Build Thread: TKERacer619's 600gal SPS Tank

[JonezNReef]

Wow I just made it through your whole thread. You've been doing some great work and that tank is amazing. Very inspiring to say the least. I am subscribed

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by JonezNReef

Wow I just made it through your whole thread. You've been doing some great work and that tank is amazing. Very inspiring to say the least. I am subscribed

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[tkeracer619]

Spend the afternoon painting the QT rack. Prior to paint I test fit the shop sink for the first time.



It took a bit of time to get this one done. Just like the BTA racks I used a single coat of Zinsser Primer and two coats of Behr Ultra Pure White. Total time of 9 hours



I'll silicone in the shop sink on Monday. Hopefully I'll get some frp this week, get these racks secured to the walls, and the sink plumbed.

[BigBlueTang]

Everything looks great!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by BigBlueTang

Everything looks great!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! I've made quite a bit of progress despite dealing with this ridiculous sickness that's going around. It's starting to take shape!! I'll give an update tomorrow, going to try to catch up on some zzzz

[worm5406]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

Thanks! I've made quite a bit of progress despite dealing with this ridiculous sickness that's going around. It's starting to take shape!! I'll give an update tomorrow, going to try to catch up on some zzzz

I heard that 6 more people converted to a Zombie state from it. Be careful.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by worm5406

I heard that 6 more people converted to a Zombie state from it. Be careful.

Wouldn't be surprised at all! Started as a simple cold last Tuesday, missed 3 days of work, and am only still able to function on Theraflu... Vitamins be damned.

[christiantt]

I love this thread.
The best is that it is possible to follow from the very start and see how the project develops.
The worst is that it's like a tv show. You have to wait too long to see what happens next

[IUfan]

Great work dude! This is looking really nice!

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by christiantt

I love this thread.
The best is that it is possible to follow from the very start and see how the project develops.
The worst is that it's like a tv show. You have to wait too long to see what happens next

Thanks, glad you are enjoying it! Funny, my girlfriend also says it's taking too long , I told her it would take "2 maybe 3 months" haha . I think by now she knows I intentionally lied.

Originally Posted by IUfan

Great work dude! This is looking really nice!

Thanks bud! Hope to see a similar thread started by you soon

[tkeracer619]

Since every square inch of the filtration room is spoken for I didn't really have much option to get this stuff done after the tank was full of water. If i'm not careful I could end up in a scenario where I have to rework something, drain/disconnect components to move stuff around, or leave something out all together. These racks took a lot of time and effort but it was completely worth it!

My buddy Eric brought his work van over and we spent Saturday finishing off the BTA propagation and QT racks. We took detailed measurements and cut all of the FRP panels outside. This stuff makes a mess.

The QT rack was first up. Since there is potential for plumbing, HOB fitlers, and other various things behind the QTs the two shelves that the tanks sit on sit out from the wall about 3". The top does go all the way to the wall so the rack can be directly secured to the wall. This is the reason I decided to FRP the wall behind the tanks instead of directly to the rack

We troweled Liquid Nails FRP Adhesive on the wall.


Since the racks are 50" wide and the FRP sheets are 48" we used one of the drops from the BTA rack to extend the FRP another 14". One sheet and the joint trim in place, applying glue for the 14" strip. The edges and top are covered. The bottom is sealed with wall base so there was no need to trim out anything else after this panel was in place.


We put a panel of FRP directly on the back of the sink area to act as a back splash and keep stuff from falling off the back of the shelves.



I glued the sink in place and sealed all the seams with white GE I silicone. Check out the fit of the electrical outlet


There were a couple cutouts needed to get this together. We took our time, measured twice, and cut once. Once the ceiling tiles were in place we pushed the rack into place. It looks great in its home!

[tkeracer619]

The BTA racks in comparison were much easier to get the FRP in place since they both have the FRP directly on the back. All of the electrical will be between the two racks in a dry area and will be routed through pass through at the top of each compartment.

First one done and in place.


Second one done and in place and all of the seams siliconed.


Before I install the BTA tanks I will tie these two racks together, make a door, install the pass-throughs, install electrical, and hang the SB Reeflight fixtures.

On the QT rack I will be installing a shelf and cabinet doors below the sink, plumbing the sink, installing electrical, putting up a light above the sink, and adding pass-throughs.

I haven't secured these to the walls yet. I'll do that last thing in case I have to move them for some reason... The fish room is taking shape!

[BigBlueTang]

Man oh man.. A visit is due for me in the next couple of weeks! Everything looks great... FRP is such a good idea, there won't be any salt spray on the walls! Keep the updates rolling.

[halmus]

I'm tagging along from here. Read through everything and you're doing great work! Looking forward to the progress.

[VanJuKy]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

The fish room is taking shape!

I like the size of your room. Have you thought about lighting yet? I know I am going to try and have the ability to have at least some fixtures I can turn on separately that are fairly bright and white as a secondary light to regular lighting. You know what reading color charts can be like in low light. I like what you have but a second light for reading charts could be a plus.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by BigBlueTang

Man oh man.. A visit is due for me in the next couple of weeks! Everything looks great... FRP is such a good idea, there won't be any salt spray on the walls! Keep the updates rolling.

Thanks, you're welcome any time.

Originally Posted by halmus

I'm tagging along from here. Read through everything and you're doing great work! Looking forward to the progress.

Thanks! After looking at your build thread I thought to myself "what if I take down the north wall and take over the gfs office" and quickly reminded myself that was part of the deal she gets an office, I get a fish room . Now that I am 90% uninjured and healthy there can hopefully be some good progress over the next two months.

Originally Posted by VanJuKy

I like the size of your room. Have you thought about lighting yet? I know I am going to try and have the ability to have at least some fixtures I can turn on separately that are fairly bright and white as a secondary light to regular lighting. You know what reading color charts can be like in low light.

Thanks, I wish I had a few more feet but will take what I can get! It's just enough to fit everything. The single light in the middle is pretty bright with the LED bulbs I have but I am also going to install a light above the sink. I'm going to get a sheet of plastic or similar to put over the sink to use as a fraging and testing station so the light above the sink should do the trick. I have a ton of shop lights I could use if turns out I need more lighting.

[VanJuKy]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

Thanks, I wish I had a few more feet but will take what I can get! It's just enough to fit everything. The single light in the middle is pretty bright with the LED bulbs I have but I am also going to install a light above the sink. I'm going to get a sheet of plastic or similar to put over the sink to use as a fraging and testing station so the light above the sink should do the trick. I have a ton of shop lights I could use if turns out I need more lighting.

I think half my problem is middle aged eyes.
I also see that another wife that got a new washer and dryer out of a build! Happy wife, happy something, or something like that.

[cdrewferd]

Wow, I just found this and can't wait to see this setup. I'm working on setting up my meager 58g tank, and those stands look awesome. I'm also in Westminster, let me know if you need a hand with anything.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by cdrewferd

Wow, I just found this and can't wait to see this setup. I'm working on setting up my meager 58g tank, and those stands look awesome. I'm also in Westminster, let me know if you need a hand with anything.

Thanks! If you're volunteering I am sure we can find something to do, getting the sand into this beast is coming up soon

[tkeracer619]

So this is something I haven't talked much about. When I really got to cleaning the tank I discovered the glass was heavily damaged from coralline etching. For those not familiar it happens when coralline algae is left on the glass too long. Not exactly sure why it happens but it happens and the damage while not that deep into the surface permanently scars it. I don't know how I missed it when I purchased the tank but since I knew they were there... it was going to drive me bonkers. It wasn't just a few spots, it was hundreds. Most were dime sized but many were quarter sized.

They looked like this. A real eye sore. Most of this stuff is covered up once wet but I knew it would be a distraction.


I purchased many different things to try and polish them out. High quality Cerium oxide worked but it was super tedious and caused distortion (a lensing effect). I spent countless hours working on it and got to a point of frustration that wouldn't let me continue. Either I had to find someone who could repair it, replace the panes, ignore it, or scrap and replace the tank. I called companies left and right eventually learning to leave out the fact that it was an aquarium. No luck. Then I found a company called GlassRenu, the website feels a bit like an infomercial, but I figured I had nothing to lose by contacting one of their technicians, there was only one in Colorado. Jim @ Castlewood Glass Repair. After a long discussion we setup an appointment and he took a stab at it. GlassRenu actually uses proprietary sanding disks and essentially resurfaces the glass.







After a full days work he had done the left side and half of the right side. He wanted me to fill it and see what it looked like with water. It looks great!



He came back a few weeks later (after forgetting what a royal pita it is to do this inside a box ) and finished the right side and the front pane.

Here is the result!


Let me tell you, after years and years of seeing people trying to fix this issue on glass aquariums only to accept that it cannot be done. It can be done! I must warn you, it isn't cheap. Most tanks you would be better off scrapping. But if you are stuck in a situation like me, this does work, just be prepared to pay for it. Jim is one hard working dude and it took him 16 hours to get it done. This was awesome and totally worth it! Minus a few scuffs that will be hidden by sand the thing looks brand new!

My to do list is getting shorter! We're almost there!!!

[JonezNReef]

Wow that looks awesome.
I hate the fact that my tank has this on the back side but knowing I will upgrade again one year makes it easy to live with. With a tank that size I would probably opt to get the glass done like that too.

[tkeracer619]

Yeah, I'm pleased with the results, he did an incredible job! I left the back alone since I'm not going to scrape it and it will just get covered in coralline anyways.

[balz3352]

Awesome to know this is an option especially in CO. Since im here too!

[WLachnit]

Very cool. Is your tank low iron glass or starphire? Or regular glass?

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by balz3352

Awesome to know this is an option especially in CO. Since im here too!

He wasn't too sure about climbing into another tank but... given enough time he may forget how bad it sucks to sit like that for 8 hours a day Hard working dude! Outside scratches are a breeze.

Originally Posted by WLachnit

Very cool. Is your tank low iron glass or starphire? Or regular glass?

It's a Miracles aquarium with viewing panes made from 3/4" Starphire.