Austin goes Rimless - Dudester's 203g mixed reef
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jnarowe
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OK, so I hope this isn't considered a high-jack but I wanted to get back regarding this mod. I got the chance to snap a couple of pics today since I took it out for cleaning.
This mod was done by the World Famous Don Nguyen (WFDN), a master at pump modding for sure. It provides a lot more flow, turns on in the correct direction every time, and only burns 7 watts! Yes that's right...I am guessing somewhere around 1,800+ gph at 7 watts...
What kills me about all of Don's mods, is that while he is good and has a lot of experience, his solutions for essentially poor designed powerheads are very simple and easy to do. It amazes me how much garbage is being sold in the hobby, and this pump is a very good example. As far as I was concerned, after trying this pump out stock, I was going to round-file it. It was total junk, and when taken apart, appeared to be made out of Radio Shack parts. I would never post anything positive about the Tunze products I have used or seen in use, but I am compelled to post about this modified 6025. It kicks butt! It also has a beefed up prop.
WFDN also modded a Maxi-Jet 1200 that always turns on in the correct direction, runs well over 2000 gph, and burns 21 watts. That pump is hard to keep restrained!
why are you high jacking Jonathan? where's the RC police when you need them? :bum:
Dudester
Premium Member
Cool mod, Jonathan, thanks for sharing.
Gabriel and Bart, and everyone else:
Yes, the tank is moved :smokin: . Huge props go to Brian, Dallas, Marcus and John (in alphabetical order) for all of their expert help - I couldn't have done it without you guys. And thanks, too, to my wife, for keeping our 3-year old away from our feet while carrying the tank into the house. We had so much help that I didn't call you Gabriel, but thanks for the offer - definitely appreciated.
I tried to get Mississippi Mud, but there was none at all in Austin so I had to settle for an alternate brown ale (equally tasty, I might add). Sorry to disappoint, but I'm at work and I didn't load the pics to Photobucket last night, so please be patient with me and I'll try to post them tonight.
Gabriel and Bart, and everyone else:
Yes, the tank is moved :smokin: . Huge props go to Brian, Dallas, Marcus and John (in alphabetical order) for all of their expert help - I couldn't have done it without you guys. And thanks, too, to my wife, for keeping our 3-year old away from our feet while carrying the tank into the house. We had so much help that I didn't call you Gabriel, but thanks for the offer - definitely appreciated.
I tried to get Mississippi Mud, but there was none at all in Austin so I had to settle for an alternate brown ale (equally tasty, I might add). Sorry to disappoint, but I'm at work and I didn't load the pics to Photobucket last night, so please be patient with me and I'll try to post them tonight.
KingfishJohn
New member
My understanding of the alphabet, says that J comes before M :eek1:
Dudester
Premium Member
As I mentioned, the tank was transported from Kingfish to my house. Fortunately Dallas has a truck and he volunteered to replace the U-Haul I was going to rent. The thought of driving this beautiful glass tank in an open-bed truck at highway speeds was a little nerve-wracking but all's well that ends well. It was adequately padded and very well secured. Here it is, with the stand and some boxes of plumbing equipment that I had ordered on-line, backed into my driveway.
Here's another look at that starphire glass, with one leg of the stand just to the right.
While the tank was outdoors and easily accessible, we applied a black adhesive material to the back glass, the only non-starphire panel. Brian has applied this to numerous tanks in the past, and as a result the actual application process wasn't all that onerous. It looks incredible, just as good if not better than painting, and without the mess or risk of getting paint on other surfaces. The stand was leveled at its desired location, then the tank was taken indoors, with just enough space to squeeze through the front door. We then put Hayward bulkheads in all of the cutouts in the PVC bottom. In case anyone's counting and the numbers don't add up properly for you, it may look as if one 1.5" bulkhead is missing, and there are two extra 1" bulkheads. That's because one of the 1.5"ers was already installed, and the extra 1"ers are for the sump.
The OceansMotions Omniflex CL return nozzles were then plumbed into the bulkheads. Here's the tank on the stand, and note the black background (looks lighter on the right side due to glare, sorry).
You can barely see a mirror on the wall behind the tank. After a bit of negotiation and tremendous understanding on my wife's part, it will be coming down. Sure, it would have been a lot easier to remove the mirror BEFORE the tank was in place, but at least it's still dry and empty.
Here's another look at that starphire glass, with one leg of the stand just to the right.
While the tank was outdoors and easily accessible, we applied a black adhesive material to the back glass, the only non-starphire panel. Brian has applied this to numerous tanks in the past, and as a result the actual application process wasn't all that onerous. It looks incredible, just as good if not better than painting, and without the mess or risk of getting paint on other surfaces. The stand was leveled at its desired location, then the tank was taken indoors, with just enough space to squeeze through the front door. We then put Hayward bulkheads in all of the cutouts in the PVC bottom. In case anyone's counting and the numbers don't add up properly for you, it may look as if one 1.5" bulkhead is missing, and there are two extra 1" bulkheads. That's because one of the 1.5"ers was already installed, and the extra 1"ers are for the sump.
The OceansMotions Omniflex CL return nozzles were then plumbed into the bulkheads. Here's the tank on the stand, and note the black background (looks lighter on the right side due to glare, sorry).
You can barely see a mirror on the wall behind the tank. After a bit of negotiation and tremendous understanding on my wife's part, it will be coming down. Sure, it would have been a lot easier to remove the mirror BEFORE the tank was in place, but at least it's still dry and empty.
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