Marc`s 1k gallon system.

[SuperFudge]

Alright, as i can find some of the pics from close to 2 yrs ago i will try to piece together here my system build from the start.

Please bear with me, it will take some time to get to the present, ill try to speed it up by copy and pasting and re-hosting pics of some of it from somewhere else.

That way Christy and Tony stop yellin at me :P.

It all started with some wood and screws.....lol.

(digging for photo`s...)

[krisalexander]

Mark,
Pretty excited I have heard a lot about your system...Look forward to following along...

Kris

[niloc16]

marc have you ever thought of starting over with maybe a 10 gallon nano?:lol:

[SuperFudge]

Thanks Kris,

Colin, thats a good idea...i probably could get it all fired up and cycled before this one CD of 1700 pic`s finishes downloading on to my PC....theres 2 CD`s.

Omg...i suck on computers.

K...These are the original walls, and the drywall torn off to see what was in store for framing and electrical.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos005.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos016.jpg

This whole wall needed to be torn out and door moved over a few feet...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos010.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos012.jpg



Then, unfinished framing and cut outs....

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos030.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos035.jpg

Damn, you guys may see a potential fish room... i see severe trauma by electrocution, excessive finger crushing, blood loss, fiberglass rash, dust inhalation....

More soon....

[GrimReefer]

this was two years ago and you're still making us wait?? :(

[Delphinus]

Wow ... get in, sit down, buckle-up and hang-on, we're in for a wicked ride! :cool: Awesome, thanks Marc!!!!

[RicePaddy]

These big projects have me thinking about busting out a wall and creating my own custom fish room. This hobby is almost as bad as gambling for draining the bank account.

Will

[SuperFudge]

this was two years ago and you're still making us wait?? :(

About the wait, please bear with me grim...Just until i can sift through some of these 2500 pics on CD, determine what was built when, find the best pics of that portion of the build,send em to my pc, edit them, upload them to photobucket, copy them over to here and type something for you.

lol, i wish i could say that they were all from 2 years ago, i guess i should say heres 2 years of building for you.

It wasnt a normal system build, most of us just bought the tank, reactor, sump, skimmer and canopy.. took me a bit longer.

More pics soon....

[untamed]

No....it looks exactly like two years work to me!

[EmilyB]

Who or what scratched the door.......?:surprise: :lol:

[Dale]

This is great! A lot of people are looking forward to seeing the tank. I know I had to break into your house while you were at work to get a good gander myself.

Sorry about the cracker crumbs BTW.

[SuperFudge]

EmilyB,

Those were from a beautiful golden retriever we once had, the poor thing had to be put in a room if any loud noises happened, for her and everyones safety.
Her name was Kia, she was 100% loveable.
But she had a severe problem with any loud noise..the farm let off pops to scare birds..this would drive her to get away from where ever she was, if it was the back yard at the time, she would try to get under the fence and proceed to get herself stuck until someone got home.
If she was inside she would try to get in any room...just another place.
Thunder storms drove her so insane, sedatives were recommended.but she would not accept them orally she was so distraught when this occured.
Halloween was truly a horror for her, kids with firecrackers and bottle-rockets.
Not to mention backfires, and hogs...

Finally we had to give her to some friends in 100 mile house, to live a quiet life on an acreage in the middle of nowhere. :(

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/OldPics103.jpg

My Pops, showing me what i should have done here...not what i did.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos024.jpg

My Best Bud, doing exactly the same...thanks Jamie, but not for the scare.
( lets just say i stepped out for a second, he flipps off the lights, lays down on the floor in the fetal position with wire cutters in his hand...)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos029.jpg

A new door put in...
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos018.jpg

Framing the oval...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/FishRoomRenos008.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos101.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos104.jpg


....

[SuperFudge]

Then was the tank and sump, (not really in that order..)

The sump was an old fiberglass vat that I had for curing live rock a few years back, it needed some heavy work to make it suitable for the new tank.

I had to repair all the old bulkhead holes, and sand gelcoats off for the areas that needed baffles.
It is 370 gallons.

Sanded...excuse the dust on the camera lense :)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing005.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing006.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing007.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing008.jpg

Then, backing for glassing the baffles in, after waxing it up for later removal.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing009.jpg

then slid back for next baffle...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing010.jpg

Beefin it up abit & patchin holes.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing012.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing013.jpg

Applying internal baffles to steer water over a central point where the heaters were intended to be (still havent placed them there..lol.)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing015.jpg

Then i applied a few more coats of resins and final coats with gel, and then came a bigger fiberglass project....the tank.

...

[niloc16]

is the plywood in the sump just as a template for the fibreglass baffles? in the last picture it looks as though the wood is removed.

[michika]

So very cool! I can't wait for the next set of photos!

[SuperFudge]

Sorry, im slow....I had to make a little wier in my overflow to try and stop these Bangaii Frags from getting sucked into my overflow or skimmer.
Also had to throw together a quick urchin !...well, you can call it a blob of epoxy with gutter gaurd stuck in it if you want to...they still didnt know the difference..:)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/miscrecent035.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/miscrecent038.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/miscrecent046.jpg

The tank, there was a lot of missing pics here....but heres the idea.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos012-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos009.jpg

I wanted a coast to coast external overflow on this one.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos008.jpg

cutting out the weirs...
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos013.jpg

placing the perimeter bracing....and cutting out

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos015.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos021.jpg



Pre- fiberglassing....

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Mixedrenos024-1.jpg




For the sake of getting up to date, ill refrain from all the tid bits of between coats and get to the final coats.....

[SuperFudge]

Resins and glasshave been laid here, and ready to accept final coats of gel with black tint.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/FiberglassReactor023.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/FiberglassReactor021.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/FiberglassReactor017.jpg

Holes drilled (and later capped..lol)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/FiberglassReactor045.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/FiberglassReactor044-1.jpg

Gel and epoxy final coats.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing001.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing003.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing002.jpg


Finishing the fish room, individual equipment builds, plumbing changes (many) still to come...

[michika]

How long did it take to apply the fiberglass?

[christyf5]

Great pics Marc :cool:

Love the epoxy urchin. When I picked up my baby Bangaii from Deb in Calgary he came with an urchin made of plastic cocktail swords zip tied together :razz: I wish I had a pic of it, it was hilarious.

Keep those pics comin, even though I've been to the RC thread its so neat to see them all again :biggrin:

[michika]

Where is this RC thread?

[Jason McK]

Taging along as I don't want to miss anything new.

Were is the pic of Jamie in the fetal position :)

J

[niloc16]

the bengaii frags are so cool. do you have any pics of the 'urchin' setup from a distance

[SuperFudge]

Jason,

I wasnt quick enouph, but it woulda made a classic pic...i remember when he got up, he had sawdust stuck to the side of his face and hat...lol...he laughed and i went to change my drawers.

Michika, im gonna guess it took about 3 weeks for the layups and sanding.

Colin, no pics of the urchin...for the sake of my pride man !.

But, heres a better pic of a single frag :)...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Bangaiifrags010.jpg

Then the canopy,

This i wanted to be enclosed so all heat could be vented outside.
This made for a very large canopy, but it sure has done what i had hoped...2000 watts of halide and no chiller :).

It was made from 2" square Aluminum tube and 1/16 Aluminum sheet.

This was the original set up for VHO and halide, which has been changed to 3x 400w and 3 x 250w and 4 x 65 w PC`s.

But heres the pic`s of it initially....

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/20Canopy_023.jpg


The Black Ballasts were the first Icecap dimmable halide ballasts...these were also traded out, as these later had some problems. (icecap no longer offers them)


The inside sheet was Bowed to allow for directed VHO lighting, but turned out quite usless when i went all halide, except for the fact i could angle the 3-250`s at the rockwork rather than striaght down.

Some tracking was installed for the canopy to slide into the shop, while i worked on the tank.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Canopy039.jpg

It also had to have a door to close up from the shop side when not in use.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Canopy038.jpg

The ductwork for heat removal had to be able to alllow me to open the canopy without having to tract the duct across when open....

open and closed position...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Canopy044.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Canopy043.jpg

sliding open....

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/May25038-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Details168.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/May26004.jpg

In position and on....

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/May25099-1.jpg

Then i wanted to get rid of the light entering the room and get better air movement across all bulbs, so a rubber skirt was put on. (on the canopy, that is ;) )

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots006-3.jpg


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots016-3.jpg


Cheers !

Equipment builds....

[christyf5]

Wow! We're going to have to change your name back to SuperFudge :wink:


Awesome "frag" by the way :mrgreen:

[SuperFudge]

lol, It somehow switched back on me about a year back, i dont know what happened.....now im just plain ol fudge... :(

I think you should work your magic !

:D

[christyf5]

Hehe I remember that. Wasn't there a "password incident" or something :razz:

[SuperFudge]

I promise to only do good with my new powers !

[justinl]

"I promise to only do good"... huh. isn't that what all good guys say right before they go bad? :mrgreen:

[niloc16]

'ol mighty SUPERFUDGE. you should DIY a cape for you to wear while working in your fishroom

[christyf5]

'ol mighty SUPERFUDGE. you should DIY a cape for you to wear while working in your fishroom

and wear your undies on the outside of your pants :razz:

sorry couldn't resist :wink:

[niloc16]

i think a 'borat' swimsuit would go well with the cape.

[michika]

I thought every superhero required either those tall rubber boots or a utility belt! Boots would go best with a Borat-suit!

[KrazyKuch]

lol

[hawk]

What did you use for the exhaust fan?. What is the cfm, cost and where did you get it. Is it very loud?

[SuperFudge]

Hawk,

A top corner was framed off in the room and cased. It was slotted at the top about 1.5" below the ceiling to take the highest heat .
A 6" hole (room dehumidity)and a 4" hole (heat from hood exhaust) were made in the exterior of the house, and originally ducted into a dual squirral fan inside.

The original fan,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots001-1.jpg

Installed without casing, as everything was being dry fitted....Upper left it can be seen.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/CopyofFishRoomRenos005.jpg

Casing and external switching tee, incase i wanted to recover the heat from the halides in the winter.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/TANKSHOTS079.jpg

2x 5" intake ducts were also put in just above floor height to bring in cool air, one on each side of the room.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/TANKSHOTS352.jpg

The squirrel fan i had already rebuilt some years ago, and seemed to get unreliable recently...so it was changed out.

I was very pleased with the fantech inline (4" 115 CFM)(100% dead silent) fan for exhausting the canopy, and wanted to get another inline for the room exhaust, a freind hooked me up with an 8" elicant one.



This thing just about sucks your adams apple out when its on.

Here it is stuffed in there..was a tight fit.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots003-1.jpg

The canopy exhaust is on 24/7, the 8" is wired to a dehumidistat, and kicks on about once every 4-5 hrs at 45% humidity.
When both are on i would guess a total at about 800 cfm of air is being vented outside.

Marc.

[hawk]

It looks like your canopy does a great job in containing the heat and exhausting it before it has a chance to build up. I was almost resigned to buying a chiller for this upcoming summer but I'm going to try making the same type of canopy first. Thanks for the info.

[Ruth]

Marc you rock and one of these days I am going to have to come and see your tank in person (snippers in hand of course). I have read your thread on RC a while ago now and what you with Jamie's help have built is truly amazing.
I like the "Superfudge" tag - you can be my reef hero - rubber skirt and all.

[niloc16]

hey marc since you are talking about dehumidity. what is an ok humidity level for a house or room. the highest mine has reached in the room with the tank has been 56%. but if i run my furnace fan it maintains about 42 - 45% humidity.

[SuperFudge]

Hey, now im truly a superhero (or supernerd) ..i have my own avatar.

Colin, i would guess 50% an average, with adequate air movement no mold or mildew should happen.
This is hard to achieve sometimes with our climate, as were limited to outside humidity. But if some new air is pulled from inside the house it can be dropped somewhat lower than the outside.

Hawk, it works better than i had hoped....but there are some downfalls aswell.
Moving it out of the way can be a PITA sometimes...but hardly a reason for not doing it.
I also didnt like that when i did move it i had no good light to view the tank...so i put up a couple extra reflectors and some old bulbs, so when its moved i just plug them in an existing ballast.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots002.jpg



Thank you Ruth, when you visit ill be sure to wear it. :P



The reactor (Ca++)......Small Deltec Kalk reactor/stirrer mod to follow.

The original reactor was built on the k2r design, with a few changes that i wanted to see.

Saving time again, ill just show the finished product...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Reactor002.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/REACTOR001.jpg

Running...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Miscroom020.jpg

Changed a couple minor things...added a Mazzei effluent valve

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Tankshots295.jpg


All in all, it worked fine....but in the end wasnt really happy with the design, i now realize i dont like downflow style.
Aswell, it pumped out too much P04 for my liking.

So i ended up buying a bigger reactor, so i could also get some p04 remover in there aswell as some Mg supplement in there.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots016-1.jpg

Marc.

[christyf5]

Love the avatar Marc :razz:

That last reactor pic is pretty impressive. I like the idea of adding the extra chambers for other media. Smart idea :biggrin:

[justinl]

hahaha awesome avatar.

beer always makes projects go more smoothly. Im a sleeman's fan myself.

[SuperFudge]

A couple of small projects,

The Stirrer was a simple mod,

If you look at the top flange set of the old ca reactor in the pics above, you can see where the new stirrer body came from. :)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/CleaningHead017.jpg

I just hacked the top half off and replaced the bottom, and routed out the flange to accept the motor casing off the old stirrer.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/CleaningHead018.jpg

All i really did here was increase the body size so it could accept more kalk without bogging down the stirrer too much.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/CleaningHead021.jpg

You know your in a sad state when you take a Deltec and make it into a DIY. :D

The reseviour,

This was an old 220 plexi that had a corner blown out of it...so i repaired it and put it into use.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/AquaScaping018.jpg

I wanted to keep it simple and use only one pump for mixing and pumping to the tank.

In this pic`s lower left you can see the valves used to do this.
When they are in the position shown, the pump inside is feeding up through and back into the res for mixing.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/AquaScaping581.jpg

Then when waters needed i just have the valves oppposite to what is shown, then it uses the same pump to push water into the sump after a water change.

Also in this pic you can see a small blue valve....this is plumbed into the intake of the pump, this was done becuase the feed to the sump is running along the floor back up over the sump edge.
I didnt want water to go stagnant in this line when not in use....so this small line acts as a venturi, when the water change is done, i open the small blue valve and it suck all the unused water out of the lines running along the floor.


Many Projects yet to come....

[untamed]

Can you provide some details on those vaccuum hoses that are hanging on the side of your mixer? It looks like you've got a powerhead hooked up to one, and they both have union fittings on one end...I would love to see how these work because I need to create something like that myself.

[krisalexander]

Marc enjoying the ride, I am learning more on this thread, than if I were paying attention in class instead of reading this!
Also that is a hilarious quote at the bottom of your signiture.

Keep it coming,

Kris

[demon666]

this is a great thread giving me many ideas for when i move and redesign my setup

[blaster]

Ya those vacuum hoses interest me also.Its to hard to get into my sump to siphon.A mark mod would be great.By the way thxs for sharing your ideas.

[mark]

Any pictures of setting and sealing of the viewing panels?

[SuperFudge]

Untamed & Blaster,

I have the opposite end of the union attached to a bulkhead fitting in the side of my sink.

One set is for siphoning the tank, one set is for vacuming the sump.
Since the sump is too low to start a siphon one was made seperate.
It was just attached to the intake of a mag 5, so i could suck it out, but then i can still use the same union on the sink.
I just did it this way so the line stays in the sink when im pulling on it all the time as i walk around the tank with it.
I made the union high enouph in the sink to use a gravel trap before entering to the drain.

Mark,

Unfortunatley i didnt take pics of mine, maybe if jamie see`s this he can find a few pics of the same type of install we did on his window.
All i remember is like using 7 caulking tubes on the face pane....

Dual closed loop w/OM 4 way`s .
Ill put this one on as it still may help others with idea`s, but i no longer use this on the system.

When the tank was being built, i placed 10 holes in the perimeter bracing to accomodate 8 Closed loop outlets and 2 for the main system feed lines.
These were each a Sequence 5800 fed to its own Ocean motions 4way.
I didnt want these lines fed on the backside of the overflow, so the line ran back up through the overflows to the 4 way`s.

Some pics of that all being set up...
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Tankshots066.jpg

The loops plumbing had to bend so it was somewhat straight when it came up through the old walkway, because the walkway was still removeable at this point.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Details116.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Tankshots193.jpg

The outputs and the OM`s still had to all sit as flush to the tank so the canopy could slide in and out.
But the OM`s needed still to be at the high point of these loops, so when i did need to open the OM`s, i didnt have to drain the loops everytime.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Details122.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Tankshots074.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Details142-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Details141.jpg


I wasnt happy for long with this set up due to a couple reasons,

-Heat....3 degrees per pump difference.
-clutter...i hated leaning over on the plumbing while worked on the tank.
-noise...by far that was the noisiest part of the whole system.
as much as i loved the OM`s i dont miss opening them up either.
I felt as though this were also a weak part of the system, due to the fact the intakes for the pumps were low, and i had nightmares of a pump housing cracking or a pipe let loose...draining the entire system.
I also wanted a more permantent walkways that also wrapped around the side of the tank aswell.

I loved the movement it offered however, aswell as the "in tank" views was overall cleaner.

The substitute....

I opted to use wavy-sea`s with tunze`s attached to them.
Heres how i attached them together,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/finishingtouches042.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/finishingtouches043.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/May25098.jpg

At this time a pair of waveboxes was also added, to help pick up detritus off the floor.

I am very happy with the change and glad i switched it, heat was drastically reduced, the system actually became more simple.
Aswell, combining the variable flow from the tunzes and variable movement of the wavy-sea`s made for the most adjustable and versatile flow patterns that i have seen.

Marc.

[untamed]

Untamed & Blaster,

I have the opposite end of the union attached to a bulkhead fitting in the side of my sink.

But the OM`s needed still to be at the high point of these loops, so when i did need to open the OM`s, i didnt have to drain the loops everytime.

I wasnt happy for long with this set up due to a couple reasons,

-Heat....3 degrees per pump difference.
-clutter...i hated leaning over on the plumbing while worked on the tank.
-noise...by far that was the noisiest part of the whole system.
as much as i loved the OM`s i dont miss opening them up either.
I felt as though this were also a weak part of the system, due to the fact the intakes for the pumps were low, and i had nightmares of a pump housing cracking or a pipe let loose...draining the entire system.
I also wanted a more permantent walkways that also wrapped around the side of the tank aswell.

Marc.


Bulkhead the sink! What a brilliant idea!! That will be done pretty soon at my place for sure.

OM's a the highest point. I'm not certain that I could have done that...but I never thought to do it, either. Draining them for service is certainly annoying.

Nighmares...Thanks for sharing that one. I don't think I'll be sleeping so good for the next little while...

[SuperFudge]

Sorry...im slow i know, being sick this weekend allowed me to have time to scour for pics.


The largest amount of time and effort was put into the skimmer(s).
Always an ongoing saga for me, on this system it started here....

The first trial was another single beckett injected skimmer similar in size to a Bullet 3.
This one i knew was a bit undersized at the time, so an experiment was done using a single housing, but 2 becketts in it.
This one also had a spray bar to clean the neck, a later scrapped idea.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing018.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Finshing017.jpg

To be honest, i dont think that one even got anymore than tested before another was built.

The next one i wanted to try several idea`s, I hated most venturi`s becuase of the too small holes in them...so i wanted to make my own type.

These i made out of solid acrylic, so i could see if they got plugged or not.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Skimmer002.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Miscroom047.jpg

Here is how i tested them,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/may7021-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/may7020-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/may7015.jpg

The skimmers injector housing had to be removable to continuously change and test these, aswell as injector tower hieghts.

Here`s a version with 2 of them,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Skimmer009.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/may7034.jpg

These were being tested while the skimmer had no change in neck diam and no cup to speak of.
In these pics you can see i just bulkheaded the top, and it just spit the foam out the side. :D

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/may7031.jpg

Then another injector was added ,aswell as heightened injector towers.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/may7037.jpg

And an auto shut off.... good testing requires that you flood out your house several times during your build before making one of these.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Miscroom012.jpg

Then, for some unknown reason, i had to play more...

[SuperFudge]

I later was able to make a cup and neck, but at this time i wanted the skimmer to recirculate, use 4 injector`s, and raise the injector column height.

I took the previous idea of single house for multiple becketts, and stuffed 4 of them in a single 5 " diam housing.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/May25003.jpg

Becketts proved to be easier to work with, and less time consuming so was finally all put together here.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/May25058-1.jpg


Last but not least, actually..probably not last either. :)

Was as my fellow reefer Tony dubbed it, "Dalek" a monster Dual dart meshwheel skimmer.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Skimmer048.jpg

Most of its build was posted here.

http://216.187.96.54/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=30974

Marc.

[SuperFudge]

Almost forgot,

I made a self cleaning head a few weeks back aswell,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/SKimmer007-5.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Misc001.jpg

heres a crappy vid i did with the camera, excuse the poor quality.


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/th_Skimmerhead.jpg (http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/?action=view&current=Skimmerhead.flv)

Marc.

[christyf5]

OMG that is just amazing!!! Man, your DIY skills continue to astound me :eek:

[Joe Reefer]

What will you think of next, An auto-cleaner for the auto-cleaner.:mrgreen:
Seriously good job.

[Phanman]

Jeez mark... your insane, thats awesome... now come over and build me an exact replica of everything!!!! LOL.

[Delphinus]

Man you think of everything. That's awesome.

Ok .. I have to pester you for some details .. :p What's the motor? What material is the wiper thingymabob?

[SuperFudge]

Tony,

The motor is a 4 rpm that i swiped out of a small rotating nano tank that i had sitting here for a year.
it is almost identicle to a BBQ rotissery set up.

I used a bearing set that i routed and inset into the center of the lid.

The squeeges (sp?) are a windsheild wiper replacement blade cut down and held with an acrylic fork that hugs the inside and out of the neck of the skimmer.

Marc.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

And to think I'm intimidated by the DIY coil denitrator! :redface:

[niloc16]

marc, i think of you as a good friend and a saltwater guru, but buddy i think you may be insane :lol: . just kidding. amazing job as usual. you never seize to amaze us. i cant believe you are already thinking of building another skimmer.

[Dragonsteeth]

IS this a "roll up the rim to win" contest prize?

[SuperFudge]

marc, i think you may be insane .

I think you could be right, i think both of me might be....

We`ll be at the looney bin if anyone needs us....


:P

[Jason McK]

Looks Great Marc, So when do they go in to production.

You coudl call them SuperFudge Skimmers

J

[Dale]

I just have to say I checked out Marcs set up the other day and that skimmer really is awsome! We both fit in it perfectly and it felt just like a hot tub.

Sorry about spilling the nachos though...

[Ruth]

Marc you continue to amaze! You do more things than the rest of us even think about - even the rubber skirt super hero stuff!:biggrin:

[Fish]

Incredible!!!

It's awesome that we have a Canadian reefer with DIY skills like these. Do you post on the other sites too?

- Chad

[SuperFudge]

Thanks guys,


Jason, problem is, id have a total market of size of about 1, and thats providing that he/she is deranged as i am. :P

Superfudge skimmers...lol, "removing superfudge since ... "

Dale, your really scaring the crap out of me man.
It wasnt so bad , but the speedo`s and goggles were totally uncalled for. :D
Dont worry about the nacho`s...the skimmer pulled em out before you were even finished spilling them. :P

Ruth & Fish Thanks, even without the added bonuses of a fun DIY project and a greatly improved skimmer, it makes all the projects worth the time and effort when i hear comments like that, Thank-you.

Fish, i do post on RC, but im a bit of a lurker there...i think ive been a member for almost 8 years there, and made about 120posts....lol.
Marc.

[Lucky Strike]

I think i could be that 1 deranged person. I am interested in the exact products that you used to coat the fiberglass (gel coats/epoxys~as you stated~vaguely), and if you used epoxy resin or polyester resin to do the fiberglass work. I am making a system similar to yours, but different dims, and the more specific you can be in this area, the more confident i will be about doing the same to my own system, and it will be of greater assistance. I have sent you a pm as well. I know it takes a lot of time and patience to document / post, and anwser everyones questions. For that i am truely greatful.

[SuperFudge]

Dan,

Sorry so slow to respond.

Wow, that would be truly a wonder to see a tank that big.
Anyways, ill try to also answer your questions from the PM aswell.

On the tank, i used both types of resins...for several reasons.
All the initial layups were done with polyester type resins (unwaxed), this was becuase i wanted time....with polyester there is no need to layup the next coats before or at the "gel" stage as is required of epoxy type resins.
I also did this during late fall, it also allowed me the most play in drying times with the use of different amounts of catalyst....also not allowed with epoxy.

This allowed me to get a very thick overall moisture barrier that is very strong...totally uncalled for it seems compared to what others are doing with their plywood tanks, but i wanted to sleep at night.

With polyester, the actuall moisture barrier comes with the use of a product called gelcoat, this is another polyester resin that is tinted for the final stages of your product....boat builders use this to finish the final stages.
It is also required becuase it is waxed, all layers of polyester never truly "set" without the waxed portion....this is why polyester is more flexible than epoxy here.

After the final waxed gelcoats, i sanded, and applied tinted epoxies (a few additional topcoats....also tinted incase i sanded through gelcoats)
This was done because epoxy is superior in moisture resistance to polyester.
Keep in mind, the two only work together if epoxy is the top coats, therefore polyesters cannot be laid over epoxy.
Any additional work i do to the tank, will always be epoxy now as i cannot go back.

I couldnt recomend urchins, but your guess is as good as mine here regarding the acryic protective layer. i think my concern is water getting trapped underneath and becoming anoxic....doubtful, as a lot were using the same type application with the starboard.

"Long term durabilty" Hmm, to be honest i am unsure, i would expect to match any glass tank of today...i would guess 10 yrs before a drain and an inspection...shorter on a thinner moisture barrier.
Its been just shy of 2 yrs on this one and im sure its as good as the day i finished it, with the exeption of fading on the euro brace due to the lighting.

Hope that got most of your questions answered, And WELCOME to Canreef !

Marc.

[SuperFudge]

The rockwork,


I wanted very open structures with less rock.
This requires way too much patience on my part to wait for corals to fill in the bare spots....but i think the end result will be what i am shooting for, with more corals and less rock in the views...But even after almost a couple years i still can see alot of the original pipe....owell its coming i guess.
With a goal of a dedicated SPS system, i felt it was also important here to be able to acsess all detritus and keep waterflow as much as possible in all areas.

I probably ended up with about 300 lbs total, a little over 1/2lb per gal. theres about 250lbs in the display, the rest in the sump.

I started trying to draw what i wanted to see while the tank was being built, it was important to me to know what i wanted before finishing building. i fiberglassed tabs in certain spots on the back walls and floor of the tank to help give me this open look without the additional rock support that it would have needed otherwise.

The tabs that were applied for this:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/1557Gelcoat_016.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/1557Gelcoat_008.jpg

There were 10 in total, including a few that were put on the bottom.

Starting the pvc structure:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Details165.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/1557Details_166.jpg

Started to pile rock in:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/venturi017.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/venturi016.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/venturi015.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/venturi014.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/venturi013.jpg

Finally, starting to cover it all up, and toying with different pieces:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Rockwork014.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Rockwork041.jpg

............

[SuperFudge]

Some of it was pretty labour intesive requiring a couple holes in most of the rock...and if it didnt fit right i drilled more...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/AquaScaping235.jpg


From the first top down view you can see a half arch, with one end suspended. On this arm i wanted to have it continue up to or even sticking out of the water line.
I didnt want too much weight on this arch, so some of the rockwork was hung from the euro brace to come down and meet the existing rock halfway.

hanging part:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/AquaScaping254.jpg

Putting top half on first...i know it looks halarious at this point:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/AquaScaping239.jpg


Its not quite finished here, but roughed in atleast.


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Tankshots341.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Tankshots317.jpg


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Tankshots313.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Tankshots219.jpg

Finally, top & bottom connected and it growing in eveeeeeer so slowly :(.
Again, from a number of months ago, i hope to have a few more recent ones soon...aswell as some more corals to help fill it all in.


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/AquaScaping011.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots090.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots088.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots101.jpg

Marc.

[Jason McK]

The amount of thought and planning that went into your tank never stops amazing me. With each post I'm even more blown away

J

[Chin_Lee]

OK that self cleaning head video just made my jaw drop. Marc can you take close up pics please????? I need to incorporate that into my new skimmer design.

[Skimmerking]

NOT BAD I GUESS:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[woodcarver]

Marc , Incredible !! I think you should be Prime Minister or failing that, King !!!!

....................................Dave

[justinl]

wow. amazing. dude, you are freakin brilliant

[Lucky Strike]

Marc,
Thanks very much for taking the time to anwser my questions with so much detail. it is truely apperciated.

when doing the epoxy resin top coats, did you add anymore layers of fiberglass, or was it just topcoats?
whats your feeling on sanitred and why didnt you use it

Thanks again for helping me soo much. I feel alot better about using fiberglass and resins.

[danny zubot]

Wow, thats all I have to say. I know who I'm gonna call next time I venture out west.

Any chance you could back up a bit and take a shot of the whole tank? Maybe get something in the photo to show the scale of this beast?

[Funky_Fish14]

Marc,

I must say, your system is probably one of the best thought-out I have yet to see around. It has alot of the primary features I've thought of or considered adding to any future upgrades for myself, and more, and you've managed to make them all work so well together.

I have only two questions:

1. The tank's 'body'(the wood frame/sides) does not appear to have much bracing or be very heavy? And the plywood doesnt look to be extremly thick, I would guess at maybe 5/8... 3/4" at most? What are the dimensions of the 'main' tank?

2. I notice on your (ingenous ofcourse) self-cleaning head for the skimmer, you 'squeegee' both sides of the cup neck, both inside the neck, where the column of foam rises, and also in the cup itself, where the foam would simply pass over the edge causing the bubbles to pop and skimmate to fall into the cup. Skimmate buildup in the cup itself I wouldnt think would affect the skimmate production? Aside for on the top rim itself, and maybe 1/4" down into the cup itself on the neck? Also, does your cleaner target the top lip or rim of the neck at all? Im sure the second squeegee inside the cup however would add stability to the 'tool' itself as it rotates as well?

Thank-you for entertaining my questions!

And thank-you very much for sharing your system here with everyone! Im sure your ideas have helped motivated many people in here and possibly helped solve some of their problems!

Cheers,

Chris

[Snappy]

Marc,
I don't know how the heck I missed this thread and the one on Reef Central but I am definately watching now. As Christy said I must have been living under a rock. Anyway this set up is absolutely fabulous. I knew you had a great tank but I didn't know it was to this extent. You are truly an inspiration to the "humble little reef" people like myself. I will definately be looking you up when I'm headed to the coast this summer. Maybe I can trade some frags for a tour.:wink: To heck with nominating you for FTOTM you should be Featured Tank Of The Year (maybe the decade).

[SuperFudge]

Thank you guys...ill apologize again for being so slow.

Chin, ill fire a few up this sunday..i have been revamping it to work a little better and ive takin a bunch of pics of how its being done.


Lucky, no, i didnt use any fiberglass beyond the polyester layers.
I am sorry i am unsure what sanitread is.

Danny, thank you..ill get a couple for you on sunday when i have a chance to update on the self cleaning head.
Ill see if i can bribe my daughter to stand beside it to show scale for you..at 16, she`s much too cool for fish tanks..but ill see what i can do. :)

Funky,

The ply is 3/4" on the bottom, back and sides. euro bracing aswell as exterior bracing was used to achieve the rigidness i wanted to see.
On the front, the ply is laminated to 1.5" thick, and i bet stronger than most glass tanks.

Sludge buildup on the inside of the neck on most skimmers i built or used extends to about 4" down on the inside of the neck and in my experience greatly reduces skimmate production, i felt this was the most important feature of the whole unit.
I can watch production improve after the first pass with the squeege.
If you were refering to the outside of the neck, yes, it doesnt help with production, but was important for two reasons.
First i always watch here to guage the skimmate production and adjust accordingly, so i like it clean so i can watch this daily.
second and most important, it stabilizes the whole rotation of the unit and keeps both squeeges clamped against the neck while rotating.
It was very difficult to build everything by hand and get it precise enough to rotate exactly on center of the neck, so there needed to be a little play here.

The things to consider when i was building for this were many :
The lid for the cup had to be drilled and routed dead center for the bearing and motor casing or the pivot would be off center.
The outer groove routing where it seats onto the cup had to be precise, so the center hole wasnt shifted in any way.
The neck had to be dead center coming up from the base of the cup so the cleaning head would spin freely.

all considered, i was about 1/8" out after all pieces where placed together, and i hoped the squeege flex would absorb this difference while spinning.

One day, i would love to have a CNC....

I will explain what i have changed recently on the head when i next update on sunday.

Greg,

Sure, id be glad to give you a tour...and yes FRAG TRADES are always a bonus !

thanks all, Marc.

[untamed]

Beautiful....

I'm thinking about your wiper skimmer neck cleaner. You have it on a manual switch, are you running it constantly...on a timer...or just manually whenever you think it needs it?

If it runs only now and then, doesn't the inside wiper push off a big goober that falls into the skimmer? Or just this goober get pushed out the top by bubbles?

[SuperFudge]

Untamed, yes, until i can make the cleaning arm that im satisfied with ill just be plugging it in until clean.

If left for a day or two, yes a goober will fall into the skimmer...but with a working unit theres no reason this should happen.
When i im done, ill place it on the controller for like a minute for every hour.

this is the new head, but i went backwards on the arm portion on this one.
This one i used a rubber brush...It cleans better, but after about 2 passes it has taken all the water off, and starts to stick due to the rubber heating a little...

Anyways, 1 step forward and 2 steps back it seems...atleast the actuall motor portion of the head works better on this one.

Heres some pics of this one..

Inset bearing,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals023.jpg

Guts,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals024.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals025.jpg

Motor mount and body,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals028.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals031.jpg

Starting the casing,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals034.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals035.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals036.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals040.jpg

The key hole shaped cleats to hold it all in and to make removing the motor easy.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals041.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals042.jpg

The whole head,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals054.jpg

Here was a test one....you can see how it hugs the neck...unfortunatly heres where its hard to make one that works well, too loose and it misses spots and too tight it jams...but you get the idea.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals043.jpg

Finished, but not....lol.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Skimmer044.jpg


Marc.

[Skimmerking]

Marc why not buy a course brush like a long tooth brush or, a coated wire brush and attach it to the acrylic where you claneing is..

just a thought

[SuperFudge]

Marc why not buy a course brush like a long tooth brush or, a coated wire brush and attach it to the acrylic where you claneing is..

just a thought

Asmodeus,
Ive tried a few types of brshes already, but i would like on the next try to use one with longer bristles..like 2 " ones. it seems when i try to make it using shorter brushes, the needles get too rigid and jam it up.

Marc.

[SuperFudge]

Had a chance to make a new head with longer brushes....it is bigger than all the others, but works the best.


Another crappy vid if anyones interested.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/th_Skimmer002.jpg (http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/?action=view&current=Skimmer002.flv)

[Jason McK]

Just too cool

J

[Snappy]

I wouldn't call that a crappy video. Mark that is an amazing idea and an impressive execution of your plan.
Way cool buddy!!

[Zylumn]

Great DIY execution of a top notch idea.
Instead of

Another crappy vid if anyones interested.


it should read

Another crap remover vid if anyones interested.

Kevin

[SuperFudge]

lol, Thanks Guys.

Im such a DIY addict that id like to try a couple at different sizes, and refine them a bit...anyone wanna lend me theyre skimmers to wreck ?

:D

[fastfish]

Wow, you are a DIY king! :biggrin:

[marie]

lol, Thanks Guys.

Im such a DIY addict that id like to try a couple at different sizes, and refine them a bit...anyone wanna lend me theyre skimmers to wreck ?

:D

You could borrow mine . I don't anything could make it skim worse :lol:

[Redrover]

Marc this is truly amazing...Stunning compared to my little 120, thanks a
bunch for all your help putting my system together. I enjoyed the visit to see
your amazing fish room..a few pops hit the spot. Can't wait to see the new
skimmer.
Laterrrrrrrr Bud

[Redrover]

Marc thanks for your hospitality...enjoyed the day along with a few pops
Thanks again...great looking tank...impressed
Laterrrrrrrrr; RJ

[Redrover]

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k81/Redrover_02/DSCN0322.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k81/Redrover_02/DSCN0321.jpg

Marc here's a couple of pic's of your tank...taken at your tank tour a few months back...great time was had by all...along with a few cold pop's

[michika]

Wow Mark, I think you've been holding out on us! I think you need to share more photos with us.

Redrover, your photos are beautiful. Were these also done with your new camera?

[Redrover]

No Catherine...taken with the old one...still trying figure out all the bells / whistles on the new one...get the old one back in about a month

Thanks...Laterrrrrrrrrrr: RJ

[Delphinus]

Hey Marc,

Whatcha using for lighting these days? Really dig the colours coming out of those tank tour pictures. :)

[fortheloveofcrabs]

Like Wow...

Understatement of a lifetime: "Nice tank"

[Snappy]

those are great pictures but to really appreciate this tank it must be seen in person. You da man Marc!

[Redrover]

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k81/Redrover_02/DSCN0102.jpg

SuperFudge [ Marc ] at work:grab:

[SuperFudge]

Ok, lets push that pic right off the page. :redface:


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals201.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals366.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals079.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals254.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals147.jpg

:D

[Delphinus]

Sigh. Man I wish I could do a system 1/10th as nice as yours. Awesome Marc, simply awesome. :cool:

[michika]

Wow! That is just simply amazing!

[blaster]

Thats why when mark talks i listen.

[SuperFudge]

Thank you guys,

I posted these few in the lets see them thread, but ill just put them here aswell for my journal.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals336.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals364.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/coralshots057.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/coralshots049-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/coralshots005.jpg

Ive been takin a few photo`s, so ill post some more today hopefully.

[SuperFudge]

Heres a few more.



Bubble gum under actinics.


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/coralshots028-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/coralshots019-2.jpg

A night time end view

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/coralshots029-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals345.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals334.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals009.jpg

[niloc16]

looking sweet buddy. i love looking at pics of your setup. corals are looking really good.

[christyf5]

Ok, lets push that pic right off the page. :redface:






http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/aquascapeandcorals079.jpg





All great photos but I found this one just awesome!! So cool seeing all those fish pile in there for dinner :biggrin:

[Redrover]

Great looking Pic's...Tank looks awsome:drinking:
Sorry about the pic...cleaning out folders...decided to stick in you Journal before I sent it to the trash bin

[georgiab]

Very nice yellow tangs lol.... Your tank is amazing marc...

[cjs4873]

Hi Marc,
I live in the UK and just come a cross your tank on RC and followed it here.
Joined this forum after reading this thread from start to now, to say a couple of things.....

1. your tank is off the chart m8 totally stunning.
2. you are a DIY legend.
3. if my tank is a 10th as good as your I'll be well happy.

thanks for a great read

[fiorano]

i just wanted to ask did everything go silky smooth with your tank when you built and cycled it and stuff? you already are a legend but if you got this huge tank tamed without issue you must be a fish whisperer hahahahaha. because im pretty sure most of us know that if something can go wrong with a reef it has a nasty habit of doing so hahha in my case anyway. and your tank and setup is amazing :)

[mseepman]

Any new updates on your tank? Always interested to see what your latest project is.

[JDigital]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

I can't believe I never found this thread before... Truly amazing build.

[Chowder]

I have heard that the system was sold.

[reptile guy]

yep unfortunately no longer up and running. Was a great tank unfortunate how things go sometimes

[Aquatek]

Just wanted to bring this one back to life. A build everyone needs to see.

[philg3]

props on bumping this thread, I hadnt come across it yet and wasted my whole morning at work reading through.

DIY Legend

[tang daddy]

Me, Jason and Chris got a chance to see this tank a long time ago, I remembered when the 4 of us was standing on the cat walk around the tank, pretty impressive for a board able to hold 4 big guys without even flexin....

This was the first largest and probably best diy tank ever made, also the skimmer was impressive, something you see in the Vancouver aquarium.... 4 dart for a skimmer that stands 5' tall is somewhat jaw dropping even in it's time....

Marc went through something like 2 buckets of salt a month and the electricity was somewhere around $150 a month on the tank alone....

WOW!!