A Home for Ryan's 240?

How about a 4000 gal. tank? The one James is involved with. SERIOUS! Honestly tho I'm not impressed with big for bigs sake, I like clean and natural. A sterile or antiseptic looking tank just looks fake to me.

I'll take a look for the Sidewinder posts for a lookie see
 
4000 gal. Thats insane. Im not in to ultra- huge tanks for braggin rights. My wants are strictly practicality and asthetics. I can pretty much keep anything I want in a 290 and grow out and still have no trouble keeping it clean. These huge tanks border on commercial coral farms. Anyone who has that kind of cash to throw into a 4000 gal tank would be better served moving to a beach house and getting some scuba gear.
Not discounting the persons abillity to do such a set up but for the average joe its ridiculously expensive to try and keep up with the jones. I liked Sidewinders setup simply because hes using good equipment anyone can buy. Albeit high dollar stuff but not out of reach for the average joe. Plus hes gone the extra mile in the set up and done a good job at it. Nothing anyone else cant do if they take their time. The results were stellar. In no way am I trying to keep Hammer heads or anything totally exotic to the point I need that much H2O in my living room.
Id rather have a nice display thats easier to maintain and can be broken down easy than more water thats a maintenance nightmare.
Thats what Im stiving for, less maintenance and IMO theres a fine line between more water and more maintenace. For instance a 40-55 gal tank water perameters can change quickly compared to a 180 gal. If you use that same logic from 180 to say 300-400 gal your stability has gone up a great percentage which increases your success and decreases the sudden shocks that would in the 40-55 gal tank create havoc.
At the same time you have the ability to keep more, keep it healthier, and if you designed it, put the features in that take the better part of the work which that 40-55 gal would normally require. So in theory a larger tank is easier to keep than a 40-55 gal. At least this is what my ole lady bought into when I sold her my new tank lol...But its really true. Even though a water change is gonna be 3 times as much salt and chemcials...... She will get over it once she sees it lol... If not she will die with seething hatred cuz its gonna happen regardless lol...
 
This 4000 gal. is going into a restaraunt in SC. James S. is involved in it's install and setup. I think I remember him saying it was 7200 lb. of acrylic alone.... Woo Doggie! I'd never do it but it's cool to see it happen from the ground up and especially when you know someone involved. i have to say that the most impressive systems I've seen are in the 100-200 gal. range. Smaller are easy to overlook and bigger? well, they just seem bigger. In the home I think that it's easy to go over the top on one HUGE tank. Whjen I was single (ehem) I build a custom 90 gal. cube room divider and installed 3 -55 gal. tanks as picture frame tanks in what WAS a spare bedroom. My house looked betterthen the Aquarium at the locak zoo. I had fresh water exotics (discus, gourami's and cats) in one 55, fish only marine in one, LR inverts and a few corals in one, and the 90 was a softie reef with WAY too many fish. Lighting was tought to come by in those days and I bought a 400w MH from a friend who grew dope with it. Then I got married, room became a bedroom for my step daughtersmand the 55's went to new homes... I cried for days! Then we moved and the 90 stayed as a selling point. It took 6 years to get another reef tank up but I did it and have been plugging away since. I did have a 400 gal. tank in my garage for a few days and let it go because the only place I could put it was outside (not good in the winter in Oh.) Now I'm thrilled that I let it go. The 120 does just fine until my next upgrade. (custom acrylic DIY tri-display) oh ya......
 
Its amazing how you can get hooked into this crap. I had tanks on and off mostly Fresh water. Then one day I thought "well Ill try Salt". Now my garage looks like a dow chemical factory. My cabinet looks like a Frankenstein project. To the average bystandard who doesnt have a clue they see all this crap bubbling and plumbing traversing in and out of the stand and probes and wires. Boy they are impressed and Im like. Its substandard at best just gets the job done. Id like to get some Ozone and a calc. reactor a this and a that. whence I realize I lost them in the first 3 seconds I started talking.
Thats the part I have the hardest time with sometimes. If theres a slight bit of interest I wanna talk tank but the average person cant even get past the cycle process. Best case now I ust take the "pretty fish" compliment and leave te rest alone lol.
I think thats what seperate the Reef crowd from alot of folks. Just a deeper comprehension of physics applied. Takes some degree of "want too" attitude. I like the challenge. Little bit of everything in it. Some chemestry mixed with some plumbing, and alittle electrical. Its as complicated as you wanna make it.
 
Your right again. Sometimes it's like explaining quantum physics to your dog... other times you just smile and nod alot. I had a cable installer all bit pass out after looking at my tank and I couldn't understand what all the giggity giggity was about. I suppose I've been doing this crap long enough that it has to be a REALLY BIG DEAL to be a big deal to me. Man, I'm a snob! LOL

My wife loves the tanks but busty my (youknowhats) over in drop of salt water or Kalk spilled.... funny stuff!
 
Then your wife would have castrated me by now. I fired up my tank after a good yearly once over cleaning and subsequently forgot to hook the return from the prefilter back up to the sump lol..
I caught it just before it pumped out like the tenth gallon or so.
That sound of water hitting carpet is the worst. Fortunately for me any real amount of water that could or would leak goes right out into my garage and out the driveway just by the slope of my poured slab. I know this because thats where it went that time. However after I did the following years teardown all the staples in the carpet and the nail strips rusted solid and left rust marks in the carpet lol.
Just got home and checked my tank somethings goin on today. My Xenia is looking bad. Might be time for some testing. Hope Its not time for a new Resin in my ro/di. Might be getting some nasties coming thru.
Been about a year on the same cartirdge. Grrrrr more $$$$. Never seen it looks so withered. Not normal for sure. Zoo's look ok and shrooms are good just Xenia. Have to get on it before it gets worse. Lovely. Got a guy coming over Sat. to buy some Xenia frags too. Might be hopelessly screwed now. I got Xenia spreading like crab grass in my tank. First time I decide to frag it off just to clear it out this happens.
 
You guys still babbling on over here I see... I got a genius idea. Since you guys want a 4000 gallon tank and Stacker is so good with his hands, you guys could take my 240 knock out a wall and add on a "small addition" Let it marinate for a sec. k

:rolleyes: :lol:
 
That boy's about as sharp as a bowlin' ball <foghorn Leghorn>

Ryan, we only spoke iof the tank being built. We're not the ones to drop life and build such a monstrous thing. Sheesh! I rhuminate rather than marinate. Marinades break down tissue I can't afford to lose :)

Biggie, I have xenia that does the samw thing. Well, it hasn't withered.... I have to harvest and flush some nearly every week. Just traded another mod. for more frags lastnight and in floating I came across a HUGE aptasia in my fuge. that sucker was prbable there for 3-4 months and was a solid 2" in dia fully opened. LOL I pulled the rock and cooked the F'er withthe propane torch... "Woo Hoo! Fry you bastard!" Huge fun! My serpent star somehow climbed up and got into the overflow too. I just don't understand them sometimes.
 
Lol, you guys kill me. Can you imagine a 4000 gal tank. the skimmer would look like a corn Silo lol....dont get me wrong that would be awesome. Id get in there with some snorkle gear and swim around with my fish lol...
How does fried Nudi smell? Never had those in my tank yet. when they do finally show up I got a special H#ll set up to run them thru. Blow torch sounds fun. I was thinking a bleach bath or something just as twisted to get my rocks off. Cant figure out what the Xenia's problem is after running all my test I came up empty. Unless some Chlorine got in.. I got one hard to keep Carnation which is a Softy. Supposed to be a difficult to keep. I just got it a weeks ago and it shows no signs of bad karma so im hoping the Xenia is just having PMS and will spring back. Funny the lfs that sold me the Carnation, guy must have been new. The thing had a Red Velvette Mushroom attached to it and 2 turbo snails clinging to the rock. Bonus buy lol... Im like yep thats the one bud thanks.. I never usually roll the dice on hard to keep stuff but this one looked so nice I wanted to give it a try. Had my bouts with Gonipora and no success there. Mostly my own fault cuz I didnt know what I was getting into. I could probably keep one now but for the money I can buy something else thats just as nice. This Carnation is Bright purple and vibrant as anythig Ive ever seen. Everything Ive read says its not a good choice because its a constant feeder so you have to maintain a steady flow of nutrients too it which means water quality will be a major concern. 30% a week is the norm for me any how so no big deal.
CoralFarmer: I marinate on the weekends typically in Margarittas with the top shelf stuff. That keeps me on an even plane. Otherwise Id be bouncing off the walls. Im one of the high strung mofo's. I cant sit still. Its all I can do to leave my tank alone most of the time. The skimmer cup gets a 1/4" of foam I gotta clean it. Its an Illness I suppose. If it wasnt a reef tanks it would be muscle cars or motorcylces or something else. Ive allready done both been in and out of all sorts of hobbies. this one occupys my time well so I keep it close. I hunt, fish, design crap for people on the side. Turn some wrenches on the side, jack of all trades so to speak. I worked as a Mechanic when I was younger, heavy truck, and commercal equipment, hydraulics, some machine repair. Worked as a heavy plate fitter, structural fitter and welder. Worked contract for GM designing closure panels for truck and bus group. got into Robotic welding layout and plant layout for GM. Did some civil work for awhile. Steel trusses and residential wood. Worked for my dad building custom Harleys, built my own. So you see. I cant commit to anything for long but this hobby has got me hooked. i pretty much moved to FL to get out of the rat race and get into a jimmy Buffet style of living but no matter how hard I try I keep geting pulled back in. Took a job here for a comany doing some baggage handling equipment before 9-11. Just my luck after 9-11 happened T.S.A. started requiring 100% baggage screening for every airport in the U.S.. this place went nuts. I got involved in all sorts of new designs and concepts prototypes and system layout work. we bought 4 new companies to support the growth and I got out on mandatory O.T. for 3 years. I just wanted to sip Margarittas and watch my fish. Now this...... Ill be moving to S. America within the next 10 years. Im done!!!! Im cashing out and bailing. I plan on Costa Rica but who knows...
 
Costa Rica, been there! Awesome place as long as Panama and Nicaragua don';t start any crap again. I was there in 84 when the drug lords in Nicaragua were fighting the DEA and there was some unrest. Every road neat the borders was lined with military and lots of hueys flying around Monte Verde. The West coast is awesome and San Juan (dunno why it's san juan) is a crazy place in the english section. Fishing for Pacu and dodging caymen in the river was awesome. Havong howler monkeys put you to bed at night and wake you before sunrize could get old. Imperial Cervesa and Pilsen Especiale were about $5 a case but ice was expensive. A bottle of Ron Abualo or Ron Rico was $2 and coke was more than we pay. Smokes were like gold (glad I never smoked). the women are wither toads or 10's not much between. Loved it, would go back in a heartbeat and live right on the edge of the rain forest in an all mahogany house.

My wife would hate it! So it will NEVER happen. When you move I'll come visit! A local guy here spends winters chartering marlin, dorado, and yellow fin down there too! Someone to hook-up with to get acclimated!

Jim gave me some eagles and hawks, and a red blasto lastnight. I'll soon have no visible LR if I keep packing corals in. Definately need to plan an upgrade. I'll post the graphics when I finish the concept.
 
Problem with C.R. all the ex-pats are driving up the prices. Its starting to turn into Boca Raton. Last I checked 30k was a nice 2 bedroom condo furnished in modern 3rd world. Now its 50k+. I wanna buy a 45 ft sport boat and do my own chartering down there. Well thats the dream anyhow.
Ever see them hand line a sail in? Thats nuts. Hands are like leather. I actually been looking at Ecuador too. Absolutely gorgeous. Poverty is the worst though. I dont know if I could deal with it. Id be living like a king and have to drive through a garbage dump everyday. I think that would get to me after awhile. Havent been to Cost Rica myself but Im planning a trip there next year. A scouting mission more than anything. I did some work for a company that farms Talapia in the mountains there. Pretty cool. Most people dont know that a Fillet-o-fish sandwhich from McDonalds is Talapia which is farmed in Costa Rica. That particualr fish has to have very clean water. They change out the tanks like every 6 hours. All automated fish farm. They have elevators that raise the fish out into a processing plant, tank drains and refills new batch gets escalated in and the whole process starts all over. Never got to visit that job. Cheap company wouldnt send me.
Who knows where I'll end up. Im just tired of working. Most people strive to have nice things and more toys. I used to think that way. Ive changed, Now I work to have less. Say some nice 4-wheelers and a big truck and trailor, an RV or some other toys would be someones idea of good times. Mine is take the cash and run. Key West style. I wanna be a rich bumb. Met plenty of those here lol..
I cant do it here in the states but Its more than a reality outside the states. Id be 72 and finally get what I want here and then whats the point? Uncle Sam taxing my SS sucking it up in medical and leaving me to eat cat food from the dollar store. Na Ill be watching the Latina's in the surf on my boat. As far as the wife. She's good to go. Or she will leave me and take everything. Eitheir way I end up a bumb, I cant lose lol..
Ill find one of those communal groups living in the forest and build myself a palm hut and live off the land like a hippie lol.
A wise man once told me, Theres 3 things in life that you will remember on your death bed. 1) How many pretty women you have been with. 2) How many good steaks you've had 3) How many good bottles of booze you had. Everything else is B.S. lol...He was a Vietnam vet from PA lost his job when the steel mills went out back in the 80's. He cashed out and moved to Thailand. Last I heard of him he sent me a post card from a bar in Cambodia. The place used old Mortar shells as drink glasses. Just outside of Phenom Phen. Now he knows how to have a good time lol..... Every once in a blue moon I get a pic emailed to me of him amoungst a gaggle of young Thai girls holding up shot glasses...lol.
 
Young Thai girls eh? Good for him!

On my death bed I'll be thinking of those I've outlived and the ones I wish I could have taken with me! LOL
 
Amen. I can feel the perverbail slap in the back of my head as typing lol.. Never the less the dog that gets loose is the happy dog and the dog watching the loose dog run free from the fenced yard only wishes he was loose too lol.
 
Well, between Stacker and myself we pretty much turned this post into a mockery for ole Ryan's 240 sale lol...
So much for the guy from FL eh lol.. Better luck in Youngstown Ryan lol.. This is 3 pages of nothing to do with getting that tank sold hehehehe. I learned that blow torching a nudi is gonna be a highlight and BBQ is an expanded art form across the nation. Flame roasted meat is close to my heart and so many others too.

I got the goin rate for a cold one in Costa Rica back in 84'. You see you never know what your gonna learn on RC. This will most likely be yanked and out and thrown in the Forum lol. Soon as one of the over-seers gets wind. the N.S.A. of salt water forums as I like to refer to them lol..
So much for freedom. It was a good concept. I dont wanna talk politics. Ive allready been flamed for that from the Chevy Cobalt post this week lol... I scored a two'fer on that one. I got slammed twice for the same post. trying to retain my stellar status. I claim neutral like Switzerland. At least til someone else gets me rollin on something I cant keep my pie hole shut about.
 
That's OK , not like he's never hijacked a thread before.

Better to neutral like the swiss than chicken like the french!

Ryan may end up "giving" his tank to Fabrizio... I think that'd be a nice jesture anyway.... :)
 
He could do an RC auction. pick up only. Proceeds go towards his new tank. Or he can just give it too me on general principles and we Can call it good.
Stick a snake in it and feed it little bunnies lol.. Since hes coming here he can catch an Iguana throw that in there. H#ll I can get on of those for free. I got this big black bastard thats eating all my little lizards coming around. Ill catch that and throw it in there. Skys the limit.
Still shakin off the night. I ran the gauntlet with some friends last night. Its all I can do to choke down my cup of joe and a Honey bun this morning lol... Dont see a smiley that represents or Id pop it in.
 
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