Some upgrade so far

[Gravesj1s]

Heres the debate,

I was thinking of going to a 125gal.The holdup is its a 5ft tank.See the pic below.My tank in the pic is 4foot so you can see the demo and reconstruction involved.Lights ect...
The trim work at the time of the initial build was never finishedThe valance, crown molding ect were originally meant to carry over to the left side of pic,over the doorway and to the wall.Everything was sorta put on hold at the time for more important issues that arose.So ,for now ,just revamping what I can get done in a day or less.Work should slow down in another few weeks to where I can catch a breather,focus more on this.

 

[superkat]

did you do all the cabinet work for what's there right now? it's wonderful.

 

[Gravesj1s]

Thank you very much kat. Actually, I built the house pretty much myself with blood and much sweat.The woodwook you can see alittle bit of was a combination of cherry hard, and curly maple.I could never makeup my mind whitch I liked better so both it became. A very good friend of mine I use to work with cut the trees from his own property and ripped them into planks. He gave me the wood as a gift.I dried it in my basement for about 6 months,Jointed,planed,routed ect... some of it can be seen in the pics.Something Iam very proud of and will be forever grateful to have learned to do from someone that was willing to teach me.We still talk and always will even though he has long retired and I dont see each other often, I still make it a point to see him, busy or not.

His line was "a piece of furniture should last as long as it took to grow the tree it came from."Very true if you look at antiques.I guess i'm going against that here but I will salvage the wood.
Just rambling,you touched my soft spot here.lol.Thanks for noticing.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

5 ft. aquarium, eh?

I'm sure that you're aware of the potential drawbacks of not having a 4 ft. or 6 ft. aquarium. (You already hinted at lighting.)
The rock and woodwork looks fantastic. Is it Heliopora I see encrusted there?

 

[tmz]

Nice rock,. I like the woodwork too. Thanks for sharing.
How about a standard 120;it's a nice 4 footer ? If the cabinet will fit. In my case when I put a 24 inch tank on an 18 inch stand I just added some 2x6 with 2x4 supports stained to match across the back I like the 24 inch width which gives a little more opportunity for creative arrangements and a few inches of swimming room between the back of the tank and the rock stack.

 

[Gravesj1s]

You guys got me thinking again.6' would be really nice.I'd have to talk to the wife ,hard enough convincing her on a 125.On the other hand ,I never considered a 120 and your right it is 48 ".It would be alot easier to do.Gonna mull this over for a bit.

I did get a little bit acomplished today.Got some pics.

 

[superkat]

i really agree with the quote on furniture. huge antique fan here...and you should be VERY PROUD of the work you have done.

....and as another support for the 120g. I sincerely LOVE the footprint of the 120 in my living room. I also love the DEPTH. It gave me the ability to do a rock stack with some significant caves and still have some good height as well. Eventually, i really believe i'll upgrade again...but for now..the size and the ease of building the cabinet work for the 120g, along with the versatility of the tank itself has really been significant.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I'd much rather have a 4' 120g than most common 5' or 6' tanks, any day. The smaller 5' and 6' tanks just have no depth. I don't really like 6' tanks until you get up above the 180g or 240g sizes. Here's another vote for a 4' 120g.

 

[Gravesj1s]

Good points all.It does make most sense to stick with the length.

 

[Gravesj1s]

Been making progress,something I sorta built with spare stuff I had laying around.

<a href="http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/?action=view&current=2008009.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/2008009.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

I ripped a couple pieces to fur out the dimension alittle .Forgot the wires would stickout to far ,so added these.

<a href="http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/?action=view&current=2008007.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/2008007.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Decided to add an acrylic front ,I had this piece laying around .


<a href="http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/?action=view&current=2008012.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/2008012.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


Some velcro to attach it.


<a href="http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/?action=view&current=2008015.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/2008015.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>



<a href="http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/?action=view&current=2008016.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/2008016.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


End result so far.


<a href="http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/?action=view&current=2008018.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/switch%20box/2008018.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[superkat]

wow. NICE. very very nice.

 

[Gravesj1s]

Thanks for the feedback & compliments here. I got another issue. I used one of those square brute cans when I transfered my Ro vat to the basement.I'm noticing now that the tops on these type don't fit as tight as it does on the round brute cans. I have a small woodshop down there and now realizing sawdust is going to be an issue.

Rather than replacing the can just yet. just bought this thing like a week ago.,wondering if someone might have come across some ingenious way of dealing with this?

 

[Gravesj1s]

Anyone object to having a closed sump?
My plans involve adding an additional brute can in my basement.It will be used as an added sump to increase water volume and add a cryptic zone.Water changes will also be alot easier to do in this location,so another reason for its addition.

Main reasons for not having an open topped sump were noted in last post in regards to sawdust.The other big drawback is I've noticed alot of posts where people have problems with humidity ,moisture and a bigger fear of mine is mold.I could add a dehumidifier but it just seems the added expenses and drawbacks are not wieghing out.
Unless theres something I'm missing here?
I'll get some more pics up soon.

 

[Gravesj1s]

Making up Ro/Di here.Im going to try limewater in this and see what kind of results I get using a different approach.It will be pumped up to the under tank sump by a metering pump/ float swith 24/7.If this works better Im going to stick with it.pics and descriptions below.Once the limewater is made there wont be any agitation,using only natural dissolution.

TDS tested and getting an acceptable reading here

Kalkwasser.

Some basic math I figured here.I'm hoping can be read from the paper.If correct I came up with 2 2/3 cups of CaOH for 64 gal of ro water.As I understand it only so much will dissolve anyway so I just went with 3 cups here.

<a href="http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/?action=view&current=005-5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/005-5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

welcome anyfeedback,counterpoint ect..Thanks.

 

[superkat]

i am loving the step by step with pics. back up to the question about the closed sump...i know that "airing out" my tanks and/or sumps always seems to do the tank good. I'm not sure what the drawbacks would be to closing it completely. My basement sump for the 120g is half enclosed. I did this so that the heater (which is metal) might be protected from the moisture. The other half is inside a cabinet which I've since covered in plastic. There is alot of moisture inside the cabinet, but no mold. I have fans blowing across the open part of the sump and another small fan inside just to keep air moving.

I'm enjoying this thread quite a bit...thank you for the details!

 

[tmz]

I'm using the brute cryptic zone for the same reasons.
My basement sumps are open to the air while my displays are tightly covered with glass for jumpers. Air exchange via surface contact with the air particularly to blow off CO2 is the goal. Salt mist is a concern as it is now .The dehumidifier helps.I'm waiting for an order of soda lime to use in a CO3 scruibber I'm tinkering with. Maybe when I hook it up to my skimmers it will lessen the need for open water for air exchange . I could also go to mesh screens on one or more of the upstairs displays for some evaporative cooling.Dust from the adjacent workshop area can be a concern for me too.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

fwiw

fwiw

it's been noted in the past how 'open' sumps located in the basement can somehow manage to cause oxidation in tools (metal).

I prefer covering the sump and exposing the display to fresh air (with use of a netting top for jumpers). That being said- my sump is currently partially covered and I can remove it or cover it as conditions (winter/summer/levels of humidity and temp.) vary.

 

[tmz]

I agree Gary. I've had the rusty tool problem.. It's not just my sump that's open ; it's the 3 frag tanks and the seahorse tank. I'll probably go with some display tank screening, the CO2 scrubber and close em up downstairs.

 

[Gravesj1s]

Ok ,plans pretty much in go mode then on the covered sump.Thanks everyone ,think I was just looking for the added confirmation.
So in short -I will have 3 brute vats in the basement.(1)Saltwater,(2)water makeup (3)crptic fuge with benefits of water changes.

Fwiw~ I took from many posters here in the URS over the past several months as you can probably tell.From them ,I think I finaly have it figured out what I want to do and how I want to do it.
Kat~ the pics Im glad you like.It is helping me in the sense I am looking for counterpoint ,constructive critisim ect. Learning to ask before doing,some of the simplist things I find beneficial.Like the square bucket vs the round one. Wish now I had asked what people were using and why.Might have saved myself the trouble here.Thanks for giving your experiences/views here its much appreaciated.

Tmz~ I took from from past discussions with you and many others here.I like the idea of the cryptic fuge.Initialy I didnt quite get it until I read the thread you and Gary were involved in the advanced forum I believe.Enlightening to say the least,the very least.Partly changed my outlook overall on how I look at liverock. I will admit though that I'm 80% convinced but the 20% is with sponge toxicity. Still willing to give it a go though.
I look forward to any future posts or insights you have regarding soda ash and C02 scrubbing,I'm sure it will be nothing short of interesting.

Gary~ what can I say my man.A great help reading from your responses and pics of your tank are nothing short of inspiring to what a real reef tank should look like.Truly inspirational.Goal of mine for sure is to have tank that comes close.Will see 'eh.LOL. Some day.Not giving up though.

thanks-Graves

 

[Gravesj1s]

Had the day off today so I made this thing.Using it in the basement for water changes ect,,,
I left out the wiring though as I didn't think it would be a good idea to post that part of it.Heres some pics.

<a href="http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/?action=view&current=008-3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/008-3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


<a href="http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/?action=view&current=010-3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/010-3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

It plugs directly into a Gfci.The spots are just from black spray paint no nicks in the wire.

<a href="http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/?action=view&current=009-3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm255/gravesj1s/009-3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Thanks for looking.