Parzifal

And of course I can't forget to show off the new puppy that arrived a few weeks ago!  Baby Matilda and big brother Bowie.  Of course I choose the most aesthetically pleasing photos?

It's been a little while since I updated.  Been a crazy two months and as such haven't updated the page like I wanted.  But now I am!

lots of progress.  I had no idea how long this would take, but am glad I'm doing the work and getting the experience.

i decided I wanted some electrical outlets on the ceiling, so added three of those...that brings the total outlets in this room to thirteen.  Twelve of them 120v 20amp and one 250v 20amp. 120's are split between two circuits.  My wife is very excited about all this electricity around water ?.

the new puppy bought me some leeway though, hope I dont have to get another!

To reinforce the flooring below the main display tank area I sistered the floor joists (added an additional 2x10 pressure treated board to both sides of every existing floor joist) basically making 7 6x10 crossbeams....I think that will hold the lateral load.

then the real fun began....adding the additional vertical support of two 4x6 vertical posts anchored into the cement foundation and two 2x10 lamboards for horizontal support.  Rented two jacks, cut some support and ratcheted them up until I had ~1/4" to play with and "slide" (more like sledgehammer) in the lamboards.  Whole process took about three hours, during which I'm pretty sure I lost what was left of my hair with images of my whole house collapsing in on top of me.  I think I will hire out for that from now on.

Now the area directly underneath the main display tank space is completely supported on all sides by a cement wall, a steel I-beam, two 4x6x7' vertical posts all connected with horizontal tripled 2x10 beams and an additional doubled 2x10 horizontal lamboard.

I added R-30 attic rating insulation around all interior walls and the ceiling. Had no idea the batting came in two different widths and of course got the wrong one. Caused more cutting, but actually worked out in the end as the spacing between the sistered joists took up the extra insulation perfectly.

I took out the two lightbulbs lighting the room and replaced with 4 recessed waterproof can lighting receptacles.

finally I got tired of building so went with my wife to pick up a tub to hold all the rock I have collected over the last three years.

there's a picture of her crouching in the tub and one of it filled with rock.

thanks for reading, next steps are to add vapor barrier, seal up the framing in case of a spill and then drywall!

Ugh, yeah. I want that skimmer, but with the stands I will have 80.5" of vertical height in the room and the skimmer is 81.5" according to manufacturer specs. Thanks for looking though, looks like a great skimmer and if I can figure something out I will totally go for it!

if anyone has a 60"x36"x17" or 36"x36"x17" tank I would love to buy that!

One of the main things I learned is when pulling romex apart, make sure you pull to the side....not towards your face.

otherwise you end up stabbing yourself in the face with needle nose pliers when your hand slips.

Alrighty.  Got some work done!

finished electrical!   Three circuits added, all 20 amp with 13 receptacles.

circuit 1 is a dedicated 250 volt 20 amp circuit. So if I want a 250v appliance I can plug it in.  Woot

the remaining 12 receptacles are split between the other two circuits. The top of each is circuit A and the bottom receptacle is circuit B.

all wiring was done with 12 gauge underground rated romex wiring.

receptacles themselves are outdoor rated tamper proof/weather proof outlets (had no idea how big a PITA they are to plug things in and out of)

all housed in plastic boxes that are attached with stainless steel screws and behind the boxes are vapor barrier plastic sheathing to attach to the vapor barrier I install later. 

Also got the lighting done, SO much brighter with 4 recessed can lights than 1 hanging light.   

Looking a bit rough myself, picture to come in a bit with an explanation. 

Yeah, umpqua valley kennels retired the brindle sire they had that produced brindle pups....im sure they will get another tho.  Great breeder!

i thought about steel for a while, but getting it into the basement was going to be tough,  money pit stands will be wood but the main floor tank will definitely be steel, I'll reach out when looking at getting the big one!

Sorry. Never really laid out the whole plan for you guys! Below is what my family has described as "why are you doing this and does Kati know?"

-completely remove everything from current room.... walls, studs, ceiling, insulation, lighting, electrical, flooring and replace with outdoor and waterproof rated equipment.

- add lighting and three 20 amp circuits. One of which will be a 250v so i can run whatever I want.

-reinforce the ceiling in basement so the 550 gallon tank on the main floor won't fall through.   

-plumb the main tank into the basement room through the wall

-waterproof the shoe moulding in basement room (going forward I think I'll call it the money pit)   With the moulding waterproofed and siliconed it will hold up to 200 gallons in case of flooding

-build stands for the QT, water change, frag tank and sump tanks 

- lighting and actual tanks are the only things I will not be doing myself. For some reason the thought of 1000 gallons of water flooding my house does not give me comfort. 

Below are the pics of the room once I got the new framing up, starting electrical and the mess I have made so far....gotta remember to stay organized. 

Thanks for reading!

Bought mine from Home Depot. With the retracting guide total cost $40.   I've cut two holes and the bit looks basically new! I think it's a Milwaukee brand diamond plus.

water is a must, and whenever possible cut from the inside of the tank. that way if you press too hard or tilt the bit too much the chips will be on the outside and not interfere with the O ring seal.

Love the small one.   Looks so grumpy!

Main display will be 96 x 36 x 36.  It will be located on the main floor along a wall supported by a steel ibeam anchored into the cement foundation wall. I will be adding some additional support underneath so the floor can hold a tank...the military kind of tank ?.  Won't have the main display for a while as that puppy won't be cheap.

good news is she agreed to everything so long as we get another frenchie and I limit the main tank to under 600 gallons.

Pnwmas meet Matilda.  My wife in the pic is Kati 

How do I change the title of this to "1000 gallon system!"?

Good evening!  Time for another update.

This was fun!  Demo!!!

ripped out all the old framing, cladding, carpet and insulation.   Found some linoleum under the carpet....any of you every scrape old linoleum glue off concrete?  That sucked.

Painted all the concrete with dry lock.

most exciting part of the day?  Figured out that with the steel I-beam that's anchored into the cement foundation wall and the location of it I can put in the 550 gallon tank I've always dreamed of and plumb it into the system!  Woot!  1000 gallon system here we GO

In college I made myself a promise.  When I bought a house I would have a whole room dedicated to this hobby.  Fast forward ten years and I bought a house.... there's just one catch, I also have a wife and am going to have a hard sell to repurpose an entire room for my "hobby".

it may be cliche but it wasn't that hard of a sell.  I promised a balenciaga bag and she said ok.  So here we go!

the room I decided was in the basement. 7'x11'. 

I had already taken off most of the plywood walling. More to come in a day or two. 

Hello brothers and sisters!

well it's almost done!  I've been working on building a room for a frag rack, large sump, water change station, QT system and fire pit to burn all my money.   

Now that the plumbing, racks and room are done (thread is in the making) I am looking for the tanks to go in it.

I'm looking for two tanks. If you have one you want to sell, shoot me a PM.  If they aren't out there I will hit up some builders.

1). 84" x 36" x 10"

2) 60" x 36" x "17"

-Aaron

It's got electrolytes

Pm sent

Umpqua valley kennels has a great setup and fantastic outlook on their "kids" aka frenchie babies. They are just south of Eugene. We got ours august of 2015 and are getting #2 as soon as they have a brown girl.

Frenchies can be very expensive especially if they are not bred well. lots of inbreeding and the breeding of animals in poor health to get the aesthetics people want at a low price can cause you to get a dog that looks the way you want but will end up with major health problems.

if you see adds for frenchies even close to 1000 and are considering them please take the time and ask to see the medical records of the parents. Otherwise plan on spending 3-6k depending on coat patterns and another 1k on medical/food in the first year.

One last note....do not let the vets do the leptospirosis vaccine. Many are very allergic and reactions vary from extreme swelling to organ failure to even death. We let them give Bowie the vaccine and it ended up being a 1200 vet bill later that night from midnight to 4am at dove Lewis because he was basically unresponsive and his leg where he got the shot awoke to more than twice its size.

The good things: best dog you will ever have. He is phenomenal, most personable, best cuddler, friendliest dog you will ever be fortunate enough to have in your life. Well worth the expense.

Any have any experience with these pumps? the stats look incredible, I'm wondering how they are saltwater rated with liquid contact stainless steel parts.!?

I'm interested, what are the dimensions of the tanks?

Hello pnwmas!

A buddy of mine works at the marine wetlab for PSU and is looking for some recommendations for a maintenance company that can come out and maintain pumps and tanks on a regular basis. Any recommendations from your experiences?

Hello all!

Finally bit the bullet and decided to pay up. Love the site and look forward to getting to know as many of you as possible.

Emerald, love the dedication and agree with your opinion on the puffer. I have one question for you....why are you responding before 5 am?!?!?

I may be available later in the evening. Shoot me a pm with address and phone number!

I may be available later in the evening. Shoot me a pm with address and phone number!

Hello all!

I've been looking at additives, algae control products, dosing agents and it seems that many of the products don't list all ingredients.

As many of the things we add to our tanks require such minuscule amounts of the active compounds I know they have to mix the active ingredient with something to make dosing manageable.....is there a normal product used for dosing "filler"?