my new 290gal is .....

[izzypop]

complete. well not quite but my daughter and I love looking at nemo and dori and some hand drawn sharpie corals and fish. Here are some pics of the stand, sump and tank. I just hope I can complete it before the new little one is due in January. The stand still needs to be painted.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0168Large.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0160Large.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0163Large.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0157Large.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0155Large.jpg

[fly guy]

Very cool.

Better get to work. ;)

Clocks a tickin it sounds like. :D

[CCR]

If ya don't get er done!!!!!!!!!!!!! it ill be a large changing table )

[H20cooled]

WOW Shawn, that is a stand and a half, you could park a truck on that thing...

[izzypop]

When I told them to build it strong enough to put a jeep on I didn't think they were going to take me literally. Actually the material was expensive but labor was less because it was less welds. Once I saw yours I knew I didn't want any braces in the way. It is almost 4ft tall so that was a concern. One thing I did forget was built in cup holders.

[H20cooled]

LOL, yeah that thing is strong I'm sure, cup holders would be awesome for an inwall tank, got to have something to drink when you are working on it.

[Michael7979]

Great start to a great tank! Keep up the posts!!

[BADBaxter]

Great job!... Keep the pics coming...
I should be able to see it soon enough :)
BIll

[izzypop]

Okay the stand is painted. Yummy Cell Phone Pics.
prep work....
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/1106061218.jpg
ready for paint....
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/1106061249.jpg
painted by... sorry can't reveal my sources
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/1106061256.jpg
done
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/1106061401.jpg

[Ronjunior]

Shawn-
Just a thought, does the garage looking room this stand is moving to have a concrete floor? If so, check for level...I remember you said it wasn't really a garage, but if it was at one time, they always (should) have a slant in the concrete for water runoff.

[Nyles]

It looks like he has leg levels on the frame, if so shouldn't be a problem.

[izzypop]

It looks like he has leg levels on the frame, if so shouldn't be a problem.

Yep. Levels on the bottom of the stand on all 4 legs.

[Ronjunior]

Smart man! Hey, I got to go back and look at some photos, I would swear I have some of you and your daughter at our neighborhood Xmas toydrive/party. Love the pictures above. I can just hear her now, "come on Nemo, come on Dori and Prancer and Vixen". I'll bet she can't wait to see this setup, nor can I. You know, I'm the only glowing blue house in our blocks now....still waiting for the badges to show up, but heard the helecoptors above me today :)...even in this weather!

[izzypop]

here is a bad pic of the stand in its new home
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/1107060628.jpg

[Ronjunior]

Alright, time to break out the sledge hammer! (gavel) I have a chainsaw and a sawsall if you need to borrow one. Did you get my message about wood for a "greenhouse" over your tank? I have some stong and long pieces of 1x3 or 1x4 if you want it. (along with some 4x6 pressure treated you can use as corner posts. It's yours for a frag or 2 (whatever you think is fair). I need to get it out of my garage so I can get it ready for our Christmas/Santa KGW toy drive. You won't get any sagging like you would with PVC. I also have a bunch of molding that may work for your new tank window as well. Call me if you want to stop by and take a look. (503)558-8738

[izzypop]

Rumor has it the hole in the wall is being cut friday......(rock2) Let the equipment purchases begin. (clap)

Ron I pretty much have everything I need. Thanks for the offer. Your tank looks great by the way in those pics you posted. You'll have it filled with corals in no time.

[robz]

Stand looks great as does the tank. Can't wait to see it up and running.

[izzypop]

Here are some updates.....
sizing up the hole
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0208Medium.jpg
whoops got a little angry
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0206Medium.jpg
doing the measure
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0205Medium.jpg
demolition
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0212Medium.jpg
got to move some wires
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0213Medium.jpg
this sucks
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0214Medium.jpg
stage 1 completed
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0219Medium.jpg
creating the frame for the tank
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0221Medium.jpg
lining it up
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0223Medium.jpg
one day....
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0224Medium.jpg
my little helper oh yea and the brains behind the project. you figure out which one I'm talking about
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0225Medium.jpg

[CCR]

Great job. Sure glad you have your helper, or you would never get it done!!!! Great pic's :)

[Nyles]

Going to be sweet, with an in wall you consider making a few water surge devices for more random flow?

[izzypop]

sea swirls/wavy seas on returns and OM4 way on closed loop is going to be my random flow.

[CCR]

I use the sea swirls,,, love em great call!!!!

[izzypop]

top frame in place
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/DSC02421Medium.jpg
frame done
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/DSC02423Medium.jpg
hole in the wall
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/DSC02426Medium.jpg
having too much fun
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0240Medium.jpg
mud master in action
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0242Medium.jpg
deck sealed with bar style epoxy
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0248Medium.jpg
no going back
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0250Medium.jpg
fish eye view
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0252Medium.jpg
backin her in
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0254Medium.jpg
tank is in place
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0256Medium.jpg
unveiling
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0259Medium.jpg
moulding in place
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0265Medium.jpg
we had too
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/IMG_0267Medium.jpg

Still some finish work to do like staining the moulding. painting, ... oh yea lots of clean up. It really looks better than I ever expected. Can't wait to finish up and get water going.

[mister crabs]

so far so good!

[Michael7979]

Looks fabulous!!!! Keep the pictures coming!!!

[garrettm85]

Very nice, very nice. I cant wait to see what it looks like all stocked up! Keep us updated.

[jasonv6974]

Wow man it's like my dream before my eyes.. i like the in the wall design, cant wait to see the final.. keep us updated!

[Queen Angel]

Your little mermaid is about the cutest I've seen. What a little cutie pie!!

[izzypop]

Your little mermaid is about the cutest I've seen. What a little cutie pie!!

(laugh). She is in training right now to do my aquascaping.

[Ronjunior]

It's about time to start warming up the Lazy Boy recliners and enjoy the show!

[izzypop]

I'd like to give a HUGE SPECIAL THANKS to Shannon aka (reefhut) for making this whole thing possible. With out him I wouldn't have been able to do it. After seeing how much work was involved it would have cost me a small fortune to have someone do it (correctly). He is truely an asset to the reef hobby and a wonderful friend.:D

[vanz]

Awesomeness! (rock2) Can't wait to see the finish product!

[izzypop]

Some updates. I have decided on a stain for the mouldings and will be finishing that up in the next few days. I will also be doing some of the plumbing for the sump and returns so I can get water in this baby test it and start the cycle. Pics to follow in the next couple days. Ran into a bulkhead problem. some of the CL bulkheads ended up being the wrong ones so I am working on getting that fixed. Also probably will be working on the electrical and auto water top off as well.
Under the stand I went with an EVA waterproof Foam for the equipment and sump to rest on. I have been using this stuff on my frag tank and it is great for noise and waterproofing.

The skimmer is getting new becketts and seals shortly. I'll be going with a wannareef dual beckett to start and then probably upgrade next year when all these new skimmer designs and pumps are tested.

[superjohnny]

Remember, there is no such thing as too many pics :)

[dippin61]

Remember, there is no such thing as too many pics :)

thought this was worthe mentioning again. (whistle)

[izzypop]

Just finished the first coat of stain tonight. Plumbing and good stuff coming tomorrow. pics will come no worries.

[izzypop]

Saturday was great day for working on the tank. Sunny and dry. We decided to just cap off the closed loop since I don't have all the stuff to install that yet and don't need it to cycle the tank. We brought in the sump and mocked out how the overflow drains and return plumbing was going to be. Made the normal trips to Home Depot and wham we were cuttin, fitting and glueing. I also finished the prep work on the moulding and did some staining. There are a few mouldings not in the pic that go around the inside touching the tank but those aren't installed yet. Still trying to get that the way I want. mouldings should be finished in a week or so.

For the plumbing I went with traditional white because it is easy to get and I still think it looks better than grey most of the time. I also can not stand "spa-flex" looks horrible and messy. For the bulkheads went with some really nice Hayward bulkheads. The rubber seals are 3 times thicker than the normal ones and they actual work "hand tight" 100% of the time IME. The bulkhead sizes are slightly larger so back to Home Depot for a holesaw that fits a 2" hayward. Back to plumbing. Finished all that up and now it's time to fill it. Hmmmm it's 11pm should we...... Heck Ya. Oh yea I only have 40 gal of saltwater made up right now and I need like 350gal. Shannon to the rescue. We drove his truck to his house and took as many containers as we could filled up his truck with saltwater and back to my house. Started filling the tank and got 3/4 full. DAMN. We aren't quiting now. Back to his house for more saltwater, sand and some rock. Okay got it filled, turned it on. NO LEAKS sweet. Wait we're out of beer now. Off to find beer at 12:45am. No luck, wait that person just got into Safeway.... we just tried the other doors on the opposite side and they were closed. Hot Damn it's open. Beer to the rescue. Back to house and had a great time tweakin with stuff and watching the tank run.. Here are the pics. Take a look at the pic with the water just starting to fill. The tank is dead level. The water filled up all around the center, it was perfectly level.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/waterislevelMedium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/mouldingprep2Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/mouldingdoneMedium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/mouldingdone2Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/returnsdoneMedium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/returnplumbingMedium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/bucketwar2Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/bucketwar3Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/bucketwarMedium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/filledbutcloudy2Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/filledbutcloudyMedium.jpg

[dippin61]

looks awesome, cant wait to see pics after the tank has cleared. the stain looks great. keep em coming!

[robz]

Very sweet. Nice job on the install. Can't wait to see this in a year or so.. You must be stoked Sean.

[izzypop]

Oh yea. It is really nice to see the tank and hear nothing. It don't get much better. I am really glad I went with no front access too. Everything is turning out great. Tank is clear now too. Skimmer is almost done so that will be soon to come on as well. Lumenarcs and actinics going up shortly. I still have to get the electrical done. The rest is just add ons and tweaking. I'll get some more pics up once I get some more stuff done.
I'm not looking forward to aquascaping but I do have some Envision Built viewing boxes which should make it pretty easy.

[Michael7979]

Everything looks great!!!

Keep up the GREAT work and more pictures........always appreciate pictures!!

[izzypop]

Some updates.... Got most of the equipment like Lumenarcs, pumps, etc....
Skimmer is done and will be plumbing it this week.

I'm going to be running 220v for my MH lights. I'll be running 3 400w HQI ballasts attached to lumenarcs and then some VHO's for actinic. (Yes I have lots of T5 experience and I'll just say now "not running them" on this tank)
The light rail system will be barn door rails from Grainger just ordered the stuff today. I will get some pictures when we start building the light rack and electrical.

Here is a pic of the skimmer I'll be using. Custom built dual beckett (almost 4 feet tall)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall/skimmer_after_fixed.gif

[Michael7979]

Very nice!!

Keep the updates coming...............

[reefhut]

Shawn,
That floor sweep skimmer came out pretty sweet..NICE!(clap)

[izzypop]

oh yea very sweet and it doubles as a popcorn maker too.
It was actually a stunt double in Star Wars for R2D2 and they were going to toss it out so I took it, put some becketts on it and here we are.... It's all about saving $$ when you can.

[Ronjunior]

I haven't seen or heard the helicoptors flying around your house lately, think they've got it figured out yet? They may be back over to this side of the highway with our next 2 electric bills going up another $100 with Xmas lights... and after 3 months of running 7 pumps 24/7 and VHO lights beeming 1/2 the day.
Things are looking good, what's your time frame for being "done", year, months?

[izzypop]

Well I am hoping to have the majority of it done by the end of January. That is when our new baby is due. I will have the stuff for the light rack in this week and working on that next. Then electrical. This stuff is never completed but hey I have 4 chromis in there. Well I think I do, I'll find out when I can turn on the lights.

[Ronjunior]

That is when our new baby is due.
I forgot about that! I don't see you guys walking the dogs with the poochy belly since you moved. Let me know if you need someone to drop in and plop in some food or whatever when the time comes. I remember ever so well, everything else is kind of a blur when you're at the hospital.

[izzypop]

I've got all the stuff for the light rail system and some other stuff like pumps and lights. Here are some pics. We are still working on the moulding and well... everything else. Enjoy....
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0310Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0308Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0305Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0304Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0303Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0302Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0301Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0300Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0299Medium.jpg

[fly guy]

Looks AWESOME!!

Keep on keepin on!! : )

[Michael7979]

I see 22 things I'll help you work on!! (laugh) (laugh) (laugh)

[Queen Angel]

I love the bottom edge of your picture frame around the tank. I think that looks great. I think it looks better than if you did just a picture frame look all around.

Hope that made sense.

Tammy

[izzypop]

I love the bottom edge of your picture frame around the tank. I think that looks great. I think it looks better than if you did just a picture frame look all around.

Hope that made sense.

Tammy

Thanks. What we actually ended up doing was sliding the tank inside the wall almost half way. So the tank does sit inside the wall for a nice tight seal and you don't have that sunken look effect. The sill was something we decided on after looking at a bunch of inwall pics and the ones that were in "my style" of inwall looked best with the window sill look. The HUGE bonus to this style which didn't occur to us was that the tank is not flush with the wall so when the kids and people are viewing the tank they don't accidently scratch it or brush up against it. They can can put there grubby little hands on the sill instead of the tank. Also when you are bending down to look at something you have a place to rest your arms. To see pics of it now makes it look very simple but man was there a lot of planning and construction to make this the way I wanted.

We finally have a plan to finish up the moulding which should make it look really nice. Right now you can just see the water line at the top of the tank. It looks okay but we are going to change up the moulding at the top a little to hide it.

[Theron]

Hey Shawn,

The tank looks great. I am really impressed. Looks like you did a lot of planning for this one.

I have a few questions for you.

What is the distance from the top of the tank to the floor, inside? It looks low. I have been trying to decide how high to place my tank in the new house. Should I optimize it for viewing sitting or standing or somewhere in the middle.

Also are you going to keep the tank exposed in the garage or are you going to build a room around it. It looks like it is below the door bay in the garage. Is that bay dedicated for the tank? I have a simular place in my garage to place the tank, but it is very close to the garage door. That would limit me building an enclosure around the tank. My concern leaving the tank exposed is I don't want to heat the entire garage. I'm in Boise now, and it can get cold in the garage. It might be hard to keep the tank warm when the lights are out and if something happened it would cool down fast.

I see you changed your mind about acrylic tanks. Last I talked to you, I remember you saying something like never owning a acrylic tank again. Just curious what changed your mind.

Theron

[Queen Angel]

A sill.....duh. Couldnt think what that was called last night. Boy, do I fell sill..y.

Ya, I dont like seeing a water line either. Your thread is very amusing with your silly pictures! Keep up the great photos!

Tam

[izzypop]

Theron!!! You ended up movin. Hope all is going well for you.
Acrylic vs. Glass thing I don't want to get into but I will say I originally ordered a glass tank with starphire but it was smaller. I still like glass over acrylic under the 240gal mark. After that I think they are just way to heavy to deal with and get nervous any larger. When the glass tank didn't work out I went acrylic because obvioulsy Envision is right here and I COULD GO BIGGER. I was also under a time crunch with the new baby and Envision whipped out my tank in record time. All in all I am very happy with it.

I forget the distance from the floor to the tank but I think it is somewhere around 35". Most stands are like 30" tall so I am pretty close. My garage floor is a foot or two lower than the living room so I couldn't go much higher without having to go really tall on my stand. As it is the stand in the garage is 4 feet tall with 3 - 3/4 plywood stacked on top. The tank is a lot taller than my bigscreen TV height. Plus the taller you go the less colorful the corals look since the color is all on top of the coral. I didn't want to be looking up at the coral from underneath. Also the higher you have it the more you can see into the garage from the top of the tank. When you are sitting down which is what I'll be doing most of the time I am definately looking up at the tank. If it was in a hallway or somewhere you would be looking at the tank standing up I would have went taller. I went somewhere in the middle.

The tank sits under my garage door slightly. The light rack is going to be tricky and tight but should be fine. The garage door fully opens and closes. I have a shop that is detached from the house which has all my "garage stuff" in it and all this garage does is keep a car and some storage so essentially it is just another room with a concrete floor. I am not going to build a room around it "yet". My wife is eventually going to remodel the home and when she does I'll build a room around it. I'm going to plumb a fan exhaust for humidity and heat to the outside but so far it is just fine. Stays a little chilly but with all the equipment and over 300gals of 78 degree water it stays pretty warm in there.

[Ronjunior]

What is the distance from the top of the tank to the floor, inside? It looks low. I have been trying to decide how high to place my tank in the new house. Should I optimize it for viewing sitting or standing or somewhere in the middle.
Something to consider is, what would you put underneath it someday when rearranging the furniture....like a couch for instance. I think Shawns height of 35" in the living room, is about what I was going to do to build my stand as to not have my couch block the view. Blue tape the tentative hole in the wall and sit on it for awhile before cutting unless you love to sheetrock and paint..if you do, please visit anytime!(naughty)

[izzypop]

Had a great day getting goodies and starting the light rack. Got the 3 - 400w PFO HQI ballasts and 4 160w VHO's are ready too. The ballasts are 220v so my electrical will run cool.
We repositioned the garage door brace, hung the rails and built the light rack. The light rack is working and in place but there is a couple little things to fix before it is entirely ready. Fix those and get crackin on electrical which should be pretty simple the way we have it laid out.
dewalt is the best
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0313Medium.jpg
these things crank
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0314Medium.jpg
rails up
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0315Medium.jpg
mocking up the hood
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0316Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0317Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0318Medium.jpg
hood up
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0319Medium.jpg
she slides
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0320Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0321Medium.jpg
happy man
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0322Medium.jpg
make sure garage door opens. Fits perfect
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0323Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0324Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0326Medium.jpg

[H20cooled]

Looking good Shawn (the tank not you)...

[R-3]

Its okay Rich your true feelings can come out :) Tank looks great Shawn. I cant wait to see it with some lights on it! Light rack looks nice and heavy duty! Later Ryan

[drock59]

Looks great, nice job. I think maybe you should try and spruce up your photos more. Maybe act silly and do some funny poses. (Rim)

[izzypop]

some more electrical done and wired and mounted the lumenarcs. Also completed the light rack.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/DSC02428Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/DSC02429Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/DSC02430Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/DSC02431Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/DSC02432Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/DSC02433Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/DSC02434Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/DSC02435Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/DSC02436Medium.jpg

[R-3]

Lumenarcs are sooo nice. You are gonna have plenty of light over that tank. Looking good Shawn. What bulbs are you going with? Any other supplementation? Later Ryan

[izzypop]

Yea I'll have 4 - 6 foot VHO's under there. Those pics coming next.

I'll be going with Helios 20K bulbs since I'm running HQI. I've seen these right next to radiums and I like the bright white they give off. I also like radiums so those are in my selection too.

[Michael7979]

I'm running Helios 20ks off a HQI ballast too. Ran radiums before the Helios........should be able to get a month or two more out of the Helios, so I'm going to stick with them for awhile.

[izzypop]

yea when you look at them side by side the radiums look blue'r compared to the helios. The helios looks brighter to the eye and lights deeper in the tank. If i wasn't going with actinic I would run radiums.

Got the VHO mounts installed. Next just screw in the end caps and I'll get some pics.

[izzypop]

got the vho's mounted. here's a pic
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0337Medium.jpg

[reefhut]

Hey Shawn,
Thanks for showing us the actinics. The only problem is we got a view of the outside?? Come on bro let's see the room side...Don't leave us hangn'....Man that's just not right.(whistle) LOL

[Ronjunior]

I think he's busy setting up the underwater Nativity scene!

[izzypop]

Here ya go buddy. You know how much point and shoot digital cameras love straight actinic lighting.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0338web.jpg

[reefhut]

SWEET... OH BOY IS THAT SWEET!!! ME LIKEY THE ACTINICS....ARE WE DOING ELECTRICAL FOR THE MH'S TONIGHT? I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER....(plotting)

[Ronjunior]

Shawn-
Did you pick out your moon lighting yet? I finally bought some cold cathode lighting down the street from us on Hwy 212 last week and are perfect for tanks for the size and light output, $10.95 for dual bulbs that last 30,000 hours and run off of 12v. I picked up a red one up for reefgeek's moonlight, but got myself the blues....very sweet. Other colors too, including UV. When they come on at night, they give off an awesome shimmer on the rock and sand to boot as well as lighting up everything perfectly. Corals still receed and so do the fish when my actinics go off and these come on. Here's the site, they're just E. of the Fred Meyer Distribution Center. NWCA . http://www.nwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=products.showDetail&header=PC%20MODS&subheader=LIGHTS&productID=4257&flag=Standalone

If they won't sell to you, let me know, I have still have an account there (no I didn't charge geek extra for the light either :).
I don't have mine mounted yet if you want to see what they'd look like above your tank.

[izzypop]

I haven't figured out my moonlights yet. I have tried the cheap led versions and I've seen the nice PFO ones but nothing has jumped out at me yet for moonlights.
Are those cold cathode lights proven safe for a moon light on a reef tank? Those look cool for sure. Those LED tubes look sweet too. Hmmm maybe have to give this a try.
Your corals shouldn't receed they should actually appear happier when your moon lights are on. All polyps out and extended. My corals have never had to adjust to any new moonlights I've tried. Your fish will disappear that's fine.

[H20cooled]

Shawn,
I just went to home depot on bought a string of the Blue rope lights, the best thing about them is you can cut them to size, you can dim them, and they are cheap.

[izzypop]

Rich once again the king of DIY.
Dimming. That is what I want for sure. I like the idea of a rope since I have 6 feet to deal with. What is this some xmas light thing? or is it in the regular lighting section? I'll go check it out today after work.

[Ronjunior]

I guess the ones I really notice receeding are the LPS (candy, hammer and frog) that close up for the night which I thought was normal when the "sun" went down with tentacles out. Anyway, the tubes themselves are sealed in acrylic. (square ends are 5/8", tube 3mm) The little rectangle power inverter I'm just going to silicone seal the plugs in case of salt creep. (my hood is only about 6" tall and get salt on my VHO's).
Let me know and I can swing these by to test on your tank. One set would probably do the trick on your tank. I had a triple LED setup, but I like these cathodes because of a smooth overall transition with light. Geek saw it and liked it, waiting for him to post pics of his rednight tank. I think rope lights will use more power, the box claims it draws 5.0mA. They don't get very warm at all. Funny thing is, Ken who owns the place, sold his instore reef tank to an employee and when talking to him, a light came on. He never thought about it, but is going to try them on his too.

My tank is 6' long........If I didn't want all the light, was thinking you could mask some with electrical tape....

[H20cooled]

Shawn,
Home Depot in the lighting section, The only have blue available in like 16ft length but you can just trim it off at the length you want and seal the end with some silicon. Not really a Christmas light thing, I setup some purple ones in my daughters room and she loves them.

[Ronjunior]

Shawn,
Home Depot in the lighting section, The only have blue available in like 16ft length but you can just trim it off at the length you want and seal the end with some silicon. Not really a Christmas light thing, I setup some purple ones in my daughters room and she loves them.

Target had some blue too. Some places sell clear tubing with blue led's, but I know Targets was blue plastic....don't recall price since I buy after Christmas specials at 90% off. I think Angel Queen has the clear w/ blue, maybe she'll step in and give her opinion on how it looks at night.

[reefhut]

MOON LIGHTS TOO!!! (scratch) ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH ROOM? DOH! GUESS WILL HAVE TO ADD A THIRD PANEL....(scary)LOL

[H20cooled]

Ahh they are easy to install, just tack them up above and around your main lights.

Shawn, Not sure if your controller has a moon light function but mine has one of the plugs that can auto dim the moon lights. Maybe yours does too.

[Queen Angel]

I got my blue rope light at Home Depot. At the time I bought mine they had the 6' foot option. Perfect for my 125. They are just regular blue. I have them tacked up in front of the halides. They stay on all the time. They are pretty dim, only if its completely dark in the room, can you see them. I have to wait a minute for my eyes to adjust before I can actually see anything. I put these on as a quick fix, and havent gotten around to getting the moonlights that shimmer.

Tammy

[Ronjunior]

What type of sand did you put in there and what grade/size?
I'm looking for something that won't blow around too much, looks like your 1st batch did.
I'm debating on getting CaribSea Aragonite Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand which states is about 1-2 mm.

[mister crabs]

what about gettingaragonite playsand from advanced in salem? its great for reefs and its not too spendy. Its sold thru lowes but only on east coast. basically florida beach sand. they had 50lb bags for $25 bucks.

[izzypop]

I have caribsea brand sand in the tank. Not sure what kind. The sand didn't blow around at all. I'm just to lazy to get in there and spread it out. It is in the same spot I dumped it. Once I get the rock aquascaped I'll worry about getting the sand where I want it.

[reefhut]

The sand is the sea floor special..

[Ronjunior]

what about gettingaragonite playsand from advanced in salem? its great for reefs and its not too spendy. Its sold thru lowes but only on east coast. basically florida beach sand. they had 50lb bags for $25 bucks.
Salem would cost me too much in gas :( and at least the Carib Sea Seaflor Special grade is a little larger, playsand would be pretty fine and already have that problem. I've got about 200# of crushed coral, but don't want to go that big. I was going to get some with Petsmart's free shipping, but Patrick has a pretty decent price for 40# bags.

[mister crabs]

cool. didnt know how far u were from salem. and the playsand is sorta fine grains. I would avoid the coral though,.....fish and inverts that i have had seem to hate it cuz they cant dig in it as easily.

[izzypop]

Just an update for ya all. Got the skimmer installed and electrical done. The inline 220v timer and 110v timer installed. The helios 400w bulbs I'm having a little trouble getting working but once I sort out the bulb thing I'll get some pics.
Something very cool on the way is a brand new H&S 200CR-F3000 Calcium Reactor. Can't wait to get that baby hooked up. I'll get some pics of it when it arrives. Knowing H&S availability I'm not waiting by the door for it.

[reef165]

so? any new pics or additions? any livestock in yet? we need to finnish the build with ya.

[izzypop]

I can't figure out how to take a decent pic of the tank. Everything comes out horrible. I have started to transfer some stuff over and I did get my base rock too. I will probably be doing aquascaping in a week or two. Here are some pics of what I have. Shipment from H&S maybe coming into the US this week so I might see my reactor in a week or two.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/DSC02458Medium.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0368web.jpg

[reef165]

whats the name of the coral in the middle, its brown with blue tips, starts off at the base as two sticks and then branches? ive got one of them and its done the same thing, started off as two fingers abought 4in long and now has branched out the top, and finnaly has a couple nubes starting at the base, looks like some more fingers are coming out of the base.

[mister crabs]

looking good so far!

[izzypop]

Its actually green with blue tips. just looks brown in the pic. It is an acro green with blue tip stag from Upscales Cube Tank.

[izzypop]

some updates....
- The becketts on my skimmer were not sealed enough so those are being fixed right now, man I want to find out if this thing is going to work or not....
- I finally got everything to do my CL with OM4way (minus the plumbing).
- Picked up my Skimmer Auto Shut Off Waste Collector.
- Picked up and installed a dehumidifier for the garage.
- Been battling with these 400w helios bulbs for a while but I think I got it figured out finally.
- Set up a temporary precision marine calcium reactor until the new one comes.

here is another pic from when I finished the moulding a while ago that I forgot to post. I am happy with the way it turned out.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0361web.jpg

[mister crabs]

I think its beautiful....i am thinking of sticking a 180 or 220 in my LR wall since my wife loves your tank

[reef165]

that is just beautyful!! and inspiring!

[CCCP]

yap looks good, but how about you hide those water heaters somewhere else like sump or something.

[Holly]

Very nice!! =)

[izzypop]

yea the heaters are in the sump now. :)
Thanks reef165, cccp, holly.

[izzypop]

Update:
My daughter Emily was born January 21st and she is happy and healthy. With the new addition I haven't had lots of tank time but I did finish the OM4way install. I haven't had a chance to add my rock or aquascape so it is a seafloor of corals right now but it is still very cool. Here is a pic I took last night to share. Once I get the rock in and aquascaped I'll take some more pics.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0466real.jpg

[Michael7979]

Very colorful!!!

Really cool picture!!

[izzypop]

so I was playing around with a FTS and thought DREAM REEF or what your eyes see after staring at a 400w halide for an hour. Here is a pic with the rock in it and some effects from photoshop.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall%20livestock/IMG_0565Large.jpg

[reefgeek84]

so I was playing around with a FTS and thought DREAM REEF or what your eyes see after staring at a 400w halide for an hour. Here is a pic with the rock in it and some effects from photoshop.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall%20livestock/IMG_0565Large.jpg

or after a full rack of beer...(clap)

[izzypop]

YES..... That is more accurate
It the "druken reef filter" in photoshop

[reefgeek84]

YES..... That is more accurate
It the "druken reef filter" in photoshop

I think you should write photoshop and tell them they should change it to that name. LOL.

[izzypop]

looking back never showed a pic of the OM4way, CL and light hood pretty much completed. Always trying to make it better though. I had a water hammering issue with the OM4way that OM helped me resolve. The light hood is working great. I need to make it a little stronger in the next couple months. CL is working great.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall%20build/IMG_0546Large.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall%20build/IMG_0548Large.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/inwall%20build/IMG_0550Large.jpg

[reefgeek84]

Digging the lumenarcs...once I get a bigger tank that is taller I will go with those, but on my 20"tall tank, I think they are over kill...but none the less it all looks good...

[reef165]

very nice!!

[izzypop]

some updated pics.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0851.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0854.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/ssutliff/IMG_0855.jpg

[spectra]

That is one sweet set up. I know when it comes time to build another house that is the way I am going. I love the in wall set ups.

[180Brandy]

Nice pictures! What is that funky pretty green piece in the front right hand side? I like it.

[izzypop]

It is a Merulina and REALLY BIG. It grows fast. If you are coming up my way for the July meeting let me know and I'll get you a frag.

[180Brandy]

What kind of care does that need?

[180Brandy]

Maybe I should rephrase the question. Does that require lots of light or not as much light? Hard to tell from the photo.

[garrettm85]

Wow! That is really coming along. I like the color combo. Cant wait to see what your tank looks like in 2 years!!!

Garrett

[izzypop]

low or high light doesn't matter. Colors up best in medium light

garrett: two years and it should be just about rockin. Right now I don't do anything to the tank so it suffers a little but 2 years from now I'll have more time for the tank.

[180Brandy]

Thank you very much! I just might make it up there in July. :D

[superjohnny]

Looks great. I vote we have the next PNWMAS meeting at Izzy's house :)

[izzypop]

Your wish has been granted. July 15th
(party)

[robz]

Thanks for the invite to the meeting today. And all the frags. I really dig the big green cap. My wife came home shortly after you left and was looking at the cap and asked. What does it do?(nutty) She'll never understand(laugh) . Anyway thanks again for the trade. Peace!(rock2)

[izzypop]

no problem rob. sorry about the glue mishap. come out in July and I'll get you another frag of the mille if it doesn't make it. You've got a nice setup and that sailfin OMG he's nice.

[dsoz]

Thanks for the invite to the meeting today. And all the frags. I really dig the big green cap. My wife came home shortly after you left and was looking at the cap and asked. What does it do?(nutty) She'll never understand(laugh) . Anyway thanks again for the trade. Peace!(rock2)

My wife asks the same question all the time... I usually do not have an answer for her... LOL

dsoz :)

[garrettm85]

What is funny is that I thought the same thing when I read that post. My Financee is always asking me what stuff does? Why did you pay so much for that rock that looks like something I could go out in the back and get you free? My answer is almost always uh, its pretty. Afterall, thats kinda what attracted me to you first off.

Garrett