AlexGs 4200 Gallon Display + 2100 gallon fish room? --- New House = New Build

[GBRsouth]

I was thinking 316 but I need to do more research and see the price and availability when I am ready for it.

316 stainless is the better grade. (304 stainless rusts quicker, but both will rust.) Anodized aluminium will last longer than stainless of either grade but will most likely be more expensive initially. If you use it in t slot you catch up much of the cost in reuses later whereas welded stainless is likely not able to be reused.

If using aluminium with any grade of steel or stainless screws it is best to have a barrier between them to prevent electrolysis of the aluminium.

 

[AlexG]

Update time

I have been pressing forward on the frag tank part of the build. The underlayment and pondliner have been installed. Having never installed a pondliner with proper corners before I thought the would be really hard. I have to say though that the folding of the corners went really well. I spent a lot of time measuring and taping the underlayment and pondliner so when they were put into the tank they unfolded into the shape of the tank without the need for major adjustments.

 

[mehaffydr]

Looking Great Alex. Have you decided how your going to glue the glass in?

 

[AlexG]

Looking Great Alex. Have you decided how your going to glue the glass in?

The test I need to complete to make that decision is underway.

 

[AlexG]

Small update. I have put down a second layer of pondliner and then travertine tiles in the frag tank. I washed the tiles and made sure to remove the UPC stickers on each tile as they were metal backed stickers that required a soak in hot water and razor blade to remove.

 

[McPuff]

Good idea with the travertine. I've got some 4" in one tank and I'm considering adding more. For me it'll just be a nice way to keep euphyllia colonies from moving around. Definitely serves as protection for the bottom whether it's glass or rubber (in your case) which could be cut. Looking forward to your glass install.

 

[fade2black]

The test I need to complete to make that decision is underway.

We used black RTV in the Marines to waterproof comm gear and once that stuff touched anything, it was there forever. lol

 

[AlexG]

Good idea with the travertine. I've got some 4" in one tank and I'm considering adding more. For me it'll just be a nice way to keep euphyllia colonies from moving around. Definitely serves as protection for the bottom whether it's glass or rubber (in your case) which could be cut. Looking forward to your glass install.

Thanks @McPuff. In this case its more bottom protection but I am thinking in the display tank I will use travertine for bottom protection and then use some reef mortar with sand to texture the tiles a bit to hide the seems and make it look like a more natural bottom for areas where there is no sand. The glass install will be interesting. I should have a sealer picked out this weekend once I do pull tests on my little experiment. On the plus side the glass install should be really easy once the glass is in place I just need to inject the sealer and then wait until it is ready for a fill test.

 

[Greg Gdowski]

Following... interested in using the travertine on the bottom of my new build. when are you going to mortar and sand the joints. Are you sure you want to do that? It seems like you could remove one of the tiles if need be to clean it if it were not mortared in place.

 

[AlexG]

Following... interested in using the travertine on the bottom of my new build. when are you going to mortar and sand the joints. Are you sure you want to do that? It seems like you could remove one of the tiles if need be to clean it if it were not mortared in place.

For the coral frag tank and my refugium I am not going to sand and mortar the joints. For aesthetics on the display tank I will sand and mortar to make the bottom look more natural. I figured once those tiles are in the display tank they will not be removed until teardown and whatever grows on them will be the most natural look.

 

[Greg Gdowski]

For the coral frag tank and my refugium I am not going to sand and mortar the joints. For aesthetics on the display tank I will sand and mortar to make the bottom look more natural. I figured once those tiles are in the display tank they will not be removed until teardown and whatever grows on them will be the most natural look.

Where did you get the travertine. There is a lot of debate on R2R about leaching tin and aluminum... IMHO some of the controls could have been done better. I've also wondered the same thing about reef rock. That said, tiles are different and the manufacturer has to cut and process the tile and that does give me some concern. Are you going to use dust from cutting the tiles on the mortar, or are you going to use regular sand? Are you using Aquascape Bonder-400 Reef Rock Mortar/Cement?

 

[AlexG]

Where did you get the travertine. There is a lot of debate on R2R about leaching tin and aluminum... IMHO some of the controls could have been done better. I've also wondered the same thing about reef rock. That said, tiles are different and the manufacturer has to cut and process the tile and that does give me some concern. Are you going to use dust from cutting the tiles on the mortar, or are you going to use regular sand? Are you using Aquascape Bonder-400 Reef Rock Mortar/Cement?

I picked up my Travertine from floor and decor. I have seen some concerns on leeching as well but I would agree there was a lack of control to understand if the tile was actually a factor. One thing to note was that all of the tiles I purchased had a metal backed UPC sticker on them that I did not discover was metal until I used a razor blade to remove them. If these were left on a tile put into a tank I am sure that could be a source for metal leeching. I am considering an ICP test on the water before I transfer everything over from the temp tank. I use RO/DI water for the fill test so I might drain some water into a bucket and mix in salt or just mix up a smaller tank in the system before sending in a water sample to provide a baseline test. As far as mortar I am not sure what product I will use yet but I was planning to just use sand as a filler in the mortar to texture the bottom. I will definitely look at Aquascape Bonder though as an option.

 

[Devaji]

nice to see your build/builds come together.
so in your frag tank its just 2 layers of pond liner and no epoxy correct?

 

[AlexG]

nice to see your build/builds come together.
so in your frag tank its just 2 layers of pond liner and no epoxy correct?

On the coral frag tank its one layer of 45mil EDPM liner with a second layer of scraps laid on the bottom before the tile was put down. I am also looking at a couple of options to protect the pond liner from critter such as urchins as I don't want them to chew through the pond liner if I need them for algae control.

 

[AlexG]

Update video time. This video goes over everything since the last video update.

 

[Devaji]

thanks for the video I always enjoy watching your builds.

 

[AlexG]

thanks for the video I always enjoy watching your builds.

Thanks @Devaji I always enjoy sharing my building experience even if it means sharing the failures and mistakes.

 

[AlexG]

Sealer test for glass to EDPM liner completed. I tested EDPM liner sanded and unsanded with silicone 1, RTV108, and Gold Label sealer. Which do you think has the strongest bond pulled parallel and perpendicular to the bonding surface? I will reveal the results in my next video.

 

[Devaji]

I am gonna say the RTV108 or possibly black label

 

[mehaffydr]

I say RTV 108 with sanded EDPM