DIY Projects

[blooper74]

In this thread members can post their DIY projects for the club to share. We incourage people to try the DIY projects to give them a working knowledge of how certain equipment functions in the aquarium.

So share those DIY projects or stop in to learn about a project that may suit your needs and wants. Always remember, a bad project is merely the first draft of a masterpiece

 

[blooper74]

DIY closed loop

Ok so this is what I did, to solve a prob of getting flow and a heater into a nano tank, even though this is for a nano it would work for larger systems also. The pump being used is a MJ 400 (106 gph) smallest they (MJ) make. The plumbing going in and out of the tank is made out of 1/2" CPVC. The heater chamber is made out of 2" PVC with threaded caps ( and female fittings ) I drilled and taped two 1/2 " NPT ports input ( higher ) and output (lower) used hose barb fittings , hose (3/4" in, and 1/2" out ), and hose clamps to connect the MJ to the system. To install the heater into the 2" PVC chamber I drilled a hole just large enough for the cord of the heater to go though into the top cap ( I cut off the cord end and re spliced the wires once routed thru the hole in the top cap) I tightened the bott cap totaly tight and the top cap left loose till ready to run so I could fill the chamber with water so it would prime the pump. Oh yea almost forgot, I also put a ball valve after on the MJ so I could turn down the flow to meet my needs. I also made a "safty" container out of plexy that the whole system sits in just in case the MJ develops a leak. Well hope this helps someone I haven't seen anyone do this before and thought is was a good idea to share. ENJOY!

This DIY comes from dhoffroad on http://www.nano-reef.com
Pics are copyrighted to dhoffroad.

 

[blooper74]

What kind of DIY'er are you?

I am a do-it-yourselfer to the core. I realize that not all of us have the do-re-mi for a 400g tank or the room for three or four different Nano’s. So, I put together some profiles that fit different Build It enthusiasts. Which one sounds the most like you?

Hard Core Reefer
• Believes they live in the Caribean when they actually live in Illinois...
• Routinely talks about his/her new frags or inverts to his/her boss...
• Claims to have dived to 5000 feet after spending hours working on his/her reef tanks…
• Has frag trading cards.

The Speed Freak
• Has no patience to wait to acclamate anything, must get into his/her tank ASAP...
• Has an IV drip filled with Red Bull...
• Has contacted all the major distributors/importers about overnighting live goods to his/her door step...

The Mighty Mite
• Has several small tanks in his/her house and one 100gal. that doubles as a coffee table...
• Eats off dollhouse plates and cutlery...
• Lives in an upstaits apartment and thinks he/she can have a 125gal. tank...
• Has a HomeDepot Credit Card...

The Dreamer
• Expects Rachael Ray to return his email and letters...
• Thinks he/she will have enough money some day to own a 1000 gallon reef tank...
• Puts together schematics every day for a tank he/she can never afford to build...

So, what kind are you?