CT 265 Build

Good News - tank has arrived at LFS

Bad News - 84" tank is actually 85 1/4" long - I had accounted for a little extra length for the plastic trim, but only to 85" *%&*$%^&. Bah Humbug, will have to dado 1/8" out of the top of each end panel and extend the plywood top.
 
ca1ore said:
Good News - tank has arrived at LFS

Bad News - 84" tank is actually 85 1/4" long - I had accounted for a little extra length for the plastic trim, but only to 85" *%&*$%^&. Bah Humbug, will have to dado 1/8" out of the top of each end panel and extend the plywood top.
Click to expand...

Good news and confused news. Good news is congrats on the tank. Confused news is how you going to fix the 1+ on the tank stand.
 
Well, I had built the stand 85" long to more than account for any additional trim -or so I thought. So, actually, the stand is only 1/4 inch short. It is a pain, but I will glue a 1/8 thick strip of plywood to each end and then plane down the end panels so they fit. End panels are decorative, no structural role. If I had to extend the stand a full inch THAT would be a problem. Will take pictures as I do it.
 
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ca1ore said:
Well, I had built the stand 85" long to more than account for any additional trim -or so I thought. So, actually, the stand is only 1/8 short. It is a pain, but I will glue a 1/8 thick strip of plywood to each end and then plane down the end panels so they fit. End panels are decorative, no structural role. If I had to extend the stand a full inch THAT would be a problem. Will take pictures as I do it.
Click to expand...

Thank you for clarifying that to this wood challenged reefer.
 
No matter how experienced you are, or how much you think things through, there are ALWAYS problems you didn't anticipate. Problem #1 - I bought one of those 150 gallon Rubbermaid stock tanks to begin to make the extra water that I will need for the new tank, began to drip RO/DI in and, wouldn't you know it, the cheapo bulkhead on the stock tank leaks. Did a little checking and apparently its a known problem, but still. Don't have time, nor the inclination, to order a replacement bulkhead, so slapped some silicone sealant on the inside of the gasket - not ideal, but hopefully will do for now. Glad I started making water for the tank early.
 
A little silicone sealant on the bulkhead and 48 hours and the tub has stopped leaking (I think). Away for 3 days now, but all on schedule for next Saturday for the change over.
 
Picking the tank up Friday night, doing the switchover Saturday. NSW is mixing up nicely, sand has been pre-washed and got tank muscle arranged. No time to back out now!
 
Well, took the better parts of today and yesterday, but the new tank is in and has cleared up pretty fast. Looks empty though .....



Things went pretty smoothly actually, though the self-stick blue background proved impossible to put on cleanly with the tank on the stand. Should have put it on BEFORE putting the tank up. Will have to figure out an alternative because it looks like crap!

Light hood also proved a bear to hang because the beams in my ceiling apparently follow no known construction code. For now I have put in temporary supports, but will have to go into the attic and install some additional blocking.

What was a 'stuffed' 90 is now a 'sparse' 265 ..... definitely need more fish!
 
Few day in .... so far so good.

A couple of dripping fittings, and, as we all know, the ones that are the most tricky to reach :(; but other than that OK. No sign, nor expected, of any mini-cycling. Ammonia and Nitrites at zero. A few of my SPS frags are showing much less polyp extension than before, but I figure some water quality changes (mainly alk and Ca levels) so likely just needs to get used to the new tank.
 
Month in and things going quite well ......



Full Tank Shot



Just the Left End



Just the Right End

I decided to 'skin' the right side overflow by drilling a few holes in the overflow cover (not through the complete overflow) and using zip ties to lash a few flat pieces of live rock into a column. Didn't end up with exactly the effect I was looking for, but once the white rocks get encrusted with coralline and populated with mushrooms, should look OK. Magnifica anemone has stayed put, so that's good, and I've resisted (so far) the urge to overclutter things. Still need a large acro to give some height to the left side of the tank, but all things in due course.

Have adjusted my fish plan in an attempt to maintain harmony, though the Yellow and Purple Tangs really don't seem to like each other much. Have probably exacerbated the problem by buying a Desjardini (still in QT). I also bought a LemonPeel angel from a local reefer, but it is already picking at the mushrooms in my other QT tank, so not sure what to do with it at this point.

Anyhow, new fish plan is for an Achilles, a trio of Bipartitus Leopard Wrasses, a flasher wrasse, a small group of Pyramid Butterflyfish, three more Bartlett Anthias and maybe a few Chalk Bass (though compatibility with my Splendid Dottyback may be a problem). Given I'm very anal about QT, these will take a while.
 
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worm5406 said:
Is that birds nest in the middle above the yellow tang?
Click to expand...

No, it's a branching montipora. Got that entire rock (20 lbs. easy) with the large monti and an orange setosa for $75 bucks from a local reefer. He had a second, equally large rock for the same price that I simply could not fit without compromising my aspirations for an open look. Road trip?
 
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