SET UP.
A
B
C
D
MATERIALS
A. Polycarbonate sheet, e" thick
width 1" less than the interior width
of your tank, and length equal to the
tank height plus the tank length
B. Salt water pump able to pump at
least 5 times the volume of your tank
per hour at 0 head pressure
C. PVC glue
Gregory Hayes
D. PVC pipe and fittings:
» PVC caps, slip, ½" ( 2)
» PVC pipe, Schedule 40,
½" diameter, 2' length
» PVC tee fitting, slip × slip
× female pipe thread, ½"
» PVC pipe, Schedule 40,
1½" diameter, 2' length
» PVC hose barb fittings,
male pipe thread ( 2) sized
for ½" flexible hose
» PVC ball valve, slip × slip, ½"
» PVC fitting(s) to connect ½" hose
barb to ½" valve to water pump
This will depend on your pump. My
pump had a male pipe thread (MPT)
fitting, so I used two adapters: female
pipe thread (FPT) at both ends, and
MPT × slip. It would have been simpler
to use just one slip × FPT adapter.
E
» PVC adapter, male pipe thread
× slip, 1½"
» PVC elbow, slip × slip, 1½"
» Plastic epoxy
» Teflon tape
» Threaded bulkhead fitting, 1½"
» Flexible hose, ½" diameter,
3' length
» Mesh screen, cut to (width of tank
+ 2") × (½ height of tank)
» Plastic bio-balls, about 3gals
or plastic pieces of any kind with a lot
of surface area, such as green plastic
army men
» Twist ties or zip ties ( 2)
» Acrylic strips: ½" × 1" × outside
width of tank; and ½" × 1" × inside
width of tank ( 2) for braces to hold
the screen and polycarbonate sheet
» Salt water
» Submersible aquarium heater
50W for up to 15gals; 100 W for up
to 25gals; 200W for up to 50gals.
For cold-water species, replace the
heater with a drop-in water chiller.
» Aquarium tank At least 4 gallons and
approximately cube-shaped. I built a
23"× 28"× 17" acrylic tank (see Tools).
F
G
TOOLS
E. PVC pipe cutter
» Dremel with 1" drill bit and router
» Tape measure
» Diamond hole saw (optional)
if you’re using glass tank
To build your own 28"× 23"× 17"
(L×W×H) aquarium (includes polycarbonate and acrylic listed above):
F. Acrylic cement
G. Aquarium-grade silicone caulking
available at aquarium or pet stores
» Acrylic sheets, ½" thick: 28"× 23"
(bottom); 28"× 17" ( 2, sides);
22"× 17" ( 2, ends); 22"× 1" ( 2,
braces); 23"× 1" (brace) Buy cut-to-size from a local plastics distributor
or cut yourself (carefully) using a
table saw with carbide blade in a well-ventilated area.
» Polycarbonate sheet:
214"× 45"×e"
» DImensional lumber, 2× 4,
8' lengths ( 2) to build a 90º jig
» Ruler or straightedge
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