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12/21/2017, 01:37 AM | #51 |
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Yep, that stand was a major pain in the balls this past week, but it's mine and I like it. It's also costing me extra because no one mounts their tank on top of a 4ft stand..
I just found, and bought, a new rio+ 2500 pump on eBay for only $35 so that'll help. I currently have a Rio+ 1700 that came with the setup. It's rated for 642gph, but 180gph with a 6ft head. The new one is rated for 782gph, which isn't much more, but 375gph with a 6ft head which is more than double the current flow. I don't need it to blast the sh*t out of everything because that's what I've got the mp10 for. Lol One nozzle is for surface agitation and the other as a crossflow to hopefully randomize some flow with the mp10. I'd rather have too much flow and be able to reduce it with the ball valve than not have enough. So if the 2500 isn't enough, I'll get the 3100 which would be overkill. (1700,2100,2500,3100). I considered adding another pump just for the UV, but I'm limited on plug space and the plumbing I don't want to redo. Lol I have an eheim 1250 collecting dust I could use.. Lights will be the 16" Evergrow IT2040 (ReefBreeders knockoff) I recently bought. I'm in a pickle as to how I'm going to mount it.. hence you only getting 2/3 monti. Lol Definitely not rolling in it. Lol With the University out for a month and a half and new flight classes requiring letter grades instead of pass/fail at the end of each semester, not much goes on during Christmas break. I've got a big lull in $$ till classes start again end of January.. it is nice being full time and getting the base pay and not having to work for it. Haha Plus the wife left her job beginning of November in pursuit of a career change. Come January, I'll be married to a cop! I gotta work on my pig jokes! Haha The house move is running my wallet dry too.. When work picks back up and the wife starts getting paid I'll be back to rolling in it! Back to the frivolous lifestyle of What can I stick an LED into?!
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
12/21/2017, 02:13 AM | #52 |
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12/21/2017, 07:39 AM | #53 |
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Location: Boulder, CO
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It sounds like you've got your plumbing situation figured out. You can't adapt your old light-mount setup to this one? I'm sure you'll come up with a b!tchin' setup.
I'm in a similar boat on the cash flow. My wife and I are in biz together. Typically, this time of year is the lowest income time for us, so our Christmases are rather modest. So I get creative, with DIY solutions and old, outdated equipment. I'm cool with that. As I recall, you and I met in the DIY section on RC. I dare say we have done some pretty innovative projects!
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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018 |
12/21/2017, 08:45 AM | #54 | |
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Quote:
Speaking of pig jokes, here's a dandy (Dad joke alert!): What do you do when your pig gets sick? Make an appoinkment with the vet. :0) I'm here all night. |
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12/21/2017, 12:16 PM | #55 |
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Location: Lynchburg, VA
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I’m sure it’s not, kampo. Haha
The old track mounts were screwed into the side of the stand, which I’ve replaced, and can’t get it back on like I had it due to the new top piece of the stand. It would be too wide for the smaller light anyways. I think I’m going to do some sort of single arm up the center of the backside somehow. Nope.. scratch that. I now have bulkheads in the way. Argh! Speaking of bulkheads - the return is actually leaking. Maybe 5 drops a day. I couldn’t hand tighten it another 3/4 turn so it wasn’t super tight (threaded pvc). None of my gluing has leaked though! I just finished unscrewing the bulkhead a little, then twisted the threaded portion 3/4 turn so it’s tight now. So far no leaks! Back to lighting - I’ve been thinking along the lines or having two bent legs coming off the ends and some sort of angle bracket for the rim. Idk.. I think I found your foam mud bank thread back in the day! Thanks, McPuff! I’ll be sure to rework that one for the Mrs
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
12/21/2017, 12:40 PM | #56 |
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When I had some leaks w/ the return I used a monkey wrench to tighten it up but just don't squeeze it too hard or it will completely burst (like it did to me)then you will have a big problem.
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I'm an impulse buyer, I need this, this, and this, oh and this would look nice with these zoas Current Tank Info: 55 gallon rimless saltwater reef tank and many more |
12/21/2017, 11:41 PM | #57 |
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Been there. Haha
I over tightened one of the threaded elbows and busted it. Luckily I didn't bust the bulkhead! Still no leaks Straightened up the mess all over the floor, which made the wife happy. Mixed 30g worth of salt in three batches so tomorrow morning I'm going to add some sand and water from the 26g to start the cyle! Also went to Lowe's and picked up some more pvc fittings to make my durso standpipe. Very easy and straight forward. I added a little piece of eggcrate to prevent a hermit from venturing up into the drain and finished it off with painting the cap black. Just enough room! It's unbelievable how much quieter it is. It went from loud, echoing gargling to barely a faint trickle.
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
12/22/2017, 10:56 AM | #58 |
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Sweet build! I love flying, I really need to find time to finish my PPL.
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12/22/2017, 07:13 PM | #59 |
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Location: Lynchburg, VA
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Thanks, SurfCastinRI!
If you’ve got the money, it’s well worth it. There’s nothing quite like flying! Here’s a picture I took of a Boeing 737 coming in to land doing a parallel approach next to us into Charlotte-Douglas International in NC. Today I added a few cups of tank water and a few handfuls of sand from the 26. I’ll be out of town till next Wednesday. So not too many updates for the next week!
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
12/24/2017, 10:52 AM | #60 |
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Nice photo. Pretty slick.
Reminds me once of a time years ago I was coming back from Thailand and I was stuck on a C130 back to Okinawa, Japan. Our chalk in the C130 took off first and I forget just how much of a head start we had...but the chalks behind us, each in either a C5 or C141 each caught, and passed us Few of us on the C130 just had to chuckle looking out the port hole window waving has they all passed us. Hats off to you for doing what you do. I always think it is something amazing and wish it was something I did. I've always wanted to fly helicopters. No regrets I guess but wanted to say thanks for sharing.
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-saf1 Current Tank Info: 210 gallon mixed reef |
12/26/2017, 07:21 PM | #61 |
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Thanks, saf1!
Here’s a pretty cool one of a decommissioned F-104 I took in Easton, Maryland at sunset and one of a Gulf Stream G550 in Newport News, VA with the coolest paint job I’ve seen! This is the video I made landing at Charlotte with my GoPro. https://youtu.be/JFysmAn5hlg I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I got a couple duplicate gifts. Lol I got 4 filter socks, 2 ATO sensors (I needed on to have a second complete set), 2 skimmer silencers, and 2 sets of foam rings that are the wrong size. Haha My new pump is hopefully sitting on the front porch since the post office decided to deliver it during my mail hold.. Got some good suspension and brake stuff for the 4Runner!
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
12/27/2017, 10:13 AM | #62 |
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Your new build looks great so far! Do you have a recent front FTS? How are the critters going? Other than the garden eel, are you planning any other additions to your stocking list?
By the way, I need to complement you on your new wall separately. The way that you combined your rock wall and made such a unique shape, and wrapped around a rock outcropping is absolutely awesome looking! Nicely done! I can't wait to see this fully set up!
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Blennies Rock! --Kevin Wilson Current Tank Info: 101g 3'X3'X18" Cubish Oyster Reef Blenny tank, 36"X17"X18" sump |
12/27/2017, 03:56 PM | #63 | |
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Quote:
You don't want to see a current FTS. Lol I haven't scraped the glass in a month and all the coral is randomly placed on eggcrate or soap trays. Lol I'll post one of the new tank and the dirty 26 tonight when I get home. Surprisingly I didn't lose anything in the move! Snappy even made it. I left him in there with all his shells/rubble in very little to no water untill I set it up again. I haven't looked for the two crabs I had, but I assume they probably made it. I'm going to try adding some yellow clown gobies again and another pygmy cherub angel. Not sure what else at this moment. No real set fish list. Thanks for the wall compliments! It's actually not quite what I was hoping for.. it all came out well, but I wish it wasn't quite as square, like the last one. We'll see, I might like it better when I add coral though
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
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12/27/2017, 04:01 PM | #64 |
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OK, I'll be patient. What I've seen looks very promising though. And the coral will fill things out a lot. The outcropping gives it a nice 3D touch.
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Blennies Rock! --Kevin Wilson Current Tank Info: 101g 3'X3'X18" Cubish Oyster Reef Blenny tank, 36"X17"X18" sump |
12/29/2017, 02:45 AM | #65 |
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All right, my biggest “pet peeve” (the phrase pet peeve is a pet peeve of mine lol) on the forums here...
Excuse the poor/crappy iPhone pic! That’s right, the excuse for someone not knowing how to take a fricken non-blue tank picture with their iPhone. This has driven me nuts time and time again, and now, I have moved over to the dark side and joined the Apple Cult! Got my iPhone X in the mail today and vow to not be one of the morons who can’t take a non-blue, blurry-a** picture to save their life! Haha Apple finally came out with something I wanted and it was time to retire the 3 year old Motorola Droid Turbo. I’d been eyeing the new iPhone X for a while and decided to bite the bullet. I’ve been tired of Verizon raping my wallet for years and gave them the proverbial finger. I already have Comcast/Xfinity for TV and internet and they had a promotion for new customers which I’d be since we moved. If you sign up for TV, internet, and phone, you get a $500 visa gift card! Xfinity uses Verizon’s towers and I will end up paying the same amount for 1gb of data and the monthly phone payment as I was with 1gb for a paid off 3yo phone... eat that Verizon. Anyways. Excited to start taking pics with the new phone when I get a light over the new tank! Dirty 26.. I decided to get rid of the ‘T’ to nowhere from the return pump after determining it had no practical use. Installed the new pump and not too thrilled with it - minimal improvement. Next step is to get a couple 3/4” to 1/2” loc-line reducers and 1/2” nozzles for hopefully greater velocity. I did remove the sterilizer and surprisingly the flow rate with it removed wasn’t noticeable, so I put it back in. With the increased flow, the durso can’t really keep up so it is a bit louder now. I have the return ball valve closed a little to help.
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
12/30/2017, 12:01 AM | #66 |
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What plane has a single rear seat? Is that a 172 with an stc or something?
I also like your build. I love the one off artistic creations like this. |
12/30/2017, 12:26 AM | #67 |
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Thanks, ratherbeflyen.
The newer ones, last 4ish years, Cessna started offering the 172’s with a single rear observation seat instead of the standard 2 seat bench. I believe that plane is a 2016. Got just about all the electrical wires and equipment transferred to the new tank today. Just need to buy Velcro stickers.. I have some, that I found a few days ago, and have since lost! Irritating. Lol I spent a few hours, like 3, organizing and strategically routing all the power cords this evening. Also stuck the light on top for fun! Side view - you can see the added dimension I tried creating with the rock work.
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
12/31/2017, 11:12 PM | #68 |
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30 Cube Foam Rockwall Reef Tank
Went to Lowe’s today to pick up the Velcro and zip tie stickers.
All the power cords are tucked and routed to make anyone with OCD happy. Lol Still need to determine how and where to place the ATO reservoir in addition to where to hide the emergency bubbler tubing. The bubbler, timer, and mp10 controller are attached to the walls with the Velcro stickers and the mp10 power cord is attached with the zip tie stickers. Finished sump!
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
12/31/2017, 11:13 PM | #69 |
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Happy New year!
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I'm an impulse buyer, I need this, this, and this, oh and this would look nice with these zoas Current Tank Info: 55 gallon rimless saltwater reef tank and many more |
12/31/2017, 11:23 PM | #70 |
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Great shots of the rock work. Nice job on the sump cabinet too. It's coming together! How soon before you move stuff in?
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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018 |
01/01/2018, 12:34 AM | #71 |
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Thanks, favia and hoaster!
I’m going to test the water tomorrow. I actually found a single Xenia polyp next to a rock that made its way in when I added some of the 26’s sand. It’s still alive, so that’s a good sign! My 2 week ‘plan’ puts me at Friday, so I might add the damsel or some coral to test the waters the end of the week. Got the loc-line reducers and nozzles ordered from marine depot. Only $12 for the 4 pieces. **if anyone wants to know what specific things cost or where I find them, feel free to ask. I don’t mind throwing numbers out there, especially when I try to do things as cheap as possible. Lol It does add up, but the hobby can be done on a budget, which is my goal. Gotta start brainstorming a light mount now!
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
01/02/2018, 07:07 AM | #72 |
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I don't know Sam, your new phone makes it look like the tank is covered in algae! :0)
Seriously love the rock work you created. I have an invention that would add some efficiency to your sump. Still need to post a video of this thing as I think a lot of people on here would be interested. Intrigued?? :0) |
01/02/2018, 07:02 PM | #73 | |
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Quote:
Ha! I was just about to take another pic just for you with the custom algae filter setting on the new phone. Haha But.. looky what I saw instead. One of the RBTA’s (the big, original one) moved!!! Those bastards have been attached to the bottom of he rock and impossible to get off. They even risked dying by nemcicle during the move. Lol I told one of my aviation students about the move and how I’d have to trick it to get it to move. Then I followed with, a spineless, brainless animal which I got the ‘your an idiot’ look. Haha I’ll actually be able to remove it now and not have to beak the rock off the wall! I used this trick with a flashlight trying to get the rents to move on the barnacles in the 26. I have had the 24” light at an angle so it doesn’t fall in the tank and the nem is trying to move closer to the light. I talked to the manager at my LFS and he is going to place me an order for a green spotted garden eel today if they have any in stock. Should be here next week! Going to try to catch the clown or damsel and toss it in the new tank Friday and going to toss a coral in tonight! The nitrate test came out clean yesterday and I added a bunch of random supplements after the skimmer shut off for the night. I spent at least an hour standing in the isle at Lowe’s trying to build the light stand in my head. No luck I want to see that video, McPuff!
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
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01/02/2018, 10:22 PM | #74 |
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Well, that was easy!
Perks of having a foam wall —> only took 2 min to gently pick it off the fake wall with my fingernail. I got a little carried away. Lol I ended up putting a plug of burning magician zoa’s, green digitata, rainbow stylophora, and rock flower nem. Plus 2 thin stripe hermits and a nassarius snail. Lol So far the hermits are roaming trying to eat clean gravel, the snail isn’t having a seizure, and all the coral looks happy and opening up!
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}<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall |
01/02/2018, 11:54 PM | #75 |
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It's ON!
I've never seen orange zoas. So freakin' cool! Tank looks great. Your fake rock work has a spooky, skull island feel to it, to me. I think it's the holes - they remind me of eye sockets. More like frag sockets. I remember, when I finished my fake roots, I saw an eerie resemblance to the (original) "War of the Worlds" creatures. I look forward to watching everything unfold. The extra dimensionality is so 'next level'! Another masterpiece, by the master fake rocker…
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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018 |
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