Tips and Tricks 101

[StirCrazy]

when stacking rock, weather you use a support frame or not, arrange it to make several pathways through the rock work at the bottom, not only does this give the fish nooks and crannies to race through but it also allows a strategically placed power head to provide a positive water flow through your rock work and reduce the settling of crap where you can't get at it.

Steve

[StirCrazy]

when setting up flow in the tank I always try to set it up so it creates a whirlpool in an open area of the tank, this causes all the "crap" to settle in that area in a neat pile which makes it very easy to remove with a minimal waist of water.

Steve

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

to get a more even flow though out the tank build plastic hangers to attach your power head brackets to. .....

Any words of wisdom on how you build them?
Just with a heat gun and a few pieces of acrylic?

Thanx much,

[SuperFudge]

Damn, wish i had have known i could have put sand in the pipe.
woulda saved me a few trips to find the spring....

DOH..

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Johnny Reefer

Any words of wisdom on how you build them?
Just with a heat gun and a few pieces of acrylic?

Thanx much,

I will take some pictures. glue and heat gun wouldn't be enuf as you have to use thicker stock to make it. a torch will bubble the plastic so cutting small chunks and gluing is the best way.. I will do a DIY thread on it as I have to make some more..

Steve

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

.. I will do a DIY thread on it as I have to make some more..

Steve

That'd be great!
Thanx Steve.

Cheers,

[Chin_Lee]

If you have a dual or single overflow in the same box, incorporate an expanding joint into each of the stand-pipe. This will allow you to easily adjust the height of the water level in the box to evenly distributer the water to both pipes, maximize surface skimming and minimize waterfalling noise. These expanding joints can be located at Home Depot in the electrical grey PVC section and will allow an expansion range of about 6 inches.

A slightly cheaper but with less range of motion method: in most cases you will need to attach a male treaded adaptor on the bottom of your stand pipe to attach it to the bulkhead in your overflow. Adjust the stand-pipe by turning the male adaptor in or out of the bulkhead. This will only give you about 1/2" range but should be enough to adjust the height so that it evenly distributes the water to both stand pipes.

[kwirky]

Originally Posted by asmodeus

So this looks like a fruitstand I take It.

*sigh* sorry if i offended somone. in art school, EVERYONE gets very emotional about their own views on what's aesthetic, and I figured we're all adults here and can take a little opinion. Opinion isn't fact, and ideas DO clash.

and i don't think your's looks like a fruitstand. not even close. Thanks for posting the pic, aesmodeus. I was meaning there's a few images lieing out there on the net where the tank looks SO packed, and there's SO many corals lieing so close to each other, touching each other. Where people just seemed to dump their liverock like dumptrucks filling in a swamp.houses. But then again, that's what the ocean looks like where our liverock is collected.

Aesthetics is such a touchy subjet

Maybe I should say that I appreciate it when somone puts the work in, and makes something with a great rock structure, or a nice ratio of corals. Or somone who forgoes the "aesthetics" and decided to work hard at a tank containing species of coral/fish from a certain region/ecosystem.

I'm not saying my idea of aesthetics is better than everyone else's. I was just saying i get dissapointed in seeing the odd tank where coral health is forgone to display as many species as possible of coral in a single glass box.

sorry if i upset anyone, now let's here some more great ideas!

[Skimmerking]

Sean that was well said. I hate those people out there that don't give a crap about things they buy for in this hobby. These species are taken out of their world and to what. To be sold to some one that who doesnt give a dam about what they buy. Like having 5-7 tangs in a 90 gal then the guy says hey look they have nice color there not fighting. Wrong!!!!!!!

With the adults thing I think its worst then kids some times. people take thing to heart to much or get offened really easy..... enough about that .....

but on another note. With me if I have a snail that dies I get bummed out call me weird, If a coral doenst look right i move it may be tha is the problem with us in this hobby were to busy making it look right for our eyes.... but i dear say there are many more people like me out there of even on this board. Lots of people love this board for many reasons to "Vent , bitch, complain, and to chat with totally different strangers and then to turn around to buy some thing from one of them unseen. and only going on there word. OPPS gettng off topic here.

Its ok to voice opinions on here, However is needs to be put out in the open that is the problem with boards people don't use the little faces in the right context. any ways not bitching at ya just was letting ya know on how or what is easier on voicing comments. SOm times they can get out of hand,

any ways I need a tea now later .


mike

[niloc16]

one tip i thought of for laying out rock work. this mostly applies to new tank setups but cut a piece of cardboard the exact dimension of the inside of your tank, you can then ,depending on the size, take it to the fish store with you to help in buying pieces of rock and laying it out on the cardboard, i'm going to use this idea for the new tank in doing up my pvc structure rather than leaning in the tank to do it i'll just lay it out on the cardboard. i used it for my other tanks and it worked great