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09/22/2017, 04:52 PM | #1 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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House of Tanks
My wife and I decided to make one last big build before we have kids. The first tank I will feature is the newest. It is a 65 gallon wide with starfire glass on 3-sides. The other tanks in the house is a 270 display and 180 gallon sump made out of plywood. I also added a 75 gallon display to the system. I will look for the pictures of the other tanks and post them when I find them.
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/22/2017, 05:06 PM | #2 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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Despite the large tanks we have in the "dining room," the place we do most of our watching is in the TV room. We had a 20 gal setup and it started to get full. This is the original tank and some of its inmates.
This is Hef [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 Last edited by bohannbj; 09/22/2017 at 05:59 PM. |
09/22/2017, 06:11 PM | #3 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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This is the stand. Since this tank is going to be in the TV room, it was important to us that it was quiet. We also wanted to use cabinets as the stand so it looked nice. I'm no carpenter. We used leftover padding from our floor reno as the soundproofing material. Nothing better than using stuff you already have.
[IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/22/2017, 06:33 PM | #4 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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The tank we chose is a 65 gallon wide from Glasscages. I like a lot of floor space and we already have a long tank. Plus it fit. For the first time I decided to paint the the back of the tank. I used Rustoleum high-gloss enamel and it worked great. I decided to drill the tank and make the overflow. Probably should have bought a pre-made overflow but C'est la vie. I drilled 3 holes all for 1.25 bulkheads.
[IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/22/2017, 06:56 PM | #5 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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Since we used a plywood stand I didn't want the inside to get too humid. I went to the local computer repair guy and he sold me some used fans for $3 a piece. Just a heads up, good computer fans could act as a drone propeller. The one people use in the hobby is actually just a weak fan. Too fix the noise problem, I hooked them up to a variable power source and it worked great. Maybe too well, the evaporation is substantial. I may reduce it to only one fan.
[IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/22/2017, 07:06 PM | #6 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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Sump construction was tedious. I have a understanding wife who doesn't mind when I turn green and Hulk Smash stuff. Needless to say, the water test did not do well. I opted to break out all the tools on the second try. After spending hours working on a multi-chamber design, I ended up with two chambers. Ha. Simple just works best, especially in small spaces.
[IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/22/2017, 07:36 PM | #7 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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Plumbing went quite well until I found a small leak. Then that leak turned into an overflow that wasn't big enough for a durso. I had to level, fill, re-level, and fill again. Not the worst though. As you can see I put bulkheads into the stand so it would look cleaner.
[IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/22/2017, 07:39 PM | #8 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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So now we hit the day the tank was ready to fill. One of the reasons we had so many troubles with our other tanks was that our 4 stage filter wasn't getting the job done. Wife also hates the water waste so we decided to get 6-stage water saver from BRS. I added an extra canister from the last one with a 5 micron pre-filter in front of the 1 micron. It didn't hurt the pressure but I wish it had a meter on the front end.
[IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 Last edited by bohannbj; 09/22/2017 at 08:05 PM. |
09/22/2017, 08:04 PM | #9 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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Another major problem we had was the sand. I purchased the "live" sand that doesn't need to be rinsed. Boy is that wrong. It wouldn't clear even with the clarifying agent. Needless to say I bought a different brand and thoroughly washed it.
[IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/22/2017, 08:08 PM | #10 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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Unfortunately, the problems that occurred had a price. During the transfer we lost the pygmy angel we got on our honeymoon. Very sad. Especially considering we don't lose many fish. We have a pair of clowns that are 10 years old and another that are six. Fortunately, Hef survived and is doing great.
[IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/23/2017, 08:48 PM | #11 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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Samantha and I went to the Chesapeake MAMAX Frag Swap this morning. It was a great show, so of course we picked up a ton of coral. I snapped a few pictures today but I will post better ones tomorrow. I opted to do a Revive dip before adding them and everything is looking great.
[IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/24/2017, 03:43 PM | #12 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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As promised here is the coral picture update. I took these with the new iPhone. I used to have a DSLR with a macro lens but one of my friends borrowed it and now it is missing. Still not bad for a camera phone, actually quite impressive. If anyone knows the names please let me know.
Full Tank Views [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] Yuma Rock [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] Red Goniopora [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/24/2017, 03:46 PM | #13 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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Acans:
Rainbow Acan [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] Red & Blue Acan (orange under actinic) [IMG][/IMG] Green Acan [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
09/24/2017, 03:48 PM | #14 |
Gone Fishin'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 166
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Chalices
Red & Green Chalice [IMG][/IMG] Green Chalice [IMG][/IMG]
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Beware of the forum Moo Moo ladies, they can't be reasoned with. Current Tank Info: 270+180 + 75= 525 & 65 + 15= 80 |
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