my 104.72G Shallow Lagoon [Archive] - Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board

kien

12-18-2009, 06:11 AM

In my line of work we have this thing/idea called a "sandbox". It is essentially a place where we get to play with things/ideas without worrying about harming vital systems. In this case the vital system is my 150g display tank, and so here is the story of my sandbox/tide pool..

The Plan (if you can call it that) for this tank is actually just for messing around. Often times I've found that I wanted to try something out but didn't want to nuke the 150g display tank that I have going. It will double as a frag/prop tank, or maybe morph into a "Shallow Paradise" .. who knows :biggrin: Ironically, I do not plan on putting any sand in this box at all :neutral:

So here's where it all began..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3911.jpg?t=1261119875

The Specs:
* Dimensions - 48" long x 36" wide x 14" tall.
* Volume - 105g (~90g actual?)
* Rear Right corner overflow, herbie style with 1.5" drains.
* two returns, one in the overflow box and one outside in opposite corner
* Eurobraced

.. sorry, I have no idea what else I want to use on the tank equipment wise (ie, sump, skimmer, lights, etc). Suggestions welcomed! I'm kind of just winging this one as I go..

kien

12-18-2009, 06:18 AM

So the first "experiment" that I'd like to conduct on the tank is the tank itself! Yes, I'm going to see if I can put this tank together myself. I had the glass cut to my specifications, picked it up and here it sits, chilling out in my man room waiting for me to assemble it.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3909.jpg?t=1261120460

Ever since I got the glass home and unpacked I've just been staring at it scratching my head while trying to formulate a plan of attack.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3907.jpg?t=1261120506

No strange Swedish instructions here. No hex keys, dowels, screws, nuts or bolts.. Just glass and a tube of silicone..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3906.jpg?t=1261120529

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3905.jpg?t=1261120592

This is either going to be a lot of fun or an EPIC gong show.. Or as Tony says, maybe a little of both.

Oh dear.. I just noticed that this is my 666th post :neutral:

muck

12-18-2009, 06:30 AM

Subscribed...

Will be following along eagerly to see where you go with this build Kein.
The bigger the gong show the more fun you will be having. :mrgreen:

JDigital

12-18-2009, 03:25 PM

You couldn't have made it a 104 or 106 eh?! :lol: At least mine is longer! Look forward to seeing what you do with this.

PS: Nice Home Theater.

kien

12-18-2009, 03:33 PM

You couldn't have made it a 104 or 106 eh?! :lol: At least mine is longer! Look forward to seeing what you do with this.

PS: Nice Home Theater.

Well, it is technically 104.7G ? :-) I was going to call mine the "105G Custom Shallow Paradisio". :-)

Ya, yours is much longer than mine, but mine is much girthier. :lol:

I too am curious to see what I end up doing with this tank! :biggrin: I'm hoping not to spend too much money on the tank (ya, famous last words). The glass was cheap, free labour, free bulkheads and silicone so far. Using left over lumber from my last stand build for the new stand. Probably try to run skimmerless for a while until I can find a decent used one.

JDigital

12-18-2009, 03:39 PM

If you need any 3/4" or 1" Sch 40 PVC, shoot me a PM.. I got a few feet of each left over you can have. I even have a 5x3 stand you could have, if you wanted to trim a foot off... :lol:

lastlight

12-18-2009, 03:44 PM

Who cut your glass?

I'm considering building mine as well...having learned a few lessons with the sump builds.

Look forward to seeing more =)

I'm still tossing sizes around but my aim is in the 106G ballpark. Want it to truly be a paradise ya know?

kien

12-18-2009, 03:48 PM

If you need any 3/4" or 1" Sch 40 PVC, shoot me a PM.. I got a few feet of each left over you can have. I even have a 5x3 stand you could have, if you wanted to trim a foot off... :lol:

sweet I may take you up on that offer! Are you around this weekend?

Who cut your glass?

I would rather not say in public.. I'll shoot you a PM.

JDigital

12-18-2009, 03:50 PM

I'm still tossing sizes around but my aim is in the 106G ballpark. Want it to truly be a paradise ya know?

Plenty of room on the wagon! :mrgreen:

JDigital

12-18-2009, 03:52 PM

sweet I may take you up on that offer! Are you around this weekend?

I actually leave town tomorrow morning at 9, and not back till the 29th.

kien

12-18-2009, 04:04 PM

I actually leave town tomorrow morning at 9, and not back till the 29th.

d'oh! Well, have a great trip :-) I'm hoping the tank will be done by the 31st. After that I'm off to Mexico for a week and then back to work and if the tank isn't done by then, then it will be a new entrant into the slowest build contest..

banditpowdercoat

12-18-2009, 04:26 PM

WHOOO!!!! Nice speakers dude :D

Ohh, and the tank is gona be Epic too

Delphinus

12-18-2009, 04:51 PM

What maniac suggested you build your own tank man? :p Don't listen to him.

Oops, I mean.. subscribed ..

kien

12-18-2009, 04:57 PM

This guy at work gave me the idea. Said it would be easy as pie. He also tried to convince me that I should build the whole lighting system from scratch.. I'm starting to think that maybe he's a little loopy.. :crazy:

lastlight

12-18-2009, 07:53 PM

clean them with acetone, tape around your seams, clean the to-be siliconed areas once more quick and toss it together.

Wear an old shirt. Somehow I ruined 4 shirts building 2 tanks. The math doesn't add up! Next time I just want to build some jigs to hold things together better since i had panes sliding around on me and made what should have been pretty easy and very clean into a nightmare.

I'm actually pretty stoked to try again. Basement tanks are the BOMB. Murphy has a little less power down there in the dungeon =)

kien

12-19-2009, 07:04 AM

So I picked up some supplies today and decided to monkey around with the tank/glass.

I think these little do-dads are my new favourite gadgets.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3923.jpg?t=1261209158

They are made of plastic and rubber so are gentle on the glass. Also, spring loaded for one handed operation. Very handy when you're trying to brace two 1/2" panes of glass.

Also picked up some nylon tape. Will come in handy once it is time to silicone.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3924.jpg?t=1261209287

I started to visualize my attack vector, mounted the panes of glass and braced them with those corner grippies.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3918.jpg?t=1261209402

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3920.jpg?t=1261209423

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3921.jpg?t=1261209444

It actually wasn't that bad at all. I will have to make sure that the floor is perfectly even when I'm ready to commit. Probably a sheet of plywood or something. Carpet is not level. Or I will have to haul all that glass upstairs and work on the dining room table.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3915.jpg?t=1261209566

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3926.jpg?t=1261209669

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3927.jpg?t=1261209604

Funky_Fish14

12-19-2009, 08:59 AM

kien

12-19-2009, 02:26 PM

Sounds like a fun project Kien!

I hate to be the downer... but those clips aren't going to work for putting that tank together. Because you have to silicon between the edges when you are putting it together, you wont be able to do with the clips on and I don't think its a good idea to put those on after you place siliconed pieces into place. Since they are just at the top corners they will pull the top corners in and at the same time rock the bottom outward, which will make the joints uneven, which obviously is bad. Also it in fact might be easier to work on a surface while you are standing than on the ground. The first and last tank I built on the floor was much more inconvenient to do than working up on a 'bench'. - Toss down a piece of plywood on a table, then cover the wood with newspaper. Build the tank on the newspaper, and it doesn't matter if the silicon sticks to the newspaper.

Best of luck with the build!

Cheers,

Chris

P.S. - nice thread title :lol:

You pretty much listed everything that I ran into while dry fitting the tank and notes that I had to take. Those clips will interfere with the silliconing and do need to be removed prior to the actual application. I had planned to do that and replace the corner grip with an application of nylon tape on the outsides. And yes the bottoms tended to extend out a few millimeters every time I applied the clips. This was solved with an application of the nylon tap on the outside corners. What the clips are good for is a helping hand to hold the walls up while working. Kind of of like having someone hold those corners for you while you work. Tonight I'm going to see how well the nylon tape holds and if I'm not confident I will get those corner braces that sit on the outside corners. I saw those at Rona but I didn't really like them because they have vices that you have to twist to secure each side of the corner.

When I worked on a sump it was on my dining room table and I hated that. I'm not a tall person so putting things up higher is actually more inconvenient for me. I found it much more comfortable working with the tank on the floor because I could easily maneuver around, inside and over it. Other than that, I did end up doing exactly as you said, threw down a sheet of plywood and then newspapers over that so that the silicon can bleed out the bottom just fine.

wheeeeeeeee!

Funky_Fish14

12-20-2009, 05:57 AM

Ah ok, well, whatever works! Haha.

Just the nylon tape should do 'er. It will actually hold it very well, and you dont want to squeeze the seams too tight, so the tape is your best bet! This is from personal experience building tanks at a shop.

Cheers,

Chris

kien

12-30-2009, 09:02 AM

Since I had nothing better to do on Christmas eve I decided to tackle the tank. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. However, I did find it a bit time intensive. Like painting, I found most of the grunt work up front. The cleaning, taping, etc.. Alright, on with the show!

So the first thing I did was collect all my tools and bits and bobbles that I'd need for the construction. Tape, vices, silicone, etc.. I then started to clean the glass with acetone and then another round of cleaning with water and vinegar. Next I taped off all my seams like so.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3986.jpg?t=1262165843

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3989.jpg?t=1262165943

After doing some dry runs (ie, pretending to put the tank together), I came up with an approach that seemed to work best for me.

First I applied strips of nylon tape to the front and back panels, top and bottom in preparation for securing the panels once they were in place and the corner vices removed. More on this later.

With the tank held together with the corner vices as pictured above. I then un-viced one of the side panels and prepared it for siliconing. I laid that panel on the floor and applied a continuous bead of silicone at the bottom of that pan of glass ONLY.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3993.jpg?t=1262166050

I lifted that side panel into place and reapplied the corner vice to hold it into place (not the nylon tape!). I repeated this procedure for the other side panel.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3991.jpg?t=1262166250
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3990.jpg?t=1262166172

I now had both side panels siliconed to the bottom glass only. Next I un-viced the front panel and applied a bead of silicon to the sides and bottom of that pane of glass.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3999.jpg?t=1262167044

I then lifted that pane up and instead of using the corner vices, this time I secure it with the nylon tape that was sticking to it.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3996.jpg?t=1262167006

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3998.jpg?t=1262167025

As you can see, silicone oozes out but that's okay. I avoided rubbing it off because once the silicone dried, I could easily run a blade down it like so.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_4004.jpg?t=1262167174
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_4005.jpg?t=1262167191

And here is the main tank all done up.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_4001.jpg?t=1262167224

Next I tackled the euro-bracing and overflow box. There wasn't anything special to note about those pieces. Just apply silicone and hold into place with nylon tape. Lastly I ran my finger down the inside corners to push down all the silicone that oozed out. Were silicone did not ooze into the tank corners I applied a little bit and pushed that down.

So here she is, waiting for silicone to cure.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_4003.jpg?t=1262167321

burtonboy

12-30-2009, 09:14 AM

looking really good! Cant wait to see it full of corals.:mrgreen:

Jason McK

12-30-2009, 02:52 PM

Great Build thread so far. Looking forward to more

banditpowdercoat

12-30-2009, 02:53 PM

OHHH I see a SG1 box there :D One day I will get the WHOLE series. Seen every one on TV, but would love to own.

Tank looks awesome BTW

JDigital

12-30-2009, 04:53 PM

Tank looks awesome kien! Good job on it.

fishytime

12-30-2009, 05:30 PM

So Santa left you a tank on X-mas eve? Looks great man....did you let the silicone set before you pulled the tape?

kien

12-30-2009, 05:55 PM

So Santa left you a tank on X-mas eve? Looks great man....did you let the silicone set before you pulled the tape?

Ya, I guess Santa was busy building a tank that night but couldn't be bothered to stuff it under the tree :-)

I tried to remove some of the tape before the silicone fully dried but that was a mistake. Even after scoring the silicone along the tape edge I found that it sometimes tended to lift a bit. I decided to leave the tape until the next day and it the removal worked out a lot better.

K.

JDigital

12-30-2009, 06:01 PM

Looks like you could still use some free plumbing... I figured this would be done and plumbed by now!

kien

12-31-2009, 02:43 AM

Looks like you could still use some free plumbing... I figured this would be done and plumbed by now!

You and me both! Unfortunately the reality of the holidays set in..

I would love to grab some of your pipe :biggrin: But again, the holidays has set in at the household so I doubt I'd be able to make it up that way anytime soon. :cry:

lastlight

12-31-2009, 02:54 AM

Great work with the assembly Kien. I'm really itching to try that whole process again...with a crappier shirt next time lol. Seeing it so wide...sitting there on the floor...sure looks like an appealing size.

Which is why I'm not going to stare at it anymore =)

Skimmerking

12-31-2009, 03:23 AM

You and me both! Unfortunately the reality of the holidays set in..

I would love to grab some of your pipe :biggrin: But again, the holidays has set in at the household so I doubt I'd be able to make it up that way anytime soon. :cry:

grabbing his pipe not a good thing to do around glass hehehehhehe
hmmmmmmm grab sorry boys had to do it. oh ya
the tank is looking stellar man, some one here did a shallow long tank i want to put acans and feed the heck out of them...... \

oh ya this is your thread.

JDigital

01-02-2010, 06:32 AM

schroeder

01-02-2010, 06:59 AM

Since I had nothing better to do on Christmas eve

WHAAT!?:confused:

I wish I had that kind of freedom with my wife.:wink:

kien

01-02-2010, 07:03 AM

WHAAT!?:confused:

I wish I had that kind of freedom with my wife.:wink:

Get a new wife? LOL! Just kidding. (sort of, maybe).

schroeder

01-02-2010, 07:11 AM

Get a new wife? LOL! Just kidding. (sort of, maybe).

Nah! She's a keeper.
She hates my current tank. It is my first, and it was an experiment for me. It's a 5 gallon nano with a sump in an open stand. The pump is noisy, and she doesn't like the look of the sump, so I made her a deal that I would get rid of it...

...on condition that I build another showpiece tank, (the 5 gallon is too small anyway) so I'm doing a 40 breeder, shallow tank on a homebuilt stand (I like making furniture) with a 24" geismann infinity. I got away with justifying the expense by promising to make it bootiful, and she bought it!

schroeder

01-02-2010, 07:15 AM

kien

01-02-2010, 07:27 AM

I'm watching this build closely, because I want to see what you've got in mind for aquascaping and stocking. I've seen some beautiful shallow tanks posted elsewhere, but I want more ideas before I plan the layout of my own.

I'm debating a closed loop. Are you planning on one?

If your sump is wide open for everyone to see then I would agree with your wife that it is probably quite unsightly :lol:

I'm still planning (in my head) how I want to aquascape this tank. At first I was just going to dump some (live) rocks in there and be done with it since this wasn't really meant to be a display tank. However, now that I've seen the tank on its stand I'm starting to really fall in love with it and am wanting to put more effort into making it more of a display(ish) tank and have some fun.

I am not personally a fan of closed loops. I appreciate their benefits but every time I try to formulate a closed loop system (a few times for my 150g tank, and a few times for this tank), I am never happy with how it turns out for various reasons. That's just me though :-)

JDigital

01-02-2010, 06:14 PM

We need pics of it on the stand...please. :wink:

lastlight

01-02-2010, 07:14 PM

Anybody who's ANYONE runs Vortechs. I've always believed that.

JDigital

01-02-2010, 07:21 PM

i've always believed that.

liar!!

The first part is true though.. ;)

kien

01-02-2010, 07:24 PM

I do love the idea of Vortechs.. however, every time I pick up the box and drool over it, my euphoria is quickly squashed by the price tag, then I start to twitch a little.. :lol:

I guess I will never get to sit at the cool kids table :(

lastlight

01-02-2010, 07:27 PM

Some of those cool kids never budget their builds for fish and corals though :razz:

kien

01-02-2010, 07:31 PM

Some of those cool kids never budget their builds for fish and corals though :razz:

hmm, that strategy had never occurred to me.. brilliant! :biggrin: Who needs fish and corals when you can just sit there and watch your Vortech swoosh your water back and forth :-) Throw in some neon beads and you've really got a show!

JDigital

01-02-2010, 07:57 PM

my euphoria is quickly squashed by the price tag, :lol:

I guess I will never get to sit at the cool kids table :(

- No heat transfer to the tank
- smaller footprint
- Provdes water FLOW vs Overpowering Jet of water. :lol:

Worth the money in my mind.

You got sweet SPS, you can still sit at the cool kids table. :smilecol:

kien

01-03-2010, 06:28 AM

We need pics of it on the stand...please. :wink:

Since you asked nicely, here you go :-) (do excuse the white balance. There are 4 sources of light in that room and all 4 are a different colour temperature :lol:)

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3966.jpg?t=1262503331

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3967.jpg?t=1262503438

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3969.jpg?t=1262503497

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3970-1.jpg?t=1262503519

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_3971.jpg?t=1262503542

Need to paint the stand then plumb when I get back from Mexico. I suppose I could just take a page from Josh's book and just leave it all raw like :-)

JDigital

01-03-2010, 06:32 AM

Looks awesome.. My stand won't be raw forever!

fishytime

01-03-2010, 01:42 PM

Looks good Kien...and and now for the fun part (at least for me)...plumbing and then aquascaping....Im envious of the "new tank high" you must be on....

lorenz0

01-03-2010, 04:35 PM

looking good buddy. skin that stand before you put water in, if i could change one thing about my start up that would be it

lastlight

01-03-2010, 04:43 PM

What made you choose that location for the return? Why not also in other corners/locations? Looks really sweet I'm anxious to see more!

I think a single pendant somewhere near the center (with most corals under it) would be so cool. The light falloff would look killer I think.

kien

01-05-2010, 06:15 PM

looking good buddy. skin that stand before you put water in, if i could change one thing about my start up that would be it

Ya, I plan on sealing it and painting it before putting any water it. If its one thing I´ve learned from my other stand its that saltwater and wood don´t mix. It is so nice to be able to wipe salt water off of a finished surface rather than raw wood.

What made you choose that location for the return? Why not also in other corners/locations? Looks really sweet I'm anxious to see more!

I think a single pendant somewhere near the center (with most corals under it) would be so cool. The light falloff would look killer I think.

Just preference. I didn´t want any hardware at that side of the tank and I didn´t want to run any pipes behind or above this tank this time around. So <I´m playing around with having all pipes inside the tank and see how it goes. This tank wasn´t originally planned out to be a display tank. It was not supposed to be all that pretty :-)

Mr.nintendo

01-05-2010, 07:28 PM

Seeing all these shallows tanks has me pondering haha... I'm definitely gonna follow this one

JDigital

01-05-2010, 08:01 PM

lobsterboy

01-05-2010, 09:38 PM

where have i been, i cant believe i missed this build. :surprise:

looks wicked, shallow tanks are killin it

kien

01-08-2010, 09:00 PM

It is just me, or the picture, but is your stand slightly too long/wide on that one corner (nearest the camera)... or is the tank not positioned yet? The questions been nagging at me since you posted.. :lol:

Good observation Josh :-P I had to push the tank and stand into the corner to take pictures of it and I ended up pushing the tank slightly off centre. The whole rig was in the middle of the room in preparation for priming and painting but some eager canreefer kept nagging me to take pictures of it.. :wink:

JDigital

01-08-2010, 11:34 PM

Good observation Josh :-P I had to push the tank and stand into the corner to take pictures of it and I ended up pushing the tank slightly off centre. The whole rig was in the middle of the room in preparation for priming and painting but some eager canreefer kept nagging me to take pictures of it.. :wink:

You should just tell that eager reefer to pound sand! lol :lol:

So when do you expect to have water in this bad boy?

schroeder

01-09-2010, 02:59 AM

stocking ideas??

kien

01-12-2010, 04:01 AM

I need to find time to paint the stand, then plumb, leak test, build sump, then I should be ready for salt water. I have a rubbermaid tote sitting in that room right now with about 70 pounds of live rock in it (from a tank shutdown). It has a 6 bulb tek t5 fixture over it :-D

I plan on just stock this tank with corals (mostly SPS) for now. Going to go fishless and see how that goes for a while. If that doesn't work out I'll probably throw in a bunch of threadfin cardinals and call it a day.

Found a great deal on a used skimmer. Just need to go pick it up. Also got my powerheads used. One tunze 6105 and two 6101s pretty cheap. Will control those with the tunze controller I got also for cheap on boxing day :-D

I'm debating about getting a used profilux for a pretty good deal.. Are you sensing a theme yet? :lol:

JDigital

01-22-2010, 07:10 PM

Have you gotten around to plumbing this thing yet? I WILL be home all weekend and still got that PVC laying around if you want it...

JDigital

02-04-2010, 07:36 PM

Updates?

kien

02-04-2010, 07:52 PM

I lined up the tank with the stand so it isn't off centre anymore :P

Actually you are right I should probably update this thread. I have the stand painted, sump built, plumbing purchased, skimmer (Hydor 700) and return pump (magdrive 12) acquired, lighting purchased (2 x 6bulb tek T5s). I am planning to plumb the tank tonight and if all goes well should have water coursing through the system by the weekend.

I've also had a couple of tubs (33gs each) of water with cured live rock from a fellow canreef that's been cooking for the past 3 months so I'll be dumping those into the tide pool this weekend.

kien

02-05-2010, 08:24 AM

Okay, so here we go! Finally got around to putting it all together. Here's what the guts look like.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_7551.jpg?t=1265361367

33g two chamber sump. Return on the left, skimmer on the right. Herbie overflows with 2 1/2" drains. Return is driven by a mag 12 into 1" pipes. Skimmer is the awesome Hydro 700.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_7563.jpg?t=1265361508 http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_7562.jpg?t=1265361489

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_7561.jpg?t=1265361552

Here's a shot of the overflow box with the herbie overflows. At the opposite end is the return. The third pipe in the overflow box is currently blocked off. I was going to use it for a return as well but decided against it (for now).

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_7560.jpg?t=1265361573

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_7557.jpg?t=1265361651

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_7558.jpg?t=1265361667

Aerial shot.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_7559.jpg?t=1265361690

So all that's left to do is wait for the PVC cement to cure, then tomorrow night hang my lights. Push the whole setup into its corner and we're off to the races!

Delphinus

02-05-2010, 08:47 AM

Sweeeet!

DCDN

02-05-2010, 03:31 PM

I can't wait to see it filled

JDigital

02-05-2010, 04:42 PM

kien

02-05-2010, 05:00 PM

Aren't you worried about a back syphon on your return if the power goes out? That 90 elbow looks pretty low, unless your sump can handle the extra water. Just curious.

Setup looks killer though. Love the dimensions. :mrgreen:

It looks low because the tank is so frakking shallow LOL.

That return outlet is only an 3/4 to 1 inch below the water line. I measured :-). So not that much water is going to siphon back. The sump is only half full (possibly even less) during normal operations so ya there is lots of room for water in the sump. I always design my systems this way. Pretty much the exact same deal as my 150g. I actually use this to my advantage when doing water changes. I turn off the return and let all the water drain and siphon into the sump that can and will. This fills up the sump tank. I then just pump out all the water from
the sump tank and refill to the previous line with NSW. Turn pump back on. Done :-)

kien

02-11-2010, 07:21 AM

Fired this bad boy up last weekend. Made some tweaks to the plumbing and hung the lights last night. All params are zero(ish). There's currently 1 blue legged hermit crab and a hitchiker crab residing in the tide pool.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8022.jpg?t=1265876333

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8023.jpg?t=1265876372

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8017.jpg?t=1265876392

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8018.jpg?t=1265876409

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8015.jpg?t=1265876445

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8014.jpg?t=1265876472

kien

02-11-2010, 07:25 AM

Lights consists of two 6 bulb 48" Tek T5 fixtures. Bulb selection is:

Back to front

Hamilton Tech - Actinic (420nm)
KZ Coral Light New Gen (15K)
KZ Fuji Purple
KZ Coral Light (10K)
KZ Coral Light New Gen (15K)
KZ Superblue (22K)

KZ Superblue (22K)
KZ Coral Light New Gen (15K)
KZ Coral Light (10K)
KZ Fuji Purple
KZ Coral Light New Gen (15K)
Hamilton Tech - Actinic (420nm).

and it looks something like this..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8021.jpg?t=1265876543

I have it hung pretty high right now to work in the tank but will lower it a few more inches once I'm done.

lastlight

02-11-2010, 07:26 AM

Oh you bastard that looks nice.

You have some plumbing to hide though =)

kien

02-11-2010, 07:29 AM

haha, agreed :-) My location choice for that return was definitely flawed on this build! The return box will cover with coraline or I'll build a mountain to cover it, but ya.. that return line is fugly!! I'm thinking about just covering the whole thing up, removing that pipe and plumbing the return in the back of the tank and over the lip instead... if I can be bothered. That or I'll get the GSP to grow over it :lol:

Oh.. I guess I have that 1" line in the over flow box that's just capped off right now not doing anything. I should just use that as a return instead.

lastlight

02-11-2010, 07:32 AM

I know by the way you take your pics...you CARE how it looks. So take care of it man.

kien

02-11-2010, 07:34 AM

I know by the way you take your pics...you CARE how it looks. So take care of it man.

Ya.. I sort of do now. When I designed it it wasn't supposed to be pretty. It was supposed to be a frag tank! :lol:

anyway, I'm just happy it is holding water at this point. I was half expecting it to just fall apart and dump everything onto the floor over night. :lol:

lastlight

02-11-2010, 07:36 AM

I was half expecting it to just fall apart and dump everything onto the floor over night. :lol:

That never happens until the thing is nicely stocked.

kien

02-11-2010, 07:37 AM

That never happens until the thing is nicely stocked.

Okay, phew! Good to know.. I have some time then.

lorenz0

02-11-2010, 12:41 PM

I'm blind from that much white!!!

lol looking good buddy

kien

02-12-2010, 03:43 PM

ya.. I could sure use some more red planet in that tank. :lol:

JDigital

02-14-2010, 03:40 AM

That looks awesome Kien... wish I had the room where my tank is for 36".. next tank I guess!:lol:

ALBERTA REEF

02-14-2010, 03:53 AM

That looks awesome Kien... wish I had the room where my tank is for 36".. next tank I guess!:lol:

In this hobby there is alway a next tank.:razz:

Coleus

02-16-2010, 04:47 PM

I wish you are much closer to my home so i can drop by and watching the action in real time. Also, i can give my wife an excuse to spend more time on the tank. "Look, Kien lovely wife lets him do it, come on"

Damn nice theater too.

I am dying for more picts pls

kien

02-23-2010, 05:45 AM

An interesting couple of weeks for this tank.. I wasn't going to post anything about this little incident, but when I told the story to my wife she convinced me that it would make a good post, so here goes..

A couple of weeks ago I picked up an Atlantic Blue Tang from a LFS. I thought it was a great find because I had wanted one for a long time. I felt he would be a great addition to the lagoon for algae control. So anyway, I brought him home and proceeded with my usual acclimation routine. The first step I take is to temperature acclimate which means bag sits in the sump for about 20 minutes or so. Went upstairs, did a little Canreefing and then came back down to check in on him. I was shocked and horrified to find that somehow his bag was completely empty of water! I'm wondering if maybe he poked a hole in it.. but the details here aren't that important. I pulled him out of the empty bag and found him lifeless. Yes, dead. I wiggled him in the sump water for a bit, nothing. This had never happened to me before so I was kind of beside myself. While sitting there under my tank staring at a lifeless body of my newly acquired Tang I somehow got it in my head that I shouldn't give up on him. It couldn't have been *that* long since he stopped breathing.. So, I decided to take action and perform CPR. I pulled his lifeless body out of the sump and placed him in the display tank in front of a tunze 6105. I tried to hold his mouth open as it blasted water into his mouth and through his gills, all the while I performed chest compressions by pressing either side of his body with my thumb and index finger. Yes, I felt as ridiculous doing it as it sounds. I don't know, I think I saw it on TV one time or something! I did this for probably 5 give or take minutes. I was about to give up on him and pronounced him dead but guess what???? Yup, he wiggled his tail. I was shocked!! I kept up with the CPR and sure enough, he started to gasp for air, started breathing and a little tail wiggle turned into full on swimming. To be honest I don't know if my actions really did anything or not. All I know is one moment he was pretty dead. No breathing, no movement, nothing, the next minute he darts off into a cave. :neutral:

So ya, that was a pretty exciting evening, but it doesn't end there for him. Yesterday I noticed that he was doing a weird head shake and was really scratching himself good on some rocks. I remember reading in Tony's Fluke thread recently about head shaking so I looked it up. Yup, sure enough, he has skin flukes! You can clearly see the little flukes on his skin. At this point I had not yet seen him eat (although he did eat at the LFS), so it was not looking good for him. I didn't have any medication on hand but he was already in pretty rough shape so I felt I really had to do something to at least help him out if I could. I decided to give him a fresh water dip. I've only ever done this once eons ago and even then it was a very very brief dip. I wasn't sure how this one was going to go. I filled a pot with RO water and got its temp up to the same as the tank's temp. I then spent 45 minutes trying to fish him out of the tank (ended up having to remove all my live rock). Placed him in a colander and lowered him into the bath. Let's just say he wasn't very happy about it. I set a timer for 5 minutes and kept a very close eye on him. He calmed down after the first minute. I could literally see all the flukes dropping off his body. After 5 minutes I placed him back into the display tank where he proceeded to bolt into a cave.

The next day I picked up some PraziPro to treat the tank.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8742.jpg?t=1266907015

Although the flukes on his skin were taken care of the larvae and any flukes in the display tank still need to be dealt with. When I went to treat the tank I noticed that he was out and about grazing on the live rock. I had never seen him do this since putting him in the tank. Furthermore, when I plunked myself down in front of the tank to watch him he swam up to the glass and hung out there, staring at me. Hard to describe that moment. It was quite surreal. Almost like he was saying, "Thanks dude. I needed that".

Anyway, he still has some healing to do but is well on his way. I've seen him eat flakes and nori sheets.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8739.jpg?t=1266907164

Has anyone else ever tried CPR on their fish?!

fishytime

02-23-2010, 05:51 AM

Great story Kien and congrats on the "dream fish score".....Hopefully he's seen the worst in your tank....

lastlight

02-23-2010, 05:55 AM

What a great thing to have experienced! That's going to be one gorgeous little fishy.

kien

02-23-2010, 06:17 AM

Oh, forgot this picture. This is who the Tang shares his pad with currently.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8729.jpg?t=1266909434

burtonboy

02-23-2010, 06:19 AM

WOW!! Amazing story Kein! Glad to see him swimming around and eating considering all he's been through. I love Atlantic blue tangs and hopefully I'll have one one day. Hope to see him around here for a long time:mrgreen:

Daniel

JDigital

02-23-2010, 06:30 AM

Oh, forgot this picture. This is who the Tang shares his pad with currently.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8729.jpg?t=1266909434

I hate you and laurier now! LOL I am gonna HAVE to have a Potters in my next tank! :lol:

crazy story about the Atlantic Blue. Glad he is doing well for ya. Sounds like a fighter! :mrgreen:

Delphinus

02-23-2010, 06:45 AM

That's awesome. Although you're not alone in the fish CPR department. I've tried this in the past too - sometimes with luck (once off the Glenmore docks, someone tried to catch and release a pike and had some trouble with his line getting tangled) - poor guy didn't know what to do - grabs a passing sailor and says "please help". I looked at the fish and did what you just did off the docks - eventually some life sprang into him and he lazily swam off.

However in my tank fish I've only tried it on fish that my old ritteri anemone killed with its invisible cloud of death. None were successful and I think now it's because their gills were damaged by whatever it was (shed nematocysts or whatever - I still think it was something else - but speaking to Calfo about it he kind of poo-poo'd the idea - "I'm Anthony Calfo and you're not" .. so who knows. All I know is all that thing had to do was burp and I'd lose a tankful of fish within half an hour .. as much as I love those anemones and their spectacular awesomeness, I'm done keeping that species in captivity!!)

Anyhow good luck with the cooties. Once he gets his strength up he should recover. FW dips are awful but sometimes they really do work (just as you said though .. it only gets the adults). After all I've read on flukes I've come to the conclusion that pretty much all new fish, and particularly angels and tangs, should be considered carriers if not outright infected. If in QT people will prazi their QT tank 4 times, one week apart. I have a theory, that if not already infected, that a healthy strong fish's slime coat will repel most if not all of the larva who try to attach and thus that's why we don't always see symptoms in new fish - but anything to stress the fish will compromise his immunity - in your case, the empty bag and near death experience - in my case, a rather severe case of hazing for the first 2 days .. and that's all the cooties needed to gain a foothold.

kien

02-23-2010, 06:56 AM

I looked at the fish and did what you just did off the docks - eventually some life sprang into him and he lazily swam off.

I've never done it before but this is where I must have seen it, on fishing TV. I must have seen them do it numerous times :-) In hindsight I should have just plunked him in my acclimation bucket :( I guess I was just afraid at the time that the temperature wouldn't equalize quick enough because the tank is in a pretty cold room. Lesson learned!

I hate you and laurier now! LOL I am gonna HAVE to have a Potters in my next tank! :lol:
:

I used to think that Flames were my favourite angles but this guy is right up there. Just as cool and interesting as my Flame.

Leah

02-23-2010, 12:51 PM

Wow Kien! you must have fish angels or horseshoes or something...glad he is a fish with 9
lives. :wink: Great story glad you told us...might just save a life sometime...hope. :biggrin:

JDigital

02-23-2010, 02:55 PM

I used to think that Flames were my favourite angles but this guy is right up there. Just as cool and interesting as my Flame.

I've always loved the potters, just never wanted to add one with my well established Coral Beauty.. I'm sure it would be a Battle Royale!

Carmen

02-23-2010, 03:31 PM

Kien your passion for the hobby, your fish and your tank is incredible and endearing! Very awesome that it has worked out for your little tang! Glad you did not give up on the little guy/gal! Also LOVE the Potters! If I didn't have a Flame I too would choose a Potters. Gorgeous fish! :mrgreen:
GREAT STORY!:smile:

christyf5

02-23-2010, 03:35 PM

Amazing story Kien! I'm glad it worked out for you, he's a beautiful fish. The potters is stunning too :biggrin:

MrsBugmaster

02-23-2010, 03:41 PM

WOW! That is a great story. I'm glad the little fish pulled through for you. I hope you have him/her for a long time to come.

Coleus

02-23-2010, 06:17 PM

AMAZING STORY. Thanks Kien

superduperwesman

02-23-2010, 06:27 PM

ahah that's CRAZY! I'm just glad that you didn't give it mouth to mouth

superduperwesman

03-11-2010, 05:10 AM

Progress?

kien

03-13-2010, 03:02 AM

Well since you asked, sure :-)

Everyone is doing great! Here is a before and after of the Atlantic Blue Tang.

Before:

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_8736.jpg?t=1268452849

And Now:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4428572244_784ffcb167_o.jpg

Notice how.. um.. fat he is.. :lol: .. hard to imagine that this guy right here used to be dead..

kien

03-13-2010, 03:17 AM

And here are more scenes from in and around the lagoon.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2681/4427805477_b660da4c85_t.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2681/4427805477_ed4eff007b_o.jpg) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2751/4427807655_0d6a74c76d_t.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2751/4427807655_94d0ea44c4_o.jpg) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2721/4427807531_6a03fa5145_t.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2721/4427807531_1258c5cd29_o.jpg) http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4428573468_b8bb94c0bb_t.jpg (http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4428573468_8889a02bcb_o.jpg) http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4428573184_28edb6969e_t.jpg (http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4428573184_d70d852822_o.jpg) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2728/4427806473_bfd2e869e0_t.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2728/4427806473_e685cfcc62_o.jpg)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4428572962_9809be16c6_t.jpg (http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4428572962_ef65c32fa7_o.jpg) http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4427806993_4de722725d_t.jpg (http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4427806993_036882a3df_o.jpg) http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4428573276_5a85119f2a_t.jpg (http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4428573276_c8045a1c67_o.jpg) http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4428573720_56483458d5_t.jpg (http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4428573720_bb5d6aefc6_o.jpg) http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4427807227_efd9e1aff0_t.jpg (http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4427807227_e73536046a_o.jpg)

And finally, we have a new friend who will actually be joining us in the 131 FOWLR once it is ready. In the meantime he is hanging out in the lagoon with his buddies.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2732/4427807875_6732bbe41c_t.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2732/4427807875_4a5ff43c1b_o.jpg)