Help me build my dream tank...

[H20VooDoo]

I have used (when all else has failed, including silicone) a two-part, high strength, 5 minute epoxy by Devcon. Also I have used one called Lock-Tite. The Devcon I got at Richmond Home supply and the Lock-Tite at Home Depot. I used these for plumbing leaks that occured in joints and bulkhead fittings over time when there was no way to really drain the tank and re-do anything.
GREAT stuff for pesky, slow dripping leaks that salt creep doesn't seal or sump/fuge leaks BUT you'll never get the joints apart if you use it. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

[Erik]

Yeah, I used some aquarium sealant I had kicking around... It was still dripping worse than I thought, so I went ahead and sealed it. I wish I had totally shut the system down before sealing, because I got a bit of a pocket where it was still dripping, but it sealed the edges so it's not dripping anymore. Oh well, what's done is done and it's not dripping anymore.

The tank is heating up and I have my SG up to 1.023ish. Only heater I could find was a stealth 250w and it's struggling. Tank is at 74ish degrees. Probably warm enough to add some live rock to seed. Without lights, this tank is going to be a struggle to keep warm.

[joel1234567]

Erik, check this stuff out (mentioned on RB). I might have to pick some up in case of emergency: http://www.rescuetape.com
Might have worked good in this situation too.

[Erik]

that rescue tape looks awesome! Haha! The silicone I used in the leak area seems to have done the trick, no more leaks

I've been having some problems with moisture already. This past week when it was so hot, my cold water lines were sweating REALLY badly. My water tank was also sweating to the point where it left a pool on the floor. So I broke down and got a dehumidifier for down in the fish room. What's cool about it, is that it uses 1/4" hose line with a pump to pump the water out of the bucket when it gets full. That sold me alone. The unit itself is pretty loud, it's a 70 pint so it's big... But it's energy star compliant and had an easy way for me to remove the water, so I was sold at that point. It's a Kenmore Elite if anybody cares.

The tank still only has the Marcos Rock in it right now and it seems to be cycling on its own. I tested for Ammonia today and it definitely has ammonia (forget the actual reading). I'm going into Barre today to pick up some of my base rock from my tank to help seed the cycle and hopefully speed things up a bit by adding some beneficial bacteria. My skimmer is now on and is not really pulling anything out right now, but definitely has a discolored foam head on it. I'll be anxious to see how things react when I get some seeded live-rock into the tank. Should be by this afternoon. I need some movement in the tank! I feel like it's my first tank and I need something NOW! But I guess that's the shortcut you take when using base-rock for your foundation.

[Erik]

So let's liven things up with a few updated pics of the rockwork... I still have some liverock in the 75, but it all has coral attached, so I left it. It will be used to build up the structures in the 180. This is all of the base-rock as well as the base rock from the 75.





I'm ordering the light tomorrow. Going with the ATI Sunpower 6x80w T-5 fixture:
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Flu ... lbs_by_ATI

with the following bulb configuration, inspired by the combination found on this post: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showp ... ostcount=4
Front
ATI Blue +
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue+
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue+

[joanstone]

lookin' good

[Maple]

Erik, are you planning on covering the back glass?

[Erik]

Erik, are you planning on covering the back glass?

Yes, I'm fabricating a back panel with some black material... My mothers are master seamstresses, so I'm thinking of attaching some black fabric onto a backer board and attaching with a long length of industrial velcro attached to the trim. I need to get them measurements of the tank and the bulkhead locations so they can cut out the pattern. This way I can remove the black panel when I'm working on the tank from behind. I actually like being able to look into the tank from the back side too. It's a different perspective, but I understand not wanting to see the utility crap when sitting in the living room.

Side note... I took my water in on Saturday (7/17) and found .40 Ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate. I'm hoping with the extra dwell time of the seasoned live rock that the ammonia will be gone by the weekend. I did notice that the white stringy goo has gone from the rock, so I'm assuming the die-off has stopped. I'm going to get the water tested again this Friday in hopes that the ammonia is gone. My plan is to get my 75 transferred on Sunday.

Everybody cross your fingers for me!

[joanstone]

Black sheet and velcro work great. Simple, easily removable, washable and easy to fold up and store when not in use. I keep mine off most of the time because I too like to look at the back of the tank, I put it on only when people come over.

[Erik]

Well, Sunday was a busy day...
I had my water tested at the Pet Advantage and everything tested out Great! Unfortunately for the tank, we had planned a weekend with some friends in Connecticut. No big deal, we'll just come back early on Sunday and move the tank when we get back from CT! Ugghhhh. What a long day.

I broke the 75 down completely. The tank is now washed/rinsed and sitting upside down outside to dry. I didn't want to smell up the Fortier's basement with decaying ocean. Have you ever smelled a dead snail? I had everything in buckets and coolers, dismantled my lights, controller, etc. and it was all boxed up. Brought it all home and went to work.

By about 6pm, I had this:


With the halides:


Lights are from my hold tank, hence the banding and spotlighting. My ATI fixture should be arriving sometime next week. I don't think it looks too bad for a first run with the aquascaping. I found many of the corals that had died from my old tank that encrusted were making a valiant effort at a comeback. Everything looks great and was VERY happy the minute I put it in the new tank. My hippo tang after having a traumatic ride down Wes White Hill Road in Huntington, was ecstatic about its new home, already swimming around and exploring the new home. Overall, was very pleased with how the move went. I'm a little sore today and have some things to tidy up at the house, but all is operational (except my auto top-off). I need some more egg-crate to extend my float switches deeper into my sump. Not a big deal, but needs to get done before we leave for Maine on Thursday for a few days.

[The Saltwater Kid]

Looks good! I like the aquascape...looks like plenty of cave-like formations for fish to cruise in and out of while providing plenty of mounting places for corals.

[joel1234567]

Schweet. You must be ultra psyched. There's nothing nicer that I know of than the nice brandy-new gleam of a nice clean and new tank. You've got a lot of space to fill in there! Second mortgage?? If you want a nice big chunk of toadstool to fill some space let me know, I've got some frags going that I got from Scott.