Fish building/man cave build!

Mschmidt

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Let me know if you need help. I can pm my number and we can discuss. I have been teaching/helping a few people get going and get over the learning curve hump lately. I love it!

Suction mounts and I have a love/hate relationship. But, with 3/4" glass and needing so many low powered pumps, it's a necessary evil unless I want to spend $$$$
That be great! Trial and error gets old quickly.

3/4 inch glass would take a serious magnet.
 
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dantimdad

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That be great! Trial and error gets old quickly.

3/4 inch glass would take a serious magnet.

Even the two tunze I have in there now don't really hold that well.

I am thinking about casting some large rare earth magnets in acrylic and trying them.
 

Mschmidt

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Any experience with these?

I've got them on a frag rack, and haven't seen any problems. There are stronger ones out there though.
 
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dantimdad

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For years I have put the temp probe to titanium heaters in the tank and the heater element in the sump.

The current tank is too tall for that. So I am wondering: Do you guys put the probe before the heater element in the sump or after? My sump has 5 compartments. Drain/Socks/skimmer/fuge/return in that order.

My thought is before so the water will be at it's coldest where it's measured. That way, I can run it about a degree cooler so it doesn't overheat the whole thing and put a digital thermometer in the tank to keep an eye on it.

I appreciate any input.
 

Lowell Lemon

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For years I have put the temp probe to titanium heaters in the tank and the heater element in the sump.

The current tank is too tall for that. So I am wondering: Do you guys put the probe before the heater element in the sump or after? My sump has 5 compartments. Drain/Socks/skimmer/fuge/return in that order.

My thought is before so the water will be at it's coldest where it's measured. That way, I can run it about a degree cooler so it doesn't overheat the whole thing and put a digital thermometer in the tank to keep an eye on it.

I appreciate any input.
Put the probe in the tank since that is the most stable reservoir for temperature. Just a thought. Seems like this is how I did it with multi systems back in the day. Been a while so I could be wrong.
 
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dantimdad

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Put the probe in the tank since that is the most stable reservoir for temperature. Just a thought. Seems like this is how I did it with multi systems back in the day. Been a while so I could be wrong.


That's how I want to but the cord for the probe is not long enough. It's really weird built on these two heaters.

For now, I have it in the compartment before the heater that I am running. I will see how this does.

I will, however be adding the second heater when I switch the 12 footer over to the sump and will put that probe after the element I guess.
 
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dantimdad

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The 187 is up to temp and salinity. Going to let it run until tonight. I have one tiny leak (about one drop every 30 seconds) that I need a bigger pair of pliers to fix.

(It looks like i am the first inhabitant in the pic)

187running.jpg
 
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dantimdad

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The rock and the fish are in!

I never thought this day would come. Except for plumbing the 12 footer, vinyl siding and finishing my workbench, the room is done!

I cannot thank everyone enough for following along, encouraging me and helping where you could.

I will keep posting because there is more to do and the tanks will fill in and mature into something amazing.

Keep following!


fishin187.jpg
 
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dantimdad

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The skimmer fits! Sort of...


regalinsump.jpg


The lid doesn't quite fit. I am thinking about taking a router and making one side of the lid thinner to fit. It misses by less than 1/8"

Any thoughts on doing this?
 
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dantimdad

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@Lowell Lemon Do you think it would be ok to machine the lid down by an 1/8" just on side of it so it fits?

I was going to expose a 3/4" router bit in the table 1/16" make a pass, move the fence back 1/4" make a pass....
Then, raise to 1/8" and repeat. This would make a rabbet in the top 1/8"deep and about 3" of the lid wide.

Tell me I am not nuts for trying this. :)

The other possibility is to remove the skimmer, cover the sump and notch the 2x6. I don't think it will effect the structural integrity but, it'll scare the $%^& out of the fish!
 

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For now, I have it in the compartment before the heater that I am running. I will see how this does.

I will, however be adding the second heater when I switch the 12 footer over to the sump and will put that probe after the element I guess.

If you can't put the heat sensor in the tank then I would put in the first main drain section, closest to the display?
 
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dantimdad

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Figured out the skimmer lid. I am going to slightly notch the 2x6 so I don't tear up the skimmer lid. My buddy came over to help plumb the 12 footer and he agrees that's the best course of action.
 
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dantimdad

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12 foot tank is plumbed and curing over night.

I got the mangrove/fuge tank setup with miracle mud and aragonite. It's soaking now and will wait to turn it on until tomorrow.

I decided to swap out the kessils on the 187 to the last two smatfarm lights and am printing shades right now.

I am about to tidy up some wiring, sweep the floor and put the rugs down. I may go to storage tomorrow and get my chairs. :)
 

Dierks

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The skimmer fits! Sort of...


regalinsump.jpg


The lid doesn't quite fit. I am thinking about taking a router and making one side of the lid thinner to fit. It misses by less than 1/8"

Any thoughts on doing this?
I ran into the same issue with not having enough space in the compartment as am running the same skimmer as well! Holy crap our entire sump area is the same :) I couldn't figure out how to fit it into the sump. I figured I was going to have to drill a hole in the wall and have the pump on one side and the skimmer body on the other.
 

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