DirtDiggler2823's 125 Gallon Reef Build

mch1984 · Feb 5, 2019

crusso1993 said:
Yes, many distributors located here. For just about any industry too. It's one of the only good things about Chicago. That and the food. If you can't find it here, it probably cannot be found.

That would be nice.

DirtDiggler2823 · Feb 5, 2019

crusso1993 said:
Yes, many distributors located here. For just about any industry too. It's one of the only good things about Chicago. That and the food. If you can't find it here, it probably cannot be found.

All we have in Maryland are taxes, bad drivers, old bay seasoning, and crabs, apparently. LOL!

crusso1993 · Feb 5, 2019

mch1984 said:
That would be nice.

Yeah, well, the weather where you're at is much nicer! It was -58 degrees here last week with snow. Then, over the weekend, it warmed up to the upper 40's and everything melted. Now it's about 20 which, if you ask me, still sucks!

DirtDiggler2823 said:
All we have in Maryland are taxes, bad drivers, old bay seasoning, and crabs, apparently. LOL!

Dude! Don't even get me going on taxes. We are the most heavily taxed state in the nation, not to mention the most heavily taxed county in the nation. We are also the worst state in the nation when it comes to debt. Chicago is on the verge of going the route of Detroit. Bad drivers you say? Top 3 worst commute times in the nation here. I believe I speak for everyone when I say we do not want to hear about the crabs you have. We all have problems! LOL!

mch1984 · Feb 5, 2019

crusso1993 said:
Yeah, well, the weather where you're at is much nicer! It was -58 degrees here last week with snow. Then, over the weekend, it warmed up to the upper 40's and everything melted. Now it's about 20 which, if you ask me, still sucks!

Dude! Don't even get me going on taxes. We are the most heavily taxed state in the nation, not to mention the most heavily taxed county in the nation. We are also the worst state in the nation when it comes to debt. Chicago is on the verge of going the route of Detroit. Bad drivers you say? Top 3 worst commute times in the nation here. I believe I speak for everyone when I say we do not want to hear about the crabs you have. We all have problems! LOL!

The weather is nice until summer when we can go for a couple of weeks at a time in the triple digits. However, i'll take our winter over -58 any day of the week.

DirtDiggler2823 · Feb 5, 2019

crusso1993 said:
Yeah, well, the weather where you're at is much nicer! It was -58 degrees here last week with snow. Then, over the weekend, it warmed up to the upper 40's and everything melted. Now it's about 20 which, if you ask me, still sucks!

Dude! Don't even get me going on taxes. We are the most heavily taxed state in the nation, not to mention the most heavily taxed county in the nation. We are also the worst state in the nation when it comes to debt. Chicago is on the verge of going the route of Detroit. Bad drivers you say? Top 3 worst commute times in the nation here. I believe I speak for everyone when I say we do not want to hear about the crabs you have. We all have problems! LOL!

LOL!

vetteguy53081 · Feb 5, 2019

No Regrets. No turning back once the addiction sets in !!!!

DirtDiggler2823 · Feb 18, 2019

The greatest journey begins but with a single step. Finally pulled the substrate and egg crate out.

DirtDiggler2823 · Feb 18, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
No Regrets. No turning back once the addiction sets in !!!!

I am all about this life!

crusso1993 · Feb 18, 2019

DirtDiggler2823 said:
The greatest journey begins but with a single step. Finally pulled the substrate and egg crate out.

Two questions;
1.) Did you reseal the tank yourself?
2.) Have you considered using a flamethrower for cleaning everything? I have heard they can be messy but it gets the job done FAST! ;Wacky

DirtDiggler2823 · Feb 18, 2019

crusso1993 said:
Two questions;
1.) Did you reseal the tank yourself?
2.) Have you considered using a flamethrower for cleaning everything? I have heard they can be messy but it gets the job done FAST! ;Wacky

1.) Have not even washed it yet, but a reseal might be in the stars.
2.) I'm pretty sure vinegar, water, and some scrubbing will take care of everything.

Thinking about polishing the glass a bit too, but that is neither here nor there.

crusso1993 · Feb 18, 2019

DirtDiggler2823 said:
1.) Have not even washed it yet, but a reseal might be in the stars.
2.) I'm pretty sure vinegar, water, and some scrubbing will take care of everything.

Thinking about polishing the glass a bit too, but that is neither here nor there.

Oh, ok, it looks like the bottom silicone was a reseal job.

DirtDiggler2823 · Feb 18, 2019

crusso1993 said:
Oh, ok, it looks like the bottom silicone was a reseal job.

The bottom silicone is in good shape from what I saw. It was protected by the egg crate though, so there should be little wear in it. The side seals however.....

crusso1993 · Feb 18, 2019

DirtDiggler2823 said:
The bottom silicone is in good shape from what I saw. It was protected by the egg crate though, so there should be little wear in it. The side seals however.....

Okay, let me clarify; the silicone looks like it was just gobbed on the bottom. That's all I meant. No biggie. However, if you are going to do a reseal, I'd highly recommend buying a caulk removal tool for about $4.00. If you've never used one, you'll very quickly discover they strip the majority of the silicone off in no time flat. After using the tool then come back with a razor and clean it up. If you already know all of this then I will NEVER EVER give any suggestions again! LOL!

DirtDiggler2823 · Feb 18, 2019

crusso1993 said:
Okay, let me clarify; the silicone looks like it was just gobbed on the bottom. That's all I meant. No biggie. However, if you are going to do a reseal, I'd highly recommend buy a caulk removal tool for about $4.00. If you've never used one, you'll very quickly discover they strip the majority of the silicone off in no time flat. After using the tool then come back with a razor and clean it up. If you already know all of this then I will NEVER EVER give any suggestions again! LOL!

I have a caulk removal tool, AND a caulk application tool! That silicone on the bottom is a bit thick now that you mention it. It could have been resealed by a previous owner. All of my tanks are used. Maybe one day I'll hit the big time and be able to buy a nice big new tank, to go into my nice big new home, whenever that exists. Also, feel free to keep lobbing suggestions, just because I was aware of one thing, doesn't mean I know jack about the other.

crusso1993 · Feb 18, 2019

DirtDiggler2823 said:
I have a caulk removal tool, AND a caulk application tool! That silicone on the bottom is a bit thick now that you mention it. It could have been resealed by a previous owner. All of my tanks are used. Maybe one day I'll hit the big time and be able to buy a nice big new tank, to go into my nice big new home, whenever that exists. Also, feel free to keep lobbing suggestions, just because I was aware of one thing, doesn't mean I know jack about the other.

I'm right there with you on the used stuff. Like you, after I hit it big time, I'll buy a nice, big, new tank to go into my nice, new home. I'll go look at the nice, big, new tank in my very fast, very nice, very new sports car! (Notice I did not use the word "big" when describing the home. I'd rather have a smaller sized home near the ocean than a bigger sized home away from the ocean. Although, if we are talking very big time, then I might go for the big home near the ocean!)

DirtDiggler2823 · Apr 9, 2019

The scrapening has begun. Vinegar, glass scraper, elbow grease, swearing, and regret are all that im using right now. Anyone got any tips to help me out with this?

crusso1993 · Apr 9, 2019

DirtDiggler2823 said:
The scrapening has begun. Vinegar, glass scraper, elbow grease, swearing, and regret are all that im using right now. Anyone got any tips to help me out with this?

Did you refill the tank with water and vinegar and let it soak a couple days?

DirtDiggler2823 · Apr 9, 2019

crusso1993 said:
Did you refill the tank with water and vinegar and let it soak a couple days?

No, I did not. I did a bleach rinse to kill off the nasties, but I've been spraying straight vinegar on the inside glass and scraping. How much vinegar would I need to soak a 125 gallon tank in?

crusso1993 · Apr 9, 2019

DirtDiggler2823 said:
No, I did not. I did a bleach rinse to kill off the nasties, but I've been spraying straight vinegar on the inside glass and scraping. How much vinegar would I need to soak a 125 gallon tank in?

Maybe like 5 gallons. Then I'd clean the glass while it was still filled. Starting at the top and working down to the bottom. Like clean 6" of glass all around the perimeter then drain that 6" of water out. Do the next 6" and so on. Also, by doing it this way you can go over the dry areas again, spraying directly with vinegar if you want, and just let whatever comes off go into the existing water in the tank. Not sure if all of this makes sense to you but it's how I would go about it.
Hope it helps!

DirtDiggler2823 · Apr 9, 2019

crusso1993 said:
Maybe like 5 gallons. Then I'd clean the glass while it was still filled. Starting at the top and working down to the bottom. Like clean 6" of glass all around the perimeter then drain that 6" of water out. Do the next 6" and so on. Also, by doing it this way you can go over the dry areas again, spraying directly with vinegar if you want, and just let whatever comes off go into the existing water in the tank. Not sure if all of this makes sense to you but it's how I would go about it.
Hope it helps!

It makes sense, I just wish I knew about this before doing a bunch of work on it.....