Where did that awesome spherical maze brain go to?

My favorite which sold to someone in Saskatoon, not sure I recall who exactly. I'm hoping perhaps some of these people may sell things back to me :mrgreen:

2011 UPDATE, BUILD ON!!
 

For those that don’t know I moved from Saskatoon to Calgary last year and as a result I had to sell all of the livestock I had accumulated since I started the hobby, although it was very difficult to see everything go it had to be done and so far I’m glad to say the move was worth while. I kept all the hardware as I knew the day would come that the tank could be setup again; well that day has finally come.

This year has not been an easy one to say the least, Jan 3rd my wife and I took position of a foreclosure home which was sold as is in uncompleted condition. The house was not approved for occupancy and needed significant work to get it there, it had no heat, bathroom or running water and just to make it more challenging it’s located 50km outside the city in new community which was only in phase one, plus it was the middle of winter and we seemed to be constantly fighting the extreme weather conditions. But we pushed on and with a lot of hard work we got occupancy approval early February. To give an idea on what we where dealing with this is the living room the tank is being put up in:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6458.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6457.jpg

So onto the important stuff:
Here’s the tank:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6489.jpg

To protect some of our investment we decided the safest thing to do was to plumb into the basement to reduce any potential for water damage on the main floor. Here you can see some of the plumbing rough in:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6488.jpg

Before the tank could be put in place I had to finish the fireplace and cabinets. I reframed the fireplace to add some more depth and line things up better with the fish tank :lol:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6493.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6492.jpg

Here’s the start of the stone and marble work. We used the same marble throughout the house so it ties in nicely.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6499.jpg

I used natural ledge stone which came in 6”x24” preassembled panels but since installing the panels directly resulting visible seams I decided to take the difficult approach and break up the panels into individual stone pieces and reassemble. It was exhausting to say the least....
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6497.jpg

Here’s the finished cabinets and fireplace with tank in place. As you can see it’s a busy wall but this way I can view everything I like from one seated position.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6508.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6510.jpg

All plumbing is completely hidden but still accessible.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6509.jpg

And here’s the start of the sump system, this will make more sense later but it’s basically 4 tanks, top is main return, second from the top is skimmer, third is frag/hold tank and the bottom is secondary return and refugium if I decide to add one. Essentially it’s a way I could reduce the need for a large pump while maintaining good circulation without the need to add a closed loop or additional powerheads.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6512.jpg

Next up will be competition of plumbing, rock work, DIY LED light fixture. However things will be a little slow as I have many other things on the go, top priority for me now is completing the garage and landscaping.

Cant wait to see what you do with that sump system, I will be tagging along for sure!

Lookin pretty dang sweet as usual man!

Things are looking really good.

Do you think the heat from the fireplace will affect the tank?

For the layered sump, will they overflow from the top down in a cascading effect? In which tank will the return pump be placed?

Thanks all.

The heat from the fireplace is directed away from the tank, I've had it on for a while and even the stone around it stays pretty cool.

Yes it will cascade downwards but the main return pump will actually be in the top tank. Basically the top sump is the main sump, the other sumps work as a secondary sump system. Top sump will have approx 1000 GPH turn over, a second return pump located in the bottom sump will pump a lower flow rate to the top sump which will overflow and cascade down through the other sumps. I may run into some issues during a power shut down and restart as the water in the top tank will be initially pumped out faster than it's replaced but I should be able to correct it with some programing using the profilux if the volume is too small.

Looking forward to the tank and for the sump as well. Interested to see how it works.

Tagging along, I love the way the fireplace came together. Came out looking sharp man.

Looks good, well thought out.
It all comes together to a great design

A bit of an update, tank is up and running with temporary electrical hook up and light fixture. The sumps are all running, I have a little plumbing to touch up but things are working as expected.

Next will be electrical, fence then the light fixture.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6635.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6634.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6633.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6632.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6628.jpg

just caught up on your thread. Looks sweet! Your basement sump looks crazy awesome :lol:

I'd keep on eye on those cranes though..

Thanks but what cranes? Am I missing something?

the two sitting right beside your tank..

Oh the picture.... funny :wink:

LED Fixture update
 

OK so finally I'm going to build this thing, looking back I really wish I just bought a damn fixture but hopefully I'll be able to make this better suited to my needs/wants than what's currently available.

OK first off the specs:

126 LEDs in total
-56 White
-56 Blue
-7 Red
-7 Yellow

6 Drivers in total to connect to profilux PWM module, one channel for white, one for blue, one for red and one for yellow.

Going tubular heat sink, two pressurizing cooling fans and about 24 feet of 1-1/4 aluminium tubing, give or take.

Now the design:
I modeled the heat sink to make sure everything will fit within the canopy size I've chosen.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...11/Fixture.jpg

The tubing will be drilled/notched and welded together so the air will flow through the inner channel first and then around the parameter back towards the fans where it will vent out of the canopy.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/Fixture1.jpg

I'll figure the rest out as I go...

Here's the tube:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6751.jpg

And here's the canopy which I just finished:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6750.jpg

More to come.

FTS
 

Here's an up to date FTS. I will use this shot for comparison, it was simply shot with the WB set to the sand, cropped in PS and that's it.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6754.jpg

The current light fixture is a 4 bulb T5 fixture, nothing special, got it used for $100 including bulbs. It really does seem to be enough light for the tank although I don't have any SPS at the moment I still think a few would survive in the right spots.
Although the LED fixture will have more light it has so far cost me just under $1200, and that's without any labor which is proving to be a lot.

Tank looks great, love the sump system. I really like your idea with forced air cooling LED, should give the air flow needed without much noise.

Glad to hear that you are moving to the LED "Dark side" (or bright side if you really think about it). :)
Anyways, really keep a good eye on your LED temps with the tubes as many of the early adopters on LED just couldn't make them work for heat sinks. I think you've put more thought and effort into making the air flow...but if you want the most out of your $1200 and elbow grease, just watch the temps so that you don't prematurely burn out the LED's. I just bought the U-channel that I plan to use on mine today (they say U-channel gets rid of the heat better) but I'm still worried that things will get too hot.
What drivers are you planning on using? Have you thought about using the Meanwell HLG version of driver and going with a parallel design to save on cost? If you want examples of what others have done with this, I have a few that I could PM you as that's the way I plan to go.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this comes together as you always do an amazing job with your tanks.

Thanks for the advice. I think this will work out just fine, but I do plan on testing temps prior to final installation. I'll probably just wire up one series of LEDs first and see how hot they get.

Drivers are from Steve's LEDs, most of the supplies are from him.

Well tubes are cut and ready for welding

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6757.jpg

Here you can see the notches to direct the air through each tube

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6759.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6758.jpg

Didn't realize you were using Steve's...will be interesting to see how you like them. How has his service and communication been?

Very interesting idea using aluminum tube, will be watching you thread to see how this turns out. Might have to do the same thing for my 8'er.

Good, no complaints, seems to know his stuff. For the price his products seemed to be the best value for my needs. He claims the LEDs have a 90 degree beam so I won't need optics which I liked. I realize there are more efficient LEDs out there but to me these should be plenty efficient and although I could have used less LEDs for the same amount of output I figured it made more sense to spend the same money on more LEDs which will reduce the typical blue/white spot light effect I've seen with other fixtures. The separate single power supply was also a bonus as it keeps the drivers very small, essentially I'll have less clutter in the hood and only have to run a couple wires down below.

really looking forward to how you put this together...

Working on the LED layout.... Thoughts? (The back is at the bottom with the gap centered over the overflow)

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...LEDpattern.jpg

Don't ask me why this helps but it made more sense when I started, looking now I'm not sure if this qualifies as useful data :redface:

White beams
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...hiteBeams1.jpg

Blue beams
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1.../BlueBeams.jpg

Blue and White
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...hiteBeams1.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...hiteBeams2.jpg

Here's the red and yellow, this will really only be used as a sunset/rise effect, doubt they'll even be on during regular hours but we'll see.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ellowbeams.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...llowbeams2.jpg

The welding will be done tomorrow but since this weekend will be a right off I won't be doing any mounting/soldering until next week. :cry:

I did get some hinges mounted today:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6760.jpg

This will just allow me to lift and lower the fixture without removing it for maintenance and such if needed.

Here's a little look at the grooves I put in for the shield as well, nothing special but worth pointing out.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6762.jpg http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6761.jpg

That's actually called 'scribing' and a very nice example of it :biggrin:

I don't think so, I used a table saw prior to assembly so I'd call it cutting with a plan. Now if I used a knife to cut them after everything was said and done I'd let you define it as "scribing" but that's not a skill I could pull off :wink:

Lol stick with your way unless you want to give your forearms a run for their money =)

The fans seem even more important to your design than fixtures with fins as these won't do much without the fans is that right? Will you have a way to monitor temp or air flow in case they slow down or fail?

I do remember reading a build thread on another forum where the aluminum tubing itself dispated enough heat that fans weren't warented. However, I believe he was running less diodes. It would be interesting to know what the temps would be with and without the fans.

interesting build tagging along

Yes more than likely if the fans fail things will get pretty warm, however depending on the design on many fixtures and how they are enclosed this could be common issue with LEDs. I also ran some LEDs on my previous nano on just plain old flat bar without fans, they did run very hot but still appear to work as new a year later so worst case scenario doesn't really mean frying everything.

Some testing will give better answers but the design may still work if only one fan fails and if it does appear to be a serious threat I do have some plan B's to integrate as safety devices, temperature monitoring is certainly one of them. The other thing is the drivers will be mounted on the same heat sink and they will shut down if their temp rises above 150C.

The fans should however be pretty reliable seeing that they are the same used in some flat panel TVs which would also be pretty reliant on them. Plus I do have two back up fans on hand for a quick change if needed.

With the tube style heat sink if the fans stopped the air in the tube would just keep getting warmer with no air circa. Regular heat sinks with open fins will dissipate a little of the heat.

I think you have a good thing going here sphelps, fairly inexpensive heatsink & I really like your design, well planned.

Well it depends, typically the DIY style is to get a huge chunk of heat sink and simply hang that over the tank so yes it would dissipate a lot more heat than tubes. However some purchasable fixtures use very little heat sink to keep weight and cost down and they do rely heavily on forced air movement (Just like the cpu in a typical computer). On top of this everything is enclosed in a nice tight shell to make things look nice which will add to problems if fans stop working.

So certainly more reliable on fans than what is typically seen in the DIY apps but I think in general all LED fixtures seem pretty reliant on their fans. I guess some of the purchased fixtures may very likely have protective shut off for high temps which I may or may not need to add.

Thanks Grizz, but keep in mind isn't necessarily that inexpensive. The aluminium tube itself cost me $90 and it took two hours just to cut it all up. Then there's the cost of welding as well. For me personally my cost stopped at $90 but others without the tools would be looking pretty close to $300 min. In comparison I could have gotten a standard finned heat sink large enough for around $100-$150, less if I went will multiple smaller ones.

I just ordered the u-channel that I plan to use for my build. I was going to go for the large heatsinks but couldn't source them cheaply enough in Canada. Six 6' x 2" u-channels plus one 6' x 4" u-channel all precut for me by a local machine shop for $102. Will probably start it when I get back from MACNA on Tuesday. Really interesting build using this here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2026851

Here's the heat sink all welded up and drilled.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6766.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6768.jpg

And here's the beginning on the LEDs being mount, all blues are mounted.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6771.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/DSC_6770.jpg

Should be seeing some light this week :mrgreen:

Just a quick question...are you using any kind of nylon or other non-conductive material between the stars and the screws. I have been researching DIY fixtures for over a year and read hundreds of builds...almost all of the ones where screws went directly to the star resulted in shorts and a lot of re-work. You may have them there and I just don't see them.

Even these would work: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=61...tech.com%20Ltd

Yeah there are very small washers and I've tested each one for shorts.

Although I just went and retested and I did find one short so now I'm a little concerned. I think I'm going to go get some wider washers to be on the safe side. Thanks for the heads up!