Myka's 69 SPS Tank 2015

[biggles]

Looking great, good news on the tank being ready soon :thumbsup:

Can i ask Mindy, is Canadian beer like the watered down rubbish they have in the US or is it real beer ?

 

[Myka]

I'm a bit concerned about the glue I used to bond the plywood to the steel. I really had troubles with it. The PL Premium was an utter failure. I couldn't find any Sikaflex EBT, so I bought Gorilla Glue. It seems to hold well, but there is still PL in the joints too. Maybe I should have taken it all apart and removed the PL before using the Gorilla Glue. I'll be regretting this if the panels pop off. Luckily, the way it's designed, I would be able to re-glue these panels after the tank is installed anyway. It wold be troublesome, but not impossible. I hope it doesn't come down to that.

Can i ask Mindy, is Canadian beer like the watered down rubbish they have in the US or is it real beer ?

Haha!! I've never had Australian beer, so I'm not sure how it compares. I do know that Canadians think American beer tastes watered down. We have everything from strong beers to light beers. We import a lot too. I drink light beers though, so you would probably think my beer is watered down, and it kinda is because it's only 4.2% alcohol - which I also like because I rarely drink enough to get drunk. I recently started drinking Mill Street Organic "European- Style" Lager which is a microbrewery out of Toronto, Ontario.

Generally though, I actually prefer either Crown Royal and Pepsi or a red wine and 7 Up spritzer.

 

[Myka]

I got a couple coats of paint on it. I noticed the glue popped on the bottom, so I have to re-glue that.

The dry side. I have a shelf that I'm going to install on this side too.

 

[cugly]

That stand is looking great nice job. Can't wait to see how it turns out

 

[Oldude]

Looks good & sturdy with those extra supports.

 

[biggles]

Looking good, did you get that bit that let go glued back into place Mindy. Did you use enamel paint or something fancier.

 

[Myka]

I thought I'd have the tank by now, as the builder said he was finishing it up last Saturday, but now I haven't heard a peep about shipping. :sad1: I only have a bit more work I can do before I need the tank here to finish up the outside skinning so I can assure a nice fit. I'll get that done in the next couple days.

Looking good, did you get that bit that let go glued back into place Mindy. Did you use enamel paint or something fancier.

I got it glued back down, but it's still clamped, so maybe it will pop again when I let them off. It popped between the paint and the steel. Maybe I should have glued the wood direct to the steel, but I'd be concerned about moisture getting into the steel then. :mad2:

I did not use fancy paint actually. The spray on the steel is Krylon Rust Protector enamel in gloss white. The paint on the plywood is General Paint HP2000, an anti-fungal high performance waterborne acrylic latex in gloss white. It's scrub-resistant (especially in gloss), and is even suitable for outdoor use.

 

[Hockeynut120]

I know you wanted to glue the wood down but did you consider using self tapping screws? You could counter sink them bondo over the holes and re paint and you will never know they are there. Just a thought

 

[Myka]

I know you wanted to glue the wood down but did you consider using self tapping screws? You could counter sink them bondo over the holes and re paint and you will never know they are there. Just a thought

I know it's an option, but I haven't really considered it. Bondo is a good idea though - I didn't think of that. Once the sump is in position and filled it will hold the problem area down anyway. So if it pops again, I might just wait to re-glue when I install the system.

 

[Myka]

Just to keep this thread going while I wait for the tank, here are a couple pics of where the old frag tank is sitting. I plan to position the new tank a little further to the right so that it is fully in the livingroom and is more in line with the recliner for excellent viewing. The new tank will have 3" taller viewing panes, and the stand is also 3 1/2" taller, so the entire system will stand 6 1/2" taller. It will fit the wall better.

I put some rock into the frag tank (it was all acrylic racks) to help mature the rock.

 

[sahin]

Mindy, this image looks VERY nice and calming. A nice reef tank will definitely stand out.

Love the choice of wall colour/decor/placement of items. A very magazine type of shot :beer:

 

[Myka]

Thanks Sahin! I did an in-home consult with an interior designer when we renovated our home last fall - the best $330 I ever spent on the house. We still have a few more pieces of furniture that will be replaced to go with the theme. The canvas on the wall is actually a photo I took when we were on vacation in Cozumel, Mexico in 2013. We like decorations that mean something to us.

 

[sahin]

Thanks Sahin! I did an in-home consult with an interior designer when we renovated our home last fall - the best $330 I ever spent on the house. We still have a few more pieces of furniture that will be replaced to go with the theme. The canvas on the wall is actually a photo I took when we were on vacation in Cozumel, Mexico in 2013. We like decorations that mean something to us.

That $330 was definitely worth it! I really like the look!

And wow, you took the photo for the canvas on the wall? Seriously, thats a great shot. :thumbsup: Love how the path leads the eye to the right, but then your eyes move across and you see the lighthouse in the distance! Great composition.

 

[Myka]

Thanks for the comments Sahin! The photo was a fluke really...I'm not that talented.

So I decided to acid wash the old formerly live, then dried dead rock. The latest reading was still over 100 ppm nitrate and 0.5 ppm phosphate after two 100% water changes (no change noted). I made some strong acid! I managed not to burn myself though, so that's a bonus.

I donned goggles, beautiful yellow rubber gloves, and shorts, tank, and sandals (ha!). I bought two 900 mL bottles of muriatic acid and poured them into 1 1/2 gallons of tap water. I dipped the rocks one at a time, and overdid the first one in about 12 minutes - that's some powerful mix! The rest of the rocks got about a 5-8 minutes dip, tap water rinse, tap water plus baking soda rinse, then back into the rock tub filled with RO. A couple hours later I test the RO at pH 7.8 so I guess the rinse was sufficient. I will test nitrate and phosphate in a few days and see if there was any progress.

 

[sahin]

I remember acid washing my rocks. First rock I dissolved much of it like you did. Nice progress.

Are you going to seed the rocks with bottled bacteria or some choice piece of liverock?

 

[Myka]

I remember acid washing my rocks. First rock I dissolved much of it like you did. Nice progress.

Are you going to seed the rocks with bottled bacteria or some choice piece of liverock?

I've done acid washes before, but I've never been so aggressive with the strength. I didn't think it would be THAT strong. I wanted to dip them one at a time rather than all in one go as I've found the time each piece varies. For example, one of my life rock pieces is obviously old Blue Ridge coral, and it was done in the acid very quickly - only a few minutes. Even in that time, I can see a little bit of the blue center through some of the walls.

I have about 30 lbs of live rock that I put into the 50-gallon frag tank awhile back that's now covered in coralline. Not that I have a particularly soft spot for coralline. Once I get the nutrients down to a reasonable level I will start putting my 10-gallons of water change water into the rock bin each week. I have some young clownfish I could put in the rock bin too once it's surely safe (it probably is now).

 

[biggles]

You had me at

Mindy

I wear protective thongs (flip flops) much like your acid proof sandals when i carry out hazardous reef activities. Acid is dangerous stuff, i'm surprised Sahin still has all his fingers tbh........:wavehand:

 

[Myka]

I wear protective thongs (flip flops)

Hahaha, around these parts, "thongs" don't go on your feet. Maybe under your feet... :lol2: I'm definitely surprised that I didn't get any little burns - I expected at least a couple drops on my arms. I had goggles on though and my hair tied up, I'd never risk my eyes or hair. I'll remember the Sahin danger if I ever meet him! Do any of you guys go to MACNA?

 

[Jrmiller]

what an awesome build you have so far. following along close

 

[Hockeynut120]

Mindy your a hell of a reefer, the closest my wife ever got to muriatic acid is the oil and red wine vinegar she puts on our dinner salad LOL