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fjr_wertheimber

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Posts posted by fjr_wertheimber

    440g Custom Starphire Metal-framed Reef Dropoff Tank

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    I was absolutely ecstatic this morning to come down and see the blue-stripe pair swimmin' around in their holding tank... Soooo excited!

    I've got some pics of the big tank from the fab guys, just need to figure out how to get them off my (now COMPLETELY) busted EVO 4G (WORST phone EVER) since the battery overheated and exploded. Just the thought of paying Sprint $100 to replace a defective phone really pisses me off. I need to get a number of photos and docs from there, but am really dragging my feet 'cause I hate the thought of paying those a**clowns in order to do so.

    440g Custom Starphire Metal-framed Reef Dropoff Tank

    in Tank Builds

    Posted · Edited by fjr_wertheimber

    LOL No, actually very happy with my fab guys, just very UNhappy with my insane schedule at the new job... Things are starting to finally calm down a bit, so I've found myself with (amazingly enough) a bit of time. So, that being said, there actually HAS been some progress on the big tank... but that's not what I'm posting about.

    You see, part of the idea/design mentality behind the large tank is for it to be a reef biotope consistent (for the most part) with the Coral Sea (where Wendy and I went scuba diving during our R&R from Iraq). With that in mind, I'd fallen in love with blue-stripe orange-fin clownfish, Amphiprion chyrsopterus and wanted to get a mated pair. The only problem was finding a pair. Well, and finding a pair that wasn't $350+.

    So, anyways, I was coming back from work last week and decided to pop into Aquatek... when what do I see? Yup, a mated pair of A. chrysopterus. Oh, and did I mention they were about 1/4 of the usual price??? GTFO. Well, crap, now where the hell am I gonna put 'em? It's gonna be quite a while 'til water is in the big tank (hell, I'm still trying to find a decent glass supplier after three different places have changed their timelines/prices on me)... I went on Craigslist and found a guy selling a 30 gallon bowfront with 45 lbs of rock, sand, filter, and LED lighting, all in great shape... for only $100??! Suffice to say, we snatched that up... only to find the tank also included a single A. ocellaris, that (of course) Wendy promptly fell in love with. Well, crap, can't put it in with the blue-stripes, what am I gonna do with him? Another Craigslist search found a great deal on a Biocube 29. Found out it had a bad ballast, but was able to score one at AquaDome for a steal. Okay, now what about live rock? Richard L hooked me up bigtime on some man-made Real Reef rock which I split between the two tanks. I got some Dr. Tim's One-and-Only for Nano/Reef, gave it a few days, tested parameters, rock solid, dosed some ammonia, checked the next day, rock solid still. Sweet! (BTW, that's the first time I've used that stuff, gotta say I'm impressed; it actually lives up to the hype.)

    Anyway, I know a thread is nothin' without pics, so:

    Fish being acclimated (BTW, leftover Army combat lifesaver kits ROCK for IV lines for acclimation... I've got extras if anyone needs a few.)

    fish1.jpg

    Wendy's new Biocube with fish being acclimated:

    fish2.jpg

    A. chysopterus pair:

    fish3.jpg

    Another pic:

    fish4.jpg

    Anyway, I'm completely thrilled, can't wait to get them into the big tank now...

    440g Custom Starphire Metal-framed Reef Dropoff Tank

    in Tank Builds

    Posted · Edited by fjr_wertheimber

    Hey guys, still been too busy with work to swing by the fabricators and get pics of the tank & stand in progress, but wanted to post the updated design specs for them. On the advice of a couple of good mechanical failure analysis engineers I know, I added some triangular braces to limit the torsional twist and shear potential for failure, changed from a single 1.5" strap across the top to two .5" solid bars across the top, and added some tabs for attaching the wood facings and doors. We also decided to have them weld and powdercoat matching sidetables for the room, as well. Please note, the frame, stand, and tables will all be powdercoated black, they're just red in these images for viewing clarity.

    UPDATEDaquariumtabsandsupports1.jpg

    UPDATEDaquariumtabsandsupports2.jpg

    UPDATEDaquariumtabsandsupports4.jpg

    UPDATEDaquariumtabsandsupports5.jpg

    Hopefully sometime this weekend or early next week I can get out there and get some real pics, instead of just renderings.

    300 gallon from scratch

    in Tank Builds

    Posted · Edited by fjr_wertheimber

    Is it just me, or do the pipes on the floor in these pics look like a skeleton? LOL

    Dude, awesome job on the tank, and a great setup, especially love that sump.

    So what'd you use for your spacers for the silicone?

    440g Custom Starphire Metal-framed Reef Dropoff Tank

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    Hey, has anyone dealt with Live Rock Ranch (liverockranch.com) before? For the sheer amount of live rock I'm going to need for this system, there's no way I'm going to go through one of the LFS (as much as I love 'em, I earned my $ and I'm not going to throw it away on higher prices just 'cause I like 'em), and their prices seem to be pretty great; plus with them being located in FL transit time should be pretty quick, i.e.- less die off. Anyone have any thoughts or experiences?

    World's Strongest Coral

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    Heck, that's nothing... I've seen pics of coral reefs where the top 2-3 feet are left high and dry in the hot tropical sun for HOURS during low tide yet are still thriving... Now THAT's some hardy coral!! I need some of those for my tank! LOL

    Announcing the March ARC Meeting

    in Meeting Archive

    Posted

    Wow, JamesL, were you the one who baked those chocolate mint cookies?? Those were AWESOME!! Thanks to JakeDoza for hosting the meeting and for Timfish for his demonstration. It was a great return to ARC meetings! Thanks to everyone who made today such a great meeting!

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