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KimP's in-wall room divider build


KimP

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It might just scare away anyone thinking of starting up.

I was all but ready to pull the trigger on a 175g tank... then I decided I should put a quick budget together... that changed my mind, well at least postponed that action.

That's why you don't put a budget together ;) Sometimes you've just gotta jump in and get things one by one along the way and hopefully used.....175g is a nice size! J/K about the budget. It's a smart thing to do so you don't end up with too many surprises.

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Well, the outlet is all fixed up and as waterproof as an electrician can get it. Now that that's out of the way my plan is to get the inside of the stand finished up and skin the outside. Inside the stand I want to paint a little more, seal up some areas with silicone caulk where moisture can enter the wall and where water could get through to the wood floor, then fix up the electronics area. I have all the plans and measurements done for skinning the stand just need to get a few more boards and I'm ready to go on that. Once it's enclosed the kids won't be able to mess around down there and I can start filling the tank with saltwater.

I'm also working on the aquascape. This is a tough one. All along I've wanted to have a minimalistic scape, with lots of area for fish to swim and mostly to be able to see from the kitchen/dining area into the playroom. Now that I'm really trying to come up with a scape and place rocks and all, I'm having to be realistic about my coral addiction. I'm more of a coral person than a fish one and that doesn't seem to be changing. Sooooooo, now I'm thinking much more along the lines of quite a bit of rock, possibly 2 rock stacks with a channel between, off center and to a diagonal so that you have to come around the tank a bit to see through. Lots of people are doing that these days, so you probably know what I mean. Since I'm drilling rock and using pvc to support it all, I'm hoping to have tunnels and caves to be able to look through into the other room and make it more interesting. That's the latest idea right now. Ideally I'd like to keep a clean sandbed so the reality is I need lots of area to place corals. It won't be a rock wall or anything, but not minimalistic either. It's a little tricky right now since I'm not ready to transfer my rock over, so I'm working with dry rock and trying to plan at the same time for the live rock currently in my 90g. There's at least one rock in particular that has to go in the new tank for sure because it houses the eel. That way I can place him right where I want him, directly in sight for the kids and ease of feeding it. Later I hope to have a chance to demonstrate/draw up what I have in mind for some feedback.

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Aquascaping still frustrates me Kim! I'm still in denial about my coral addiction and cling to my minimalist rock work but have frags everywhere... sand, frag rack...

Glad you're getting some good progress on the tank! Use that long weekend for a good purpose!

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So far on the stand I've managed to paint 2 layers of kilz, then used some leftover latex paint from painting the house to finish sealing it up. Used silicone on any gaps that would allow moisture into the walls, replaced the sump, and got most of the stand skinned. Still need to hang the cabinet doors, not by hinges but using those hidden magnet child proof locks. Not sure how to explain it but I'll post pics when I get a chance to install the doors. This way I can just easily remove them completely and have full access, but the kids can't.

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It's looking great. So I accidentally let the video play past the credits and saw the secret ending. Very comical :)

Thanks. I don't know why it's so hard to remember what I'm supposed to say once the camera's recording :P

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I

It's looking great. So I accidentally let the video play past the credits and saw the secret ending. Very comical :)

Thanks. I don't know why it's so hard to remember what I'm supposed to say once the camera's recording :P

At least you can be on camera. Some of the members here, like myself, have faces only suited for radio :D

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Holy wardrobe change, batman! I wasn't expecting that!

I love these videos Kim! It's like I still get to hang out with you! Throw some Brad and the kids in there every once in awhile so I can get some good Plies family time in! Haha. Looking forward to the next volume!

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Holy wardrobe change, batman! I wasn't expecting that!

I love these videos Kim! It's like I still get to hang out with you! Throw some Brad and the kids in there every once in awhile so I can get some good Plies family time in! Haha. Looking forward to the next volume!

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That's funny, you're the second person to mention the shirt change. I had to redo the first part of the video, so it was filmed a week apart. Guess I should've worn the same shirt, ha!

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It's one of those TV magic things Kim. You could wear the same shirt a week later and we wouldn't have realized it as they haven't invented smell-o-vision yet. tongue.png

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I thought it was to keep the kids entertained. "Name two things that changed during the course of this video..."

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That's the first time I've seen an ATO chamber built in to the sump. AWESOME. Idea STOLEN!!

Well it's actually a separate container, it just sits next to the sump. But it's still pretty awesome!

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The past couple nights I've managed to finish hanging the doors on the stand, get the light under the sump, and add the dry sand to the display. This past weekend we also got the drawer made and mounted for the electronics. The doors were so much more tricky than I expected. Mounting those child proof hidden magnet locks and getting all 3 doors centered and strait was no easy task. Now that it's done and I can keep the kids out of the sump, I'm going to do a water change on my 90gal and put that water in the new sump with a pump running. Then the cycle can begin! In just the sump at least, but I'll take it!

The wood floor side. This will be textured and painted like drywall to blend in with the surrounding wall. I don't anticipate needing to access from this side much. The door you can see cut and the surrounding plywood can all easily be removed.

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Still need to match the stain but not the priority right now

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Sand!

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