tibbsy07 IM10

[jedimasterben]

Man, if I knew you wanted a frag rack, I would have sent you one with the rock. I've got two of the ones Mr. M just posted, one of the small and one of the large.

[tibbsy07]

Man, if I knew you wanted a frag rack, I would have sent you one with the rock. I've got two of the ones Mr. M just posted, one of the small and one of the large.

lol, I could make one, too. Thanks, though. I actually just had a really cool idea for one... I initially wanted one of the Thrive aquatics ones, but they are $$$ and I dislike the suction cup as I'm afraid it'll fall off the side of the tank.

[hey]

tall soft corals on the back would allow you to create something on the back of number 1 you would see, like some nice colts grown out some.

[tibbsy07]

My wife and I came to a decision on the scape. A hybrid between 1, 3, and 4. Less 1 than the others but a bit in at the top. I have epoxied almost all of it together now. A bit remains to be done as the epoxy didn't hold as well in a couple of spots on the right...

 

 

Doesn't touch the glass, I can get my fingers in between the glass and rock. Gives sand space in the front and rear. Allows for good water movement and plenty of spaces for fish to hide. Also LOTS of room for coral with no major shadows.

 

 

I'm still working on the placement of the right piece to open up the channel more. I originally had it like this

But of course once I started epoxying I couldn't get it back perfectly.

[Fishstiks]

Looks good, I really like your final scape.

 

Also, if you havent picked a substrate yet, I recommend avoiding the very fine sands, like oolite. I used it in mine, and regret it big time. I will be slowly removing it with my water changes. Even with the stock pump, I was having it blow all over. Adding the spinstream helped some, but my damsel has also taken to making large bare bottom burrows all through the tank. Grrrrr.....lol

[Eckozulu]

Very nice my friend!

[tibbsy07]

Looks good, I really like your final scape.

 

Also, if you havent picked a substrate yet, I recommend avoiding the very fine sands, like oolite. I used it in mine, and regret it big time. I will be slowly removing it with my water changes. Even with the stock pump, I was having it blow all over. Adding the spinstream helped some, but my damsel has also taken to making large bare bottom burrows all through the tank. Grrrrr.....lol

Thanks! I have special grade sand for my substrate. Should be large enough to prevent it blowing around.

 

Very nice my friend!

Thanks!

 

I'm looking forward to getting this thing going. I'm going to rinse my sand tonight (it's dead at this point anyways... the bag has been open since I sent Kat some a few weeks back) and get it all laid out properly. I'll mix up some water, too.

[metrokat]

[tibbsy07]

Thanks I'm really trying hard to get this tank right from the start. I'm tired of piece-mealing things together all willy nilly and expecting a great outcome. Maybe I've finally learned patience?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nah.

[cju84]

Love the final scape. Now get some substrate/water in there and get us a pic with the lights on!

[tibbsy07]

Thanks We'll see how it all comes together. I need to get moving on this, but I want to get the tank cycled before I put the light on it, as the light is over my 5g.

[Arkayology]

Check out the frags racks from The Alternative Reef. I got one mounted on my overflow and I love it. Move coral placement and it looks natural.

 

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/the-alternative-reef-magnetic-reef-station

[tibbsy07]

I emailed Dr Tim's and Brightwell aquatics today about their claims of bacteria and such. So far no response from Dr Tim's, but Brightwell aquatics responded basically telling me all the stuff I asked about was proprietary, which I wasn't surprised by. I'll probably still use the Microbacter7 to help start my new tank cycle, but I will likely refrain from using it again until i know exactly what is in it. If Dr Tim's gives me a better answer and actually discusses my concerns with their claims, then I will likely switch over to their products.

 

I don't like people claiming "science" and then when a scientist asks they say "Can't tell you that." That's not science. It's BS. You don't have to tell me everything about the proprietary stuff, but it'd be helpful if you could actually discuss WHY your product works in legitimate reasons, don't call it science. Pisses me off.

 

Anecdotal evidence is just that, and I am trying to NOT give in to that with this tank. I have learned a lot and one thing I've learned about this hobby is that some people do REALLY stupid things because it worked for someone else. I'm not going to do that.

 

Check out the frags racks from The Alternative Reef. I got one mounted on my overflow and I love it. Move coral placement and it looks natural.

 

 

 

That's nice! I'm doing something similar with the extra rock I have left over

[Arkayology]

I emailed Dr Tim's and Brightwell aquatics today about their claims of bacteria and such. So far no response from Dr Tim's, but Brightwell aquatics responded basically telling me all the stuff I asked about was proprietary, which I wasn't surprised by. I'll probably still use the Microbacter7 to help start my new tank cycle, but I will likely refrain from using it again until i know exactly what is in it. If Dr Tim's gives me a better answer and actually discusses my concerns with their claims, then I will likely switch over to their products.

 

I don't like people claiming "science" and then when a scientist asks they say "Can't tell you that." That's not science. It's BS. You don't have to tell me everything about the proprietary stuff, but it'd be helpful if you could actually discuss WHY your product works in legitimate reasons, don't call it science. Pisses me off.

If you are mad about that, you should get mad about what companies are putting in your food, but are not required to label specific ingredients because it is proprietary. There is some nasty stuff that is not disclosed.

[tibbsy07]

If you are mad about that, you should get mad about what companies are putting in your food, but are not required to label specific ingredients because it is proprietary. There is some nasty stuff that is not disclosed.

Hehehe, GMOs? I'm a big proponent of them, actually, but I think it's fair to have to label them. As for "natural flavors" I think they should have to at least put the general listing. I'm all about transparency - you put it in the food, you label it. People should be educated about what they are consuming, whether they care or not, and whether the information is bad or good. People should be allowed to make fully informed choices.

 

I told Brightwell aquatics that I appreciate their response and their position, but that unless they could tell me what I wanted to know instead of telling me to "look online at reviews and users' tanks", I'll be refraining from using them once this bottle is gone.

[Arkayology]

Hehehe, GMOs? I'm a big proponent of them, actually, but I think it's fair to have to label them. As for "natural flavors" I think they should have to at least put the general listing. I'm all about transparency - you put it in the food, you label it. People should be educated about what they are consuming, whether they care or not, and whether the information is bad or good. People should be allowed to make fully informed choices.

Ya, both of them. The GMOs don't worry me as much (right now, until research proves otherwise) as the "natural flavors" and non-listed ingredients and processes do. Pink slime is an example of something that is disgusting, but not required to be disclosed.

 

I told Brightwell aquatics that I appreciate their response and their position, but that unless they could tell me what I wanted to know instead of telling me to "look online at reviews and users' tanks", I'll be refraining from using them once this bottle is gone.

Yeah, the same thing applies here. While the information is proprietary, and the company has a right to their intellectual property, the consumer has a right to know what is in the bottle.

 

I don't know why people don't get angry about these issues.

[aviator300]

Tank looks great Tibbsy. That scape is cool the way it leaves open space through the middle of the tank (between the rocks).. Keep it coming.

[tibbsy07]

 

Tank looks great Tibbsy. That scape is cool the way it leaves open space through the middle of the tank (between the rocks).. Keep it coming.

Thanks! Slowly moving forward, lol

[tibbsy07]

The stand is giving me fits... I cut 2x4s to make braces inside the shelving and I purposely cut them a bit big because I was using a hand saw and my knee as a brace. The problem is that now I have been sanding like crazy (also by hand) and the studs are too big. They are screwed in but when I put the shelves back in place, they force the middle of the top and bottom braces to bow a bit... I have been hand sanding for hours and still no go. I think I need a hand sander or Dremel or something. No tank until this is figured out

[tibbsy07]

Seriously, these studs are like 1/8" too long (inb4 that's what she said comments) - I have been hand sanding for hours now with different grades of sandpaper (80 and 120) to try and get them down but I just can't. It's infuriating. I'm going to have to get something else.

[Sk8n Reefer]

Seriously, these studs are like 1/8" too long (inb4 that's what she said comments) - I have been hand sanding for hours now with different grades of sandpaper (80 and 120) to try and get them down but I just can't. It's infuriating. I'm going to have to get something else.

Can you get in the area with a jig saw? Or a straight hand saw- forget the name of those

[tibbsy07]

Can you get in the area with a jig saw? Or a straight hand saw- forget the name of those

I started with an aggress saw, that's what I made my cuts with. The problem is that the studs are like 1/8" too long, but they are so close to the main shelf that I start to hack away at that as soon as I try. If I had a jig saw I would try it - I literally have no power tools except for my power drill. Everything else is hand tools.

[teenyreef]

Tibbsy, if you don't have access to any power tools, you could try some kind of rasp or mill file. Something like this would shave it down way quicker than sandpaper and isn't very expensive.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-15-3-4-in-x-1-5-8-in-Surform-Flat-Mill-File-21-295/100155566

[tibbsy07]

Tibbsy, if you don't have access to any power tools, you could try some kind of rasp or mill file. Something like this would shave it down way quicker than sandpaper and isn't very expensive.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-15-3-4-in-x-1-5-8-in-Surform-Flat-Mill-File-21-295/100155566

Ooooh, that's a great idea! I'm all about hand tools, and I was thinking of a file of some kind last night. This is perfect! Thanks

 

I'm falling behind on the tank right now. I haven't even had time to LOOK at my tank upstairs let alone do a water change or any maintenance. I've been working from about 8-9am until 7pm, I go home for dinner, and then back to lab a bit later, where I stay until 1am or so. Loooooong days. Hopefully it winds down soon.

[jgaepi]

My wife and I came to a decision on the scape. A hybrid between 1, 3, and 4. Less 1 than the others but a bit in at the top. I have epoxied almost all of it together now. A bit remains to be done as the epoxy didn't hold as well in a couple of spots on the right...

 

 

Doesn't touch the glass, I can get my fingers in between the glass and rock. Gives sand space in the front and rear. Allows for good water movement and plenty of spaces for fish to hide. Also LOTS of room for coral with no major shadows.

 

 

I'm still working on the placement of the right piece to open up the channel more. I originally had it like this

But of course once I started epoxying I couldn't get it back perfectly.

Nice. I like the last pix. Wonder what will perch in that quarter-sized hole near the top?