OldSchool 225 build with some new twists.

[F i s h y]

I like the up front and bare all for everyone to see approach! I was going to hide the fuge in a cabinet and have the controller cabinet over that but things change it will be an open mangrove lagoon Fuge now...... but where will the controller go? I’m Still working on that!

One thing I would like to change is to go with gray plumbing instead. The white is glaring. I have a mixed fuge, xenia and chaeto. So I find it quite nice to look at when the light is on and the DT is sleeping.
There are also some misc frags on a rack down there that I give away to local reefers. If I'm in the DT and break something off it gets glued to a plug and stuck down there.
Nice to pay it forward.

 

[Metcho]

The maintenance on the 15 year old 150 (well delayed maintenance) has become monumental. l needed to replace the return pump the skimmer pump all bulkheads and re plumb the entire system. Not excited about what was ahead for me, I put it off for months (several {eyeroll} too many).

The tank was running on autopilot for many years and I had slipped away from the reefing community and the trends. I was way behind the technology curve, so I called an old reefing buddy for some advice on new DC pumps. He reminded me that that tank was 20 years old and why wasn't I starting over? I wanted to shoot myself..... he was right!

At first i made excuses that have you seen the prices and no one has the deep dimension I'm looking for. He laughs and says our old friend Kubi has a custom 5 x 3 x 2 acrylic tank with a ghost overflow FS that he never got around to installing. Well I call Kubi and here we are ( eyeroll and ***)

How thick is the acrylic? Only asking cause I have the same dimensions tank and wanted to buy MP 40s but didn’t know if they stay put. Mine is 3/4 thick

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

How thick is the acrylic? Only asking cause I have the same dimensions tank and wanted to buy MP 40s but didn’t know if they stay put. Mine is 3/4 thick

The new tank is 5/8 thick and once you get the MP 40 with only the pad in the right position you can’t move it. It should work with 3/4 but your results may vary!

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

Woke up this morning still PO’d, spent several hours last night trying to find the Titebond for PVC Trim but could only find it in a case first thing I did was grab a few scraps and some Oatey PVC cement and clamped it up. Made. Breakfast and checked it...... Solid weld! This meant if I was going to finish this section I would have to make a few changes, every part would have to fit tight and hold another part into position and I’d have to do some creative clamping when able!

I like this PVC product it is very light cuts like butter sands great is resistant to anything a Reefer could spill on it and cleans up easily. It is very soft and dents like pine if you drop something or clamp it too tight. I’m glad I ordered a full sheet of black for the controller racks!

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

I said there would be creative clamping!

The metal for the lighting pendant just came but not the hardware I guess I get to drag out the Chopsaw and do some metal cutting.

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

I haven’t had an erector set since since I was a kid, but I got one now!

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

The Erector Set is fun but I have to put up my toys so the wife can have her dinning room table back by Breakfast time. Most of the pieces are cut and assembled still have a few miter cuts to adjust on the angle cuts. Angles on a chop saw are close but the belt sander is king for fine work!

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

Breakfast won’t be ready for at least an hour so I’m going to rough out another cable hanger. 90 lb test nylon coated stainless braid leader and a few swivels should hold. I may have to go to the boat store for some stainless turnbuckles but we’ll see.

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

The other night I tried to do a quick cable rig to hang the Radions temporarily and get some practice for the pendant. Since I just kinda grabbed some stuff that looked like it would work in the fishing department, I quickly found that the split rings wouldn’t go through the eyes of the Radions screws and abandoned that idea! The T nuts that slide in these rails are 5mm and I assumed the Radion adjustment screws were also. This wouldn’t give me as much adjustment as a turnbuckle but if I measure properly I shouldn’t need more than 1/8” I just have to overcome the small split ring situation without leaving the house.

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

Is it ok to say I almost have an erection? I have to make a few temporary gussets for the non right angle corners until I get the skins made. Then I’ll be hanging VHOs off of it!

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

Big Tank = Big Stand, Big Sump, Big Lighting and the fish room remains the same ;Facepalm Work space is at a premium around here and the dining room table is officially off limits!
I ran out of T nuts and screws so I had to toss some more cash at Bezos I hate that but they will be here today! Finished the metal work on the supports for the VHOs but they are only halfway secure, close enough for me to work on the end caps.

working on the floor trying to get under a 4.5” light fixture just wasn’t working! I gotta get this up so I can hang some end caps! Lamps in and getting ready to do some wiring!

I thought I was good but my memory sucks I have done this dozens of times and always have to check the diagram!

Yup I crossed the red and yellow

Success, halfway there!

 

[F i s h y]

Big Tank = Big Stand, Big Sump, Big Lighting and the fish room remains the same ;Facepalm Work space is at a premium around here and the dining room table is officially off limits!
I ran out of T nuts and screws so I had to toss some more cash at Bezos I hate that but they will be here today! Finished the metal work on the supports for the VHOs but they are only halfway secure, close enough for me to work on the end caps.

working on the floor trying to get under a 4.5” light fixture just wasn’t working! I gotta get this up so I can hang some end caps! Lamps in and getting ready to do some wiring!

I thought I was good but my memory sucks I have done this dozens of times and always have to check the diagram!

Yup I crossed the red and yellow

Success, halfway there!

Love the old school vho lighting...

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

Love the old school vho lighting...

I grew up on T5s and double ended HQI in Germany in the early 90s. I came back to the States and it was only VHOs. Then when T5 hit here (about 15 years ago) At great expense I switched and never could find the combination that could compare in color and growth so I went back! I’ll give up the Halides but not my VHOs! Anyone interested I have lots of Halides for sale these actually have new 14k bulbs!

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

I had to sort through several Ice Cap wiring harness to find one that would work. Peninsula tanks definitely are setup differently, I didn’t realize just how many harness I had that exited from the back center of the canopy and weren’t long enough to go out the end. I did find a harness extension that I had on a frag rack system. I rewired 2 extensions to split 2 660s so 2 Actinics would light on 2 different tanks then 2 50/50 daylights would go on a few hours later. If it’s still good it should work out perfectly! Got the second loom finished and will connect it in the morning. Old School looses out to New School in the wire loom category that old plastic and zip ties can’t compare to the new braided stuff and heat shrink!

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

Success, now to work on the harness extension!

 

[F i s h y]

Success, now to work on the harness extension!

Very nice sir...

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

Extension harness working great I’ll be able to have the ballasts 6 feet away in an obscure location that I haven’t figured out yet!
Not happy with the layout so I’m going to swap the Red Yellow side with the Blue Orange side so I have an Actinic and a 454 (I think that’s a Blue Plus in T5 speak) on the outside. I was prepared to swap out bulbs anyway and while I have the bulbs out I’ll swap and reconnect the wiring.

 

[F i s h y]

Extension harness working great I’ll be able to have the ballasts 6 feet away in an obscure location that I haven’t figured out yet!
Not happy with the layout so I’m going to swap the Red Yellow side with the Blue Orange side so I have an Actinic and a 454 (I think that’s a Blue Plus in T5 speak) on the outside. I was prepared to swap out bulbs anyway and while I have the bulbs out I’ll swap and reconnect the wiring.

Looks like you will be able to blend the spectrum well.

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

Currently I have an Actinic white (50/50 12k) and an Aqua Sun (10k) on both sides of the center and pure Actinics on the outside. I’ll swap 2 of the Actinics for 2 454s and may Swap the Aqua Suns for 75/25s. Anything I’m missing can be supplemented with the pair of Radion XR 15 Blues.

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

Just as I was inside the stand head and arms through a cutout and mounting the Ice Cap ballast the phone rang was great news the Sump was finally ready

Pendant on (check) Ballast mounted (check) VHOs working (check) Radions on (check) clean up the wiring octopus ..... F that will wait I’m going to get my sump!