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7' Tank Build

33K views 186 replies 35 participants last post by  BrendanMc 
#1 ·
Yes, it's finally starting! To those of you unfamiliar with the mighty tank I acquired, here is a picture of it: (my snowboard on top as a comparison)



Custom tank, 7'x1'x1'. Will be housing a species-only Saulosi tank, about 20-30 of them.

Tonight I go out to buy wood, and with the wood the stand will be born!

I'll post pictures of progress later tonight :thumb:
 
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#152 ·
vann59 said:
cantrell00 said:
Dominateprimate said:
does this tank have any braces on the top? Just wondering. Hope it's not a dumb question...
Doesn't. I think I remember him debating the need to add some..
Well you know, with this being a shallow 7' tank, it might be wise to add braces. How thick is the glass?
No braces, and I doubt there is any need to add any. The glass is quite thick, close to 1/2". I haven't done a "wet test" yet but I doubt there will be any bowing.

I really wanted to get some work done on this today, so I went to several lumber yards. Apparently today is national "terrible wood day" and I didn't want my canopy to be made with some of the worst wood I've seen in quite some time. I'm going to be heading out to the lumber yard(s) again as soon as possible to get good wood! Also looking at lighting for 4 hours today, definitely going with the CFLs!
 
#154 ·
The King Crabb said:
No braces, and I doubt there is any need to add any. The glass is quite thick, close to 1/2". I haven't done a "wet test" yet but I doubt there will be any bowing.
Ok, that sounds good. With it being only a foot deep, you may not have any bowing. If you make the canopy to allow easy access, it should be an easy tank to keep.
 
#155 ·
Clink51 said:
any updates dude?

:popcorn:
Sadly not yet :( I've been away for Thanksgiving so I had no opportunities to work this week, but I did have an epiphany! I've decided that I'm going to add doors to the bottom section! I realized I had almost all the supplies (at least enough to make a smaller test door) and I'm going to tinker with the idea a bit. I was hoping to get wood today, but the 1x4s (main wood in canopy) weren't looking like very good option; I'm going to check it out when I get some more supplies for the doors!
 
#166 ·
SO SO SO sorry about this huge delay, I've been unbelievably busy lately (one of my teachers deleted me from the system, I basically did 3 months of schooling over again). I plan to start the canopy on Thursday, I've already purchased all the wood. I've got some wiring that I found in my house but it looks like just about the most heavy duty wiring in the world, is that a bad thing? I will be getting the sockets soon, I've been shopping for them so I now just what I want. Does it matter where I attach them to the sockets, so long as it's on one of the two dedicated spots for wiring?

I had a bit of an accidental experiment the other day, a lamp fell into my 29G fry tank (don't worry, the fry weren't electrocuted). Amazingly, the lamp still works and the only thing that doesn't is the bulb. So this got me thinking that I might not even need anything covering my 5 CFLs, thoughts on that? If I do need to cover them would a 5"x5" piece of acrylic just under the bulb do the job?
 
#167 ·
The King Crabb said:
SO SO SO sorry about this huge delay, I've been unbelievably busy lately (one of my teachers deleted me from the system, I basically did 3 months of schooling over again). I plan to start the canopy on Thursday, I've already purchased all the wood. I've got some wiring that I found in my house but it looks like just about the most heavy duty wiring in the world, is that a bad thing? I will be getting the sockets soon, I've been shopping for them so I now just what I want. Does it matter where I attach them to the sockets, so long as it's on one of the two dedicated spots for wiring?
Not cure if I am following you here..

I had a bit of an accidental experiment the other day, a lamp fell into my 29G fry tank (don't worry, the fry weren't electrocuted). Amazingly, the lamp still works and the only thing that doesn't is the bulb. So this got me thinking that I might not even need anything covering my 5 CFLs, thoughts on that? If I do need to cover them would a 5"x5" piece of acrylic just under the bulb do the job?
Will there be glass lids on the tank? Will the canopy be completely enclosed?
 
#168 ·
The King Crab, there is no need to apologize. Work at your own pace. Don't worry about people asking for updates. Post when you feel like it. After all, you are kind enough to share your experience with us. Whatever you share with us is like a gift and we should treat it as such and not expect anything. All that being said, I am looking forward to seeing the finished project because it is such a cool and unique tank.

I don't have any advice on diy lighting.
 
#169 ·
Nope I say we tar & feather him! :x :lol: :wink:

Glad to hear the build is still a go, thought maybe something had happened. Nice to see you back again as well.
 
#170 ·
cantrell00 said:
The King Crabb said:
SO SO SO sorry about this huge delay, I've been unbelievably busy lately (one of my teachers deleted me from the system, I basically did 3 months of schooling over again). I plan to start the canopy on Thursday, I've already purchased all the wood. I've got some wiring that I found in my house but it looks like just about the most heavy duty wiring in the world, is that a bad thing? I will be getting the sockets soon, I've been shopping for them so I now just what I want. Does it matter where I attach them to the sockets, so long as it's on one of the two dedicated spots for wiring?
Not cure if I am following you here..

I had a bit of an accidental experiment the other day, a lamp fell into my 29G fry tank (don't worry, the fry weren't electrocuted). Amazingly, the lamp still works and the only thing that doesn't is the bulb. So this got me thinking that I might not even need anything covering my 5 CFLs, thoughts on that? If I do need to cover them would a 5"x5" piece of acrylic just under the bulb do the job?
Will there be glass lids on the tank? Will the canopy be completely enclosed?
When you look at the sockets there are two screws, correct? And there are two wires, the white one and the black one. Does it matter which screw each color of wire goes on?

And no, there will be no glass lid on top if the tank if I can help it! The price estimation on it was more than the tank so I'm hoping to be able to skip it :lol:
 
#171 ·
The King Crabb said:
cantrell00 said:
The King Crabb said:
SO SO SO sorry about this huge delay, I've been unbelievably busy lately (one of my teachers deleted me from the system, I basically did 3 months of schooling over again). I plan to start the canopy on Thursday, I've already purchased all the wood. I've got some wiring that I found in my house but it looks like just about the most heavy duty wiring in the world, is that a bad thing? I will be getting the sockets soon, I've been shopping for them so I now just what I want. Does it matter where I attach them to the sockets, so long as it's on one of the two dedicated spots for wiring?
Not cure if I am following you here..

I had a bit of an accidental experiment the other day, a lamp fell into my 29G fry tank (don't worry, the fry weren't electrocuted). Amazingly, the lamp still works and the only thing that doesn't is the bulb. So this got me thinking that I might not even need anything covering my 5 CFLs, thoughts on that? If I do need to cover them would a 5"x5" piece of acrylic just under the bulb do the job?
Will there be glass lids on the tank? Will the canopy be completely enclosed?
When you look at the sockets there are two screws, correct? And there are two wires, the white one and the black one. Does it matter which screw each color of wire goes on?

And no, there will be no glass lid on top if the tank if I can help it! The price estimation on it was more than the tank so I'm hoping to be able to skip it :lol:
OHHH.. Ok..

It doesn't really matter, no. It would only matter if you were wiring a grounded circuit. If it were grounded, you would have to make sure that the ground wire was attached to the ground prong on the plug end.

The only thing I fear with these lights in the canopy is condensation accumulating in the socket of the lamp. If you have plenty of air circulation in your canopy, it shouldn't be a issue though..
 
#172 ·
cantrell00 said:
The only thing I fear with these lights in the canopy is condensation accumulating in the socket of the lamp. If you have plenty of air circulation in your canopy, it shouldn't be a issue though..
Could this help the situation? http://www.lowes.com/pd_158898-1571-201 ... facetInfo=

Or this? http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R ... key=Search

The one at Lowes is weather resistant and the one at Home Depot is weather proof, I'd prefer to get the Home Depot one but I can't find it in the store, would the Lowes one still work with the acrylic condensation guards?

Quick update- The framing is being built! No pictures could be put up yet so I'll put them on later when I have a little more time :)
 
#173 ·
The King Crabb said:
And no, there will be no glass lid on top if the tank if I can help it! The price estimation on it was more than the tank so I'm hoping to be able to skip it :lol:
If you would like to have lids to keep them from jumping out and slow water loss, I would suggest you get some thin lexan sheeting from a home improvement store. I had some in the garage and used it to make my own lids, and they work great, and are very light and easy to handle. So much better than glass lids. You don't need to make hinges, they lift out very easily, so just attach a grab tab, or cut a finger hole in each one. You can cut lexan with a straight edge and a razor knife (by scoring it repeatedly and breaking on the deep cut line), or use a jigsaw for almost any kind of special cut. It will never break or wear out.
 
#174 ·
vann59 said:
The King Crabb said:
And no, there will be no glass lid on top if the tank if I can help it! The price estimation on it was more than the tank so I'm hoping to be able to skip it :lol:
If you would like to have lids to keep them from jumping out and slow water loss, I would suggest you get some thin lexan sheeting from a home improvement store. I had some in the garage and used it to make my own lids, and they work great, and are very light and easy to handle. So much better than glass lids. You don't need to make hinges, they lift out very easily, so just attach a grab tab, or cut a finger hole in each one. You can cut lexan with a straight edge and a razor knife (by scoring it repeatedly and breaking on the deep cut line), or use a jigsaw for almost any kind of special cut. It will never break or wear out.
Did they warp over time? I have considered these for my tanks in my fish room but feared they would warp?
 
#176 ·
The King Crabb said:
As to wiring the lighting, could anybody draw me a diagram or explain how each wire will connect to each bulb socket, how the wiring then continues, how to end a circuit, and how to make a plug on the end?
Ground? 2 wire or 3 wire?

If 2 wire - black & white wire will go to the two wire lugs on the back of the bulb mount and also the two prongs on the plug.

If 3 wire - the green wire will go to the ground lug on the bulb mount and the ground prong on the plug.

You really can't hook it up wrong assuming you keep the ground prong on the plug isolated to the ground lug on the bulb mount.
 
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