Good thing I didn't bet you that my 120 would be up before your 40B!
acharpenter's "Latest" 40 breeder build (1 Viewer)
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acharpenter
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Eh - this is pretty much his 2nd home - he has not been considered a house guest for serveral years now. About time I put him to work!
Anyway - this is just like erector sets for Boomer : )
After cutting and dry fitting everything - the boys took a break to watch the end of the NASACR race. If the plumbing isnt glued in tonight - there will be no water in the tank tomorrow - and I shall blame them!!!
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Anyway - this is just like erector sets for Boomer : )
After cutting and dry fitting everything - the boys took a break to watch the end of the NASACR race. If the plumbing isnt glued in tonight - there will be no water in the tank tomorrow - and I shall blame them!!!
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acharpenter
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After a few beers at the bar down the street - they decided to glue the plumbing in - this is not going well
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acharpenter
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Well - tank has water!!! Thanks to everyone who brought water on Sunday I was able to fill the tank and also am left with another 20 gallons pre-mixed on hand. Thank you everyone - still cant believe not a single person brought plain RO/DI - lol!!!
On Sunday - I started adding water to the sump and realized there was a piece of plywood under the sump that none of us had noticed while plumbing the tank the night before. In attempting to get it out, I moved the sump too far and bent one of the return drain lines to the point of cracking - ugh!
Boomer was able to get the plywood piece out and we made an attempt to fix the crack with super glue but an hour later when we leak tested - we found it was no good.
Chad Vossen and Kevin Lake had arrived at that point and between the three of them and one trip to the hardware store - they installed a new fitting and finally - tank and plumbing passed the leak test. Thanks guys!!
This week's plan is to get the controller and all electronic equipment incorporated into the set up and then start the cycle.
Ted has been storing some rock for me to cycle so once I swing by for that - the cycle can begin
Consensus among everyone at the meeting is that I wont need the MP10 - my OR2500 appears to put out enough flow for the softies I am planning so this is a huge plus as I wont have the added worry of a nem walking into a power head in my tank!!!
Here is a bit'o'aquascaping before water - will get an updated "wet" pic to prove I added water tonight!!!! lol
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On Sunday - I started adding water to the sump and realized there was a piece of plywood under the sump that none of us had noticed while plumbing the tank the night before. In attempting to get it out, I moved the sump too far and bent one of the return drain lines to the point of cracking - ugh!
Boomer was able to get the plywood piece out and we made an attempt to fix the crack with super glue but an hour later when we leak tested - we found it was no good.
Chad Vossen and Kevin Lake had arrived at that point and between the three of them and one trip to the hardware store - they installed a new fitting and finally - tank and plumbing passed the leak test. Thanks guys!!
This week's plan is to get the controller and all electronic equipment incorporated into the set up and then start the cycle.
Ted has been storing some rock for me to cycle so once I swing by for that - the cycle can begin
Consensus among everyone at the meeting is that I wont need the MP10 - my OR2500 appears to put out enough flow for the softies I am planning so this is a huge plus as I wont have the added worry of a nem walking into a power head in my tank!!!
Here is a bit'o'aquascaping before water - will get an updated "wet" pic to prove I added water tonight!!!! lol
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acharpenter
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So - wondering why it would be a bad idea to put a glass or acrylic cover on the tank?
With softies - would it limit the LED lighting that much?
I have a screen top but would rather do glass or acrylic as it looks nicer and fish cant get through it where as some will still get through a screen top
Tonight:
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With softies - would it limit the LED lighting that much?
I have a screen top but would rather do glass or acrylic as it looks nicer and fish cant get through it where as some will still get through a screen top
Tonight:
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RedHeckle
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Nice work, good to see things coming together! 
Reefvick
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Very Nice, I love that light.
Looking good Angie!
Regarding the top, if you do either, do glass. Acrylic over time sags down in the center which can become unsightly. If you did something thick it may be ok for a while, but glass stays rigid. Just my .02
FYI, I'm almost certain you have the same skimmer that I have running on my 40
Regarding the top, if you do either, do glass. Acrylic over time sags down in the center which can become unsightly. If you did something thick it may be ok for a while, but glass stays rigid. Just my .02
FYI, I'm almost certain you have the same skimmer that I have running on my 40
Do not use acrylic for a cover it will warp like crazy. Not only will it sag but the corners will warp upwards.
If you need a cover do glass. Go to ace hardware and get the heavy duty glass.
problems I see:
1. the condensation will fog the glass and make light harder to penetrate.
2. you have less surface area for gas exchange.
If you need a cover do glass. Go to ace hardware and get the heavy duty glass.
problems I see:
1. the condensation will fog the glass and make light harder to penetrate.
2. you have less surface area for gas exchange.
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acharpenter
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As far as gas exchange - the back of the stand for the sump is wide open so I am thinking that wouldn't be an issue - hadn't thought of the fog/condensation issue -
Is anyone running or has run a glass cover that pipe in???
Is anyone running or has run a glass cover that pipe in???
I have glass tops on my 120 (because...jawfish), and have very little fogging/condensation. PAR levels are roughly the same with the glass. I clean them once a week, to make keeping them clean easier. I wouldn't worry about the light penetration much, especially with LED. I would recommend you watch your pH levels closely after adding glass tops, but you should have plenty of gas exchange because you're using a sump. My pH changed a bit, but nothing to be concerned over. Now its stable again. Since you have less water volume, I would suspect the initial swing to be slightly higher. Then again, you're covering less water surface area. Now I'm curious
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I love the scape! looking good
Angie, I have a pro glass top for a 40 breeder that I am not using currently, you are more than welcome to it, just remind me when you and Kev are here on Saturday. See you get a free glass top and dinner when you come to my place! Thanks for hooking me up dude!
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acharpenter
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Awesome! You and I are all about the deals lol
Buy an MP10 and I will throw in a FREE Acrylic Frag Rack!!!
In that case - I will give the glass top a try while I am getting things hooked up and cycled and see how it goes - thanks Aaron
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So for those following along here is the breakdown:
10/08 - Wednesday - Picked up tank from mnmuskeyman
10/10 Friday - started a vinegar wash on it in the garage - keeping in mind I was holding a meeting on the 12th - I asked anyone attending to bring 5 gallons mixed water or 5 gallons RO/DI with them and would give them extra raffle ticket's for the prizes at my meeting.
10/11 Saturday - HamLakeReefer delivered 25 gallons mixed and her husband helped us bring the tank upstairs from the garage. Added sand and rock work that had been sitting on my front patio for months. That night Boomer (house guest lol) and Kevin redid the plumbing (I wanted all 90's replaced with 45's and also wanted the water change nozzle pointed forward rather then to the left side).
10/12 - Sunday - Day of my meeting - members brought enough mixed to fill the tank and leave me with 25 gallons mixed on top of that! Woo!!! Thank you all!
When adding water - realized a piece of wood was stuck under the sump that we hadn't noticed. While trying to get it out - I cracked the main drain line. Members Chad Vossen, Kevin Lake and Boomer (thank you!!) made a trip to Menards and replaced it - leak test good!
10/12-10/20 - Allowed tank to run - leaving small bits of dead stuff on the rock to break down in the tank to start the cycle (not a ton, but a few bits here and there after they had set in the sun for months).
Also picked up glass tops from scubaspew (thank you!) - I cannot use the bracket that holds the 2 panes together - the light foot gets in the way - but it fits tight without it anyway so perfect!
10/20 - Monday - Picked up LR pieces Ted had been curing for me (thank you!!) in his tank and added to tank
10/21 - Tuesday - Blew/brushed of rockwork, added a lil more sand that I had been drying in the front yard (found a couple leaves mixed in it as well - ugh) - redid a bit of aquascaping, and added LED moonlight bars to the stand to illuminate the sump.
Planning to do my first water change Sunday 10/26. Going to do 5 gallons - then once done - going to turn on the skimmer. Also going to add a frozen silverside after the water change to keep the cycle going. After another week - going to do a 10 gallon water change on Sunday 11/02. After that thinking cycle is good and ready to start adding fish.
Questions:
1. What do you think about my cycling plans and timeline?
2. Do I need to worry that some leaves were mixed in with the additional sand I added tonight? (I did remove them before adding the sand)?
3. The blue LED's in the stand are 2 separate 12" LED light bars that were given away at Des Moines MACNA. One is suctioned to the bottom glass of the tank and pointing straight down - the other is suctioned on the inside wall of the sump.
They are water proof and when closing the doors on the stand - no light emits out from them. Thinking rather than switching them on/off every time I open the stand - I will just leave them on 24/7 - anyone see any issues with this?
4. The glass tops seem fine - I do get a lot of condensation on them but so far - I dont think these will be any issues with my sofites....anyone notice any issue on this one? see pics
PICS!!!! Gotta have pics!!!
Note - tank is still a bit cloudy from adding sand, moving rocks and blowing off the rock.....
Crooked I know - dont judge my lack of photography skills!
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10/08 - Wednesday - Picked up tank from mnmuskeyman
10/10 Friday - started a vinegar wash on it in the garage - keeping in mind I was holding a meeting on the 12th - I asked anyone attending to bring 5 gallons mixed water or 5 gallons RO/DI with them and would give them extra raffle ticket's for the prizes at my meeting.
10/11 Saturday - HamLakeReefer delivered 25 gallons mixed and her husband helped us bring the tank upstairs from the garage. Added sand and rock work that had been sitting on my front patio for months. That night Boomer (house guest lol) and Kevin redid the plumbing (I wanted all 90's replaced with 45's and also wanted the water change nozzle pointed forward rather then to the left side).
10/12 - Sunday - Day of my meeting - members brought enough mixed to fill the tank and leave me with 25 gallons mixed on top of that! Woo!!! Thank you all!
When adding water - realized a piece of wood was stuck under the sump that we hadn't noticed. While trying to get it out - I cracked the main drain line. Members Chad Vossen, Kevin Lake and Boomer (thank you!!) made a trip to Menards and replaced it - leak test good!
10/12-10/20 - Allowed tank to run - leaving small bits of dead stuff on the rock to break down in the tank to start the cycle (not a ton, but a few bits here and there after they had set in the sun for months).
Also picked up glass tops from scubaspew (thank you!) - I cannot use the bracket that holds the 2 panes together - the light foot gets in the way - but it fits tight without it anyway so perfect!
10/20 - Monday - Picked up LR pieces Ted had been curing for me (thank you!!) in his tank and added to tank
10/21 - Tuesday - Blew/brushed of rockwork, added a lil more sand that I had been drying in the front yard (found a couple leaves mixed in it as well - ugh) - redid a bit of aquascaping, and added LED moonlight bars to the stand to illuminate the sump.
Planning to do my first water change Sunday 10/26. Going to do 5 gallons - then once done - going to turn on the skimmer. Also going to add a frozen silverside after the water change to keep the cycle going. After another week - going to do a 10 gallon water change on Sunday 11/02. After that thinking cycle is good and ready to start adding fish.
Questions:
1. What do you think about my cycling plans and timeline?
2. Do I need to worry that some leaves were mixed in with the additional sand I added tonight? (I did remove them before adding the sand)?
3. The blue LED's in the stand are 2 separate 12" LED light bars that were given away at Des Moines MACNA. One is suctioned to the bottom glass of the tank and pointing straight down - the other is suctioned on the inside wall of the sump.
They are water proof and when closing the doors on the stand - no light emits out from them. Thinking rather than switching them on/off every time I open the stand - I will just leave them on 24/7 - anyone see any issues with this?
4. The glass tops seem fine - I do get a lot of condensation on them but so far - I dont think these will be any issues with my sofites....anyone notice any issue on this one? see pics
PICS!!!! Gotta have pics!!!
Note - tank is still a bit cloudy from adding sand, moving rocks and blowing off the rock.....
Crooked I know - dont judge my lack of photography skills!
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Looking good Angie, its all starting to come together.
TLDR. Short version: it takes a village to get an Angie tank up and running.
I am personally unwilling to trust nearly any claim that a light is waterproof. If it falls does it fall into the sump? If so, I'd move it. FWIW.