Flower's Sump/Fuge Build
- Thread starter acrylic51
- Start date
flower
Well-Known Member
The stuff at the LFS had a layer of carbon besides the poly white stuff. I hope to not need it. I have a new problem...I need a 175W MH Ballast mine bit he dust this morning.
Mine is a coralife elite 175w mogal base...I have been on the web searching and as yet I can't find a ballast. If could just get a phone number I could call and get one.
meowzer
Moderator
Do you still have the manual that comes with the light? There should be a # on there, and they will probably refer you to someone else...BUT....they will tell you where to go
I know nothing about this....LOL...I bet the GUYS do though
BUT this is how I found my replacement ballast for my T5 part of my set up
I know nothing about this....LOL...I bet the GUYS do though
BUT this is how I found my replacement ballast for my T5 part of my set up
flower
Well-Known Member
HAPPY, HAPPY ME! I found the book! I have phone numbers Whew..I had punched holes on it and put it in the fish log book. Until you said something I had forgotten I had saved it that way.
Thank You Meowzer...I was in panic mode.
The Ice cap ballast is much better than this piece of crap this is ballst #2 I have to replace on this unit and its under 1 years old. It was purchased 3/ 18 / 2010...it MIGHT be under warenty. It says 12 months for replacement parts...we shall see.
The ballasts from my old light is much better, same watts and everything but I don't do wiring.
I still want an adaptor if one exists. I have the same female plug on the lights..I would like to connect the two ( I posted in the lights section about this)
acrylic51
Active Member
Ok!!!!! Up from my beauty nap.....Here's the start of the pics that I teased you about last night Flower, and a bit of turtorial for anyone considering building their own sumps......
I'm going to start off with a quick list of a couple things I like to have on hand to help ease the project.....Or what I like to consider necessary for me to get a clean seam......
This is the solvent that I use to do my acrylic work....It is WeldOn 4....Some people do use the WeldOn 3, but the evaporation rate is
a lot quicker and 4 is just a better match. Some people ask about WeldOn 16...I don't have a tube handy or would have shot a pic,
but that comes in a tube form, and is a thicker syrupy liquid. That is used primarily for fixing imperfections in cuts and such. It doesn't
get a clean build look IMO, because when you apply it it has small air bubbles in it, an as it sets up it skins over and shrinks. Some
people like to go over their initial joints with this as a safety precaution, but can actually lead to weaken an already welded joint.
This is the applicator/glue bottle.....If you look closely at the lid of the bottle you'll see the applicator needle is very thin hypodermic type needle....The WeldOn 3 & 4 are very thin,
the consistancy of alcohol....Actually if you squirt it on your skin, you'll get a cooling sensation, and it will evaporate like "POOF". You can also see the solvent is clear as well.
The label on the can speaks for itself. I like to keep this on hand during the prep and assembly process. After I get done cleaning up all my surfaces, and just before glue up,
I like to wipe down each surface I will be bonding...I also like to use a lint free cloth as well. I do my edge prep either on a borrowed jointer, or you can take your router and a
double fluted straight bit, and edge guide and get a good straight edge on the acrylic, which is removing any saw blade marks. After that is done I usually blow all the real fine
dust away, and I wipe down the bonding surfaces with a dab of alcohol. It will remove any oils from the tools or from my fingers giving me a good clean work surface to bond too....
Even though the alcohol evaporates really quick I still wait 5-10 minutes to ensure it's evaporated before I attempt to bond anything......
Another key to getting a good glue/bond seam is your work surface. Silly as it might sound, but you want your work surface as level as possible, and that will come into play later on in the DIY section......There isn't really ever a perfectly level surface in the garage, but there are ways around that, and I'll show you a trick or 2 that others have shared with me!!!!!
I'm going to start off with a quick list of a couple things I like to have on hand to help ease the project.....Or what I like to consider necessary for me to get a clean seam......
This is the solvent that I use to do my acrylic work....It is WeldOn 4....Some people do use the WeldOn 3, but the evaporation rate is
a lot quicker and 4 is just a better match. Some people ask about WeldOn 16...I don't have a tube handy or would have shot a pic,
but that comes in a tube form, and is a thicker syrupy liquid. That is used primarily for fixing imperfections in cuts and such. It doesn't
get a clean build look IMO, because when you apply it it has small air bubbles in it, an as it sets up it skins over and shrinks. Some
people like to go over their initial joints with this as a safety precaution, but can actually lead to weaken an already welded joint.
This is the applicator/glue bottle.....If you look closely at the lid of the bottle you'll see the applicator needle is very thin hypodermic type needle....The WeldOn 3 & 4 are very thin,
the consistancy of alcohol....Actually if you squirt it on your skin, you'll get a cooling sensation, and it will evaporate like "POOF". You can also see the solvent is clear as well.
The label on the can speaks for itself. I like to keep this on hand during the prep and assembly process. After I get done cleaning up all my surfaces, and just before glue up,
I like to wipe down each surface I will be bonding...I also like to use a lint free cloth as well. I do my edge prep either on a borrowed jointer, or you can take your router and a
double fluted straight bit, and edge guide and get a good straight edge on the acrylic, which is removing any saw blade marks. After that is done I usually blow all the real fine
dust away, and I wipe down the bonding surfaces with a dab of alcohol. It will remove any oils from the tools or from my fingers giving me a good clean work surface to bond too....
Even though the alcohol evaporates really quick I still wait 5-10 minutes to ensure it's evaporated before I attempt to bond anything......
Another key to getting a good glue/bond seam is your work surface. Silly as it might sound, but you want your work surface as level as possible, and that will come into play later on in the DIY section......There isn't really ever a perfectly level surface in the garage, but there are ways around that, and I'll show you a trick or 2 that others have shared with me!!!!!
acrylic51
Active Member
Ok....Now that we got some of the ground work laid.....some other handy items to have or have access to are: hand router, and some of the basic bits. Some of the basic bits, I consider are your double fluted straight bits, double fluted pattern bit, with bearing on top, assorted round over bits, and for cutting teeth for overflows and such there are a variety of methods that can be used. I cheat, and use the teeth from my dovetail jig, but if you look on Melevsreef he has another ingenious idea for cutting overflow teeth. A router table and fence can be used but I prefer the dovetail jig, and my Porter Cable router, and you will need the correct bushing for your router depending on the size of your dovetail jig used......
On to more important matters.....In the first pic you'll notice the work surface.....Again I stress making sure it's as level as possible when you start the assembly process.
Again notice I have a solid work surface to work on....Also part of the prep work involves removing a small portion of the protective backing where you'll be making
your bond. I do a dry fit with the pieces, and then I wipe the edges down with the alcohol.
In this pic again you see the protective paper peeled back. You want to leave as much as possible, because in case of a spill or glue dripping the paper will protect your panel from mishaps.
You can also see in the pic the square. I got these at Home Depot for $3.00, but what I did if you look close at the very bottom corner of the square you will see that I took it to the grinder and
relieved the corner. I did this so you could leave the square in place and keep the panels perfectly square, but at the same time you can apply the solvent. The notched out area, will allow you to glue even behind the square without having to move anything. "Word of caution"......don't drip glue or allow glue to get under the square...it will melt the square as well, and you'll have a yellow blotch on your work piece......
Just another shot of the joint that has been glued!!!!!!
Excuse all the mess in the background, but I had mentioned there are some vital things to make things easy.....Coffee and clutter......You'll also notice in this pic the use of another square.
Again the use of the squares keep the panels square, and frees up your hands for other things.....Another important thing I see people doing when they do work acrylic is after they apply the
solvent they like to squeeze or press or apply downward pressure on the joint.......
Here is where is becomes somewhat important on a level work surface....You'll see that I have shims laying around the area....what I do is check for the gap of my glue joint, and shim where needed to make it kind of snug....It's more a feel thing for me somewhat, but where you see gaps under your work piece just slide a shim under to snug things up evenly across the length of the panels being welded, and you can apply the solvent....You want the joint completely welded......
Again sorry for all the clutter, but you see the progression of the build!!!!! Also take notice to the order of the bonding of the panels. I have tried bonding everything to the bottom panel at first and so on, but through talking and watching have concluded that it's actually easier to bond your front & back and sides and then add the bottom.
On to more important matters.....In the first pic you'll notice the work surface.....Again I stress making sure it's as level as possible when you start the assembly process.
Again notice I have a solid work surface to work on....Also part of the prep work involves removing a small portion of the protective backing where you'll be making
your bond. I do a dry fit with the pieces, and then I wipe the edges down with the alcohol.
In this pic again you see the protective paper peeled back. You want to leave as much as possible, because in case of a spill or glue dripping the paper will protect your panel from mishaps.
You can also see in the pic the square. I got these at Home Depot for $3.00, but what I did if you look close at the very bottom corner of the square you will see that I took it to the grinder and
relieved the corner. I did this so you could leave the square in place and keep the panels perfectly square, but at the same time you can apply the solvent. The notched out area, will allow you to glue even behind the square without having to move anything. "Word of caution"......don't drip glue or allow glue to get under the square...it will melt the square as well, and you'll have a yellow blotch on your work piece......
Just another shot of the joint that has been glued!!!!!!
Excuse all the mess in the background, but I had mentioned there are some vital things to make things easy.....Coffee and clutter......You'll also notice in this pic the use of another square.
Again the use of the squares keep the panels square, and frees up your hands for other things.....Another important thing I see people doing when they do work acrylic is after they apply the
solvent they like to squeeze or press or apply downward pressure on the joint.......
Again sorry for all the clutter, but you see the progression of the build!!!!! Also take notice to the order of the bonding of the panels. I have tried bonding everything to the bottom panel at first and so on, but through talking and watching have concluded that it's actually easier to bond your front & back and sides and then add the bottom.
acrylic51
Active Member
More progression on the sump build.......
Again you can see in the pic the use of the shims to get me the snug fit/gap I want before applying the solvent. James from Envision Acrylics is a big help....Probably the master of acrylic work IMHO......He has taken countess phone calls from me with build ideas tips, and want not.....Thank You James......James would tell you to use guitar string or bread twisty ties with the paper removed to set your gap. Basically what you would do would be to cut pieces of wire and slide between your pieces your joining, and you would shim as I have pictured above, and you would apply your solvent and let it sit a couple seconds, and that varies depending on the material thickness, and after the time lapse you would start removing your wire pieces and the panel will drop into place, and a good clean, solid joint........
Another shot of the panel being bonded into place!!!!!!
Sorry what seems like a double posted pic, but in this pic; I was trying to capture the over hang of the bottom panel on the sump. I had mentioned earlier in the build spec/cut list, that the top & bottom panels would be cut slightly larger....Not a big deal. this allows you to square everything up, and is why I recommend this order of assembly. By this point with the square everything should be square, and the over hang on all 4 sides, can/is easily removed by setting up the router table or router,and a panel trim bit, and cut the panel perfectly flush.
Later this evening I will try to get some pics of the router bits and such that I've mentioned. I try to keep my wood router bits separate from my wood bits. So it can get expensive if you enjoy both types of work as I do.
Again you can see in the pic the use of the shims to get me the snug fit/gap I want before applying the solvent. James from Envision Acrylics is a big help....Probably the master of acrylic work IMHO......He has taken countess phone calls from me with build ideas tips, and want not.....Thank You James......James would tell you to use guitar string or bread twisty ties with the paper removed to set your gap. Basically what you would do would be to cut pieces of wire and slide between your pieces your joining, and you would shim as I have pictured above, and you would apply your solvent and let it sit a couple seconds, and that varies depending on the material thickness, and after the time lapse you would start removing your wire pieces and the panel will drop into place, and a good clean, solid joint........
Another shot of the panel being bonded into place!!!!!!
Sorry what seems like a double posted pic, but in this pic; I was trying to capture the over hang of the bottom panel on the sump. I had mentioned earlier in the build spec/cut list, that the top & bottom panels would be cut slightly larger....Not a big deal. this allows you to square everything up, and is why I recommend this order of assembly. By this point with the square everything should be square, and the over hang on all 4 sides, can/is easily removed by setting up the router table or router,and a panel trim bit, and cut the panel perfectly flush.
Later this evening I will try to get some pics of the router bits and such that I've mentioned. I try to keep my wood router bits separate from my wood bits. So it can get expensive if you enjoy both types of work as I do.
acrylic51
Active Member
Ok all you spec gals & guys!!!!!! Going to start working on the baffles....Need your opinion. Should we stick with the regular 1" spacing (recommended) spacing between the baffles or should we bump the baffle spacing to 3/4"??????? I will also post pics of how I am going to work and relieve the edges of the baffles....No sharp edges.....
I would love to water/leak test the sump now, but going to wait a bit before I put water to it.......but pics to follow for sure!!!!
I would love to water/leak test the sump now, but going to wait a bit before I put water to it.......but pics to follow for sure!!!!
2quills
Well-Known Member
Looks awesome, Shawn!!! That's a nifty tip cutting the corner out of the square. So you shim the panels with wire in order to create a gap to get all of the solved between the joint and removed the wire after a couple of seconds, is that correct? Is there any need to rough up the edges of the joints before you join them, or is that not necissary with the solvent?
Can't wait to see this done! The tanks are going to be 16" wide I don't see why you couldn't squeez the baffles a little closer to 3/4" without it being a problem.
Hey, so who's the skunk???
Can't wait to see this done! The tanks are going to be 16" wide I don't see why you couldn't squeez the baffles a little closer to 3/4" without it being a problem.
Hey, so who's the skunk???
meowzer
Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/360#post_3315303
Hey, so who's the skunk???
acrylic51
Active Member
Thanks Corey!!!! I forget where exactly I saw the square notched, but it seemed like a no brainer not to try it, and it works perfectly.....You just have to make sure your not sloppy with the solvent, because if it does get under the square it will melt the square, and you will have a nice yellow mark on your panel.....I did it on my sump I built for my tank....That is correct....Don't hold me to the exact guitar size string, but I do know that the twisty ties off of bread works.....You slide the wire between the 2 panels, and you use shims to make the drag the same on all the wire. You double check your gap by pulling the wire, and making sure they all have the same drag. You then adjust your shims under the bottom panel as needed to make them all the same....You apply your solvent in the joint, wait a tad, and then start pulling the wires....Takes a bit of practice, but is perfect.
No you don't want anything roughed up at all. You want your edges or pieces where they are going to be glued to be as smooth as possible....That is why I(they) recommend finishing your edges either with a router or running them through a jointer. On occassion I have run the edges over the jointer and then taken 1400 grit wet/dry sand paper and wet sanded them before gluing....Edge prep is the key....The solvent actually melts the 2 pieces together......
I think I will cut the spacing of the baffles to 3/4". As Corey stated shouldn't have much affect due to the size and sizing of pump taken into consideration......
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/360#post_3315303
Looks awesome, Shawn!!! That's a nifty tip cutting the corner out of the square. So you shim the panels with wire in order to create a gap to get all of the solved between the joint and removed the wire after a couple of seconds, is that correct? Is there any need to rough up the edges of the joints before you join them, or is that not necissary with the solvent?
Can't wait to see this done! The tanks are going to be 16" wide I don't see why you couldn't squeez the baffles a little closer to 3/4" without it being a problem.
Hey, so who's the skunk???
No you don't want anything roughed up at all. You want your edges or pieces where they are going to be glued to be as smooth as possible....That is why I(they) recommend finishing your edges either with a router or running them through a jointer. On occassion I have run the edges over the jointer and then taken 1400 grit wet/dry sand paper and wet sanded them before gluing....Edge prep is the key....The solvent actually melts the 2 pieces together......
I think I will cut the spacing of the baffles to 3/4". As Corey stated shouldn't have much affect due to the size and sizing of pump taken into consideration......
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/360#post_3315303
Looks awesome, Shawn!!! That's a nifty tip cutting the corner out of the square. So you shim the panels with wire in order to create a gap to get all of the solved between the joint and removed the wire after a couple of seconds, is that correct? Is there any need to rough up the edges of the joints before you join them, or is that not necissary with the solvent?
Can't wait to see this done! The tanks are going to be 16" wide I don't see why you couldn't squeez the baffles a little closer to 3/4" without it being a problem.
Hey, so who's the skunk???
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/360#post_3315305
Flower is the skunk
Yes, I'm the little stinker, but you can call me Flower if you want to...
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/360#post_3315305
Yes, I'm the little stinker, but you can call me Flower if you want to...
acrylic51
Active Member
Ok....not much progress to report at this late hour!!!!!!!
Actually the night is just begining for me......As posted earlier the bottom is glued into place and we are waiting for a little longer setup time. I could probably get away with starting the leak test now, but would like to give it a tad bit longer.....After the initial leak test, which I usually let the sump sit anywhere from 24-48 hrs....You'd be shocked at times you don't see anything and then on the 2nd day you notice something!!!!!!
No kidding, but better safe than sorry....After the leak down test, then I will glue the baffles into place....This doesn't have to be the order, but I like doing it this way that way if there is an issue it can be resolved without anything inside the sump permanently attached in the way. It is a pain in the rear to try to reseal an area, and usually that area is right where a baffle is, so I've learned the hard way over the years to be patient and check and then proceed with installing the baffles....
Speaking of the baffles, just wanted to give everyone a clear shot of a clean edge to start with....After this posting I'll be headed out to the garage, to run them through the router to round the edges over, and start the finish sanding on them to prep them to be installed and then polished on final process. These edges will be wet sanded before installing only due it's easier to do when laying flat on the table.....
As you can see in the pics somewhat very minimal saw blade marks from the original cutting on the table saw.....I do use a blade specifically for acrylic, and set me back a pretty good penny, and this blade gets nothing else run on it except acrylic......I even have crappy Ryobi table saw to boot, and can get relatively clean cuts like this.....Off to the router it will go to have the edges eased and round over and then it will be wet sanded to help ease the finish polishing done to the edges......
Speaking of the baffles, just wanted to give everyone a clear shot of a clean edge to start with....After this posting I'll be headed out to the garage, to run them through the router to round the edges over, and start the finish sanding on them to prep them to be installed and then polished on final process. These edges will be wet sanded before installing only due it's easier to do when laying flat on the table.....
As you can see in the pics somewhat very minimal saw blade marks from the original cutting on the table saw.....I do use a blade specifically for acrylic, and set me back a pretty good penny, and this blade gets nothing else run on it except acrylic......I even have crappy Ryobi table saw to boot, and can get relatively clean cuts like this.....Off to the router it will go to have the edges eased and round over and then it will be wet sanded to help ease the finish polishing done to the edges......
spanko
Active Member
Nice work Shawn. You remind me of Calvin's build.
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=154877
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=154877
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/340#post_3315106
Hey, Flower...whenever you get time can you let me know how wide the plastic trim on the top of your tank is? No rush.
For reference purposes...the trim on this tank is 1 1/4" wide.
My rim is 1 inch and then a little 1/2 or 1/4th inch lip just under it. I can't really tell what that lower lip is. They are not even s it's hard to determin...Is it important to be exact?
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/340#post_3315106
Hey, Flower...whenever you get time can you let me know how wide the plastic trim on the top of your tank is? No rush.
For reference purposes...the trim on this tank is 1 1/4" wide.
My rim is 1 inch and then a little 1/2 or 1/4th inch lip just under it. I can't really tell what that lower lip is. They are not even s it's hard to determin...Is it important to be exact?