Black Mammoth
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Posts posted by Black Mammoth
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Unfortunately, I can't edit my original post. Here is an update:
FREE - 90g AGA RR with bulkhead and stand pipe. It held water when I had it running like 10 years ago. It also didn't have scratches then. It is dirty, but the price is right!
FREE - Ocean Nutrition Formula 2 Pellets (400g, mostly full)FREE - Reef Pure Kalkwasser. 25% leftFREE - Aqua Medic Kalkwasser. Almost completely fullFREE - Red Sea Berlin Skimmer (Body only, needs a Mag 5 pump)FREE - Tunze Rock facade. Just covers the front of the pump. You can hide the rest in your rock work$10 - BNIB Maxi-Jet 1200 ($22 new)
$15 each - Qty 2. 300g Brightwell Aquatics Katalyst Media. Never been opened. $28 new (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/katalyst-bioreactive-filtration-media-brightwell-aquatics.html)
$35 - Bulk Reef Supply GFO 1 gallon (4 pounds) - Full. $72 new (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-bulk-gfo-granular-ferric-oxide.html)
$40 - Bulk Reef Supply 5 gallon bucket (2/3 - 3/4 full) Activated Carbon Lignite (small)
$20 - Bulk Reef Supply Deluxe canister. $35 new (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reverse-osmosis-canisters.html)
$60 - Bulk Reef Supply Jumbo Reactor. Some rust on metal bracket. $140 new (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-jumbo.html)
$40 - Modified ASM G2 or G3 skimmer (Body only). I don't remember which one it is, but it has both mods for it. Needs a pump. Great for the 90g
$10 - Qty 2: Tunze Rocks (hides the Tunze in the rock work)
$100 - This is a SUPER STEAL. Blue Line 100 HD pump. I used this at most for 6 months max. New it is $377. (https://www.championlighting.com/blueline_100_hd_external_water_pump.html)
$100 - This is a GREAT DEAL to SUPER STEAL - Read carefully! Vortec MP60 wireless new $700. I had this for about 6 months (bought new) and decided to move. When I moved the dry side fell and hit the ground. Now when I start it up it blinks lights and the manual says to contact Vortec. I have not contacted them to see how much it is to fix it. The WET side alone sells for $158! So at a minimum you are getting a good deal on a wet side. At best, you can potentially have a MP60 wireless for a fraction of the cost. -
I apologize for not putting this in the FS forum. Apparently I let my membership expire and I'm getting out of the hobby. I figured since a lot of this is free or nearly free that you may not mind. These are WAMAS ONLY prices so I can give back to this group that I've been a member of since 2006. I wanted the WAMAS crew to get a first crack at it before I post on RC and Facebook. I sold off my massive tank setup and now I have some older stuff for free or dirt cheap. Items are located in Leesburg. You must pick up. Prices are firm since they are dirt cheap. No Holds. First come, first served. Message me for pickup address.
FREE - 90g AGA RR with bulkhead and stand pipe. It held water when I had it running like 10 years ago. It also didn't have scratches then. It is dirty, but the price is right!
FREE - Ocean Nutrition Formula 2 Pellets (400g, mostly full)
FREE - Reef Pure Kalkwasser. 25% left
FREE - Aqua Medic Kalkwasser. Almost completely full
FREE - Red Sea Berlin Skimmer (Body only, needs a Mag 5 pump)
FREE - Tunze Rock facade. Just covers the front of the pump. You can hide the rest in your rock work
$10 - BNIB Maxi-Jet 1200 ($22 new)
$15 each - Qty 2. 300g Brightwell Aquatics Katalyst Media. Never been opened. $28 new (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/katalyst-bioreactive-filtration-media-brightwell-aquatics.html)
$35 - Bulk Reef Supply GFO 1 gallon (4 pounds) - Full. $72 new (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-bulk-gfo-granular-ferric-oxide.html)
$40 - Bulk Reef Supply 5 gallon bucket (2/3 - 3/4 full) Activated Carbon Lignite (small)
$20 - Bulk Reef Supply Deluxe canister. $35 new (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reverse-osmosis-canisters.html)
$60 - Bulk Reef Supply Jumbo Reactor. Some rust on metal bracket. $140 new (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-jumbo.html)
$40 - Modified ASM G2 or G3 skimmer (Body only). I don't remember which one it is, but it has both mods for it. Needs a pump. Great for the 90g
$10 - Qty 2: Tunze Rocks (hides the Tunze in the rock work)
$100 - This is a SUPER STEAL. Blue Line 100 HD pump. I used this at most for 6 months max. New it is $377. (https://www.championlighting.com/blueline_100_hd_external_water_pump.html)
$100 - This is a GREAT DEAL to SUPER STEAL - Read carefully! Vortec MP60 wireless new $700. I had this for about 6 months (bought new) and decided to move. When I moved the dry side fell and hit the ground. Now when I start it up it blinks lights and the manual says to contact Vortec. I have not contacted them to see how much it is to fix it. The WET side alone sells for $158! So at a minimum you are getting a good deal on a wet side. At best, you can potentially have a MP60 wireless for a fraction of the cost.
If I find anything else left I'll post it up here and update this list.
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Sorry for the delay in updates. Unfortunately, things have been pretty hectic for me and I haven't had much time for the tank. I'm going to try and post pics in the next week or two. Here is the current state.
So the tank is wet....mostly.
The tank is aquascaped and it has sand. The tank is almost filled to the overflow with water. I bought some EcoTech pumps, 1 MP60WQD and 3 MP40WQD. I'm about to clean off the glass and install those. I'm pretty excited to see these things in action!
It took awhile to go through and clean up my old sand. I also learned a VERY important lesson. I bought 3 pieces of LR from a vendor on here to reseed my live rock since it was base rock. I quarantined the LR in a trash can for at least 4 weeks. Usually I would QT in a fish tank, but I'm reconfiguring my fish room so I put them in the trash can. The problem with using a trash can, it makes it difficult to see if there are any problems. After a couple weeks in the tank I noticed that I had red planaria (aka flatworms). Lesson learned and it isn't too bad. I'm going to run some Flatworm Exit and that should wipe those guys out. I just need to finish hooking up the sump, skimmer, etc first.
I'm still working on the fish room. The sump is about ready to be hooked back up. I expect some time this week I'll have it all running at a basic level. I'll throw my one piece of coral, 2 maroons, and my juvenile Emperor in this week. I imagine after nearly 2 months of being wet that it is done cycling
Of course I'll double check. Stay tuned for pics! -
I'm glad to hear that you are doing OK.
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How is the flow in the tank, especially where the red slime is located?
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I've got a brand new Gyre that you could borrow. I'm not impressed with it and I think the good ole Mp40 still is the king of water movement. Who wants to look at cords anymore?
Thanks! I know what you mean. I was thinking with my brace and the cross members that I might be able to hide the gyres there. What do you not like about them? I was pretty excited to hear about the Quite Drive Vortechs. I'm thinking 1 MP60 and 3 MP40s for the tank.
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Today we removed the old tank and installed the new one. Special thanks to joec1212 for the awesome Gator with a winch. I would also like to thank Rayr18 and Hopeitlives for helping out! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the install. The winch was awesome and things went very smoothly. The biggest surprise is that the new tank weighed a lot more than the old one. I guess the stainless steel bracing on the bottom and top added more weight! There was more than the 4 of us, but they aren't fish people
I'm hoping in 2-3 months everything will be back up and operational with some livestock.
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The old AGE is still in the wall ?
Yup. So it needs to be lifted out and pulled up by the winch. Then lower the new one down with the winch. I have a buyer coming to pick up the old tank that day. So when we pull it out, we can put it on the guy's trailer. He's coming a bit a ways for the tank so he doesn't have a crew to help. I didn't think that was a big deal since I'll have a crew taking it out and putting a new one in anyway
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Hey everyone, I'm having a tank install party this Saturday afternoon, May 2nd. It will probably start around 1:30ish (or later if that is better for the majority). What is a tank install party? It's an event to
trick some people in to helping me install my tankcelebrate my new tank with beer and food!In all seriousness, I will need some help removing my old tank and installing my new one. I'm replacing my broken 325g tank with a new 325g tank. My next door neighbor (and WAMAS member) will be bringing over a Gator with a winch to help pull the old one out and lower in the new one. I should have everything in place and the equipment (winch & suction cups), I just need some bodies.
I'm out in Loudoun County...about 20 min NW of Leesburg and 20min south of Frederick. It should be a beautiful day and a nice drive. I figured we could grill out and have some beer afterwards. Feel free to check out my new build thread to see the new tank!
http://wamas.org/forums/topic/72618-black-mammoths-325g-tank-part-deux-the-recovery/
Anyway, if you can help out please let me know....it is GREATLY appreciated
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Everyone, thank you for your input on flow. I might give Tunze another chance. I just got tired of the poor quality. They would work fine, but then power supplies would start to go bad. It appears to be a common issue with those. Things are starting to settle down. I'll probably go to a couple stores to check out the MaxSpec Gyre's and new VorTechs. If anyone is willing to let me borrow/come over for a few min to check out a gyre in my tank, that would be awesome!
So I have a tank update. I wanted to post this earlier, but I was a bit busy. I got my new tank last Monday (the 20th)! I'm pretty excited about getting this new one in. I took some shots, but the quality isn't that great. The tank is right by the wall of my garage and it was hard to get a good photo in that location with my iPhone. I also just wanted to take a quick few shots and not spend forever to get the best pics
The plan is to pull out the old one and install the new one this weekend, Sat May 2nd. Anyone interested in helping? I could sure use some people! I'll make it a party and have beer and food!
My next door neighbor (and WAMAS member) will be bringing over a Gator with a winch to help remove and install the new one. Anyway, here are the pics I promised....
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Glad you hashed it out with them. You will love the new qd vortechs. I can put my eat up to the back of the motor and I don't hear anything til I am not even a foot away. On 100%!! No spinning the fan to align it so it doesn't vibrate either. It feels twice as sturdy attached to the tank as well. My gyre is currently sitting on top of a waterchange trashcan. Not sure if I will add it back or not. Not enough flow options and the reverse mode was weak sauce and the main reason I bought it.
Look forward to seeing the build come along. What kind of corals will you keep?
Thanks for the info on the new Vortechs! I plan on keeping SPS and LPS and maybe a few softies. The gyre's intrigue me because I might be able to put them on my cross bars and keep them completely hidden. I just hope that they are good enough for flow and quality. I liked my Tunze's at first, but they started to have issues. I'm interested in the Vortech's, but I don't like that I can't really adjust the flow like the Tunze's.
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While working on the previous post, I got an email from A.G.E. that my tank is shipping today! Woo hoo! Anyone interested in a tank install party??? This time I won't have the fire department available to help me. However, I will have winch!
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6 years ago I started a build thread for my 325g A.G.E. tank (http://wamas.org/forums/topic/27453-mammoths-325-age-build/?hl=%20black%20%20mammoth) After awhile, I got really busy and stopped updating the thread. Then about 2 years ago the back panel of the glass cracked. I was pretty devastated when that happened, especially since 6 months prior to the crack I just spent a lot of money installing 2 closed loops (both with OM-4 way). I was really frustrated with A.G.E. because I wasn't getting a response on fixing it or getting a new tank. At that point I decided to take a break.
About 6 months ago I started looking at getting another builder. I crossed A.G.E. off my list of builders because of the lack of response I got. During my research I noticed that Tom left A.G.E. at the same time I had my problem. I then thought that was probably why they dropped the ball with me. So I thought I would give them another chance and tried contacting them. I was surprised at how fast they responded. They took the time to talk to me about my failure and the changes that have made over the years to address particular problems. After talking to them a couple times, I felt that things were different and that they were a better company than when I initially purchased from them. A.G.E. was also willing to help me out on replacing the tank. In the end, I decided to purchase another tank from them. As you can see below, the tank is a bit different from the last one.
My new setup will be similar to my old one. There are a few changes in the equipment.
Display Tank:
- 325 gallon - 96L x 30W x26T built by A.G.E.
- 3/4" Starphire on 3 sides; front and 2 end pieces. The back panel will be blacked out
- 30" long external overflow centered on the back panel with 3 1.5" drains
- There are no returns on the tank. I plan on coming over the back.
- 2" Stainless steel bracing on the bottom and the top. There will also be two stainless steel cross braces
Stand:
- I'm reusing the original stand that came with the tank. It is a black powder coated cantilever stand
Flow:
- I used to have Tunzes, but I felt that the quality of those weren't very good. So I'm thinking about going with either the new Vortex's or the MaxSpec Gyre. If I go Vortex, I'll probably start out with 1 MP60 and 2 MP40s. I'm going to check out the MaxSpec Gyre's in person. I'm leaning away from them because they seem cheap and fragile. I'm also not a big fan of CoralVue. IME their products (either sell or resell) seem to be crap.
- Dart return pump that will go in to an OM-4way that will probably have eductors on them.
Filtration:
- Super Reef Octopus SRO-5000INT with the auto neck cleaners that I got from Premium Aquatics
- AquaUV 57W Sterilizer that I got from Blue Ribbon Koi
- Carbon Reactor that I got form Bulk Reef Supply
- Filter Socks
- Cheato
- About 300 pounds of live rock about a 50/50 mix of Tonga and Marshall. I might trade out some for another type of rock. I'm still research on that.
Sump:
- 112 gallon acrylic (6' long) sump
- Will contain the cheato, probes, frag section
Supplementation:
- Calc reactor (I forget the brand)
- Rest TBD as needed
Lights:
- 4 IT2080 lights. I got from a vendor here, but I won't mention them as I think they are a terrible vendor.
- 1 D-120 type light I got from a friend on the cheap for the frag section.
- I might get 2 more IT2080 lights.
Controller:
- Apex controller. I got this directly from Apex.
- 2 EB-8s
- Temp, PH, and Orp Probes
- Auto-top off
- I'll probably get more things for it as I redo the system
I think that is the majority of the stuff. You can check out my original build thread for the fish room build out.
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I think Eric has a Miracles built.
I also bought a Miracles second hand, and I am happy with it's look.
Ah...thanks, my memory was definitely wrong on that...it's been 5 years
I did research and found it was DaveS and not Eric like you said Anyway, I'm glad to hear about Miracles. I hope to have a quote from Derek tomorrow. Hopefully it isn't $8k like my last quote! -
Thanks for the warm welcome
Welcome back man. Did AGE cover the tank?
No, but it was out of warranty. The tank failed about 6 months after the warranty ran out. A.G.E. asked for some pics and after they got the pics the commented that they had never seen a failure like that before. We then asked them for a quote to fix the tank and another quote for a new tank all together. They never got back to us on a quote. Many emails and phone calls were made, but we never got a response. I talked to another builder last night and he guessed right away where my failure was. It sounds like that there might be a design flaw. I also mentioned to him that my tank had an ever so slight bow to it and I also wondered if that contributed to the failure. I was told that the slight bow as in spec, but the builder last night said that a glass tank should never bow. I also noticed that A.G.E. reduced their warranty from 3 years to 1. I'm wondering if they are experiencing more failures and they reduced the warranty to compensate. I have no idea, but I don't know why you would reduce your warranty. I might try getting a hold of them again to see if things have changed in the past year. I'm not entirely surprised about not getting a response. While the tank was being made, communication was terrible.
The builder I talked to yesterday has good reviews and sounds good. However, I got my quote today and they were 2.5+ times higher than my A.G.E. tank! When I ordered my A.G.E. tank they were one of the more expensive builders.
My memory might be wrong, but didn't you also buy an A.G.E. tank from Sean after I bought mine? If it is, I think I remember your tank. You probably won't have the same issue I had.
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Many of you probably don't know me. I've been out for awhile and I wasn't extremely active when I was on here. However, I do see a lot of familiar screen names. For those don't know, I used to have an A.G.E. 325g (96x30x26) mixed reef tank. I have an incomplete build thread on here somewhere. Well about a year and a half ago, the back glass cracked. I was pretty devastated about it. Luckily I caught the crack fairly early...only lost about 75g or so. Sean over at Fins & Feathers has been nice enough to keep the surviving fish at his place. It took me this long to get back because I was devastated about the loss and we were about to have our first child.
Well right now I'm in the process of getting a new tank. I'm talking to builders & getting quotes. I'm also trying to finalize my design. Yeah, I'm changing up things from what I had before. With that said, you will probably see a bunch of stuff (a lot almost brand new) coming up for sale on here. Anyway, I'm getting pretty excited about coming back. I'll probably come back with the same dimensions. I might come back with a 36" width tank, but we will see when I get the quotes back. I already have a steel stand, but if I go 36" width, I'll have to get another stand.
Anyone looking at an A.G.E. tank, consider other builders first. My failure didn't turn me off of A.G.E., it was other things.
Anyway, I look forward to getting to know you guys again. Actually, I got a head start last year; I met a fellow WAMAS member (jefftse) though my car club. Hopefully I'll get to some of these meets and socials!
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Great prices! GLWS
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That's a nice store. I know which one you are talking about. When I was in there he was very nice. I told him that I was from the DC area visiting. He didn't care, he took his time with me and showed off his store and his big tank. He even gave me some additional advice. Lynn loved that store and he was friends with him. If I lived in Richmond, I would probably go to that store. I've been to some of the other stores down there and I wasn't really impressed. I also understand Joe's position on some of those stores. Allegedly one of the stores down there did some shady things to try and hurt his business.
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Yeah sean has hooked me up a couple times
Haha...me too. I think Sean is going to ask for a retainer
And you know what? If he did, I would be more than happy to do so! -
Just wanted to post the BRK & Fins and Feathers came through for me again today. I've been working with Sean @ F&F with some things on my tank and he's been really helpful. Today I really needed a 57w UV Sterilizer. Sean did his best to try to get his backup up and running for me, but it wasn't in the cards. Sean had me talk to John over at BRK and as usual John and his Dad were very helpful. John converted one of the lower power ones to a 57w for me. His dad went over the system to make sure I knew how to set it up and how to work it. It was all ready for me when I stopped by. This isn't the first and it probably won't be the last time that F&F and BRK has bailed me out. It's great we have some really good LFS in the area that are caring and willing to help.
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I have the Apex and love it.
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A.G.E. was about $5K for a 300ish gallon tank when I got a quote. These quotes seem to be all over the place. After the earthquake, maybe I should go with an acrylic tank!
That's crazy! Mine is a 325g and was WAY cheaper than that. I had them make a stand as well. All of that shipped was around $5k.
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It shook really bad here as well. We are only about 25 minutes from the center location. Anna called me at work and said a bunch of stuff fell off the wall and out of the cabinets and broke. She said the 265 rock work got rearranged and a lot of broken corals. Then she went downstairs to the fish room and discovered lots of water on the floor. The sump was dry so i told her to unplug the return pumps. I came home, cleaned all water up filled the sump and cant find no leaks. Its been 2 hours and no more water on the floor. Just got done half a$$ing the rock work in the 265. I will be re aquascaping this weekend. No damage to the foundation or wall of the house. Just glad to hear that everyone is O.K.. Now get ready for the possibility of some nasty weather this weekend from the hurricane.
I'm glad to hear you guys are OK and the damage is minimal. Is it to early to say....I got DIBS on those frags!
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I heard it was 3 miles deep, all the information now is mostly useless. Metro is closed for anyone wanting to know, loved ones might be stuck in the city
also just heard the Washington Monument is pulling a leaning Tower of Pisa
USGS updated their website. They initially reported it as 1km. Now they are reporting it as 3.7 miles deep.
Out of hobby - Free stuff or nearly free
in General Discussion
Updated list of what is left:
FREE - 90g AGA RR with bulkhead and stand pipe. It held water when I had it running like 10 years ago. It also didn't have scratches then. It is dirty, but the price is right!
$10 - BNIB Maxi-Jet 1200 ($22 new)
$20 - Bulk Reef Supply Deluxe canister. $35 new (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reverse-osmosis-canisters.html)
$60 - Bulk Reef Supply Jumbo Reactor. Some rust on metal bracket. $140 new (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-jumbo.html)
$40 - Modified ASM G2 or G3 skimmer (Body only). I don't remember which one it is, but it has both mods for it. Needs a pump. Great for the 90g
$10 Each - Qty 2: Tunze Rocks (hides the Tunze in the rock work)
$100 - This is a SUPER STEAL. Blue Line 100 HD pump. I used this at most for 6 months max. New it is $377. (https://www.championlighting.com/blueline_100_hd_external_water_pump.html)