moe sizlack Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 This thing keeps getting better man. You're an animal. Link to comment
Juanhunglo69 Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 The black silicone that you used is the norm here in Germany. We found a a few tubes of the stuff in our LFS. They make tanks instore and apparently buy in bulk because none of the tubes had labels on them. They were labeled in a black magic marker though, it said "black power" right on the tube. That is funny stuff considering the country that I found it in. Link to comment
smcnally Posted July 28, 2007 Author Share Posted July 28, 2007 That's interesting about the silicone Here's a small update...This is how the stand is looking after 3 coats of finish. I'll be applying the final 2 coats tomorrow. We'll also be doing a second leak test of the tank tomorrow just to be extra safe. Link to comment
scarf_ace1981 Posted July 28, 2007 Share Posted July 28, 2007 i'm confused. the left side of the sump wont be accessible will it? i mean those shelves are in the way, arent they? Link to comment
theimpulsive1 Posted July 28, 2007 Share Posted July 28, 2007 looking pretty awesome. Inventive ideas you got going on with this tank! Link to comment
smcnally Posted July 28, 2007 Author Share Posted July 28, 2007 i'm confused. the left side of the sump wont be accessible will it? i mean those shelves are in the way, arent they? If you look at the shelf unit you can see a screw that isn't in all the way. That screw and two on the side hold the shelf unit in place. Once those three screws are removed, the whole shelf unit slides out for full access of the sump. The screw is sticking out in that picture because I had just slid the shelf unit in just for the picture. Link to comment
smcnally Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 Here we go! I got the last coat of finish on today and the stand looks great! I also cut the drawer fronts and other doors today and got them prepped for finish. We performed one more leak test because we wanted to be sure there were no small leaks. It was hard for us to tell last time because the tank had so much condensation from the cold water. This time we kept the water in barrels over night so it would warm up. For those of you that always worry about whether or not some stands are built strong enough, what do you think about this? We left it full for a few hours and all was well... Then I wired the lighting and mounted the ballasts And then tested it out Link to comment
moonjellii Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 I don't know anything about building things on my own, but looks great! Link to comment
bullitt0519 Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Hurry up already:} I cant wait to see this thing done. You did an amazing job so far. Link to comment
smcnally Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 Hurry up already:} I cant wait to see this thing done. You did an amazing job so far. Thanks! Not to shabby for 16 days worth of work huh? I'm hoping to have it in my living room tomorrow night and filling up. Link to comment
smcnally Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 I've always wanted nice large caves but could never get my rock to look right. So today I decided to go ahead and make my own out of pond foam. I'm going to still keep a lot of my rock, but it will be in the sump. Here's how I built the frame And here's a picture of it starting to cure. I sprinkled epsom salts all over it. Supposedly when I rinse it, the slats will leave a more rough surface to make it look even more like rock. Link to comment
scarf_ace1981 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 And here's a picture of it starting to cure. I sprinkled epsom salts all over it. Supposedly when I rinse it, the slats will leave a more rough surface to make it look even more like rock. genius Link to comment
121a Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 This tank build has to be one of my favorites. Link to comment
smcnally Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Thanks guys Well I moved it all to my house to get ready for a filling. Al lI need to do is get the power distribution wired to it, get it leveled, and then start filling her up! Link to comment
smcnally Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 I was thinking of using this knob set for the stand. What do you all think? Link to comment
eddie29 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 I was thinking of using this knob set for the stand. What do you all think? that might be overdoing it, you have a very modern looking tank and tank stand, I think I would get something cleaner but then at the end of the day I'm not the one starring at this beautiful tank everyday Link to comment
Pacifique Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 oh wow, i was impressed up until you busted out the pond foam. Link to comment
eddie29 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 i think it looks good, might have done it taller but oh well Link to comment
smcnally Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 that might be overdoing it, you have a very modern looking tank and tank stand, I think I would get something cleaner but then at the end of the day I'm not the one starring at this beautiful tank everyday Maybe you're right. The knobs aren't that expensive, so maybe I'll get this set and another more modern style set and see which looks better on it. oh wow, i was impressed up until you busted out the pond foam. What don't you like about the pond foam? It will look completely real once it is covered in coraline and other gunk. Plus it will be mostly covered with corals and some other rock as well. i think it looks good, might have done it taller but oh well What would have you done taller? The foam rock? I'll be putting some real rock on top of it. Link to comment
Withers Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Shallow tanks are where its at! They just don't know what they're talking about Link to comment
Pacifique Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 smcnally, I think he meant you should have made the tank taller, which I totally don't agree with. I think the tank size/height is perfect. There is just something about putting artificial rock, or anything artificial for that matter, into a tank that isn't very pleasing. It's like you went through all this trouble to custom build a beautiful tank and display, and you're going to fill it with pond foam. Won't it prevent all sorts of life from living inside what would normally be live rock? It'll be like have a big lifeless void in the middle of your tank. Perhaps i'm just a naturalist, but I'd go out and just see what kind of rock you can find. If anything, I think it would be amazing to get a bunch of live rock, and with some submersible/waterproof glue, form a cave by gluing pieces of live rock together. I'm sure you'll be happier with it in the end. But again, you might just end up proving me wrong. Link to comment
smcnally Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 smcnally, I think he meant you should have made the tank taller, which I totally don't agree with. I think the tank size/height is perfect. There is just something about putting artificial rock, or anything artificial for that matter, into a tank that isn't very pleasing. It's like you went through all this trouble to custom build a beautiful tank and display, and you're going to fill it with pond foam. Won't it prevent all sorts of life from living inside what would normally be live rock? It'll be like have a big lifeless void in the middle of your tank. Perhaps i'm just a naturalist, but I'd go out and just see what kind of rock you can find. If anything, I think it would be amazing to get a bunch of live rock, and with some submersible/waterproof glue, form a cave by gluing pieces of live rock together. I'm sure you'll be happier with it in the end. But again, you might just end up proving me wrong. I totally understand what you mean and that is why I was asking you to explain further. I was a little bummed out with how large it came out after it all expanded, but I do like the overall look of it. It actually does have a lot of nooks and crannies in it, although not the tunnel systems you see in a lot of rock. The one thing that I really do like about it though is the bottom half. As soon as I placed in the tank I pictured my watchman goby perched in one area guarding his area while other critters hung out in the other caves. Maybe what I will do it shave the top part down some to allow for more real rock. I will still have a lot of rock in my system, but it will mostly be in my sump. Link to comment
Pacifique Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Well it's definitely a well crafted, well thought out cave system. I suppose it's not any more unnatural than a sunken ship covered in barnacles and marine life. It will take time to become completely covered with coralline and other such life, but when it does it will look beautiful. Link to comment
Uhuru Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 looking great so far! I think the pond foam will look very nice in time. Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 I think, with those knobs, that there is to much inconsistancy.. you have a different knob on each door, I would do 3 of the drawers the same and the door differantly IMO. But thats only if you really love those knobs. They are cool but I think a more modern knob would look better Link to comment
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