Rhodes19's 180 build

[TheKraken]

Hey Chris!
You could attach a tube to the drain port and cap it off at the other end. then when it gets full just open it up and drain the cup. This will keep you from having to remove the cup every time and disturbing the foam head.

Ditto! I have a skimmer cup with a drain tube running over the side into a 2L bottle. I have overflowed once to date and was only protected by a long tube that drains slowly. What I need to do is add a turn valve so I can accumulate in the cup and drain daily (during feeding). If the skimmer goes nuts the skimmate gets dumped back in the tank to be pulled out latter.

 

[Rhodes19]

On the way home last night I swung by one of the lfs and saw a small emerald crab. Well, she came home with me. I'm not sure what I was thinking because it sounds like they can be hit or miss but I thought I'd give it a try. Maybe she can put a dent in the gha. My daughter asked me if I named it yet and I said "yup, "Crabby Appleton".

 

[Rhodes19]

Hey Chris!
You could attach a tube to the drain port and cap it off at the other end. then when it gets full just open it up and drain the cup. This will keep you from having to remove the cup every time and disturbing the foam head.

Ooh, that's a thought. That would stop me from taking the cup off and cleaning it all the time. Thanks Frank.

 

[Rhodes19]

I like the stand design and would like to ask a few questions if you do not mind:
* The design looks like it is based on the rainbow DIY sketchup floating on the internet. True? I like the use of 2x6" BTW.
* The sump sits directly on the floor in a water tight box?
* Did you have any problems leveling?

In the face constructed of individual 1X?" wood boards or plywood or mix?

Any pictures of the doors?

Thanks!

Hi Kraken,

Thanks for stopping by and I would be happy to answer any questions you have.

I used the 2x frame idea and the data write up that was with it. I liked the idea of it being simple to make with minimal tools and readily available material. I would like to have done a nice stand like DonW is working on by I didn't know how to do it nor did I have the skill for it yet. I like wood working, I just don't know as much as I want. You can make the stand from mostly 2x4s but the top frame needs to be a wider 2x depending on the tank size/gallon and on the length of unsupported openings. It was pretty easy to figure out.

The sump sits on top of a 3/4" piece of plywood and the stand sits on top/attached to it as well. You don't need the plywood bottom but I wanted an area to catch any spills or "small overflows" before it goes onto my wife's floor. LOL. The plywood bottom was glued and screwed to the bottom of the frame, I chalked the inside and then painted it with a 2 part marine epoxy paint a friend gave me. Any spilled water gets tossed. The rest of the inside of the stand was painted with left over Kilz to seal the wood. I really didn't have any leveling problems. I made sure the floor was level, I made sure the wood was straight as possible, I measured twice and cut once and I tried to make the joints as tight as possible. There was a slight (maybe 1/8") off front to back so we shimmed the front of the tank with wood shims. Probably didn't have to shim it but I wanted to be as close as possible.

The face I made with 1x select pine boards and used pocket hole screws and glue to hold it together. I then used some brad nails to attach the face to the 2xs.

No doors yet. But I'm going to work on that. I'm looking at either cutting raised panel doors on my table saw or, make wooden frames and having my wife make some stained glass panels (used to be her hobby) for them and have them back lite. I also need to work on making a nice canopy too. I have the lights and reflectors but am short on time. I'll just have to plan on spending a full Saturday and Sunday in the garage at some point. LOL

 

[Rhodes19]

Ditto! I have a skimmer cup with a drain tube running over the side into a 2L bottle. I have overflowed once to date and was only protected by a long tube that drains slowly. What I need to do is add a turn valve so I can accumulate in the cup and drain daily (during feeding). If the skimmer goes nuts the skimmate gets dumped back in the tank to be pulled out latter.

Hi Kraken,

That is an excellent idea. You get the best of both worlds. Overflowing stays in the sump and not on the floor, and the skimmate gets drained off into a bottle so you don't have to remove the collection cup all the time. Ok, I know what I'll be doing. Thanks.

 

[TheKraken]

That is an excellent idea. You get the best of both worlds. Overflowing stays in the sump and not on the floor, and the skimmate gets drained off into a bottle so you don't have to remove the collection cup all the time. Ok, I know what I'll be doing. Thanks.

My collection cup is side drilled which is handy in that it clears the sump rim but I get a good 1" of perma gunk. I will be bottom drilling the next one. The trick is finding a low profile fitting that does not interfere with the skimmer body and has barbed fittings.

 

[Rhodes19]

So, we are sitting at the kitchen table after dinner last night and every one is watching the aquarium. After a few minutes my wife asks "When did you get the new coral banded shrimp"? I didn't.?? I guess the death of my coral banded shrimp has been grossly exaggerated. There he was hanging upside down in his favorite cave. Apparently he molted and the antennae came of with the shell. I've never seen that happen before. I'm glad he is still around, I just wish he would come out of hiding more often and show himself off.

 

[Rhodes19]

My collection cup is side drilled which is handy in that it clears the sump rim but I get a good 1" of perma gunk. I will be bottom drilling the next one. The trick is finding a low profile fitting that does not interfere with the skimmer body and has barbed fittings.

My cup has a bottom hole with a connection for a tube that came with it. I'll have to run the tube up and over the sump by about 2" though but still, even with that I can still drain the cup.

 

[Rhodes19]

It was a nice Christmas and a New Year. My oldest daughter and son in law came down for New Years and took me shopping for my birthday/Christmas presents. We went to a lfs and we picked out a nice Christmas wrasse and then we went to a local reefer's and picked out some nice corals.

The wrasse got named Noel instead of Christmas because the 6 line wrasse my younger daughter got me last year was named Christmas. Hmmm, I'm sensing a theme here.

Here is Noel in the QT

Here are the corals we picked out.

Season's Greetings monti

Golden eye chalice (not a great picture)

Pink poci

Cali tort

They are all pretty corals. The pink poci is under a 20K mh so the pink doesn't show off as well but I can change that later.

 

[Rhodes19]

I got to play with my skimmer yesterday. I made a 6" stand from some plastic that Frankie gave me and raised the skimmer from 10" to 8" in depth. Its nothing fancy and I did clean it up up before it went into the sump.

It looks like I have more bubble formation in the chamber.

Here is some skimmate its pulling.

I was going to put a tube on the drain on the collection cup and put a valve on it so I could drain the collection cup without having to take it off. However, it requires a 7/16" ID and Lowes/Home Depot carry 3/8" then 1/2" ID so I will have to look on line to find the tube in the right ID.

 

[Rhodes19]

Here is a pic of the green acro I brought home about 6 months ago

And here it is today.

Purple Joker about 2 months ago.

And today.

 

[NanoReefer411]

Hi Chris. You have some really nice frags! I love the Season's Greeting frag. I would love to have some of that someday! I love your wrasse as well. =) You have some great growth on those acros!

 

[Krish]

Looking good Chris!!

 

[Rhodes19]

Hi Chris. You have some really nice frags! I love the Season's Greeting frag. I would love to have some of that someday! I love your wrasse as well. =) You have some great growth on those acros!

Thanks Gina. If I can get the frags to grow out to the point I can frag them, I'll send you some.

 

[Rhodes19]

Looking good Chris!!

Thanks. I'm hoping to go back in about a month and get a few more frags. A mummy eye and scroll is looking good.

 

[Rhodes19]

Here is a little better view of the golden eye chalice. Still blurry.

And a FTS from last night.

 

[NanoReefer411]

That would be awesome Chris! We could send one another corals. =)

 

[Krish]

That FTS is neat Chris! Looks cool with the different light spectrums.

 

[Rhodes19]

That would be awesome Chris! We could send one another corals. =)

You have my attention!!! I need to get these babies grown out a bit more and get more of them.

 

[Rhodes19]

That FTS is neat Chris! Looks cool with the different light spectrums.

Thanks krish,

Its funny how it shows up like that when I take the picture. In real life, it doesn't look so contrasting.