Micah

Thar be water in thine tank!!! Added some ammonia, bunch of bacterial starters... We're cycling! Gotta say, this is my first big boy water mixing station and I don't know how I did it before this..... That was a buttload of water.

Oh! Also, we got the rock work glued together and ready. We'll likely do another smaller structure on the right side, but so far, this is a great start.

Alright..... Some progress yesterday. Got her plumbed and water tested. Just flowing into the overflow box at the moment. After an initial Murphy moment, it's all running fairly smooth. Letting it run for a day or so until I'm satisfied that it's not leaking. I also need to support the plumbing here and there. Next..... Salt. I also already have clowns and a lawnmower in quarantine at the moment, being treated as per humblefish's recommendations.

If anybody can message me with the dimensions of such pumps, I can give it a shot. It'll cost more in the long run if I can't hold the pump in my hand though. Being able to measure with calipers and test fit on the actual pump/part allows for pretty rapid prototyping.. So, if you can get me the thing you're actually trying to fit, I can make pretty much anything.

Aww, thanks man.

I'll be using a drilled 40b as my frag/overflow tank, but I noticed the top and bottom frames (aqueon) have a crack on one side. I assume that means the frame is doing next to nothing. Since I'll be putting this tank on pink foam anyways, do you see a reason to keep the broken frame on it (other than some aesthetic that I don't find especially appealing)? I've never ran into this in the past. Let me know, thanks! --Micah

Hey, don't be a square!

Dangit. Clicked for the beer .... That was a mean trick @Gil&Fin. 😜

I know there's already a WTB for ATO's so I just want to be clear, I don't need anything fancy or even good. I need two or three old or even broken ATO's. I'll be fixing/using them for my quarantine setups and just need a starting point. I have a hard time paying for a new one for these tanks. I was going to just DIY a couple, which is still an option, but figured I'd reach out here. I'd be willing to trade 3d design/printing time in exchange for a working one. Hit me up! Thanks. --Micah

No, I demand you take it all apart and show me a picture of it without the washers! j/k, glad you got it working!

Ahh. I see it now. Yeah, now I want to see a pic of it with the washer removed. I still think doing an inline source valve is a better idea and only costs like... 10 bucks

The shadow?

Can you crank it down with a pipe wrench or something?

If nothing else works, the adapters from BRS are pretty sweet. I've used them before and they give you a real water source from under the sink.

Well, plumbers tape isn't a sealant, it just helps seat the threads. If it's leaking, it's likely because the washer inside the adapter isn't seating properly or isn't thick enough. Sometimes you can double up the washer for threads that aren't long enough to compress the existing washer.. that's where id start.

Yeah, me too actually, but the amount of feeding I'd have to do in order to make the skimmer work properly also basically ruined my water params. Skimmers don't remove everything you add.

Nice! I'll be doing something similar. I had the older version of this exact skimmer on my old tank and while I liked it, I think it was oversized for that tank and it never quite skimmed right unless I fed the tank unrealistically heavy.

Oh! I also ordered my skimmer.. OCTO Elite 150INT.

Some progress updates. I build some stands for the garage. One for the sump and aux/frag/etc tank and another for the two 20g quarantine tanks. They'll be physically separated to keep contamination risk to a minimum.

Oh! and the sump is just as gorgeous!

Absofreakinglutely HUGE thank you to @CuttleFishandCoral for helping me haul this thing... Pretty sure I'm going to hurt tomorrow. RIP - My back.

This thing is a monster!! I'm in love! Also, the tank and stand are pretty cool too.

Ahh yes. I remember now.

Nice! I can't even remember having a frag tank. Was it a 40b?

Thanks. I'm a giant Apex nerd myself, but I'm sure I'll need some refreshers. Especially on things that are new since my last Apex.