Jestersix

In the beginning...

I'm excited, I've got @jestersix coming to do my scape in less than 2 weeks. I guess I've got to get the tank cleaned out then.
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Oh yeah, he's also doing @Vhuang168's scape the same day so he should finally have some progress again too. ;)
 
I've been thinking lately about the height I'll place my lighting at. About how high do you guys have your lights above your tank? In my current setup they're hanging about 10" above the water but I can move them. The design I'm looking at building is more of a fixed height. Is there a prime height that you've found that is close to the water but also allows for maintenance?
 
Flagg37 said:
I've been thinking lately about the height I'll place my lighting at. About how high do you guys have your lights above your tank? In my current setup they're hanging about 10" above the water but I can move them. The design I'm looking at building is more of a fixed height. Is there a prime height that you've found that is close to the water but also allows for maintenance?
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I don't know about the "prime" height, but for reference, the base of my two radion XR15w lights are about 7" from the water line using ecotech mounting arms. Allows me to still use a 2G bucket to cleanly pour in without a problem and reach all the corners of my tank without issue. But this is probably more of a factor of tank and physical light dimensions than anything.
 
Flagg37 said:
I've been thinking lately about the height I'll place my lighting at. About how high do you guys have your lights above your tank? In my current setup they're hanging about 10" above the water but I can move them. The design I'm looking at building is more of a fixed height. Is there a prime height that you've found that is close to the water but also allows for maintenance?
Click to expand...
With rimless, you need very little space for simple maintenance, so as low as 6" can work. (10" is a lot better though)
But you will always want the ability to move the lights out of the way for adding rock and serious work.
My current lights have 0", and I always move them. That also keeps the jumpers in.
Simple tilt up for maintenance, and removal for serious work.
 
Here's the latest.
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I removed the doors for better access and for the pictures.
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Close up of the skimmer section. I cut out the lid so it fits nicely. The collection cup is easily removed without having to remove the lid.
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This is the refugium section. It's got the 4" Marine Pure block in it for added biological filtration. The two 200w heaters are mounted on the wall just under the weir so there's always a good amount of flow going around them. There's also the pH and salinity probe that are held in place by the lid.
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Here's the plumbing. Left most is the main drain with the gate valve, middle is the emergency drain, and the right one is the return with the chech valve. The COR hasn't come out yet so it's incomplete (Grrr). The temperature probe is in the very first chamber so that it reads the display tank's temperature before it flows into the refugium where the heaters are.

Each of the chambers has a lid for it that has been recessed so that it fits in place and has holes drilled for the plumbing, probes, and such to hopefully keep down on evaporation.
 
> The temperature probe is in the very first chamber so that it reads the display tank's temperature before it flows into the refugium where the heaters are.
You don't really want that.
If return pump stops, heaters and sensors are in disconnected areas.
 
rygh said:
> The temperature probe is in the very first chamber so that it reads the display tank's temperature before it flows into the refugium where the heaters are.
You don't really want that.
If return pump stops, heaters and sensors are in disconnected areas.
Click to expand...
If the return pump stops then the temperature of the first chamber where the probe is will slowly drop causing the apex to turn on the heaters. The refugium chamber where the heaters are will get warmer but the internal thermostat of the heater itself will be set a degree or so above what the apex sets it at so that it will turn off the heater on its own.
 
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I got the door mounted today over my access panel. Before it was just open. So now it won't get nearly as much dust in there while I'm working.

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I also got some equipment mounted. I think I'll have to enclose that electrical box since I've got the DOS in there. Before it was only cables but now there's water in there. I'm glad I've been able to get this stuff out of my stand where it was originally slated to go. This makes it so much more accessible. The DOS barely fit. It has an extra 1/16" between the front of it and the back of the door when it's closed.
 
Nice woodworking as usual.
If nothing else, clean up the electrical box so it looks nice.
Have you tried closing the door with big clunky plugs in the Apex? That seems tight also.
Legal garage fire resistance rating? It was a pain for me when I went through the wall.
 
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