davelin315 May 27, 2007 Author Share May 27, 2007 Hey Bob, do you simply have the Aqualifter plugged into a top off float switch? How far does the water have to drop in order for it to kick on? I'm considering something like that but am curious as to how I would set it up. I wonder if I run the large sump into a smaller one that has the returns hooked into it and basically have it baffled so that it drains out if that would do the trick. I'll have to play around with that and see what I can do to make the water as stable as possible, basically so that the water level drops the most rapidly due to evaporation and turns the pump on so that it tops off when needed. If you have a picture of yours, that would be great so I can tell how you have it set up. Anyway, here are some pictures of some of the new inhabitants for the 300. Here are the black ocellaris. I traded Mohsin a couple of them (these are the Petco ones) and his lost the mis-bars and also the orange faces when they grew. Mine are still VERY small, about 1 to 1 1/2" since they've been QTd in a 10 gallon since I bought them, so they still are mis-barred and have the orange faces (as you can see). This is the Royal Gramma that survived the fire. It laid on its side for at least a week and I thought it had died along with the two ocellaris clowns I had in the tank but my wife saw it hanging around one day in the rock gasping for air and then a couple of weeks later he was up and about. Toughest gramma I've ever had. I also have a 3 stripe damsel and a blenny of some sort, but I couldn't get a good picture of them. I also lost a sebae clown in the breakdown of the 58 and smooshed a 6-line wrasse by accident when he went into the overflow (he had actually been living in the sump for quite some time, but when I tried to move something, he went under it and I smashed him flat by accident). Here's an open brain that I got from someone who was breaking down his tank (Todd Norrell?). He said his lights had gone out and this was in his tank without lights for a month or so. Anyway, I was only buying rock at the time, but took it anyway with the rock. Some of the stuff went to school, some of it came home. This one survived the pH spike I had when I ODd the tank on kalk the other day and it's actually doing much better in the sump system. This one, I'm not sure what it is. I've had it since I set up the 58 a couple of years ago and originally thought it was a majano, but it has never reproduced. It ended up dropping off the rock it was on (at one point it turned completely milky white transparent because it was hooked onto the back of piece of rock) and burying itself in the substrate. I moved it into this medicine cup after finding it in the substrate after I cleaned it out. Now, it actually looks like a tube anemone when I look at how it sits, but I can't imagine that it is as the tube anemones I have seen have many more tentacles and build a sheath around themselves. This one seems to have a bare stalk, although it looks like it's all wrinkly, not smooth at all, somewhat like the sheathes that the tube anemones grow. Any ideas on this? It buries its foot in the sand and when disturbed it very quickly retracts its tentacles. The oral disc does not have any tentacles on it but rather has them ringing the surface. It has a limited number of tentacles (looks like 16) and appears to be photosynthetic (which I believe tube anemones are not). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 June 8, 2007 Author Share June 8, 2007 OK, so even though the tank is not up and running yet, the sump is running and full of rock and I have a future refugium/frag tray up and running. In my excitement at seeing one, I picked up a Dussumieri Tang from BRK last weekend. It's got the juvenile coloration and is about the shyest fish I have ever had, but when it's an adult... wow! I'll snap a picture of it if it ever comes out and stays for more than the time it takes to dart out, grab a piece of food, and dart back into hiding, but for now, this is what it hopefully will look like when it's an adult. Picture is off of Blue Zoo Aquatics since I can't get my own... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger June 12, 2007 Share June 12, 2007 Dave this is an awesome project! If you ever need help doing something let me know I would really like to see your setup someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal June 12, 2007 Share June 12, 2007 Dave, I somehow missed your previous post asking how I have my ATO and kalk stirrer hooked up. I'll try to take some pics later and post them here so you can get some ideas (or offer some advice). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tgallo June 12, 2007 Share June 12, 2007 love that tang dave, whens the tank going in line?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 June 13, 2007 Author Share June 13, 2007 It's going to be awhile still, but it's getting closer! I've made more progress in the past two weeks than I have since I bought it! I have now tiled half of the basement (still need to sand the tiles down and grout) so the area where the tank room is going to go is nearly clear. I also bought another 150 gallon tub and a 50 gallon tub so I'm going to have dual sumps and dual frag trays. The second tub is actually going to be for storing some rock from school as I revamp systems over the summer temporarily, but it'll remain for my system later on. I figure with the diversity of rock in the tank, this will also help to get all of my rock full of life again. Anyway, as soon as I move furniture from one side to the other of the basement I'll finish the tiling and then go back over it with the sanding stone and then it'll be time to grout. I may actually finish the stand before I grout, though, so I can build the wall and then grout the entire floor at once rather than do half at a time. With summer vacation coming up beginning on Tuesday I'll be able to do a lot more! Tony, one question for you, do you remember what kind of pump you had running the return to the tank? I'm trying to figure out what volume of water it can handle and I figure the barracudas will be too much flow. As far as the tang, I wish it looked like that already! It is finally venturing out, though, so I'm hoping that I'll actually get to see it once in a while... and then when the tank is up and running, I'm hoping that it starts to grow and develop the adult colors and pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 6, 2007 Author Share July 6, 2007 Basement's getting closer and so now it's time to really ramp up work on the tank. I'm going to try and build a stand tomorrow afternoon so I can move the tank off of the folding table it's been precariously perched on for the past few months and then finish off the flooring. I'll post some pictures of overall development when I get a chance. Also, I bought another dussumieri tang and am going to see if they can do well together in somewhat cramped spaces and also in lots of space! So far no fighting as yet, they both do some hiding and are very meek... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 July 6, 2007 Share July 6, 2007 do you remember what kind of pump you had running the return to the tank? I think he had a Iwaki 100..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 7, 2007 Author Share July 7, 2007 OK, so I finally began construction on the stand in earnest. I've got the top portion built and somewhat glued, need to put in a few more spacers/supports and put in some lag screws to hold it together, but I could actually be ready to plumb the tank by the end of the weekend if I get time to work on the stand some more! The stand itself is going to be made of 2x6s glued and screwed with a 3/4" plywood strip to make a beam. There are 3 beams that are 84" long that have 9.5" spacers of the same construction. There are 4 of the spacers which is where the 4 legs will go. After speaking with an architect friend of mine I decided to go with 8 total legs that will be made of two 2x6s glued and screwed and the top frame (pictures below) will rest on top and be screwed into the legs. On top of this will be a 3/4" sheet of plywood and then on top of this I have decided to use the same kind of foam that kids playmats are made of (the spongy ones that connect like a puzzle). Since it's only there to account for minor inconsistencies, I figure it will do the trick as well as styrofoam. The stand itself will be 36" tall which will make the tank what I think is the perfect height. Here's the frame being held together by some clamps as I glue the ends together in prep for screwing it together. As you can see, my 6 boxes of Instant Ocean came in handy as it is weighing each end down to keep it as flat as possible as the glue dries. I will still need to put in the 4 supports/spacers in the middle which will be interesting considering I have already glued the edges, but I wanted to make sure it was square before adding those in. Here's a wider view of the thing. As you can see, clutter with kids toys and tools is what dominates my garage... Here's some shots of what my basement looks like with the progress I've made in turning it (as my wife describes my home improvement skills) from a finished basement to an unfinished basement. The tank on a folding table in the corner (keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't collapse the table!). On the right side is one of the sumps that is currently holding my liverock and a 50 gallon stock tank which is holding my fish and a few corals. This is another shot of the one sump and the tray on top. These will be relocated to the back wall and the tray will be put on a stand that goes above the sump. There is another set of the same thing as well that's currently filled with rock from school that is aiptasia infested. Another shot of the room with the tile that I'm installing. It's tricky stuff as it's natural slate. I need to get the stand built so I can move the tank out of the way so I can finish laying the tile and then I can put the grout in. I'm on a big time deadline for getting this stuff done so production has really been ramped up on construction and remodeling... As you can see, the pile of stuff that used to be in front of the tank has made its way onto the tiled area so I can continue laying tile. And now you can actually see the door again and see what the room will look like again when I finish up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbittner July 7, 2007 Share July 7, 2007 Looks like your skimmer is extracting some nasty stuff already too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 7, 2007 Author Share July 7, 2007 Here's some shots of the fish that are living in the 50G stock tank that will become my frag tray later. This guy, by the way, is the lone survivor of the tank fire. Did my best to get a shot of either one of the dussumieri tangs, but neither cooperated. Good news is that on day 2 of my experiment they ignore each other and don't really do much at all except come out to eat. They were actually eating right next to each other, practically touching, and didn't so much as bat a tail at each other. One's a bit lighter than the other, but the other one has been in the stock tank for a few weeks longer so it's gotten darker because of the black sides. Here's some shots of the copperband butterfly which will eventually make its way into my system. Got it at BRK the other day in order to try and solve the aiptasia problem that never seems to go away in the school tanks. I'm going to resurrect some of the old threads that are in the education forum with some other shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 7, 2007 Author Share July 7, 2007 Found a picture of my blenny. He's actually getting neater looking by the day. I guess it's being able to look down at it, but I am starting to see little blue lined patterns all over it that I never saw before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 9, 2007 Author Share July 9, 2007 Worked on the stand again today and I'm almost ready for it to be put together and have the tank set on it. I've got all of the legs cut (I want this to be SUPER SAFE as you'll see soon!) and the top part, which weighs a ton, is in the basement. It's got 12 sets of legs, each of which is made up of either 2x8s, 2x6s, or a combination of the two. Here's some shots of it from today. Here's the top of the stand, flipped over so that the plywood can adhere to the frame. Another shot of the bottom of the top piece. Here's a closer shot of the way the boards are mixed together and where they are placed. Again, another shot of the underside of the top. Here's just the outside frame for the bottom of the stand. The legs will be inside and on top of this piece. Again, nothing is glued or screwed into place, except for the corners which are screwed together. Here's some of the legs. Another shot of the legs. A close up of the legs. Center legs that haven't been mounted yet (will do this tomorrow when it's in the basement). Last shot, another close up of the legs and how they are going to be constructed. There will be additional support legs that go 1 per post with the excpetion of the posts in the middle. According to my architect friend, I've engineered and built a stand that I could park my car on... I'll simply test with a 2, 4, and 6 year old jumping around on the top. I also decided to not go with the foam rubber play mat and instead am using the thick pink foam wall panels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller July 9, 2007 Share July 9, 2007 WOW, Dave, WOW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 July 9, 2007 Share July 9, 2007 Dave, your insane man!!!!! This has got to be the most overbuilt stand EVER!!! Good Job, Safety First!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor July 9, 2007 Share July 9, 2007 wow the stand looks great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger July 9, 2007 Share July 9, 2007 man it must be nice to have the summer off to work on those projects that are 3 years old!!! great pics can't wait till you have it up and running, I think a party is in order for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 9, 2007 Author Share July 9, 2007 Once it's up and running, I'll have a tank tour. There won't be much in the way of coral in it yet, but it'll be up and running! Once the stand is done (today should be the day) then I'll need to reposition the sumps (for which I'll need to build a rack for the two frag trays over the current sumps) and then I can plumb the system. This might take a little bit of time and patience to do, but I'm hoping to be up and running by Friday! I doubt that'll happen, but I have to at the very least get the tank where I want it so I can finish the floor. I'll still need to redo the electrical so that I have enough juice to run this set up, but that should be easy as the utility closet is in the corner of the room where the fish room will go. Dan - I figure the bigger the stand, the less my little "errors" on angles will matter! I can simply sand it down until it's square again! I already went through 5 belts for my new belt sander (gotta love it versus using the palm sander!). Meanwhile, my "safety first" only applies to the strength of the stand! I was out there in flip flops yesterday and a pile of wood fell on my foot, luckily for me I was able to slide my foot out of the flip flop which got smashed down by the pile after I removed my foot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardofNOVA July 9, 2007 Share July 9, 2007 Dave, Good post! Do me a favor and add something to your light over the Sump Tank to hold that light secure so no one knocks it into the water. I agree with the overkill on the stand but it will last! :wink: Looking forward to your tour! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco July 9, 2007 Share July 9, 2007 At least if the "big one" ever hits DC area, you will have shelter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC July 9, 2007 Share July 9, 2007 and we have another entry for the 'tanks with cats' picture-of-the-month contest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay July 9, 2007 Share July 9, 2007 Heh, nice stand design. Better safe than sorry! And I thought I overbuilt mine. Looks like you've got twice the lumber. Mine still weighs over 100 lbs. You should put that thing on a scale when you're done with it. tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 9, 2007 Author Share July 9, 2007 Heh, nice stand design. Better safe than sorry! And I thought I overbuilt mine. Looks like you've got twice the lumber. Mine still weighs over 100 lbs. You should put that thing on a scale when you're done with it. tim Yeah, unfortunately I don't have a scale big enough! Normally I'd simply hold it and see, but since I can't lift the top by myself... Howard - I worry about the same thing with the lights right now, but they're not going to stay that way when I get the stand built. They are sitting on top for the time being until I build the stand and then they will be mounted to the shelving unit I'm going to add. For the time being they're pretty safe as the lip keeps them from slipping, but I'm waiting for a cat to knock it into the water... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 10, 2007 Author Share July 10, 2007 OK, all the parts are in the basement (thanks for the offer Craig, but I got home late from my daughter's swim meet and then had to touch base with a neighbor who helped me move the last piece into the basement) and I'll be assembling it tonight. I should be able to slide it into place and then start working on the stand for the frag trays so I can rearrange the sumps and begin work on the plumbing... Yipee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 July 10, 2007 Author Share July 10, 2007 DOHHHHH!!!! I finished building the stand last night and realized that the top is not exactly level on the bottom! There are some serious gaps between the legs and the stand itself (bad idea to build the top separately and then put it on afterwards, should have built it last on top of the leg assemblies or at least glued it last!). Looks like it also may have warped in the heat the past couple of days as well since I laid it flat on my garage floor when gluing it and it didn't seem to have those inconsistencies (or maybe it's just the side I put the plywood on that's now flat). So, my next options are: Rebuild the top from scratch - not a good option, as Chip said, I've cleaned out the lumber sections at HD and Lowes Find someone with a large planer who will help me plane it down so that it's flat Use some foam under the top - not sure if this is feasible or not Sand it down until it's closer Shim the heck out of it (which I'll have to do regardless in order to balance it) Right now I'm thinking that a combination of 4 and 5 would work, or possibly 3 as well, I would think that the compression would work in between the legs and the top as well without losing lateral support, only problem is I don't want the tank to crack as it compresses due to stress on the seams... I really don't want to rebuild the top... anyone have any other ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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