Josh's $632.00, 270Gal SWFT Project......

[BILLYO382]

Goodness I had to dig this post up....why hardly any posts in my build over 2300 views and only 39 posts. half made by me. lol :rolleye1: that sucks. I guess I need to ask myself why am i continuing to post. For my own pleasure I guess. Oh well. Moving on.......
Ok folks. Ive made a little more progress, slowly but surely. Mainly I finished painting the stand and putting on the door handles, finished casing in the opening in the wall to view the tank from the back room, started hanging my light fixture(2 x 250w meatal halides & 1 x 400wat metal halide. Ill post the pict's below. Im attempting to hang the light fixture on some wire and let it slide on the wire when I need to maintance the tank. I will be going to lowes today to find a simple track system like they use at the hospital to pull the curtains closed around patients. I dont want to use the pulley system Ive seen some use b/c I have a limited amount of ceiling space, due to the fact i want the light fixture as high above the tank as possivbe, at least 1'. Anyhow Im still adjusting the tension in the wire for the light system so dont be alarmed when you see the picture below with the light fixture leaning to one side. lol. Im making progress, lol. next ill be finishing polishing the scratches out of the tank, then will be getting somwhere. lol.

STAND COMPLETED....

CASED OPENING COMPLETED AND PAINTED.( VIEW FROM BACK ROOM)

LIGHTING FIXTURE INSTALL STARTED.

LIGTH FIXTURE (FLTR- 250W THEN 400W THEN 250W)

MORE TO COME!!!!!

 

[mcrist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10073403#post10073403 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BILLYO382
Goodness I had to dig this post up....why hardly any posts in my build over 2300 views and only 39 posts. half made by me. lol :rolleye1: that sucks. I guess I need to ask myself why am i continuing to post. For my own pleasure I guess. Oh well. Moving on.......

I know the feeling...I hate it too when I see some threads with a lot of discussion going on and then my thread just sits there.

 

[mcrist]

What room is the tank in and what room is the through the wall view in? If you don’t mind me asking why wasn’t the tank moved more to the right so that you could have made the through the wall view the size of the tank? Was it more important to have it centered in the tank room? Just wondering…

You have to be dying to get the tank on that stand. :rollface:

 

[BILLYO382]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10074283#post10074283 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcrist
I know the feeling...I hate it too when I see some threads with a lot of discussion going on and then my thread just sits there.

Congrats you have the most post in my thread. LOL. thanks for taging along and posting you thoughts. It means alot to my poor lonly thread. lol :lol:

 

[BILLYO382]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10074376#post10074376 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcrist
What room is the tank in and what room is the through the wall view in?
The tank is in my living room, and the wall view room is my computer room.

If you don’t mind me asking why wasn’t the tank moved more to the right so that you could have made the through the wall view the size of the tank? Was it more important to have it centered in the tank room? Just wondering…
Yes it was more important to have it centered in my living room aka the tank room as you call it.


You have to be dying to get the tank on that stand. :rollface:
You have no idea how much....... :eek2: :strooper:

:rollface: thanks again.

 

[anthworks]

Question about polishing the acrylic. How did that go? I am thinking about purchasing a used tank that's a little glazed from a cleaning with course sponges.

 

[BILLYO382]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10077274#post10077274 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by anthworks
Question about polishing the acrylic. How did that go? I am thinking about purchasing a used tank that's a little glazed from a cleaning with course sponges.

Just starting back working on it. But ill tell you this, it is time cunsumming, none the less I did a 1' spot as a test, and when you use all the grades of sand paper that come in a polish kit, and then polish it, you can see a big difference it looks good. Just time comsumming. Ill post picks on my completion, hopefully by firday since im working on the tank when i get off wrok everyday at 5. Thanks

 

[JGermanow]

Billy, I have been following the thread for a while (I fit into that catagory of Reading but not Posting) and must say its comming along great. I too am in the process of doing a build of which i purchased the equipment at a Smoking deal!!:smokin:
I would like to see some progress pics on the acrylic polising... Keep up the great work. and worry not about the replies, there are plenty of people reading

 

[BILLYO382]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10083393#post10083393 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JGermanow
Billy, I have been following the thread for a while (I fit into that catagory of Reading but not Posting) and must say its comming along great. I too am in the process of doing a build of which i purchased the equipment at a Smoking deal!!:smokin:
I would like to see some progress pics on the acrylic polising... Keep up the great work. and worry not about the replies, there are plenty of people reading

You know I kinda get a since of what you are saying. Thanks for posting tho, lol. I will gladly start posting progress pict's on the acrlic buffing process. As of now, I have already done 1000, 1500, & 2000 grit, I stoped there about 2 weeks ago and started building the stand. I just fished that last weekend and now am going back to finish up the tank this week. I just went and bought a buffer and some novus polish #1, & #2. So hopefully the process will speed up more. I will keep you posted tho. Thanks again for saying somthing, lol. later

 

[mcrist]

Have you ever used a buffer before? I heard it's easy to permanently damage the acrylic with a buffer if you donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t know what you are doing.

 

[BILLYO382]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10083712#post10083712 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcrist
Have you ever used a buffer before? I heard it's easy to permanently damage the acrylic with a buffer if you donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t know what you are doing.

nope sure havn't but I checked with the guys at novus and they said its easy, i had him to look at the exact buffer i bought and all. Im gonna practice on the top first tho, lol. But he assured me I would be fine.

 

[BILLYO382]

Ok guys. I changed my mind on the sliding light setup b/c i couldn't tighten the wire as much as i would have liked causing it to sag to much. So I build a different holding structure. I also started back on buffing the tank, and my first time using a buffer. But I went by so much faster with the buffer, and I just have one more ploish to go. I completed the novus stage 2 polish yesterday, and tonight ill complete the novus stage one on the outside of the tank only, then drill and put in some bulkheads. I will have to build 2 durso standpipes tongit as well. I will have the plumbing done by this friday I hope. Anyhow here are some pict's via my camera phone below. Later

Can you see the difference?

 

[mcrist]

I like the changes you made to your lighting arrangement.

 

[BILLYO382]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10088122#post10088122 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcrist
I like the changes you made to your lighting arrangement.

I do as well, its alot more simplistic and clean at the same time. Plus my wife likes it better, which is what really matters, lol.

 

[mcrist]

I her eyes that's all that matters...

 

[JGermanow]

Any idea on how you are going to hide the lighting wires??? Mabe a small hole in the wall.. A new reason to do more demo!:hammer: the tank is looking great!

 

[BILLYO382]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10089296#post10089296 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JGermanow
Any idea on how you are going to hide the lighting wires??? Mabe a small hole in the wall.. A new reason to do more demo!:hammer: the tank is looking great!

No. not yet. im thinking about a wire tray cover or painting the wires or somthing. I still dont know though. I dont know about any more demo. My wife has had it with the cutting a banging around the house, lol. Plus demo means more hard work for me, lol. I dont have any help so it makes it a little more hard. But anywho a hole in the wall for them is still a good idea. But thanks for the compliment on the tank progress to. I should have that buffing done tonight.

 

[shouldabenacowboy]

Looks good...keep the pics coming


SBC

 

[BILLYO382]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10094409#post10094409 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shouldabenacowboy
Looks good...keep the pics coming


SBC

Will do Ill post someore tunoight or tummorow moring once I cxomplete making my dursos and returns for my overflows. i drilled the tank successfully last night for my two extra closed loop drains, and put bulkhead in those new holes. Hopefully I can get the tank on the stand tonight. Ill keep my fingers crossed, lol. Thanks

 

[BILLYO382]

I know its been a while since I last posted but, I will be updating with pictures tummorow night. I have been fighting leaking bulkheads, and at one point got frustrated and gave up for a few weeks. I finially got most of the leaks stopped to where they are really minimal and are leaking over the sump & refugium so all the water is caught and just recirculating. I didn't feel like undiong all the plumpbing and starting over so I can live with the slow drop leaks since they are droping back into parts of the tank anyhow. I hate bulkheads by the way, lol. I made some makeshift bulkheads out of lowes materials and they perform better than the pruchased ones, lol. I put the water in the tank today and some sand I have been cycling for a month now, and the salt of course. I still have to tie up a couple of loose ends with the protien skimmer and pump. All and all i've had alot of things going on thats why this build has been going so slow. But I will be ordering about 140lbs of rock tummorow, and a mag 1800, and a mag 1.9. I cant wait for the cyle process to begin with the rocks in the tank so we can get some fish in this puppy. Later