The LAST big upgrade

[michika]

Originally Posted by fishytime

Hey!???

Someone has to keep me occupied in the mornings!


This week we're making our big last final push for awhile. The tank glass will be ready and the tank build will start next week, or the week thereafter. Just have to do some tidying and a bit of finishing to make the space functional for tank building.

So now what I have already;
- lighting (MH portion, still need T5s)
- Stand
- Tank
- Sump
- Skimmer
- obnoxious dogs that need to constantly be in the way of what you're doing
- Automatic water change system
- Controller
- Free manual labour & tank cleaning (but he's not as hot as the Tank Girls )

What I still need;
- cookies - oatmeal chocolate chip would be nice
- more power bars, and the remote interface for my RKE
- T5 lighting set ups, I think I only need like 2 of these
- Salt
- Rock
- Sand
- Beer
- Water
- clams
- pretty clowns; snowflakes?
- display side finishing & access ideas
- mag float
- 2x Hammerhead ReeFlo pumps
- plumbing supplies
- pheasant balls, for umm.. good luck...yeah...

Here is hoping our nasty Calgary weather keeps most people out of the hardware store tonight.

[lastlight]

You guys have most of the big things taken care of. The cookies is a tough one. I'd recommend something chewy tho. I am so craving oatmeal raisin now thanks.

[fishytime]

Originally Posted by michika

Someone has to keep me occupied in the mornings!

I suppose I should feel happy that I fill some kind of need for ya

Originally Posted by michika

- Free manual labour & tank cleaning (but he's not as hot as the Tank Girls )

your just not dressing him properly

Originally Posted by michika

What I still need;

- Salt
- Rock
- Sand
- Beer
- Water
- clams

Sounds like one hell of a shooter!

Originally Posted by michika

- display side finishing & access ideas

you do know a finishing carpenter

Originally Posted by lastlight

You guys have most of the big things taken care of. The cookies is a tough one. I'd recommend something chewy tho. I am so craving oatmeal raisin now thanks.

Originally Posted by michika

- Rock
- 2x Hammerhead ReeFlo pumps
- plumbing supplies

IDK brochacho....Rock, two reeflos and plumbing for a tank of this scope is a pretty chunk o change.....for me anyway

[lastlight]

Oh hell lots for me too. We're here to encourage, support, and distract her from that fact =)

[michika]

Yes, I need more distractions, and cookies!

I got my plywood yesterday for the stand (Thanks Tony!), the last of the required blue board for the fish room, and some other misc. parts to clean up some of the furnace vents. Someone was a big fan of the random offset when our new furnace was installed.

I never said this was going to be a fast build! Rock, pumps and plumbing are expensive...and thus I require a sugar daddy/mama or a wealthy patron, however in the event I cannot locate such people I'll just have to save my pennies. I think we're going to go with a large amount of dry rock (if the price is right) to help offset the costs.

Doug, once the tank is built I'll come pick your brains for ideas on how to finish the display side. I'm just not feeling any of the previous ideas I'd flagged as possilibies from other builds.

[michika]

The glass arrives on Friday, it will just be the tank glass for now. I opted to hold back on the sump until I'm 100% ok with the layout of pumps. This stems from a little oops with the leg tank/waterchange system. I forgot to leave enough space for the pump, and Ocean Runner 600, so now I have a bit of a connundrum to solve. I'm worried it will happen with the sump as well, so I need to re-assure myself about pump and plumbing placement before I go ahead with it.

So some photos:

Mostly clean display side of the basement


The stand is now a table top to do some the work above it.


Plywood is in, just have to add a layer of foam and then the tank!


Moved the offsets that were in the way; before


after;


Blue board is mostly up, I wanted the stuff up behind the tank wall ASAP, just in case I couldn't get the rest done in time.


Leg tank is all drywalled and the backside is now mudded


View from the backside of the tank into what will eventually be our media room

[untamed]

Originally Posted by michika

Leg tank is all drywalled and the backside is now mudded

The way this shelf is constructed has me a bit concerned. Is this only screwed to the wall studs at the sides? If so, you are carrying the weight based on the shear strength of the screws only... Wouldn't you want to have some vertical studs on the sides? This would reduce the space you've created underneath by only 3"-6", but it would make it much stronger.

Maybe you notched the studs...that would be good.

[michika]

There will be legs under the free edge, but they only go on after everything has been painted and sealed. Its just too much of a pain to get under there to mud, and pain with the legs in the way.

It will look something like this....but with the magic of 3D!

_{water}_
| | | <---- The spacing changes but the legs will be evenly spread out under the leg tank.

So as of this weekend most of the glass is sitting in my basement! I took some photos, but then went partying all weekend long and didn't quite make it to uploading them yet. It looks pretty, I'm excited to see it go up in the next few days, or at least part of it will go up.

I'll probably be unemployed after December 15th so I'll have plenty of time to do stuff around the house, why can't unemployement also come with copious amounts of cash? Yay for being a contractor! Oh well, at least I got my tank out of this last one, so I can at least be uber happy about that one.

[lastlight]

I don't recall what you chose for glass. What thicknesses and what types of glass? I remember the glass for my 400 sitting in the basement. I'd just pace around the basement staring at it dreaming. FUN!

[michika]

Its 3/4" glass for all the pieces I have in the basement right now. I'll post some photos up tonight I think once I escape from the office of doom. Today is definitely a Monday, no questions asked.