg. I quickly tossed it in the ice water to cool it so it would keep its shape. Tah dah! I now have pegs with a flattened end for gripping!
After getting the drain of the skimmer cut out and installed and the pegs, I went to put it in the sump, and then all sorts of problems broke loose. I mis-measured!!! DOH! The skimmer fits in the area, but not the drain that sticks out. On top of that, I can't squeeze the 1.5" drain pipe to the opening of the skimmer. No worries though, I'll just turn the stand around, cut a little recess into the stand, and call it good. I'm only off by about a half an inch. I'll have to find some ingenious way of putting the drain in though
The good part is, without the ball valve and the 90º Elbow on the drain, the skimmer fits in there perfectly. I think I'll just have to toy with it to get it right. I'll post more pictures of the skimmer later.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Later that night, I embarked on the arduous process of putting in the PVC rack. What started as a seemingly innocent and simple project turned into a 6 hour long dusty nightmare! The first part of cutting and building the PVC rack wasn't so bad. It took a little over an hour to do that. The bad part is, of all the pieces of PVC that I got, I missed 2 90º .5" Elbows So, I'll get to make a trip to Lowe's tonight just for that. Here it is so far!
After getting all of that done, I got to dismantle it into four pieces; one large piece on the left, one large piece on the right, one small piece of the middle bottom, and one tiny piece of the top middle. It turns out that I mis-measured a couple times. The Overall length of the rack was about 1.5" too long. The total rack fit in there, but I needed room to piece it together in the tank. So, I had to take it all out, trim a few places here and there, and place it back in the tank. Now, I put the middle/bottom piece in and connect both the left and right side to it. Now, the problem is that I have had sand in this thing for a LONG time now. When the rack sits on the sand, the rack sticks out of the aquarium. So, I had to scoop out 100lbs of loose, dry, dusty sand with an Eskimo Joes cup. Mind you, an Eskimo Joes cup can't fit between the rack and the tank bottom, nor could it fit in all the spaces of the PVC. I went through every possible way. My proudest and most embarrassing moment was thinking that are bagless vaccuum cleaner would make the job easy. Sonya had been complaining that the vaccuum hadn't worked up to par for a while anyways. So I take the vaccuum apart to clean it and get it ready for the sand. In the cleaning process, I found a clog in the hose, so I fixed that. After all of that is ready, I place the upright vaccuum in a chair, I get on the step ladder, and proceed to take the hose to the sand. I was excited that I could find a quick, easy, automated way to take the sand out. Low and behold, I found myself in a complete dust storm as the sand enters the bagless vaccuum, and the dust of the sand is sprayed out through the now clogged filter! Now it was back to square one; scooping. At least I fixed the vaccuum cleaner for Sonya Needless to say, at 2:30 am, I finally have the PVC Rack down and the bottom of the tank with the sand pushed around it. I was giving up and going to bed when I realized that I forgot to put the PVC in for the pillars!!! DOH!! That's okay though. I can work on that with the rank inside the tank. I'll ziptie the eggcrate to it at a later date though. I'll have to take pictures of what it looks like now and post them soon.
So, I'll get to make a trip to Lowe's tonight just for that. Here it is so far!
After getting all of that done, I got to dismantle it into four pieces; one large piece on the left, one large piece on the right, one small piece of the middle bottom, and one tiny piece of the top middle. It turns out that I mis-measured a couple times. The Overall length of the rack was about 1.5" too long. The total rack fit in there, but I needed room to piece it together in the tank. So, I had to take it all out, trim a few places here and there, and place it back in the tank. Now, I put the middle/bottom piece in and connect both the left and right side to it. Now, the problem is that I have had sand in this thing for a LONG time now. When the rack sits on the sand, the rack sticks out of the aquarium. So, I had to scoop out 100lbs of loose, dry, dusty sand with an Eskimo Joes cup. Mind you, an Eskimo Joes cup can't fit between the rack and the tank bottom, nor could it fit in all the spaces of the PVC. I went through every possible way. My proudest and most embarrassing moment was thinking that are bagless vaccuum cleaner would make the job easy. Sonya had been complaining that the vaccuum hadn't worked up to par for a while anyways. So I take the vaccuum apart to clean it and get it ready for the sand. In the cleaning process, I found a clog in the hose, so I fixed that. After all of that is ready, I place the upright vaccuum in a chair, I get on the step ladder, and proceed to take the hose to the sand. I was excited that I could find a quick, easy, automated way to take the sand out. Low and behold, I found myself in a complete dust storm as the sand enters the bagless vaccuum, and the dust of the sand is sprayed out through the now clogged filter! Now it was back to square one; scooping. At least I fixed the vaccuum cleaner for Sonya
Needless to say, at 2:30 am, I finally have the PVC Rack down and the bottom of the tank with the sand pushed around it. I was giving up and going to bed when I realized that I forgot to put the PVC in for the pillars!!! DOH!! That's okay though. I can work on that with the rank inside the tank. I'll ziptie the eggcrate to it at a later date though. I'll have to take pictures of what it looks like now and post them soon.joshuasamuels
New member
Nice job. I want to see your rack in the tank...you are definitely making progreess.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Okay, here are the update pictures as promised.
Here is the PVC Rack inside the aquarium. Since I still have to attach Eggcrate and put the pipes in for the pillars, archs, etc I didn't put the sand back in yet.
From the Top
From the top looking to the left
From the top looking to the right
Directly from the front
And a far shot to show what it looks like in person
Here is the PVC Rack inside the aquarium. Since I still have to attach Eggcrate and put the pipes in for the pillars, archs, etc I didn't put the sand back in yet.
From the Top
From the top looking to the left
From the top looking to the right
Directly from the front
And a far shot to show what it looks like in person
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Now, for the complete set up of the Downdraft Skimmer.
First, we have all the pieces of the skimmer. It includes: 2x Pegs; Skimmer Body with neck, drain, and input bulkhead and union; Skimmer Neck Riser; Collection Cup; and Bottom Piece.
In order to put it together, you take these "facny" little pegs that I made (see above posts).....
.....and the bottom piece.....
.....and peg the bottom in place to the Skimmer Body.
Next, you take the Skimmer Neck Riser and place it over the skimmer neck. There are a couple of notches in the skimmer riser tube for the collection cup to fit in.....
......Then line up the protrusions on the skimmer's collection cup with the notches in the riser tube, place the collection cup in, and twist to lock it in place.
First, we have all the pieces of the skimmer. It includes: 2x Pegs; Skimmer Body with neck, drain, and input bulkhead and union; Skimmer Neck Riser; Collection Cup; and Bottom Piece.
In order to put it together, you take these "facny" little pegs that I made (see above posts).....
.....and the bottom piece.....
.....and peg the bottom in place to the Skimmer Body.
Next, you take the Skimmer Neck Riser and place it over the skimmer neck. There are a couple of notches in the skimmer riser tube for the collection cup to fit in.....
......Then line up the protrusions on the skimmer's collection cup with the notches in the riser tube, place the collection cup in, and twist to lock it in place.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Finally, here is the finished product.
Downdraft Skimmer with Neck Collapsed
Downdraft Skimmer with Neck Expanded
Installed Downdraft Skimmer
Downdraft Skimmer with Neck Collapsed
Downdraft Skimmer with Neck Expanded
Installed Downdraft Skimmer
Travis L. Stevens
New member
75g Tank Statistics (Update)
Item ____________ Price _ Acquired?
75g Tank (Undrilled)........$80.........Yes
---(Thanks indoreefer)
Stand and Canopy...........$100.......Yes
---(Thanks JimmyS)
Wood for Stand/Canopy....FREE.......Yes
---(Thanks Anheuser-Busch for Gift Card)
Overflow........................FREE........Yes
---(Thanks YoungSilver)
1.5" Bulkhead.................$10..........Yes
Plumbing........................$20..........Yes
DownDraft Skimmer........$25..........Yes
---(Thanks JimmyS and poke75)
Mag 9.5 Pump................$45...........Yes
---(Thanks JasonF)
Refugium.......................$10...........Yes
(4) T5 Bulbs...................FREE.........Yes
---(Thanks Cichlid67)
Ballast...........................$30...........Yes
Basic Endcaps.................$10...........Yes
VHO Reflector.................FREE.........Yes
~150lbs of DIY Rock........$25...........No
PVC Rack.......................$50...........Yes
100lbs Pulv Limestone.....$10...........Yes
MaxiJet 1200 w/ Mod…....$20............Yes
------------------------------------------------
Total: ~$435
Elapsed Time: ~8 Months
Price per Month: ~$55 per Month
Price per Gallon: ~$5.80 per Gallon
*Prices rounded for easy math
Item ____________ Price _ Acquired?
75g Tank (Undrilled)........$80.........Yes
---(Thanks indoreefer)
Stand and Canopy...........$100.......Yes
---(Thanks JimmyS)
Wood for Stand/Canopy....FREE.......Yes
---(Thanks Anheuser-Busch for Gift Card)
Overflow........................FREE........Yes
---(Thanks YoungSilver)
1.5" Bulkhead.................$10..........Yes
Plumbing........................$20..........Yes
DownDraft Skimmer........$25..........Yes
---(Thanks JimmyS and poke75)
Mag 9.5 Pump................$45...........Yes
---(Thanks JasonF)
Refugium.......................$10...........Yes
(4) T5 Bulbs...................FREE.........Yes
---(Thanks Cichlid67)
Ballast...........................$30...........Yes
Basic Endcaps.................$10...........Yes
VHO Reflector.................FREE.........Yes
~150lbs of DIY Rock........$25...........No
PVC Rack.......................$50...........Yes
100lbs Pulv Limestone.....$10...........Yes
MaxiJet 1200 w/ Mod…....$20............Yes
------------------------------------------------
Total: ~$435
Elapsed Time: ~8 Months
Price per Month: ~$55 per Month
Price per Gallon: ~$5.80 per Gallon
*Prices rounded for easy math
nIx_tank
New member
Looks pretty good!
I am actually amazed at your patience, as I know I would have filled it a LONG time ago...lol
Good on ya!
I think that if you ever loose/break those pegs for any reason, sub them for some Lite-Brite pegs. Add a little color to your sump!
This post was made by a paid sponsor from Lite-Brite, and in no way condones the unapproved use of said items from the Lite-Brite Corp.
Thank you.
I am actually amazed at your patience, as I know I would have filled it a LONG time ago...lol
Good on ya!
I think that if you ever loose/break those pegs for any reason, sub them for some Lite-Brite pegs. Add a little color to your sump!
This post was made by a paid sponsor from Lite-Brite, and in no way condones the unapproved use of said items from the Lite-Brite Corp.
Thank you.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
:lmao: Now, if I only had a lite-brite. I guess I need to get the kids one
nIx_tank
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9171467#post9171467 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
:lmao: Now, if I only had a lite-brite. I guess I need to get the kids one
Irony enough, when I was out in UT this past Xmas, I found my old one. Still had a Tweety (? I think?) still on the board.
Too funny.
If you ever need a few pegs I am sure that I can give up some...lol
