phisigs79 July 22, 2008 Share July 22, 2008 Whats the total cost so far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 22, 2008 Author Share July 22, 2008 Whats the total cost so far? After the cloth it jumped to $98.something or other I have to look. And I still need crow modling . I have some extra stuff I can return but I don't think it's going to be enough to cover the cost of the crown molding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 22, 2008 Author Share July 22, 2008 I've completed one eductor... is there any way to know if I'm really getting better flow with or with out it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf July 22, 2008 Share July 22, 2008 I've completed one eductor... is there any way to know if I'm really getting better flow with or with out it? cross your fingers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 22, 2008 Author Share July 22, 2008 well i think im going to end up a little short i though i had an old won brothers titanium heater sitting around but i cant seem to find it. so we'l have to buy a heater and unless i find some one selling a 200 watt heater for under 2$ i'll break budget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctenophore July 23, 2008 Share July 23, 2008 If you can wait a few months (and I suspect you won't need a heater for a while yet) I will bring you one or two from FL, for free. With that Mag 12 you may never need a heater, unless the room air temp falls to something like 60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 23, 2008 Author Share July 23, 2008 (edited) Wow I don't know what we're going to do if the tank over heats, I fear it might be doomed to craigstlist or the sales board if it does. Edited July 23, 2008 by jason the filter freak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dschflier July 23, 2008 Share July 23, 2008 Well I am working a mid shift and for the first time decided to look at what you are trying to do. I didn't read it real closely so I am not exactly sure what you might need, but I am sure if you want to come by I have a bunch of stuff I would be happy to give you. I think I have at least one overflow, heaters, power heads, I have at least one ballast for power compacts and many NO lights. I have other things as well. I am not sure if you are aware but when I first started selling stuff, when I used to buy and sell tanks you where my first customer. LMK if you want to come by. david Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 23, 2008 Author Share July 23, 2008 (edited) The overflow that bob gave me came with just a single overflow pipe, no back up ... TIME TO MOD! NEWBIE TIP: When drilling and cutting acrylic it is important to take it slow, acrylic melts easily and will bind up blades and you can ruin the cutting tool or the project you're working on. This is what the over flow had looked like, well sans the second bulk head thats my doing. I wanted to add a durso stand pipe and a back up drain but the durso was going to be too big (above). So a PVC cutter later I have a compact durso (below). Compact drain installed Just enough space for durso, back up drain, and overflow tube. So I was thinking whats the best way to control the water level in the overflow. Here is what I cane up with: A quick twist and I can open and close the hole and control air intake and there for the water level. Edited February 4, 2009 by jason the filter freak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phisigs79 July 23, 2008 Share July 23, 2008 NEWBIE TIP: When drilling never drill a round object or any object at that on your leg unless you want to have a hole in your leg and enjoy emergency room visits! That photo looked like it could of turned out bad if that drill slipped! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 23, 2008 Author Share July 23, 2008 Remember the Dremmer, Barbed fitting, and overflow tube? Here's what became of that project. The barb is surrounded by a mixture of superglue and PVC pipe compound which hardens readily and works well for sealing small gaps under low pressure. The main thing holding it in is pvc cement though the mixture was just to fill in pin hole size gaps/holes. Same story with the overflow tube except the main thing holding it in place is superglue and weldon 16. Heres the final product. I'd like to try and get a video of it in action. It works by having the tank filled and the front and rear over flow boxes filled. Basically I flip on the closed loop pump and it it creates suction. It has enough power to pull all of the air out of the overflow tube and begin the siphon, in addation I've taken a straw and blown tons of bubbles into the U tube while the over flow is running and the device pulls all of them out! It's great, if the power ever goes out the over flow can automatically restarted if there is a loss of siphon, in addition it prevent siphon breaks created by build up of bubbles in the U tube! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakaufman July 28, 2008 Share July 28, 2008 looks good so far. as far as if the tank temp gets up too high.. a cheap fan should help get it down to some extent which would be probably the best "budget" solution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lletellier July 30, 2008 Share July 30, 2008 I have to say I'm impressed... It will be intersting to see how all the super glue and cement holds up over time but heck of a setup on that budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeltwayBandit July 30, 2008 Share July 30, 2008 Wow I don't know what we're going to do if the tank over heats, I fear it might be doomed to craigstlist or the sales board if it does. Ghetto chiller... Put a clip on fan over the sump. Evap will cool your tank. That was the only 'chiller' I had on my old 120, granted it was controlled by an ACII, but you could tie it in with your lights and be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf July 30, 2008 Share July 30, 2008 How in the world have I missed this thread? You completely crack me up sometimes man. Please tell me this is going in your friends basement? That way if (when) it floods, at least it'll be easier to clean up. And this: You have my number. I have extra supplies that I "borrowed" from the hospital. I'll be able to sew that up nicely. As long as you promise to take pics of the procedure and post them on here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 30, 2008 Author Share July 30, 2008 (edited) Well the rain has caused so many delays but it's finally in it's testing phase. Watching for leaks, checking wiring, and functioning. Who'da thought this mess could become a fully functioning tank? Yea I'm standing on the deck railing and there is a 14 ft drop behind me... what of it? Had some spare egg crate laying around decieded to make something cool. You can see it above, I made a fish all that can be flipped up and down via a hinge and a 1 x 2 in the back. Brings me to probelm number two, and why I thought I needed crown molding. The board that makes the top of the hood is curved creating two problems 1 there is a gap that will allow water to rot any trim around the hood, solved that with some weather stripping I had laying around. Problem 2... looks ugly. I skipped the crown molding and went with some 1 x 3" that I found in the scrap bin at home depot $1.21 woo. I wrapped it in the same cloth from the stand panels since there was some left over. Working on the trim Cutting the cloth We used hot glue instead of staples for a smoother fit. You can see xtina installing the front piece of trim right here and the blend great with the tank and stand. Don't want the staple to rust so coated them all in paint. Looks like it's gonna work great. Edited February 6, 2009 by jason the filter freak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 31, 2008 Author Share July 31, 2008 Tank has been running since 10 am this morning and no glitches except the overflow issue is still occuring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 31, 2008 Author Share July 31, 2008 (edited) Here's a sneak peak of the tank being filled I'll put all the finals pics up tomorrow Edited February 9, 2009 by jason the filter freak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret July 31, 2008 Share July 31, 2008 Awesome build!!!!! ha ha ha Definitely fun to read! Good job Jason and Cristina! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak August 2, 2008 Author Share August 2, 2008 (edited) I didn't take all the pics I wanted or needed but here are some nice ones that I snapped off real quick with my phone as always to fulfil. I made budget technically though I wouldn't have had Lowes not messed up bad and the donations from wamas members. Total out of pocket cost $99.87 Total est cost accounting for things like hot glue, screws, wire ties, some spray paint. $120 ish still darn good. To celebrate the competion I personally bought a QT tank and added all the stuff to make it run Cost to me: $11 . With out further delay! BAM! Only 2 bulbs on, adjusted the ISO setting on my cell phone. Still two bulbs but I turned my deck lights off. If you look REALLY hard you can spot all four closed loop out puts but it's hard, thats the idea, hence why everything is painted black. Goodies under the stand, My QT tank present on the right. I'll talk more about it tomorrow. Parting shot ENJOY more comming soon! Edited February 9, 2009 by jason the filter freak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmitch August 2, 2008 Share August 2, 2008 Very cool project dude! I've attempted DIY so many times and failed that I prefer to NDIY now! Props Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak August 4, 2008 Author Share August 4, 2008 tank is up and running in its final location. pics comming soon. sand/water/and salt are all in place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak August 14, 2008 Author Share August 14, 2008 (edited) We came together and came to what we think we've determined what he wants for a stock list. 6 x Yellow Tail Blue Damsels 1 x Lawn Mower Blenny 1 x Antennata Lion Fish or Radiata Lion Fish or 2 x Misc Clowns Edited February 10, 2009 by jason the filter freak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo August 14, 2008 Share August 14, 2008 Nice build, I think your next project should be the $200 dollar frag tank build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLazar August 28, 2008 Share August 28, 2008 WOW! Well done. So glad you documented the process for others to learn from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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