A crazy idea to hide a pump cord.........................

[Anonymous]

I don't know how your set up is, but on mine, the rear of the tank is covered in a blue paint/plastic. So, it doesn't matter how the wires come out of the tank, you can't see them anyway.
~wings~

You can't see them from the front of the tank, but unless you have a fish room they're visible from the side in between the wall and the tank. I hate the way that looks, especially if there's an external overflow and a HOB skimmer back there. Just messy.

Ahhh.. gotcha.. My situation is a little different... on either side of mine, I have lamp tables, and the only way to see the side is if you stand about 8 feet away to look.. most people don't because of the lamp. The other side (on the far side) is the TV, so most people aren't going to view it that way either.

Interesting idea you have there, though.
~wings~

 

[Anonymous]

You can't see them from the front of the tank, but unless you have a fish room they're visible from the side in between the wall and the tank. I hate the way that looks, especially if there's an external overflow and a HOB skimmer back there. Just messy.

This is much a do about nothing. Unless your tank is a foot from the wall after 2 days you wont notice them and neither will anyone else. They notice the tank not the gap between the wall and the tank.

A simpler solution is to place plants next to wall and tank. They will love the light and block/obscure the view while allowing easy access.

A more complicated solution is to build molding that matches your walls and/or tank that simply "plugs" in between tank and wall on the side(s) that is visible.

Again this is much a do about nothing and plumbing electrical cables through drains while feasible is dangerous and frought with potential disasters.

Hmmm, plants next to saltwater spray. OK, whatever you say. I think it's a matter of personal opinion, not much a do about nothing. I suppose I could stick a stuffed koala bear there to hide the wires as well, but I think I'll prefer it this way.

I don't see how plumbing an electrical cable through saltwater is dangerous either...isn't that what we're already doing?

 

[Anonymous]

"A simpler solution is to place plants next to wall and tank. They will love the light and block/obscure the view while allowing easy access. "


Come to think of it...I actually have some "chinese tongue" on the floor, a low light plant, and it hides my timers and wires. Works nice in the spot because of the light too.
~wings~

 

[monkeyboy]

Again this is much a do about nothing and plumbing electrical cables through drains while feasible is dangerous and frought with potential disasters.

Although the potential for a faulted cord frying your tank rises slightly (longer section of cord submerged), it's still much safer than running a common glass heater, which are far more likely to fail, ending you and your tank, yet most of us run them. Being that we've created this tank for looks, finding fault with someone for trying to improve the looks of their tank makes no sense! :?

This is a good idea for those having tanks built or those capable of drilling for themselves, I'll definitely incorporate some 'cord pipes' when I get the chance to get that dream system built... sigh...

 

[leftovers]

Hmmm, plants next to saltwater spray. OK, whatever you say. I think it's a matter of personal opinion, not much a do about nothing. I suppose I could stick a stuffed koala bear there to hide the wires as well, but I think I'll prefer it this way.

Um if you have saltwater spraying out of you tank you have bigger issues than worrying about your plants getting wet....besides which unless you water your plants with saltwater the amount they might receive is trival

I don't see how plumbing an electrical cable through saltwater is dangerous either...isn't that what we're already doing?

You are placing it in a location where it cannot be easily accessed and it potentialy is being constrained or pinched by something makeing its way in to the pipe (snails love overflows...). Even in the main tank cables should be easily accessible in case of shorting or leaking - though its remote, as its usually the entry point into a ph or pump case that goes long before the cable does.

Its more work and your cables take up space that should be used for water draining. You can NEVER practically speaking have too much drain overhead. Things happen....

Being that we've created this tank for looks, finding fault with someone for trying to improve the looks of their tank makes no sense!

Not really as this IME is a case of missing the forrest for the trees. The tank contents will be what instantly draws the eyes. Even experienced reefers look INTO the tank before ever bothering to look at what makes it tick..

And its easy enought to hide/obscure the view to an access point to the tank without making one's life difficult in case there is an issue or emergency. So I think giving practical advice to save someone from doing something that later they will find difficult to work with is a good thing.

 

[Anonymous]

In my old house I had a case of forrest for the trees - that tank looked great but the support equipment was icky.

In the new house I have a custom stand and canopy and everything is hidden.

I get much more enjoyment out of the new tank, and feel that taking the time to make the unit as a whole look good is well worth it.

Matt, how big is the drain? Is there only one or two. The only real issue I can see is the drain getting blocked. Other than that, running the cord through the drain is just as dangerous as putting power heads behind rock work.

RR

 

[Anonymous]

You could always run the cords to the center of the back and hid them in a piece of 2" pvc.

I'm going with two side pieces between the tank and the wall, Finished and trimmed to match the tank from floor to the top of the canopy.

B

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm, plants next to saltwater spray. OK, whatever you say. I think it's a matter of personal opinion, not much a do about nothing. I suppose I could stick a stuffed koala bear there to hide the wires as well, but I think I'll prefer it this way.

Um if you have saltwater spraying out of you tank you have bigger issues than worrying about your plants getting wet....besides which unless you water your plants with saltwater the amount they might receive is trival.

Heh, good point I suppose.

So my drain will be 1" (or maybe 3/4"), with a Stockman standpipe. The holes drilled in it will be 1/4". In addition, the overflow area will be covered, and I think the teeth are about 1/4" apart. Something will have to be pretty crafty to plug my drain, even with the cord in there.

In addition, most of the flow is from a couple closed loops. I only plan on running 200 gph or so through the sump.

Just another thought...do you guys get salt creep that follows your cords up and over the edge of the tank? This should get rid of that.

 

[Anonymous]

Been reading this thread, and I dont think people are seeing the forest through the trees still; arent there options yet un-explored? What about looking more thoroughly into more advanced "aquatic electrics"? Im sure such a thing exists. I mean, what if you just wrap the cord in a thin layer of seran wrap or something, just for added peace of mind?
Im not sure if itll get rid of salt creep, as itll still be next to open water, right?
I dont think it would be much of a problem, but it does kinda give me the creeps. The interesting point raised here though is maintenance issue; what if you want to change pumps or something? Thats where I think that whole "aquatic electrics" thing comes in; should there be some sort of uber-under-water connetor thingy that you can plug and unplug? Then you can just unplug the pump from the cord, and go service it and stuff! Or, even change pumps! Hmmm... Worth looking into?
I dont are that much about the cords danglin' 'round back there, but thats cause I have worse problems to deals with and I dont let it get to me, though I do know what your talking about and where your coming from. I guess you guys have more aesthetic sense than me, but I cant understand all the work involved... Maybe Im just lazy...
TahDah.

 

[leftovers]

So my drain will be 1" (or maybe 3/4"), with a Stockman standpipe. The holes drilled in it will be 1/4". In addition, the overflow area will be covered, and I think the teeth are about 1/4" apart. Something will have to be pretty crafty to plug my drain, even with the cord in there.

In addition, most of the flow is from a couple closed loops. I only plan on running 200 gph or so through the sump.

Just another thought...do you guys get salt creep that follows your cords up and over the edge of the tank? This should get rid of that.

I wouldnt worry too much about salt creeping up your cords. but i can tell you now snails will and do got out of water and into your overflows... the best way to ensure they wont go into your drain pipes is to use a large mesh covering over the drain openings. I use black gutter guard that i cut and attach with tie-wraps that easily allow it to be removed and cleaned if needed.

 

[Anonymous]

So my drain will be 1" (or maybe 3/4"), with a Stockman standpipe. The holes drilled in it will be 1/4". In addition, the overflow area will be covered, and I think the teeth are about 1/4" apart. Something will have to be pretty crafty to plug my drain, even with the cord in there.

In addition, most of the flow is from a couple closed loops. I only plan on running 200 gph or so through the sump.

Just another thought...do you guys get salt creep that follows your cords up and over the edge of the tank? This should get rid of that.

I wouldnt worry too much about salt creeping up your cords. but i can tell you now snails will and do got out of water and into your overflows... the best way to ensure they wont go into your drain pipes is to use a large mesh covering over the drain openings. I use black gutter guard that i cut and attach with tie-wraps that easily allow it to be removed and cleaned if needed.

This has worked to keep an octopus out for me in the past, so I'm pretty sure it will work for snails. The only way one will be able to get in is if it can pry off the top of the overflow area, or if it is smaller than 1/4". I really do think about these things ahead of time

 

[M_Phobos]

The best solution I've ever seen to the "cord chaos" that runs behind tanks is one on Dave Playfair's "Mistress Reef"..being in the URS I've had the pleasure of seeing his setup firsthand, and what he's done is put self-adhesive velcro on the sides of the tank (about even with the front of his overflows) and put the other part of the velcro on some moulding/trim that matches his stand and hood. No muss, no fuss...it covers all that junk behind the tank and looks beautiful.

Cheers,
Fred