90 gal build "it's about time"...

[julio martinez]

O.k. Guys and gals.. i can finally start putting the 90 gal oceanic bow front that i got from garry together (thanks gtroutt). the reeflo dart pump is in, the stand is ready, the carpenter that was refered to me by ladybug5234 did a hell of a job and will be delivering it today.(thanks aly). the framing for the rock wall is ready, the rocks have been cut to the needed sizes, just need to strap,foam,epoxy and add sand. the skimmer should be here this week and i will be running the lines for the r/o-d/i unit from the kitchen sink through the wall,behind the crown molding and into the sump this weekend.(i hope). i will be putting up some pics of what i have done up to now either tonight or tomorrow morning.
i hope u guys tag along for the ride....

[WhoDey64]

Good luck! Tagging along =)

[julio martinez]

thanks

[elisa20]

julito el govy :D post some pics bro

[julio martinez]

i will bro..hopefully tonight or tomorrow morning...

[gtroutt]

Yeah Julio post some pics. Good luck!

[julio martinez]

This is the stand.. still needs staining
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[julio martinez]

this is the pump,the oceanic bowfront and the eggcrate for the rock wall
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[julio martinez]

update: strapped rocks to egg crate on tuesday and added pond foam yesterday. will put up pics later today.
also does anyone know where to get z-poxy in my area from doral up to pembroke pines or hollywood. if not igonna have to go way down south and pay corps a visit while im down there.

[carlosngloria]

not sure but try fiber glass coatings inc. its on anglers ave, between stirling and griffin, its closer to stirling. its close to CRF

[julio martinez]

found that z poxy..finally.. coral way and 74.. $16.00 its incredible how hard it was find this.. i think i called just about every hobby shop in and broward.

[elisa20]

looks nice!!!

[julio martinez]

Here are some pics of the rockwall. it that is missing is epoxy and sand.

This is the part that will go over the small section of the tank and the overflow.

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[julio martinez]

this is a pic of the larger part of the rock wall. this piece will cover the other side of the tank.
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these are pics of both pieces put together.
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[julio martinez]

i still need to soak the larger piece in water and melt away the water softer salt rocks that i put on the wet foam to create a more real rock effect. then i need to cut holes in the extra pond foam that i added for the caves. if you look at the pics for the piece that will go over the overflow you will be able to see the caves that i made. and then last put not least z-poxy and sand. the only set back i have right now is the larger piece is to heavy for me to lift and put in the tank for a test fit. what im trying to say is i can lift it and put in the tank, the problem will be getting it out. the tank is sitting on a empty 55gal which puts the top of the 90gal at chest height. put i think im going to have a friend come over sometime this week and give me hand..(right friend? you know who u are)lol.

[SLane15]

looks real good so far. i def gata get to this project one day.

[julio martinez]

Well if you need some help or tips let me know..

[nismo_32]

nice...good job...looking good...

[julio martinez]

thank you.

[drpo21]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=89295&d=1257854452

Do u think you'll have any problem with this stand, since the bowfront part in the front isn't being supported? or is it? I can't tell. lookin good though

[julio martinez]

for some reason the pic makes it look that way. but it is supporetd enough..made sure of that.
unfortunatly the stand had to go back for a slight adjustment. we totaly forgot to take into consideration how much space the sump was going to take.
and to make matters worse the skimmer that was ordered was a vertex n100 they sent a n180. which has about a 1 to 1 1/2" bigger foot print. (for the same price). which now may not fit in the sump.
so the skimmer should be in by friday tiill then the stand re-disign is on hold.
may the set backs beguin.

[nitroreef]

i have a 72 bow with a 20gal.high tank make sure the sump fits, i had to remove the back support off and than put it back, check the clearance of the skimmer, pump etc. oh yea

[julio martinez]

ok people, here are a few more pics of the rock wall. i finally got to put the heavy piece of the wall into the tank for fitting. it's perfect!!!
i did do some minor changes to the wall's if you look, you can see that i added some caves, some of them connect witch each other and others dont. i made sure that when i made the cave i removed all the foam within the cave. which means that the cave goes all the way to the eggcrate. i did this so that there will be more water circulation throughout the rock wall and there will be less chance of any food or junk sitting in the back of a caves.

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[julio martinez]

last night i added the epoxy and sand to the small piece of the rock wall. it was a little bit tricky with not having alot of light to work with and then having to deal with shadows playing tricks on me.. but i did the best i could.
there are some areas that need to be re-touched and other areas that i missed. so far this has been the part that i have liked the least.
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[imarkspeed]

nice work going there !

[julio martinez]

thank you very much.

[bolo7735]

Looking good.

[julio martinez]

Thank you sir.

[illal]

very good work! one of the better rock walls ive seen ;)

[julio martinez]

Thank You...

[julio martinez]

ALRIGHT!!!
Thanks to alot of you and you know who you are, I finaly have everything to start putting this tank together. With the exeption of the calcium reactor and kawlk stirrir that I will be getting later on everything is ready. All that is pending is for the carpenter to finish the canopy and some minor tweeking of the stand that should be done by this weekend. I will take pictures tonight and post them tomorrow. Once again I would like to thank all you guy's and gal's who answered all my questions and who helped me with getting all the equipment. Thank you,Thank you.

[bolo7735]

Rogger is selling both calcium reactor and stirrer. Great addition to your system.

[julio martinez]

yeah i know Bolo.. the problem is im low on $$$ right now. i just bought the lumenarc reflectors and ballsts last week. guess i'll just start it up, let it cycle and start dosing till i have the $$$.
Thanks for the look out though.

[quickgray02]

Looking good

[julio martinez]

thanks,

[bolo7735]

yeah i know Bolo.. the problem is im low on $$$ right now.

LOL! Me too.

[ladybug5234]

is Alfred doing the canopy too?

[stagcrazy]

looks sweet, what will hold the rock wall in place ?? do u think it will float ?

[julio martinez]

Hi, lady bug; yeah, alfred is doing the canopy also. i dropped off the refelecters and the cooling fans that will go in the canopy to make sure there are no mistakes with everything fitting properly. so god willing every thing should be done by sat or sun.

stagcrazy; the rock wall will be siliconed to the glass. it needs to cure for 72 hours. although the large section is so damn heavy i dont think it will need it. what i am going to need is an extra set of hands to help me lift it into the tank once the tank is on the stand. theres noway anyone can lift it that high alone. thank god i already have someone thats going to help me. i hope he eats his wheatees that day.

[sal9012]

ok people, here are a few more pics of the rock wall. i finally got to put the heavy piece of the wall into the tank for fitting. it's perfect!!!
i did do some minor changes to the wall's if you look, you can see that i added some caves, some of them connect witch each other and others dont. i made sure that when i made the cave i removed all the foam within the cave. which means that the cave goes all the way to the eggcrate. i did this so that there will be more water circulation throughout the rock wall and there will be less chance of any food or junk sitting in the back of a caves.

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Bro,

That's going to look REALLY good once coraline takes over.
Let me know when you are ready to finish the stand.

Sal

[julio martinez]

ok i will. thanks bro.

[sal9012]

did you had a thread on the 55?

[julio martinez]

yeah but i just some befor and after pics.

[sal9012]

:lol2:

Any update?

[julio martinez]

no dude .. not yet, the carpenter was sick all weekend and with the rain on sat an this cold weather he has not been able to work on the stand and the canopy.
im going crazy....i cant wait to start putting this thing together.

[sal9012]

I hear you, did the zoas made it OK? It was cold on Saturday!
Did they opened already?

[julio martinez]

they opened 10 minutes after i put them in..i got some for you.

[sal9012]

COOL :inlove:

[julio martinez]

im getting ready to install the ro/di unit under the kitchen sink and run the tubbing from the kitchen to the dinning room where the tank will sit. the tubbing will run hrough the kitchen cabinets,up the kitchen wall then i will have to run it all around the edge between the wall and the ceiling. i will later cover the tubing with crown molding. then the tubbing will go through the wall that is behind the tank into my sons closet where all the equipment will be with the exeption of the sump,the skimmer and the dart pump. i will post pics of the process.
i have 1 question though. i need to replace the filters. the ro/di unit was given to me for free but all the filters and resin need to be replaced. does any one have any extra's that they ae willing to sell or of anyone locally that sells them?

[sal9012]

sent you a PM

[julio martinez]

no pm yet, sal.

[sal9012]

check again :-)

[julio martinez]

oh and also: does anyone know what type of glass i can use for the lumenarc reflectors other than the ones on site. ther are some that have lime and some dont whats the differance?

[julio martinez]

got it........... pm'd back

[sal9012]

oh and also: does anyone know what type of glass i can use for the lumenarc reflectors other than the ones on site. ther are some that have lime and some dont whats the differance?

For what I can see, Sodium Lime Glass (regular tempered glass) cuts back 15% of light and the Low Iron cut back only 3%.
That's the main difference.

[julio martinez]

ok.... so u think i get that here localy? the people over at lumenarc are asking for 30 bucs plus shipping for a 14" x 14" piece.

[sal9012]

are you using DE or SE bulbs?

[julio martinez]

se bulbs

[sal9012]

you can use any type of glass if you want to protect the bulb from splashes. Quote a local company, it will be cheaper.
Mogul MH bulbs already have the UV shielding in the glass. DE or double ended MH bulbs need a UV shield glass.

[julio martinez]

my main concirn was loosing light into the tank. regular window glass wont affect that?
cause i can get alot regular window glass easy.

[illal]

you can get regular window glass from lowes for just a few bucks... its really thin but in this case i dont think that matters... not sure about it blocking the light tho! :p

[Reefer SF]

Julio,

I have a friend by the name of Julio Martinez, but this being miami I know hes not the only one lol. Youre not by chance about 25 y/o and in the UM grad physical therapy program are you?

[sal9012]

Sodium Lime Glass (soda glass) is what's used for windows. The estimate is that you may loose up to 13% of the light. that's for 3/8" and 1/4" I think. Just use 1/8 and you are good. Don't need more than that for splash protection and your 250's are 6" from the water so you are not going to be loosing to much.
1/8 is also really cheap. Lowes & HD has them for under $10.

[julio martinez]

Reefer SF : no man sorry not me.
Illal & Sal: Thnx.. cheap window glass it is.

[julio martinez]

it is.

[julio martinez]

ok got the glass for FREE!!!! found a nice big piece by a warehouse where I work. one of the guys that work here had a glass cutter in his van and vuala..its done.
also i for got to mention that the ro/di unit is now installed under the kitchen sink. just need to run the tubbing from the kitchen to where the tank will be.
and 1 more thing i also now have the kawlk stirir. man i cant wait to start putting this thing together!

[sal9012]

good to know about the glass.
Did you ended up ordering the filters for the RODI?

[julio martinez]

no not yet.

[ReefWreak]

Julio

Getting the glass in is definitely the right direction, but keep in mind that now you've got to keep it clean :p That's probably the most difficult part with having glass over the reflectors. If you're keeping it higher, that'll help keep it clean, but you still have to be on top of that when you can be. Glad you got the glass, and the price was definitely right!

What bulbs are you going to use with the reflectors? If you're using XM 10k or something with uber-high PAR levels, then it won't really matter how much the glass cuts out from the light, but if you're using radiums or other 20k range bulbs, it'll make a big difference.

[julio martinez]

ill be using radiums. the same that came with the reflecters i got from you

[julio martinez]

canopy is done!!!! will be picking it up today. should have some pics by tomorrow.
stand will finaly be ready (i hope) on saterday.. yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

[sal9012]

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a148/ericrwalker/pichers1.jpg

:wildone:

[julio martinez]

im working on it i swear

[julio martinez]

ok
here are pics of the canopy already stained and with the lumenarc mini reflectors in it.
i still need to add 1 final coat of clear to the canopy. the wife wants a little more gloss on it.
also i still need to figure out how and where im going to put the t-5 atinics
but i guess i'll cross that bridge after the canopy is up on the tank and i have a much better idea of how and were the light will reflect. i also need to put in the power brites. but i already know were those are going.
so i guess im one step closer to putting this puppy together.

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[sal9012]

Looks great :thumbsup:

[julio martinez]

thank u sir..

[nivram]

Very nice Julio. How many T5s? If it's just 2. You could mount them to the long sides.

[julio martinez]

thank you.
yeah, im just putting two t-5.
putting it on the long sides is what i had in mind. im just worried that i will block some of the light from the reflectors.
but i guess i'll cross that bridge when i get there.

[sal9012]

don't worry about blocking some light, it will me minimum and the t5 will compensate

[Jgoal55]

looking real nice julio.....

[julio martinez]

thank you guys.

[julio martinez]

All right!!!
the stand is complete!!!
thank's to sal9012 who took the time on Saterday and completed all the tweeking that needed to be done to it. (thank you sal for your time and tools)
with that said its time to put this puppy together.. if every thing goes as planed, and if the guys that said that they were going to help me move things around and with the pipping show up(u know who u are), it should be up and running by saturday or sunday.
yes i will be taking alot of pics for all to see how much fun we had relocating one tank from one part of the house to the other and then putting the new one up.

[sal9012]

anytime brother, now fill this sucker up :bounce2:

[julio martinez]

you know i will.. r u going to stop by for a liilte while?? i know u cant stay long but just to say hi.

[sal9012]

I'll try.
Did you stained the stand yet?

[julio martinez]

yeah dude..i finished it last night. i tested the bulk heads for leaks and found none.
all i need to do clean the tank, silicone the rockwall to the tank and glue those two little pcs of wood the are bubbled on the canopy. i cant belive im finaly ready. ive been trying to get this thing together since august when gary gave me the tank.

[sal9012]

you are slow :fun2: (j/k)
I know, but look at the bright side, :dance: you are almost there, once you have water.....you can start staring at the tank to wait for the cycle to finish :hmm4:

[julio martinez]

i know..i dont know whats going to feel worse. waiting for it to cycle or all the waiting to build it. at least i got my wife of my back now she can have her balcony back. well at least until the next upgrade. gee i wonder how many months till that happens. maybe i should tell to leave tha balcony alone for while. LOL!!

[sal9012]

give it a rest for a while, that chiquitica looks like could be a devil (like my wife) if it get's too ****ed off :(

[julio martinez]

oh man u have no idea!!! oh i forgot u do. LOL

[sal9012]

:( i do

[laud]

She's an angel and I hope she never ever lets you forget it. Even if she has to beat you with a stick to show you. LOL

[sal9012]

She's an angel and I hope she never ever lets you forget it. Even if she has to beat you with a stick to show you. LOL

stick? 2x4 comes to mind :(

[AquamanE]

Julio- Just went through the thread. VERY nice. Congrats!!

If i understand correctly your going from a 55 to a 90? What makes you think you have to re-cycle the new tank. I went from a 65 to a 120 over 2 years ago, same day no cycling. Others here have done the same. LMK if interested in doing this, ill tell you how i did it. I asked others on here for help and just took the plunge. NO LOSSES, includin tons of SPS and fish.

[Ding2daDong]

Looking good.

If you don't mind me asking, how much was the stand? Thinking of going with Alys friend if I need a stand.

Thanks

-Matthew

[sal9012]

Julio- Just went through the thread. VERY nice. Congrats!!

If i understand correctly your going from a 55 to a 90? What makes you think you have to re-cycle the new tank. I went from a 65 to a 120 over 2 years ago, same day no cycling. Others here have done the same. LMK if interested in doing this, ill tell you how i did it. I asked others on here for help and just took the plunge. NO LOSSES, includin tons of SPS and fish.

I don't think he can avoid cycle, has has a big rock/foam wall and base rock that's going on the 90 and my understanding is that the 55 will stay running. There are ways to minimize the cycle but on this case I think it will be a cycle no matter what. With that said, I think it will came up awesome as this is one of the best rock wall I have seen and he is taking his time to pick the right equipment

[julio martinez]

Eddie.
first: thank you.
second: I need to cycle the 90 becasue im keeping the 55gal. im just putting the 55 gal in a new area in the house and the 90 is going where the 55 is now. in other words im going to have two tanks one in the dining room (90gal) and one in the living room (55gal).
I could not bring myself to breaking down the 55, at least not yet. who knows maybe if maintaining two tanks becomes a little to much for me then i guess i'll have to.

Ding : thank you and i sent you a pm

[julio martinez]

Thank you Sal..

[nivram]

[QUOTE=julio martinez;16604166]
I could not bring myself to breaking down the 55, at least not yet. who knows maybe if maintaining two tanks becomes a little to much for me then i guess i'll have to.]

The 55 is looking sweet. Dont break it down unless you have to. Dude where are the pics? I really like that stand too.

[sal9012]

[QUOTE=julio martinez;16604166]
I could not bring myself to breaking down the 55, at least not yet. who knows maybe if maintaining two tanks becomes a little to much for me then i guess i'll have to.]

The 55 is looking sweet. Dont break it down unless you have to. Dude where are the pics? I really like that stand too.

+1 :hammer:

[julio martinez]

hey man taking the pics is your job., remeber?..lol
im taking some pics tonight.

[nivram]

Well give me a camera next time! LOL

[nismo_32]

were are the pics?????

[k9doog]

Yes man, WHERE ARE THE PICS!!!, we are waiting since last year........moveteeeeeee.

[nismo_32]

LAST year??? more like since the year before the last....... LOL......

[julio martinez]

ok you guys want pics well then here you go..

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[julio martinez]

and here are some more...
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[julio martinez]

and a few more..

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i hope u guys like.

[sal9012]

Very nice. Good thing the fish will also enjoy surround sound :spin2:
is the wobble gone?
You should replace the halide clips before plumbing.;)

[julio martinez]

thanks sal..
yeah the little wobble went away the minute we but the tank on it.
and no the fish in the 90 will not have surround sound, but the ones in the 55 will..
and thanks again for all the help last weekend with the stand.

[nivram]

Where is the water? LOL Looking good Julio! So is it staying in that location?

[julio martinez]

no way.. where would i fit all the equipment(chiller,pump,k-stirir,cal-reactor,ballasts,ro water reserv, etc. etc. etc.
r u still swinging by on sat?

[nivram]

no way.. where would i fit all the equipment(chiller,pump,k-stirir,cal-reactor,ballasts,ro water reserv, etc. etc. etc.
r u still swinging by on sat?


Sure, Let me know what time.

[julio martinez]

i will.. thanks

[score 110]

Water time for water water water plz lol let's get this bad boy flowing and lights on

[julio martinez]

man you have no idea....im feeling like a little kid the night before christmas morning.

[julio martinez]

update:
last night i ran the ro/di line for the ato for both the 55gal and the 90 gal. it was alot easier than i thought. i have the ro unit under the kitchen sink. i ran the line for the 90gal under the kitchen counter top,over the dishwasher,then through the side of the cabinet and into the wall. i then opened a hole at the top of the wall on the other side of the kitchen cabinet. i ran the ro line through that hole and around the edge of the dinning room wall and ceiling. then ran the line through the wall that will be behind the 90gal which leads into my son's closet wher all the equpment will be.
now, for the 55 all i had to do was drill a hole from under the sink right trought the wall and run about 3' of tubbing. got lucky the 55gal sits right behind the wall where the kitchen sink is. after all the tubbing was ran i bled it and checked for any leaks and fouud that all was ok. next step will be to buy the crown molding that matches the one in my living room to cover up the tubbing. i will post pics tonight.

[julio martinez]

Pics of the ro/di line.
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[julio martinez]

a couple more.
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[sal9012]

Did you do the plumbing yesterday?

[julio martinez]

ok people..
as of 8:00pm on sat the 55 gal was relocated from the dining room to the living room and the plumbing was done for the 90 gal.. thank you nismo and nivram for coming over and helping.
here are some pics of the plumbing.
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[julio martinez]

some more plumbing pics
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[sal9012]

I like the base for the pump :lmao:
I see the union valve worked. You should look into a drip pan (to place inside the closet under the pump) just in case, or for when you do maintenance.
Also, why no union on the intake of the pump?

Looks very clean.

[julio martinez]

WATER is in the tank as of 12:01 last night. pump is running with no leaks in any of the pipping. still need to test run phos reactors,connect ato,test run kawlk stirir and test run skimmer. i was too tired last night to do anymore and not to mention it was also my wifes birtday and i had the apartment full of people till about 10:30pm.
well her e are some pics of the tank with water in. I will take some more today and post them tomorrow. i hope u guys like.
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[sal9012]

VERY VERY nice, love the wall. :bounce2:

[julio martinez]

i'll be making the wooden stand for the pump this week also, so the dvd cases will have to do for now.
i have a plastic a/c pan at work that i will be using to put under the pump.
yeah sal the union valve was a perfect fit thank you.
and im glad you like the rock wall.

[sal9012]

Give me the dimensions of the pump base and I'll make it for you. ;)
I like the rock wall, it's going to look great once it matures and is cover with coraline. Do you have anough space to add liverock? Bowfronts are a bit of a challenge to aquascape.

[julio martinez]

yeah im going to do a little island right in front of the large section of the rock wall.
i'll give you a call when i get home to give you the dims on the stand. thank you sal.

[sal9012]

no problem, when you measure leave room for a rubber pad under the pump (1/4" or so) to absorb vibration (believe me, it makes a difference). You can use a mouse pad or something similar)

[julio martinez]

got it. i alrady have the rubber pds at home.

[julio martinez]

i have a question for all you skimmer pro's.
why is it that my skimmer will not stop producing foam? and i dont mean the normal amout it makes.
it makes so much foam that i have to remove the rubber stopper for the collection cup and let water fall back into the sump because if i dont it will fill up the cup in less than
40 seconds. i thought of connecting a rubber tube to the cup and run into a 5 gallon water jug, but then what? i'll fill up the jug and then i'll have to put 5 gallons of new water in the tank. and with it creating so much foam so fast ill probley fill a 5 galoon jub every 5 minutes. does anybody have any idea as to whats going on, or am i doing something wrong?

[sal9012]

sounds like it's not dialed in correctly.
This is on the new tank right? Foam rock wall may have something to do with this as well (even when you glue new coral with epoxy the skimmer will over foam)

[julio martinez]

got it. ive had it running the moment i put the water in and it just wont stop. i fugured after a few days it would dial in but nothing.

[laud]

What kind of skimmer? Sounds like you either have too much air going in, your water level is too high in the mixing chamber or some combination of the two.

[julio martinez]

reef oct 180