jedimasterben Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 On Youtube, there is a channel called EarthTouch, they have a ton of videos on the ocean and coral reefs, and they've done several on Phuket. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnavGPxEijftXneFxk28srA 2 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 Solid update! Thanks Justin . It's all getting there, slowly but surely. good progress and have fun in phuket! never been there but my friend said it's his fav place for vacation. Thanks man . I have been wanting to get to Phuket/Thailand for a few years now. It's more appealing to me than Bali and is a little cheaper than Fiji or Vanuatu (I have visited Fiji and Vanuatu before also). Will be nice to get away for a while, especially seeing as I know I will be working over Christmas this year. Yay! Glad to hear you're making progress! Working in a vineyard probably isn't as amazing as it sounds, but it sure sounds like it'd be pretty idyllic. Eddie (zia) and I just spent a day wine tasting at 5 different vineyards in Anderson Valley, CA. Its always so beautiful in wine country. A 10 day trip to Phuket sounds AMAZING! That's one of the places I really want to go on vacation. Please share photos and tell us all about the trip! It's definitely not a glamorous as some may think Felicia lol . It's mainly walking, lots of walking, not hard work but it is time consuming. I guess the bonus though is that all the walking, squatting, crouching makes for an awesome cardio/leg/core workout haha. I guess the wine is a bonus also . I did see that you and Eddie got away for a while, looks like you both had an awesome time. The wine country in California isn't something I was able to experience when I was there earlier this year, definitely something I would like to experience though! I will definitely make sure to post some pictures up of the holiday! I want to pick up a new camera body before I go away for some awesome holiday snaps and pics of the new tank . On Youtube, there is a channel called EarthTouch, they have a ton of videos on the ocean and coral reefs, and they've done several on Phuket. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnavGPxEijftXneFxk28srA That's a pretty sweet channel, I'll make sure to watch a few of the videos. I'd really like to do a day or so snorkeling while I'm over there. Thanks for the link Ben . In tank related news. I was able to get a nice chunk of work done over the weekend...well...mainly Sunday afternoon. I was playing carer for the sick girlfriend but was able to get at least 3 hours of solid shed time. I have enough pictures for a worthy update so you can all expect an update later this week sometime. Also...a package arrived at work today from a 'Dave Fason'...I wonder what it could be??? 4 Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Dave's like our reefing Santa claus 2 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 Dave's like our reefing Santa claus Typically I don't like to accept orders at work as they result in more work for me haha. This one on the other hand I was happy to receive in . 3 Quote Link to comment
brad908 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Go to Qamea next time you go to Fiji. We went there for our honeymoon and it was amazing. Wish we would have added on a few extra days and visited Australia since we were right there, but it didn't even cross our mind till we got there. We are thinking of Thailand for vacation next year. 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 Go to Qamea next time you go to Fiji. We went there for our honeymoon and it was amazing. Wish we would have added on a few extra days and visited Australia since we were right there, but it didn't even cross our mind till we got there. We are thinking of Thailand for vacation next year. Thank Brad, I'll definitely look at Qamea next time I look at going to Fiji. I can't remember which part of Fiji we ended up staying in last time but we did stay at one of the Warwick resorts. Australia is pretty close by, about 5 hours from Fiji to Melbourne/Sydney from memory. Thailand should be pretty cheap for you guys coming from the states. The flights will be a little more but your dollar is so much stronger than the Thai Bhat. If your looking at going in their off season you can get private villas with private pools, they sleep 2-4 people and are only $750AUD for 2 people for 10 nights, that's about $500USD give or take. Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 Update Time!!! Stand Build - Fans, Power and Control: Lets start things off nice and slow, water proofing is done. I did 3 coats in total and used a bathroom wet area water proofing paint that you can get at your hardware store. I'm pretty sure it is latex/polymer based as it is a tad 'rubbery' to allow for movement of the surface. It was made by Dunlop so chances are it is rubber based. I also water proofed some of the bottom of the stand, where the base meets the frame for some added protection against spills. The top picture is after the first coat, bottom is after the third. The instructions recommended thin coats and to do 2-3 for even coverage of about 1mm thickness before tilling. I laid it on so it is probably closer to 2-3mm in thickness lol. I have also installed the back panel on the stand (sorry, no pics of this process) and I also made some fan boxes to mount my circulation fans. I didn't actually get a picture of the box installed, I'll do so when I finish the covers that the fans mount to. The fan boxes measure 15cmX15cmx3.5cm internally. A standard 120mm PC fan measures 12x12x2.5 so the fans are fully concealed from the back of the stand when installed. The fans will mount directly to a MDF plate which screws into the threaded inserts on the frames. This is mainly to make it easy to remove the fans for cleaning/replacement while keeping it all neat and tidy visually. Lastly, the fruits of this weekends labour, the control box and power board mount. Once I get the stand leveled correctly and the side panels fitted correctly an opening will be cut in the left hand side cladding for access to the pump controls. I'll either make an acrylic door or clip on magnetic cover to protect the opening from spills. The power board mounting position makes everything easy to access while keeping it away from the water. There is plenty of room behind it to run and organise cables while also providing an ideal spot to mount my PSU for my new light. We are on the final stretch now , not a whole lot of construction left before I can paint it all up. It's pretty much just fine tuning now and fighting my OCD when it comes to obsessing on perfection. 7 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 IMHO I would paint the entire stand with the waterproofing stuff, just in case. If you're anything like me, you may need it 2 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 IMHO I would paint the entire stand with the waterproofing stuff, just in case. If you're anything like me, you may need it I'm thinking I may do the top once that gets installed, just to be sure. I painted the rear right upright just in case as the drains and returns will run down that area. I'm hoping for no leaks . 1 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 I'm thinking I may do the top once that gets installed, just to be sure. I painted the rear right upright just in case as the drains and returns will run down that area. I'm hoping for no leaks . Well, I planned for no leaks but had a nice little drip drip drip when I got things set up. Oops! 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 Well, I planned for no leaks but had a nice little drip drip drip when I got things set up. Oops! Hmmm, maybe I will splash around a bit more of that water proofing . 1 Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Ah that grey stuff!!! Yeah do the lot!!! PS: Great update! Solid! 2 Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 can you make me a sweet 18 x 18 stand and send it to Chicago =P 2 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 Ah that grey stuff!!! Yeah do the lot!!! PS: Great update! Solid! Was your stuff grainy as well? My only concern of doing the entire stand is that it may ruin my paint finish. Internally I don't mind but externally it is something I would like to avoid. I may as well do the entire interior of the stand. I had to buy the stuff in a 1L tub and used maybe 1/8th of it haha. And thanks Justin . can you make me a sweet 18 x 18 stand and send it to Chicago =P My current stand is 18x18 if your interested . Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Was your stuff grainy as well? My only concern of doing the entire stand is that it may ruin my paint finish. Internally I don't mind but externally it is something I would like to avoid. I may as well do the entire interior of the stand. I had to buy the stuff in a 1L tub and used maybe 1/8th of it haha. My current stand is 18x18 if your interested . Can you sand it down a bit? May need to do a few layers of that to make sure that you still have a full sealing coat, but that should keep it nice and smooth. 1 Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Don't remember it being grainy! But definitely sanded before painting it afterwards! 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 Can you sand it down a bit? May need to do a few layers of that to make sure that you still have a full sealing coat, but that should keep it nice and smooth. Don't remember it being grainy! But definitely sanded before painting it afterwards! I tried to sand it on the areas I over painted a bit. Due to how rubbery it is it is really hard to smooth it out. This stuff is designed to go between the surface and the fiberglass matting that you lay down in wet areas so I guess the grit is there for bonding strength. I'll go through and do the entire interior and leave the parts of the stand that are on display plain wood for now. I'll leave the cladding as is for now. Subscribed! Thanks Alain! 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 Great looking stand! Loving the update! 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 27, 2015 Author Share Posted August 27, 2015 Great looking stand! Loving the update! Thanks Felicia . More progress to come this weekend . 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 Looking sexy man. Thanks Shaun . Quote Link to comment
Pinner Reef Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Just gonna leave this here so I know to check back in. 1 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Very nice work on the stand. I wished I had waterproofed the inside of my stands although no major leaks yet. 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Just gonna leave this here so I know to check back in. Welcome back any time . Very nice work on the stand. I wished I had waterproofed the inside of my stands although no major leaks yet. Thanks . I wished I did with my current stand also so it was one of the things higher up on my list this time around. It is a small price to pay for a bit extra piece of mind. 1 Quote Link to comment
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