Addiction wins, 450 gallon system begins

[NexDog]

96" long is super sweet though. I only have 60" so I went high as possible (30") and deep as possible (36"). Hoping the depth is going to make up for the length though and with some decent aquascaping, I'm not concerned. Just buzzing that I'm finally creating it all.

 

[Hop]

I hear ya, I think 36" will be great. You can really play with the depth there! I'd hate to think of the shipping costs to Japan... I spit coffee all over my monitor when I heard the cost of shipping to Colorado:lol:

 

[NexDog]

Well, its the same price as all 3 tanks.....

 

[Lunchbucket]

honored - LOL i'm just a normal guy. but i do need to go back and read all the post i admit it was late and a looked at the pics only

Lunchbucket

 

[Hop]

NexDog: Ahh what the heck, it will be well worth it!

Lunchbucket: I'm not certain that would be all that exciting. The picture book is probably just as informative

So I checked on the status of the tank and it's sitting happily in a warehouse just 50 miles from my house. The down side is that it actually passed by my house last night by only miles on the interstate, heading to the warehouse. I had visions of a mobile vehicle assault:uzi: , but no such luck, I'll just have to wait until Monday.

 

[jnarowe]

I picked mine up myself. I figure, why pay someone else to screw up my tank when I can do it myself much cheaper? Anyway, I used suction cup handles. One for each hand on 4 guys, 3 furniture dollys, and a lift gate truck.

One screw up was that I left some handles attached (because it looked good) and they baked on in the Sun. It took a lot to remove them, and they left baked-on black rubber circles!!! I also realized that after the truck rental, fuel, hotel, suction cups, straps, food, and more, it would have been cheaper to hire a professional mover.

Oh well, I paid $280 Canadian for a Prizm 100 skimmer while on vacation...just so I could have it in hand when I got back and keep the rock alive. After exchange, that's over double what I could have gotten it online. FMR!!

 

[Hop]

jnarowe: I hear ya, I thought about finding an alternative or going and getting it, but it's a bit a a haul from here:eek2:

Well the clock is ticking away, tank should be here tomorrow:bounce3: :bounce1: But I feel like a little kid watching the clock...TICK...TICK...TICK

 

[Hop]

The big day

The big day

The long anticipated day has arrived... The tank came today! I'll just go ahead and post the pics without a big narrative right now
The Crate:

The top:

Unpacked:

External Overflow:

Drains from overflow and closed loop intake:

I'll type some more later, but for now I'm off to look at the tank :rollface:

 

[Jamesurq]

Looking good!

Sump room in the garage, planning on putting the closed loop in the crawlspace... Sounds like you got the right plan!

Tank looks great too.

One piece of critisism if I may - the clear tubing for the skimmer will grow some serious algae that close to the refugium light. I'd suggest either replacing it or at least wrapping some tape around it.

Good luck with the system - nice to see someone taking their time and doing it right!

 

[Lunchbucket]

holy snikies. looks great. you prolly answered this but where you get the tank done?

keep post pics...we all like pics

Lunchbucket

 

[WarEagleNR88]

Wow, I bet that costed a lot. What, you could buy a decent used car for that price. Looks outstanding, Hop. Can't wait to see it installed and wet.

 

[Hop]

Jamesurq: Thanks for the comments! And I took you're advice. Right now I used that vinyl hose becasue I had 10' lying around, but it will eventually be replaced with spaflex. Initially I'm making sure that the head pressure will not be too high and the skimmer is in it's final spot etc. I'll probably wind up ordering the spaflex when I go to run the OM 4way.

Lunchbucket: James at Envision did the tank... Very impressive operation over there might I add! I was very impressed with the way things went and he was very helpful. He didn't treat me like another customer, but more like an equal or friend... I hope that makes sense.

And here are a few more pics... I wanted to see what the new OM 1" Nozzles were going to look like and now I know:rollface:

These should be the ONLY thing seen in the tank that are not natural... So appearance was very inportant here. I hope it's not too distracting from the aquascape!

 

[Hop]

Wow, I bet that costed a lot. What, you could buy a decent used car for that price. Looks outstanding, Hop. Can't wait to see it installed and wet.

SHHHHH. My wife thinks it was on sale for 19.99 on Ebay. JJ

And thanks!

 

[Lunchbucket]

hey those OM nozzels look great

Lunchbucket

 

[Holokai]

Hop! Nice boat :-D My family just swapped out a deep-V speed boat for a pontoon. Kinda like going from a corvette to a minivan, IMO... but hey, more room for coolers, a grill, and a sound system.

Tank looks fantastic. Keep the updates coming

- C

 

[melev]

Hi Hop. I read page one and look forward to getting fully up to date on your latest project. This looks like it will be a good one!

 

[NexDog]

Did James do the bulkheads too or did you put them in? And how do the nozzles fit in the bulkhead - thread or slip? Or did the nozzles come with the buldheads? Enquiring minds need to know.

 

[melev]

Okay, all caught up. Awesome. Are you or James going to MACNA next month?

 

[Hop]

Lunchbucket: Thanks I was hoping that they would be a nice break from the norm and give me a little flex in the flow here and there.

Holokai: LOL I hear ya, but there is never a bad day on the lake here whether you're in a minivan or a vette.. It's all just so relaxing. Thanks for the compliment on the boat... It's Ok, a little old but still a hoot.

NexDog: Lets see... I ordered the nozzles from OM and then I had James do the 1" threaded bulkheads. They are threaded on both ends. I did it this way in case I need to chage them out etc, it's a simple task. A little pricey, so you may want to wait for the tanks fresh water test to see if they are worth the cost... But they seem pretty stout and should hold their posistion. I just had James do all the bulkheads... I thnk I would be a shaking mess holding a drill over the top of the tank

melev: Thanks! and thanks for inspiring me... The better half and I were thinking about going to MACNA and had looked into flights and sleeping arrangements, but some things happened at work and I can't take any vacation until after the first of the year....Maybe. So it is definately in the future, just not sure when yet Hmmm not sure about James...

 

[NexDog]

I think I'm going to get some so I can direct the flow on the 4 outlets on the back. Do I need the ones with the male ends for the type of bulkheads James does?