Our 375 Gallon project - Page 23

sidewinder770 · #**551** 04/11/2006, 09:48 AM

Got an updated pic but it's not the best- kind of hard to see much detail but oh well. I'm working on getting the doors sanded and stained this week and maybe have some of them on the lower section by this weekend. I did get the "hockey puck lights" installed in the upper section of the side cabinets although it's kind of hard to see them in this picture. I'll also be working on the upper trim and crown moulding which will take a while. Unfortunately it looks to be another week where I won't be able to get much done. Actually, other than the doors, I probably won't get anything done for a while.....darn life keeps getting in the way

clkwrk · #**552** 04/11/2006, 11:36 AM

Looking great Scott and Erin :d

maxxII · #**553** 04/11/2006, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sidewinder770
maxxII- Keep in mind that is total house usage. We actually had snow 20 minutes from me a few weeks ago so needless to say the house heater was on a bit as well as any other variable use items in the house. I also added 280w of T5 lighting on the frag tank about a month or so ago so that added a little. I do have a chiller but it hasn't been on since October.....actually it ran for the first time 2 days ago but only for about 30 minutes. It's a DIY chiller using a mini-split AC system which draws about 600-700 watts total- simply an amazing chiller I think and an item I am very happy with. In total I have 5 sequence pumps- 3 darts, 1 hammerhead, 1 barracuda. I also have a mag5 for the CR and one in the mixing tank. Actual water volume is 550g.

Scott,
Thanks for pointing that out to me, as I hadnt realized that. Reviewing our own electrical bills over the past 4 months, I see our largest usage was in January of this year and we used 1630 KWH. However, we're approaching the warmer months here, and I'd like to see what our worst case scenario is for total usage w/ the home AC running constantly. I found a 8500 watt gas unit by Troy built at Lowes for $1299.00 that appears like it would handle most of my needs, but its kinda noisy IIRC. I'm still looking around and doing the research on it.

Thanks for giving me the info on your Electrical usage.

Tank looks great, slow and steady will get you there. Dont sweat not having the skin done yet...you've already got the tank going well and thats the tough part.

Nick

gumbybc · #**554** 04/11/2006, 03:24 PM

The tank and the wood skin looks amazing. Are you able to access the back of your tank if you need to?

Satori · #**555** 04/13/2006, 05:14 PM

I got my 180 stand (the one I copied from Sidewinder770) back from the powdercoater today:

KNUCKLEHEAD · #**556** 04/13/2006, 09:43 PM

I just went through 23 pages of good ideas, great design, excellent links & nice people. What a great hobby. Really nice work & the process is part of the result. Documenting it for everyone deserves you & the lady all the praise I can give. Great job!!!

KNUCKLEHEAD · #**557** 04/13/2006, 09:43 PM

I just went through 23 pages of good ideas, great design, excellent links & nice people. What a great hobby. Really nice work & the process is part of the result. Documenting it for everyone deserves you & the lady all the praise I can give. Great job!!!

KNUCKLEHEAD · #**558** 04/13/2006, 09:43 PM

I just went through 23 pages of good ideas, great design, excellent links & nice people. What a great hobby. Really nice work & the process is part of the result. Documenting it for everyone deserves you & the lady all the praise I can give. Great job!!!

TheCoralReef731 · #**559** 04/13/2006, 09:54 PM

woah... triple post. You don't see that everyday.

Sweet tank. I know you have probably answered this before, but did you use the black pond foam or 'Great Stuff'? How long did it take for the coraline to grip it?

Mishap · #**560** 04/14/2006, 12:51 AM

Just spent the last 3 hours reading this entire thread and I am simply astonished. You have done an incredible job from design to set up.

My one desire is to see a shot of the rest of the room its in. Where do you sit to enjoy such a beatiful setup?

Matt

sidewinder770 · #**561** 04/14/2006, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MSM
I got my 180 stand (the one I copied from Sidewinder770) back from the powdercoater today:

Ahhhhh- the new and improved 2006 model! Looks sweet! You'll never regret going with steel and even more so powdercoating! So much more durable and looks 10x better than paint. Can't wait to see the finished product!

KNUCKLEHEAD- Thanks for the compliments. Only 23 pages......man- it sure seems longer than that! I've always liked the complete build threads and I'm just glad others have enjoyed mine and hope to see lots of people borrow from and improve upon a few ideas I had. And you are absolutely correct- great hobby and a great bunch of people here on RC.

TheCoralReef731- We used the black pond foam- the 'great stuff' is yellow and looks terrible for a long time IMO. The coraline started attaching fairly quickly and is almost completely covered now. The top 3-4 inches is taking the longest but I think that's due to the high light and even if it was just acrylic it would take a while.

Mishap- All in due time

. I'll be sure to post some pics of the room once the cabinets are done and I don't have wood and tools laying all over the place. Currently we have a small couch in front of the tank to enjoy the view from. Once this cabinet work is done I will probably be getting a new super comfy couch or a pair of layboys or something to put in front of it. The great part of having the 30" tall tank is you can sit and enjoy it or walk right up to it and see everything without having to bend over. I'll be sure to post some whole room pics soon!

No progress on the stand this week really and I got a very full weekend so probably won't touch it again till next week. I'll be sure to post some pics of any progress.

Satori · #**562** 04/14/2006, 09:35 AM

Thanks Scott. But it's more like the "base model".

Galtamar · #**563** 04/14/2006, 11:47 AM

Great thread and awesome tank I got a lot of ideas for my project 375G - 400G tank. The foam is a very a nice idea and looks great is a shame i can not do it for my tank since I plan on it being a peninsula dividing 2 rooms. But will copy your sump room since space is a problem for me. I just found this site (u can see this is my first post) great site, thanks for posting ur setup.

Thanks, Gustavo

melev · #**564** 04/14/2006, 11:59 AM

Gustavo,

[welcome]

You'll love RC, I guarantee you. We have tons of great people here with lots of imagination, willing to share their ideas with others.

strittmatter · #**565** 04/14/2006, 12:43 PM

After reading all 23 pages there is not much to say but WOW. I really like the foam idea, and I read the thread so I am not going to ask about it again.

There was someone that posted a couple of times. I hate you. If I knew you better I would say the same thing. I am with out a doubt jealous.

By the way your occupation on your profile has to be wrong. Youâ€™re doing a lot of something right to pull this off!!!

Mishap · #**566** 04/14/2006, 09:37 PM

http://www.la-z-boy.com/ourfurniture...t.aspx?pid=100

These are my dream tank watchin chairs.... coolers between the seats. Mmmmm.

Matt

melev · #**567** 04/15/2006, 12:23 AM

Yeah, I just saw those recently, and they reminded me of seats in the airport or on an airplane. It might look strange in a home - at least my home.

KNUCKLEHEAD · #**568** 04/15/2006, 12:30 AM

I build home theatres at times, & those are just the ticket. I like the wedge sections to be able to radius them.
Meanwhile I`m over at MELEV`s post on the acrylic sump build diary or forum. I have those benches bookmarked.

alien9168 · #**569** 04/20/2006, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MSM
I got my 180 stand (the one I copied from Sidewinder770) back from the powdercoater today:

That looks great!

enamdjd · #**570** 04/20/2006, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MSM
I got my 180 stand (the one I copied from Sidewinder770) back from the powdercoater today:

It looks great. I had my welder build a similar one. Just one word of advice, make sure that the ends are covered. I don't know if it's the picture; but it appears that the ends of the tubular steel are open. Try to cap those to avoid corrosion. Again, great job.

Satori · #**571** 04/20/2006, 10:02 AM

Thanks. You're right, the ends are open. I didn't have a fancy enough saw to do good 45's. The braces have 45's, but they weren't perfect so there was some filling involved. Fill welds are plenty strong, but I didn't want the main frame to have those irregular joints.

I wasn't going to cap them, but maybe I will if I can find the end caps I'll silicone them in.

annetate · #**572** 04/20/2006, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MSM
Thanks. You're right, the ends are open. I didn't have a fancy enough saw to do good 45's. The braces have 45's, but they weren't perfect so there was some filling involved. Fill welds are plenty strong, but I didn't want the main frame to have those irregular joints.

I wasn't going to cap them, but maybe I will if I can find the end caps I'll silicone them in.

you shouldnt have a problem with corosion because they are powder coated right?

enamdjd · #**573** 04/20/2006, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by annetate
you shouldnt have a problem with corosion because they are powder coated right?

The powder coating does not extend inside the lumen of the pipe; hence, my recommendaton to seal.

Travis · #**574** 04/20/2006, 11:30 AM

I think sealing the ends would be a good idea. I have been using this stand:

on my 280 for about 17 months. What I did was used Great Stuff foam in the ends to make them water sealed. I do agree that if saltwater got in those ends it could pose a problem. Ideally, the best seal would be pieces of steel welded over the holes before the stand is powdercoated. I am getting a couple very small rust spots on my stand. These are in the areas where welded joints are. Not sure if the powdercoating just doesn't adhere to these areas as well or what the deal is. There is barely any rust so I'm not really concerned but just sharing my experience so far.

nine9d · #**575** 04/20/2006, 11:41 AM

Can we see a close-up of the back wall? Maybe a couple of varied shots. I would love to see how it looks close and how the corals look on it. Thanks.