# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Open topped tank with PC lights



## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

A while back I posted a little about the lighting for my 150 and Jay asked for close-ups. Here they are.

The first photo shows the entire light rack removed from the tank and leaning against a wall with the bottom visible.








The rack is 5 feet tall and 2 feet front to back. The frame is solid poplar 1x6 and the crossing slats are 1x2. The lights (6x55watt PC lights from AH supply) are mounted on the slats. The ballast and wiring are all mounted on the back frame member. They aren't visible in this photo.

If necessary I can cover the open top of the tank with a piece of primed mdf that sits inside the frame, on top of the slats.

The second photo shows a detail of the corner construction and finish as seen from the top of the rack while it still leans against a wall.








The frame corners are braced with sections of 1X2 screwed to the frame members. The frame and slats were completely clear-coated with all-weather urethane, then the lower part of the inside frame interior and the slats were top-coated with ultra-white exterior latex.

The next photo shows a detail of the bottom of the frame, looking at the back of the frame, still leaning against the wall. It also shows my repair of a major mistake.








The frame is built to fit snuggly on the tank frame and to slide on and off. The bottom of the frame is routed so that it overlaps the tank frame. The rear frame member is shorter than the front and sides. The back frame member also has two cut-outs along it's bottom rim to allow tubing and equippment top enter the tank. The slats are dowled into the frame from the inside.

When I first assembled the rack I got one of the slats in the wrong position. I had to cut the already-mounted slat out of the frame. I drilled out the old dowl and redrill a new dowl hole from the outside of the frame, then capped the dowl hole. Can you see the repair work? One of the good things about dowling is that even the mistakes come out looking ok.

The next picture shows the rear corner of the rack as it sits on the tank.








In this picture, the rack is slid a little forward of its usual position to show the way the light rack sits on the aquarium frame. You can see how the power cord was routed to the side of the frame so that the frame can slide foreward without hanging up on the back of the tank.

The next picture is looking across the top of the light rack as it sits on the tank.








The picture shows the slots in the rear frame member that allow the filter inlet and outlet lines and a heater wire to pass into the tank. It also shows one of the reasons for having an open top. The top-down view is pretty neat.

The last two photos don't have much to do with the light rack.

First is a picture of some ludwidgia repens x palustris (?) viewed from the top down between the lights.








I haven't retouched the color here at all. It really is that bright, thanks partly to the bright natural light the plant gets through the open top.

The last (underexposed) picture is the first full-view of the tank that I've photographed.








The tank is still in the "stuff it full of plants" phase and hasn't been aquascaped at all, but it still looks pretty good. The view is 5 feet end-to-end and 2 feet top to bottom, 2 feet front to back.

Roger Miller

[This message was edited by Roger Miller on Thu June 12 2003 at 09:12 PM.]


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## Jon Mulzer (Mar 9, 2003)

Ingenious, beautiful, exquisite. I could keep going but I hate to use too many adjectives in one post. You are one inventive fellow. I seriously doubt I would ever consider doing something like that myself. You have raised the bar on creative design.









Disclaimer: Any errors in spelling, tact, or fact are transmission errors.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

I'm building a similar sized canopy. So, how heavy is yours? I might use some of hte concepts in my desgin.

Thanks









------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/kfh227- go there and see my future fish section to see what I have planned for my next 100+ gallon tank.
Note: I havn't maintained the site lately.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by kherman:
> I'm building a similar sized canopy. So, how heavy is yours?


Maybe 20 lbs. We don't have a scale in the house, so it's only a guess. I get it on and off the tank easily. Were I to add anything to the tank it would be handles.

Roger Miller


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2003)

Thank you Roger for providing this detail information.

Excellent DIY job.

Top-down view on the first picture is just plain beautiful. Looks like a invitation to plant cave.

Join as at www.njas.net


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

lol! when i saw the first pic, i thought it was a ladder!!! roger do you have pics of what your tank looks like with this hood? thanks, broham


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Sure. Here it is.








The flash did a great job of bringing out the water marks that I don't usually notice. I wiped them off after I took the picture.

Roger Miller


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Your tank is getting me thinking.

It might be time to do a tear down and rebuild of my tank. Have an algae problem anyways.


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

man, that is an awesome tank....you should enter it into a contest. 

Ok, I didn't catch why you decided to go front to back instead of perhaps going 2 reflectors x 3 reflectors lengthwise.. ?


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> man, that is an awesome tank....you should enter it into a contest.


Thanks.



> quote:
> 
> Ok, I didn't catch why you decided to go front to back instead of perhaps going 2 reflectors x 3 reflectors lengthwise.. ?


 I don't see any advantage to running the lights lengthwise. By running the lights front-to-back I got

a) a very strong, lightweight frame
b) easy access to the top of the tank without removing the lights
c) all of the ballasts and wiring mounted out of sight on the back of the frame.
d) no lamps blocked by the center brace on the tank.
e) very even light distribution.

There would be fewer advantages if I didn't want an open-topped tank.

Roger Miller


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## feefeefish (Apr 5, 2004)

That is a MAGNIFICANT tank! I don't think it has a "stuff it full of plants" look at all. It looks very serene. I like the rocks, too.









Who are your fishy occupants? I see one angel...


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Thanks, feefeefish. The last photo was taken about 9 months after the first full tank shot. There were about 9 months in between so the tank is no longer in the stuffed state for the second photo.

My tanks don't usually feature many fish. This one contains 5 angels (3 full-sized), about 7 otos, 3 SAEs and a couple plecos that need a new home. The tank had a large population of ghost shrimp, but I think most of them became angelfish food. I've been thinking about adding a school of cardinals and maybe some corys.

It is a nice looking tank, even when it isn't in great shape. I like the way a friend of ours puts it when she visits; "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!"

You can tell she's a friend









Roger Miller


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