# Pictures of under your tank



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

Hello whats under your tank. I want to redue under my tank since the addition of co2, inline heater, bar reactor, on and on have all just been thrown in there at the time they were added with out any thought about ease of use. So if you can post a picture of what your tank looks like behind close doors:tongue:


----------



## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Here's mine. Nothing flashy - and I really should put a darn bungie cord around the CO2 tank. Pretty much all of the parts you mentioned you'll be using. Now, if you want to see some SICK plumbing, go take a look at scolley's "son of kahuna" thread. YIKES.


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

what on the top left hanging there. Is that a chiller?


----------



## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

That's the ballast for the 150w Metal Halide light .


----------



## MrJP (Sep 20, 2006)

"Nothing flashy - and I really should put a darn bungie cord around the CO2 tank." 


I wonder why or if this is necessary? I've seen it on a few under tank pics but could never understand why it was there. I mean my co2 tank is always exactly were I left it, everytime I check! :icon_roll 

Why would a co2 tank need a seat belt?

JP


----------



## crazy loaches (Sep 29, 2006)

Earthquake?

j/k


----------



## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Kids and pets are the primary culprits when CO2 tanks get knocked over. I don't have any kids yet, but I have lots of nieces and nephews rummaging about. You do know what happens when liquid CO2 runs into your regulator, don't you? Besides the obvious danger from explosion (regulator explosion, that is - not the tank itself), you could also suffocate (depending on room size and ventilation). 

Don't take me for a neo-worry-wort. I'm the furthest from that. Playground nazi's have taken all the fun equipment away from our kids, and then complain they they are getting too fat. I don't even wear a bike helmet because I don't ride in traffic and I find them hot and cumbersome.

But, two screws and a bungie takes $1 and 5 min. Pretty small investment for not having to worry about that catastrophy - not to mention the uphill-in-sand climb I'd have to make to convince my wife to allow me to bring a CO2 "bomb" back into the house.


----------



## MrJP (Sep 20, 2006)

Thanks for clearing that up for me. Had no idea that thing could explode If liquid co2 ran into the regulator. It is indeed a small price to pay and I guess you better be safe than sorry.

Now back to the under tank pics...sorry i dont have one to share.

JP


----------



## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

MrJP said:


> "Nothing flashy - and I really should put a darn bungie cord around the CO2 tank."
> 
> 
> I wonder why or if this is necessary? I've seen it on a few under tank pics but could never understand why it was there. I mean my co2 tank is always exactly were I left it, everytime I check! :icon_roll
> ...


Technically speaking, all pressurized vessels that are stored standing are supposed to be chained up. BTW, here's under my stand. Notice how well secured my CO2 cylinder is. :tongue: I wanted to post yesterday, but the firewall at work won't let me access Photobucket. The wires are a little messy in the shot. I hadn't gotten them squared away yet.










Tommy <9))>>{


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

Dang that looks sweet. Those must be timmers wired to the juntion boxes huh. Nice idea


----------



## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

kunerd said:


> Dang that looks sweet. Those must be timmers wired to the juntion boxes huh. Nice idea



Thanks. 1 more timer to come.:icon_lol: I want to bring my CO2 solenoid on 2 hours before the 2x96w CF's and have it shut down 1 hour before, but leave the reactor pump running long enough to diffuse the CO2 already in the reactor. Currently the CO2 & the reactor pump come on and off with the 25w Dawn/Dusk lighting, but that lets a lot of unused CO2 go out the top of the reactor at the end of the cycle.

Tommy <9))>>{


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

so what is your lighting schedule and how many watts


----------



## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

kunerd said:


> so what is your lighting schedule and how many watts


This is starting to smell like a hijacked thread... :icon_lol:

I have 3 stages of lighting running 4 schedules-

Event #1- White Lunar lights from 6:00 AM-10:00 AM
Event #2- (1) 25W T8 from 10:00 AM-08:00 PM (Dawn, Dusk & Full Day)
Event #3- (2) 96W CF from 2:00 PM-7:00 PM (Full Day)
Event #4- Lunar lights from 8:00 PM-11:00 PM (for night viewing)

Tommy <9))>>{


----------



## snafu (Oct 9, 2004)

MrJP said:


> "Nothing flashy - and I really should put a darn bungie cord around the CO2 tank."
> 
> 
> I wonder why or if this is necessary? I've seen it on a few under tank pics but could never understand why it was there. I mean my co2 tank is always exactly were I left it, everytime I check! :icon_roll
> ...


anyone ever seen that mythbuster episode where they bust the head off a compressed gas cylinder at over 2000psi? it went straight through a cinderblock wall. gawd, that was sweet!


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

Can someone Hijack there own thread:smile: 




LS6 Tommy said:


> This is starting to smell like a hijacked thread... :icon_lol:
> 
> 
> 
> Tommy <9))>>{


----------



## crazy loaches (Sep 29, 2006)

snafu said:


> anyone ever seen that mythbuster episode where they bust the head off a compressed gas cylinder at over 2000psi? it went straight through a cinderblock wall. gawd, that was sweet!


Havent seen it - but its on a lot of the commercials. Looked like a much larger tank though... and such a catastrophic failure would be pretty rare. There has been discussion before on co2 tank catastrophes, as I recall at least one person has had a tank overfilled and the safety burst on it. But I dont believe there has ever been any reported injuries??? Just more along the lines of having to put on some new clothes (specifically underpants :icon_surp ).


----------



## tusk (Jan 30, 2006)

Electrical is going to get a bit of a revamp. Really looking at getting a Reefkeeper II.


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

Thanks for the picture. Do you all find you loose flow when adding in more items and having the water go up and down constantly.


----------



## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

kunerd said:


> Thanks for the picture. Do you all find you loose flow when adding in more items and having the water go up and down constantly.


It does slow the water down a bit, depending on equipment, tubing diameter, the degree of bends or curves in the tubing/piping, and the length of piping it has to go through. I haven't really figured out how much though, my tank is still in the set up (the big one).


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

Bump come on people lets see your undersides:redface:


----------



## hOAGART (May 13, 2004)

will take a pic tonight


----------



## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

unirdna said:


> But, two screws and a bungie takes $1 and 5 min. Pretty small investment for not having to worry about that catastrophy - not to mention the uphill-in-sand climb I'd have to make to convince my wife to allow me to bring a CO2 "bomb" back into the house.


Won't the result be the same in a lot of cases: CO2 explosion and leak, but now a kid with a bungee cord end is his/her eyeball? 

I'd think a chain screwed in place, or a small frame (perhaps hinged and lockable) for co2 tanks would be better.


----------



## Minsc (Jul 9, 2006)

Allow me to present a counterpoint to all the clean well maintained stands:



















Seriously, where does everyone else keep all their crap?


----------



## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

I just use a velcro handy strap that hikers use; much better than a bungee cord.


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

Minsc said:


> Seriously, where does everyone else keep all their crap?


i dont think it looks bad at all. All the crap youve got inside ive got laying on top of my tank. The wife hates it and when she cleans throws all my stuff in the stand. A couple days later ive got it all back up top where i need it.


----------



## saint27 (Apr 27, 2006)

Het Minsc,

Where did you get those racks on the back of your door? I have been looking to do exactly what you have there but I can't find rack that will work.


----------



## Minsc (Jul 9, 2006)

kunerd said:


> i dont think it looks bad at all. All the crap youve got inside ive got laying on top of my tank. The wife hates it and when she cleans throws all my stuff in the stand. A couple days later ive got it all back up top where i need it.


Such is the beauty of the open top tank, it can never get cluttered!

Saint27, I'm pretty sure I found it at Home Depot or Lowe's.


----------



## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

saint27 said:


> Het Minsc,
> 
> Where did you get those racks on the back of your door? I have been looking to do exactly what you have there but I can't find rack that will work.


I got mine @ Lowe's.

Tommy <9))>>{


----------



## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Yeah, those racks are slick. Seems I may have a modification on the horizon, now.


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

more pics more pics


----------



## JohnInFlorida (May 2, 2007)

It's amazing just how long it takes to find rubber bands to put on electrical cords ... :icon_redf 

The power strips/timers HAVE been moved up off the floor of the stand ... but ya'kno? I'm still looking for those rubber bands ... :redface: 


Keep Smilin'
John


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

nice set up john. would you eplain the layout after the water goes through your filters. Do they go into each other to one output.?


----------



## JohnInFlorida (May 2, 2007)

From the left filter the water goes directly to the spraybar. The right filter output goes to the DIY co2 reactor and from there to the other spraybar. 

The pvc pipe you see connected to the filters is on the filter INPUT side. I bought the aquarium used and there were SEVEN holes drilled in it. Since all 7 bulkheads were there as well, rather than close some of them up, I used 5 of them into that PVC manifold you see in the pic and the manifold feeds both xp3s thru ball valves on each end. Had the holes not been there I wouldn't have used the manifold but would have plumbed the inputs direct. Now that I've used it for awhile I've discovered a couple of benefits, one of which I expected and another that is unexpected but very nice. The expected benefit is that the filters are now self priming, just open the ball valve and "glug, glug" ... primed :thumbsup: The unexpected one is that each of the five input points within the tank has a very low flow rate and therefore very low suction at any individual point.

Anyway I'm pleased with the performance and also with how clean the installation is with the pvc vs hoses.

Keep Smilin'
John


----------



## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

I recently got a new 55g tank stand and decided to pre wire it with 2 lights and 4 gfci's. Here are some pics. Sorry about the quality.

I have gotten it all done and into place now but I need to take some more pics with everything in place and hooked up. 

Brian


----------



## cookingnerd607 (Jun 8, 2004)

preston, what kind of electrical supplies did you use? Is it better to use old work, new work, or the metal handy boxes? Im almost done with my diy stand for my 90 and want to wire it before I put the birch waynes coating on and finish it. What can I do about surge protection? ThankS!


----------



## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

cookingnerd607 said:


> preston, what kind of electrical supplies did you use? Is it better to use old work, new work, or the metal handy boxes? Im almost done with my diy stand for my 90 and want to wire it before I put the birch waynes coating on and finish it. What can I do about surge protection? ThankS!


I used new work boxes because they were better for my application. A 55g is not very deep from front to back so I did not want to take up additional room by adding a piece of plywood to mount the metal boxes on. Here is a pic of the type of boxes I used.
Once everything was wired I installed an extension cord pre-cut from Lowes. That way one plug to the wall powers everything. I guess you could plug in a surge protector before your stand.

I used the one on the left in the pic.
Brian


----------



## cookingnerd607 (Jun 8, 2004)

What about wire? Will just plain romex suffice? I just worry about water + 120ac = fried nerd.


----------



## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

cookingnerd607 said:


> What about wire? Will just plain romex suffice? I just worry about water + 120ac = fried nerd.


I used 14-2 romex wire to hook everything up. Also got the lights from Lowes. I believe they are cabinet lights. That was the best thing I did. No more holding the flashlight while working underneath the tank.:icon_bigg


----------



## cookingnerd607 (Jun 8, 2004)

Yeah, Im assembeling some lighting for underneath my stand, Ill have it door actuated. Open one of the 4 doors, and the lights come on


----------



## crazy loaches (Sep 29, 2006)

I'm thinking of doing just that in the stand I'm building now... just curious what switch you used for this?


----------



## cookingnerd607 (Jun 8, 2004)

Ive got some small "spring roller switch" Its basically a small metal roller attatched to a 1-1/2" metal spring (not a coil, just a strip of metal), the edge thats attached to the switch housing has a small pushbutton switch underneath the metal. Basically, You want some type of switch that when its being pressed by your doors - its opening the circuit, When the switch is released, You want the circuit to be complete. You might be able to find these from security systems. good luck.


----------



## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

Bump!
I'll get a picture when my big tank is set up.


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

Bump for more pictures
they all look great


----------



## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

My tank stand.
The tank still is not set up, so the tank is not done yet and the stand is still a bit messy.


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

now thats a good idea having the paper towls under the tank. Hmmm need to make room for those....


----------



## Spidergrrrl (Nov 10, 2006)

kunerd,

What a great idea for a thread! I just bought a 29 gal tank and ordered a stand, so I'll be using these images for reference in setting up and organizing things.


----------



## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

FWIW, this is the one I used as a model to do in my stand (although my stand is a mess now). Mike's neat 37


----------



## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

cookingnerd607 said:


> Yeah, Im assembeling some lighting for underneath my stand, Ill have it door actuated. Open one of the 4 doors, and the lights come on


I would love to get a door switch, but haven't found one that would work for my application.

Tommy <9))>>{


----------



## crazie.eddie (May 31, 2004)

Minsc said:


> Seriously, where does everyone else keep all their crap?


Here's all my crap...

125 Gallon cabinet (Right side)...









125 Gallon cabinet (Left side)










I got lazy and haven't arranged anything in months.


----------



## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

kunerd said:


> now thats a good idea having the paper towls under the tank. Hmmm need to make room for those....


It saves stand floor space and my parents won't have to yell at me for the paper towel roll on the ground lol.


----------



## territhemayor (Aug 12, 2007)

thats me


----------



## Minsc (Jul 9, 2006)

crazie.eddie said:


> Here's all my crap...


Now that's what I'm talking about!

Actually, mine is looking much better these days...


----------



## wardgillette (Aug 9, 2007)

A high pressure tank falling over and losing its regulator is a powerful rocket.

Is this going to happen everyday? Probably not.

But....you don't plan for an accident, you avoid it...chain or cable the rocket up!!!!! 

http://www.okhighered.org/training-center/newsletters/osrhe/compressed-gas-cylinders.html


----------



## cookingnerd607 (Jun 8, 2004)

For those interested in the door actuated lights. Jameco has a nice reed switch that works well with 1-2 small under cabinet lights. I dont have the part number handy, Ill look in my catalog some time. It was about $6. If you search for reed switch Im sure you will find it. its 2" long and white.


----------



## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

Here is an update of the underside of my tank. Sorry it took so long.

Brian


----------



## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

PRESTON4479 said:


> Here is an update of the underside of my tank. Sorry it took so long.
> 
> Brian


Brian is the pvc thing your co2 reactor?
I love the neatness I need to clean mine up and take a pic...


----------



## DiabloCanine (Aug 26, 2005)

Mine are linked below, the 46G is the most recent......DC


----------



## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

mott said:


> Brian is the pvc thing your co2 reactor?
> I love the neatness I need to clean mine up and take a pic...


Thanks Yes that is my co2 reactor with the ph probe plumbed in the center of it.

Brian


----------



## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

PRESTON4479 said:


> Here is an update of the underside of my tank. Sorry it took so long.
> 
> Brian


Are you using all 3 paint ball tanks at the same time or only 1. How big of a fish tank and how long those tanks last you. 20oncers they look like.


----------



## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

kunerd said:


> Are you using all 3 paint ball tanks at the same time or only 1. How big of a fish tank and how long those tanks last you. 20oncers they look like.


I am only using 1 paintball bottle at a time. I have 2-20oz bottles and 1-24oz bottle. They probably last around 3-4 weeks each and I am using them on a 55g tank. I wait until I get down to my last bottle then go and get them refilled. I will probably purchase another 24oz bottle soon. I really like this setup because it easily hides underneath my tank and doesn't take up alot of space.

Brian


----------



## outcast (Jul 4, 2007)

for those that have messy wires, velcro wire straps are the best. Zap straps are a pain to cut, and dangerous to cut when you are drunk


----------



## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

outcast said:


> for those that have messy wires, velcro wire straps are the best. Zap straps are a pain to cut, and dangerous to cut when you are drunk



Although I don't really think it would be much of a problem with the wattages we see on our fish tank equipment, remember not to bind cords too tight. It can cause them to overheat. 

Tommy <9))>>{


----------

