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  1. idris

    Sound proof cabinet

    Plasterboard is good for soundproofing, though it works differently to using foam - it doesn't resonate in the way wood / fibre based boards do. A good, cheap, room sound proofing "hack" is to add a second layer of bog-standard plasterboard. Way more dB/£ than fancy products.
  2. idris

    Sound proof cabinet

    What you primarily need in a use like this is a sound absorber. Funky wedge surfaces (like in your second link) are about stopping reflected sound, and not significant here. Underlay is a genuinly good option and new underlay will be demonstrably better, so off-cuts are good. Assuming you have...
  3. idris

    Sound proof cabinet

    (For refrence, whilst sound proofing is not my job, I've speant over 25yrs working as a professional sound engineer. And I'm a cynical **** when it comes to specialist products..) There's a lot of marketing hype written into that product description. You'd get better value for money if you spoke...
  4. idris

    Powered turkey baster for deep tank

    I've recently seen several posts about using turkey basters as substrate cleaners. The size of my tank (2'6" deep & 250L) means an actual turkey baster isn't a great option, and as I'm going to be doing some re-plumbing, I was wondering about how to replicate the function. Your thoughts ...
  5. idris

    Sourcing a 90x45cm cabinet?

    I think I paid about £300 for a cabinet to be made for my 250L tank. The cabinet is made out of worktop, with plywood cladding. I had to sand and varnish the ply myself, and I had spare doors that matched our kitchen units.
  6. idris

    Sourcing a 90x45cm cabinet?

    Can you be more specific about "not looking to spend a packet"?
  7. idris

    3D printing

    I've played with Sketchup quite a bit (just for designing - not building) but am looking for an alternative. I've tried FreeCAD, and my head imploded. I loathe the hostage-ware philosophy of Fusion 360. TinkerCAD looks a bit primary-school-crayons, but I'm probably being unfair. Am currently...
  8. idris

    3D printing

    Apologies for resurrecting an old thread ... What software is everyone using to create their models?
  9. idris

    Aquarium not near plug point

    This will do everything you need. https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-elec/9393-3m/ext-lead-4-gang-ind-sw-3m/dp/PL09524 There is no merit to spending any more money at all.
  10. idris

    Intake design

    Thanks. My tank is deep, so interesting that that may be the way to go.
  11. idris

    Intake design

    Am going to be DIYing some new pipework. (It's not my first ride on this rodeo.) I've seen some interesting designs from Aquascaper and Wild Borneo. One has a skimmer incorporated. The other has holes along its full length rather than the usual more common slots at the end. Any thoughts on...
  12. idris

    Heater question

    [Deleted]
  13. idris

    Heater question

    That's me told. 🤣🤣🤣 Ignore my suggestion. FWIW I've had two 300W EHTs in about 10yrs (the second has failed in the last few days) so in light of Ceg's insightful comment, a 300W might last longer for you.
  14. idris

    Heater question

    I've run a 250L tank with a 300W Hydor EHT heater for years. It's similar to the JBL Protemp e300 I suspect you're looking at. I don't know if it would be up to a 380L tank in a cold house, but as the 500W is only slightly more expensive, worst case scenario, you'd probably just end up with it...
  15. idris

    Cost of DIY stand/cabinet

    Possibly a bit late for this thread but here's my money saving thoughts for a 200+ litre tank stand. (This assumes you're moderately handy with DIY and have access to tools like a circular saw.) Find someone who is having a kitchen replaced and grab a free second hand worktop, and possibly a...
  16. idris

    DIY Fluval Flex 57l Spray bay

    I was interested in the clear pipes until I saw the price. 1m of clear 1/2" pipe = £10.69 3m of black from Toolstation = £1.48 For a clear 90° elbow, it's £9 For a black one from Toolstation it' £0.68 I think clear is an advantage as you can see when the spraybar is getting crudded up inside...
  17. idris

    What is everyone using to black out the back ground?

    I got some black vinyl from a sign makers and just sprayed the glass with water. Then squeegees the bubbles out with a credit card. Nothing complicated. Over sized it to start with, then trimmed with a razor once it was on the glass.
  18. idris

    Underwater sealant

    Does anyone know of a sealant you can use underwater (ie when the surfaces to be joined are NOT dry) other than Gold Lable? As far as I can see, it's only available in large tubes for about £20, and I'd only need a few ml.
  19. idris

    Spraybar vs lilly pipe

    IMHO Connecting one spraybars at both ends won't perform significantly differently to two spraybars placed end to end. (The same configuration, but cut in half and then plugged.) There could be implication for convenience, especially if it's a custom spraybar.
  20. idris

    Spraybar vs lilly pipe

    2.5ft deep tank with 2 slightly under powered canister filters (both hampered by the head of water). Pros and cons of lilly pipes vs spraybars?
  21. idris

    Sound proof cabinet

    Sheets of EDPM foam are cheap, easy to cut and are cost effective. The other thing used in car audio is mass loaded vinyl (MLV) but not a great advantage great it in this application. Equally, dont bother with "egg box" foam - it will do less good than thicker, cheaper foam here. However, your...
  22. idris

    Fighting condensation - epoxy or varnish

    I'm a bit confused about "marine products". What I've read about "yacht varnish" sounds as though it may not be as waterproof as one might think. Any thoughts? I don't have time to build a new hood at the moment. In the meantime, the wood in centre of the inside of the lid has certainly...
  23. idris

    Fighting condensation - epoxy or varnish

    (This is possibly more a woodwork question but, as it's DIY aquarium related, I'm hoping there may be useful experience within UKAPS.) My custom tank stand / hood is heavily varnished ply. But after a 8yrs of good service, and despite cover glass, the varnish on the inside of the hood is no...
  24. idris

    Sponge filter

    I think I just need to make sure it works. But I'd rather just have to make one length of filter pipe, rather than having to redo it in a month or so when the water is deeper.
  25. idris

    DIY stainless steel inlets / outlets?

    If you use aluminium tube and stainless steel mesh strainer, you might be effectively making a battery. The voltage won't be high enough to mess with fish, but it might lead to corrosion. (I know this can be an issue with car bodywork, but it don't know to what extent it will translate to aquaria.)
  26. idris

    Sponge filter

    I've got a Kili fry tank running which is only about 3" deep with water so far.( As they get bigger it will get deeper.) I need to make a sponge filter for it but am wondering how far above the water line I might be able to put the "outlet" without causing flow problems. Any thoughts?
  27. idris

    Perfect DIY Material!

    (Resurrecting an old-ish post, but just in case anyone else comes across this ...) I've got a big tub of it (Polymorph from Maplin). It's ok, but it's difficult to make anything that looks pretty. Also it's a PITA to cut if you want to do something like trim edges.
  28. idris

    DIY 2foot Slate Cave/Tunnel

    Nice idea. I think the entrance looks a little man-made, but if you get a roofing slate and break it up into small pieces, you could glue them on top of each other to make a more naturalistic shape. Perhaps as a solution to the crud in the tunnel, you could arrange a pipe to vent into a...
  29. idris

    Central heating pump conversion

    Can you safely fit hose over the outlet/inlet? They Look a bit too short to confidently treat as hose-tails. Obviously I could fit a short length of overflow pipe and then attach hose to that, but it would be nice to not have to.
  30. idris

    Central heating pump conversion

    I see. I'd probably use hose, but the outlets look a bit shorter than I'd really be comfortable for that. Maybe some more thought for me too. Ha ha.
  31. idris

    Central heating pump conversion

    Do I understand right that you're fitting flexible hose INTO the pump outlets, rather than the pump outlet fitting into the hose?
  32. idris

    Central heating pump conversion

    Thanks for posting this Vanish (I don't seem to have had email alerts from the forum recently so hadn't seen your pointer to it in the other thread.) Where did you get the reducers from and how did you glue them in? (I'm guessing silicon or plastic-weld.)
  33. idris

    Threaded hose tails

    http://www.tunze.com/fileadmin/gebrauchsanleitungen/x1073.0588.pdf
  34. idris

    Threaded hose tails

    I gathered that from some googling. But a pump manufacturer I've seen lists a thread as "Gas" and I can't find what that is in relation to BSP.
  35. idris

    Threaded hose tails

    Im looking at external circulation pumps and some list the hose tails as attaching with something like "1.5 inch gas thread". I've seen a large number of fittings at a local pond supplier, but is "Gas" this a common thread for aquatic hose fittings.
  36. idris

    Braided hose

    I know standard PVC hose is easy to stretch when heated, does braided hose stretch easily when heated?
  37. idris

    Thin algae magnet for thick glass

    I have a scraper that's about 18" long. I still get wet to the elbow!
  38. idris

    Thin algae magnet for thick glass

    Can anyone recommend an algae magnet that is thin enough to get into tight spaces but withstrong enough magnets to cope with 12mm glass? (The other alternative is making one myself. :roll: )
  39. idris

    Non return valves

    @ ian_m What depth of tank do you have and how far below the tank is the air pump?
  40. idris

    Non return valves

    Can anyone re ommend a top quality non return valve? My air stone is about .75m below the water surface and the pump is a further .75m below that (1.5m total). I've tried several non return valves (every thing I can find in LFSs) but when I turn the pump off water symphony's back every time...
  41. idris

    Cleaning glass (in and out)

    I've just been going through some old posts, and it struck me that these JBL gloves look just like the body scrub / exfoliating gloves that boots sell. Are they the same (cos the Boots one are dirt cheap!)
  42. idris

    DIY Project Co2 reactor build for Fluval FX5

    Don't know why you want me to do your speaybar and intake. I think you've just proved you're up to the job. I'd keep an eye on where the CO2 enters the reactor. Just having it siliconed in could prove a weak spot. That said I do like to over-engineer things by a factor of 50, so it'll probably...
  43. idris

    Suckers that don't

    When I was looking at suppliers of acrylic pipes I stumbled across a company that listed suckers in their "Accesories" section. Can't remember which company it was, and I don't know if there clear or the same as you've got , but might be worth researching. FWIW I'm probably going to switch to...
  44. idris

    Suckers that don't

    Yes, the filter pipes are the main problem at the moment ... though I'm going to have to change them soon when I get larger bore pipes as the clips won't fit.
  45. idris

    Suckers that don't

    I've cleaned the glass. I've cleaned the suckers. I've tried warming them up to soften them. And still they don't suck. Any genius tips?
  46. idris

    Cleaning glass (in and out)

    My tank is as deep as my arms are long, so the magnetic ones definitely have something in their favour. But if they're not getting any votes I may just take my scuba gear off eBay. :(
  47. idris

    Cleaning glass (in and out)

    Are the magnetic algae scrapers the best way to clean a deep tank. I've got a razor-on-stick type but it's not really up to the job. And any tips for cleaning the outside of the glass? Especially things like kids hand prints. I don't want to risk using things like window cleaners, either for...
  48. idris

    Priming

    Daft question of the day: I've got a Rena xP2, but I'm going to use my own inlet / outlet pipes, not the ones that came with the filter. The Rena filter inlet has a threaded lid that is removed to prime the pump. A small funnel is then inserted into the top of the pipe and it's filled with...
  49. idris

    My acrylic tube bending solution

    From what I've seen and tried, you get spiral indents if you use a spring which you don't if you use sand. The down side of sand is that you need to pack it really tightly (tapping the tube for a couple of min to get it all really well packed is better than using dowel as a ram rod) to make sure...
  50. idris

    Floor level

    The floor's not moving, just not level. And I'm confident (enough) that it's not going to. So was the surveyor who looked at it and the structural engineer who spec'd some of the building work. It's a long and painful story, so let's not go there.
  51. idris

    Floor level

    That's ok - I've got a 250l tropical spirit level now.
  52. idris

    Floor level

    Thanks guys. Good to know it's not inherantly a problem. The concensus has been that it's a no-no, but I couldn't think of an argument that held water (no pun intended). I know why the floor is at an angle (because we didn't have a good builder). It drops about an inch over the 3'6" of the tank...
  53. idris

    Floor level

    Does anyone have actual experince of a medium sized tank on a floor that's not level ie on a slight slope? A couple of people I have spoke to seem to worry about it, but thinking about it in terms of preassure differences, I don't think it should be a significant problem.
  54. idris

    DIY spray bar & inlet filter - help please

    Thanks - especially to Colin - I knew there'd be a simple way to figure it out. (Now where did I leave my wet suit?)
  55. idris

    DIY spray bar & inlet filter - help please

    Having read up on the subject I'm about to have a go at making my own clear perspex inlet / outlet pipes. The spray bar that came with my Rena XP2 filter has holes that are about 3mm dia. But I think I've seen some mention of making holes with a heated needle, which would be much smaller. Are...
  56. idris

    RO - How cheap and how to use?

    I was asking about the output of your tap without the filter connected to get as sense of how high my mains water pressure is. (I wasn't clear when you said "You will be fortunate to get 500ml per minute" whether you meant 500ml/min of filtered water only from the filter, or combined waste water...
  57. idris

    RO - How cheap and how to use?

    Is that 25-30ml total ouput or 25-30ml of filtered water? If it's the latter, how much waste was produced at the same time? Without the filter did you only get 500ml per min? I've just checked mine and I can get 1l in about 4-5sec.
  58. idris

    RO - How cheap and how to use?

    So am I right in thinking that whilst your tap preasure may (and I'm guessing here) result in 10l/min when nothing is attached to it, if it is attached to a RO unit the combined output of waste and filtered water might be only about 0.5l/min?
  59. idris

    RO - How cheap and how to use?

    30l while you're at work? :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: I'm between Luton and St Albans. Our wter comes from the Lea which is chalk stream. I don't know where Barnet water comes from but your water supplier's website can almost certainly tell you.
  60. idris

    RO - How cheap and how to use?

    If my maths is correct that's about 20l of waste for 10l of purified water, right? What happens if you run a 50gpw RO filter so that it produces 100 gallons of filtered water every week? What would happen if you only ran 50l through the filter each week? What limits it to 50gpw? As I'd expect...
  61. idris

    RO - How cheap and how to use?

    Thinking of getting one because I have VERY hard water and I don't want to restrict the species of fish I can keep. It's not for a solely planted tank. I think that unit does 50gpd and I'm not likely to want more than 100Lpw so the capaicty is fine. And the price is about half of one with 2...
  62. idris

    RO - How cheap and how to use?

    I've long rulled out RO filters on grounds of cost, but I just stumbled across these http://www.vyair.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=54 and at only £46 I'm tempted. BUT is there any good reason to go for something more expensive? And I haven't really found anywhere that explains how to use...
  63. idris

    Water change pump / gravel vac combo

    Fair enough. Would the flow rate (10-20 L/min) be too high for use as a gravel vac?
  64. idris

    Water change pump / gravel vac combo

    I'm probably going to get an caravan type inline pump for water changes as discussed on another thread, but I was wondering about rigging up some appropriate pipes to use it as a gravel vac as well. (The sort that gets the crud off the top of the substrate and then returns the water to the...
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