Headless_donkey Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Looks good! I like the fuge section section. Filling with water is the best part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bmwaaron Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Nice build, I am also using the Hofer Gurgle Buster. I didnt see the hole drilled in the top of the cap with the 1/4 air tubing. Did you do this step? I have never seen it done without the airline tubbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 Looks good! I like the fuge section section. Filling with water is the best part. I wanted to make sure with this tank I took better advantage of the under stand space. When designing and building the sump I wanted to have an integrated fuge section. I am very happy with the way this came out. I am going to be building another sump for a friends 90 gallon build and am going to try and design something similar for his setup. Space is more of an issue, so we'll see if I can pull it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 Nice build, I am also using the Hofer Gurgle Buster. I didnt see the hole drilled in the top of the cap with the 1/4 air tubing. Did you do this step? I have never seen it done without the airline tubbing. The holes and airlines are there now. I just hadn't drilled them at the time of the picture. So far they are working nicely, very quiet. Currently I am fine tuning the plumbing with fresh water. The dual Hofers took a bit of finesse to get adjusted, but once I got them dialed in they are completely silent. Much better that the dursos on my current tank and they take up way less space. Anyone looking to use these are more than welcome to come check them out in action. BTW, how is your build going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 It has been a while since I posted my progress on the upgrade. Things are moving along, just slowly. The last couple of weeks has been busy with work so I haven't been able to get as much done as I hoped. One of my biggest challenges has been trying to quiet down the drains to the sump. I tried several methods to silence the water as it falls in the sump. My wife had the final say as I tested the various methods to muffle the noise. Three times I got the look of "are you serious, that thing sounds like Niagara Falls" Finally thanks to this thread I came up with a solution. If you have the room, this device works awesome. I also built a manifold to feed the skimmer, CaRx, carbon, and phos-ban reactors. Other than some little miscellaneous tweaks I am calling the plumbing complete! Up next, I need to get the ReefKeeper II wired and pull electrical lines through the wall to control the return and CL pumps. I am also planning on putting the MH ballasts in the garage, so I need to run some lines for that as well. End shot to show the muffler/bubble extractor... Manifold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 I have been really bad in keeping current with this blog, but have been pretty busy lately. Anyway, lots happening with the new setup. It is full of ~200lbs of base rock, 150lbs live sand, and freshly mixed Tropic Marin Pro. I mixed the water last weekend and got the cycle started last Monday. Haven't tested today, but Wednesday I was still reading amonia and nitrite. My next update should be with the canopy as that is next on the list. Right after I finish up a sump, canopy, and stand for a friend. Here is a current FTS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Nice aquascaping. I'm watching my wife rearrange or aquascaping (she's the artist). Opening up the rockwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 It took me longer than I expected to build this canopy, but am really happy with the results. With a 30" deep tank I needed something that was very open for maintenance access . I think I nailed it. I spent yesterday mounting the Luminarc reflectors. It was a tight fit, but should give me a nice spread of light across the tank. Yesterday I picked up the T5 endcaps to mount the actinics. I am hoping by the end of the weekend to have this thing wired and ready... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Looks very nice. -Great wood work! Have you got a mechanism for adjusting the distance of the lights to the water ? Now would be a good time to add one into the plan. (For those yearly bulb changes). Found we had to raise ours 6 inches whenever we put new bulbs in (prevent new-light shock) , then lower them about 1/2" per month as the year wears on to maintain PAR. We put our lights in a box frame with a tiny chain / hooks on the 4 corners, but your setup looks like it would need something more rigid, like 4 corner posts with holes every 1/2" and bolts, to hold it rigid when you open the lid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 The way it is mounted there isn't a easy way to raise the bulbs. If this becomes an issue, I can always spread some eggcrate or something across the top with some screen and slowly remove layers. Thanks for the comments... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 Got the canopy mostly wired and mounted, that sucker was heavy to put in place too. Right now I only have one 175W MH lamp over the tank with the actinics which is a temporary solution. I still need to order one more ballast and the bulbs to go live. I figure I can get the algae bloom out of the way with that crappy bulb before I start moving my LR and livestock over. This weekend I built the doors for the canopy, and am in the final stages of staining and sealing those. I figure mid-week I should be able to install them. That will be nice as the actinics are casting a very eerie blue glow out our front window. Plus my wife is not overly impressed with the towels as temporary doors. The other really cool thing is my shiny new Tunze Wavebox I picked up from Bruce at Aquatek. I always said they are one of the ugliest thing to put in a tank but you just can't beat the wave motion from these things. I lucked out and was able to put it in the back corner of the tank so it it kinda blends in with the background for now. The wavebox coupled with the OM closed loop creates amazing flow in the tank. My canary-in-the-coal-mine Green Chromis is loving life swimming in the flow. Tank shot And a little video of the wavebox in action Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 I decided to transfer a couple of fish to the new tank since 1)They are crowded in their current home and 2)they keep knocking corals over because of number 1. My Regal tang just fragged my idaho grape cap again so he is the first to go. I built this fish trap out of some scrap acrylic I had laying around so the hunt is on... When I am done with the tranferring the fish, and if there is interest, I am willing to donate it to ARC as a community resource for anyone else that may have a need for a fish trap. shhhh don't spook the fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 ckimble....what are the dimensions on the trap? If it's big enough....when you're done w/ I would like to borrow it. I've got a purple tang and a scopas tang that become belligerent to other fish and they need to come OUT!! Just let me know. Thanks, -Cindy- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted March 10, 2008 Author Share Posted March 10, 2008 It is roughly 4x4x8... If that works you are more than welcome to use it when I am done. -Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 It is roughly 4x4x8... If that works you are more than welcome to use it when I am done.-Craig Thanks Craig....I'm wondering if it will be big enough for a 4"-5" tang. Well, we'll give it a try. I've notice that you live in Cedar Park, what part of it? We live in Leander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Nice trap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 Nice trap! I wish my tang thought so... Every other fish has been in there to check it out except the one I want to catch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 It is roughly 4x4x8... If that works you are more than welcome to use it when I am done.-Craig Thanks Craig....I'm wondering if it will be big enough for a 4"-5" tang. Well, we'll give it a try. I've notice that you live in Cedar Park, what part of it? We live in Leander. I have plenty of acrylic lying around so if you need a bigger trap, I am sure we could work something out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted March 20, 2008 Author Share Posted March 20, 2008 Most everything is complete... I have been working at tying up all the loose ends and am very close to making the big move. The last addition was to upgrade my feed pump. I went from a weak mag7 to an overpowered mag18 I picked up at River City. It cost me a bit more than online, but they have always taken care of me when I needed it. Nice to know that if the thing fails I can just go in there and get an easy replacement. Try that with an online sale... here are the pics Here is the plumbing setup, I tied into the chiller line to do quick water changes. I have tested it and it works awesome. 'fuge shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headless_donkey Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 That looks great! Thanks for posting on ARC as well as MAAST. That water change set-up should make things super easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Everything looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted March 28, 2008 Author Share Posted March 28, 2008 Last night I moved everything over. I spent about 6 hours getting everything transfered to the new tank. I pulled out all of the corals and placed them in holding bins with heaters. The next 3 hours I spent swearing at the tank trying to get the aquascaping just right. I still am not 100% happy, but it is good enough for now while I let everything settle in. The rest of the time was spent figuring out where to put the corals so things look balanced and somewhat natural. This will be an ongoing process, as I never really stopped tweaking it in the old 90g. I am mad at myself for not getting a picture of the 90 before I tore it down. Before: After: Right: Middle: Left: Let me know what you think, I am open to ideas... If anyone is interested I have a huge rock (~8-10 inches) covered in GSP for sale. Plus, lots of frags I need to mount Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted August 15, 2008 Author Share Posted August 15, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckimble Posted August 15, 2008 Author Share Posted August 15, 2008 This blog is completely overdue for an update. The last shots were when Andrew stopped by for the TOTM pictures. The tank has been doing great. I've been fighting a little hair algae but it's manageable so far. Trying to keep up with water changes on a 280g tank can be a pain... Anyway, here are some recent shots of the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted August 15, 2008 Share Posted August 15, 2008 Cool Jawfish. Is that superman in the the 4rth pic?!?!? This superman: ? If so, it has had a growth explosion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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