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Tricia's Reeftastic, Mr. Boombastic 120g


TrueTricia

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::key theme music by Shaggy::

 

So as many of you know, I decided to upgrade to a 120g from my 90g. I was moving anyways, so the 90g was going to get broken down no matter what. The front panel was scratched, and had I not been moving, I would have lived with it happily for the future. But since I was breaking the tank down, I decided to go ahead and switch out tanks. This eventually led me to purchasing a 120g RR tank from BenA. DerABT originally built the stand, and he helped walk me through the retrofit of the stand to accomodate a 48x24x24 tank.

 

While the retrofit was easy in theory, I've discovered that it was much more difficult in application. I love working with my hands, but apparently, precision is not my strong-suite. Living in an apartment building, I didn't have any power tools, so I went out and purchased some cheap ones. I had wood cut to a bit longer than each of my measurements and then Kevin helped me fine tune the lengths. After cutting all the wood in our garage, I took everything upstairs to start building.

 

So Veteran's Day morning, I wake up and start building from our freshly-cut wood. I bought rust-proof decking screws to ensure that any saltwater exposure wouldn't compromise the screws. I laid everything out and it seemed simple enough. I started screwing things in. Seemed simple enough. After a few hours, the whole thing was complete. Except that it just simply wasn't level, despite my measurements. I'm sure part of it had to do with my line-drawing on the wood, cheap tools, and an improvised work space. I'm also quite sure that the other part had to do with my screwing technique and equally imporvised assembly space in the kitchen. But at the end of the day, the stand wasn't level. THe newly-built portion was just 2/16" higher than the rest of the stand.

 

So after frantic texts with Marcos and Ken (THANK YOU!), I dissembled the stand, took the wood back downstairs, and attempted to shave off the ends of wood legs. I nearly sawed the power cord once, which I'm pretty sure would have resulted in a catastrophy and a hospital visit. I took my wood back upstairs, re-assembled, and measured. It was still just a hair off. So with a heavy sigh and a tiring resolve, I went back downstairs to the improvised work area and shaved a little more. This time, 7 hours after starting, the stand was level. I measured it numerous times just to be sure. I checked that the level touched at all the right contact points. It was done! Perfection (or as close as I was going to get).

 

So I screwed in some plywood into the base to extend the "floor," and began painting it with Killz. I'm pretty sure I got paint on every part of me, including my hair! I decided to attend the Concert for Valor while the stand dried.

 

So the next day, I put the stand up against the wall and Kevin helped me lift the tank up. Distaster! Not only was the stand not level, the tank didn't touch the stand at all in the back. After soliciting help here on WAMAS, we decided that the carpeting was throwing off the level so that the stand was higher against the wall than on the front of the stand, pitching the stand forward. As suggested, we added some water and waited. Nothing. So then I took another trip to Home Depot (I now hate that place), purchased a 4x2' sheet of plywood, and headed back home. I Killz'd it and waited.

 

The next morning, I drilled 1 1/2" holes using a circular drill bit thinking that this wuold be plenty to accomodate the 1' PVC pipe. Right, I definitely didn't think that through! We got the tank up on the stand, and of course it still wasn't level. But even worse, we quite simply could not get the tank holes and the plywood holes to match up perfectly to get the bulkheads through. So thinking I was somehow being smart, we went back to home depot to upgrade the drill size to 2". Plenty of room, right? WRONG! We bought the drill bit and some foam strips. We flipped the plywood board over at home and drilled the other side. Then we lined the under edges of the board with the foam. We doubled the padding on the front of the board, placed it on the stand, and checked the level. This time it was perfect! Success at last!

 

So thinking that we were home free, we put the tank on the stand, dropped the bulkheads in (they lined up!), and then went to screw them in. That's when I realized my error. The 2" holes provided plenty of room for the bulkheads to drop through, but made tightening them impossible. There just wasn't enough room to get fingers in the space to tighten the bulkhead and provide a seal. So off the tank comes again (I'm pretty sure this counts as a crossfit workout), and we use the circular saw to cut out the board between the edge and the holes. It wasn't pretty. Tank goes back on, bulkheads go back in, and finally, finally, we can tighten them.

 

But of course the saga doesn't end here. The 1" bulkheads are threaded on the inside, and of course I bought the wrong adaptors. So off I go to Home Depot again to get them. And then I forgot to buy the 1" slip union for the return line. I hadn't remembered that putting one on would make attaching/detatching the pump easier. So I get back to the apartment and start the plumbing. I get everything glued in except for the part of the return line where I'm going to add the union.

 

For context, this is now Saturday night.

 

Sunday we start filling the tank up and making water. Monday night (last night), I go to Home Depot to return all my spare plumbing parts and buy my union. Of course, they don't have a 1" slip union, so I buy a threaded one and the adaptors. I get home, and with the adaptors, the union takes up more room than I left for it. Which wouldn't be a big deal because I could just cut and shorten the pipe above, except that I just returned all my spare parts including the couplings. I now literally can do nothing to finalize the plumbing. But we tested the bulkheads again, and there were no leaks. So I spent the night rinsing sand and adding it to my tank.

 

Which brings us to today....I'm hoping tonight to finish placing any sand in the tank, testing water parameters, setting up the Apex, and getting my fish into the tank. Aquascaping can wait a few days, but I want to get the fish off of my living room floor.

 

This process has not just been painful in the building process, but for my fish and corals as well. Despite setting up what I thought was a decent frag tank, I have still lost a few corals. Others are bleaching out, paling out, or just not extending. Some of this is simply change in flow and lighting, but what's dead is dead. And tragically, one of my favorite fish passed away. Mr. T, my naso tang, died on Thursday night. RIP! I believe he died from stress from the move and tubs. Initially, I thought it was ammonia, but the rest of the fish were fine. I did a water change anyways. Mr. T was one of my favs because of his interaction in the tank. He was a cool dude. I rescued him from a small 40g tank and rehomed him in my 90g. He got along great with everyone and begged for food and attention. While I felt no reservations about rescuing him from another tank, I'm not sure I can justify ever buying another naso tang knowing how big they get. So with Mr. T's passing, an era has ended for my tank. I cried and am still bummed. RIP to my favorite fish.

 

 

 

 

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Quite the story, Tricia. With plumbing, it always seems there's one more part to get - the part that you failed to get the last trip out. I can sympathize.

 

I hope that the stand issues are resolved soon. Hang in there.

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Ok...where do I start....first let me take a nap cause this story has worn me out :blink: .......Ok I am back.

 

First off, way to stick it out! :clap:  You will be proud of this for years to come!

 

Other takes from this post:

 

You missed one of my axioms: "As far as Home Depot goes, when it doubt, buy Home Depot out." You can return anything that isn't used, or at least does not look used.

 

Drill bits -buy the size you need, one size smaller and two sizes bigger.

 

Piping- Piece it together in the store, then buy one of each type of fitting for each turn.  So for a 90 degree turn you should buy 30, 45, 60, 90, and any other one that might work for that joint. You change one angle and it may effect all the joints you planned down the road.

 

Tricia-"I'm also quite sure that the other part had to do with my screwing technique"............this is too easy, going to have to let this one go :tongue:

 

Tricia-"Aquascaping can wait a few days, but I want to get the fish off of my living room floor" .....we need to talk about proper fish care :blink:

 

And as we have already gone over in texts, I am very sorry about Mr. T. not fun losing a beloved pet.

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Quite the story, Tricia. With plumbing, it always seems there's one more part to get - the part that you failed to get the last trip out. I can sympathize.

 

I hope that the stand issues are resolved soon. Hang in there.

 

Thanks! It's almost over. Kevin is working from home the last couple days, so I expect if there were any crazy emergencies like seams failing or my plumbing gone down the tubes (pun intended), then I would have heard about it. I think the hard part is over :) I just can't wait to get everything back in! I've got some serious death threats against a couple of my favorite corals!

 

Ok...where do I start....first let me take a nap cause this story has worn me out :blink: .......Ok I am back.

 

First off, way to stick it out! :clap:  You will be proud of this for years to come!

 

Other takes from this post:

 

You missed one of my axioms: "As far as Home Depot goes, when it doubt, buy Home Depot out." You can return anything that isn't used, or at least does not look used.

 

Drill bits -buy the size you need, one size smaller and two sizes bigger.

 

Piping- Piece it together in the store, then buy one of each type of fitting for each turn.  So for a 90 degree turn you should buy 30, 45, 60, 90, and any other one that might work for that joint. You change one angle and it may effect all the joints you planned down the road.

 

Tricia-"I'm also quite sure that the other part had to do with my screwing technique"............this is too easy, going to have to let this one go :tongue:

 

Tricia-"Aquascaping can wait a few days, but I want to get the fish off of my living room floor" .....we need to talk about proper fish care :blink:

 

And as we have already gone over in texts, I am very sorry about Mr. T. not fun losing a beloved pet.

 

LOL. Well when you put some of my sentences by themselves.... So I totally went with your axiom and bought an extra $20 worth of $0.49 little things, the problem was I returned them too early! And thanks again for all your help with the stand. I know you were busy too with work, so I really appreciate your advice. And for Mr. T. Kevin promised to buy me a replacement fish. He doesn't remember saying that, buy I do! :laugh: There just won't ever by another Mr. T....

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wow! I too am exhausted just reading your story!

I recently had to make multiple trips to lowes just for a kitchen drain. I know how it feel to have to run back and forth.

Hang in there, the reward will be worth it.

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Thanks for sharing the trials and tribulations we all go through. I have similar stories but mine were interspersed with fits of stomping my feet yelling dammit dammit dammit!

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Wow. Quite a story! Well, congrats on getting this far with your new tank. Your set-up troubles and frustrations remind me so much of my own. You ran into some unique ones due to you building the stand yourself, but I think the general feeling is the same. 

 

Based on what I saw in your old thread you've at least got some photos to remember Mr. T - my condolences for your loss. 

 

I particularly feel your pain regarding Lowes and Home Depot trips - Good luck moving forward and spending more time shopping for fish and coral than plumbing parts!  :tongue:

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I'm suprised that no one has said it

 

This thread is worthless without pics :)

 

Then post the pics I just texted you! :laugh: :laugh:

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I'm suprised that no one has said it

 

This thread is worthless without pics :)

 

Amen brother. Probably because by the time they get to here they forgot what a picture was after reading the novel! ;)

 

i think anybody who's ever plumbed their own tank can attest to going to their local hardware store about a million times. Like Ken said, when it doubt, buy em' out. I nearly returned all my unused fittings, and then just kept everything in a tub, because I know I'll probably need them down the road. 

 

Sorry to hear about T-dawg. I sold off a lot of fish and corals, and I'm happy I did. No casualties, but there was still the stress of everything needing to be done yesterday. Don't rush the initial setup, and keep with it, but most importantly... post some pictures. 

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I'm suprised that no one has said it

 

This thread is worthless without pics :)

 

LOL. I KNOW! I have them. I'm having trouble with tapatalk posting pictures. I need to just email them to myself and then post them from my desktop. I honestly tried yesterday after I posted the first thread!

 

Amen brother. Probably because by the time they get to here they forgot what a picture was after reading the novel! ;)

 

i think anybody who's ever plumbed their own tank can attest to going to their local hardware store about a million times. Like Ken said, when it doubt, buy em' out. I nearly returned all my unused fittings, and then just kept everything in a tub, because I know I'll probably need them down the road. 

 

Sorry to hear about T-dawg. I sold off a lot of fish and corals, and I'm happy I did. No casualties, but there was still the stress of everything needing to be done yesterday. Don't rush the initial setup, and keep with it, but most importantly... post some pictures. 

 

Thanks, Isaac! I went down to my old roommate's new apartment and was like "Mr. T is dead!" The friend that she had over immediately went to check social media. We had a bit of explaining to do....

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Thanks for sharing the trials and tribulations we all go through. I have similar stories but mine were interspersed with fits of stomping my feet yelling dammit dammit dammit!

 

LOL. I left out the temper tantrums and hissy fits and cursing. There were a lot of those too!

 

Wow. Quite a story! Well, congrats on getting this far with your new tank. Your set-up troubles and frustrations remind me so much of my own. You ran into some unique ones due to you building the stand yourself, but I think the general feeling is the same. 

 

Based on what I saw in your old thread you've at least got some photos to remember Mr. T - my condolences for your loss. 

 

I particularly feel your pain regarding Lowes and Home Depot trips - Good luck moving forward and spending more time shopping for fish and coral than plumbing parts!  :tongue:

 

Thanks! The thing that always bothers me when an animal dies is when I feel like it was somehow my fault. We all die. It's sad but it's the circle of life (::cue Lion King::). I just hate thinking that if I hadn't moved, if I'd bought a stand, if I'd only done something better, my animal wouldn't have suffered and died. That's the part that sucks the most for me personally. But as they say in the Iron Islands, what's dead is dead.

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Sorry to hear about the saga and the loses its never fun.....glad its all done though (wish i coulda talked you thru it more ...or coulda lended you a bunch of tools/had a build party where you come borrow them) ...though i gotta say i love doing it myself and the feeling of getting it done.

 

Home depot trips are hillarious....never just one...you know its a bad day when the clerk see's you walk in and just starts laughing....if they did a emergency delivery service they would make millions.......5 dollars for delivering a 99c pvc fitting....haha

 

 

Again very sorry for the losses...moving is a pain...and hopefully your still happy wtih the stand

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Sounds like a classic tank move: way longer than expected, high stress, hissy fits, and too many trips to the store.  Many of us have been there.  I am sorry about the loss of the fish (been there too during a tank move), but I had to laugh about the rest of the process.

 

A couple of other notes:

-pics, pics, pics

-My rule is to never, ever return a piece of plumbing or pipe fitting.  You will need it for the next hasty repair job when stores are closed.  [Note that my wife may not agree with this rule]

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Next time you have to do a plumbing job, be sure to get a few fernco fittings. They're rubber couplings with band clamps that I've found to be indispensable for aquarium plumbing jobs. For small pipe, use a section of black tubing with band clamps. My rule of thumb when dealing with too many fittings, especially threaded adaptors and unions: when in doubt, fernco it.

 

At least it's all done now and you can get into the more enjoyable part of reef keeping!

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LOL i know of way more failed glue joints and cracked pipes. I'd never have a fully hard plumbed system over wood or carpet. Adding the rubber couplings adds flexibility and resilience to pvc plumbing, especially when connected to thin acrylic or glass sump walls & tank bottoms, or pump volutes.

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