mFrame

Yep, I submitted online and then they scheduled a remote session.

I went through the same after an electrical storm a few months ago. I spent about a week messing with mine and couldn't get it working, I finally reached out to customer support and they scheduled a meeting via Teamviewer. Within 5 minutes they confirmed there was a problem and had me send the unit to them. It was an older model without wifi built-in, and I was ultimately told they couldn't repair or replace that model. They gave me $300 toward the purchase of a new one and I bit because I had all the other modules that were dependent on the main unit. I'd reach out to them and if they can't help I'd figure out how much you have invested in that ecosystem and look at some alternative controllers if your needs aren't that complex. Best of luck!

Love the glitter bomb and the overall scape. This is looking fantastic!

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Cabinetry Build The stand is made from a series of 2x4s with plywood pieces cut to match the top and bottom contour of the tank front. The fishroom floor is approximately 2" lower than the living room floor so the stand has a dropdown `step` on the back portion to accommodate the floor transition. 2x4s are sturdy and cheap, and this design should allow for easy access from the back of the aquarium.

Tank Build It was really rainy the day we finished constructing the oven. The tank construction itself is a fascinating process. Tim built an acrylic `oven` out of lumber, metal sheets, insulation, and a clothes dryer heater element. The oven is basically a large wooden frame with insulated sides, top and bottom. At one end the plywood is covered with sheet metal to both protect the wood and to trap and redirect the heat that is provided by the dryer heater element. A fan provides circulation to move the heated air throughout the oven and around the form. The custom form for the acrylic is placed in the oven to the right of the element. Wool blankets are placed over the form to provide a consistent smooth surface, we don't want nail or screwhead indentations in the finished acrylic. The sheet acrylic is then placed on top of the form, and the doors and top of the oven are put on. The heater element is turned on and then you wait until the internal temp hits about 300 degrees. Even at that temp the acrylic doesn't become goopy, just droopy. As it heats up it starts to sag, and if you're lucky it conforms to the form. If you have significant dips or other challenges you might have to add some force or weight to the top of the acrylic to push it down into place, but that obviously risks marring that side of the acrylic. In our case the temperature was enough to get the shape we were looking for. Once the shape is achieved the heater is turned off and the oven is allowed to cool while the acrylic hardens. You don't want to rush this step as the acrylic has absorbed a lot of heat and needs to cool slowly. As you can see here, we think it came out pretty nice.

It's been a crazy year and a half with Covid and all the other radical changes, so It's been a while since I've posted. The biggest change for us has been the determination to build a new house. In designing the floorplan and rooms my wife suggested I build a dedicated fish room and incorporate the tank in the wall. She didn't have to ask twice. In talking with Timfish I expressed that I wanted the tank to be more than just a "window" of fish, I wanted it to be more dynamic and engaging to people as they watched. He pointed me to Aqua Vim's piano aquarium. I really like the design as it is unique, made of glass, and gives the viewer a central location where they can stand and be nearly surrounded by the aquarium. What I didn't like were the fixed sizes, dealing with shipping from overseas (cost and timing), and the need to incorporate their stand and cover into the design and style of our new home's walls. That lead to the discussion of doing a custom acrylic tank. There are several advantages to this: we get exactly what we want, customized to the home and fish room; lower cost and virtually no shipping. Disadvantages: acrylic scratches easily; requires some specific tooling and setup for forming the tank; requires custom projects for carpentry and lighting. Budgets say even with the tooling that we can build a larger acrylic tank at about 1/3 of the cost. For those savings, even if there are scratches later (which ultimately could be sanded out), I can replace the tank in several years more cheaply than buying glass to begin with. A few basics to begin, starting with the living room/fish room layout and the rough design of the tank. Aqua Vim's piano shape is nice, but didn't have as much of a dual curve as I wanted. With some brainstorming we came up with what we are calling a Recurve design. Dual half circles create a central viewing point that should allow you to be surrounded by the aquarium in nearly a 180 degree radius. So with a basic plan in mind, we started construction and had the foundation poured in October 2020. That proceeded to framing, electrical, a/c and all that follows. We're on track to be completed and move around July 2021, so we've got to get moving on the tank construction so that my wife doesn't have to deal with a gaping hole in her living room wall!

My assumption so far is that what members have lost is livestock rather than equipment. I know that I have lots of extra equipment if members needed that. Additionally I have some frags and corals I could share out. Perhaps we should start a donation thread where we list what we have to offer to help bootstrap members who need it? We could piggyback on one of the LFS distribution efforts and give out LPS or SPS packs.

I've sent an email to BRS, will post responses accordingly.

As we come out the other side of the most recent power and water outages I know there will be a lot of members and stores hurting and recovering. Please don't hesitate to let us know how we can help or what we can do to assist.

So sorry to hear what you went through Lewis, I know you weren't alone. We're also looking at getting a standby generator. I have friends who have solar and the powerwall but during this the panels weren't charging and a single powerwall battery pack isn't enough to run a furnace, frig, etc. It seems like generator is the way to go, at least for us.

Welcome to the hobby! If you're still going to buy water I'd suggest investing in an RODI setup and making your own water. If you're running two tanks then you'll need it.

I've never had an issue with inking, the main issue is removing them quickly if they die. As for macroalgae, they'll eat whatever is most convenient and tastes the best so you may need to protect them.

Yep, I'll have to reinstall the upgraded plugin. Hope to get to it tonight.

Welcome James!

Great for acclimation, or keeping a recuperating fish separate https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005QRDCP2

Yes, the club has equipment, including suction cups, available to premium members. http://www.austinreefclub.com/forum/135-arc-club-equipment/

Plenty of options. I'd use the smaller one as a hospital or QT tank due to having to mix and keep less water. Keep in mind if you use it to treat with things like Copper it will never be a display tank again. For the one you don't keep, become a Premium Member and list it for sale.

Yep, once mine got rid of the aiptasia he went for the clove. I never saw cloves again (but did aiptasia)

I had a copperband butterfly that absolutely eradicated it from my tank. Pretty, cool fish. The only issue is that after it's gone you'll need to pass him on or he'll starve.

The club has a 12g QT tank it loans out to Premium Members, but it would be a bit of a drive for you.

Autofeeder and large RO with float valve topoff. For anything longer than 3 days I have someone come check on things in person.

http://www.austinreefclub.com/forum/278-ndstructible-welding/