Building a 1600 Gallon DEEP Bioshock aquarium!

[JaimeAdams]

So jaime do you live around carnegie? Seems like too much of a coincidence that we know similar people!

Yeah I live on Superior at the bottom of Magazine off of Carothers. I'm the house with all of the tanks on the porch/back yards

 

[FlyinBryan]

Clicking the 'follow button' now

 

[Karlotious]

Nice! I live in Honus Wagners home on beechwood Ave

 

[Fudsey]

I just got this one.....

 

[Karlotious]

I just got this one.....

Where did you get this picture? If I can find a vertical city shot in this type of quality I'm sold! Haha

 

[Fudsey]

Where did you get this picture? If I can find a vertical city shot in this type of quality I'm sold! Haha

Actually got it on FB of all places....

 

[Fudsey]

Sent you a conversation with link to some large pics you can download if you want, just click the "..." on the top right after you click the dropbox link

 

[Girthrockwel]

Where are you at with this thing man? We need an update.

 

[Karlotious]

Haha sorry i work alot, finding the time hasn't been easy unfortunately! I'm getting the stock tank sump and submersible pumps next week so there will be some significant progress then.

I've held off on making some of the cuts into the foam(the return grates) until I can plumb the pumps to it. Once the foams done I'll be able to finish it. Still going back and forth about the background pic though.

I'm doing two 4200gph submersibles (I like the added heat since it's in a basement) and running flex hose 2" from the sump to the main display.

 

[Karlotious]

MAN you got a killer concept one of my all time Fav games. who are you going to use to print up your images. if my printer was not down Id give you a great deal just cause it cool. following.

Speaking of! I have been looking for someone to make the background photo but cant find anyone that can laminate past a particular width. 76.5 x 44.5

 

[ReeferRoo]

Speaking of! I have been looking for someone to make the background photo but cant find anyone that can laminate past a particular width. 76.5 x 44.5

I have high rez wide format printers. I can print up to 54" wide.

I can take a crack at printing it for you, i can over-laminate it to prevent UV degradation of the colors, easily get you 3 years. Pm me of your interested and i will give you my email so you can send the file. The vinyl would have an adhesive side you can utilize if you choose.

I can laminate up to 48", i haven't read the thread in a while, i am assuming you are putting this on the dry side of a pane of glass correct?

 

[Karlotious]

Its actually going in the tank on the back wall. I was going to attach it with some silicone (since i think an adhesive backing may leech) and then do a layer of clear epoxy over it. I just wanted it laminated as an extra level of protection.

 

[ReeferRoo]

Its actually going in the tank on the back wall. I was going to attach it with some silicone (since i think an adhesive backing may leech) and then do a layer of clear epoxy over it. I just wanted it laminated as an extra level of protection.

The graphic that I can make could be applied to a piece of Rigid Vinyl or Acrylic Backing (if you know somewhere locally that had the substrate and a 48" roller press), either way the backing of the graphic is adhesive and as long as the substrate is smooth and clean it will hold very well.

I personally would not recommend anything exposed directly to the salt water as cleaning the over laminate from algae would eventually cause a failure in it and your graphic not to mention removing coralline algae growth, that would be disastrous.

If you go this route, I would recommend encasing the graphic in acrylic or glass on the back wall. Even slightly reducing the size of the graphic or making a window type structure that you can component out the graphic if/when it would need replacing. Confirmed today that UV degradation on the white vinyl with the Over-laminate wont begin for about 5 years on a full color print.

FYI...here are some photos of the printers, laminator and a high Rez print not applied to rigid substrate...

Printer in back with sign graphics on it...Laminator in front.

3 Different Printers...

High Rez Print not applied to a rigid substrate....I wanna say 54x72...I didn't measure it

 

[Karlotious]

Awesome! That's some serious equipment! I'll make a decision this weekend on the photo and can email the photo if that works for you? As long as its laminated, not overtly reflective, and high rez im sold! Once the picture is covered in the clear epoxy resin there shouldn't be any degradation in the laminate (since the lighting wont be as strong in this alcove) or trouble cleaning it so I'm not too worried about it Im assuming the laminate covers a lil more than the picture so that the edges arent exposed?

 

[JaimeAdams]

You could have it sandwiched between two layers of acrylic. then solvent welded or acrylic clued so that it is fully sealed between the layers.

 

[ReeferRoo]

yeah if you are 44" wide, the vinyl roll is 54" and the overlam is 48" so there will be space. I will cut it down to like 46" or 47" for shipping in a 48" roll core.

Good deal on the clear epoxy covering, as long as the edges of the graphic are covered and no water can get in between the print and laminate or behind the graphic then I think you will be okay, if water gets behind the graphic it wont be pretty.

 

[Karlotious]

After re-reading your last comment am i to assume that the adhesive backing is not laminated? My assumption was both the back and front would be laminated so that even if water got behind it it would still have laminated protection. Just trying to clarify!

 

[ReeferRoo]

your assumption is correct. My lamination process is a cold lamination. I guess I could add lamination to the front and back but the edges would be like two pieces of tape with the sticky sides stuck together.

 

[Karlotious]

hmmm that makes me think that it could delaminate if exposed to water. Im trying to have multiple redundancies just in case. I think this comes back to the problem i was finding before. Hot laminators (which would make the picture like a menu at a restaurant and thus waterproof) typically cant print past a certain width.. i think that is what i need though to be certain it wont be damaged. I could possibly heat the edges with something like a vacuum sealer after it has been cold laminated though... hmm

 

[Karlotious]

Making some progress still have to apply the picture, paint the foam, and color the tank (1 gallon of pentair green marine epoxy paint then several colors of krylon fusion. After that it's finishing up the plumbing and waiting for the acrylic! I'm Getting impatient now haha