The LAST big upgrade

[michika]

As requested I'm making a separate thread to document our last big upgrade from our current 180g grow out tank (http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=40757) to a ~450g display system in the basement of our Calgary home.

We have decided that we are upgrading to a 10ft long by 2ft tall by 3ft deep glass in-wall tank. Right we we have decided on a coast to coast overflow in the back which will probably only have a depth of 6-10" depending on the plumbing.

Our goal is to light this tank with a combination of MHs and T5s. Part of our decision to go 3ft deep rather then the original 4 ft is the opportunity to reduce the number of MHs/T5s we require (and the electricity bills),

We got a quote back on the stand, and are just waiting on some details before officially placing our order. I'm amazed at the price quoted, and after some checking around, I don't think we'll do better for quality, price, or service. I'm feeling pretty confident on placing this order. At least with a stand on hand we can fit it into place while the renos are ongoing, with minimal worries over it getting damaged.

The tank will also have a sump, refugium, frag grow out tank, frag QT, and fish QT systems. We also have plans to encorporate an auto-water change system. We expect most everything to be run off our Reef Keeper Elite.

I have budgeted about $10-$15K for the build and stocking of this tank from start to finish. We also expect to pay an additional $300-$500 per month in maintenance costs, electricity, water, supplies, etc.

On January 11th, 2009 we made the first physical steps towards renovating our basement. Really by renovating I mean actually making it functional because its one of those 1950s basements with nothing in it.

This is the outlined area where the tank will be sitting. It will share the same room as our entertainment area. We plan to have two panes visible, the front, and the right side.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0424.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0806-1.jpg

[Leah]

That will be amazing:mrgreen:

[lastlight]

Exciting! Will you assemble this tank yourself?

[fishytime]

Well its about time!:lol: j/k You will definitely not be disappointed with the stand...if you decide to go with him. Did I show you guys the blue metal flake stand he did at the shop? Its one pimped-out metal stand.:biggrin:

[michika]

Well its about time!:lol: j/k You will definitely not be disappointed with the stand...if you decide to go with him. Did I show you guys the blue metal flake stand he did at the shop? Its one pimped-out metal stand.:biggrin:

We're pretty firm on going with him, just need a time-line on when it could be ready, and to discuss some details about how to get it into our basement.

You'll have to show me on Saturday. I totally want some randomly coloured stand now.

Exciting! Will you assemble this tank yourself?

Probably, we are still 50/50 on if we will or not. Either way it has to come into the house in pieces through one of the basement windows, and must be assembled on site.

[dkcrx]

thats going to be a great setup, can't wait to see he progress.

[Skimmerking]

congrats Catherine glad to hear it and glad to hear that your tank is doing alot better... lord knows the time and effort you have put into it and the losses too.

[Murminator]

You have to much money :razz:

[michika]

You have to much money :razz:

Never!

[Lance]

You have to much money :razz:


She won't after she stocks that baby! :wink:

Good for you Catherine! Can't wait to see it up and running.

[karazy]

so whats the approximate clam count for this tank? 50 or 60? :lol:

[Delphinus]

That's gonna be a whole lotta salt!!

[Boomboy]

this is going to be an amazing tank, i wish i lived in calgary now just to see this. i guess everything will be cheaper now that you have to order everything by the crate:lol::lol::lol:

[michika]

so whats the approximate clam count for this tank? 50 or 60? :lol:

Easily...if not more! :lol::lol:

i guess everything will be cheaper now that you have to order everything by the crate:lol::lol::lol:

Hahah, yeah, I plan on it!

[i have crabs]

so whats the approximate clam count for this tank? 50 or 60? :lol:

beat me to it, at least the clam farms will be happy about this news

[fishytime]

Hey...maybe you should nudge Kevin to order some more clams in:wink:

Your avatar made me giggle Cory.

[digital-audiophile]

Going to be a kick ass setup. I can't wait to see this come together!

[mseepman]

It looks like it will be a great setup...I'm assuming that you'll have a bit of a fish room behind the tank...how big will it be and what will the setup be like?

[Parker]

Looks good Catherine, but don't lie to us. The LAST big upgrade? Really, common now. You can lie to yourself and you can lie to your friends but you can't lie to us. We all live with the same disease. :mrgreen:

[fishytime]

:lol:

[Rbacchiega]

I like Corn.




on a side note, I look forward to this build. Let me know if you need any help with anything along the way!

[Dez]

Hello Catherine....

Any diagrams of set up, fish room etc? I still vividly remember where you lived here in Edmonton and one of the reef meets we had at your place! Calgary is where I grew up, a good place for you to end up :). Looking forward to this build.

Have you considered making your stand out of wood, I'm sure that would save a ton, and shouldn't have any problems if built/designed right.

Cheers,

Des

[michika]

Looks good Catherine, but don't lie to us. The LAST big upgrade? Really, common now. You can lie to yourself and you can lie to your friends but you can't lie to us. We all live with the same disease. :mrgreen:

Shhhh its a SECRET!

I like Corn. I like cheese.... I knew I liked you!


Yes we do plan to have a dedicated fish room. It will house everything, and my dream of finally not having fish stuff all over our basement will come true! I think the tentative footprint on it now is like 8ftx12ft ish. Its our old basement bathroom that never should have been a bathroom in the first place. The only thing its leaving behind is the well placed floor drain!

We still have to do some work on getting a humidex, or installing an HVAC system into the house, whichever will be better longer term I guess.

I have a notebook that is FILLED with diagrams, although as to if anyone can decipher them...that is a whole other story!

I've never not had a wooden stand, so I guess it really is something to ponder. I just worry about the weight over time, plus the fact that this stand will probably have to be constructed and brought into the hosue in two pieces.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

I like cheese....




Ahhhhhhh!!! LOL...Don't say that! :)

I animated a character once for a show I was working on and ALL he said was that he liked cheese...and chocolate milk. It was terrible...absolutely terrible....



Going to be fun to watch this one come along!

[JDigital]

Corn? Cheese? Animated Characters?........... What the heck! I thought this was Canreef... :der:


Looking forward to this catherine... We should race, see who can finish first! :lol: At the very least, bounce some idea's back and forth!

[michika]

So I have this dilemma and I need some input.

Two of my "must have" tangs were, and maybe still are, available to me, a bariene tang, and marculiceps tangs. So the question is, do adopt them? This is killing me, and if I do it, I have to pull that trigger tonight.

[fishytime]

Well that would certainly light a fire under build huh? I could look into it to see if we can get them in for you at a later date?....If that helps?

[michika]

I'd like that a lot.

I've decided it will probably best if I pass on these fish right now, as much as it is kililng me to do so, its the right thing to do.

[michika]

I'm REALLY pushing for this tank to come online in September/October right now. I'm thinking we'll have all summer to work on it, and we can really focus on the tank itself when it gets cold out.

So we have started our three part plan, which I'm trying, I'm not sure how successfully though, to get three parts moving at once, 1) get a stand, just have to order it, 2) finish the basement demo, and 3) start collecting rock to cycle.

I'm also looking at the UFA catalog to hopefully order our final water mixing/holding containers. I'm also trying to find one of those rubbermaid troughs to either look at using for a sump, fuge, or frag tank.

**Edit
In case anyone is looking, this (http://www.ufa.net/PDFFiles/OrangeBook2009/GrainForageProduction.pdf) is the UFA catalog link to those poly water storage container on page 182. You can also go here (http://www.ufa.net/PDFFiles/OrangeBook2009/Livestock.pdf), to look at some troughs that look to be similar to the rubbermaid ones we keep seeing, also from the UFA catalog, these ones are on page 3.

[Rbacchiega]

The UFA out in strathmore carries them on a regular basis...or they can order them in for you if you need.

[wickedfrags]

I used a rubbermaid trough for my initial large tank set-up becuase I thought it made sense, and I saw it on the net....I have since removed it from use but keep it around for flex space in the event of an emergency. Found it was ineffective due to it's shape, inability in install baffles and clean, and it was just plain ugly compared to a glass/acrylic sump (or refugium). This was just me, but consider making your own sump or buying one.

[QUOTE=michika;408829]I'm also looking at the UFA catalog to hopefully order our final water mixing/holding containers. I'm also trying to find one of those rubbermaid troughs to either look at using for a sump, fuge, or frag tank.[QUOTE]

[MMAX]

Corn....the vegetable that keeps on giving

[i have crabs]

the ufa water bin i have for mixing water might be for sale in the next couple months if your interseted, personally i wish i spent the money and got one the dimensions i wanted but this one was a fairly good price and wasnt a 3 hour drive away, i think its 30x36" and maybe 24" tall

[Alberta-newb]

Catherine, another place you might consider is a small shop in Crossfield I use. (Promold MArketting Inc.) They carry a lot of different sizes and styles. Nice thing is they also will either sell you the parts or install custom bulkheads and lids.

This is the 5 gal ATO bin I got from them. I liked the hopper bottom and wall mounting.

http://www3.telus.net/lucas-mustangs/AQUA/ATO.jpg

This one was already threaded for wall mounting and came with the 6" vented cap (it has a valve to relieve vacuum as the level drops). They also supplied me with my SW storage tank. A black 35 gal RV tank that I stood on end and fitted with a 6" vented lid.

I'm not sure how their prices compare with UFA, but I know they have a wide variety in shapes and sizes. I was checking out their 10,000 gal poly tank the other day....got me dreaming:mrgreen:

Francis

[michika]

Corn....the vegetable that keeps on giving

:lol: Just because I want to see if it will work, I planted some corn yesterday.

I am passing on the rubbermaid containers as a sump. Dave makes a really good point, and I don't want to deal with the inevitable headache of cleaning it down the road.

We are still going to go with those UFA containers for water mixing and top-off. Crabs, shoot me a PM on the dimensions and we'll chat! Although, if Promold has something that would fit for our sizing needs, I'd be open to reconsideration. Thanks Francis!


I was at RC on Thursday and we chatted more about our stand. The stand presents us with a few unique difficulties in that getting into our basement will be difficult. We are looking at splitting it down the middle into two, with separate stands that would be 18" deep, and then sliding it through a window. I have some measuring to do.

[Snappy]

Congrats on the new tank plans, I'm sure it will be top notch when completed.:biggrin:

[michika]

Thanks Greg!

[Edmonton Eskimo]

You have a couple different options with your stand. If you make it out of 2x6 material you can save a lot of cash and you can do it yourself on site. No need to worry about weight or time, that is (along with concrete) what holds up your house. If you really want metal make it out of 2" steel tubing and make it so you can bolt everything together onsite. Just some different thoughts. By the way, hurry up with this thing:)

[michika]

So there has been loads of progress recently, but my old iMac and photobucket are like a bad on again off again relationship, and are currently in the "we're not talking" phase.

Anyways we've renamed this tank, its name is Tibet, courtesy of JDigital. Which stands for The Incrediably Big Expensive Tank. I like it!

So everything in the bathroom is gone, no walls, no door, nothing. Most of the ceiling is down in the main area. Plus we had some lovely suprises. Kevin had a razor blade fall on him from IN the ceiling. We also discovered a lot of bad DIY electrical work. Plus we originally thought we could leave the outside walls up, however after seeing some of the great DIY work, I made the executive decision to remove the walls to make sure the wiring is all proper, plus to make sure everything is properly sealed.

So next up:
- Continued demo of the ceiling
- Confirming our tank dimensions
- Ordering the stand
- Re-wiring the electrical and adding in wires for cable, internet, and the whole-house sound system
- Insulating with sound barrier
- Framing out the tank wall
- Demo of the remaining rooms in the basement, laundry room & storage room

I really wish I could get some photos up. My basement isn't the same basement anymore!

[michika]

I forgot to add that somewhere in that list is a need for us to make the decision between a humidex or an HRV and to get the appropriate quotes, etc.

[mseepman]

Great build Catherine! Most of us only dream of a tank like this.

Anyways, I've been prepping for a large build (although not quite the size of yours) and after reading as much as I could, it seems to me that an HRV has benefits above and beyond that of the humidex. While the Humidex seems aimed at the humidity issue, the HRV is more of a total home solution that handles the humidity too. It also seems to be the more accepted technology out there from a builders perspective.

Quotes will obviously be the biggest deciding factor but I thought I would throw my 2 cents in.

[Delphinus]

HRV: AirPro Heating http://airproheatingairconditio.supersites.ca/contact/

They've done several installations for Calgary Canreefers (me included, did an A/C at the same time). They know their stuff, they'll take a look at your square footage and air volume and how much turnover you need to keep moisture under control. I can't recommend these guys enough. I have them do all my heating/ducting work now.

[michika]

Wow Tony you're like a mind reader today.

I was just about to send you a PM about them! I booked an appointment for them to come out and let us know about HVAC for May 11th!

I have to do more research into HVAC. All I know right now is that we have a brandnew, as of 2008, furnance, and I'm hesitant to loose it. It and my 25 year old hot water tank only costs $33/month...so I'm kind of liking that number right now.

From my trusty notebook of ideas the list of humidity solutions in order goes: HVAC, Humidex, LOTS! of fans (this is so iffy its not even funny), and no tank.

[Delphinus]

An HRV works alongside the furnace: It can either be standalone in a room and independent of the rest of the house, or it can also tie into the main vent and returns to have a "whole house effect" too (in this case I think there are some kind of interlocks to make the furnace fan run when the HRV is running). At any rate you wouldn't have to replace your new furnace. :)

[michika]

Sweet! *insert happy dance here* That made my day!

I want to have these guys in ASAP so that while the ceiling is down they can possibly recommend some changes in the vents, plus install the HVAC, and we can make sure we have the proper space to accomodate it.

[Zoaelite]

Wow Catherine this seems like its going to be an absolutely stunning show tank (and system)! Once its complete I would love to come drop off some free zoa frags as 10 feet is allot of area of cover =D!!! Can't wait to see some more photos of the build!
Levi

[michika]

We'll be having a "Salt Party" in which we'll have everyone over and you'll get a bucket/bag of salt at the door and we'll all pour it into the system.

As for photos, I found a way around my iMac/Photobucket drama. This is photos up until tonight.

After the first stage of demos
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_968.jpg

More post-first stage demo
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_969.jpg

Some of the lovely things we found...

Inproper splice
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_977.jpg

More inproper splices
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_982.jpg

Low and behold the bathroom lamp had another bonus, a hidden transformer. Kevin guesses its for the doorbell.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_986.jpg

Ripples in the ceiling from moisture? Where did the moisture come from?
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_985.jpg

With the bathroom ceiling down
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_988.jpg

The aftermath of the second stage demo, and where the basement is tonight. Plus some before and after shots.

1st-stage
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0806-1.jpg

2nd stage
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0008-2.jpg

1-stage
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0807.jpg

2nd stage
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0009.jpg

[karazy]

bahaha omg that first splice pic is too funny. im 14 and could have done it better than that.

salt party,eh? maybe you shud have everyone bring 4 pounds of LR so you can start 'scaping ASAP :lol:

[Mrfish55]

[QUOTE=michika;415611]

Some of the lovely things we found...

Inproper splice
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_977.jpg

More inproper splices
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_982.jpg


QUOTE]

Whats wrong with that?? all it's missing is a little hockey tape to hold it together:eek: I feel for you, I just opened up the panel to add a dedicated line for the fishroom and just about fainted, worst case of DIY electrical work I've ever seen, booked an electrician today to come and straighten it out asap.

[michika]

I should! I'd be the entrance fee to come see Tibet! Although the downside is that we'd need to invite over like 200 people....so I'm thinking 40lbs a person, and children under 10 are 1/2 price!

Once most of the dusty portions of this demo/build are done we'll be starting to amass more rock and starting to cycle it all now in advance. Plus I want to try out a bunch of cool aquascaping ideas I have rattling around in my head.

And one last photo after the remaining demo.

All tired out...
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_967.jpg

[michika]

Whats wrong with that?? all it's missing is a little hockey tape to hold it together:eek: I feel for you, I just opened up the panel to add a dedicated line for the fishroom and just about fainted, worst case of DIY electrical work I've ever seen, booked an electrician today to come and straighten it out asap.

I'm so glad Kevin is an electrician. Some of the stuff we found elsewhere was just as bad. There is aluminum wiring throughout the house and the stuff in the basement (the one switch on the old bathroom wall) that was HOT! to the touch. Plus the insulation has split open in some places.

In the end though, I love my house, and all its 1950s secrets and charms. How many people can say they have a laundry shoot? And use it? A little bit more hard work and a few more dollars into it, and everything will good again!

[michika]

The big upgrade now has a big delay.

A few weeks ago I was advised I was part of a political struggle at work, I was just the person in the midde, and as a result the battle ended with me bringing in an even smaller check each month. My options were take this huge paycut (which was not properly disclosed to me at the time), or loose my job. I took the cut, as it was advertised. It turned out to be much more, about four times NET what I was told was gross, and now its put our whole financial plan out of whack.

So the upgrade will continue, but we are highly unsure as to the speed of it now. Job drama sucks. Just wanted to put up a note so you all know why the speed has slowed down considerably.

[levi1803]

The big upgrade now has a big delay.

A few weeks ago I was advised I was part of a political struggle at work, I was just the person in the midde, and as a result the battle ended with me bringing in an even smaller check each month. My options were take this huge paycut (which was not properly disclosed to me at the time), or loose my job. I took the cut, as it was advertised. It turned out to be much more, about four times NET what I was told was gross, and now its put our whole financial plan out of whack.

So the upgrade will continue, but we are highly unsure as to the speed of it now. Job drama sucks. Just wanted to put up a note so you all know why the speed has slowed down considerably.


So sorry to hear about your work troubles. I have my desk all packed up and ready to go (just in case) and am trying to get prepared for 4 day work weeks too which would be about a 20% paycut as well :(

[Leah]

Well, that sucks sorry to hear that it will be slow if you are like me nooooo waiting is hard to take.... but maybe it is good on the other hand:biggrin:
As it will be perfect in the long run!

[michika]

I just think its sad that some GROWN women have to bring so much cattiness and pettiness into the workplace. This whole thing came about over my desk space, and a personal issue between the woman who initiated this and my boss.

[Boomboy]

i dont get it why do you then get the pay cut???

[michika]

Because work politics suck, and its even worse when you are stuck in the middle and have to be the one to take the compromise.

Anyways...the HVAC guys are coming out tomorrow. I'm hoping that they'll be able to make things work out a little better with the existing heating ducts. We'll be starting to wire the basement after that.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Because work politics suck, and its even worse when you are stuck in the middle and have to be the one to take the compromise.

Anyways...the HVAC guys are coming out tomorrow. I'm hoping that they'll be able to make things work out a little better with the existing heating ducts. We'll be starting to wire the basement after that.

I hear you...I took about a $1500 a month pay cut this year. Really changed how we lived. Can't say the tank spending suffered but that was only because we kind of stopped going out for dinner as much or to bars/clubs every weekend. My pay cut was all because my industry has less money to go around and there was NO way the producers or directors of the shows I work on were going to take a paycut.

Sorry to hear you got caught in the middle of other peoples problems and took the worst of it. I hate crap like this.

Hope it doesn't slow down too much! I was hoping to see this thing move along fast!!!

[michika]

So far the cut is really eating into my discretionary budget, and that is where tank money comes from. Bleh! I miss the little things that discretionary money brings, like morning Starbucks runs, and my weekly dinner & a movie date with a friend.

Tonight will give us the next big piece of the puzzle, the HVAC. Depending on the price, we'll either move ahead with it now, or we'll sit on it for a few months. Either way we can still start doing the "little" things like wiring, and framing in walls. Its putting out large sums of cash all at once that is the big hold up at this point.

The best part though is that really to plan all this stuff out up until this point has cost us practically nothing beyond a few sheets of paper, pens, and lunch breaks surfing the internet for ideas. Tearing out the walls has cost us nothing aside from our own time. Same will go for most of the wiring and framing. I am really happy though that we are handy. Its working wonderfully in our favour.

[Rbacchiega]

boo that noise Catherine, hopefully you can get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. Office politics suck the big one...if there's ever anything I can do to help this build move along, let me know...because once it IS done (however long that may take) there'll be a barebeque at your house FYI :D

[michika]

Mmmm BBQ!

[michika]

The HVAC quote came in at about double what we were expecting. With some recent job drama, and more potentially on the horizon, we aren't sure what we are going to be doing now. HVAC is definitely the way to go, however we aren't in a position right now to dig up the extra money for this particular quote.

Right now we're just going to focus on doing some more clean-up work, and pulling out some more of the basement. We're waiting on news about my job before we can make plans about our next move, and getting an HVAC system installed.

[Delphinus]

Sorry to hear about the cost.. I love how companies can claim that there's no cost-of-living increases right now because the house market is down, whereas anything you actually pay for otherwise is up.

[fishytime]

Boooooo to crappy job situations and delays:neutral:

[michika]

Quick update:

1) My job and I got a stay of execution until August 31st!
2) Fish room planning problems have been solved on paper, they just need to be taped out for confirmation
3) Still move demo to do, mostly pulling down the rest of the ceiling, which takes forever since its so dusty
4) Re-wiring the basement can commence in the near future, however we are delayed because we require a new panel first, which means we need the utility company to disconnect power to the house temporarily
5) My discretionary budget is still super small but now that derby is over for the summer (yay Lassies - Season Champs!), we have more cash to spend but figuring out where to start is really hard.

Right now we've pretty much come to the end of the planning portion of things. We have to confirm measurements on some supplies but for the most part we're ready to roll. We now just need the capital to finance the project. Unfortunately fish tank stuff comes last after bills, savings and RSP contributions, so its creating an unfortunate delay.

I am however actively watching for rock, cured or un-cured, along with some equipment such as reflectors, monster-skimmers, and old tanks to serve as a sump, refugium, prop tank, QT, and cryptic tank. We are still adopting livestock, however right now we're leaning mostly towards maintaining the 180g, and putting all our extra cash at the new system rather then splitting it between aquiring livestock and building the new system.

Next steps:
- finish the clean up (ceiling tear down)
- get tank stand ordred and in place
- start re-wiring (electricity, cable, CAT5, etc.)
- start gathering rock

We have a great quote on our tank stand, so now we just need to figure out how to get it into our basement, I want to order this stand ASAP as its the first big piece of the puzzle after the demo. We we're on such a great roll before then things picked up and it got left behind.

Maybe someone here has a suggestion. We have vintage 1950s windows that only allow for an opening of 17" from top to bottom. I believe the windows are 3ft wide. Originally we were planning on separating the stand into two lenthwise pieces, so 2 mini stands of 10ft x 18" x height, however obviously 18" doesn't fit in 17". Any other ideas? We want the total stand dimensions to be 10ft long, 3 feet deep, and we believe 3-3.5ft tall.

[JDigital]

Upgrade the house with new, larger basement windows? while the old ones are out, bring in the stand, then get the new windows installed. :mrgreen:

[muck]

Hire a crane and lift the house off the foundation. :wink:

[michika]

The 17" is with the window, minus the sash taken out! Although I do want new windows...hmmm how to swing this in favour of Tibet....

[Alberta-newb]

I would suggest making two bases around 3'L x 3'W x 3.5'T, these would be small enough to carry down the stairs (if your hallways are wider than 3':wink:) Then I would mount a one piece top 3' x 10' that you can fit through the window (shouldn't be a problem since you need to get the tank bottom in the same way) The one piece top should be rigid and dead flat to ensure there are no stresses on the tank. My thought's anyway...

Francis

[michika]

I like how you think! I'm bringing that one to the stand builder tonight as a possiblity.

[lastlight]

steel i-beams on rebar/cement re-enforced cinder blocks. Nothing that won't easily fit into your basement.

[fishytime]

I like how you think! I'm bringing that one to the stand builder tonight as a possiblity.

:biggrin::biggrin: He is the stand builder:mrgreen:

[michika]

Lol!

I was originally referring to RC, but yeah, that works too.

We solved our stand issue! Well Kevin did because apparently I can't think outside the box lately. We're now just figuring out the final configuration and we'll be set! I'm so excited to get this big part of the puzzle done.

I picked up some new rock tonight, it went in the 180g for holding. I got two beautiful pieces of Vanatu rock, so pretty!

[BlueAbyss]

I've been on a rock-looking kick lately, seeing what everyone's new rock looks like... I demand pics! :lol: Unless you're busy with, oh I dunno, life. Or something.

:biggrin:

[michika]

Lol! In the center, where the Xenia was, is where the two new rocks are. I should have taken close up shots.

Before:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0098-1.jpg

After:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0035-1.jpg

[michika]

We've been making some serious progress on the rock front. I have purchases/pick-ups tentatively scheduled all the way to early August!

We need to make another run to the dump to get rid of our reno debris, so that will be happening soon.

We're now just waiting on the stand, that is our next step in getting this going.

Does anyone know anything about those 1.5ft x 1.5ft rubber-bottom subfloor tiles you can buy? I've been seeing them everywhere in our attempts to decide on subflooring, but I can't seem to find anyone who a) knows they have them, or b) has a comment beyond, "well its a floor".

[muck]

Are you refering to the Dricore subfloor system? or is this something else?

[michika]

Yes, I believe that is the name of them. I think we're going to be putting either cork or engineered hardwood in the basement, I'm still researching.

[Skimmerking]

dont go with that rubber ply wood floors piece they are crap. unless you ahve a perfect flat basement which not many older homes are they will wobble and be uneven, go with cork or carpet or laminate if nothing else.

[Jamieh]

The floor in my basement is simply presswood that has numerous coats of wax applied. It has been there for about 5 years and cost very little to do. It actually looks very good and almost everyone that comes in asks what the floor is. We cut grooves in the floor so it looks a lot like a cork floor.

[michika]

The floor in my basement is simply presswood that has numerous coats of wax applied. It has been there for about 5 years and cost very little to do. It actually looks very good and almost everyone that comes in asks what the floor is. We cut grooves in the floor so it looks a lot like a cork floor.

Photos?

[Jamieh]

PM me your e-mail and I can send you some.

[michika]

PM with my email has been sent.

The order for the tank stand is in! ETA is really soon! I was totally expecting two or so months! Although now I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement! We asked for, well I asked for, Hot Pink, Fire Engine Red, or Black as the stand colour. I honestly don't care, its a cool option and I'll take anything I can get. These sands are beautiful!

The stand is going to be 10.5ft long x 3ft wide x 3ft high (technically 34" to allow for plywood and foam) The 10.5 length corresponds with the largest length of glass we can get. The tank will have to be built onsite.

The stand will be made into two sections 10.5ft x 18" wide to allow it into the house. This is the path its going to follow. The stand dimensions also mean I might be able to stick with my luminarc reflectors!!!

In our backdoor
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0041-1.jpg

Through the kitchen
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0042-3.jpg

Down the basement stairs
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0044-1.jpg

Through the wall, yes, we'll be taking that out.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0045-1.jpg

And into place!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0047-2.jpg

This is our current electrical panel...obviously it needs to be changed out regardless of if we were putting a tank in or not. We'll be asking our power company to move the meter outside so they can do drive-by meter readings.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0093-2.jpg

The rats nest going on above the panel
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0094.jpg

[michika]

Potential Skimmer: Bubble King Super Marine 250 Internal Protein Skimmer? It doesn't seem like there is an Octopus skimmer, which is what we use on our 180g, that can do the job. I'd love a Volcano skimmer, but I'd prefer if I don't spend 50% of my budget on my skimmer alone....so where does that leave us?

[lastlight]

Spazz is MIA. Apparently owes a bunch of people skimmers, money or both. That was what I read last anyways. You don't want a Volcano =) Also, most users had to mod to really get decent performance from the skimmer based on what I read in the dedicated Volacno thread and another thread regarding mods.

[danny zubot]

Man I've been out of the loop for a while, I didn't even know that you got a new place in Calgary.:lol: Where did you end up, and when did you decide to upgrade?

[mseepman]

As far as a skimmer, given the price of BK skimmers, I am seriously looking at the Hurricone line of skimmer (off-shoot of Octopus) They are premium skimmers using the Askoll pumps. I think a CAT2 - External would work well for you. They are said to well out-do the reeflo orca's, even after modding.

Take a look at the "other reef site" under Reef Specialties vendor site and you will find a big thread there on them.

Progressive Reef (a Canreef sponsor) sells them and I confirmed with Coralvue that they are a designated reseller so the warranty is good. There were some issues about who was "certified" to sell these bad boys.

[fishytime]

People are saying good things about the vertex cones....not positive if they make one big enough for your needs.

[michika]

Man I've been out of the loop for a while, I didn't even know that you got a new place in Calgary.:lol: Where did you end up, and when did you decide to upgrade?

Yeah, we moved back in November of 2007, I finally got fed up waiting for my master program (Human Anatomy) to open at the UofA. Its STILL not open by the way. So we came home, rented this tiny condo with windows that wouldn't open. I got fed up with that and I decided we were going to buy a house, and we did in October of 2008. We're in the SW side of the city in a cute little 50's home. Amusingly enough our house was the first house we saw in our hunt, and we saw A LOT of houses.

We've always wanted a big tank, and when we went house shopping one of the big features we were looking for was somewhere to place a larger tank.


Does anyone know of a page that showcases all the Octopus and Hurricone skimmers? From what I've found, none of them are even close to being big enough for our needs.

Vertex doesn't seem to make anything big enough, and I'm not really sure if we're willing (space wise) to daisy chain a couple of any skimmer together. The closet Octopus looks like the Reef Octopus FDNW-400 Protein Skimmer, but even then it doesn't look like it will make it.

We need about 1500g worth of skimming capacity. I know the tank's final volume will probably be around 1000g, however I do plan to liberally stock this monster, so I might as well be prepared now, rather then having to upgrade again later.

[mseepman]

You mention above that you are looking at the BK Supermarine 250 but in looking at it's specs, it's only rated to 750G.

For some reason J&L shows up to 2500G at the top of their listing and then in the specs below they list what BK actually says it can do.

I just thought you should know, in case that's where you got the idea it could handle your tank.

[xtreme]

BK Deluxe 500
Rated up to 1300G
About 5 grand:shocked:

That thing must be a monster.

[Phanman]

another option is the I-tech skimmer, I have the 100 and think it works fantastic. Obviously you would need a 400 or a superbeast but they can make one for you.

http://www.i-techskimmers.com/forums/

Also there is a i-tech skimmer thread on RC if you need more info

[michika]

BK Deluxe 500
Rated up to 1300G
About 5 grand:shocked:

That thing must be a monster.

I saw a picture shortly after I posted my original comments about skimmer choices...its huge, and beautiful...and really expensive. I'm just not so sure its worth all that money.

[michika]

You mention above that you are looking at the BK Supermarine 250 but in looking at it's specs, it's only rated to 750G.

For some reason J&L shows up to 2500G at the top of their listing and then in the specs below they list what BK actually says it can do.

I just thought you should know, in case that's where you got the idea it could handle your tank.

Yup that was exactly where I originally got the BK idea. I did go on further to look at all the other options, the ones that will not only break the bank, but they'll steal your soul too!

*edit*
Because I just have to know, I did put in a call to inquire about a BK skimmer, the appropriate size, price, etc. I think I owe it to myself to at least fully research it before I saw no.

[mseepman]

Because you already have the Octo skimmer, I think you might be best served with dual skimmers combining to your recommended size so that if one goes down, you are not totally without skimming.

In that case, you have a lot more choices, like a smaller BK (still a little pricey) or maybe the CAT3 Hurricone.

Alternatively, people have been happy with their Aquamedic T5000's for a long time. Here's a link to the twin version for 1250G tanks. http://www.aquacave.com/turboflotor-5000-twin-proteinbrskimmer-by-aquamedic-1060.html

Aquacave ships to Canada happily and their customer service has been quite good for me.

*edit*
Here's a link for another company making big skimmers that I've heard okay things about. http://www.marinetechnical.com/page2.html

[michika]

So the quote on that BK 500 rivals the quote on the HVAC system. Kevin was unimpressed and I think he is leaning towards building his own skimmer now.

We don't have the space for two skimmers, I don't think, but I'm more then willing the measure it out and keep looking though. I just want to make sure that I don't have to go an upgrade again a year or two after I put whatever skimmer(s) on this system.

[michika]

I picked up some more rock for this tank, its cooking away now so really there isn't much to do with that.

We're preparing to blow out a wall in the basement just by the stairs to get the stand in its proper position, however we're waiting on a firm confirmation on when the stand will be ready before we do that.

Tibet is going to most likely have a custom built skimmer now that we've really looked into our options. We aren't big on daisy chaining two together, and I'm honestly not willing to pony up the cash for a Bubble King regardless of its reputation. I also looked at Octopus' new line of Hurricone Skimmers, and it doesn't look like any single one will handle the tanks needs. Well I can now cross it off my list and move it to the to-do side of things.

Next up:
- more demo (it never seems to end)
- painting the floor in the fishroom
- getting the stand in place
- getting the water change system up and running
- ordering the tank
- framing the stand and tank

[steveg]

Hi there, looks like quite an exciting project! I have just moved into the area and am planning a basement tank too, not as big but I would welcome your recommendation as to where to get a tank from. Good luck!

[michika]

Welcome to the area!

So far its really looking like we'll be building this sucker ourselves in the basement due to accessibility issues. I've never purchased a tank from a builder, or a store, so unfortunately I don't have a lot of recommendations. I used to buy my tanks 2nd hand, and now I just buy the glass and we assemble them ourselves. You might want to try the Calgary forum and ask for a list of places who sell/build tanks.

[wickedfrags]

Outstanding skimmers, the current owner of Oakville Reef Gallery uses the 3000 on his 460G+/- display. I use the 1000 on my 270, very well constructed, but do take up alot of room and require a powerful pressure-rated pump. The BK's are great also and use little electricity, a buddy of mine bought one about 6 months back and could not be more happy with it.

Here's a link for another company making big skimmers that I've heard okay things about. http://www.marinetechnical.com/page2.html

[Dez]

Hey Catherine,

If you're going to build your own skimmer, are you looking for acrylic tube? I was going to build by own but I bit the "Bullet" and ended up with a PM Bullet 3.

I have about a 4 foot 8" acrylic tube that I won't be using anymore since I'm not going to build my own skimmer. It's got a sealed base already as I got this tube from a broken 8' skimmer quite a few years back.

If you're interested PM me and I'd probably take any reasonable offer.

Keep the updates coming.

Des

[michika]

Thats guys!

I'll look into that link for those skimmers, and I'll pass along your note to Kevin about the pieces of acrylic. I bet Kevin will want them.

[michika]

As of Monday the ghetto shower is about 90% removed. We will need to re-run most of the copper plumbing down there. The good thing is that the recycling price on copper here is like $1.65/lb and we have a lot of it!

We made a run to the dump on Saturday to start clearing out more reno debris. We probably have 2-3 more dump runs to do over the course of the rest of the summer. Our run only cost us $20, and I got to see where Seagulls come from!

The thing with a whole basement reno, is that its really hard to just focus on the tank, as there are so many other little things we have to do at the same time. Its very time consuming.

[lastlight]

I got to see where Seagulls come from!

That's hilarious!

Yeah in our last place I did the basement/tank thing as well. I can clearly remember it being a ton of work and me thinking of the tank the entire time. I kept it really simple however and the real effort began when I got to the tank side of the room.

[michika]

They seriously stand on the hills around the active site and watch you. You can practically hear them all sayin' "mine, mine, mine". Then when an Earthmover comes on by they all scatter to the winds and circle above just like in Hitchcock's infamous film.

[michika]

Some in-progress photos of the stand build! This stand makes me excited about my build! It feels like its finally coming together! Francis from Trigger Coatings is building this baby, and so far I'm really impressed.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/catherines002.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/catherines001.jpg

[fishytime]

Yup Albertanewb(Francis) dose top notch work...you wont be disappointed....are you gonna powder coat it pink like we talked about?

[michika]

The colour is going to be a surprise! I love it, it makes it extra exciting!

[mseepman]

Did you ever figure out what you were going to do for water mixing/holding containers. I've been looking around but there doesn't seem to be many "affordable" options on these in Western Canada.

If you did find them, might you have a link that you could post on here?

[lastlight]

that looks pretty hardcore! So what's the FINAL dimensions of this badboy/girl gonna be now? You're obviously locked into a footprint but we all know a couple extra inches of height can be MANY gallons at that size =)

[parkinsn]

That has gotta be one of the most bad @$$ stands I have ever seen!! Im assuming that its 3 separate pieces? That will be one sweet tank when its done.

[michika]

I've mostly settled on some containers I've spotted in the UFA catalog. I haven't taken any steps though beyond just figuring out what I want. I'm still waiting to see the stand in place to get a much better picture of how we'll be setting up the tank room.

Final dimensions for the tank are; 10.5ft long x 3ft deep x 24" tall. I would love to go 30" tall, but I'm short and so are my arms.

Once the stand is in place we'll be able to kick off a few other projects, as well as finish off our tank order and place it.

[Parker]

Final dimensions for the tank are; 10.5ft long x 3ft deep x 24" tall. I would love to go 30" tall, but I'm short and so are my arms.


One word

"Snorkal"

[karazy]

lookin good michika. this thing will be a beast once its done.
whos building the tank? (if you dont mind me asking)

[michika]

We'll probably build our own tank as anything we get has to be built on site.

More work on the basement - removing the ghetto shower plumbing and temporarily capping it off
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0775.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0790-1.jpg

[michika]

We put in our design for the tank yesterday and we're just waiting on a quote now!

I also have to move more crap out of my basement...I'm pretty sure I've spent more time moving reno debris out of the basement then anything else on this whole build!

[Skimmerking]

we need pictures thou come on :mrgreen:.... have you picked out a skimmer yet.

[michika]

Hahaha. I'll see if I can't re-draw the tank and post a photo of that.

We kind of stagnated in our search for a skimmer. I think we have to wait until we get the tank in place before we purchase a skimmer. I do know though that we definitely are not going with the bubbleking as the price rules it out.

[Eb0la11]

Wow, copper to ABS drainage! I dont think Ive ever even seen that lol. I'll be following your build through to the end. Im very interested. Keep it on the rails. Slow and steady wins the race...

I cant believe I just used two lame cliches...

[michika]

I didn't realize how much it looks like ABS. Its actually cast iron. That sucker is in such an awkward place, but it can't be moved apparently. Although we're going to have a friend, a plumber, over in the next little bit to see what he has to say.

[michika]

Don't laugh, but this would be my re-created tank drawing that we submitted for quotes and planning purposes. The submitted one was much better, I promise.

I would do up a proper one, but 1) I'm lazy, 2) I'm lazy, and 3) its for planning purposes, and doesn't require perfect lines.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/catherine-1.jpg

[Parker]

I'm not all that well versed in these things but it looks good to me. I'm not sure you need 2" drains though. My 1.5 " drain (with 2" gate valve ) can out flow my dart return. You might be able to same some plumbing costs there.

[michika]

We're actually thinking of upgrading to a hammerhead pump. Plus I'm concerned that in the future I'll have to up the flow and I don't want to be held back by the drains. You're right though, we could could with 1.5" drains and probably be safe for years to come. We haven't really finalized anything yet so there is still the option of going with 1.5".

Its done! We're now just working out a mutually agreeable delivery date! If you need a stand definitely go see Francis! Awesome to work with, and you definitely can't beat the price!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/Catherine001.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/Catherine002.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/Catherine003.jpg

[Skimmerking]

OMG that is the sexiest stan
d that i have ever seen, you need a BK now
lol

[JDigital]

Nice stand guys... Francis does great work... Thought you were going with Pink though Catherine!?:lol:

[Lance]

That is one Kick-Ass Stand. Awesome!

[michika]

Nice stand guys... Francis does great work... Thought you were going with Pink though Catherine!?:lol:

We ended up telling Francis to "surprise us". I couldn't pick one colour alone!

[Snappy]

Great colour, almost looks like "viper red"

[fishytime]

Red!!! Your gonna have to change your hair colour now to match:lol: Looks sexy*said with a lisp*

[michika]

I wish it was here already...I hate waiting!

We got our quotes back on the tank and now we're just working with them and deciding which direction to go with.

I want my new tank to be here and to be up and running!

[michika]

So we just sent off the money to pay out a huge portion of our car, so now we can finally get back to the business of building this tank. It sucked for awhile there, but having considerably smaller car payments now makes it worth it.

In celebration we went shopping at the hardware store:

New Siemans 100Amp 32/64 panel. It already has more breakers then our current one, and we'll have tons of extra space for any future requirements. We have to pull a permit and call the utility company to temporarily cut off service for the change over. Calgary's homeowners permits don't cover panel replacement, and Kevin doesn't have his Masters, so he needs someone to pull him a permit.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0817-2.jpg

Look at how cute and tiny that work lamp is! Its the perfect size for what we need!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0823-2.jpg

We've decided we'll move the wall that separates the laundry room and fish room to give us more space. We stacked our washer and dryer to give us the extra 3ft of space we're hoping for. Before:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0824-1.jpg

After:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0825.jpg

We'll be moving those taps behind the washer and dryer. The new wall will probably be about 6" to the left of the appliances give or take.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0826.jpg

[Pazil]

Wow looking really good.... You should make sure that your main shut off valve for the water is accessable and for the EP you will need to have a full 36" clear in front of the panel to get it passed.... Good luck with it... looking forward to more pics.

[michika]

Its all good! The new panel will not be going in the place of the old one, but rather on the same wall as the washer and dryer.

[michika]

The skimmer for the big tank has been purchased! I'm so excited that I can stop reading up on other skimmers.

Its an awesomely huge dual beckett 63.5" tall acrylic monster! I can't wait to get this puppy up and running on the new tank!

I absolutely have to thank Asmodeus (Mike) for the awesome deal and bringing it to my attention! Thanks Mike!

[michika]

Today I started the process for having the City come out to do a temporary disconnect on our power to do the switch over to the new panel. We've decided to move our meters outside as well as some genius inistalled the water meter with the readable side facing the wall.

We're now just waiting on the permit to be pulled so we can submit the number and get a booking.

We're going to have them provide us a newer upto date meter, and to replace the outside lines as they appear to be sagging and starting to degrade. All this for the low price of $181/hr for the disconnect and whatever we have to pay for materials and the permit.

I also think that this fall, if its in the budget, we're going to try and spray some additional insultation into the attic, assuming we need it. I'm also hunting around for better utility rates so that when the new tank comes online its not such a huge shock to the pocket book.

[untamed]

The skimmer for the big tank has been purchased! I'm so excited that I can stop reading up on other skimmers.

Its an awesomely huge dual beckett 63.5" tall acrylic monster! I can't wait to get this puppy up and running on the new tank!

I absolutely have to thank Asmodeus (Mike) for the awesome deal and bringing it to my attention! Thanks Mike!

C'mon tell.... I like large skimmers... I'll show you mine if you show me yours!

[michika]

But where is the mystery in that?

So let me do some more teasing! This baby has a 6" chamber, and when the becketts are fully open can generate 31" of crap collecting foam! Plus it comes with a waste collector.

I'll confirm with Mike that its ok to post the photos he sent me, then everyone can see this huge beast!

[Parker]

We're actually thinking of upgrading to a hammerhead pump. Plus I'm concerned that in the future I'll have to up the flow and I don't want to be held back by the drains. You're right though, we could could with 1.5" drains and probably be safe for years to come. We haven't really finalized anything yet so there is still the option of going with 1.5".

The Hammerheads a pretty big return pump? What about going with a smaller return pump through some wavey seas to randomized some flow and saving the hammerhead to run the 4-way?

[michika]

I've honestly never thought of that option. I do however know that I hate powerheads in the tank so I just ignored the idea of Wavy Seas. I'll go back and take another look though, as it might be worth the change.

I'm going to visit the Land of Seagulls (the city dump) again this weekend. We're trying to make a huge push to get all the construction debris out of the house by the end of September, before any ice or snow is on the ground.

I also treated myself to a "congrats your contract got extended gift", and bought myself a photobox from Melev's site. I love the floater box too, but I had to choose only one.

[muck]

I went to the dump last night... can't say I saw even 1 seagull. The flys though... FAT and PLUMP and numerous!! Maybe they ate the seagulls... I dunno.

[bulletsworld]

I also treated myself to a "congrats your contract got extended gift", and bought myself a photobox from Melev's site. I love the floater box too, but I had to choose only one.


Congrats on your contract being extended! Thats awesome! It calls for a present to yourself i agree! Cheers! :)

Btw... Love the red stand. Very cool! :mrgreen:

[michika]

Some skimmer photos from Mike. The actually skimmer is waiting to be picked up later this morning.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC01276.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC01244.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC01232.jpg

[fishytime]

Its taller than you!......best get that thing in the fish room so you can budget some space:mrgreen:

[michika]

Its almost taller then I am!

[fishoholic]

I love the colour of the stand, Definitely will add to the whole WOW factor once everything is up and running. Also love the skimmer, leave it to Mike to have one that works for you :wink:

[Skimmerking]

that skimmer is tall and a beast ,but look at the sexy guy standing beside it.. mmmmmmmmmmmm good.:lol:

[fishoholic]

that skimmer is tall and a beast ,but look at the sexy guy standing beside it.. mmmmmmmmmmmm good.:lol:

Where? All I see is you? :lol: :razz: (J/K, :wink:)

[michika]

Epic Greyhound Fail...

So the box was packed immaculately, covered in fragile stickers, and so full of packing peanuts, you could probably go for a swim in them. Greyhound obviously had placed heavy boxes on top of this one, along with probably being careless when loading/unloading the box. We've filed a claim with Greyhound, and now we're just waiting.

These are just a few shots;
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0860.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0859-1.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0856-1.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0857-1.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0858-1.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0855.jpg

[Lance]

Oh fer Chrissake! It pees me off the way these freight companies handle our goods.

[Delphinus]

Ouch. :(

[Skimmerking]

ya tell me about it Im completely ****ed off too.

[fishoholic]

Yuck! That really sucks! :sad:

[fishytime]

F-me....sorry Catherine

[michika]

It sucks, but really there is nothing we can do about it. Kevin is going to try and repair some of the damage, as aside from the damage, this thing looks like lots of fun!

We did a bit more demo in the basement yesterday to prepare for the tank stand delivery.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0864.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0866.jpg

[jgoldsney]

Looking good.....man I miss having a tank.

Just a thought on the AC...if you are handy and it seems like you are I know my brother installed everything himself and just had the AC tech come and charge the system with the refrigerant and he saved a bundle.

Just something to look in to.

[michika]

Definitely sounds like something to look into! Thanks for the recommendation.

Taaa Daaa!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0916-1.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0919-1.jpg

[Delphinus]

Sure is very, uh, .. red. :)

[lastlight]

Hot damn that thang is red hot SEXY!

And you want to cover that with something like WOOD? How's about frosted glass so you see the red bits and then it's frosted enough that you don't really see the guts inside? Maybe a few dim lights inside for effect?

Dez will be along soon to suggest placing a few sprigs, twigs, and quailBalls...you've been warned!

Do you plan to have the floor under the stand finished with some paint or textured/speckled sealant or something?

[michika]

Pheasantballs sound great!

We're going to finish ripping up the tile on the floor, and then we'll finish the entire floor all at once. We'll paint the floor in the fishroom, and we're on the fence about tile, or hardwood for the rest of the area. I loath carpet - immunology and infection courses ruined carpet for me.

We can't properly level the stand until a) we finish the floor, and b) we get some more weight on the stand.

Still though, isn't it pretty?!

[Dez]

I say you have little red LED moodlights behind the frosted glass to skirt the stand. This situation does not call for pheasant balls. The sump should be enclosed in red so that the mood lights highlight the colour and structure of the stand. You might have to check with Brett though cause he's the interior designer. I'm still trying to source out pheasant balls myself. ROFL

[Reeferized]

That stand looks awesome !!

I think it could hold up your house. I also see you have a steel I beam in main floor support, my folks have the same setup (super solid), guess they don't use steel much anymore in residential.

Cant wait to see the tank!

Clint

[lastlight]

I'm still trying to source out pheasant balls myself.

And I guess we only have me to blame for that. Sad to see a man that desperate that fast!

[Eb0la11]

Any updates lately? Been a while!

[michika]

Not really. We're just so busy right now between work, sports, and school. We've been sourcing out products for properly leveling our floor right around the tank.

A few other things are a high priority within the house right now; sealing everything up for winter, and finishing up our kitchen floor. Our house is older, from the 50s, and it requires upgrades that trump TIBET.

[Eb0la11]

Not really. We're just so busy right now between work, sports, and school. We've been sourcing out products for properly leveling our floor right around the tank.

A few other things are a high priority within the house right now; sealing everything up for winter, and finishing up our kitchen floor. Our house is older, from the 50s, and it requires upgrades that trump TIBET.

Sounds good to me, keep us updated cause this is one of my favorite build threads :)

For leveling my 6 foot 165 we used these industrial sized floor shims that are used to level large shelving units. You've probably already thought of that, but they worked very well. We had an unbelievably unlevel floor (our house is around 30 years old) and it was out about a full inch from one side of the tank to the other on the spot we had to place it.

[Snappy]

Hot damn that thang is red hot SEXY!

And you want to cover that with something like WOOD? How's about frosted glass so you see the red bits and then it's frosted enough that you don't really see the guts inside? Maybe a few dim lights inside for effect?
Catherine I think this is a great idea.

[leducreef]

this is going to be one sweet tank

[michika]

We now have all our MH reflectors! Picked up three more Luminarc's from BlkWolfe today. They look amazing. Now all thats left to get now for the lighting is the T5 supplements, and more LED moonlights from Digital Aquatics for the Reef Keeper Elite.

I also ordered the two remaining RKE PC4s (Powerbars) we need for both our current 180g tank, and for Tibet. Hopefully they'll be here sooner rather then later.

[Lance]

How did you make out with the damaged skimmer/Greyhound claim?

[michika]

Greyhound ended up paying out for the damages. A couple of weeks ago Kevin started to assemble his indoor workroom as its been -20 and colder for the last while. He has started to rebuild the damaged parts. So the skimmer will be ready for the big tank when its installed, and I think he plans to test it on our 180g tank soon.

[Lance]

Good to hear!

[Skimmerking]

I need to see some pictures

[michika]

Photos and a bit of an update.

Supplies
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0548.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0557.jpg

The area for the stand is laid out.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0554.jpg

It requires prepping and priming for the cement
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0559.jpg

Matia generally made a huge pain of herself throughout the whole process of dismantling the stand, moving it, and scrapping up as much tar paper as could be done by hand. She was annoyed we made her sit on the stairs.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0560-1.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0556-1.jpg

We also completed our shopping list for everything we'll need between now and the start of stocking. I'm now just waiting for some of these items to come up for sale, or for them to be available on the buy/sell forums.

We can also now look forwards to placing the tank order after the holidays as the stand and floor will be ready at that point.

[andestang]

Beautiful dog :) When do plan on having the stand in place ? It looks great.

[michika]

Probably in a couple of weeks. We're trying to take advantage of the Chinook and the associated warm weather. Right now the stand is in 5? pieces all over the basement. Hopefully tonight the rest of the tar-paper will be gone and the primer will be down, which means the cement can go down and cure over the holidays.

I've been itching to get going on this but, I had dental surgery that had to come out of my own pocket which put a hold on a lot of things. Now that its done and paid for, we can start moving along again.

[Richard_Dicosimo]

Hey hope its not to late, but that black stuff on the ground is called black out it is a vct tile adhesive, you are not likely going to get it all out, and you don't really need to. I do hardwood flooring and i called the guys at my flooring company who do vct and lino and they said that all you should need to do in order to level the floor is just use a self leveling compound such as planipatch or ultra plan easy and just mix in a primer and it will adhere over top of the blackout. plus the advantage of using a self leveling compound is that you will only have to trowel the edges smooth the patch will level itself.

Richard

[michika]

Good to know, your timing actually couldn't have been any more perfect. Kevin was just setting up to start another cleaning session. Now though he's just going to wash it down to get any remaining TCP off and then he'll prime it.

Thanks very much, I think you saved us quite a bit of time and effort! Its much appreciated.

[Richard_Dicosimo]

Ya they guys at the shop said that the black out would have penetrated the concrete making it next to impossible to remove.
glad to have been able to help.

Richard

[The Grizz]

WOW this is one big project. As a welder/fabricator I must say that stand is sweet a**. Kudos to the builder.

[michika]

There was primer....
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0563-1.jpg

Then there was cement...
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0565.jpg

[Delphinus]

Think I oughtta maybe grab me some of that floor topper. Thanks for the documentation :)

[michika]

New hot water tank replacing the 27, yup thats right 27 year old tank we have currently. That hot water tank is older then I am...
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0604.jpg

Debating using this door, yes its original to the house, on the fishroom door. However I love its vintage charm and am concerned that it will be ruined by the extra humidity.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0610-1.jpg

The new hot water tank gives us our final measurements for framing in one part of the fishroom now!

[fishytime]

New hot water tank replacing the 27, yup thats right 27 year old tank we have currently. That hot water tank is older then I am...

Debating using this door, yes its original to the house, on the fishroom door. However I love its vintage charm and am concerned that it will be ruined by the extra humidity.




*suddenly feels old*:neutral:......

your probably right....an old solid wood panel door like that would likely either swell and/or warp from humidity differences between the interior and exterior off the fish room....

[Chase31]

wow im jumping on this starting to look great already

[muck]

New hot water tank replacing the 27, yup thats right 27 year old tank we have currently. That hot water tank is older then I am...
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0604.jpg


Out of curiousity... whats a new hot water tank worth these days?
Im pretty sure I will have to replace mine soon too... :neutral:

[michika]

The tank we purchased is a 50g and it set us back just shy of $650. Part of the reason we did this now is that Kevin was told by a plumber friend at work that soon you will only be able to buy high efficiency ones, just like furnaces.

Originally we wanted a 40g tank, as our existing one is only 30g. However all the 30s and 40s were sold out. We picked up the last 50g in stock.

[es355lucille]

Catherine, Nice setup you have going! I am going to tag along on your build as we are thinking about one in our basement similar to yours. I am not sure of your configuration: are you placing a wall along the aquarium front ? using the aquarium front as part of a wall?

Brad

[michika]

You're right Brad!

We're using the front, and right sides as viewing panes. Everything else will be framed into a wall.

[Delphinus]

Just so you feel better, you'll be happier with the 50g. At my old house I replaced a 15 year old but leaking hot water tank, and went with a 40g since that seemed to be the most common size. Turns out the old one was a 50g, and while I thought that "newer will be better anyhow, since the old one will be all encrusted and stuff inside, it's not really 50g any more" .. and it turns out that whatever working volume it DID have, it was still more than 40g and it turns out that 40g was just slightly under whatever volume the bathtubs were (ie., the water turned ice cold before done filling). It sucked. So my own word of advice for when replacing hot water tanks is go bigger than what you think you need. At the time they had just started introducing the "on demand" style heaters (ie. without a tank) but man the price difference was huge, like 3 or 4 times as expensive. Which was too bad, they do sound sort of neat.

[Eb0la11]

How'd that cement cure? Everything nice and level?

[JDigital]

Kinda funny that the old HWT has no warning labels really, and the new one is covered in all sorts of warning labels. :lol: And rightly so, if you happen to be a Mythbuster!!

[michika]

It cured really well. We moved the stand back over the spot and I'm using some old cardboard today to build at tank mock-up to allow us to do some further planning on return's etc. I have the boxes, although I still need to figure out where I placed the 6 pack of duct tape I bought last week.

The hot water tank is awesome! I can have an hour long shower and still have warm water when I get out. I cracked up at the Mythbuster reference. Good times watching that show.

[michika]

I found another use for the door. I adore the features in our house and can't bear not to take advantage of them.

Anyways the last weekend of January we took some of the boxes we had around the house to create a mockup of the tank to plan out returns, rock structure, and get a visual idea of the final product. Kevin keeps telling me that we purchased a new hot water tank and a new television just for this project.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0628.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0629.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0630.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0632.jpg

[Skimmerking]

looks great Catherine

[hillegom]

I see a foot under the stand, first pic. Peek a boo
Planning looks good

[Kryptic4L]

the glass is going to be cut so it looks like waves at the top ? thats gonna be awsome.

More seriously though, looking forward to more.

[untamed]

Why don't you cut out layers of cardboard and create the actual towers of LR? Cmon, I know you want to....Maybe you can sculpt them out of syrofoam...

[michika]

Cmon, I know you want to....Maybe you can sculpt them out of syrofoam...

So true...I guess I'll have to go out and buy myself another piece of electronic magic, just for the styrofoam though.

I'm waiting on my tax refund now to either a) order the glass, or b) order my rock.

[Eb0la11]

Shouldn't your tank (glass) come before your rock or are you buying dry rock for base?

[kien]

Shouldn't your tank (glass) come before your rock or are you buying dry rock for base?

You can always leave the rock curing or cooking in trash cans or rubbermaid tubs while you wait for your build to come together :-) Then when your tank is ready your rocks should be ready and you can just plunk them into the tank nice and clean, cured and away you go! :biggrin:

[imcosmokramer]

wow, can't wait to see this one!
________
LIVE SEX WEBSHOWS (http://livesexwebshows.com/)

[ALBERTA REEF]

I found another use for the door. I adore the features in our house and can't bear not to take advantage of them.

Anyways the last weekend of January we took some of the boxes we had around the house to create a mockup of the tank to plan out returns, rock structure, and get a visual idea of the final product. Kevin keeps telling me that we purchased a new hot water tank and a new television just for this project.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0628.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0629.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0630.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0632.jpg

So the cardboard is from the new water heater box.:biggrin:

[michika]

And a new television!

You can always leave the rock curing or cooking in trash cans or rubbermaid tubs while you wait for your build to come together :-) Then when your tank is ready your rocks should be ready and you can just plunk them into the tank nice and clean, cured and away you go! :biggrin:

True true. I need to do more work on the basement to make space for that. Right now we have space only for the unassembled glass or curing rock. Maybe I'll have enough of a refund to buy both instead of one or the other!

[es355lucille]

Catherine, from your drawing on the cardboard you are going with a tower of rock?? Very cool.....IMO drilling the rock to fit on PSV piping is more secure and looks better than zip tieing all the rocks .....if you are doing a tower. You may have to zip some rock but keep the larger ones secured by drilling and placing onto a PVC structure (or something secure)

I tried using too big of a drill bit to drill the rock and I broke a couple of rocks before I figured out to use a small bit and drill the outer circuference of the hole in the rock to fit onto the PVC. If you go this route.....just a hint.

Everything looks awesome!!

Brad

[lastlight]

Yes I've done the same with 100% success. Small bit to make a circle then snap the core out.

[es355lucille]

Ok, I was not so bright. It took me breaking a couple of outstanding rocks to realize that I was the idiot on the end of the drill!!! I will drill anything now with the same 100% success.

Catherine if you guys have not done this before, it is very easy...


Yes I've done the same with 100% success. Small bit to make a circle then snap the core out.

[lastlight]

I even used a crappy old wood bit lol. Please do yourself a favour and get some decent masonry bits.

[michika]

Will do!

A bit of a photo dump since I'm pressed for time this morning.

Old skimmer box which Kevin wanted to replicate.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0646-1.jpg

New box turned out bigger, not sure why.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0654-1.jpg

Then there was sort of a skimmer. Before the box was drilled. Just to give you an idea Kevin is 6.4". I also for the record hate that shirt.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0655-1.jpg

He glued the damaged plumbing, and wants to see if the repair will hold. If not he says he'll replace it.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0658-1.jpg

A look down inside the beast.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0660.jpg

Our box from Bulk Reef Supply...I couldn't lift it and it barely fit through our door.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0662-1.jpg

Goodies and the Captain for reference.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0666.jpg

[lastlight]

I do love the height of that badboy! (skimmer). You guys go big or don't go huh? I think that's the same ro/di beast that Greg runs. Oh and nice tile =)

[Skimmerking]

how much was the RO unit can ya PM me the price OH ya

[michika]

The RO/DI is Bulk Reef Supply's Spartan system. It does 300 gpd and set us back $399.99+shipping (~$100). We also ordered a booster pump and misc. plumbing parts in a second order.

[michika]

Got out ozonizer on Friday, put it online in the 180g for the time being.

The beast skimmer is also going online on the 180g later today, the skimmer pumps on the 180g keep seizing.

Kevin blew out the remaining bathroom wall this afternoon and right now is cutting wood for the new wall.

I on the other hand am chipping up VCT and Lino tiles and wishing for a couple of nice cold beers.

[BlueAbyss]

Chipping tiles sucks, I don't envy you... I'm sitting on the deck ATM, where it's ~18C (and damn bright). You should be outside, I bet it's sunny and warm in Saskatoon today as well :wink:

[michika]

We've been busy for the last couple of weeks.

Air dryer showed up last week, its huge! The ozonizer is online and chugging away on the 180g. Just hunting down some calibration fluid for the ORP probe so we can start running it with the RKE.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/192dd064.jpg

The rest of the fishroom has been gutted
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0674.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0675-1.jpg

In wall plumbing surprise
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0680.jpg

Where the new wall will go
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0677-1.jpg

Ceiling surprise! A heating duct that ended nowhere but in the ceiling behind a board. We'll be making use of it as that laundry room is cold.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0686.jpg

Vintage spigots that lead to our washer and dryer. They need to be replaced, but I love the look of them.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0681.jpg

Wall building in a small enclosed space
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0685.jpg

Its up!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0687-1.jpg

Some photos detailing the holes to drill.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0689.jpg

[fishytime]

The drawing of the end of the tank 3'x2'....is that hole configuration going on both ends of the tank or just one?.......tank is gonna look like swiss cheese with all those holes in it:mrgreen:

[JDigital]

....tank is gonna look like swiss cheese with all those holes in it:mrgreen:

:lol: .. so true!

[michika]

The drawing of the end of the tank 3'x2'....is that hole configuration going on both ends of the tank or just one?.......tank is gonna look like swiss cheese with all those holes in it:mrgreen:

Just one end. We're also going to do a center brace as well.

[Eb0la11]

Been over a month. Updates?

[michika]

I'll hook you up this afternoon/tonight with a recap of where we are at now. It will include videos of when we first brought the skimmer online!

I have had to stop working on this project temporarily due to work, school, sports, and other commitments. Kevin however is still working on the basement in his free time.

This morning we're making a couple dump runs, and a stop at the hardware store for additional supplies.

[michika]

And we're back on track! After a rough patch including severely decreased income, we're hoping things are now back to normal!

Enmax is not my friend these days...they "forgot" to bill us for three months resulting in a $900 bill. This is after I called them every month and inquired as to the balance owing...oh joy!

So that being said, I'm kind of on a kick to really reduce my monthly utility bills. We currently pay about $204 per month, and and when I calculated all my material out originally I though we'd be paying about ~$350/month to run this beast in utility costs.

I still really love the idea of LED lighting over T5s and MHs. I'm really hoping that in the next year some great LED lighting that would be appropriate to our situation pops up. DIY or commercial, I honestly couldn't care, but the thought of forking out $350 monthly in electricity and water does make me cringe. I'd rather be buying clams with that cash.

Kevin has finished wiring up the basement for internet, and I think the power is run (excluding the workshop) for the whole basement. We have the tank room mostly framed in now. We're just waiting on our water barrels to continue.

The giant beast of a skimmer has been chugging away from quite some time. The stuff it pulls out of the 180g makes me sick to look at. Kevin is looking at doing a few mods on the collection cup to allow for some other adjustments we'll need down the road.

[Delphinus]

It would be interesting to see a large tank like that under LED's.

Having said that, personally I'm sticking with halides until the plasma lights are a viable (ie., cost effective to switch) option. Those things are awesome!!

Whatcha gettin' for water barrels?

[michika]

Plasma lights? This sounds interesting! Tell me more?

[Delphinus]

I can't remember offhand which of the reef blogging sites have done pieces on them, but if you search reeftools, reefbuilders, etc. you should find something - I have most of them I think, in my fb feed so the stuff just shows up and I get confused too easily which one posted what. :lol:)

http://reefbuilders.com/2009/06/16/aqua-illumination-plasma-lighting-closer-reality/

I thought there were some newer posts too somewhere but offhand I can't find them and unfortunately my time is up, I gotta run to work. :redface: Maybe someone else can fill in with more deets?

[wokaid]

I saved this link awhile back but couldn't find anyone using the Seashine Aquarium light on a home reef tank.

http://www.straylightoptical.com/slot/products.jsf


If anyone has please I'd like to hear their opinion on it.

Wokaid

[fishytime]

she's back!.......I was starting to think Tibet swallowed yous two whole:razz:......good to hear things are back on track......also curious about your water containers.....UFA?

[michika]

Muhahahahahah! My evil plans are coming together!

I added three new fish to our little community. They seem to be integrating without problems.

The plastic containers we were looking at are from a local company recommended to me by the Eco Store. I'm still waiting for a day off to go and pick up the containers as their hours aren't really in tune with my schedule.

[fishytime]

I added three new fish to our little community. They seem to be integrating without problems.



Good to hear they are doing ok.......no issues with the naso at all?

[Delphinus]

What new fish did you get?

[michika]

Regal, yellow and blond tangs from Doug. Kevin says there was the usual 30 seconds of flashing from my yellow damsel and bristletooth tang, but that seems to have been it.

They all eat harmoniously and they also look awesome. I'm really really happy.

[Delphinus]

Oh, nice. :) Can't wait to see pics.

Doug when's your move date again? Was that this last weekend? How did it go?

[michika]

The new fish are just as awesome as when I first got them.

I have FINALLY cleared off my plate, recovered from a big economic slowdown, and we're back at working on the tank. Also I'm only doing TWO school programs now instead of four! I'm still a little uncomfortable with the large amounts of free time I suddenly have. I missed reefkeeping, and I miss having somewhere comfortable I can sit and just creep on my fish. I'm sure they also 'appreciate' the gesture as well.

I'm now trying to play catchup with some of the industry advances since probably November of last year. I want to make sure I'm up to speed again before I continue to buy up pieces for Tibet.

One thing is for sure though, I miss shopping for tank stuff. So that definitely has to start again here shortly.

[fishytime]

The new fish are just as awesome as when I first got them.

I have FINALLY cleared off my plate, recovered from a big economic slowdown, and we're back at working on the tank. Also I'm only doing TWO school programs now instead of four! I'm still a little uncomfortable with the large amounts of free time I suddenly have. I missed reefkeeping, and I miss having somewhere comfortable I can sit and just creep on my fish. I'm sure they also 'appreciate' the gesture as well.

I'm now trying to play catchup with some of the industry advances since probably November of last year. I want to make sure I'm up to speed again before I continue to buy up pieces for Tibet.

One thing is for sure though, I miss shopping for tank stuff. So that definitely has to start again here shortly.

Good to hear that "the three amigos" are doing well and that you are happy with them Girly.....also great to hear that you guys are back on track with life and especially "tibet".....any tentative completion dates yet?......Jorge needs some bigger digs:razz:

[lastlight]

I was wondering what was up with the big red sexy stand. Full steam ahead!

[andestang]

Good to hear that you're around again, I was beginning to wonder what was up. Look forward to see where the project is at.

[andestang]

I'm with Tony on this one. These look very promising, but just like the new LED surge have to wait for prices to become reasonable.

It would be interesting to see a large tank like that under LED's.
Having said that, personally I'm sticking with halides until the plasma lights are a viable (ie., cost effective to switch) option. Those things are awesome!!

[michika]

Ultimately I would love to have LEDs on the big tank. Kevin watches out for advances in them, and there is a couple threads on RC I follow about people making their own DIY fixtures.

I want my tank in the house for December. I want it to be our Christmas/Yule/Stuck inside/Just 'Cause gift this year. We have some stuff we need to do this summer, but things look much better then in March when that whole recession thing caught up to us, which sucked, a lot. We need to hammer out a work schedule, and an amended to do list, but otherwise we're back in business.

[Lance]

but otherwise we're back in business.




:thumb:

[michika]

The containers we're hoping to pick up are going to be coming from Calgary Plastic Container Supply Ltd (http://calgaryplastic.ca/). We're going to pick up one? or two? horizontal leg tanks for mixing.

I also really want this; a Remote Display (http://www.digitalaquatics.com/saltwater/RD1) that Digital Aquatics released recently. I have no use for it now, but I will once Tibet is up and running, one display in the fishroom, and one outside of it.

[michika]

I'm looking for a place that will rent you those big disposal bins for renovations. The ones were you can get it for say a weekend or week, then have the company haul the trash away for you.

Anyone have any recommendations? So far everyone I've called has a prohibitive price of $350+. I can keep doing trips with our truck, but its time consuming, and we're slow so we can only make maybe 3 trips per day. I'm holding on blowing out some remaining walls/structures until we can figure this out.

[Skimmerking]

any current pictures of the new skimmer

[michika]

any current pictures of the new skimmer

Current, no, but semi-recent yes.

This was shot a few days, maybe a week, after being put online. This thing is a beast! Can't seem to find the embed option from YouTube, but here is the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPJKMDA9Bz4

The quality has degraded significantly, sorry!

[Skimmerking]

if you want to see foam open the air wide open and watch

[Wayne]

WOW! Awesome thread, took almost an hour just skimming over it. Love the stand color! Going to look so good when its all done :lol:

[michika]

if you want to see foam open the air wide open and watch

It just goes insane when I do that! It is an awesome skimmer, cleans crap out of my tank like there is no tomorrow. I love it!

WOW! Awesome thread, took almost an hour just skimming over it. Love the stand color! Going to look so good when its all done :lol:

Thanks. I hope it turns out well, and soon.

I'm hoping to place our order for our water change containers today or tomorrow, I've been waiting on a price quote and I'm hoping it isn't going to be too bad. Then next weekend its multi-dump trip weekend, and after that more building; the water change system, finishing the room and getting it painted with a product like Kiltz for the walls and something for the floor, and installing the air exchange system. After that its a toss up I think; sump or tank first. I believe we will probably be building both of these ourselves.

Anyone know where to get those big black rubbermaid containers? I need something to cycle LOTS of rock in, and I don't want to do it in the display tank. I'll be ready to start cycling relatively soon; probably in the next six weeks.

[michika]

Water container has been ordered; just waiting on inventory to come in, it should be here anywhere between now and the second week in September.

Got a package in the mail on Friday! Thanks Ian. Now I can calibrate my ORP probe and further adjust my ozonier.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/07a583cf.jpg

[abcha0s]

Hi Catherine

Which water container did you order and where did you order it from?

- Brad

[michika]

I ordered a 200g Leg tank from Calgary Plastics.

[michika]

Guess who is awesome?! I am! Know why? Cause on Wednesday I got laid off, and I've already found a new job. Said new job involves lots of overtime, and overtime equates to cash. Cash buys & builds pretty giant tanks that can be passed off as end of the year gifts even if it comes before December 25th!

I exchanged my Aimiles this morning for more Rona gift certificates. It significantly helps bring down costs for us. Its great to be able to do this.

[Lance]

Guess who is awesome?! I am! Know why? Cause on Wednesday I got laid off, and I've already found a new job. Said new job involves lots of overtime, and overtime equates to cash. Cash buys & builds pretty giant tanks that can be passed off as end of the year gifts even if it comes before December 25th!

I exchanged my Aimiles this morning for more Rona gift certificates. It significantly helps bring down costs for us. Its great to be able to do this.


Great News! :biggrin:
Ok, now lets see this tank build take off!

[michika]

We're definitely back in business now. So only three things holding us back from placing the tank and sump order now. I want to order by the end of October, if not mid November at the very latest. The time line is a bit fuzzy because I doubt my original price quotes are still valid.

1) Need to rent a disposal bin for the last of the reno debris and to make some more room to bring the tank into the house.
2) Need to finalize the design, requote for price, and hammer down delivery dates
3) Need to wait for one more, possibly two depending on the requote, paycheques.

So voila, essentially we are ready to order the tank! I am so very nervous about doing this. I keep worrying about the what ifs, mostly as they relate to my flow design and hole placement.

So common paycheque I need you to buy me a pretty new tank!

This is the design we'd come up with in March of this year. I still like it, but I want some commentary on it. I'll probably post this in a couple other forums for feedback.

I do know that given the size the tank will be eurobraced, but will also probably have a couple front to back support strips. Also I need the stripes to effectively use our planned clear-mesh cover for the tank.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/michika/DSC_0689.jpg