reefing on the cheap, lucky sob(s) edition

[RandyFolds]

I am still on the hunt for the 40L sump, but just getting poorer and poorer so pretty soon it will be pointless. I am thinking of plumbing in something smaller until I can do it right. Thank god I have Jake helping me, because I would have just slapped it back together in the janky fashion that the kid had it plumbed in and been pissed for the duration that I had the tank. I am pretty happy that he is encouraging me to do it right, because it will pay in the end. On that topic:

The eight million doctors that I have had to see have decided that I have neuropathy of the ulnar nerve, which is why my hand and forearm are weak and in constant pain. It sucks that I have so much to do with the tank, because it is only aggravating it. The doctors told me today that they want to have me not use my (right) hand for four weeks. I told them it wasn't an option because I would lose my business, and they said I would probably have to wear an immobilizing brace. tsk tsk that drunk 19 year old prick who messed my life up. I hope he gets bent over a cot in prison.

On another note:

Removing all the coralline on the front and sides is about 90% complete. Buffing out the scratches is about 2% complete. This tank is f-ing destroyed. It is pretty hilarious/shocking to see the juxtaposition of the taped off and polished portions vs. the rest of the tank. Six square inches down, 2 square meters to go, and good lord is my hand and wrist sore.

On that topic, I have always used polishing pads because I am usually working with the tank full, but hot damn is Novus easier. I will post some picks when I get a little more motivated and have a little better lighting. I just got home for the evening.

[Bergy]

vinegar will dissolve the coralline... I would soak and melt off all the hard stuff, then use some crl


or even use clr up front...  it will prolly melt everything too.


and yea+1 on the buffing pads...


And yea, you are going to be screwed if you dont follow drs orders.

hard to get settlement money if you continue to work against drs orders...

and Jake   better be doing it right.. heheheheh


ACtually, not sure if he told you, butg when i saw the ad and he told me about it and all that and at first was going to move it all hooked up to avoid having to rent a trailer and all that, i told him NO WAY...

i was more concerned with it falling over but, having all the plumbing done right is a great thing... youwill rest much better at night knowing it was done right...

i know petco has sales sometimes and you can get tanks for $1 per gallon, but not sure when the next sale will be...

[psykokid]

lol, we actually took it up to Lanny's on the stand. It had those two inch and a half bulkheads + pipe going through the stand it.. It wasnt going to go anywhere front, back or side to side. We put two ratchet straps diagonally across the top and then another across and one around the end.. It didnt move an inch.. Only thing we lost was the lid of a brute which we turned around and picked it up and secured with bungy cords.

[RandyFolds]

Greg, what fish should I stock to eat all the zoanthids, mojanos, and mushrooms that are on the live rock from this new tank?

Jake and I were thinking puffer, just because it will chomp everything, but then Jake mentioned filefish. Would they do the trick?

[Bergy]

you guys are soooo lucky...


im glad it worked out for you.......i guess that is how you all got it in one trip then???


i am sure that if i would have been there, the tank would have tipped over... just my luck...


anyways, i cant wait to see it

[Just_Greg]

Lanny,

i dunno if i can answer that one definitively.

Acreicthys tomentosus will eat appies, but i dunno about 'shrooms.  mine didn't bother palys or GSP.  they DO pick on clam mantles, IME.

Pervagor spilosoma will eat ornamental inverts, and i've heard of them picking on coral, but have no experience with them.

Pervagor melanocephalus is about half the size, and the same applies.

bottom line is filefish aren't 100% "reef safe", but i don't know of any that ALWAYS eat softies.

[RandyFolds]

Well, I am making a little more progress on the 125g. My wrist was so messed up I couldn't get much buffing done, so I have been slow on that front. I still have a lot to do, and I may just throw in the towel and replace this tank with a glass one when I have a little money. I priced a 1/2" bottom, 3/8" sides drilled with overflows and returns for ~$350, so that might be the future of things.

Jake and I started drilling holes for the returns and got one done before Bill's drill started smoking, so not much progress on that front. Bill -- I owe you a drill.

I am way ready for this thing to be done. I am going to try and finish drilling today and then start assembling the plumbing this evening. I have decided that until I can procure a correct sized sump, I will just be plugging one of the overflows and running with a single drain. I have yet to see if this will work with the Mag12 return, but I don't see why not.

Hopefully I can fill this bastard up tonight...

The To-Do List:
1. Finish drilling overflows/Install bulkheads. (Probably need to buy a drill for this step)
2. Plumb the drain and returns (I wish I had a 120x120x120 degree Y, but the T-fitting will have to work for the time being
3. Make another 100 gallons of RO...might take a while.
4. Rewire the two 3x110w VHOs to two 4x54w overdriven T-5. (Still need endcaps)
5. Clean the filthy Euroreef skimmer that came with the tank.
6. Sand and rock, baby. ;) I will finally be able to get the two 35 gallon brutes out of our dining room and get the ball and chain off my back.

[Bergy]

damn dude... that is a drill and a water jug!!!


and wonder why it is smokin'???   did it get wet???

It shouldnt take more then a few minutes to drill holes???

[RandyFolds]

damn dude... that is a drill and a water jug!!!

Not to mention $30 for those bulkheads. I am digging myself in deep with you Bill. Don't break my legs.

The drill didn't get wet or anything, and the bit wasn't sticking in the acrylic so I am not sure why it went. I will see if it can finish the job, but either way, I need to replace it for you. One of these days I will bring over all sorts of treasure. Thanks again for lending it to me.

[Bergy]

i cant recall how much i paid for it, but it was cheap, CHEAP... i think i used it once... and lent it o0ut a few times... so, i think it has paid for itself...  so no worries..

and i forgot about the bulkheads... thanks for the reminder...

and yea, no worries on replacing it.. im trying to downsize anyways... maybe you can take me to lunch
???

[RandyFolds]

Well, the drill has held out for the two 3/8" thick cuts and one of the 1/4" overflow cuts. One more to go and then I am assembling the plumbing.

[Bergy]

that must be a reall bad drill if it takes that long????

hehehehehge


or is it, drill a hole, take a week off, drill another hole, take another week off??? 

[RandyFolds]

Nah, Jake and I started drilling last night, and I finished it this afternoon. It was more of a 'go until the drill got too hot to hold and then set it on the air conditioner for twenty minutes to cool down' operation.

It was ridiculously slow going on the clear 3/8" acrylic, but the black overflow stuff cut like butter. Everything is dry plumbed now, as you can see in the pictures.

Inside overflow


The return stack


Back of tank

[psykokid]

much better than the rats nest of poo poo that was set up on there previously. Its a shame that the return couldnt come through the bottom of the overflow, but its alot better than up the back and over the top like before.

You'll have to pull out a tarp and spread out all that rock so you can cherry pick the best pieces for some structures.

[Bergy]

ummm,  is that plumbing so low for????   is that a closed loop???  if that is for the sump, then you will have one helll of a problem if you have pump failure/power outage......




if that is not closed loop, i would suggest capping that hole and raising it up  a lot....




and on my old tank, the over flow was a lot thicker, and had glass reinforcement   but your tank is acruylic all throughout...

and seriously, that drill was cheap... i doubt i paid $30  if i recall...if that.... but funny on cooling it with your AC...


hehehehehehehehe