I’ve had a 180 in my living room for almost 20 years.
http://www.snekpete.com/A1/Thumbs/DSC02345.jpg
All of the plumbing is routed downstairs to its own dedicated room.
http://www.snekpete.com/A1/Thumbs/DSC02355.jpg
I had an MMFI algae scrubber hooked in (upper left above) until about a year or so ago until it finally fell apart. I was unable to find any new scrubbers for sale, even at this site it looked iffy, so I bought three different plexiglass adhesives to try and fix up the old scrubber. But with all of the changes in technology, both lighting and design, I tossed out the old MMFI scrubber . Like I said, I would have gladly just bought a ready made scrubber, but the only one I found was here and sales didn’t look promising. I probably would’ve balked at the price anyway.
http://www.radio-media.com/fish/100-all-07.jpg
So I set out to build one on my own. Using some of the info here I bought the lights and two 2’ x 4’ sheets of 1/4” Acrylite. $300 already, good grief.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5058.JPG
The scrubber is two feet long and I cut the sides and bases such that I could get them from one four foot sheet. I taped off the base prior to applying the two part Acrylic glue. This helps to align the sides and makes the build a little cleaner.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5061.JPG
Glued one side on and then the other.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5065.JPG
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The two part glue is really strong. The below picture was my first attempt that I botched. I pulled on a side to test the joint strength. The plexiglass failed before the joint!
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5072.JPG
Here’s a picture of a bad patch of joint on the new scrubber, don’t know why the bubbles.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5075.JPG
The rest of the joints looked like this. Probably should have let the glue sit for a minute after mixing to get the bubbles out.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5077.JPG
All four sides on.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5078.JPG
End caps on and a water test.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5087.JPG
There was one leak, but not at the above suspected joint. I used the super thin adhesive to patch the leaking area and the result was no leaks as evidenced above.
Time for an old guy on his own this week to stop for dinner.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5093.JPG
Time now to install bulkheads and light holders.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5095.JPG
Next the input water tube.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5097.JPG
And the lights.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5101.JPG
Pretty simple, really, but the plexiglass is hard to work with. It warps and is not true. You really need jigs to do it clean.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5105.JPG
Done, finally! Total cost is around $400, more if you include tools and the blade.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5109.JPG
Then of course, I had to plumb it into the system. I don’t have to worry about light leakage since it has its own room, and that lets me fiddle around with the dimensions as well. The main objectives are usefulness and ease of cleaning. The MMFI scrubber was a real difficult to clean.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5112.JPG
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Scr...w/IMG_5117.JPG
And a movie for you.
http://www.snekpete.com/Scrubber/Srub_short.wmv