# My headache...



## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

My Headache
 

It has been pretty close to 10 years since I last had a saltwater tank, a 20 gallon. Though it was short lived, as a heater got stuck in the on position and cooked everything.

I got the itch again last year and I've had a headache since, debating back and forth.

I wanted something small, but one thing lead to another and now I have a custom 112gallon tank. To this date, it's taken a lot longer, a lot more difficult, and a lot more expensive than I expected. Its been a huge undertaking that's taking its toll. It would've been much easier to just buy an existing setup or start off with a smaller one. I've debated many times on whether or not to just abandon the project. I now see the attractiveness of buying a complete setup despite the costs. i.e. Elos, Cadlights, Solana, Red Sea Max, etc.

In June, I set year end goals for myself, one of which was the completion of the tank so that I can regain my sanity. I think about it day in day out, from morning to night, at home and at work, in the shower or on the can. I can honestly say whatever happens to it after I don't really care, maybe I'll sell it or maybe I'll keep it.

I started everything from scratch and I've done none of these things or used any of the tools prior to this project. One of the reasons it's been taking so long. (i.e. Asides from researching about the tanks, fish, corals, plumbing, stand design/building etc. I also had to research on paints to use, how to get certain finishes, finding obscure pieces of hardware, how to use tools, etc. resulting in MANY back and forth visits)

So from June till now I've:

1) Built and primed the frame of a stand
2) Obtained a sump
3) Ordered/received/water tested the tank
4) Purchased a skimmer, return pump and plumbing

So things I still need to do.

1) Skin and varnish the Stand
2) Veneer the doors and mount them
3) Fix the leaky plumbing
4) Waterproof the stand so that it doesnt damage the new hardwood floors
5) Install the support posts in the basement to support the tank
6) Install the R/O Unit
7) Setup a quarantine tank
8) Build light supports
9) Everything else

To make matters worse I need to complete atleast #1-5 by this Wednesday as I need the garage space to park the car...

Pictures of the disaster to follow tomorrow.


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

lol nice...I'm tagging along


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## explor3r (Mar 14, 2010)

For my own experience i enjoy the whole process including planning, building and everything else that has to do with a saltwater tank or reef.
For sure is not a cheap hobby but as well u dont have to get everything new can always find a good deal, so therefore patience is a must to be sucessfull.
No one but u can take the decision if u want to keep ahead or quit, all I know is that once u have everything going after so much effort, thats when u experince the reward of your efforts....dont give up !!!!!!!!!!!!


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## KeMo (Sep 3, 2010)

Sound's like this time you are doing it the right way . (Doing research) 
Yes it is always more money then we plan. I say double or triple you first thought about how much you will spend. It is always better to plan for the future when buying stuff. Buy the good stuff first even if you got to save for it.
Stick in it. You kinda sound like a ReefJunki 
Most of us think of are tank 24/7 that's normal for us 
Just keep on the track you are and we will all be following to help and give input along the way. 
Keep On Reefing!


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

So another weekend passes, was a typical day.

Here it is in the morning. 11:30am


11:45am Trip to Rona/Lowes to find flush mounting hardware... no luck. Wasted a whole lot of time trying to find an alternative solution, finally did and left for lunch.

1:00pm Lunch

2:00-6:00pm Started work on the tank.. Realized that my doors were already cut to be flush with the sides of the stand, so I couldn't even use the hardware. (btw reason for the hardware was so that I can open up the sides of the stand as I found trying to do plumbing from the front only was quite frustrating and I already considered creating a door, but that required the need of getting and experimenting with a fostner bit with a hand drill and getting flush mounting door hinges for that. [also another reason for why I chose sliding rails for the doors]) Decided on just gluing them on, it'll strengthen my stand and best of all, allow me to move forward.

Next I mounted the sliding door brackets, but realized I can't mount the doors as I need to attach the other panels to ensure the doors line up flush with the sides. (there were many other issues. I.e. it was impossible to get the pieces lined up and in the correct places as the placement of them did not allow the use of my clamps. I wanted to mount the panels to hide part of the tank trim, but that would make it very difficult to remove the tank if they were permanently attached.. hence the hardware to flush mount but you know what happens to that. I decided to just attach them at the same level of the styrofoam and later build a lip to go around the tank.)So I started to sand and varnish the sides and top rail. After one go, I realized how long the process of sanding and varnishing individual pieces and then gluing them was going to be. I decided on just gluing them on first but had to remove the tank first as I obviously can't spray the wood with the tank on. I ran out of time and went to dinner.

8:30pm -11:30pm After dinner, I drained the tank, tidy upped the garage in order to move the tank, and removed the tank from the stand, which was a major task with 1.5 people.

Oh yea and the Kilz2 pretty much attached itself to the styrofoam which was a bit off center.  Had to use a knife to separate the two and re-adjust.





So now with everything removed hopefully things go quickly tomorrow. Anyone interested in a trade?


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

looking good man...slow and steady wins the race 

If you don't mind me asking, where did you get your tank custom made and what are the dimensions?


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

gucci17 said:


> looking good man...slow and steady wins the race
> 
> If you don't mind me asking, where did you get your tank custom made and what are the dimensions?


Made by North American Fish Breeders and the dimensions are 60"Lx27"Wx16"H


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## explor3r (Mar 14, 2010)

Thats a nice tank, it looks great


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

10:00pm - 11:30pm
Did a bit of work tonight. Glued on one side of the panels and the top pieces. The glue was a lot less instant than expected. Couldn't complete both sides as I ran out of clamps. Definitely need to leave them on or the panels start sliding.


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

Finally got sometime to work on it again.

It's nearing the end. I think it might be done Saturday.





Some notes: 
Veneer is a pain to put on. had to redo a few pieces due to bubbling.
Turns out its it's a lot more daunting mounting the doors on sliders vs learning to use a fostner bit to using regular hinges. There's only 1/8" up/down adjustment available and you better hope that the stand itself is level. You have to line up the doors so that they're flush with the ends of the stand and that the gap and spacing between the doors are right. Then the fun part. You have to mount the hardware to the stand and to the door separately, so its all blind. Better have faith in all your 1/8th and 1/16th measurements are correct. You'll only know when you mount the doors and close them if you screwed up.

I miscalculated the thickness of the sliders, so the gap is larger than expected but bearable.

All that's left is some sanding and clear coat.

I think next time I'm going to just stick with a custom metal stand. I like the look of having everything exposed. Was originally going to leave the stand as is, as I quite liked the look of it without skinning. Though due to some miscommunication between me and the gf, I ended up with what I have now. What she really meant was to fill the pocket holes...... one month later and I'm still trying to finish it. bah.

And please excuse the quality of the pictures. Taking it with my blackberry at night.


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

goffebeans said:


> Finally got sometime to work on it again.
> 
> It's nearing the end. I think it might be done Saturday.
> 
> ...


looks prety nice to me man ! congrats. im planning to get a metal stand for my upcoming tank as well and was thinking of finishing the outside just like yours, I like it


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

goffebeans said:


> Finally got sometime to work on it again.
> 
> It's nearing the end. I think it might be done Saturday.
> 
> ...


Still looking good though man. I know what you mean about having everything exposed. I am used to having everything that way as well but the boss doesn't like it lol.


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## KeMo (Sep 3, 2010)

Looks really nice. 
Tank and stand. I like how you did the doors on the stand. 
Great job. Just a note. What ever site you use to post those pics. Always try's to put add ware and stuff on my comp. Not a fan of that site. I block it all but just thought some might wanna know.


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## Salty1 (Aug 1, 2009)

Looking very nice. I like your tank sizing, should make aquascaping easy.


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

Wow quite some time has passed. I spent the last two weekends at a wedding and my convocation so had very little time to do anything. Haven't been able to get much done at night particularily since the temperature drops so low now. 

Luckily I had painted the stand at the beginning of the month and last night I put up the floor supports in the basement.

Hopefully tonight I'll get the stand in the house and get all the dirt/dust rinsed out of the tank. If I'm lucky the tank will be in the house today as well.


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

Does time ever fly.

Here's everything I've done since. Now uploaded on Imageshack.

Sorry for the quality, I really need to stop using my blackberry and get back my regular camera.










































Been slowed down significantly trying to find pond liner. It was always either a timing issue as the stores close early or I end up going to the stores and they've stored it away for the year. This weekend is shot as I won't be around, so I'll expect to get the plumbing in and R/O unit tested by Tuesday.
If I'm lucky, also the sand.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Wow, the stand looks amazing! The tank looks really great in that space there.

Hope to see this running soon!


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

The aquascaping is loosely based on my previous trip to Turks and Caicos.

The left is supposed to be the Cave at Mudjin Habour/Dragons Cay and the right is Three Marys Cay.

Three Marys Cay








It's kind of hard to see in this picture, but Three Marys Cay looks a lot like three mushrooms sitting out in the water, as the water has eroded their bases.

I'll need to search through my albums on my other computer to get the actual photos.


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

ameekplec. said:


> Wow, the stand looks amazing! The tank looks really great in that space there.
> 
> Hope to see this running soon!


Thanks,

The tank fits perfectly along that wall. Perfect spot I'd say, Load bearing wall, perpendicular to the joist and a short span ~12ft. 
Relative to the actual room the tank is HUGE lol, luckily the room isnt used very much.


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

The stand turned out very well! 

Looks like there's quite a few of us getting things started! 

I'm feeling left behind!


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Love that stand - there must be several coats of stain/varnish applied to finish/seal it? Also, curious to know what the white strip is around the base of the stand? 

Those rocks look great too!


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## explor3r (Mar 14, 2010)

Wow!!!!! that looks fantastic, love the tank size and great stand.
Everything looks perfect to me, that just make me feel left behing in my tank lol
Glad is turning so well, congrats and as i say...LET THE WATER FLOW!!!


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

gorgeous tank and stand. you should open your own business if you can make stands like that.

can't wait to see this thing up and running, keep up the good work.


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

Very nice, I can see the pictures now that you changed hosts....

Love the long+short tanks. 

Great work with the rock, did you use epoxy to make the cave?


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

Nothing much. Took these two while taking pictures of equipment that I was selling.

Quarantine tank with a clown









Tank still needing some sand.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I do like the cavern look. I try to aim for someting like that in my tanks.


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

Very nice tank and awesome aquascaping


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

sexy


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## Dabigmandan (Nov 13, 2010)

Love the tank dimensions. It looks awesome! If it's still giving you headaches, I'll gladly relieve you of it. Lol.


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

Dabigmandan said:


> Love the tank dimensions. It looks awesome! If it's still giving you headaches, I'll gladly relieve you of it. Lol.


lol it's gotten to the point where I would've gladly traded it or sold it a month or two ago, but now there's too much sunk costs that I have to just continue. Good thing its a hobby and not an investment/business... Sunk cost fallacy. It's a vicious cycle nonetheless. haha.

Im still trying to figure out what to do for lighting. Because my tank is setup I can't possibly add mounting brackets to the back of the stand to hang the lights from. I also don't really want to hang from the ceiling either because of the popcorn ceiling... what to do.

In the mean time waiting for a deal to pop up.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Great aquascape - I love the scattered rocks.


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

It's been a while, thought I'd bump it back up.

Looking at a stocking list now.

*Have:*
Fish
1 Black and White Ocellaris Clownfish
1 Orange Ocellaris Clownfish
1 Yellow watchman Goby
1 Melanurus Wrasse

Inverts
2 Cleaner Shrimp
10 Nass snails
10 Cerith snails

*Considering:*
3 McCosker Wrasse or 3 Various Flasher wrasses?
1 Kole Tang
1 Flame Angel
1 African Flameback Angel
1 Bicolor/Midas Goby
1 Orchid Dottyback
1 Banggai Cardinal

Trying to create an active tank, but at the sametime I want the fish to be proportional to the tank.

I changed the left side of my aquascape somewhat, however looking back at it now, I liked it better before. The main reason I changed it was because I've had some issues trying to keep wrasses and thought I'd breakdown the cave so it'd be easier to find them.

On three separate occassions, I've quarantined and treated them for a month before placing them in the display. They'd be fine and eating well for several days and then poof, no traces of them (I have a cover on my tank). The only success I've had is the Melanurus wrasse which is the most recent introduction. I introduced it with a Lubbock's, but that has disappeared as well. I've since been trying to figure out why.

On another note, I survived my first flood (2 weeks ago) pretty much unscathed. I wanted to do some maintenance on my tank on the Weds before I left on vacation (Friday). Minor stuff. Cleaning algae, emptying skimmer, filling top off resevoir, etc. My 16 gallon resevoir was pretty much empty, so it took a while to fill, even with a 100GPD unit. After a long day of work, building my light stand, cleaning, and packing for my vacation, I ended up falling asleep.

I woke up early that morning in a panic, realizing I didn't turn off my R/O unit.

Luckily something tripped the GFCI. I'm not sure what, but luckily something did, as it saved the display tank from any ill effects. 
The resevoir, overflowed into the sump, then with the power off, some of the display tank back siphoned into the sump, which then combined with the higher water level due to the resevoir, overflowed into the stand. The R/O unit kept running, so the sump and resevoir continued to overflow even more into the stand. Good thing I had lined the bottom of the stand with a rubber liner, as it saved the new hardwood floors. The water was right at the brim and only a few trickles of water spilt onto the floor by the time I turned off the r/o.

So I spent the next few hours draining the stand and sump and checking the water parameters. Everything looked alright, so I turned back on all the power and observed the tank for a while. Then left for work and was only an hour late . Worked all day, came home and checked the tank, packed, and then flew out for the week 6am in morning.

Another good thing. I had planned to put the ballast for my LEDs in the stand the night of the flood, so it wasn't so messy looking when I left. (I had just completed the light stand that same night). I decided against it, mostly out of laziness and good thing I did, as they would've been completely submerged underwater.


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

wow, thats always a crappy way to wake up... in complete panic...

It seems like most disasters happen immediately before or during vacations....


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## uslanja (Feb 15, 2011)

Just found your thread; Great looking tank and stand! Looking forward to some more photos of it!


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## goffebeans (Jul 23, 2007)

Just a quick and dirty pic



I still need to change out the screen material on the top, mount my light's ballast inside the stand, install my uv, and clean up all the wires in the stand.

Also got a new critter j/k


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Wow!!! Love the scape! 

LOL the turtle gave my heart a start for a moment. X)


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## Carlito (Feb 10, 2011)

Wow!!!

Looks great, congrats!


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