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mFrame

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Everything posted by mFrame

  1. Did you try using a glass cutter and just scoring and snapping like traditionally done when cutting glass?
  2. Cute little guy, I'd promote him to the main tank. I'm interested in the green mithrax if you're getting rid of one. I love those guys.
  3. The club has a few sets but as Tim said they're not high-dollar. What part of town are you in?
  4. Yep, or surround the original plug completely with other plugs or gravel/shells, that way you're covered whichever direction they grow.
  5. Welcome back into the hobby, looks like you're off to a great start. Don't even get me started on the aquarium leading to a new project. We literally built our house around ours, it was the first thing in before we even moved, and it STILL isn't done because of all the other projects it triggered. We went through major heat issues until the AC register in the fish room was finally installed. I think you're going to have much more issues with cooling than heat, I only have to turn on the heater a few times in the winter. Your return pumps and such will help moderate the temp a lot and keep it from going too cold. I've had clams and love them, the biggest issue with them is not getting fish or inverts that bother them. Similarly the anemones and clowns have always been the highlight of my tank. There are now a few QT fish sources, I'll see if I can dig them up before someone else chimes in. But welcome back, and keep the updates coming!
  6. Dear Austin Reef Club members, I hope this message finds you well and that your reefs are thriving. Many of you have noticed that I haven't been able to dedicate the time to ARC as I previously did. Changing life commitments and aging parents have occupied more and more of my time. I've been blessed with the means to relocate to San Marcos into a home that lets my folks live with us. You may have seen the build thread of our new house (and new tank!) and wondered about everything else. I tried to juggle a few too many plates and finally decided that I wasn't doing the members, the club, or myself any favors by denying the obvious. After much introspection and discussion I have stepped down as `el Jefe Reefer` and will be passing that (or a title of his own choosing) to Timfish. For those of you who don't know Tim, he has been a member of our community for years and is a dedicated hobbyist (Ok, obsessive might be a better word) with a wealth of knowledge about all things reef-related. He served as the club's benefactor from my first day with the club and was always there for support and advice. I have no doubt that he will lead the club with the same passion and commitment that I have. It wouldn't be fair to bow out without thanking all of you for your participation in the club over the years. Between our meetings, events and field trips, I'd like to think that we helped some people to learn and enjoy our hobby a little along more the way. While I wore the leader hat most recently, I was really just a figurehead for all of the energy and advice that you and our staff bring to the club. Specifically I'd like to say thanks to those who gave their time and energy along the way. Thanks to Andrew Campbell especially for starting this all. I'm sure I'll forget someone, but I'll begin with our moderators who performed a thankless job admirably, so major props to Rob, James, Mark, Mitch, Ian, Ty, and Jim. Dave and Robin did more than anyone will ever know to host meetings and staff events, supplying food and smiles (and photos!). Christy was always our go-to volunteer. Brian Srock not only wore multiple staff hats but took fantastic pics along the way. Kim also hosted many meetings and was always there to help (as well as being mother to the first official ARC baby!) Dan and Meg did too much to call out specifics. Isaac served as tech expert and moderator as well as being a good buddy. (I reserve this space to edit in the most important person(s) that I forgot to mention, *** *****. It's only because I took you so much for granted!) Our LSF sponsors have also been incredible and supportive. Thanks to Gary, Teri and Hunter at the Aquadome and to Jake and his crew at River City Aquatics (RCA). While social media has definitely impacted traffic, our google searches and hits on discussion threads and topics continue to show that we have info that people are looking for. We've begun to see an uptick in participation and discussion again, which I'm sure can grow with the proper nurturing. All things go in cycles, right? I'll still be around in the forums and in Austin when I find the time to make it up to the fish stores, but from here out Tim will be the one calling the shots (and hopefully not causing any major catastrophes). So once again please accept my heartfelt thanks. I'm not gone, just fading back into the woodwork. With that said, please join me in welcoming Tim as the new leader of the Austin Reef Club. And remember, Keep Calm and Reef On! Best regards, Mike Frame ** Obligatory latest tank pics attached
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/16/world/europe/germany-aquarium-aquadom.html Saw the headline about a large aquarium bursting at the Aquadome. Sad to see, but glad our Austin friends are okay!
  8. Man I hate it when that happens. I cleared out all my old stuff when I moved, my best guest might be Timfish. I assume you've checked with the LFS?
  9. It is sad, but the surest way to have activity here is to post here and use the forum. We all put a lot of time and effort into the club and building the community here, so it is disappointing to see the traffic move elsewhere. The club originally started with like-minded people wanting to have a place to share and document their adventure in the hobby. All it takes is a group to participate to start rebuilding, but it will only really happen if that is what enough people want to do.
  10. That's a beautiful design Chipp! I have transitioned to printing tank parts with PETG for durability. Have you done any investigation about PLA and it's lifetime in saltwater? How long are your parts lasting? I know that several strainer feeders and other parts I have printed tend to become algae traps so I was replacing them often. I've wondered about coating them in epoxy, the print lines seem to provide the surface area that algae loves.
  11. mFrame

    Hello All

    Welcome! Where did you come from, what system are you running, and what are you hoping to get from the club?
  12. Past due for an update here. With the move into the new house (and numerous items that weren't complete on move-in due to COVID supply chain issues), we've been busy finishing up other projects and doing workarounds. The tank took a backseat since it was running and the fish were alive. So to catch up, back in August and September Tim and Jason brought the tank over and we all wrangled it into place. I was really happy with the shape and design, man this acrylic is THICK. There are some seams we would have to account for/hide, but figured we'd just address those as they came up. So then move day happened in a blur, and Tim and Jason were kind enough to handle the livestock transfer and initial layout for me. You may notice the canopy on top. This part was very cool and took a few weekends of me and Tim tinkering and customizing it. As you can see it's super light which will help when accessing the front of the tank. Mounted and hinges in place. So much progress so fast, and then.... it sat. I'd think about it in the off hours, order parts to pile up, and then think some more. Finally about two weeks ago the tank began to shift back as a priority, we got tired of seeing the unfinished cabinet and so decided to focus on it. Laura was a big motivator and help. The prior month's debate had focused on how to handle the curved trim pieces, how to finish the edges to make it look built-in, and to determine just how much detail we wanted on the stand itself. Originally I had planned to make faux curved cabinet doors to match our kitchen cabinets. In the end that seemed like overkill and like it would actually distract from the aquarium. Time will tell if we change our minds. To address the curved molding, the easiest path was to go with a product by Trimster (https://www.trimster.com/flexible_moldings). They had a base mold in stock that matched the rest of the floor mold in our house, so I selected it and three other moldings to serve as the canopy top and bottom trim, the cabinet base, and the transition from the tank to the base. As you can see, the trim is VERY flexible, but VERY heavy. It's made from a polyurethane blend that has a sawdust infused in it to make it look and cut like wood. You can see just how flexible it is here: With the trim in hand, we begin laying out lengths and trying to figure out what to adjust. I also knew I'd have to adjust for the stand sticking out about 1/4" farther than the aquarium. This actually worked out to my favor as I was able to dado a channel in the trim so that some of its weight would rest on that ledge to support it. Here's a detailed pic to help clarify. All trim was attached with construction adhesive and staples, then small gaps were caulked. I used a thin strip of double stick tape to help hold in place while I stapled. Once the trim was all attached I taped up the aquarium and got ready for painting. Then lots of putty, sanding, and then paint. And here's the nearly finished product. We still have to install weather strip at the top and fill the gaps on each side, I'm still trying to decide whether or not that will be custom cut wood/caulk, or foam backer to fill the gaps with caulk on top. We'll also most likely add some kind of decoration to the canopy and stand. Overall the paint and style match the rest of our cabinetry really well. The white on gray really highlights the blue of the tank and its occupants.
  13. Hi Tony, welcome! Covid really curtailed active meetings but thinks are starting to thaw back out. Similarly social meeting, Facebook in particular, have filled in some of the socialization gap. As Deririck said, though, there are still definite advantages to history and documentation that the forum provide. We really view it as a hybrid solution. Definitely check out FB, one of the groups has a frag swapped planned for January. That said, it's nice seeing new members here. We're glad to have you and look forward to seeing your setup and build thread! Mike
  14. Feed a good mix of food and you should be fine. I like the cubes you find in the freezer in the fish section of the pet stores. I feed a mix of the mysis, bloodworms, and spirulina. I also have a suction cup clip and fold over nori sheets and clip in the tank. You shouldn't have a problem getting it to eat and it should be reef safe. The biggest issue with powder blues is that they are very susceptible to ick, and if they get it bad enough they can spread it through your whole tank.
  15. I've got plenty of RBTA clones. Are you looking for a Sherman specifically?
  16. There are a few ways we plan to deal with the recurve front. The overflow and returns are via 3" pipes near the center of each circle, with returns being smaller lines that come up through the 3" and distribute via directed loc-line near the water surface. This should let us direct specific currents to create eddies in the curves. Then I was thinking of adding a gyre for overall tank movement, augmented by a few powerheads. By WAVs you mean Neptune WAVs? Would I need just the pumps or something like the Neptune Systems WAV 2 Powerheads Starter Kit? I still have (2) EB8s on my system, no EB832s. Do I need one or can I run them from the EB8s? Which brand gyres do you recommend?
  17. Gyres, Vortech, man I don't know which way to look. The sides are 3/4" acrylic and the back is 1", I'm really thinking of going with gyres and strong magnets, but I'm looking for advice. I do have an Apex, if that figures into the equation.
  18. In preparation of our move and transfer to the new recurve tank we will be selling the 226 peninsula tank (build thread and extra pics here): I'll be transferring the majority of the livestock to our new tank between 8/15-8/25, so buyer will need to pick up from our house in south Austin no later than 8/30. Pickup could be sooner as soon as we have things transferred. Included are: tank - Deep Sea Aquatics, dimensions 84" x 24" x 27 1/2" tall. It has (2) 2" PVC cross braces, a PVC bottom, and the overflow is centered on the left side with (5) pre-drilled holes for drains/returns/electric. 226 gallons, 433 lbs empty. stand ( 7' x 2' x 36") - interior painted with white marine epoxy, cabinet has been painted black and has a black melamine layer on the back. The two left cabinets house the overflow/sump/ato reservoir. right 'dry' cabinet is used for storage and equipment. canopy - custom hand-made low profile includes the Tunze wavemaker build into the overflow, sump & return pump in stand, BML light fixtures in canopy, and custom auto-topoff reservoir in stand. No fish included, but happy to convey some of the rose anemones, leathers, and other corals (gold midas paly, rodactis, etc). Some of the live rock will be available as well since we aren't transferring everything. Because of the timing and trying to simplify this for the move, I'm asking much less than I think it's all worth. $850 $750
  19. Made decent progress on the outer stand skin yesterday. The bottom and top surfaces were painted with Rustoleum Appliance paint to protect against water. We then installed some plastic mesh to the bottom to provide a little standoff for any trapped water to evaporate, and ended with a sheet of rubber attached to the stand front and sides that will redirect any water back into the fish room and drain. We pre-drilled (2) 3" holes through the top of the stand. These will be used for the internal overflows and return lines, there won't be any external overflow on the system. After that we installed a trimmed down piece of 4' x 8' trim board as the skin's initial layer.
  20. Lots of progress specifically in terms of house construction, stand, and tank assembly. We're on target for moving in on 8/15, so we really want to have the stand and tank in place and ready to stage the rock and equipment for adding water by the start of August. The builder is being great about allowing us 'early' access to the house so that we're ready to go when we get the actual keys. The stand is roughed out and has been put in place in the house so that we can start working on shimming/leveling and doing some marine epoxy to seal it. Next we'll start planning the skin that faces the living room and begin looking at the canopy. Tim continues to make great progress on the tank itself and I'm incredibly happy with how it's going. The seams where the front connects to the sides will be masked on each side with the framework and trim.
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