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Aberrix's 40 Gallon Breeder (1 Viewer)

What I meant was to cut the lid and put the hinge in the middle instead of the back.

Then you can flip it completely out of the way instead of having the smaller "car hood" opening.

I would mount all the bulbs to the lid so that you can remove it as a unit for bulb changes or trouble shooting. That was all the wiring, end caps, etc come off together.
 
Well mounting the hinge in the rear means the cross brace will cover the joint and keep any light from escaping. If I put the hinge in the middle I'd need to fabricate something to keep the light in.

Also, I was thinking the same thing and thinking of mounting all the bulbs to the lid so that bulb changed, etc would be easy. I think I'll go that route.

The hinge is roughly 5-6" from the wall, so I may be able to flip it up completely out of the way but I would be worried about it falling down and the bulbs shattering... I guess I need to mock it up and see the angle of everything. The car hood style is somewhat limiting, but if need be I could have a 2nd person stand there and hold the lid to ensure it didn't fall down and still have full unrestricted access...

I guess I'll have to do some more mocking up of things...
 
I was just thinking, I could have some sort of string/bungee/etc mounted to the rear of the stand/canopy and then when opening the lid all the way somehow attach that to the front edge of the lid so that it held it in place and kept it from falling down, this could also then easily be hidden when not in use...

:brainstorming:
 
You don't want to have to have someone hold the lid to get access to the tank. That will become annoying real quick.

If you are painting it black, could you just put a strip of black electrical tape over the seam? Its be flexible and not very noticeable because its the same color.
 
hypertech said:
You don't want to have to have someone hold the lid to get access to the tank. That will become annoying real quick.
Click to expand...

I just more meant if I needed it open more than the kickstand idea would allow. But I think I'm gonna try something like the last idea I posted about tethering the lid open somehow when/if needed.
 
I think that is a better idea all the way around. A kickstand is no good - if you bump it while working, the lid crashes down.
 
I didn't get a chance to work on the canopy last night but I got a couple questions about fans in the canopy.

I'm thinking of using some (silent) PC case fans in the rear of the canopy to help with cooling the lights. Anyone have a suggestion on how many fans or how big they should be? I was thinking 2-4 60mm fans? direction of fan (blowing in or out)? Also, should I wire them to the lights, so when the light is on they are also on or should I keep them independent so that someday if I get a controller I can controller them to come on at X temp, etc. Also anyone know if there is an easy gender bender out there to connect molex to a AC adapter?

Thanks.
 
Keep them independent. If you ever switch to MH or if you notice the lights heating the tank, you may want them to run a while after the lights turn off to cool it down. If temp becomes an issue, you may want to run them (or one over the sump) 24/7 for evaporative cooling.

I would do one at each end with one blowing and one pulling so that you get airflow across the bulbs lengthwise.

Do you have a pic of the connectors you are working with? I may have something or might be able to put different connectors on them for you.
 
Do you think (2) one at each end will be enough?

hmm... looks like 60mm only push about 20-30CFM looks like to get anywhere north of 50CFM I'd need 120mm...

any recommendation on size(mm)? or required CFM?
 
If you've got the space for 120mm, use them. They are quieter and you can always turn them down. I have a fanmate here I never used on my project - if I can find it and you want it, you are welcome to it.

There is no "required" cfm. You are looking for a bulb temp and you would need measuring equipment and test fans to figure out what is optimal for your fixture. Don't worry about it that much - just put a fan in and call it good.
 
rgr, I'll just plan on (2) 120mm fans.

I think I'm just gonna use a cheapie clip-on fan for the sump area as there is no need for it to look super pretty.

now I just need to figure out how to wire them... to an AC adapter...
 
ahem, a DC adapter!

You can either get a variable supply, or you can use the fanmate and a dedicated supply. Any leftover DC supply from something broken that is the right voltage and has a high enough current rating will work fine.
 
Also, get a fan splitter wire with the molex connectors on it and splice that into your adapter wiring. That way you can easily replace the fan if you need to with a standard one and no new wiring down the road.
 
It could. Not all fans have that connector. All mine have 3 pin connectors and so does my fanmate. I'm not sure if you will find a speed controller with the big 4 pin. So, if that is important to you, it won't work easily. If its not important, it looks like it should work - you'll just need 4 pin extensions to get from one fan to the 2nd.

I can wire up a power supply wire to fan connector for 3 pin if you want. It'll take 5 minutes.

I used these to split to multiple fans: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812119148

It plugs into the fanmate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118217

And then chop one of these in half: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812119146

And solder it to the supply cord (you probably have one that will work already so that's free)

Supply->Speed Controller->Fans

And then you have nice sockets to replace fans in the future if they burn out without having the extra plug hanging around you have on 4 pin fans.
 
How?

I said you can have the fanmate I have and those cables are 99 cents. The fans vary from $5-20 depending on what you pick.

Or, you could use that cable you found for $16 and a couple other parts.
 
hypertech said:
How?

I said you can have the fanmate I have and those cables are 99 cents. The fans vary from $5-20 depending on what you pick.
Click to expand...

lol, its not that any one thing is expensive, it's just that it all adds up quick (the entire build) thereby becoming expensive. hehe
 
Just remember that what you are doing is going to be far cheaper in the long run than buying and replacing.

You have a good setup going, so as long as you don't decide to upgrade to a different size, you should be all set. Pay attention to coral deals and your ongoing costs could stay low if you want them to.
 
I have a few 60mm fans left over if you need them. They are 3 pin. I'm using 4 of them in my canopy on my 75g and it is REALLY helping. They're rated for 12VDC but I'm using a 9VDC adapter that was laying around. They run a little slower this way but are dead silent.

I think I have 4 available, if you want them you're welcome to them. (I bought a bulk box of 10 off of ebay and don't need the rest)
 
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