Leon71

I had a very productive Saturday. I cut, routered, and drilled (for hinges) all of the doors. But damn that MDF is dusty stuff. Just a quick sanding around the edges and I can paint all the doors black. Then finish up on the top of the stand, and start staining. I should be able to do "the reveal" sometime around mid-January. All the best, Leon Oh yeah, a couple pics as well.

My attempt at a DIY stand has become somewhat of an obsession. I got the idea from Rob at Majestic Aquariums. His stands have been an inspiration for me. I've had to change a couple of things along the way, but it is well worth the effort. 5/8" plywood structure with 3/4" knotty pine laminated and biscuit jointed together. The doors will be 3/4" MDF panels sitting flush with the outside face. The FX5 just fits in one of the end compartments. I still have to stain it, put the floor in, add the doors and end panels. I have also taken the time to make the back similar to the front. Just in case it is ever going to be used as a room divider. There will be a matching canopy on top as well. I will post more pics as things progress. Thanks for looking. Leon http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j222/Leon71/HPIM0734.jpg http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j222/Leon71/HPIM0728.jpg

:welcome: to the obsession. What type of fish are you keeping? A 55gal and what are the others? Leon

Sorry, I guess I wasn't very clear. Rufus likes little fry or even bigger hybrid snacks.

So ya see, my neice has an Oscar named Rufus..................................................................end of story.

I checked a place called Memory Express on the southside and they have the Cold Cathode lights there for $20 per 12" light. I think I will get three for the 150gal. Or if that is too bright, I can always turn one off.

T5's it is. And now to decide on the "K" value of the lights. It will be a non-planted tank. Black background and Sil-9 (3mm natural gravel) substrate. Any suggestions? Thanks, Leon

Wow. You are well on your way to a beautiful display tank. I wish I had the room for an in wall tank. Live art is never the same way twice.

Thanks Jason, I talked with the guy from the shop on 81st Ave and he has 36" T5 kits for $40.00. I figure 4 bulbs should do it. Are the T5 bulbs really twice as bright as the T8? Maybe some LED moonlighting to go with it? Leon

Any suggestions on what size, brand, type & quantity of lights I should put in my canopy. It's just in the construction phase now, so I could modify if necessary. Standard 150 gal 72" long, 18" wide, and 28" tall. Oh yeah, and where I can get the lights and approx. cost. Thanks for the help, Leon

Welcome to the site... FYI, As the Auratus gets bigger, he will become very aggressive. Send him packing if you can. JMHO.

And if you don't want a second male, let me know. I would be interested in this fish. Thanks, Leon

To add to the confusion, what is the best Styrofoam to use. The white (course) stuff that you get with packaging materials, or blue (dense), or pink (mediuim density). And what thickness is recommended?

I just got back from Big Al's and I will be picking up my new 150 gal on Saturday. I feel like a kid in a candy store. :smokey: Now all I have to do is finish my custom stand and all will be good. I would have waited until the stand was done, but they are having a sale only until this Saturday. For $350.00, I could not wait.

That's awesome :drool: .....did you get your electrical sorted out?

Wibber, Thanks for the tips. I will change up the design to incorporate steel boxes. And I didn't have any green wire so I will make the grounds as bare wire. Once again, I appreciate the input. I apologize to anyone who has been misguided by the info. :bow: Please take the time to research basic wiring before attempting to do this on your own. Or, better yet, get an electrician to do it for you. Leon

Same here Vic. I "lightly" tap on the trim of the tank to signal feeding time. And then my kids are like " DON'T TAP ON THE GLASS, DAD!!!!" Can't win for losing.

Wibber, why isn't it to code? It is wired no different than having eight outlets on a 15amp breaker. There are plenty of houses wired this way. I don't think that the switches would make any difference. If I am wrong, then tell me why. Tanker, I will post a diagram once I can be sure that it meets code. Maybe some modifications are needed. Thanks, Leon.

Here's a pic of it installed. http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j222/Leo...ox/HPIM0637.jpg

I have each one labelled. I still need to download the final install picture. Just haven't got around to doing it yet.

Carol, Is this room in your basement? Are all the walls and ceilings finished? If not, the rest is cake. Add a subpanel to the fishroom. Put plugs were ever you like. This way you will keep each circuit from being overloaded.

I just installed this box on my 55gal. I was so tired of unplugging the filter and the heater for doing water changes. So I made a power center with individual switches to each outlet. 8 switches and 8 duplex plugs (16 outlets). I also put a GFCI outlet on the incoming power. Then you just jumper each switch off the power side and jumper each plug with a ground wire and a return. http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j222/Leo...ox/HPIM0633.jpg http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j222/Leo...ox/HPIM0635.jpg http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j222/Leo...ox/HPIM0636.jpg Next time, I will find some better plywood. This was just a trial run. I will incorporate the same idea into my stand that I am building. Well, it is only in the design phase right now. Stand and canopy for a 150gal. Stay tuned.

Ok, I am not sure of your set-up. It sounds like you have a "fish room". If that is the case, then maybe you could put in a sub box just for your fish stuff. I would need to know the available power in the house. Does the house have 50, 100, or 200 amp service? Is there any available space left in the main breaker panel? How far from the breaker panel is your fish room? I'm not an electrician, but I have done lots of projects that involve wiring. Hope this helps. Leon

Use the buckets for taking out water, and a Python for filling. Works for me. I remember filling with 5gal buckets, and if you can lift 10gal buckets with no problem, then all the power to ya.

There is no black stripe because they are not Socolofi. That's because they are Metriaclima Callainos. Also know as the Cobalt Zebra. I have four of them. And yes, they sure like landscaping. http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j222/Leo...Fish/11004c.jpg This is mine. http://www.cichlidforum.com/profiles/species.php?id=787 This is the profile on Cichlid Forum.