Clean cable chord managment or nah?

[Borat]

Something like this...

C13/C14 combi is what you may need, they are quite common.. I use them in all my DIY devices..

 

[Borat]

These are C13 panel mount..

 

[Mical]

These work well for MOST cables -> https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/1-4-ro-tubing-brackets-niche3d.html

 

[fish farmer]

I tried labels but they didn’t stick well. Does anyone have labels that they are happy with? If so please share the name of the manufacturer.

Wrap duct tape or masking tape around the cord, make a tag, label with a pen. Not fancy and slick looking but it works.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Couldn't edit my earlier post. Here is a fresher picture.

Work in progress still as this is only in the quarantine/ RODI / AWC closet

New control board for the upcoming DT to follow but expect similiar approach.

 

[Rick Mathew]

Mine is "pseudo" organized.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Mine is "pseudo" organized.

Things that make you say hmmm

 

[cwerner]

Mine is "pseudo" organized.

I feel like this is just about perfect, everythign is still routed, labeled, and looks pretty decent, but it's still possibly to remove a cord if you need to, unlike those manic OCD builds where there's a zip tie every 6 inches to keep everything perfectly aligned so that you'll commit sepuku instead of going through the work of fixing anything in the tank.

 

[Rick Mathew]

I feel like this is just about perfect, everythign is still routed, labeled, and looks pretty decent, but it's still possibly to remove a cord if you need to, unlike those manic OCD builds where there's a zip tie every 6 inches to keep everything perfectly aligned so that you'll commit sepuku instead of going through the work of fixing anything in the tank.

Thanks...I had to learn the hard way not to make it toooooo "Tight"...when something goes wrong...which it does...I did not want to do a major disassembly to fix it...but I must say some of the really clean ones really look wonderful!

 

[Rick Mathew]

Mine is "pseudo" organized.


Things that make you say hmmm

Hummmm no longer. It is a DIY CO2 monitor that I pass the intake to my skimmer to see what level of CO2 I am "feeding" it....I draw my air from outside and pass it through CO2 scrubber and I can see how effective the scrubber is being...

 

[CapeReef]

As @Quietman, I have a separate cabinet for my outlets & controls. I've had gear under the tank or on the side of the stand and it's just "an accident waiting to happen".

Is that an iPad you’re using for a display on the apex?

 

[Covett03]

Didn’t spend a ton of time on it but I tried to keep it

 

[Dodger]

It's really a fight against windmills for me. I try to keep cables as neat as possible. What really makes it hard for me is that basically no cable has the perfect length to install it in a neat way. Also once some setup changes for whatever reason one might need some space and the current cable layout might become obsolete. For my music studio I sometimes just rewire the whole dang thing which takes like a full day or longer but for a system that should not be shutdown for too long this is impossibru. Usually entropy takes over after some time.

Love that you know what entropy is! From the chemistry teacher.

 

[WallyB]

Tidy and Safe is most important.

MY SUMP ROOM

.

Actually that's during tank upgrade. Old tank moved and running around the corner, till new area/tank is setup.

I did try many times to get Cable Management right. It's tough to get the right combination of (Neat, but also flexible to maintain your equipment).

Nothing is worse than to perfectly tie-wrap/bundle your whole new tank setup, and then have to remove a broken heater, or need to clean a pump with cord in the bundle.

My approach Running in between drwall (hollow areas), but make Flaps and portals to do all the runs.
That included Plumping to upstair tank, and all wiring.

AFTER THE Sump-Room UPGRADE.

The WHITE square Posts are actually Hollow Acrylic DECK POSTS.
I cut holes to get conduit runs (in, up to-first-floor, sideways, and down). Hidden (wire, plumbing, dosing line, etc)

The grey groove/track rails are good for hiding a few thicker wires, or many thinner wires.

I will admit, that over time things still get messy just due to being a bit lazy (to put things back right since the maintenance comes often).

Summary: To me any easy "maintainable" cable cord mangement is great, since it make maintenance just a little easier. Fancy looking but "nigtmare to maintain cables, wires, hoses, tubes, and pipes" is counter intuative. This hobby is all about keeping up with maintenance to survive.

 

[210 Reef Tank]

I am a power cord snob. To solve my cord issue I built a cabinet to house all my electrical components in one place. All cords are neatly hidden behind the swinging doors. It has also made it much easier to locate and remove and install new cords.

 

[zachtos]

How about a good way to mount all those 12V power supplies to the wall? I use zip ties with a screw hole included, but that is not pretty.

 

[zachtos]

I am a power cord snob. To solve my cord issue I built a cabinet to house all my electrical components in one place. All cords are neatly hidden behind the swinging doors. It has also made it much easier to locate and remove and install new cords.

that is the best solution I've seen for average reefers. Just a cabinet to stuff em all in while presenting the devices on the face. good idea.

 

[Borat]

How about a good way to mount all those 12V power supplies to the wall? I use zip ties with a screw hole included, but that is not pretty.

Does not need to be pretty, needs to be effective. Thats what I do - 12v bricks hanging on screws...

 

[ColoredRock]

Does not need to be pretty, needs to be effective. Thats what I do - 12v bricks hanging on screws...

I was thinking...
VELCRO-Brand-10-ft-x-1-in-Extreme-Titanium-Tape

 

[ylreefer]

Cable management is definitely worth doing right from the beginning IMO. Like others said though finding that balance between making things neat and easy to maintain is a pain in the axx, especially when you need to pull an item.

I think you have to sway a little in either direction to be happy with what you have.

I tried to get all electrics in 1 dryside of my p650 cabinet. So was a tight squeeze utall cable isbwhinda diy control panel (arcrylic sheet that is attached by magnets to brackets) so that's easily pulled out, behind is my 15g ATO which get pulled out once in 6 months for cleaning. So it's not all that bad unless something was to break down. So far so good 1 year on.

Doser is accessed from the end opening. (tank is flash against the wall now)