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Merv's new 40 gallon build
- Thread starter concept3
- Start date
thanks guys (blush)
few pics from yesterday- no pics today, finally filling it up with the real deal (RO/DI water)- ughhhhh........ it' taking soooooooooooooo looooooooooooonggggggg!!!!!!! (I don't have my brute cans with me)
the light fixture hanging from the pipes:
some electrical wire routing and panel mounting-
NOTE: I used eye hooks to keep the wires cleaned and routed, no need for zipties which makes it easier in case I need to pull a unit out (like a heater, skimmer pump. etc)
here's the ballast to pendant connection. The pendant has the prongs-
few pics from yesterday- no pics today, finally filling it up with the real deal (RO/DI water)- ughhhhh........ it' taking soooooooooooooo looooooooooooonggggggg!!!!!!! (I don't have my brute cans with me)
the light fixture hanging from the pipes:
some electrical wire routing and panel mounting-
NOTE: I used eye hooks to keep the wires cleaned and routed, no need for zipties which makes it easier in case I need to pull a unit out (like a heater, skimmer pump. etc)
here's the ballast to pendant connection. The pendant has the prongs-
that's it for now. I have to wait for the tank to fill up with RO/DI
booooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!
This build deserves a little break, so I'm gonna stare at the white white sand for now.
Something new to me, sand. LOL (Go bare-bottoms!)
Next update should hopefully have some kind of liverock and dither fish pictured, and this time the new pics will be with the "better camera"
PS- All the previous pics were taken with an OLYMPUS point and shoot
so while I was watching NCIS yesterday, I got pretty bored so I looked at my box of PVC and decided to somehow create an island using some scrap and leftover PVC pipes. I had a few odds and ends and so I decided to try something a little different. In the past, I have used crushed oyster shell, some portland cement type II, thorite and sand but because I didn't have anything but thorite and sand, I decided to use what I had-
The bottom part of the PVC were put together with 1 inch pipes, which will hold the structure in place, and also to provide a home for some gobies that I eventually plan on stocking the tank with. I think it's cool that they constantly burrow and look for crevices, but this should keep them happy and hopefully prevent them from getting lost if I need to catch them for some reason. It should also make them fat since they won't have to do much work cleaning out their burrows since it's already premade!
Here's the structure in the tank which I wanted to gauge for size. It has a single arm which I plan on using to mount SPS on, the bottom tiers will be for lower light corals
The bottom part of the PVC were put together with 1 inch pipes, which will hold the structure in place, and also to provide a home for some gobies that I eventually plan on stocking the tank with. I think it's cool that they constantly burrow and look for crevices, but this should keep them happy and hopefully prevent them from getting lost if I need to catch them for some reason. It should also make them fat since they won't have to do much work cleaning out their burrows since it's already premade!
Here's the structure in the tank which I wanted to gauge for size. It has a single arm which I plan on using to mount SPS on, the bottom tiers will be for lower light corals
and the start of the thorite/sand mix. I made a slurry which I glopped (is that a word?) on the pipes, then added sand in chunks then more thorite. In past experiences, the sand will wash away exposing a hole where it once was. I continued to do so until I got the rough shape of what I wanted, and sorry for the lack of pictures, but my hands were covered up pretty bad with the cement mix and didn't want my camera filled with dirt 
Note the lack of picture quality while using the big boy Nikon, I had to use my left hand to take pics since my right hand was covered with cement!
starting the sculpture!
and the semi covered structure
It's out in the back yard now curing, it will have to sit in a vinegar/freshwater mix in the next few days......
Note the lack of picture quality while using the big boy Nikon, I had to use my left hand to take pics since my right hand was covered with cement!
starting the sculpture!
and the semi covered structure
It's out in the back yard now curing, it will have to sit in a vinegar/freshwater mix in the next few days......
Love this whole thread Merv. You are a diy guru and great at documenting, Even with wet muddy hands! I tried to take shots while working and I get so into the project that I forget. I guess multitasking is not my thing when building...I get tunnel vision.
The tank is looking great, Keep up the excellent work.
Oh and the camera dunk was funny!
The tank is looking great, Keep up the excellent work.
Oh and the camera dunk was funny!
Rant start:
So after making a bunch of splashes and bobbing my head between tanks, someone finally approaches us and I ask to weigh the liverock on the scale. The scale had some water in it and he proceeded to lift it up and tared the scale. Then he weighed the whole thing...... Ummm fail. I kindly asked him to pour some water out and take out the rock so we can re-tare with the empty tub on, and he kinda said something along the lines of it's not gonna make a differene-
Lo and behold, he poured out the water and it lost a lb. The unit was tared without the bucket the rock was placed in, so i paid for the weight of the bucket anyways- frustrated, but we didn't wanna drive this far to make a scene, I personally had a looooong day at work!!!!!!
$110 in rock, extra supplies and frustration, we're on 95 south right now heading to china town for some takeout and then back home- what a day!
Rant over!
So after making a bunch of splashes and bobbing my head between tanks, someone finally approaches us and I ask to weigh the liverock on the scale. The scale had some water in it and he proceeded to lift it up and tared the scale. Then he weighed the whole thing...... Ummm fail. I kindly asked him to pour some water out and take out the rock so we can re-tare with the empty tub on, and he kinda said something along the lines of it's not gonna make a differene-
Lo and behold, he poured out the water and it lost a lb. The unit was tared without the bucket the rock was placed in, so i paid for the weight of the bucket anyways- frustrated, but we didn't wanna drive this far to make a scene, I personally had a looooong day at work!!!!!!
$110 in rock, extra supplies and frustration, we're on 95 south right now heading to china town for some takeout and then back home- what a day!
Rant over!
