YBeNormal

Welcome aboard! The first thing you might consider is to add your location to your profile so folks will know where you live. People are pretty friendly around here and will usually jump at the opportunity to help another club member. Next, please take a few minutes to review the information in the "About Us" link at the top of the page, then browse the forums to get a feel for things. Any other questions, just ask! Bob

No, that was me in the videos, wearing my WAMAS shirt. Some of our members donated old tanks and we set up a tank drilling demo, then let members try their hands at drilling holes themselves. Other DIY workshops included fragging corals and anenomes, making aragrocrete rocks structures and frag plugs. It was a fun meeting and I'm sure we will do it all again this summer or fall.

I'm not sure which WAMAS video you watched on YouTube but it might the the one where I was doing the tank drilling demo at one of our frag and DIY fests. Several club members took the opportunity to drill a hole or two and all were surprised at how simple it is to do. If your plan is to drill the 55g and it is not a very old tank, there is a very good chance that all of the glass panels are tempered. I live in Manassas and I'd be happy to help you drill it if you want to take the chance though. Reef Central has calculators for overflows and plumbing.

Most tanks have the bottom glass panel inside and surrounded by the side panels. It really doesn't matter though, the basic idea is the same either way.

How wide is the gap between the glass panels in that picture? There should be silicone between the panels but that looks like silicone being used to fill a gap caused by a panel cut too short. If so, I wouldn't trust it no matter how much silicone is used!

You can also run the Cat 5/6 direct to a NIC port on your PC or laptop. Plugging into a router makes IP addressing easier though and will allow you to use port forwarding, NAT, DMZ and other features that you might find desirable.

I'm pretty sure I have one or two of them Dave. If so, I could bring it to the next meeting or see if James can drop it off at Dougbert's cubicle in Reston next week. LMK.

We have a little known but very active supply shuttle service within WAMAS. You contact one or more members living close to your supplier of choice and ask if they would mind picking up some supplies and delivering them to you at the next meeting, when they drop buy to sell you a coral or to pick up a complimentary frag of one of your prized corals, etc. Next, contact the store of your choice and arrange for the items to be charged to your credit card for later pick up by another member. Everyone wins! I've played pack mule far more times than I can count and I often use it as an excuse to drop by the LFS "while I'm in the area".

From the LFS! Most of our WAMAS sponsors price their salt competitively with the online dealers, especially when you factor in shipping costs of online purchases, and they often offer special deals that really bring the prices down. That's when many of us stock up!

And that's one of the other perks!

You and me both!

Other vendors in the area, some of them not WAMAS sponsors, will offer a 10% discount if you show your card. I'd add them to the list in the link Doug posted but only if the vendor contacts me to confirm the discount offer and some of them aren't willing to do that.

Don't worry. I back date the renewal to one year from your original expiration date. Now, why the heck are you waiting until the last minute to renew?

The plywood was purchased from Northland Forest Products in Manassas. Since it is 13-ply cabinet grade oak plywood--not the cheap 5-ply stuff that Home Depot sells, it costs about $93/sheet. You get what you pay for though and this stuff is great to work with.

The stand was picked up this afternoon and should be in North Carolina by now. The new owners may not have their tank set up until Spring but said they would send pictures once it is up and running. Since there was some interest in the removable post, I thought I'd post some pics of how that was constructed. Here is the post viewed from the front of the stand: ...viewed from the inside of the stand: ...and with the post removed slightly so you can see the magnet: The offset mounting bracket and magnet can be purchased online or from Woodcraft in Springfield. Also, check out the grain on this sheet of furniture grade oak plywood I picked up from my local wood supply today! This will be used in the next project.

Yep, all the time. This one: http://www.airwaterice.com/product/DM-1_HM...e__Monitor.html

Thanks Craig! I think I'll use this one...

Thanks for letting us know what the cause of the issue was. This could happen to someone else in the future and now we know how to troubleshoot the issue. I echo your comments about AWI's customer service. They really take care of their customers!

Thanks for the compliments everyone. This stand was basically a less ornate version of the stand I built for Mohsin. This stand is also built using oak hardwood and plywood but the doors are not recessed and this stand does not include (nor does it need) the pine 2x4/2x6 frame. I thought I'd save everyone from having to wait while dozens of pictures download. As I noted above, this stand is a lot like the one I built for Mohsin, just not as ornate and much lighter. No secrets here... If you'd like more pics or details, let me know and I'll add them to this thread! Yeah, that's something I should take pictures of and post here. I'll try to get pictures before the stand is picked up tomorrow. I hate finish work-but it's part of the job so I suck it up and do it anyway. Mitre work on the doors? None other than the 90 degree cuts for the lengths. The doors are true raised panel doors with rail and stile construction, similar to to most kitchen cabinet doors. The wood I used for this stand is Red Oak.

Started with this: Did some of this: And ended up with this: The canopy is designed for T5 lighting. The small doors are for feeding and light maintenance but the entire front is hinged and flips up for full access to the tank. The center post between the doors on the stand is mounted using magnets so it can be easily removed when necessary.

Cordis on Liberia Ave in Manassas carries them.

Jager...Jager... That name sounds vaguely familiar. Stopping in for your once a year visit?

Fellow WAMAS members: Our system begins sending reminder notices about 30 days before your membership expires. You will receive two of these reminders, followed by another when your membership has actually expired. I try to process renewals within one or two days after payments are received and to have cards in the mail within 7 days. Sometimes this is not possible due to travel, work or other commitments though. Please don't wait until the last minute to renew your membership. You can renew weeks or even months ahead of time and your membership will still be extended for the full year from your current expiration date. If you do wait unit the last minute and find your access to the member forums is blocked, please don't send a frantic email asking me to process your renewal immediately and to have your new card in the mail the next day. I will process it as soon as possible. Thanks, Bob

GC tanks are not guaranteed disasters waiting to happen. Their quality of workmanship leaves a lot to be desired and their support after the sale is about the worst I've even heard of, but the price is right. You just have to know the risk and make your decision. I bought one last Oct and have no major complaints with it.

What GC warranty? 90 days but don't add water to the tank for the first thirty days or it's void. Any chips in the glass--the tank is not covered. Place it on anything other than a professionally built stand--oops, void! Forget or fail to use styrofoam under the tank, probably not covered. Did all of this right and it still leaks--call them and they will hang up on you. Best cse is that they will honor the warranty but you have to pay for shipping. I wouldn't (and didn't) let voiding of their "warranty" prevent me from cleaning up the excess silicone on the seams. That said, it's the silicone between the glass panels that holds the glass together and that is primarily responsible for preventing leaks. The bead of silicone you see in the corners of most tanks is just extra insurance.