Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)

[nineball]

Peter, have you considered a Four Masters Tank t-shirt design yet? I have a few ideas ... :fun4:

Dave.M

Dave, I saw it on Mr. Wilson's IPhone but when he forwarded it to me the image won't display. I love it. It's great. Pm me and I'll get my email to you so you can try again. Well done. This is a perfect example of what this community is all about.

Peter

 

[Elum]

So Fn Jelous, not going to lie. Wish i had the space/money to throw around on a project this scale.

I can tell you have spent allot of time on the rockscaping and it has really paid off. Some of those features you have going are fantastic, I love the modified rock that looks like a dinosaur head. and that's before they have grown in! cant wait to see how this tank evolves.
Keep it up! :thumbsup:

 

[nineball]

I am just as impressed with the photography as much as I am with the rockwork! Did you take those Peter? I tried to get the photo specs (e.g.: camera, exposure, ISO, etc.) from the metadata on the photos but it was probably scrubbed when you uploaded them). Anyway, I just picked up my first DLSR (a low end Canon EOS Rebel XS) just to take reef photos and hopefully learn to tweak the lighting, exposure, composition, etc. to take some photos with at least a fraction of the quality and clarity of many of the photos posted in RC, such as the ones of your rockwork.

Patrick G.

Patrick, thank you again for your continuing support and goodwill. I am a huge fan of the rebel. It was the first honest DSLR that got me chasing better photography. Today my primary cameras are the 50D as well as the 5DII. The biggest contributor to better results however is the glass. Now I'm chasing better lenses. I have quite a few L lenses and I don't ever regret the purchase. My biggest gripe is having to lug all that weight around so that I don't miss that perfect opportunity. Your Rebel is fully capable of taking every shot on this thread without compromise. Enjoy....it's great technology.

Peter

 

[mr.wilson]

great use of neg. space

Are you calling me negative space

 

[mr.wilson]

I am just as impressed with the photography as much as I am with the rockwork! Did you take those Peter? I tried to get the photo specs (e.g.: camera, exposure, ISO, etc.) from the metadata on the photos but it was probably scrubbed when you uploaded them). Anyway, I just picked up my first DLSR (a low end Canon EOS Rebel XS) just to take reef photos and hopefully learn to tweak the lighting, exposure, composition, etc. to take some photos with at least a fraction of the quality and clarity of many of the photos posted in RC, such as the ones of your rockwork.

Patrick G.

Don't knock the hobby level Rebel. I have the 350D Digital Rebel and find it to be all I need. Get a better flash (than the built-in) and a tripod and you will have excellent photos. It's more about the steady hand and creative eye behind the camera than the amount of money the gear cost. Sorry Peter, that isn't aimed at you

 

[nineball]

So Fn Jelous, not going to lie. Wish i had the space/money to throw around on a project this scale.

I can tell you have spent allot of time on the rockscaping and it has really paid off. Some of those features you have going are fantastic, I love the modified rock that looks like a dinosaur head. and that's before they have grown in! cant wait to see how this tank evolves.
Keep it up! :thumbsup:

Thanks for the compliment but I really have to pass this to the Bros Grimm who collectively spent over 160 hours squeezing putty, carrying water and rock in and out of the tank more times than I can remember. Sitting in cold water and still managing to come up with an idea for jurrassic park Dino head, they are the true artists.

Peter

 

[crazzy]

Let me see if I understand the mechanics of creating this Live Rock aquascape masterpiece.
The four brothers Grimm took 60 hours each to sculpt it, they used all 120 “pairs” of Epo Putty
The Jamie and Mark of the Grimm Brothers have might what might be called “tender fingertips” afterwards. from the Epo Putty.
Jamie wrote earlier

“my finger tips literally dissipated from the 60 hrs of carefully moving rock in a and out of the tank/ maneuvering the rock around into the proper place/ puttying etc....
Using bare hands while working with the Epo Putty is also a must as again it sticks to any gloves that you may use. Just be careful not to completely burn of the ends of your finger tips as I did!! “

If they were to do this again, what would they do differently? And what ideas are there to avoid the tender fingertips “next time”

Mr.Wilson, now that the Masterpiece has set, what are your studied thoughts on anything you might suggest done differently in creating this Masterpiece? From a “Best Practices” perspective.

Peter, truly amazing result! Congratulations ! ! !

 

[msr224]

Don't knock the hobby level Rebel. I have the 350D Digital Rebel and find it to be all I need. Get a better flash (than the built-in) and a tripod and you will have excellent photos. It's more about the steady hand and creative eye behind the camera than the amount of money the gear cost. Sorry Peter, that isn't aimed at you

I couldn't agree more with both Mr. Wilson and Nineball. I use the Nikon D40 and love it even though it's an entry level DSLR. I have found the following;

1. More shots = better pictures. (Just sort through and throw out the trash)
2. There are good pictures in your mediocre ones. Try cropping and zooming tools.
3. Try different settings and be creative with your lenses....Zooms and tripods can make for some really good macro shots.......without the expense of an expensive macro lense.
4. Repeat.....take more photos, you'll get 10-15 great ones per 100. Click, click, click......

Enjoy!!!!!!!!

 

[nineball]

Let me see if I understand the mechanics of creating this Live Rock aquascape masterpiece.
The four brothers Grimm took 60 hours each to sculpt it, they used all 120 "œpairs" of Epo Putty
The Jamie and Mark of the Grimm Brothers have might what might be called "œtender fingertips" afterwards. from the Epo Putty.
Jamie wrote earlier

"œmy finger tips literally dissipated from the 60 hrs of carefully moving rock in a and out of the tank/ maneuvering the rock around into the proper place/ puttying etc....
Using bare hands while working with the Epo Putty is also a must as again it sticks to any gloves that you may use. Just be careful not to completely burn of the ends of your finger tips as I did!! "œ

If they were to do this again, what would they do differently? And what ideas are there to avoid the tender fingertips "œnext time"

Mr.Wilson, now that the Masterpiece has set, what are your studied thoughts on anything you might suggest done differently in creating this Masterpiece? From a "œBest Practices" perspective.

Peter, truly amazing result! Congratulations ! ! !

Thank you crazzy, what you haven't seen yet is the frenetic activity going on in the fish room. All of the pumps have arrived from Germany, reactors are being mounted on the walls, various controllers are being installed, in room plumbing is being finalized (this part is very very complex) with a goal of simple unimpeded flow throughout the system while still maintaining maximum reconfiguration capability throughout the system. The only element we are waiting for is a reconfigured sump which we hope to have shortly. For the moment we will use a temporary sump. There's a whole bunch more which will have a picture and documented summary posted in the thread as usual so stay tuned.

I'll let Jamie talk about the tender fingertips.........it wasn't the chemicals in the glue as much as it was constantly rubbing the rocks to ensure a best fit for the putty compound joining rocks together. So far every joint has held together like steel extensions to the rock.

Peter

 

[nineball]

I couldn't agree more with both Mr. Wilson and Nineball. I use the Nikon D40 and love it even though it's an entry level DSLR. I have found the following;

1. More shots = better pictures. (Just sort through and throw out the trash)
2. There are good pictures in your mediocre ones. Try cropping and zooming tools.
3. Try different settings and be creative with your lenses....Zooms and tripods can make for some really good macro shots.......without the expense of an expensive macro lense.
4. Repeat.....take more photos, you'll get 10-15 great ones per 100. Click, click, click......

Enjoy!!!!!!!!

+1


Peter

 

[nineball]

Are you calling me negative space

Mr. Wilson, we have two electricians remapping the boxes to the outlets per John's instructions..........I didn't know what to tell them about the pumps.....
They did say the could change the plugs. They also didn't think the 50 60 cycle really mattered ( I still thinkl it does). I have not asked them to change the plugs over. Your call on that.


Peter

 

[nineball]

So Fn Jelous, not going to lie. Wish i had the space/money to throw around on a project this scale.

I can tell you have spent allot of time on the rockscaping and it has really paid off. Some of those features you have going are fantastic, I love the modified rock that looks like a dinosaur head. and that's before they have grown in! cant wait to see how this tank evolves.
Keep it up! :thumbsup:

Don't sweat the small stuff Elum. Australians are incapable of throwing money around. WHatever doesn't fit in a beer bottle must be spent wisely!!!!:dance:

Beside that, you live next to the greatest aquarium on the planet!! Thanks for your support on the aquascaping. The reaction to the Jurrassic Park style is positive and gaining momentum.

Peter

 

[nineball]

Peter and Mr. Wilson my hat is off to you guys what an excellent and well documented build. I've enjoyed and continue to enjoy reading this build, this is by far one of the best if not the best build on RC and I've been lurking since 2002.

z28pwr, thank you very much. My perspective on the quality of this journey is that this is just one more step in the evolution of reef building. Not to diminish what we are doing but my hope is that the next significant build tops this one by a country mile and we will all benefit from the strengthening of best practices. Thank you very much for abandoning your long standing lurking status however briefly to acknowledge this build. The team is honoured and appreciative.

Peter

 

[nineball]

Darn if only I didn't already have dinner plans for Thursday night! I love the way the rock work came out (esp the TRex). I am about to do my rock work this weekend for my newly setup 2" cube ( almost a nano compared to yours ) and will be going with the Nylon rod/nut route, since I can't find an epoxy I like (and don't need a whole case of it).

I look forward to meeting you guys at the booth though.

Thank you Azazael, the team and guests will be having several toasts in your honour and I'm sure we will run into you in the trade show portion of our visit.

Peter

 

[nineball]

Heya, been reading but never had anything to add to what's already been said. Great work and even moreso to see Mr Wilson back in the swing of things

If you have the JetStream2, I've used Zeo, Aragonite and the "acro stick" and haven't noticed a difference other than the latter type. You'll have to use more CO2 (lower pH) to get the maintain the same Ca level in the system. Most likely due to surface area of the media and CaCO3 crystalline structure.

JME

Thank you wtac, I suspect we will use Aragonite but the question of size keeps coming up........suggestions?

Peter

 

[crazzy]

Mr. Wilson, we have two electricians remapping the boxes to the outlets per John's instructions..........I didn't know what to tell them about the pumps.....
They did say the could change the plugs. They also didn't think the 50 60 cycle really mattered ( I still thinkl it does). I have not asked them to change the plugs over. Your call on that.


Peter

Peter
I can tell you from personal experience, here in Bolivia where it is 50 cylce electricity. Everything that was built for 60 cycles does work, microwaves seem to have a hard time tho.
However --- motors which are made for 60 cycles will last only two to three years and then will give up the ghost. I have one refrigerator from the U.S., that like clockwork, gives up the ghost every two years. I did not buy it, came with the house. My electrician shakes his head about people who buy 60 cycle from the states { they are cheaper} and then bring them to Bolivia.
I know you are doing the reverse, operating 50 cycle motors on 60 cycle, but I think the same will apply , in that in a couple of years they will quit.
This why the issues with delayed introductions by Tunze into North America. [ personal communication } They are "different".
The motors could, possibly, be re-wound, dunno.

Just a heads up.

 

[nineball]

Peter
I can tell you from personal experience, here in Bolivia where it is 50 cylce electricity. Everything that was built for 60 cycles does work, microwaves seem to have a hard time tho.
However --- motors which are made for 60 cycles will last only two to three years and then will give up the ghost. I have one refrigerator from the U.S., that like clockwork, gives up the ghost every two years. I did not buy it, came with the house. My electrician shakes his head about people who buy 60 cycle from the states { they are cheaper} and then bring them to Bolivia.
I know you are doing the reverse, operating 50 cycle motors on 60 cycle, but I think the same will apply , in that in a couple of years they will quit.
This why the issues with delayed introductions by Tunze into North America. [ personal communication } They are "different".
The motors could, possibly, be re-wound, dunno.

Just a heads up.

Your experience parralels mine crazzy. However, the engineer in Germany just wrote back with the following:

"it is no problem to run the motor at 60Hz. Inside the driver electronic the current gets inverted to the frequency the motor needs for the selected power (the driver is a frequency converter itself). It does not depend on the input frequency.
Please do not run the driver on a frequency converter, as I do not know, how the output voltage of the converter will look like. Some of these inverters have no clear sine output and can cause troubles due to voltage peaks."

So for the moment I am probably going to swap the plugs to North American standards and leave frequency adjustments out of the equation. Lets just keep our fingers crossed..........

Peter

 

[crazzy]

Your experience parralels mine crazzy. However, the engineer in Germany just wrote back with the following:

"it is no problem to run the motor at 60Hz. Inside the driver electronic the current gets inverted to the frequency the motor needs for the selected power (the driver is a frequency converter itself). It does not depend on the input frequency.
Please do not run the driver on a frequency converter, as I do not know, how the output voltage of the converter will look like. Some of these inverters have no clear sine output and can cause troubles due to voltage peaks."

So for the moment I am probably going to swap the plugs to North American standards and leave frequency adjustments out of the equation. Lets just keep our fingers crossed..........

Peter

That is good news!
Desktop computers have the same thing, they automatically convert the incoming electricity so that the all thumbs operator does nothing except attach a plug that fits the outlet { or plug adapter}. Never a problem with PC or Apple in Bolivia { some manufacturer computer screens will not work at altitude of the city of LaPaz, but that is a different issue! }

No worries there Peter, quality of these pumps shows thru!

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

Wow...

Wow...

(I know, but every superlative has been used)

One of many things that fascinate me about this build is the opportunity to showcase different technologies, especially lighting. With such a large system employing best practices throughout, it creates a perfect R&D environment.

For instance, a current challenge in LED lighting is the creation of an optimal spectrum for growth (easy) and coloration (HARD.) You've created a perfect environment (including perhaps the coral section of your MARS system) to take the theoretical and apply it in real life with side by side, controlled environment comparisons. The bonus being light customized to your needs, compact size, energy efficiency and very little heat signature (not that the latter is a concern with your environmental controls.) Here's a great example...

Manufacturers have begun releasing a plethora of LED options, some of which are essentially "plug-n-play" (including spectrum and optics.) This allows the purchaser to easily customize the output, not only to their tank dimensions, but to the specific needs of their tank inhabitants (i.e. SPS/LPS,softies, Z/Ps tide pool or duplicating a deep-water spectral environment in just inches of water...)

I see this as an opportunity to not only create a not-to-be duplicated homage to the masters, but to also advance the art and science to a point that future best practices directly reference discoveries made through the "Nineball build"

Thanks again for allowing us to tag along Peter.

 

[jfarabaugh]

Tom

Where did that graph come from? I have been doing a lot of research on LED lights lately for my tank and have been looking for a breakdown like this.

Didn’t mean to hijack. Absolutely amazing tank Peter!