R-3'S OFFICIAL 90G 3'x2'x2' THREAD

[R-3]

So I ended up getting a really cool tank today. Its a 3'x2'x2' Oceanic glass aquarium. Its been used but is gonna sweet when I get done with it. Here are some pics.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05777.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05776.jpg

[R-3]

Equipment list-

Return- Eheim 1262 w/ 2 1/2" or 3/4" Seaswirls
Skimmer- RPS-1000 Recirc (for now- rated at 120 supposedly)
Lights- 6-8 Bulb T5 Retro
Calcium Reactor- Not sure yet (have tank and solenoid)



I plan on drilling it for an overflow but havent decided yet on a CL. Im deciding between a corner or a center overflow also. I will paint the back like usual and go from there. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on getting rid of the laminate oak trim on this tank? Paint it? Peel it? Scrub it? Does anyone have any expirience with this? Later Ryan

[ringwurm]

I painted my old tank edge black and it turned out pretty good.

[inkto]

Long long ago on a tank far far away I painted out the trim the same color as the back... I liked the result.

http://mysite.verizon.net/bjmartin14/pics/100_0020nr.jpg

http://mysite.verizon.net/bjmartin14/pics/100_0103nr.jpg

[R-3]

What type of paint Greg & inkto? I wonder if that "Fusion" stuff would work? The stuff that is for plastics? Later Ryan

[inkto]

I was more concerned with finding the color I wanted... I didn't limit myself to any specialty paint; I think it's over-rated. The paint I used was a Rust-Oleum spray paint product that claimed interior and exterior durability. I would recommend scuffing the plastic trim a bit with some steel wool or 320 grit sand paper though.

Ben

[ringwurm]

I actually used a standard latex can of paint but I would look into the Krylon Fusion. I have used it on some patio furniture and it works really good. You may want to experiment a bit on the back side of the tank.

Greg

[R-3]

(rock2)Yeah Im just gonna do black. I used some of the Krylon Fusion on some plastic jetski parts and it worked really well. Man I cant wait to get this thing going!!!

(clap)

[mister crabs]

lol inkto...your stand looks amazingly similar to the one i just built for my 40 stretch hex.....mines just taller....

[R-3]

So is there any thoughts on center or corner overflow? I have a center now and its kinda nice cause its out of the way. A center is pretty easy to hide also. Later Ryan

[R-3]

I got the rough framework of the stand started but still gotta finish it. I also started to paint the top rim. I think Im gonna use more of a flat color though. The gloss is too much. I guess I will see when it dries. I think I also decided on a center overflow so I dont have to see a overflow on the side of the tank. Heres some pics.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05801.jpg



http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05802.jpg

[impur]

Looking good! Are you gonna drill that badboy? In the bottom or back?

[R-3]

I think the only drilling im gonna do is for the overflow. I also dont know where yet because I dont know if the bottom is tempered.

I finished painting today. I went ahead and got a can of Krylon "Fusion" flat and I like it a lot better. Looks like a brand new tank. Heres a pic.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05810.jpg

[impur]

Nice! That krylon fusion is good stuff.

[R-3]

I had two birthday parties last night so didnt get anything done with the tank. Im gonna paint the back tonight and then hopefully Friday I can get it to my buddies glass shop to drill it. I think the only drilling im gonna do is for a drain. I was thinking 1". Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe 1 1/2"? My return will be a Eheim 1262 (900 GPH at 0' Head) What hole size does everyone else have? In the two drilled tanks Ive had so far they had 1" holes. Seemed to work well. I also have another question. Im gonna need to build a overflow for this tank. I think im gonna be using black acrylic probably 1/8" or whatever I can get my hands on. What do I use to attach it to a glass tank? Thanks in advance. LAter Ryan

[impur]

I would do 2 1" drains. I like having a backup. You can flow 1000gph thru a 1" pipe. So if you go with 1 drain go 1.5". For the overflow just use silicon. The pressure of the water will help hold it in place if need be. Rough up the edges where the silicon will adhear to the acrylic, makes for a better hold IME.

[R-3]

Yeah I decided on 1 - 1.5" drain. I got the bulkhead from Ryan today. Im gonna check out a local plastic shop in town to see if they have any scrap black pieces. The thing that sucks is that I have a ton of clear acrylic but no black for a overflow. If they dont have anything I might just shoot James a call to see what he will have one for. Later Ryan

[impur]

Or put that krylon fusion to work and paint the clear acrylic!

[R-3]

Okay so the back of the tank is painted now. I also did the rest of the rough framing of the tank. I gotta go get some sheeting tomorrow to wrap it. Hopefully my buddy can drill the tank. Then I might be able to have this thing up and running by the end of next week or sooner. Later Ryan

[Reefin']

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l231/rg541/DSC05810bbb.jpg


whats is that over spray????? is that what u need the razor tank cleaner for?

[R-3]

Thats when I first sprayed it i didnt cover the top. I lucked out and there was some water in it and its just floating in there. I think I planned it that way. Later Ryan

[R-3]

Well looks like it wont be getting drilled till Tuesday. Hey I guess hes doing it for free so I cant complain. Well I guess I will finish my stand this weekend and work on getting the overflow built. Later Ryan

[R-3]

Okay I got the stand wrapped today and all the trim done. Im gonna probably do some staining on Sunday and laquer on Monday. The take the tank into get drilled Tuesday. Heres a pic. I still gotta cut out the front door. Later Ryan

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05819.jpg

[R-3]

Okay so I got the door routered out and stand stained. Gonna drill the tank tomorrow and put two coats of poly on. Fill holes tomorrow. I need to get ahold of some black acrylic for a overflow still. Updates soon to come. Later Ryan

[R-3]

I just put the last coat of poly on the tank. I also got the tank drilled today and it looks great!!! :) Im on the search for black acrylic now for a overflow. Once I get that I can build the overflow and start plumbing. I guess that gives me time to work on a light rack. Pics on Thursday of stand and tank. Later Ryan

[Mbeef61]

hey good to see the build going....so you found out it wasnt tempered huh/ cant wait to see what you do with it...mike

[impur]

More pics, thursday is almost over!!!

[R-3]

Man getting anxious!! :) Ive got the durso and some of the drain done. Im gonna go buy my temp sump tonight and do the rest of the plumbing. Hopefully wet test tomorrow! Heres some pics.

HERES THE TANK AND STAND. I STILL HAVENT DECIDED WHAT TO DO WITH THE DOOR YET.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05939.jpg


HERES THE HOLE IN THE BACK MY BUDDY DRILLED FOR ME. I WENT THROUGH THE BACK CAUSE I DIDNT KNOW IF THE BOTTOM WAS TEMPERED OR NOT. :) BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05940.jpg


HERES A UP CLOSE OF THE DURSO. STILL GOTTA DRILL THE TOP WHEN ITS SETUP

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05943.jpg


So all in all Im kinda waiting to when I can get up to Portland to get some acrylic for the overflow. Hopefully Im gonna build my light rack for my SLS LUMEN MAX 2. Thats really about it. Ill have more update tonight when I finish the plumbing, hopefully. Later Ryan

[Michael7979]

Lookin' real good R-3!!

[H20cooled]

That look great. Before you get it done though check out the Herbie overflow on RC, they are dead quiet and the best part is they do not create any micro bubbles.

Rich

[impur]

Looks good Ryan. Coming along nicely. Nice job on that stand!


I might have to go with the herbie overflow too. I keep hearing how good they are. Isn't it a pain to get the gate valve right?

[R-3]

Thanks guys! So Reynaldo got here and we got a little done tonight. All of the drain plumbing and the skimmer are ready to go. I just gotta go to HD tomorrow to get some 1" for the return. So tomorrow I will move the cube over a couple feet to put the new tank in its place.

So here is all thats left.

1. Plumb the 1" return
2. Make a overflow box
3. Build light rack

Later Ryan

[R-3]

Hey Rich you got any info on the Herbie overflow? Later Ryan

[Reefin']

i tried to recommend the Herbie Overflow guys, but he didnt want to drill a second hole, i dunno

anyways ryan heres the linky
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=344892

[H20cooled]

That is the one and only. I'm using it on my system and it cut the micro bubble and noise down to nothing.

[Reefin']

hey Rich do u see a problem with makin the emergency drain a little smaller?. for example if the main drain is 1 1/2", could the E-drain be 1"....assuming that the likelyhood of the main being completely blocked would be pretty rare.his return is only like 900 gph

[impur]

1" would work fine. You can run 1000gph thru 1".

[Reefin']

thanks miles, i was thinkin it would....

[R-3]

Ive been really lazy, well actually partying tooo much!!! :) Halloween weekend and the win against USC really did a number one me. Im gonna try to get to Portland this week to get my acrylic for the overflow and build the ight rack. Ill try :). Later Ryan

[R-3]

I got a used 36" 8 Bulb Tek Light for sale at a great price! Thats what I wanted but they dont even make them anymore. Hell YEAH!! So Im back to T5's now which makes me happy. I really liked the colors I got from the bulbs. Also the heat issue was a big thing. I just thought it would be cheaper to go with a single 400. This Tek is a great deal though so I gotta do it. So that nixes having to build a light rack so now all I gotta do is the overflow. Later Ryan

[impur]

Nice! Thats gonna help with heat and electricity $$ a bunch.

[R-3]

UPDATE:

I got the overflow built tonight so I will probably install it on Sunday. Gotta go to the BEAV game tomorrow. As im waiting for the silicone to dry I will probably glue the little bit of plumbing I have left and be ready for a wet test on TUESDAY!!! I should get my new light this week to so that will help also. Heres a pic of the overflow.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05946.jpg

[R-3]

Well I went ahead and just used GE#1. Seemed like the overall favortie since I couldnt get any black around here. I think it turned out pretty well. Ill see how it looks tomorrow! So next is getting all the plumbing put together and I should be ale to wet test on Tuesday!!!! Hell yeah! I cant wait to get this thing up and running. Later Ryan

[R-3]

Okay so all the plumbing is done as of 1 hours ago. Its ready for a wet test. Heres some pics.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05958.jpg


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05957.jpg

[impur]

Looking good! Slow but sure, kinda like my thread lol

[R-3]

Im getting anxious!! How long does everyone wait for their PVC to cure? Its been about 4 hours. Later Ryan

[Michael7979]

Play it safe and wait until Weds. morning

[oldbrownies]

over night, 8 hours at least, long enough that when you sniff the pipe, you don't fall over high

[R-3]

I know I was just wanting someone to give me the go. :) Im gonna fill it up tomorrow. Later Ryan

[R-3]

Okay I couldnt sleep. I just got done filling the tank and no leaks! Except for one part I forgot to glue. Oops! Its really not dripping it just has some water on the pipe. I cant wait to get some salty stuff in there. My overflow I just put in there was sealed up great. No water seeped in when I was fillin. That GE #1 works really good. Seemed to seal up real nicely. So tomorrow I gotta go pickup my lights, CA reactor, and sand. Im gonna let the tank run like this for a couple of days. Im thinking sand and salt probably Thursday definately Friday. Later Ryan

[impur]

Good deal! I had a leak last night but i think i know why and fixed it. I was gonna say after 4 hours that glue should be fine. The instructions on the glue say it should be fine up to 160psi after 30min.

[R-3]

Okay so I went and picked up my light and calc. reactor tonight. Both are in beautiful shape! I got my light home and set it up on some temp 2x4s. I forgot how bright t5's were! WOW!! One thing that I have noticed now though is that the tank has alot of small scratches on it. Im gonna call my glass buddy tomorrow about this but does anyone know about "glass scratch repairs?" I know its easy to do with acrylic but dont know much about glass. This really sucks. Hopefully it works out. Later Ryan

[Ronjunior]

I'll try to remember to dig up the info, but if you cannot catch them with your fingernail, there is a compound you can use to buff them out....but with a lot of elbow grease....hence why I gave up on a 200 gallon freebie tank that looked as if brillo pads were used.

[R-3]

I did a lot of reading on RC last night and it seems like its split down the middle whether to do it. Its seems like a lot of work also, which if it works is worth it. Some seem to think it doesnt make a difference. Later Ryan

[Ronjunior]

OK, I can't find my notes and the Portland dist., but the stuff is called Cerium Oxide. Prices vary, the place wanted about $15 for Cerium Oxide (enough to do a large tank), but the polishing wheel was around $45. Some people have used cloth baby diapers. You mix the stuff with water to make a thick paste and rub like crazy.
Check this site for his tank repair. http://www.fitchfamily.com/glass.html .
Depending on how big of a problem you have, it will take a bit of work. If the scratches can be caught with your fingernail, this stuff won't work. I've seen some kits online with step down sanding pads for deep repairs like http://www.gtglass.com/products.htm#scratchhog .
Good luck and update if you actually do this and how long it took. Take pictures of before, during and after too please.

[R-3]

Yeah I decided to say forget about the buffin. Ill live with it. Gives me a reason to upgrade. Even though I really like this tank size. Its pretty much perfect for me. I got done putting sand in it and Im filling it with RO/DI water right now. So Ill do the transfer tomorrow. I decided to use my old tank water so (45G+ -it will be about a 50% water change essentially) Im gonna be breaking everything down. Gonna be a long day tomorrow. It will be nice to have everything switched over though. Ill update with pics tomorrow!!! Later Ryan

[R-3]

After the Beavers gave up today I started to transfer everything over. I thought I had it all planned out. I hadit figured how much fresh and how much saltwater I would need. WRONG! My formula was off by about 5-7 gallons. Oops. So then I had to wait for that to get mixed up. After that I moved the old tank into the garage. When I came back in my daughter was standing over the tub that had the fish and corals in it and was playin in it. She had a spray bottle of "smelly stuff" she had sprayed in there because she said the fish needed to smell pretty. :) So I hurried and got everything out of there and into the tank. I hope most of my stuff makes it. Everything looks pretty good besides that mishap. Ill get some pics up tomorrow when the tank finally clears all the way. So overall I think the switch went well. I did lose my Pygmy Angel but I think he had been on his way out. Im not sure what happened either. Maybe just too stressed out. Pics to come! Later Ryan

[impur]

Wow, got lucky with the smelly stuff huh. Lets see some pics!

[R-3]

It seems I got lucky. I havent noticed anything that was really pissed off yet. Here are some pics. Remember I havent aquascaped and stuff is just thrown in there till I get some bigger pieces of rock for the right side. I might order a box tomorrow from my LFS, who knows. Heres some pics.

FULL TANK

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05969.jpg


HERES A SHOT OF THE LEFT SIDE. MY LEATHER JUST GOT DONE TAKING A HUGE POOP IS WHY HES NOT TOO HAPPY LOOKIN. MY CLOWN HAS LOVED THE TWO RBTAS BEING TOGETHER NOW. HE JUST SWIMS BACK AND FORTH NOW.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05980.jpg


RANDOM ZOO SHOT

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05974.jpg

[vanz]

RANDOM ZOO SHOT

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/ryannat1/DSC05974.jpg

Wow, that's some sweet zoos! What kind is that?

[impur]

Dragon eyes :D They are sweet and grow fast too.

[R-3]

Thanks Miles. Yep some good ol dragon eyes. Ill get some other pics up. Later Ryan