Randy's 180G Reef-Photo Journal

[rdmpe]

I was thinking of drilling another hole (decided not to though) and here is a thread about drilling that you might find helpful.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=702444

 

[elephen]

Looking good man, keep it up.

 

[george1098]

ok neat,
i was thinking about doing that for my next tank, although i've drilled smaller tanks before with no problems, if i invest in a larger 100 gal+ system i think it is deffinatly a good idea to go with a manufactured drilling job. is your bottom tempered?

Hi George,
The tank was drilled by the manufacturer (custom drilled - I sent him the hole locations, overflow chamber size, etc.)

~Randy

 

[rdmpe]

My bottom is not tempered. I think it's 5/8" thick. I got the tank from glasscages.com. It's great having the manufacturer drill it since that's about the only time you can get a tank drilled and have someone else be responsible if it breaks!

If I had it to do over again though, I would get another large hole outside of the overflow area. If I had another hole, I could do a flow switching system on my closed loop. But I'm not up for the hassle of drilling the tank (and the stand) for a new hole. So I'll live without the flow switching...

 

[tgunn]

I know I must be catching an optical trick of some kind here, but is there eurobracing on the bottom of your tank?
From this pic I could swear there is something like Eurobracing:
[imghttp://home.cfl.rr.com/homebrewed/fish/180-169.jpg[/img]

Just curious!

Tyler

 

[rdmpe]

Yep, there is eurobracing around the bottom. Wierd I know, but that's how they build them. They say they do it because it makes the joint so much stronger and basically guarantees a leak proof joint. It would be a problem if I wanted to go bare bottom, but other than that I don't mind the extra strength...

Here are some more photos. They even put this bracing all around where the overflow connects to the bottom.

 

[tgunn]

Hmm, that's actually pretty neat. I've never seen it done before, but hey, if it adds strength to the tank and seams, why not hey?

Tyler

 

[rdmpe]

Exactly, I like the idea of extra bonding surface around the bottom perimeter.

So Tyler, being way up there where it's cold, do you snow ski? We went to Tremblant for a week last January. Was really great, we had a blast.

 

[tgunn]

Exactly, I like the idea of extra bonding surface around the bottom perimeter.

So Tyler, being way up there where it's cold, do you snow ski? We went to Tremblant for a week last January. Was really great, we had a blast.

Your tank rests on trim along the bottom, correct? Or is it supported by the entire bottom?

Heh. I do snow ski; no where near as often as I'd like to though.. Unfortunately living in Manitoba means that good skiing is quite a distance for me. Close to my city the local ski hill is basically a series of runs down the side of the Winnipeg Floodway flood control channel.. If only we had some good ski slopes here we've certainly got the snow for them!

I've been West for skiing though to Sunshine Village (personal favorite) and Lake Louise. Both amazing ski hills. I'll have to give the Eastern ski slopes a try one of these days though...

Tyler

 

[rdmpe]

My tank is supported across the entire bottom. The trim is only about 1/16" thick or less. The tank sits on 3/4" styrofoam per glasscages direction. I also got a quote from Miracles in Glass (a Canadian company I think) and the said that their tanks are also supported across the whole bottom.

I had originally built the stand to only support around the edge, so had to retrofit it to support the whole area after buying the tank!

I've only skied (snowboard actually ) the western US, never been up to Canada. I have always wanted to get out to Whistler but haven't made it yet. Last year was the first time I tried skis! Was better since I was helping the kids to learn, so I had to be more mobile...

Last year was the first time my kids had seen snow. What a great time it was. Quite a change from Florida !!

 

[tgunn]

My tank is supported across the entire bottom. The trim is only about 1/16" thick or less. The tank sits on 3/4" styrofoam per glasscages direction. I also got a quote from Miracles in Glass (a Canadian company I think) and the said that their tanks are also supported across the whole bottom.

I had originally built the stand to only support around the edge, so had to retrofit it to support the whole area after buying the tank!

I've only skied (snowboard actually ) the western US, never been up to Canada. I have always wanted to get out to Whistler but haven't made it yet. Last year was the first time I tried skis! Was better since I was helping the kids to learn, so I had to be more mobile...

Last year was the first time my kids had seen snow. What a great time it was. Quite a change from Florida !!

Ah, yes, that's right, I remember you mentioning that before now. Yup, Miracles is a Canadian company too. Seems a lot of the custom tank builders are up here. Dunno why.

Whistler is one that I'd really like to try as well. I've heard from some friends who skied there that it's very nice; lots of great runs.

I've never tried snowboarding. Did you find it easier to balance on skiis or on the board?

Heh. Never seen snow.. Wow. I've seen more than enough snow in my life time. :lol: Last winter the snow pile along my driveway was up to my neck.

Wow, sure looks like a nice area though!

Tyler

 

[rdmpe]

Well, I think it is much easier to get started on skis. I chose snowboarding because I grew up surfing and skateboarding, so I am just very comfortable with that type of stance. I have also done a lot of rollerskating though so I didn't have too much trouble on skis. It didn't take long before I was skiing backwards in front of my 6 year old helping him to learn to ski. We did a whole lot of the start / stop drill. He's not a trhill seeker type though so there was also a lot of whining. My 8 year old on the other hand was WAY too confident. The next time I take him I'll have him on one of those straps that go around his chest and I'm holding onto it about 15 ft behind... He's just too fearless for his own good.

 

[tgunn]

Well, I think it is much easier to get started on skis. I chose snowboarding because I grew up surfing and skateboarding, so I am just very comfortable with that type of stance. I have also done a lot of rollerskating though so I didn't have too much trouble on skis. It didn't take long before I was skiing backwards in front of my 6 year old helping him to learn to ski. We did a whole lot of the start / stop drill. He's not a trhill seeker type though so there was also a lot of whining. My 8 year old on the other hand was WAY too confident. The next time I take him I'll have him on one of those straps that go around his chest and I'm holding onto it about 15 ft behind... He's just too fearless for his own good.

Ah, true enough; those activities would lend well to snowboarding. Surfing would be fun to try; but not exactly something I could do on a regular basis here.

Heh, I've made my fair share of wipeouts because I started getting too confident going down the slopes. I've never broken anything though.

Some friends of mine and I went skiing just the other winter to a slope elsewhere in the province. My friend had never skied before and was WAY too confident in his skiing abilities. He insisted on going down the black diamond slopes with us; after speeding straight down the slope he realized he wasn't ready for it when he went crashing through a snow fence and into a snowbank. :lol: Humbling experience for him.

I've got to take my wife out skiing this winter; she's never done downhill...

Tyler

 

[Cprowler]

I think Whistler opened last week.

 

[rdmpe]

I think Whistler opened last week.

I promised my wife that our next vacation would be somewhere warm

So back to the tank... I replumbed my sump return under the stand WITHOUT the actuated jandy valve now I just have to re-do the sump return plumbing inside the tank and I'll be ready for another wet test :celeb1:

Couldn't plumb it last night because I have to go buy MORE FITTINGS !!!!! :mad2: :lol: :mad2: I swear I go to the store every day for pvc fittings.

 

[tgunn]

I got sick of having to buy extra fittings all the time so the last time I got gittings I picked up about 5 extra 1.5" 90s and 45s.. I've been slowly using them up ever since. Luckily my plumbing is pretty much finished and set though..

Those darn fittings added up WAY too fast.

Tyler

 

[rdmpe]

I have five gallon buckets full of "extra" fittings lol, just not the "right" ones for what I'm trying to do....

I'm so close to getting salt water into this thing that it's driving me crazy :fun5:

I'm starting to think about sand and rock... Getting some input on what issues involved with starting with some base rock and some live rock, etc.

I got a ~20G trash can full of base rock free from a guy. Some is not that nicely shaped but some other type, clearly a different origin, is really nice, lots of crags and protrusions. I want to use it and also get other live rock of a similar style.

I'm not too worried about adding bioload, I am just in a hurry to get some LR and LS in there so I have some little critters to watch!

I'll probably just have to take my time, use the base rock I have now mixed with some LR, and get the additional LR as I find some I like...

 

[tgunn]

I have five gallon buckets full of "extra" fittings lol, just not the "right" ones for what I'm trying to do....

I'm so close to getting salt water into this thing that it's driving me crazy :fun5:

I'm starting to think about sand and rock... Getting some input on what issues involved with starting with some base rock and some live rock, etc.

I got a ~20G trash can full of base rock free from a guy. Some is not that nicely shaped but some other type, clearly a different origin, is really nice, lots of crags and protrusions. I want to use it and also get other live rock of a similar style.

I'm not too worried about adding bioload, I am just in a hurry to get some LR and LS in there so I have some little critters to watch!

I'll probably just have to take my time, use the base rock I have now mixed with some LR, and get the additional LR as I find some I like...

:lol: I know the feeling. The worst part for me is that Home Depot doesn't carry a very good selection of fittings and the specialty plumbing store that carries every imaginable PVC fitting closes at 4:30pm so it's a pain to get down there.

Is the base rock you have something that was once in a tank and "live"? If so is it being kept wet and still alive? Or is it quarried rocks of some kind?

100lb of the rock in my tank was fiji rock that a co-worker was selling because he was moving. He basically just dumped it into a cardboard box and let it sit a few weeks; it was bone dry when I got it. I ended up "cooking" this rock for 8 weeks; there was a definite cycle as the lifeforms all decayed and worked out of the rocks.. Tonnes of PO4 also leached out during cooking. If you have previously live rock, cooking might not be a bad idea.

The 30lb of haitian rock I got from the LFS was live, but there definitely wasn't an overabundance of life on it. I bought a 15-20lb piece of live rock off a local reefer that'd been in his tank for 2 years. That has definitely spread the largest amount of life to all the rocks than anything. Last night I observed a number of bristle worms going in and out of my cooked fiji, and there's already a number of spaghetti worms taking up residence in my sand.. So life is slowly spreading.

I'm going to be taking it very slowly too; probably adding 1 fish per month and adding some small frags along the way.

I think doing things slowly is the key. I know my fiji rock is pretty devoid of life right now, but I'm planning on letting the life I have seeded in the tank proliferate..

Try to get some "life" from other reefers; it helps a LOT in getting things going. OH, and I highly recommend getting a red light for night viewing. It doesn't disturb the critters and they sure are interesting to watch.

Tyler

 

[rdmpe]

The rock I have was once in a SW FISH tank as in bunch of ugly fake coral (some painted black!), wet dry filter w/bio balls, etc. Has been dry for years. I'm not sure if there is anything organic on it at all. But it does look like it was once reef type rock. I'll try to remember to take a closer look at it tonight and maybe get a photo posted. So if it has been dry for years but was once live rock, think I need to do anything to it before it goes in the tank other than a FW rinse?

 

[tgunn]

The rock I have was once in a SW FISH tank as in bunch of ugly fake coral (some painted black!), wet dry filter w/bio balls, etc. Has been dry for years. I'm not sure if there is anything organic on it at all. But it does look like it was once reef type rock. I'll try to remember to take a closer look at it tonight and maybe get a photo posted. So if it has been dry for years but was once live rock, think I need to do anything to it before it goes in the tank other than a FW rinse?

You might want to post this in the rock cooking thread or send a message off to SeanT.

If was used in a tank before, especially a fish only tank, I think there might be the potential that there could be a bunch of phosphates stored up in the rocks that could leach out on you when you use it. That was certainly the case with my dried live rock..

But I dunno, perhaps being dry for so long this rock won't have the same problem? Not sure... Definitely pass it by SeanT.

Tyler