For many Marine aquarists, the first challenge often arises,
even before They have poured water in the tank. The selection of
decent looking and practical stands, that caters for the special
demands, that the technical installations of an advanced marine
tank, are extremely limited, and those available, prohibitively
expensive to most people.
This is especially the case if You need/want to use metal halide
light, without getting not only the tank, but also it`s close
surroundings flooded with bright light.
Here You are left to rely on Your own skills as
constructor/carpenter. I have faced this dilemma several times
over the years, and have come up with a number of more or less successful creations, which has been
improved on from generation to generation.
I will in this article try to go through the considerations You
should do, before You start, and then show two examples of the
solutions I have come up with Myself. |
Before You
start... |
| ...it is necessary to have a clear picture in Your head, of
what demands the future cabinet has to meet. There are a number
of different things to consider, and even if some of them could
be added as "afterthoughts", the solution is usually both more elegant and functional, if everything is included from the
outset. The demands can roughly be split in two groups; Group 1:
Those posed from aquaristic functions. Group 2: Those posed from
the surroundings. |
Examples of demands to consider from group 1: |
Aquarium size. Both
dimensions and weight need to be taken into account. The
tank is typically going to weigh between 20 and 30% more,
measured in kg. than the number of liter, it contains. It is
often practical, to build the cabinet, so that there is a
little room around the tank, inside it.
Light. Size, type, mount,
heat emission. There is a big difference in the demands
posed from a powerful metal halide lamp, and those from a
few actinic tubes. Actually it would seem, that the mounting
height over the tank, of a metal halide lamp, which often
leads to a very tall cabinet, is one of the obstacles that
deter most of the commercial constructors.
Sump or not?
If You want to
include a sump to the system, accounts must be made for a
number of tubes, leading from the tank to the sump and back,
and room must be provided inside the cabinet, where the sump
should be. This room should also be sufficient for the
various technical installations and reasonably comfortable
servicing of these. In some cases, this has led to tanks
with sumps under them, being positioned unreasonably
high, causing the angle of view to be less than optimal,
when viewed from a normal chair. Omitting
the sump would in My opinion
have been better.
Electrical installations.
There are a plethora of technical equipment in a marine
tank, most of which, need power, so a number of sockets,
preferably with an on/off switch, placed where they are
needed, would be nice.
There are some legal requirements to
consider, as well as some practical considerations about the
physical relationship between saltwater and electrical
power, that You would do well to have the utmost respect
for!
Accessibility. The tank
needs daily servicing, if not for something else, then
at least feeding.
This should not cause any inconvenience
from the cabinet. Also remember to cater for the more
infrequent servicing. This may not be too much of a problem,
if it takes a little time to do, but it should not become a
physical challenge...
Ventilation. A good deal of
evaporation will come from the open surfaces of the tank, as
well as form the sump, and this moisture should be able to
exit the cabinet, to avoid everything getting soaked, which
would be bad for the electrical installations, as well as
the cabinet itself. |
From group 2: |
The nature of the foundation.
Is the floor level? Is it still level, when You have loaded the
weight of the whole system on it? It is so much easier, to build
a cabinet, if adjustable feet and stabilizing plate can be
avoided.
Moisture. A marine tank
gives off a some moisture through evaporation, which
in some cases could be a problem. In most cases it is not
necessary to do anything about it, but if the tank is very
large, or the room very small, it should be taken into
account.
Room around the cabinet. Make
sure, that the doors to all access points can be opened, and
that You can work around and through them.
The cabinet should complement the
rest of the room. The whole idea of a large tank in the living room,
is probably an easier sell, if You can convince the rest of
the family, that it will not work against the impression
that You all have tried to create in the first place.
If the
room is furnished e.g. in Victorian style, the cabinet should
probably look different than if placed in a super
modern environment... |
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When the above mentioned demands have been identified, and
it is time to devise the solutions, it is very important to have
a realistic idea about how high the level of technical skill and
craftsmanship can be! This is off course dependent of the assigned builder. Is He/She an accomplished handyman, or are
both arms screwed on the wrong way? Also the available tools,
and not least space should be considered. Naturally, cost is
also a factor. This leads Us to the...
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...Choice of materials: |
Metal: |
| Most of Us have very
limited knowledge, about working with metal, just as very few
households have the necessary tools readily available. This put
a natural limit to the use, beyond prefabricated items, such as
handles. fittings and mountings. Sometimes it can be beneficial,
to have the stand itself made by a professional, not least if You need adjustable feet on Your cabinet,
since the readymade solution here, are more elegant than what
most people can make on their own. |
Wood: |
| Large parts of
the cabinet, will usually be made from wooden sheets.
Usually Particle board, MDF board or Plywood board will be the
natural choice. Regardless of material, tit is best to purchase
the pieces You want, pre-cut from the Vendor, so that they are
already the right size, ready to be assembled. This will also ascertain,
that the cuts are straight and in exactly 90 deg. angles. Small
variations from the ordered measurements should be expected
though, and the sheets themselves, may not be totally straight.
This is something to consider when deciding how they should be
assembled. |
Which type of sheet? |
Particle board:
The cheapest alternative, and a good choice, if it is
certain that it will not be exposed to high humidity or
regularly soaked. The biggest disadvantage is that the edges
are pretty ugly, and requires some kind of cover, if exposed
to view. The surface is slick,
with a characteristic pattern, that most people would
probably want to paint over, with a full-covering colour.
MDF board:
A little more costly than particle board, but also stronger. Just like
particle board, it does not stand up very well, if exposed
to a lot of moisture. The edges are very good, and are,
after a little sanding, quite usable without any kind of
cover. The surface is slick,
more or less monocolour grey/brown. Nevertheless, most people
would probably want to paint it over with a full-covering
colour.
Plywood: Fairly expensive, compared to the alternatives. Plywood
comes in various qualities and finishing, with
corresponding prices, including some that are water
resistant. The surface is a little rough, and need some
sanding. It is very strong, but not always as straight as
MDF or Particle board. The biggest advantage though, is the
natural wooden surface, which makes it the obvious choice,
if a natural wooden furniture look is what You are aiming
for. If that is the case, You can either rub it in oil, or
apply varnish. The edges have a
very characteristic look. Most people would probably want to
cover them, but it is a matter of taste. |
Plastic: |
It is mostly PVC that is relevant. Tubes an rails are almost
always made from this. There is not so much to say, other than
that it can be difficult to acquire in the right dimensions.
Well stocked aquarium dealers will however, often have a decent
selection, or at least be able to get the things You need.
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Screws, fittings, nails: |
| Most fittings/screws/nails are made from
steel. It is advisable to consider, if any of these will be
exposed to moisture, or maybe even soaked with water. Is
that the case, corrosion could be a problem, which must be
remedied by using stainless steel, aluminum or
titanium,
but otherwise, normal screws/nails will do fine. It is most
practical, if all screws use the same size and type of Bits (e.g. Pozi-drive),
so that you won`t have to constantly change bit/screwdriver. |
Liquid materials:
This is glue, filler and paint/varnish. |
Glue: Most important is
wood glue. It comes for indoors and outdoors use, but
frankly, it is not important which one You choose, since the
cabinet should not be soaked with water anyway. For gluing
anything else, a 2-component epoxy glue is very effective.
For gluing PVC together, a special PVC glue is available,
and should be used (Tangit is probably the most widespread
brand).
Filler:
Used to level-out
rough patches/holes/cracks. Cracks will often appear between
two pieces of board, if the cutting have not been 100%
precise, and must be covered, to avoid unwanted light
emissions from the cabinet. Holes are most often caused by
faulty drilling... rough patches can be the result of faulty
fabrication or transport damages. They can all be covered
very easily, with a common filler. The important thing, is
that the filler should be easily sanded down, and painted
over. It is applied with a spatula, and the excessive
material is sanded down.
Lacquer/Varnish: Is used
when the underlying material (typically Plywood) should be
seen through the applied layers. Other than that, it is the
same as paint.
Paint:
Two strategies are
open her; You can try to waterproof the cabinet with paint,
or just aim for decoration.
The first way has the advantage
of protecting the cabinet from water damage, that might
arise from excessive contact with water.
This is obviously
the right choice! So why does so few opt for it? The answer
is, that it is actually not as necessary as One might think,
and also fairly difficult to accomplish. To make matters
worse, an unsuccessful attempt, might even do more damage
than good, because it may prevent water that has passed the
barrier, from getting away again, like it would otherwise.
Also take into account, that waterproof paint are almost
always oil-, alcohol- or turpentine based, making it
potentially dangerous to work with, especially if You are
confined to Your living quarters doing it.
The alternative,
that the paint should mainly be decorative, with a modest
ability to protect the wood from occasional water splash, is
a lot easier, and actually also more in line with the
real-world threats to the cabinet.
Any good water based
paint, preferably with some degree of shine to it, can do
the job. Brush and paint roller are needed to apply the paint. |
Drafts... |
... are unfortunately unavoidable. Without
these, it will be impossible to determine the measurements of
the various pieces of board, or get a clear overview of how the
whole thing should fit together. Fortunately it is not
necessary
to be a graphic designer, or anything like that, since the draft
only needs to be understood by the builder. A couple of pencil
drawings from various angles, will usually do the trick, as seen
on the examples below.
|
Tools: |
For the shown examples, only tools readily
available in most households have been used. ; A lot of screws
are used, for which pre-drilling is advisable, so a drill-driver
is very handy, but in a pinch, a drill and some screwdrivers will
do.
In order to make the wooden glue hold solidly, it is necessary
to hold them together under pressure for about an hour, so a
number of clamps will be needed.
A yardstick or measure-tape is necessary.
A couple of cuttings will probably also be called for, so a
jigsaw should also be at hand.
If a sander is already in the inventory, it can off course be
used, but otherwise, sandpaper will do fine.
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Example 2
This example has, in contrast to the first, from the outset been
thoroughly photo-documented, and all drafts have
been scanned
into a computer.
This makes a detailed account of the methods and ideas possible.
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The cabinet have been constructed to meet these demands (referring
to THIS
list):
- 350 L aquarium (130x55x50 cm)
- Giesemann Infiniti lamp med 2x150W metal halide / 4x54W T5.
- Sump under the tank (120x40x30 cm.)
- The electrical installations will be multi-way sockets.
- All maintenance will be done through large doors, which
allows for easy access. It is necessary to have access to
the lamp from at least one of the side panels, to avoid
taking the lamp out of the cabinet, when replacing bulbs or
tubes.
- 2 pcs. of 15x15 cm. ventilation grates are built into
the cabinet, both on the right side. 1 over the tank, and 1
over the sump. A large gap in the cabinet ceiling, lets hot
air rise from the lamp.
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| Fitting the cabinet to
it`s allotted place, poses a number of challenges; |
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State of the floor. The floor is not level, and fairly
unstable, which means that adjustable feet, and a
stabilizing plate, both are necessary. Through a good
contact from an aquarium forum, I get a stand, made from
steel, with the needed adjustable feet, mounted in the frame,
so that only the height of the feet themselves, add to the
height of the frame (see pictures below). Under the cabinet,
a 16mm MDF board will distribute the weight, to ease
the pressure on the floor.
Styling the cabinet, to fit the rest of the room. Not a
great concern, since it is placed in a room, where only I
and the more privileged guests ever come. Off course a
decent design is still wanted, since the cabinet could one
day be used elsewhere.
Space around the cabinet. There is not enough room in
front of the cabinet, to allow for hinged doors. Instead a
combination of different sliding doors will be utilized. Over
the tank a vertical sliding door will be used. To hold the
door in open position, a counterweight system is implemented
(see details later). Under the tank accessing the sump,
normal horizontally sliding doors will suffice. The vertical
moving door is a somewhat experimental solution, but it is
the only way I can see, to get access to the full length of
the tank at one time.
Moisture from evaporation. For a start, 2 openings, each
15x15 cm, with grates will be provided (one over the tank,
and one over the sump) in the right side (the openings are
placed on the detachable part of the side-board, which can
be interchanged with it`s left counterpart), and a 7 cm.
wide opening in the ceiling, running the whole with of the
cabinet. |
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| Execution of the
project.... |
First all the great (or
not so great) ideas, have to be transferred to paper,
and checked for compatibility with each other. dimensions
must be measured out or calculated, so that the pieces
of board, can be ordered in correct sizes. All boards
are cut by a professional at the woodshop, to guarantee
that all cuts are absolutely straight and in a right
angle. Regrettably, small inaccuracies in
measurement
still exists. As mentioned before, the drafts do not
have to be very advanced, as long as You, or in this
case I, can make out what they mean. Shown here, are the
drafts I made to build this cabinet. I would be more
than a little surprised, i anyone else could get much
out of them, but here goes...
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It surpasses My artistic abilities, to
draw the mechanism of the vertical sliding door, so I confined
Myself to just draw the needed boards. Up until the actual
making, this door was only visible to My inner eye...
The front cover is made from pieces,
assembled in two layers. Front cover 1 is the outer layer, and
front cover 2 the inner. This arrangement, will make sure, that
the glued surfaces, holding the cover together, are large enough,
to withstand the stress they are exposed to. |
from the front |
from above |
from the side |
|
A click on an image,
produces a larger version in a new window |
boards for the door |
front cover 1 |
front cover 2 |
The boards are mainly made from 16
mm. MDF sheet. The board supporting the tank is also made from
MDF, but 22 mm thick. The front cover is made from a
double layer of 10 mm. MDF. In order to be able to make
various rails and supports, 2 meter long and 50 mm. wide
pieces of 16 and 22 mm MDF board
are also ordered. They
are cut to suitable lengths as need arises.
The general method of assembly, are gluing with
wood-glue, where the glued parts are held in position
and under pressure by clamps for about an hour after
gluing. Where extra load is expected, the gluing is
reinforced with screws. |
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The Stand |
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After considering wood or the pre-cut aluminum tubes from the
Termo-tex system, which are the materials I am able to work with
Myself, I opted for a stand made from steel, mainly because of
the necessity for adjustable feet. In
order to get the sump
acceptably easy in and out of the cabinet, the lower front tube
has to be as close to the floor as possible, which is best
achieved, if the stand is constructed like shown below: |
The dimensions are 135x57x70 cm (LxWxH) |
Closeup of one of the adjustable feet |
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Side panels |
First the side panels must be
assembled. In order to secure access to the lamp (which
must be opened from one side, to allow replacement of
bulbs or tubes), there have to be a large opening in
at least one of the panels. I choose to construct the
cabinet with an access from both sides, even though only
the right side will be accessible as the cabinet is
placed in a corner, which leaves the left side blocked
by a wall. That way, the cabinet can still be used, even
if it is placed somewhere else. This means that the two
panels are totally alike but mirrored.
Since the opening will only be used very rarely, I
choose not to use any hinges as they will only
complicate the assembly unnecessarily. It will be an
opening from top to bottom, into which, a piece of board
will fit The board is held in place in a
lining, made by gluing a
length of
8x15 mm strip wood to the edges
of the boards (2), by window screen clips (1) on the
inside. The two boards, that together forms the
permanent part of the side panel, are interconnected
with pieces of board, cut from a 22 mm. MDF sheet (3).
The lower pieces (7), one to each side, are supporting
the combined weight of the side panels, ceiling and lamp,
so they must be fairly sturdy! To ensure that, extra
pieces of board are attached as support (4). Two blocks,
made in the same fashion (8) are mounted, to carry the
load of the detachable part of the panel, and guide it
into place, when needed.
A piece of 22 mm. board, which will be a part of the
track, that will guide the main door over the tank (5)
is glued on, and a 50 mm. wide board of 16 mm MDF, is
likewise set in place (6), ready to support the
dowel for the lamp.
Directly above it, another piece is mounted, as support.
This piece doubles as support for the ceiling.
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Right side panel, before mounting. The left
counterpart is mirrored.
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The image
to the right, illustrates how one of the side panels is
attached to the stand. Furthermore, 4 holes in the stand
(not visible in the image, due to lack of light) allows
screws to secure the panels from the inside. |
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| Ceiling, tank support
and back wall |
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The ceiling is
fairly simple. Two boards, which together covers the
top, except for a 7 cm. wide opening, running the length
of the cabinet, close to the back wall, is essentially
it! The opening is there to let hot air and moisture
out.
Each of these boards, have a vertical board mounted to
their downside (5), to prevent them from bending under
the weight of the front door and it`s counterweight. To
ensure durability, the supporting boards are attached
with glue, reinforced with screws down through the
ceiling.
On the picture directly above, the two pulleys (1) which
forms the fixture of the
main door, is seen. Also visible , is the way the
ceiling is fitted inside the cabinet (3) on top of a
board, fastened to the
side panels. The dowel, from
which the lamp will hang (2) is in place. It will
not have a fixed position, making the lighting
arrangement very flexible.
The board supporting the tank, is not fastened either,
but rely on the weight of itself and the tank to keep it
in place (in the picture to the right, the hole for the
tubes from the tank, has not yet been cut). A
10 mm. polystyrene sheet will take up any minor tensions
between the tank and the stand.
The image to the left, shows the full interior of the cabinet,
as seen from the front. You can see how the lower half
of the back wall is attached to the stand in much the
same way as the side panels. At the bottom of the sheet,
the two pieces of board, carrying the considerable
weight of the the back wall. The sheet fits inside the
side panels, stabilizing the cabinet sideways. At the
same time, it protects the wall behind the cabinet from
moisture, and provide a place to fasten various
installations to. |
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Below: Close up of the detail in
the fixture for the lamp, and positioning of the cabinet
roof.
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The main service door.
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These pictures illustrates the relative movements, of
the two boards, that together makes up the main service
door, and it`s counterweight.
The basic principle is, that the two boards, the door
(1) and the counterweight (2), have the same weight, and
thus create equilibrium in their fixture. This makes the
door independent of gravity, and enable it to stay in
any position, until somebody actively moves it. In this
way, the need for clutches, hooks or other mechanisms
for keeping the door open, is elegantly bypassed.
Minor inaccuracies in the equilibrium, is evened out by
the natural resistance from the rope and the pulleys.
The left image shows the boards in the closed door
position. The opening above the door
(4), will be covered, when the front cover is mounted.
This front cover will also guide the door (1) into place,
as it forms the other part of the track (3) in which the
door moves. When the door is open (right) it will slide
up behind this same cover, and a large opening over the
tank (5) will make service easy and comfortable.
In the image below left, the wheels, mounted on each
side of the door to make it slide easier, are visible.
These wheels also make sure, that there is a gap between
the door and the side panel, which is necessary to
attach the front cover.
More about this later. |
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The door in closed position without cover
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The door in closed position with cover
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The door in open position with cover
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| The front cover. |
| The primary function of
the front cover, is to make the cabinet visually
appealing, as well as functional. It is by far the most
important feature, regarding design. Thus, it should
ideally look nice, keep unwanted light inside the
cabinet and support (or at least not get in the way of)
the technical functions of the tank and cabinet. It should also be completely removable, so that it is
possible to get the tank in and out of the cabinet,
should this be needed. Even better, is it, if the front
cover is not directly tied to any functions of the tank,
and thus can be replaced entirely, without any
disruptions. |
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The images below, may
appear as a before/after paintjob illustration, but in
fact, they show two very different constructions!
The left front cover, is built
according to
this draft. The front are assembled by gluing the
boards together, edge to edge, which does not give a lot
of real estate for the glue. This is made worse by the
fact, that it is very difficult to put enough pressure
on the surfaces during the gluing, as most households
do not have clamps, that can reach the 138 cm. this
front requires. The result is a very fragile
construction, which actually disintegrated under the
preliminary tests...
The right front cover, is built in two layers, according
to the two drafts shown
HERE,
as Front 1 and
Front 2. Compare the two drafts, and You can see, that
the assembling is different. This means, that when
they are combined in layers, no connections will be
directly aligned, and present a weak point. It also
means, that only very short clamps are needed, as the
pressure now should be from front to back. (The front is
made from 10 mm MDF, making it 2 cm. in total). |
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The downside of this
construction, is that it requires a great deal of
precision, both when cutting the sheets to size, and at
the assembly (this front is made from 16 pieces!).
It is also very time consuming, as it takes at least 30
minutes between gluing, and only 1-2 gluings can be
made at one time. Reality is, that You will have to
accept, that the sheets are not cut with absolute
accuracy, to make everything fit exactly, so You must
decide which sides You give priority, and which is
acceptable to compromise a bit. In this case, the
cabinet is placed in a corner, where the left side will
be impossible to see, so the right side got priority. Alternatively,
decorative strips can be fitted to the edges (don`t
forget to calculate the strips in, determining the
measurements of the boards!), and spackle out the
resulting holes, or the front cover could be fitted
inside the frame of the cabinet (which has other
disadvantages).
One last solution could be, to simply acquire a board in
the required size (this case 138x200 cm.), and cut the
desired openings with a jigsaw, but this would require a
lot more skill than I have (I want the edges to be
completely straight), and it is difficult to get a sheet
that is large enough. |
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When the front cover is finished, it must off course be
mounted to the cabinet. In this case, I have opted for a
fit, that mounts the front outside the frame of the
cabinet. This has some obvious advantages; It presents
the cabinet as one single piece, covers the edges of the
side- and top panels and eliminates the risk of getting
visible light out between the front and the cabinet,
when looking at the tank. The downsides are, that the
edges of the front cover are visible from the sides of
the cabinet (with the problems mentioned above) and that
it may be possible to see light between the cover and
the cabinet when viewed from one of the sides. To Me,
the most important is how it looks when viewed from
the front.
The easiest way to attach the front cover to the cabinet,
is to use screws through the cover, into the edge of the
cabinet, but unfortunately this also entails a couple of
serious downsides: All the materials suggested here, are very prone
to cracking, when screws are inserted from the edge,
so very careful pre-drilling is required, and even
then, the fastening is fragile.
The front cover will only be removable using
tools.
The holes for the screws will deteriorate every
time a screw have been removed and put back in,
limiting the times the cover can be removed and put
back.
The screws will be visible from the outside, no
matter how the front cover is fitted. This is off
course only important, if You don`t like the look.
In this case, I have chosen a look, where no
screws/bolts/nut may be visible from the outside. |
In order to avoid the
mentioned downsides, I have chosen to glue fitting
pieces of board to the backside of the front cover,
which allows it to be attached in much the same way as
the side panels.
The front has 6 points of attachment (3
on each side). The images below, shows how: |
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1. right side, floor level |
2. right side, just over the tank |
3. left side, just over the tank |
- The front cover
- The piece of board, that is glued to the
backside of the cover
- The
window screen clip, that holds the cover pressed to
the cabinet
- misplaced
window screen clip, forget it!
- window screen clip that holds the side panel (no
relevance here)
- The inside of the vertical sliding door
- The stand
- Tracks for the lower sliding doors (no
relevance here)
|
The images
above, each show one side of the cabinet. Off course
there is a mirrored counterpart to each of them.
Image 1 shows how the front cover (1) is attached to the
stand itself (7). The board (2), stretching the inside
of the frame of the stand, carries the weight of the
front cover. The
window screen clips (3), are thus only tasked
with keeping the front cover firmly pressed against the
cabinet.
Image 2 shows how the front cover (1), in the absence of
the stand, have a piece of board (2) mounted, enabling a
window screen clip
(3) to get a grip behind the rail for the vertical door.
The dimensions of this piece, is dictated by the space
left, when said door is closed (Image 3).
Just below the cabinet ceiling, another piece of board,
similar to the one in Image 2, is attached. It fits the
other end of the illustrated rail.
This mount allows the removal and replacing of the front
cover, without the use of any tools, and as often as
desired, without risking damage to the cabinet. The
biggest problem is actually the weight of the front! |
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| The doors to the sump,
and the floorplate. |
The doors to the room under the
tank, have the same restrictions at the large door above,
regarding space in front of the cabinet. There is no
room for swinging doors.
On the other hand, one big opening in the whole width of
the cabinet, is of less importance, so common horizontal
sliding doors, as known from many aquarium racks, or
normal furniture, will do just fine.
The rails are made from PVC, with 4 mm. wide tracks.
The doors are made from 4 mm. plywood.
In this picture the 16 mm. MDF plate, that
the cabinet is standing on to relieve point pressure from
the floor, is visible on the image to the right. The
only finishing done, is a little sanding to the edge,
and painting. |
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| Electrical installations
and lamp fixture. |
The room under the tank, where the sump will be
installed. The 6 sockets should be enough for whatever
appliances expected here The cord is long enough to reach
under the cabinet wall, to the multi way socket, placed
on the ceiling of the cabinet (2) |
On top of the cabinet, two multi way sockets are
placed. No. 1 is a 4-way socket, which is the only one
connected to a wall plug. From here, all the other
sockets draw their power. No. 2,
a 6-way, supplies power to the lamp, via 3
timers, that takes up all available space on the socket. |
Placed behind the lamp, a 6-way socket supplies
power to appliances in or above the tank. This socket is
connected to the socket on top of the ceiling, through
the ventilation opening.
Multi way socket from Brennenstuhl |
| Since wall-plugs are too
costly, and (in Denmark) require an authorized installer,
I reluctantly abstain from that solution. It would have
been nice, to have plugs with individual on/off
switches!
Instead I will rely on multi way sockets. Unfortunately,
good sockets, meeting My demands, are hard to find; They
must be able to take round sockets, have an on/off
switch, and should be possible to to attach firmly, so
that there is no risk of them coming loose, when pulled
hard. Especially the last requirement leaves a lot of
socket out of the running, as their means of fixture (if
they have one at all) are way too fragile. I choose
sockets from a company called Brennenstuhl (image
to the right),
which is shaped to allow My own way of fixture, which is
a piece of flat iron to each end
(see 2, 3 and 6). |
| |
| The lamp fixture allows free positioning
of the lamp, front to back. |
The fixture, which is a 40 mm. dowel, shown with the
supplied wire hang to the lamp mounted |
4 screws (4), creates 3 fixed positions for
the lamp fixture |
The fixture is her shown in center position |
|
|
