Some insight into what you are seeing in the pictures... in the left hand picture the yellow cords are quick disconnect supplies to the metal halides. My hope was that if I ever needed to get into the tank quickly I can just unplug the wires from the lights while leaving the ballasts where they sit. The VHO's and fans will also be on quick disconnects as well. One other thing I was thinking about with the canopy was to put the whole thing on a track hanging from the ceiling so I wouldn't even have to lift it to get it off the tank, only slide it out of the way. This was quickly shot down when I noticed the ceiling fan in front of the tank. Funny how you forget about these details when you are daydreaming instead of actually looking at the tank...
You'll also notice all of the plumbing comes out of the back of the tank in two 45's instead of just a 90. This will help with flow restriction. I also put shut off valves on the 2 drains as well as the two extra drains out of the OF boxes. Per the advice of Otty I went ahead and planned for future expansion.
You'll also notice my wiring mess. The things directly behind the tank are DIY ballasts and the piece with the outlet on it. This is a motor contactor that will allow me to run my metal halides with my lighthouse controller. Even though I had the controller in the past the metal halides pulled too much juice for the controller so I kept them on individual timers. This was a pain becasue the lights were never in sync and the controller wasn't being used to it's full potential. The controller has the ability to shut the lights off if the water gets too hot. Nice feature when you are away from home for a few days. The motor contactor was another suggestion from Otty.
Where would I be without you buddy? Probably still running a single external overflow with a few powerheads...
karma to the Ottmeister.
The overflow boxes inside the tank are courtesy of Tangster (and Amcarrig for getting them off the shelf). Karma to you two as well.
The durso standpipes you see are a step up from the normal ones. Otty gave me a great idea to use an adjustable union so the water level can be changed without having to recut pipe. Awesome!
I think that's about it for now guys. HOping to get the VHO's wired up this weekend as well as get base sand in the fuge and a few other knick knack things. Once my rock dries the rest of the way from the nuking process I'll get my aquascaping done and this thing will get some saltwater in it. Not before it's filled with fresh water to check for leaks though...
Better leave that hippie lettuce alone there young man...
