Obijuan

Where are you getting this? The Oregon Public Health department hasn't noted anything of concern.

http://public.health.oregon.gov/preparedness/currenthazards/pages/index.aspx

http://public.health.oregon.gov/Preparedness/CurrentHazards/Pages/DailyAirMonitoring.aspx

Both items have been sold. Feel free to lock this one up.

Light held for Trautman

Hi all,

I've listed two pieces of gear on Craigslist, but I'd prefer to sell them to someone on the board, if there is any interest. So, the prices here are $25 cheaper than what I'm asking for on CL. I'm not looking to make money on these. Just recouping come costs (which will go right back into other gear).

Coralife Lunar Aqualight Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 2X96 Watt, 36 in - [SOLD]

This light came a part of the tank and stand I bought. It won't support corals, so I'm replacing it with a T5 system. It would work fine as-is with a fish-only aquarium. The entire fixture has been pulled apart, cleaned and tested.

Dimensions: 36" X 7.75" X 2.75" without mounting legs

Includes:

• One 96 watt Actinic and one 96 watt 10K compact fluorescent lamp. As far as I can tell, these bulbs have never been replaced, and are not nearly as bright as new ones. You can easily replace these with new ones for maximum brightness. However, the current bulbs would work fine for a fish-only tank.
  
• Two Blue Moon Glow LEDs
  
• Easily removable acrylic lens cover
  
• Black Mounting Legs
  
• One large cooling fan
  
• Three on/off switches (one for the actinic bulb, one for the daylight bulb, and one for the lunar lights) & two power cords. It's missing the power cord for the lunar lights. If you really want the lunar lights, it could be replaced with a simple DC converter from Radio Shack.
  

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Octopus Marine Aquarium Protein Skimmer - [SOLD]

I recently purchased this, but it is too large to fit under my aquarium stand, and I don't want to bother with re-plumbing it for external use.

• Dimensions: 15" x 7" x 27"
  
• Rated up to 180 gallons
  
• Comes with an Octopus Needlewheel OTP-2000 pump (rated to 500 gph)
  
• Already plumbed with a ball valve for water height adjustment
  
• Skimmate cup is plumbed for a drain to handle larger overflows
  

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I played until recently on Moonrunner - Alliance (85 druid/pally/warrior/hunter). Our guild raided through Icecrown in wrath, but when Cata hit, myself and a few others just sort of burned out. While Cata is a great expansion, and they've really done a lot with the 1-60 experience, the endgame feels pretty much the same as it did in Wrath. Lots of rep grinds, then raiding grinds, rinse repeat.

I've been tempted to look at Rift, but I think I may hold off till Diablo II or Star Wars Old Republic launches.

I powered mine up last night to start playing around with it. Right out of the box it has preloaded code that should work for most people. It can handle light timing (even LEDs), ATO units, feeding cycles, water change cycles, etc without having to load any additional code. It even charts the last 24 hours of temp, pH, etc. right on the LCD screen.

Take a look at the manual on the Reef Angel download page for a better idea of how easy it is to set up.

The coding really comes in handy if you want to move beyond the basics. For example, I want to use the WiFi module to build a custom web application that will chart my tank vitals over time and allow me to pull them up in a web browser. I'd even like to be able to control my Reef Angel with my phone, similar to how the Apex controllers work.

Hey Sharoleb, were you still looking for a skimmer? I bought a used Octopus DNW 150 last week that is too big for my setup, and was just going to put it back on Craigslist. Shoot me a PM if you want more info.

A third option I hadn't considered. Thanks. Considering the cost of everything else I'm going to need, this sounds like an excellent idea. I'll probably throw this up on CL tonight (tho if anyone here wants it, feel free to PM me)

Bump to see if anyone has any opinions about the skimmer. Should I bail on it, or keep it and plumb it into an external cabinet?

Here's a GIS for "aiptasia". They look similar to me, but I'm a complete noob to IDing these sorts of things.

Neat hack. I guess you're using something else to handle top-offs? These kinds of mods are the reason I'm looking forward to getting my Reef Angel. (hopefully tomorrow)

Roberto emailed me this morning to let me know he had one controller available after another reefer backed out on the purchase. So, looks like I'm getting one this week! Woot!

Weekend update:

The Man Cave has been rearranged to make room for the tank. Once I have all of the gear assembled and leak tested, I'll move it out of the basement and into the Cave proper.

Thanks to the help of John at Saltwater Fanta-Seas and a trip to the hardware store, I was able to re-plumb my overflow and return. I replaced the bulkheads, and used straight PVC tubing for the return. I also added a simple standpipe.

Here's what it looks like now:

View from the back

Top view

New return

I also purchased an Octopus external protein skimmer off of Craigslist. It was quite tall, and I wasn't sure if my stand was tall enough to handle it, but I decided to risk it, since it was in excellent shape and much cheaper than I expected. Sadly, I got it home and discovered it was about 3" too tall for my stand. (sad)

So, now I'm trying to decide what to do. I've already been thinking about using an external cabinet next to the tank (to house electrical and supplies), but now I'm thinking about maybe sticking this monster in there and plumbing it back to the sump. It'll mean buying a bigger pump to supply it, but it might also mean more room in my stand for a larger refugium. I really like what this guy did with his refugium. It's all the way to the right of the center column so you can actually see the thing.

Of course, I might just end up reselling it for what I paid ($125). I'd be interested to hear what others think.

Yeah, that's the benefit of taking my time with this. I have plenty of time to research and aggregate feedback so I make the best decisions possible. Accessing the collective Hive Brain here has already taught me so much. Not to mention that I love learning, so this process is all kinds of fun for me.

You may not have to use the foam' date=' but the egg crate will actually ensure that you don't have to use it, since it makes sure that the rock can't fall and crack the glass.[/quote']

 

I may be thinking about this too much, but I just ran into this piece of advice:

 

If this is an AGA tank and stand, don't use anything. Not only will it void the warranty but anything that creates pressure against he bottom pane will crack it, for example if the plywood bends

Styro underneath is to fill in gaps form the stand, and plywood is for acrylic or rimless tanks, unless you can make sure it will never bend upwards

 

My tank is an All Glass, and has the All Glass stand. As I understand it, the purpose of the the plywood and foam is to evenly distribute the pressure along the bottom of the tank. But in the case of these All Glass models, it seems like not only is it not needed, but it runs the risk of causing failure if the plywood warps or the foam causes pressure on the bottom glass.

 

I plan to ensure the stand and tank are level (shimming the bottom of the stand as needed) when it is in its final location. However, I'm not totally sure the plywood is needed for this tank and stand (esp since the bottom of the tank is drilled, so I'd have to cut holes in the plywood for that).

 

I do really like the idea of the egg crates for the live rock. I'll go that route for sure.

So, a bit more reading uncovered this bit of advice on another forum:

If it has a plastic trim, the plywood does nothing for the tank, but may help the stand structurally. You should NEVER put foam under a tank that has plastic trim. It can compress enough to actually push up on the bottom glass and cause the seal to fail.

My tank does have plastic trim, with about a 3/8" gab between the bottom of the glass and the bottom of the trim. It also has a center brace on the bottom. So if I do go this route, I'll probably use thinner foam (1/4") to ensure I'm not compressing the glass.

I love the egg crate idea too. I think I saw that being used on another tank thread here. I'd love to have a burrower (goby/jawfish) one day, so this seems like a good precaution. It also seems like it would make the rock more stable in general.

Actually, after doing a bit of research, I've seen a couple of web pages advising a full slab of plywood on the stand, and styrofoam between the plywood and the tank. That makes more sense to me than what I was thinking. I'll make a note to set it up that way.

Thanks for the tip! Suggestions are always welcome.

Is the idea that the plywood rest right up against the bottom glass (helping support the load)? I just took a look at my tank, and if that's the idea, I would think I'd need three pieces. One to span the top of the stand, and two directly under the glass on either side of the center brace.

After 24 hours of cleaning with a vinegar solution, the tank is free of buildup. I'm surprised it only took a day.

The sump picked up a lot of crud:

Here's what the tank looks like now:

The overflow looks a lot better

Next steps:

• Clearing space in the Man Cave for the tank
  
• More research into gear
  
• Start working on plans for a sump/refugium
  

I voted for the jawfish. But then again, you could always do what I've been pondering: Put a jawfish in the main tank, and set up a second Mantis tank :P

The return tube with said hole below the water line is probably a back siphon hole. This hole prevents drainage of your tank so as not to over fill your sump in the event of a power outage.

Ahh, that makes sense. Shows what a noob I am to this! Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll start researching the 40g breeder sump idea. It appeals to me on both a DIY and "cheapskate" level. I'm not sure how the plumbing would work, but that gives me something to figure out. If you've got any links that would help, I'd appreciate it. (There's a cool one here)

I'll also look into the lighting modules you mentioned. One of the nice things about not being in a hurry is that I have lots of time to research gear!

The tank is 36" x 24" x 18". A bit taller than I wanted, and I'd rather have it in black, but I couldn't pass up the deal.

I want to use it for live rock, live sand and soft corals. If I can support SPS or a clam, I may give that a try one day. However, with this deep of a tank, that my not be an option. I'd like to avoid using MH lights, since this is going in my Man Cave, and I could do without the extra light being thrown around the room (not to mention the heat and expense). The current plan is to use a four or six bulb t5 setup, but that may change.

I'll have to ping wannareef about the sump. I've been looking at the Aqueon ProFlex models because of the sweet, sweet refugiums they have, but I'm not married to the idea. I do know that I want my refugium to be interesting (I love seeing how some people stock their refugiums) so if he can build one that fits my stand and has a killer refug, we may be able to deal.

As for the overflow, I'm pretty happy with the one it has. I can change out the pipes, but seeing how this is my first saltwater tank, I'd rather not mess around with drilling a new overflow/return system.

After starting with an introductory thread I thought it was time I started a tank-building thread. A few of you have asked for pictures of my setup, so I'll oblige. I'll keep adding to this thread as things progress. I'm taking my time on this tank (and still have a lot of gear to buy), so updates may take a while.

Starting off, here are some pics of the tank after I got it down to my basement. My immediate goal is to work on getting all of the scale and what-not cleaned off.

Here's a shot of the sump. I'm using it during the cleaning process, but will be replacing it with a bigger sump that has a refugium.

Here's what the stand looks like. The front center column had pulled loose from the frame, so I secured it with some glue and stainless steel screws. I also glued the middle brace to help stabilize the stand. After everything was dry, I added a rubber mat to the bottom to add a bit of waterproofing and vibration dampening.

Here's what the stand looked like after repairs, cleaning and installing the mat.

Here's the tank back on the stand.

After putting the tank back on the stand, I peeled off the paper backing to look at the overflow. I'll be painting the back of the tank black once I'm done with cleaning. You can see all of the buildup here.

I've noticed that the return tubing has a few rusted hose clamps, so I'll be replacing those after the tank is clean.

Speaking of cleaning, tonight I reconnected the sump, added a return pump and powerhead, filled the tank, and added a gallon of distilled vinegar. After I turned it on, I noticed two things:

1. The overflow is way too loud. Gonna have to install a standpipe. (plus I got to read all about standpipes tonight)
   
2. The return u-tube has a hole in it, just below the water line. It's big enough that it's cutting down the flow from the return vent. Given that the hose clamps are rusted anyway, I'll probably just replace the entire return setup.
   

So, now my tank is gurgling away, and my basement smells vaguely of vinegar. I'm gonna let it run like this for a day or two, and see how things progress. Once the scale is off, I'll run it again with a bit of bleach to kill off any nasties. Once the tank is clean, the real rebuilding can begin.