Marc`s 1k gallon system.

[SuperFudge]

Originally Posted by niloc16

marc, i think you may be insane .

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

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


:P

[Jason McK]

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

You coudl call them SuperFudge Skimmers

J

[Dale]

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

Sorry about spilling the nachos though...

[Ruth]

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

[Fish]

Incredible!!!

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

- Chad

[SuperFudge]

Thanks guys,


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

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

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

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

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

[Lucky Strike]

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

[SuperFudge]

Dan,

Sorry so slow to respond.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marc.

[SuperFudge]

The rockwork,


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

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

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

The tabs that were applied for this:





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

Starting the pvc structure:





Started to pile rock in:











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





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

[SuperFudge]

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




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

hanging part:



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




Its not quite finished here, but roughed in atleast.











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










Marc.