Stolireef Reborn -- Rebuild Thread

[gcfiend]

Hey Allen,
What did you end up using to clean everything Muriatic Acid or Vinegar? I'm looking at the same situation..

 

[zibba]

You certainly didn't have a problem growing coraline!

 

[evolved]

No joke. !

Allen, you do know you have to clean the glass occasionally to keep that from happening, right?

 

[Stolireef]

Hey Allen,
What did you end up using to clean everything Muriatic Acid or Vinegar? I'm looking at the same situation..

I went with vinegar. I haven't done the tank yet. I'll probably try the spray vinegar method.

 

[Stolireef]

You certainly didn't have a problem growing coraline!

Nope. Just anything else I wanted to keep alive.

 

[Stolireef]

No joke. !

Allen, you do know you have to clean the glass occasionally to keep that from happening, right?

Yup. But scraping is so annoying. Actually, I usually kept the front and sides clean. The growth was all in two weeks.

 

[Stolireef]

Today was productive. I just ran a new circuit to the tank (love having 15 unshared Amps). The run was to four outlets that are now relocated to the side of the tank stand. This will allow me to hopefully do a much cleaner wiring job. Pics to come later. Next step is to create a new side to the stand with cutouts for wiring.

 

[Stolireef]

Oh, and here's a hint for all of you amateur electricians. Never use 12 gauge wire when you can get away with 14 gauge. Bending the 12 gauge and twisting it for pigtails is very difficult. That's what I get for using what I had instead of buying new romex.

 

[dotcommer]

Thanks for the update. Got to love that electrical stuff.

 

[zibba]

Sounds like things are coming along! Didnt know you knew how to install electrical stuff.... Should have swung by for a lesson.

 

[Weyrman]

Oh, and here's a hint for all of you amateur electricians. Never use 12 gauge wire when you can get away with 14 gauge. Bending the 12 gauge and twisting it for pigtails is very difficult. That's what I get for using what I had instead of buying new romex.

I'd go with the 12 gauge myself anyway. Maybe overkill but in the electrical arena I prefer overkill.

I use a pair of pliers to do the twisting.

 

[Stolireef]

Sounds like things are coming along! Didnt know you knew how to install electrical stuff.... Should have swung by for a lesson.

I'd be happy to show you how to electrocute yourself while placing your entire house at risk of fire. We can even do the wiring while the circuit is hot.

 

[Stolireef]

As all of you know, I've been desperately trying to figure out how to get all of the wiring under control. I think I finally found the solution. See this link.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Mountable-Bungee-Wrap-CM21/202695673

I love that you can easily take wires out of the bundle (so I can clean pumps) and yet keep everything neat.

 

[dream54ing]

pics pics pics!!!

 

[Stolireef]

I'll be posting some pictures over the weekend. I just want to make a bit more progress (and finish cleaning the tank).

 

[Stolireef]

Tank scraping is coming along and will hopefully be done tomorrow. Next, I redo the plumbing and then start setting things up. Starting to get excited. Pics coming soon.

 

[Stolireef]

Here's a shot of the start of my wiring.

 

[Stolireef]

Tank has been scraped. Also, a couple of "before" pictures of everything and my personal rat's nest of wires. Tomorrow we redo the plumbing and maybe even start water testing. View attachment 265559

 

[Stolireef]

Nothing like a leaky return bulkhead to do damage to your time line and to elicit some "salty" language. #$#$& @%%)(.:-(

 

[Stolireef]

Just received my 18" aqua bus cables from Monoprice. Love them and now my Apex display lights up.