125 gallon build log

[neilanh]

So, the secret to the background is lots of oil. Never realized that the oil not only adhered the background to the glass, but also lubed the air bubbles so they can get out easier. Go figure!

Background isn't 100% perfect yet, the edges are still lifting a bit, I'll finish those up later. Was anxious to get it up on the stand and start working the light hanging fixtures (thats why it's pulled away from the wall).

Size reference included in this one.

[Zagz]

Background looks good, imagine it with some gorgeous discus in there!

[neilanh]

So, UPS reports my lights are on the truck for delivery. Time to get busy today, as I've been taking my week off to be more lazy than productive.

I don't know who originally came up with this idea, but I got the idea from another member of GWAPA that shared with us how to do it, so I take no credit.

I'm hanging 2 36" TEK 4x39W lighting fixtures over this beast, and here's how I'm doing it.

Supplies (everything you can find at lowe's or home depot):
4 10' 1/2" electrical conduit tubing
8 "2 hole strap" (as they're called) to hold the conduit in place
Tube Cutter
1/2" aluminum Hand bender
Tape Measure
Sharpie
4 eye bolts
chain of choice
S-hooks

First, 1 piece of conduit and the tools needed. The large "thingy" is the hand bender (although you use your foot, shouldn't it be a foot bender?)



Mark off where you want the bend. I want the conduit to run right around the 6' mark. So, I marked off 4' and set the edge of the bender to that point, and bent.



Repeat for the remaining conduit



Next, stand one up next to the tank and check the height. I ended up 6" higher than I wanted. So, I trimmed 6" off the bottoms of each of them. I wasn't sure the radius the curve was going to be, so I made sure there would be slack at each end to play with.



Now, check the bend radii on all of them for consistency. As you can see, I have 1 piece that wasn't straight when I bought it. Lesson learned, check that at the store. I was able to manipulate it into place using my knee, however.



Now, this left me very long on the top side, so I had to trim off 25". I targeted to have the end of the conduit match up with the front edge of the tank. I may adjust this later a few more inches to protect my eyes and forehead, but don't want to get too far ahead before the lights arrive.

So, here they are, ready for the lights. I can't attach them to the stand yet, again need to verify everything once I have the lights before I start drilling holes. Here you can also see the "2-hole straps" I'll be using to attach to the stand.



Hopefully the lights get here soon. I'd love to have these hung tonight, but I doubt it. Weather isn't cooperating, as I plan to paint the conduit black to match the chain I selected and the color of the lighting fixtures. Lots of ice came last night, and I don't know that the wife would appreciate my painting in the garage. We'll have to see.

I'll finish this write up as I finish out the project showing how I'll actually set this up and hang the lighting from it. Just need the lights to arrive. Wait, did you hear that? Was that the UPS man? Oh, nope, not him.

Since I was waiting, I went ahead and cut eggcrate to mask the bottom of the tank. I plan on using some rocks, one of which is over 40 pounds, so this is just for my peace of mind that a point is going to get down to the glass.

[neilanh]

Completed the hanging, the conduit has been painted and is outside drying. Here's the first one that went up. Minor adjustment to do to the left side conduit, as you can see it's not perfectly straight. I'll correct that when it goes back on after painting is complete.



Before paint I trimmed 6" off each of the fronts, and I'll pick up some black rubber caps to go over the ends. That should complete the project. Pics when it's all up. I'll also post pics of the attachments in the back.

[David14259]

Looking good. What about lowering the lights a bit more so you don't have as much leaking over the side?

I'm anxious to see it with the black.

[Purrbox]

Looks very nice. I like that idea for hanging the lights. How's it fasted to the stand/wall/etc? You could also add a couple of hooks that would allow you to quickly shorten the chains by creating a loop to get them out of the way for working in the aquarium.

[neilanh]

Yup, just what I'm doing. Using S-hooks allows me to hang the lights high or low within seconds.

I'll post pics of the attachment points once they're in place.

[neilanh]

Finished up the lighting this afternoon. Here's the completion of the hanging story.

I knocked off 6" from the fronts after getting the first light hung. That'll give me some headroom. After painting with just regular flat black paint, reassembled everything and got the lights hung. I also found "leg tips" which are the rubber caps at the end of the conduit. This should also ensure no cuts or bruises on my forehead.

Here's how I attached the conduit to the back of the stand using the "2-hole straps".







Attachment at the chain to conduit interface using S-hooks. Also the "Leg Tips" cap:



And, just for reference, the attachment at the lighting fixture. These lights come this way, so I didn't need to make any modifications. The rear Eyebolt that you see unscrewed is to adjust the level front to back. I'll discuss that in a bit.



The finished project:






And, as mentioned before, here's why S-hooks were used at the top. This raising of the light took me all of about 4.38 seconds:




The only issue I didn't foresee was making the lights hang level and even with one another. The weight of the power cords causes them to push to one side or another, and not just hang naturally. I can't zip-tie the cords hard in place, because that would take away the ability to easily raise and lower the lights. Any suggestions here? I can tolerate it the way it is, but would like to find an easy solution. I'm thinking velcro straps possibly.

So, that completes the hanging of the lights. Again, wasn't my idea, I stole it, but I like it very much.

[neilanh]

So, got the tank moved back against the wall and starting washing and adding substrate. Soilmaster Select Charcoal. Opted to not mix anything in, we'll see how it does. 100 pounds of the stuff, put me at around 4" uniform accross the tank. I was aiming deep, based on my experience with the Schultz, which I expect this to be very similiar to. I'll plow this stuff around into some features after the hardscape is in.

[Purrbox]

Very nicely done. Thanks for the extra detail shots on how everything is put together. As far as fastening the hooks, what about those zip strips with the hanger loop on the end. you could fasten them tight around the cords at key points, and then have a hook or some such that you attach the appropriate zip tie to depending on the height. Not sure I explained that at all well.