At present I have no aquariums due to downsizing to a 2 bedroom apartment from a house. Yes gone are the days of the 300 gallon reef tanks and it's been 2 years since retiring from the hobby. A friend of mine recently purchased a fluval edge 12 gallon back in May and like most people, they saw it setup nice on display, fell in love with the look and bought it. But now after a few months he complains he has no time for it and his wife ( who once liked the idea of having an aquarium that looked great ) is complaining and wants him to get rid of it because he doesn't take care of it and not realizing how much time and passion is required for the hobby. This is where I come in. Most people I no are allways trying to dump there aquatic equipment on me when they realize things are not working out or they loose interest. I purchased the edge for a silly rock bottom price. Follow along if you want as I transform the great looking (but not practical IMO) edge into something a little different. The build will consist of a custom stand, custom filtration, custom lighting and co2 as this will be a planted tank. There will be no real planning basically mod as you go LOL. Hopefully this will inspire some people to get involved with DIY projects which I believe is the strength of this hobby and hopefully this old dog can learn a few new tricks or it might turn out like crap LOL. Stay tuned.
Fluval Edge 12 Gallon Makeover
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Starting tonight and yes it will be fun. What's the worse that can happen if it turns out like crap oh well. On my way to home depot and a couple of stops on the way to visit some old friends in the hobby
. Going to try to pick up all the items I need to finnish this build quick but I will probably waste time at home depot macgivering things in my head. Stay tuned.
. Going to try to pick up all the items I need to finnish this build quick but I will probably waste time at home depot macgivering things in my head. Stay tuned.Picked up a few things today.
12 Gallon edge with crappy 20 gallon stand for $35 from my friend.
Marineland C-160 canister filter from an old friend that manages a big box pet store for $20. It was a return for some reason. It came with no hoses or media other than that I tested it out tonight and it works fine what a SWEEEET deal. Went to home depot to get material for stand and came across a black bathroom unit with a damaged shelf that I wouldn't use anyway for $35 clearance. So far so good this is gonna turn out to be a cheap build LOL. The 20 gallon stand that came with the edge is not of my liking nor the ac 20 so just brainstorming. Here are some pics. The new stand is still in my truck was to lazy to bring it in but I'll post a pic from the web. Sorry for crappy sideways cell phone pics my camera wasn't charged.
12 Gallon edge with crappy 20 gallon stand for $35 from my friend.
Marineland C-160 canister filter from an old friend that manages a big box pet store for $20. It was a return for some reason. It came with no hoses or media other than that I tested it out tonight and it works fine what a SWEEEET deal. Went to home depot to get material for stand and came across a black bathroom unit with a damaged shelf that I wouldn't use anyway for $35 clearance. So far so good this is gonna turn out to be a cheap build LOL. The 20 gallon stand that came with the edge is not of my liking nor the ac 20 so just brainstorming. Here are some pics. The new stand is still in my truck was to lazy to bring it in but I'll post a pic from the web. Sorry for crappy sideways cell phone pics my camera wasn't charged.
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Took a long look at the tank. I like it not sure if I am gonna use the back or base and I am not gonna use the ac20. I have a large rubber maid full of parts and other crap I'm looking through and found various bulkheads maybe I'll drill it 3/4" bulkheads would be perfect but that means more work LOL. I have lots of LED lights and drivers so thats a no brainer, not sure I like the opening on the top. It looks like a pain in the ass to work with. Gonna give it more thought so stay tuned.
I got quite a bit done today. I really don't like the top so i got rid of it.
I wasn't worried about tank structure after removing the top as I have built quite a few odd sized tanks in my day but decided to add top braces. I used the old top and cut 2 2" strips and silicone them in place. After that I decided screw it and drilled the tank for 2 3/4'" bulkheads as it only took around 5 minutes to do both. I am planning to plumb the canister filter to the tank for a nice clean look. I reinforced the stand which is a little overkill but I am planning to integrate the LED light fixture into the stand so I figured I would mod the stand in case I decide to alter my light stand idea. Gonna build the led fixture tonight might take photo's and do a price breakdown but it has been done to death in different builds on the net. I may paint the tank back also not sure. Almost done for the day will post more when I finish up more. Stay tuned.
I wasn't worried about tank structure after removing the top as I have built quite a few odd sized tanks in my day but decided to add top braces. I used the old top and cut 2 2" strips and silicone them in place. After that I decided screw it and drilled the tank for 2 3/4'" bulkheads as it only took around 5 minutes to do both. I am planning to plumb the canister filter to the tank for a nice clean look. I reinforced the stand which is a little overkill but I am planning to integrate the LED light fixture into the stand so I figured I would mod the stand in case I decide to alter my light stand idea. Gonna build the led fixture tonight might take photo's and do a price breakdown but it has been done to death in different builds on the net. I may paint the tank back also not sure. Almost done for the day will post more when I finish up more. Stay tuned.
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Finished the light fixture and splash guard but have not put the lights on it or done any wiring. Finalized the fixture stand. It took awhile to incorporate it into the stand but in the end simplicity won and now it is functional and moveable for tank service. Decided to use the fluval base to give the tank that floating look. Painted the back of the tank and now planning plumbing for the canister filter and co2 and wiring. I might add some dosing pumps and ato to the system since I uncovered more stuff in various boxes I have in storage but not sure not much space and it's a small tank and probably overkill. Gonna use 7000K led's or 6500K not sure I have a lot to choose from(should have done a reef LOL). Planning the hard scape gonna go with a Toronto ice storm theme LOL and mainly moss and as far as livestock I am not sure. Will post some pics tomorrow of the hand made aluminum fixture and other stuff I finish up stay tuned.
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