treesprite

Thank you for posting the link, Tom.

I need a 3-sided box that isn't bulkhead-mounted.

No worries. It really is one of those tips/reminders that can't be said enough. That's why the questions about drilling get asked in so often, in probably thousands of posts across the internet. If I fail at cutting the glass, I'm going to have to just do without the box. I looked into getting a custom box that matches my tank holes, but was told I would have to drill it myself for the side that connects to the tank bulkheads. The only other option would be to plug my tank holes and drill new ones, which would be worse than just making a new 3-sided box (assuming I can cut the glass). These diy projects make this hobby much more interesting than just having a tank to watch and care for. I think I would get bored without an occasional challenge that didn't involve water quality problems.

I threw away a lot of pieces of glass when I moved. Someone could have used them for baffles, but I didn't want to haul them. I've broken a lot of small tanks by accident, I just take them apart and save the glass when that happens. I had the front glass of a 75 g tank for about 8 years in a closet.

Thanks for the tip. I meant to ask what type to use. I couldn't find all my tool stuff when I moved. I think maybe I wasn't keeping steady enough pressure all along the line. Sometimes the glass would be separating and suddenly deviate in a particular spot. I've got arthritis in my hands and have had both wrists broken, so keeping an even pressure will probably be my biggest challenge. I'm wondering if the type of cutter with a handle would help me with that? ImGoingCostal, I'm asking about cutting glass, not drilling. I'm fairly experienced at drilling, have drilled a lot of tanks and did a lot of practicing as well. The suggestion to use a template is something I tend to ignore, so sometimes I start out a bit sloppy, but the holes are still good and the tanks don't break. The bits I got the last time I think have larger particles in the coating than they should, because with two different bits, I got a lot of skipping even using a template to start out the hole (I drilled a total of 11 holes that day).

Those pumps won't work if the impeller is off balance. Maybe try taking out the impeller and putting it back in. Make sure a hair or speck of something didn't get in it, make sure there aren't any bumps or anything.

I always screw up and ruin the glass, so it has been a lot of years since last time I tried to cut glass. Can someone give me some tips that might keep me from wasting glass? If you want some quarantine fun, maybe you could make a demo video. I'll be using glass from old 20g tanks that got broken. It would be easier to cut the glass from old 10g, but I don't trust glass that thin on the bottom of an external OF box. Thanks

So the webpage didn't have the announcement yet? I got the email at 4:01pm today.

I just got an email announcing cancellation. Here's the text from the email: Dear MACNA 2020 Exhibitors and Guests, The safety of our marine aquarium community is paramount to the MASNA Board and the MACNA 2020 committee. As such, we cannot in good conscience ask thousands of you to risk your lives and those of your loved ones to travel across the state, country, and world to Phoenix, AZ later this summer. After feedback from many of our exhibitors and attendees, and meeting with both venues, we have decided that MACNA 2020 will be canceled and all MACNA 2020 booths and tickets will have their credit transferred to MACNA 2021. MACNA 2021 will be publicly announced on June 1, 2020. We will be working in the coming weeks to put together a virtual program to be held during the same dates as MACNA 2020, August 28-30, so that we can still come together for the Education, Trade, and Community that so much of us need in this trying time. We’d like to thank you for your support during these past months, and for helping us make this decision. MASNA will be investigating a return to Phoenix in the future. We encourage marine aquarium clubs to utilize our MASNA Speaks program in order to offset the cost of bringing MACNA quality speakers to their next virtual club meeting. Through our MASNA Speaks program, remote presentations are reimbursable up to $100, for speakers using on-line or teleconferencing delivery methods. More information can be found here: https://masna.org/club-resources/masna-speaks-2/ Want to contact us with regards to MACNA? Use our contact form here: https://macna.org/contact-us/ -MASNA Board of Directors

People post FW stuff in the WTB/WTS forum. It's still the aquarium hobby, and most equipment can be crossed over FW/SW.

I ordered 170lbs of Carib Sea aragonite, to go with the 30 I already have, so I'll have 200lbs total. I can't afford to get fancy and complicated, so this is all just standard grain size, boring color. I'm going to need to get some critters for that upper couple inches of sand. I think the dottyback ate all my bristle worms, but with a DSB instead of 1", they will be able to hide.

Anyone know how much sand in lbs this would be for a 48x18 footprint? I've only got 15 lbs of unopened sand. I was so overwhelmed moving that I threw away all of my old sand. Anyone know where I can get all that sand for a decent price?

Thanks for the encouragement ? I have to be creative in finding a way to make a 75g tank look like it's not bigger than a 50g tank, so I have to cover up part of it regardless of anything else. If the sand bed surface is approximately where the stand skin is, a person won't be able to see that there are actually 5 more inches of tank under the skin.

I moved and I have to re-skin my stand (haven't re-started tank yet). I have to make the skin so that it makes the tank look smaller (don't ask). While I was thinking that I could accomplish the goal by making the tank look shallower, by making the skin a few inches taller than the tank trim (and hood lower than top trim), it occurred to me that 1. I wouldn't want to have to look below the top of the skin to see things on the bottom of the tank, and 2. maybe I could take advantage of the taller skin to hide a DSB, while the DSB would make the bottom of the tank the top of the sand bed instead of inches below it. The last time I had an in-tank DSB, about 12 or 13 years ago, in a 16g DIY AIO nano, it gave me the only tank I have ever had that had pristine water while I basically put no effort into it. I had no mechanical filtration, dosed nothing, and only did a water change every 3 or 4 months (the only reason I put the DSB in that tank was to make less distance between a PC light fixture and the corals I put in the tank, because I already had the fixture laying around and wasn't going to buy a better one). I have doubts about in-tank DSBs because they can go bad after while. I have no expectation for this tank to be running more than 5 years, so I think I should go for it.

I agree with this for the reason that I find it annoying when people don't even indicate fs or wtb in the thread title.

I have some that was free at MACNA DC (try carrying 2 bags of rocks on Metro!). I had talked to the Carib Sea guy at length. I believe curing the rock will at least partially negate the value of the infused bacteria. I put it right in my tank. Just turn down the skimmer before adding it. It's just as good as any other rock, has a natural look as far as structure and composition, is nicely porous and has natural-looking holes for frag ends to help avoid epoxy. The dark pink color will wear off if you treat the rock with anything corrosive, like hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, or bleach, but that is the case with natural rock as well. This results in an ugly color, rather than whitening like natural rock, but it will eventually blend back in with the other rock.

Bob was very helpful to hobbyists through the Wet Web Media website. He will be missed for sure. RIP Bob.

I prefer it the way it is. I like browsing through the board just to see what's there, hoping perhaps that there will be an opportunity I wasn't expecting. It's easier to do that when equipment and corals are all on the same list. Also I think it is easier for people who are doing a breakdown sale, to put everything in one post.

I've got some sort of mini clam that has been on my rock for at least a decade. I don't know how it has gotten through all the things it has been through (it responds when touched, so it must be alive).

It's going to have to go the width of the tank stand, or most of it.

What's the best thing to use shim one end of a tank stand? I just moved to a 15th floor apartment, and the entire concrete slab is at an angle widthwise, going towards the balcony (which is around 25ft long, enough to roller skate on). According to the roller skate, there is no lengthwise angle, but I have to find my level to be more accurate.

Thanks for the link.

I guess I'm going to have to go back to just having just noisy pipes. I can't get a glass box without making it myself, which I just can't do any time soon.

I broke my external box when I was trying to move my tank. I can't be doing any DIYing with glass right now, and I am pretty sure there are no prefab glass boxes anywhere. The bottom of the box had 3 holes for BA plumbing. My tank holes weren't drilled to any template, so they won't match a prefab design, plus I don't want to take out my internal box, so I have to have glass. I can provide glass scavenged from tanks that either broke or I'm not using (I broke a 20g recently, and have a couple 10-16g tanks sitting around). I've got diamond holesaw bits. I don't have any silicone, I'd have to buy some. Thanks

Could someone make one for me?