Kat's 120g Build Thread

[alphaferret]

inbetween 2:30 and 7:30-she painted two paintings and made plans for her 60 gal cube for her powder room-all this w/ child too! WOW!-just takin care of my sick 2 yr old is enoug to make me want to sleep for days!

 

[aquadonkey]

♥ you Kat - I'm enjoying watching this build!
BTW - coral update: the little gorg has encrusted it's frag plug. Seems to be doing well, except it totally closed up yesterday. I think it got a little stabbed by the urchin (who wanders around wreaking havoc, but I love anyway). The little frag with polyp and mushroom got moved by the urchin into a place they seem to like better!
I did indeed loose the anthelia. I think this is my fault because I tried to rubber-band them to a rock and was just too klutzy about it - sigh... Lastly, the candy-cane is doing really well! I was worried about it for a while, because one of my clowns was hosting in it - very violently I might add! However, when I got the nem (and moved the candy), the clown moved into that.
Okay - enough hijacking your thread - new tank looks awesome!

 

[superkat]

thanks for the update Lizz! Next time you are in my area...i've got some of the anthelia growing on separate rocks now...more than welcome to grab some.

pssst....in between 230am and 730am i did attempt sleep...but i ended up rearranging the livingroom....and...are you guys sitting down? changed the brakes on the del sol.

 

[briangsxr1000]

what is sleep? Been up foe 24 but soon to be asleep for that long....haha looks good Kat!
Hope that rock helped you out

 

[superkat]

those two big pieces were exactly what i needed...makes for a great cave scape. picked up a little more, so i can make this a little more secure.

thanks, Brian. hope your sitch improved as well....carpet dry yet?

 

[superkat]

still playing with the stack

some shots of the progress on hood build:

 

[alphaferret]

picture of the scraper please or link

 

[superkat]

it's a DiY thingie. piece of 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch PVC. cut a slit in the end. epoxy in a razor blade. darn thing works ALL DAY LONG. make sure you cut the slit at an angle, so the blade is at an angle. seriously gets into all the little nooks and crannies as well. Thanks, Eileen!

 

[superkat]

congrats on the tank build! sound like you have a good plan, would like to see how you brace the floor as i have not done it yet

okay, here's what we did. We used a car jack (really) and a 4x4 to initially lift the floor boards up...then we took another 4x4, put it in place, and released the jack. We did this in 3 places. This is a 1920 home, so we heard a lot of cracking while doing this...but we drank more and turned up the stereo. But it did solve the 1/8" dip we had in the living room. We used seasoned 4x4...and wood glue on the top, just in case. The base of the 4x4 we covered in silicone to prevent mold and/or decay.

 

[alphaferret]

ok I remember seeing one of those before now- thanks for the reminder

How long will the razor last before getting dull or rusting?

Does it scratch the glass easily?

I know alot of people use blades but I never have.

 

[superkat]

if you are careful and take your time...it should not scratch the glass. i've had more issues with my magfloat than a razor blade. i haven't changed out the razor in months...i do rinse it off with fresh water every time and dry it off and keep it away from the saltwater...took some lessons from Eileen.

 

[solRNY]

i am liking your rock stacking even more what part of the hood is that, its looking very nice!

okay, here's what we did. We used a car jack (really) and a 4x4 to initially lift the floor boards up...then we took another 4x4, put it in place, and released the jack. We did this in 3 places. This is a 1920 home, so we heard a lot of cracking while doing this...but we drank more and turned up the stereo. But it did solve the 1/8" dip we had in the living room. We used seasoned 4x4...and wood glue on the top, just in case. The base of the 4x4 we covered in silicone to prevent mold and/or decay.

so that is how you do it, as i didnt have a clue on how, and now i have some ideas, thanks for the details

btw, good tip on the use of silicone for mold, i might have to get many tubes

 

[shawna1972]

Kat, Everything looks great! I love the xmas lights under tank effect.
Sorry didnt comment sooner been busy with work,and this build is going quick! wow but looks awesome
Take care hon

 

[superkat]

solRNY, thank you so much for the support....glad you can use some of what we thought of in regards to the support. I must say, it was the least expensive route to go...but when we decided to actually be effective we needed to support in 4 places, it was the right way to go.

Shawna....you've been MIA, sweetie! I was worried about you! Totally was playing around with the christmas lights and ended up loving them!

 

[superkat]

on either side of a short trip out to Webster to pick up a couple sweet pieces (pink cynarina, purple death palys and nuclear green palys).....more of the hood got done...

both doors open

the overflow door

inside overflow door

top down shot of rock, "pool" and overflow door

i may be a theater geek, but after you've been building sets for 15+++ years? This stuff is pretty fun.

 

[alphaferret]

I jimmy rigged one of my plastic scrapers that works well w/ algae but not coraline w/ a razor-Man good info that thing rips thru the coraline-


Neither sleet nor rain nor dark of night shall keep Kat from gettin' her frags!!

LOOKING GOOD!

Shawna how is the numbness coming along?

 

[superkat]

glad it's working for you!!!!!!

and you have no idea...i gotta get this hood done...at least the bottom half so i can get the lights on the tank...the 90g is packed to the brim with coral. Thank you so much for the "looking good!" ....love the pep talks.

 

[superkat]

will need to put power tools away soon...but more updates.

here are the ledges...the light board will be built separately and then slid in from the back.

also, the light board will be on a piano hinge that i can lift up for full access to the tank.

 

[shawna1972]

Very Nice,Love the natural wood! Coming along nice

 

[dreaminmel]

Looking good Kat! :thumbsup: