captbunzo's 47g tank log

Ok, long time no updates. Here are a few details and lots of pics...

So over the last couple weeks I have added more corals then I should and have made less progress then I should on my tank stands, tanks, etc, for the rest of this "101 Gallon System". Lots of other stuff going on, I suppose.

Fun With Silicone

These 2 pictures show the 25g secondary display tank and the 29g display refugium all siliconed up and curing. I had to replace a panel on the 25g tank, install an internal overflow, and attach the black frame. On the 29g tank I fixed a cracked back panel by attaching a new panel behind the original. Needless to say, that tank is a little heavier then the average 29g tank. :)

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Coral & Fish

The first of these is new to the thread - a picture of a coral, Galaxea achrelia, that may not typically make its way to the retail side of this hobby as the septa on the coral skeleton have a tendancy to puncture bags, causing the corals to not survive. I found this at a wonderful little store in Irving, TX - Saltwater Paradise.

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And these are just some more pics of my snowflake eel and coral hawkfish. Cool stuff. Both seem to be doing well, as far as I can tell...

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Leak Testing

Sort of an annoying, but important step, the leak test.

And I am glad I did it as the 25g tank had a leak. No, there wasn't a leaky pane of glass. Rather, water was leaking in at one of the corners of the internal overflow, very slowly. While this isn't going to be a huge problem during regular operation of the tank, it would cause the tank to drain down to the bottom of the overflow in the case of a power outage.

While I haven't gotten around to it yet, this will be fixed with some simple siliconing (read between the lines: LIBERAL application of silicone)...

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The 29g tank held water without a hitch...

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(to be continued...)
 
(continued...)

Fish Tank Stands

Here is a pile of wood ready to be further constructed into fish tank stands. You just gotta love my white trash 2x4 fish tank stands. Actually, when they are all done, I hope them to be very nice. There will even be sanding and staining and polyeurathaning, etc, involved. These things might actually be pretty nice...

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I think the best title for this picture is: My Workshop.

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And woo-the-freaking-hoo! I've actually started to make REAL progress on these things. Here are the basic skeletons of the stands complete.

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And the last shot of the day, showing the TINY amount of work I got done tonight, here is a tank on it's stand. The work accomplished is adding that 1x4 piece of trim on the front of the stand. I am building these so that the tanks will set into the top of the stand nicely with just enough room for a piece of blue styofoam (residential foam sheathing insulation, also comes in pink (I think)) to sit underneath it. And then the tank sits on top of that foam with about 3/16 inch clearance, just enough to be secure but without blocking too much tank frame.

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It may be hard to envision, but.....

1. There will be 3/4 or 1/2 inch thick plywood added to the gaps in between the front and back legs on the left and right of each stand.
2. There will be a piece of 1x2 used on the bottom frame piece.
3. And then two doors will be constructed to span the full front of the stand, meeting in the middle.

I am excited to make progress, but always annoyed at how slow this can be when other things come up...

And btw, that stand the 29g tank is sitting on above is actually only 18 inches tall. It is sort of a bit of modern art, you could say, this little stand for which my display sump/fuge can sit atop. I am hoping that with actual cleaning of the sump, and the addition of some mangroves to grow out the top, this thing might actually look sort of nice.

We'll see how that turns out... :)

Good nite, all....
 
Thanks, MyMonkey!

And am I the only ones that see's random numbers and links them to other things? Like the 1984 in the image below.....
captbunzo47-1984.jpg


Maybe it is a sign from the spirit of the late George Orwell... What's it mean? :)
 
Hey Paul. It's been a while since I've been able to get on here and get updated on everyone's progress (which I guess I didn't miss much since you hadn't updated since the 17th :) ). Looks like things are coming along great and looks like you're making some great progress on not only the tanks but also the stands as well.

I can't wait to see how it all turns out since this is such a cool idea for a setup.

Adam
 
Not yet - I am working on my fish tank stands right now. It should be another week or 2 before I get those completed. Then I will be able to move on with the sump, etc. A lot of this is slowed down as I am building in my Dallas apartment, rather then my shop at home. Right now I am wondering if I can find someone in the area with a table saw. :)

Though I do have an idea for how I can get the sump stand setup earlier.... Skip some steps on the construction and add other (aesthethic) pieces later... :)
 
Ok, I've made some excellent progress with my fish tank stands these past couple days. All I have left, in fact, is to sand, stain, polyeurathane, and then put everything finally together. I hope to be complete by the middle of this week. Pics, of course, will follow.

For now I'll simply post some pics of some of the corals, etc, in the tank... :D Click on the pics to see bigger versions.


ORA Blue Tort (Acropora tortuosa)


Some sort of encrusting Montipora. I think they called it Sunrise something or another...


Blue Zoanthids Rock


Another Ricordia (Yuma)


And Yet Another Ricordia (Yuma). I hope to grow these and last ones (and all my other new ones aquired recently) out so I have lots of all of them and can add them to the COMAS donor program.


Green Ricordia florida... Cool...


ORA Blue Rimmed Derasa (Tridacna derasa)
 
Paul,
Beautiful blue zoanthids! They look like they sort-of glow in the dark. Pretty Derasa as well. How about a picture of the whole tank for all to see now? Since I haven't been down there in awhile, at least this way your wifey can see the whole effect... :)

Have fun with all the sanding!!
andrea
 
Why thank you, wifey poo.... I will get a whole tank pic sometime soon and post it.

Also, I got motivated tonight and sanded all of the parts of the stands. Woohoo! That is a hugely annoying task out of the way. :)
 
Hey Paul. Awesome corals. I really like the blue zoas and the ricordias are awesome. I'm sure they will look amazing once they grow out and start covering the rock.
 
Chris and I saw his tank yesterday, and I loved the way he set up his rock. I think vertical tanks are very appealing, and the stacked rock drew you to it. The pictures are great of what he's got in there. It is quite beautiful.

Good job, Paul! Andrea, you've got to see it! You'd be so proud of your hubby-pooh... ;)

-Brook
 
Progress, progress, progress....

Note that the doors are not actually installed. Rather, they are just set in place to you can see the end effect.


25G Tank & Stand


29G Tank & Stand

I am really happy how these things are turning out. Simple, yet effective. And inexpensive - these stands are coming out to cost about $50 a piece.
 
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if...., oh nevermind....It is coming along nicely though. I sure do love the blue torts. Talk about upper class corals!!! ;)
 
I was thinking Paul, you definately need to come see my tank sometime so you can take pictures of it with a camera that is worth a flip!

-Chris
 
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