madweazl

3dplans.com is what is listed; no idea outside of that.

We relocated from southern CA to Woodbridge VA a couple of weeks ago. Setup my first tank around '96 and never looked back.

From the other side

I've never seen an eel so calm while feeding. Pretty amazing video.

Always a gamble when you dealing with a used product. Probably some sort of liner you could use to mitigate any potential problems.

Good deal

How is the anemone doing?

I went about 20 years before I setup a quarantine tank but started using them in 2013. I have a pair of 20R that run a simple Pengiun HOB filter, small heater, and Ecoxotic Panorama Pros (1 blue/white and 1 blue/magenta per tank). 1 is used for fish that has some PVC for a place to hide but otherwise bare bottom and typically has copper. The other has a couple small pieces of live rock (left overs from the DT that I didn't want to trash) and is used for inverts. I've always been very meticulous about the specimens I purchase and am pretty good at spotting things. This combined with dumb luck and lack of money were the reasons I went so long before setting up the quarantine tanks. In 2013 however, I picked up a McCoskers wrasse that looked great for about a few days but started to show symptoms of ich. He ended up taking a digger because there was no way for me to retrieve him from the DT stressing everything else out. It ended up dying and I promptly setup the quarantines. I would have been able to treat and save it had I just taken the time to do things right. In my formative years I didn't get so attached to things but as time passed I grew a great appreciation for the items I was plucking from the ocean and gained a new found respect for the role I played in their lives. A QT is well worth the investment and is a mandatory item for me now.

In the future, do the rocks before the sand. It is more stable and wont shift when things start digging.

Ordered the bit, bulkheads, overflow, and drill guide. Hopefully all our stuff arrives this week and more importantly, it isnt tempered.

I started doing some sanity checks a few hours ago and came up with some crazy results. I'll start with the vertical wall. Studs are on 16" centers and the horizontal tape line is the blocking. Moving to the ceiling, the solid lines are on 24" centers and the the drywall is taped along those lines. The dashed lines are on 16" centers and run the length of the apartment from wall to wall. Moving to the floor, the solid tape line is the outside dimensions of the tank stand. The dashed line runs the length of the apartment just like the ceiling. The solid line running parallel to the wall (and also the front of the tank/stand) is on top of another joist (I'm assuming) that runs the length of the apartment. These are 16" on center. I also went another 3' off the front of the tank and found two more parallel to the wall that were also 16" on center. These were much easier to locate than the ones I marked with the beer cans last night. I am assuming they're 2x4s (the ones running perpindicular to the wall and under the beer cans) and are there to support the lower floors ceiling (I had to bounce between a depth of 1" and 1.5" to find them. The joists (assumed) were easier to locate and I could typically use 3/4" on the stud finder to locate them. Note, the wall divideds the apartment building down the center. The wall with the window at the far end of the beer cans is the back wall of the building. It is my assumption that the center wall is load bearing but I dont know this for certain.

I was planning on using cinder blocks but this is a much better idea!

No offense taken bud, I really wish it was me but I even closed one eye when I checked... Not sure who layed them out but dang, they were tuned up something special LOL.

It isnt off, that is where the stud finder says it is. While I'd like to trust they were on 16" centers, they arent (hence my last comment).

Looking at the distance between them, I'm thinking the builder had quite a few more than I did LOL.

This is just a 50g (36x16x20).

Just wanted to demonstrate the proper method for marking floor joists so you can determine the best location for a medium sized tank...

When in doubt, PWC.

Excellent, simple enough. I'm capable of doing the drilling without issue, just didnt know how to check the glass and figured a good glass shop could tell right away.

Just keep an eye on it and make sure it doesnt end up in one of the pumps (also watch for it getting near a heater if you have one in the display). Certainly isnt ideal for them to be floating around. Edit: if it has been 20 minutes and it hasnt attached, it is probably reacting to water parameters that do not meet it's needs.

My tank will be arriving this week and I'd like to get return holes drilled; is there a local shop that is recommended near Woodbridge? I have no idea whether or not it is tempered (purchased in Japan while we were there) but I'm sure they'll be able to tell me.

You can leave them off for a bit so it attaches but chances are, it doesnt want to be there unless the flow is quite high and it physically cant do so. Give it about 20 minutes with the pumps off and see how it goes. Your idea of the best spot and the anemones rarely match.

If it isnt eating ravenisly than it isnt particulary hungry. Clowns are rarely timid eaters LOL.

Clams typically end up at the bottom of the tank because that is where they're best viewed from (ideally viewed from directly above). Many also get dumped in the sand even though they're rock dwellers. Like most things, they can adapt to a pretty amazing range of conditions.

Not sure on your reasoning for the bare bottom but in doing so, you're missing out on so much (not judging at all so please don't take it like that). Gobies and pistols have one of the coolest relationships to watch in the aquarium (highly subjective of course). The diversity that ends up living in the sand is pretty incredible and adds another dynamic that is otherwise missed. I'm not going to tie the substrate to any benefit or detriment to the health of the tank, only the cool factor that the additional critters bring to the display. Early in my hobby adventure (obsession is more appropriate I imagine) I went through a phase where I wanted the more exotic fish (and corals at the time) but that subsided over time (there are still a few things that I really want of course) and I shifted to fish that were prone to doing well in a closed system. I didn't care for the banggai cardinals initially (I remember when they initially started popping up in stores and were going for ~$100) but have really come to appreciate them the last couple of years because of their very unique shape. I never had firefish in my early tanks because I looked at the price and was put off for some dumb reason but now they're near the top of my must have list because they're flat out gorgeous (and the way they move adds a great dynamic to the tank as well). Royal grammas were kind of lumped into the same situation but they're great too (always darting in and out of rocks). While they may not have the instant wow factor that other fish can provide, they all move slightly different and/or occupy different areas in the aquarium that just add something cool. Not saying you are/were but don't be like me and make silly decisions just because. Think a few steps out and picture what they will look like against the rest of the stuff in your tank vice they appearance you see with just the fish. Contrasting shapes and colors can really make something pop when they're together when it otherwise may not. Peaceful community fish really add something as they tend to be out and about vice hiding and waiting their turn.