Smite's Stout CDA- 205g acro dominant system

minus9 said:
I totally get it, especially in a living space that gets used by the entire family. The last thing you need is a behemoth structure over your tank. Check Adam's bulb selection from BattleCorals, I think it's very similar to what you listed. Having that 6500k bulb is a must for sps.
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I'll look it up! I knew he ran 6500 t5 and mh. It's be nice to know how he blends it all in with other lamps.
 
I know there's a pic of his fixture(s), maybe in one of his threads in the sponsor forum on R2R? I'll look for it.
 
Going to counter sink some magnets in the top of the panels so they line up to the top frame of the stand. Then it's paint and possibly formica on the inside. It would hide the magnets well and also potentially keep the plywood from warping over time. The outside will just be painted white.
662F2CBA-F90B-41D3-A60E-1A5643D396C6

4F10B2E8-F795-4D97-B023-69D53B04A9B6
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I added the strips of plywood inside to keep the panels level and also centered in their sections. That way the magnets are just holding the board to the stand. I'm going to router our sections on the backside for finger grips as it's very flush to the tank right now.

I used these magnets on my 180g and they worked great. Very strong and coated in some type of hard epoxy.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K6ML8HQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Following along! Was going to do something similar to skin my stand, but that's going to be the last thing I do. Can't wait to see it filled up!
 
discotu said:
Following along! Was going to do something similar to skin my stand, but that's going to be the last thing I do. Can't wait to see it filled up!
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Post up when you do it, I'd like to see how you approach it. I wish I could leave this open but little hands wouldn't be able to resist all those gadgets and water! :rollface:
 
Looks like its coming together any detail you will be adding onto the skin?


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No, I’ll just be doing a very basic stand. I don’t have the carpentry skills to match my mantle on the fireplace. There is quite a bit going on there with details, patterns and ledges. I’d figure it’s best to just go plain rather than trying to match that.
 
I picked up a 10x54w t5 power module today. It came with brand new reflectors, the catch? The protective plastic sat on there far too long an made them impossible to pull off. Literally tiny crumbs after minutes of work. I tried wd40 to loosen them up. That actually helped some but still a pain and everything was slippery. So I sprayed a citrus based cleaner on top of the blue plastic, I got from the PO. After sitting for a moment I went to start peeling, not hoping for much but it made all the difference. Still very difficult and left all the glue on the reflectors but I was able to get all the blue film off in decent sized pieces. It seems to rehydrate the blue film enough to hold together.



10 reflectors took me about 2 hours of solid work and 4 IPAs. I was left with what I thought were stains/tarnish. WD didn’t pull them out, the spray didn’t pull it out. What did? My IPA soaked spit and those blue shop towels, a literal spit shin. I’ll be surprised if me fingers can pick me undies out me bum tomorrow but hell, she’s looking purdy!

The demoed reflectors

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And ready to grow some sticks!



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This fixture is pretty heavy. I’m gonna weigh it tomorrow but it’s gotta be in the 40lb ball park.

One fan isn’t working so that’s on the to do but all ballasts fired right up. My new lamps arrive from premium aquatics tomorrow.
 
Wow that's a big light! You can use it as a tanning bed too lol.. I loved my t5 setup on my old tank. You won't be disappointed.
 
Yeah, it's a beast for sure. I had a 6 lamp powermodule for a while on my 100g, and a 8x54 on that same tank later. That tank did very well so I should be good.
 
Very nice! Curious, how accessible is the back right corner of your tank for maintenance? I love these deep tanks but realized it might be tough to get in the back for delicate scaping or if a frag falls in the back and you can't reach it with grabbers. I thought i might have to build scaffolding so i can get to the back of my tank lol.
 
Galantra said:
It turned out really clean love the groves. It stays on solid?


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Click to expand...

Oh yeah, that’s why I put the grooves. There was a momentary “uh oh” moment when I mocked it all up without grooves . I had to pull the side then work my way around since it sat so flush.

I consider it child proof. My 7 year old would have a hard time getting a panel pulled back. I’d say it’s about a 15-20lb pull.
 
discotu said:
Very nice! Curious, how accessible is the back right corner of your tank for maintenance? I love these deep tanks but realized it might be tough to get in the back for delicate scaping or if a frag falls in the back and you can't reach it with grabbers. I thought i might have to build scaffolding so i can get to the back of my tank lol.
Click to expand...

It's going to be step stool work for sure. That is the main reason I've decided to go with the ATI power module and stepped away from the canopy. I need full access to have a shot reaching back there. The overall height is short which helps. 60" to top of glass.
 
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