drummereef
Team RC
:lol: I'm glad I can help with your addiction Greenmaster. And sorry in advance for any loss of funds along the way.
drummereef's 180g in-wall build
- Thread starter drummereef
- Start date
:lol: I'm glad I can help with your addiction Greenmaster. And sorry in advance for any loss of funds along the way.
Hey tegee, the phosphates are 0 as the test shows below. They have been 0 from the beginning so no change there (thankfully).Good luck on your search too! I was browsing NY's Craigslist just to get an idea of street value and the XSi's are going for around ~$450 consistantly. They are a dime-a-dozen in the city, don't know what part of NY you live though but there's a bunch out there.
I live 40 minutes due east of the city. I will be in NYC Wednesday or Thursday to pick up my chiller that is being repair by an HVAC repair guy. Where in the city do you see them? You have to be very careful not to find refurbs/knock-offs, etc when buying in any city environment for that matter. Let me know and I will do some footwork this coming week?
Thanks Brett......Tony
drummereef
Team RC
They were all individual sales I saw on my craigslist viewer. Yeah, I've been in some of those camera stores in NYC. A little shady... :lol:
drummereef
Team RC
Sorry, forgot to answer the second part of your post. I used Instant Ocean. I've been using IO since I started in the hobby years ago and have no issues with it. I use Randy's 2 Part on my 40g and will likely continue that routine on the 180g. I just bolster the Ca a little at water changes, other than that it's a good salt imo.
This was posted several pages ago, but I'm still catching up... Concerning the suspension of your lighting frame:
Actually, since you're using stainless steel bolts and nuts, galvanic corrosion is not an issue with the aluminum. But FWIW, I'd probably still have done things the same way you have. Nylon washers and heat shrink tubing are cheap. Peace of mind is priceless.
Brett, thanks so much for sharing your fascinating build with us -- I know it takes a lot of your time to maintain this thread. OCD or not, you are a man after my own heart.
Keep up the great work. I have a new 180 build coming up very shortly, so this thread is very interesting and inspiring.
drummereef
Team RC
Yeah, piece of mind is priceless in this hobby.
I overbuild and spend waaaaay to long with things but it's fun and I feel better about the end result when I have time to think about it. It's one thing to have an idea in your head and think about it for a long time, but when it come to reality there's a lot of variables that change when you get in there and actually do it. That's why taking time to mill over the project and do it right the first time is important to me. Thanks for tagging along PhreeBYrd!
drummereef
Team RC
Get a Nikon
:lol: You Nikon guys crack me up...
Just kidding. Those are great cameras too.
drummereef
Team RC
On another note...
Just bought a Canon XSi, should be here by Thursday! :beer: After much deliberation (and quite the run around thanks to craigslist) I decided to buy a Canon factory refurbished XSi from Adorama. It was a fair price and from the reviews they are practically brand new and comes with a 1 year warranty to boot! Beerguy (RC Admin/Photography Mod) has also bought Refurb/Used from Adorama and had a positive experience. So I figured I give it a shot. I'll post some pics and a review of the camera when I get it.
Just bought a Canon XSi, should be here by Thursday! :beer: After much deliberation (and quite the run around thanks to craigslist) I decided to buy a Canon factory refurbished XSi from Adorama. It was a fair price and from the reviews they are practically brand new and comes with a 1 year warranty to boot! Beerguy (RC Admin/Photography Mod) has also bought Refurb/Used from Adorama and had a positive experience. So I figured I give it a shot. I'll post some pics and a review of the camera when I get it.
Greenmaster
New member
Anxiously awaiting pics.
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My 320g tank build http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1840581
If you don't like what you are looking at you are looking at it the wrong way.
__________________
My 320g tank build http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1840581
If you don't like what you are looking at you are looking at it the wrong way.
Variansyn
New member
:lol: You Nikon guys crack me up...
We aim to please. I just love where form and functionality meet up in spades. Nikon's have that. I love Canon's too, but it's fairly sad when some of the newer Olympus cams are nudging them in the butt.
drummereef
Team RC
Me too, can't wait to get it!
It came with the kit lens, 18-55mm but I plan on getting a macro lens in the near future. I obviously need to practice with the camera so as I become more comfortable with it, or start feeling limited with the kit lens, I'll start upgrading.
Haha, yeah but for my first DSLR I'm sure it will suit my need just fine.
drummereef
Team RC
UPDATE:
Looks like we've turned the corner and the cycle is well on it's way now. Ammonia is up to somewhere between 0.75-1.0ppm. The nitrites are also just starting to read on the test kit (pic below)which is rather exciting too. Looks like somewhere around 0.10-0.15ppm by the color chart. Hooray for bacteria!!! :lol:
Looks like we've turned the corner and the cycle is well on it's way now. Ammonia is up to somewhere between 0.75-1.0ppm. The nitrites are also just starting to read on the test kit (pic below)which is rather exciting too.
Looks like somewhere around 0.10-0.15ppm by the color chart. Hooray for bacteria!!! :lol:
Last edited by a moderator:
scaryperson27
New member
:celeb1: YAY! Nitrites!!! :celeb1:
drummereef
Team RC
UPDATE:
Need some help deciding a background color. The material will be smooth pvc sheet from a local sign shop. They have 3 color choices available I'm debating.
The 3 choices are - Light Blue, Dark Blue, and Black.
I picked up 2 sheets of poster board today, one in Light Blue and the other in Black. I can't find a Dark Blue to match the pvc sheet so I don't have a comparison of that yet. Seems like the most colorful reefs I've seen have a shade of blue even though I've always been a die-hard black background guy. I'm finding with the black background the foreground seems a bit "superimposed" if that makes sense. I'm leaning towards Dark Blue, that way the corals will really pop against the background but will still give a sense depth when picture taking.
***What's your vote, Light Blue, Dark Blue (not shown), or Black???***
Here's a FTS with Black (left) and Light Blue (right). It's a shade lighter than the pic shows and doesn't fade but you get the idea. Stupid point and shoot camera! :hammer:
Need some help deciding a background color. The material will be smooth pvc sheet from a local sign shop. They have 3 color choices available I'm debating.
The 3 choices are - Light Blue, Dark Blue, and Black.
I picked up 2 sheets of poster board today, one in Light Blue and the other in Black. I can't find a Dark Blue to match the pvc sheet so I don't have a comparison of that yet. Seems like the most colorful reefs I've seen have a shade of blue even though I've always been a die-hard black background guy. I'm finding with the black background the foreground seems a bit "superimposed" if that makes sense. I'm leaning towards Dark Blue, that way the corals will really pop against the background but will still give a sense depth when picture taking.
***What's your vote, Light Blue, Dark Blue (not shown), or Black???***
Here's a FTS with Black (left) and Light Blue (right). It's a shade lighter than the pic shows and doesn't fade but you get the idea.
Stupid point and shoot camera! :hammer:
Last edited by a moderator:
Greenmaster
New member
I would say not light blue... maybe dark blue. But really it's your tank you got to look at all the time we just get to look at it when you post a pic. What ever you chose I'm sure it's going to be perfect for your tank. You have made everything else almost perfect.
__________________
My 320g tank build http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1840581
If you don't like what you are looking at you are looking at it the wrong way.
__________________
My 320g tank build http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1840581
If you don't like what you are looking at you are looking at it the wrong way.
v1...rotate
A Reef In The Sky
Firstly Brett, I am very impressed with your dedication. Great details and documentary of the process. Well done :thumbsup:
As for the background colour... some food for thought. I had the same hard decision to make. I personally feel it depends what you are after in appearance and the what the depth of the tank is.
A black background will certainly make corals 'pop' but IMO will not add much character to the islands you have designed and it will also take away from the depth. On the other hand a blue colour may make the environment look more natural and will give extra depth (if that is what your after) but corals may not look as good as they potentially could. Also, your tank will be viewable from the front and not the sides.
I elected to have a custom background made of dark blue fading into light blue which makes the island stand out and give the appearance of extra depth. Very happy with my decision, though it does need to be cleaned once a week.
Anyhow, it comes down to what you want to try to achieve. Great work I will certainly be watching this build continue.
Andrew
As for the background colour... some food for thought. I had the same hard decision to make. I personally feel it depends what you are after in appearance and the what the depth of the tank is.
A black background will certainly make corals 'pop' but IMO will not add much character to the islands you have designed and it will also take away from the depth. On the other hand a blue colour may make the environment look more natural and will give extra depth (if that is what your after) but corals may not look as good as they potentially could. Also, your tank will be viewable from the front and not the sides.
I elected to have a custom background made of dark blue fading into light blue which makes the island stand out and give the appearance of extra depth. Very happy with my decision, though it does need to be cleaned once a week.
Anyhow, it comes down to what you want to try to achieve. Great work I will certainly be watching this build continue.
Andrew
