Kayla's Nano! (complete with illustrations!)

[skeety]

Well...worked on the light stand last night.


So my plan was make a canopy...but since the design of this tank has water flowing OVER the tank, you can't really rest the canopy on the tank itself. So the key to having a hood that didn't interfere with the water flow, was to suspend it over the tank.

I'd thought of having the lights hung from the ceiling, but since the tank's currently in teh basement (that's soon to be finished), I don't really know where the tank will finally rest. So we nixed that idea.

So how do we suspend the lighted hood ovre the tank without touching the tank?

here's a clue...any guesses:

[skeety]

So I wanted to insert a picture of JUST the light holding box here...but apperantly, my camera didn't want to save that particular picture. (Somehow got corrupted). ANd as much as I'd like to start over and build just that, so I could get another picture of it, thus being complete in my documentation...alas...I've decided not to. So you'll see it as part of the larger complete picture, in a bit.

So the idea is...I need something to hold the canopy up. But want it to be removable. Anyways..so if you didn't mentally put the pieces in the previous post together, let me show you what they look like:



let me flip it over for you too:



Now...I put one of these on EACH corner of the tray...then use an acrylic rod from these corner support up to the canopy, and VIOLA!!!



(I know...I know. I'm VERY aware of the fact that on it's own, it looks a LOT like a potty chair....sigh)

[skeety]

As a note, in a previous post, I mentioned that if I had it to do all over again, I'd have made the tank a little smaller. Well...I have a hard time with "If I had it to do all over again." So....I did it over again! hahaha. I've replaced the 12"x12"x12" cube with a 10.25"x10.25"x10.25" (thus making the water volume 10x10x10). So in the following, note that the cube is a bit smaller now.

So how about some pictures of the finished product?



and with ambient light off, and tank lights ON:



A close up:



and how the lights sit in the canopy:




now...off to redo some plumbing and finish the sump!!!

[Flame]

Really great looking project.

[Doug1]

Very nice looking , Great job

[alaskaknucklehead]

Wow!

[MaylaKae]

The nano will be on a hiatus for a bit when the plumbing is finished. :-(
The rock is still curing- Then I get to add the pretty stuff!!!


Cheers!

[milhouse74]

Any fear of snails going up and out and being on the outside of the glass, mayne ven ending up in your tray?

[skeety]

Originally Posted by milhouse74

Any fear of snails going up and out and being on the outside of the glass, mayne ven ending up in your tray?

outside the glass doesn't bother me. In the tray DOES!!!

May need to incorprate egg-crate in the 2" drain. probably not getting snails, but even if we don't, can't hurt to have a grill of somekind there, in case a critters jumps out or something? Not sure.

Which is better? It's a straight shot down to the sump...then just baffles, no real equipment. hmm.

ANd the pipe is 2" thick with a 1/2" pipe inside. Wondering if a snail could really back up the system, even if it DID climb down inside.

Sounds like we have to run some tests!!! hahahaha

[skeety]

Finished the sump last night. Nothing special. But here's a pic anyways.


Where's everyone else at? Wasn't there just a weekend that passed by recently? hahahaha

[Casey]

Looks fine

[riri]

Nice work so far!

[skeety]

Get READY!!

AWESOMENESS to follow in about 10 minutes!!!

tick-tock-tick-tock....

[skeety]

dum....dum....DAAAAA!!!!!

[skeety]

DUM-dum-DUM-dum-DUM-dum-DAAAAAAA