Lukes Waterbox Peninsula 7225 Build

Lukielight · Sep 10, 2020

Koen Vervaeke said:
did you also receive that panel as a package with all 8 doors as well? Now I have backup door for when my kids destroy them.

Nope just the one panel.

Lukielight · Sep 10, 2020

foxxkb said:
I also have a 7225 in March. The nightmare for me was: the first 2 shipments, all the sump and ATO units inside the crate broke!, the display tanks were all scratched up to hell. I had to request replacement twice and change delivery carrier on the third shipment to get a perfect display and sump. Good Luck with your build.

Gosh dang I can't imagine the emotions when you opened the crate to see that. I felt bad making the ups guy wait while I pulled apart the crate, but that makes me glad I did.

Lukielight · Oct 7, 2020

Just a little update. I received the correctly drilled panel a couple weeks ago now, but unfortunately have been busy traveling for work almost nonstop. Tonight I plan to finish assembling the stand and level it in prep for setting the tank. I have about half of the rock I expect to need cycled in a small tank. I'm still planning out the rest of my equipment, but expecting not to really buy much until after the holidays. Dang budgets anyhow.

Side note what are you other Peninsula Owners Doing to hang lighting? I'm planning on using my Kessil A360Xs from my 75 gallon and adding a 3rd/4th but not sure the best way to mount them other than hanging from the ceiling which I'm a little leery about.

josephxsxn · Oct 7, 2020

I hung mine from the ceiling. Its much more secure then I thought it would be for my 3 XR15ws and the metal slide for them to be on. The anchors i got were rated to 75# so I have confidence now. Also bumped it a few times cleaning sand with no issues.

Koen Vervaeke · Oct 7, 2020

Lukielight said:
Just a little update. I received the correctly drilled panel a couple weeks ago now, but unfortunately have been busy traveling for work almost nonstop. Tonight I plan to finish assembling the stand and level it in prep for setting the tank. I have about half of the rock I expect to need cycled in a small tank. I'm still planning out the rest of my equipment, but expecting not to really buy much until after the holidays. Dang budgets anyhow.

Side note what are you other Peninsula Owners Doing to hang lighting? I'm planning on using my Kessil A360Xs from my 75 gallon and adding a 3rd/4th but not sure the best way to mount them other than hanging from the ceiling which I'm a little leery about.

I went for 3 philips coral care lights. Mainly because the rock work lays on the centre axis of the tank so with a point light source you have more shadows.

Lukielight · Oct 7, 2020

Koen Vervaeke said:
I went for 3 philips coral care lights. Mainly because the rock work lays on the centre axis of the tank so with a point light source you have more shadows.

I definitely know where you're coming from as far as the shadows. I know that a lot of people go T5 hybrid for that reason. In the future I may supplement with some Orphek OR3s or something similar to decrease shadows.

josephxsxn · Oct 7, 2020

I have diffusers on my XR15s and I feel I get really good coverage with only 3 lights. I have a par meter as well so I have confidence in my spots. Not to say I don't have shadows but they are much better with the lights mounted higher above the tank then I did in the past.

Scallopking · Oct 7, 2020

Here's how i did mine over my peninsula, used the wire hanging kit (2 of them) for the AP700. I would use a washer next time between the mount and the ceiling (didn't think about it this time). It is very secure with the toggle bolts they supply. I ended up dropping it a couple inches which with these kits is very hard to do, so when pull it through make sure you don't go farther than you want in height off the tank. And the ceiling is a curved arch so the mounts don't lay exactly straight down but doesn't affect it. The channel I used was 1 1/4 inch. Hth.

Lukielight · Oct 7, 2020

I considered the narrow lenses for the kessils. Optimal mounting height without them is only 6" off the waters surface.

Scallopking · Oct 7, 2020

gotcha, i am 10" right now and want to drop to 8" but I have to order 2 new hanging kits to do it and just haven't yet, best of luck with it.

Lukielight · Oct 7, 2020

Scallopking said:
gotcha, i am 10" right now and want to drop to 8" but I have to order 2 new hanging kits to do it and just haven't yet, best of luck with it.

I appreciate the photos, I've been trying to find ideas on what to do with mine, but theres not a lot of pictures out there with the kessils.

MERKEY · Oct 7, 2020

Great thread and love the peninsula style tanks!!

Scallopking · Oct 7, 2020

Lukielight said:
I appreciate the photos, I've been trying to find ideas on what to do with mine, but theres not a lot of pictures out there with the kessils.

yw. oh man, i had a heck of time figuring it out. i don't understand why Kessil can't make a nice ceiling hanging kit for them low profile style, I went through 3 channels to find the right size, btw, in case i had to order it from Grainger. it would have been much easier to just buy a kessil ceiling mount, lol.

Lukielight · Oct 7, 2020

Scallopking said:
yw. oh man, i had a heck of time figuring it out. i don't understand why Kessil can't make a nice ceiling hanging kit for them low profile style, I went through 3 channels to find the right size, btw, in case i had to order it from Grainger. it would have been much easier to just buy a kessil ceiling mount, lol.

I've been thinking about using a piece of 80/20 T slot aluminum and hanging from the ceiling like you did. Would give me the ability to build off the sides to add the led bar supplements if I decide to do so in the future.

Lukielight · Oct 19, 2020

Slowly filling the tank finally. Will be another day or two until its actually full.

Lukielight · Oct 29, 2020

Well I finally have it up and running. One light short, seed rock just thrown in there, wires all over, no skimmer.... but she's running. I ordered another hundred pounds of dry rock to try and come up with a new scape. Thinking about trying the NSA method for part of the tank.