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ADA Cube Garden Pico Reef - A Journey - 6/6 Small Update


gnatster

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This build really is a test of patience. new tank slated for delivery on Monday via UPS. Tracking shows it has arrived at the local hub. However, Mother Nature is forecast to blanket us with 7-12" of her white fluffy love Sunday into Monday. I'm late in the UPS route. Given the weather, the fact my street is plowed days after the snow fall if at all and my excitement level it'll probably be Wednesday at least before UPS decides to visit.

might just be worth the drive to the hub to get it if youre close to one. i have a 25min drive to mine and i have done it a ton of times. just call and tell them that you wanna pick up your package and bring your id and tracking number. done and done

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Snow didn't account to anywhere near what the weather guessers alluded to. Good and bad news, UPS was here with the tank, we didn't get all that snow, darn. I like lots of snow, then again, I commute from the bedroom to the living room/office with a stop at the coffee maker in the kitchen.

 

Tank is all in one piece, now sitting on the kitchen counter full of water for a leak test.

 

Tomorrow, assuming no leaks, I'll start the paint the back process.

 

Wet by the end of the weekend....maybe.

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For all you that have yet to fall asleep as this build out is glacial in nature...

 

Leak test completed. Tank is now masked, back of tank painting has started.

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A quick update.

 

Tank is painted and in place.

 

RO/DI system plumbed, found a small leak at the float valve, I did something wrong here so off to the hardware store for some new compression fittings.

 

Might even get tank wet later today. Don't hold your breathe tho.

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Fixed RO/DI leak, nothing a new compression fitting couldn't fix. Probably the least expensive fix for this setup at a whopping 18 cents.

 

RO/DI is COLD, filling container well at 56.1F out of the tap. TDS is 172 at tap, 3 out of membrane and 0 from DI. I'm thinking that 75W heater I have for the 5 gal RO container is going to take some time to raise the temp.

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It's safe to come back to this thread, This is really happening after a lot fits and starts.

 

We've Got Water!

 

DSC_2394.JPG

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You, like the locals that visit, may be wondering just why the hell this is taking so long.

 

The answer is rather simple. I want to set this up once and try not make many changes. The entire setup needs to look good too, I'm OCD in this regard. This means finding the right cable holders, flags and guides to wire it up neatly. Didn't start figuring those needs till all the hardware I thought I needed was here. It's been quite some time since I did a tank setup and I've forgotten all the little details it takes to look and work properly. There have been lots of ah-hah moments that led to Google, to finally placing an order. Then waiting for it ship only to realize that I need something else.

 

We are getting there...slowly.

 

BTW, can someone recommend a cable loom that is split that looks nice, flows around corners and doesn't fray when cut, in black please.

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Cleared up real nice.

 

 

DSC_2412.JPG

Plan is to do a water change tomorrow and then head over the LFS for some live sand to get this puppy started. Mother Nature looks to have waylay this plan possibly with snow...and it was 65F today too.

 

DSC_2428.JPG

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Progress, slow and steady.

 

Placed an order with Reef Cleaners for delivery next week. Can't wait to see some real life in this tank.

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I love the ATO mod into the AC50 !!! Insures good mixing of top off and not just being put directly into the DT. Kudos.

 

How's everything going so far ?

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Thanks, I was thinking it would be nice to put the ATO into the filter lid. Learned the hard way how hard it is to drill the AC50 lid without cracking it. Second time around I used the dremel instead of the drill,

 

So far so good, things are progressing normally, there is a bit of green dust algae forming, hence the Reef Cleaners order.

 

Picked up a DJ Switch, so next project is to work on the way all this stuff is wired. I'm looking for a good quality split wire sleeve. Don't want to use that ribbed plastic stuff we all used in our 80's Car Stereo building days. Would like to find something nicer looking. Ideas?

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Clean up Crew from Reef Cleaners arrived this morning. Oh my there are quite a few creatures in this order. Cranked the lights up a bit to grow more algae to keep this bunch well fed.

 

There is one DOA, an Emerald Crab. It's not worth it to report the DOA. The extra number of critters in all the rest of the bags more than makes up for the loss.

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The cut for your heater is awesome. I'm looking at doing something similar to that very soon. Just need to get my hands on a dremel...

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