Suggestions for hiding wiring

[drock59]

I am really tired of my tank looking good and all my wires looking sloppy and I need some ideas for how to cover up or hide all the wiring for my tank. I have most of my wiring in one place but it doesnt look very tidy.

 

 

Any photos of your power center or ideas on how to cover the wires while still being able to access them are greatly appreciated.

[newfisher]

Black the back with either paint(permanent) or sign vinyl applied like window tint. Wires comming into the stand can be grouped together with self coiling plastic shield(sold at home depot or electronics store) and then split loomed and labeled into power strips. I run 2 power strips. One for lighting, heater and skimmer the other for pump and all internal flow in the tank. Its easy to just push one toggle to spot feed or water change.

[pledosophy]

I like the American DJ powerstrip, which you can then mount.

 

Those little screw in wire clips are also quite handy for some things to keep them tied down.

 

Zipties can keep things together if there is a large bundle of wires to contend with.

 

If they really bother you a large piece of PVC can contain several plugs, if put in one at a time, then the pvc can be painted so it is less obtrusive.

 

JME

[jackaninny]

You are looking for 'wire loom' for example

 

For just a plain power strip check out this one with individual switches.

[pledosophy]

your link no workie

[Rick]

Do you have a picture that shows your messy wires? If so post it up as it will help us to give you ideas that are specific for your setup.

 

On my tank I use zipties for everything that is normally hidden along with power strips. For things that run constantly (pumps and powerheads) I use one power strip and for things that are on a timer or controlled I use the power center that goes with my AC Jr. This gives me the ability to selectively turn each item on and off as needed without handling the wires. (These actually run to separate outlets on different circuits since the amperage is too high otherwise) For wiring that is visible in front (the wires leading to my touchscreen monitor and my AC Jr. controller) I use a split loom to cover them.

[jackaninny]

Forgot to mention that Velcro ties work great in place of zip ties and are much easier to undo and move.

[drock59]

All of my wires are out in the open and the zip tie/velcro thing just doesnt look that clean. I also have an American Dj and my Apex all in one spot. Looking to hide it all, not just manage the wires.

 

Attached a picture of my mess.

[Rick]

To start with you will need to reroute the wires regardless of how you actually hide them. Pick a single location (Perhaps just to the right of the outlets) and then route all of the wires through that spot rather than let them hang down. Split loom or even the PVC suggestion above are both good options to get all of the wires running through a single location rather than being spread out the way they are now.

 

Here is a quick image I threw together to get an idea of what I'm talking about. It isn't perfect but you should get the idea.

[reeftripper]

power panel

 

check out this link www.melevsreef.com/power_panel.html. Mel has a 280g system that dealt with the power panel issue that you appear to have. The American DJ power strip can be obtained locally at "the Guitar center". The proper size and color of Zip ties for most projects are almost invisible. Good luck with your project. Looks like you have all the bells and whistles.

[snowpunk]

I was gonna suggest the same thing as rick did. If you want to get even crazier you can make a bow to cover the whole power strip and cords to the PVC also. Or at least some flex plastic conduit over the smaller runs going into the say 2" or 3" PVC pipe.

[drock59]

Great suggestions, thank you. I will work on this shortly and report back.