AlanM

I know your dad's a GC and you probably have access to good tools, but if you need help doing this: for the BeanAnimal overflow let me know. I can make one for you, as I have nice drill presses and taps and stuff at work. Also, if you just do an internal box and want to minimize space behind the tank that the plumbing sticks out, you can saw off some of the adapters to get them to fit flush into the plumbing. I sawed off about 3/4 inch from the bulkhead and from the 1 to 1-1/2" PVC coupling that goes into the 1-1/2" sanitary Tee:

Here are some internal/external posts on the massive BeanAnimal thread on RC: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21129016#post21129016 http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21093760&postcount=5533 and a thread about the slanted internal overflow with the Reef Central BeanAnimal expert/crankyguy, uncleof6 posting his diagram for the holes between the internal and external boxes: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2252278

For a 7 foot weir at 1250 gph I get 0.14 inches over the weir, so just over an eighth of an inch over the weir on one that long. That's really small, and I'd agree that no fish are going over that. It goes up to a quarter inch if you went down to 3 feet. I can't attach the spreadsheet, but the link to it is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AitCoGEDB43DdDJxaWZyZW1JbEpSUGtVVGRkZUt0Y1E&usp=sharing The math is here: http://www.aquatext....s/weir flow.htm

Jan, After your experiences, you are going to be the official WAMAS fish nurse. You could have a side business of hospital tanking fish. That's so great that these guys are getting better and kind of amazing that they heal so quickly.

Great. That's what I needed to know. So you turn them both on at the same time.

What should I have the Apex do when the skimmate locker is detected as full? Should I put the CS1 feed and recirc pumps on one outlet on the EB8 and have them both turn off when it is full and both on when it is emptied? Actually, in general should the feed and recirc pumps be turned on and off at the same time?

I would think that any bacteria that might be in the bag of salt mix would have died before it was diluted with DI water. Seems like the moisture in it would get sucket out and it would cease. If the tank water and salt bucket water share a pump, then i could believe that is where it is getting in, but doesnt it seem unlikely that there is anything still alive in a bag of salt mix?

Der ABT, how much flow are you putting through your 18" and how far does it rise over the edge and how far does it fall to the water level in the box? You did a BeanAnimal, right? Want to see if the math gets close.

You appreciate the support? A large part of my enjoyment of this board is vicarious enjoyments of other's builds that I either dont have the time, space, or money to do. I appreciate you stopping work to take photos and share with us. I will calculate a 7 foot weir at 1250 gph and show my work. 8). Can't type it all into the iPad, so I have to wait until I get computer time. I already pretty much know the answer, that it will be about .25 inches as others have said here. Wonder if it would be even quieter if you could get Adam to bevel the overflow edge to give a gentler fall into the box? And maybe drill and tap each end so you could use a short piece of scrap to hold on some gutterguard across the weir opening to help prevent critters from taking a trip.

How wide is your C2C going to be, and what flow rate do you have planned? Given those two it is possible to calculate the height over the weir provided it is toothless. Teeth make the weir les wide, of course, but also add lots of friction, both of which increase the height.

My rock got noticeably more fragile after I put it through the acid bath. Lots of nice pores, though. 8) It was much less acidic after the rocks sat in it for an hour. The calcium carbonate in the rock neutralizes it just like sodium bicarbonate does. That's what's happening when it's doing all that foaming. As wade and others have said, even though you can buy it in gallon jugs at Lowes or HD, this stuff is no joke. When we use acid of this strength at work we do it in a specifically designated and certified fume hood with special gloves and detailed procedures for working with strong acids and neutralizing the remnants. We don't go dumping it at arms length into Brute trash cans full of water while holding our breath with our eyes closed, neutralizing it with a Costco bag of baking soda, and tipping it over to hose the goo off the deck (all of which, I did).

Rght. If you want help lifting that tank up during the day some day let me know. Evenings are harder when on kid duty, but the taxpayers can pay for a drive to silver spring some day.

The underparts were also covered in the little white sponges or tubeworms or whatever those things are, and they all came off too.

Gee, when you are ready to go, you go. I would think removing the bottom trim is a bad idea, but dont know exactly why. The weight is engineered to be held up by that trim, though, not by the bottom pane of glass.

No smell, here are some pics of the current state dry. I dont have before, but it had been a heavy algae filled tank that had then been set out on the back porch in a dry trashcan for two years.

I dont have it in a tank, so I cant guarantee that it is good to go, but i did leave it in RO/DI for a week after I did three days of soaking in tap and dumping the water out each night, and I didnt get any nitrate or phosphate on the red sea pro tests I did.

Here is where I did it: http://wamas.org/forums/topic/51680-getting-in-to-reef-tank/#entry450963 and here is a separate topic where Origami was schooling me on the acid chemistry: http://wamas.org/forums/topic/53473-using-vinegar-vs-muriatic-acid-to-clean-aquarium/ After I cooked the rocks I soaked them in bleach for a while and then soaked in RO/DI and rinsed over a few days. I was told that I could have used tap for the rinses. It's brilliant white now.

To be honest, the mental picture of this fish swimming around entirely missing a tail with some spine sticking out the back turns my stomach a bit. I don't think I could joke about it since I get upset when my 2 year old oto cats go belly up in my plant tank.

Is the entire fixture 3W each or is each emitter 3W? It almost doesnt matter except for coverage on such a small tank if you want to grow coral on. What about a full spectrum par 38 with a gooseneck like this? http://www.ledtric.com/led-components/ledtric-par38-full-spectrum-plus-18w-reeflamp/

Here's a nice Spec V thread on RC. I'd thought about setting one up as a pico. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2216743

How are the angel fish doing? Any new ones in quarantine?

PaulB has a special feeding station for his mandarins where he gives them live baby brine regularly. Daily, I think. He also has a very established tank which should be crawling in pods, but still feeds his mandarins in this special way. As Rob said above his feeding station is neat and worth a look. Here's the thread he was referring to: http://wamas.org/forums/topic/54473-some-thoughts-on-mandarins/

30 bucks at harbor freight for a combo one that does both staples and brads up to 1.25 inches, i think. They also have occasional sales on little compressors that can do 100PSI, and can keep up with their nailguns if you arent too crazy with it. I use mine a surprising amount, and it always impresses the kids. I love the look of this tank, stand, hood, and it is definitely a level of cleanliness to aspire to as I work on mine. I loved your little one, too, and if you were selling that Mame overflow with it, I would have been tempted to try to pick it all up from you. Those glass overflows seem to be made of unobtanium.

Thanks! I've been waiting to hear about this to get a couple 40 breeders for sump and fuge.

I built the stand today. Made it out of 3/4" plywood, biscuits and glue. I haven't decided if I'm going to finish it or paint it. Because of the way it's put together all of the weight will be carried from the frame of the tank straight down the plywood sides and back and front. The biscuits just hold the box together. They don't carry any load. It can't shear in either direction because it would have to somehow compress the plywood to do it. I think it will be nice and sturdy, and I like how there aren't any visible joints. The hardest part was carefully cutting the plywood and making sure it was all square and cut to within a smidge of accuracy to avoid any gaps which would let the load shift. Lots of careful measurements and fence placement and a new circular saw blade designed for plywood to avoid tearout. Here it is getting laid out to make sure the biscuit slots are all in the right place: Gluing the side and the top: Everything on and clamped up except the bottom: The bottom is a panel that just sits on some supports so I can lift it to dry the floor if water gets underneath it: Here it is with the tank on top. The stand is 40 inches tall. I'm a bit surprised at how tall that actually is, but I think I'll like it: