JUST DO IT! Make your dreams come true.

[thomas_neil]

Planning out lights and flow while work is slow. I think starting out I should be good for lighting. Just need to pick up 3 more quanta light bars. Kinda brain stormed how I’m going to do the rights as well. Was going to order the tank this month but the wife wants a new sectional. Not to upset about it though, it’s the one for the basement so I’ll be able to relax on the new couch and watch the tank.

For the scape I’m think start high for the sps, I think I drew it to high. Might keep it down to 15” tall max are to allow for growth, then gradually get lower until the 3’ mark and just drop off. The lower area will be for the LPS and then the last 2 feet will be just scattered caves and low shelves for softies and open swimming area. I don’t just want the scape to be for the coral but also the fish. I want to incorporate caves, coves, arches, pass throughs from front to back.

Hopefully December I’ll be able to order the tank, but we will see. Hard planning the new build while trying to get furniture in the bigger house so it doesn’t feel so empty.

Will keep updating as I go!

 

[thomas_neil]

It's been a while since I have done an update. Tank still isn't ordered, but I'll be starting the demo/electrical rework on the basement this weekend. I'm pretty much set with midwest custom aquariums, just need to give them the go ahead to start fabrication.

As far as equipment goes, I think the only new thing I have gotten is the is the reef factory smart roller L. This thing is huge, almost a 1' wide roll. My hopes are it wont go through as much material with how wide it is.

I'll post some progress photos of the basement as I go this weekend. Definitely getting demo done, then I'll start electrical, ceiling paint, and if I have time start drywall. Probably start demo Friday after work, make a Depot run Saturday and knock out the electrical (adding a sub panel for generator backup), put in a dedicated circuit for the tank, thinking a 30 amp with a quad outlet in the fish room and a duplex around where the canopy will be. Then install the new lights, frame out the fish room, and install drywall. My hopes are I can knock all this out with the long weekend.

 

[thomas_neil]

Made some decent progress over the weekend on the basement. Wife helped me demo the ceiling, walls, and old carpet. Like all projects, there are always things you find that are not up to code. There was a lot of shoty electrical work done above the ceiling. Romex just layed across the ceiling with no support, open splices not in junction boxes, electrical going into outlets just duct taped to the wall. Needless to say I was not ready for that much.

We decided to reframe all the walls and re-do a lot of electrical. I went through about 400lf of new wire, installed 5 new ceiling junction boxes in the ceiling to clean up the wiring, and re-pulled a lot of existing wire to run it properly though the joists. I also installed new can lights and used the junction boxes on those to clean up wiring. Still need to install my dedicated circuit for the fish room, but I roughed in the wire from the panel to the fish room, just need to install the new breaker. Got a sub panel for generator backup on order and will wire that up when I kill the main to install the new breaker for the fish room.

I also primed the ceiling and painted it black this weekend.

This coming weekends task is to start hanging drywall. Went a little over board this weekend and I'm feeling it. Going to slow it down a little in the coming weekends.

 

[RJT]

Wow. You must of slept at a Holiday Inn the night before

 

[thomas_neil]

Got the lights in last night. Really like the look of the blacked out ceiling. Starting drywall this weekend!

 

[thomas_neil]

Wondering what everyone's thoughts are on the best flooring. I'm doing LVT in the rest of the basement but not sure if I should do tile under the tank. I'm leaning towards tile for the waterproof side of it and easy clean up.

 

[thomas_neil]

Got all the drywall up yesterday. Have a small amount of electrical to finish up next weekend and I’ll start putting mud up on the walls.

 

[kevgib67]

Got all the drywall up yesterday. Have a small amount of electrical to finish up next weekend and I’ll start putting mud up on the walls.

My back hurts just reading of all the work you’ve done. Can’t wait for completion.

 

[thomas_neil]

My back hurts just reading of all the work you’ve done. Can’t wait for completion.

I actually don't mind remodels. I enjoy doing the work, minus the cleanup and having to carry everything up and down stairs.

 

[thomas_neil]

My wife has been looking at ways to integrate the tank into the basement so it looks like part of it and not just a tank sitting up against the wall.

She sent me this picture off of pintrest and I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts are long term with this idea. I'd obviously have to make some of the panels removable. The bottom panels I'm not to worried about since the sump wont be under that tank. Maybe I could use magnets to hold the removable panels in place to keep the somewhat seemless look?

Any other ideas how I could do this?

Edit:

Maybe something like this to hold everything in place?

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

Following, I was born in Grand Rapids and will be up there next month for my cousin’s son’s wedding. My parents were from Cadillac.

Small world. My wife and I are also from GR, and are back there every other week. My mother-in-law is from Cadillac, and still has a cottage on Lake Mitchell.

GR has changed a LOT.

 

[thomas_neil]

Small world. My wife and I are also from GR, and are back there every other week. My mother-in-law is from Cadillac, and still has a cottage on Lake Mitchell.

GR has changed a LOT.

We love it. We moved form Detroit to GR back in august. So much nicer on the west side. Nicer people and everyone knows how to drive which is a plus!

 

[kevgib67]

Small world. My wife and I are also from GR, and are back there every other week. My mother-in-law is from Cadillac, and still has a cottage on Lake Mitchell.

GR has changed a LOT.

I was born in Grand Rapids and both of my parents were from Cadillac, spent a lot of time in Cadillac growing up visiting grandparents.

 

[thomas_neil]

Got the first coat of mud up over the weekend, will post some pictures this evening after I finish the second coat. Hopefully this coming weekend I can get the third coat up and will be able to sand and prime the following weekend.

Wife got some fabric samples for the couches were looking at to help her decide on the flooring. Hopefully she gets a good commission this month se we can get that ordered. Probably start our taxes the beginning of next month, we always get hit hard on taxes due to my wife's fluctuation in income working on commission. Can't complain though, her bonus' are the reason I can get this tank, and we save enough to cover them a couple months prior to tax season.

So if all goes right, we will order the couch at the end of this month, pay taxes next month and order the tank at the end of Feb early March! Which will work out for me since my birthday is in March.

On a side note, we where planning on tearing down the current 75 and 20 AIO, but my wife thinks she might want to keep the nano. Since I already see myself doing the maintenance on this, I'm trying to think of a way I could have the nano next to the 300 and plumb it into the sump. If we keep it I'd like to integrate it with the new system, no more water changes with 5 gallon buckets after we get the new tank. Its a pain right now since my mixing station is in the basement and both tanks are upstairs. Big concern would be the drain from the nano getting clogged, wouldn't take much to flood a 20 nano with a 75 gallon sump.

Edit:
We talked and will probably be tearing down the 75 in the next couple weekends. The upkeep costs to keep our fox face in it isn't worth the electricity and food for the rest of the fish. It will be hard to give him back but maybe we can get a credit for a new one when we get the new tank. I think the wife is also getting tired of the temp setup in the dining room. I didn't even put the sump under the stand and the tank has exploded with aptaisa, I think the multiple moves it made while we were selling our old house and then moving it to the new house made them spread like crazy and I just haven't wanted to deal with it.

 

[thomas_neil]

I’ve realized this has turned into a basement build thread more than a tank build thread. I promise there will be a tank in this thread eventually. I did get some progress photos today. Haven’t posted any updates in a while (I drew in the fish so you know what to expect). Got drywall up and 2 coats of mud. Also have everything roughed for the generator back up panel, just need to pull the home run to the garage. Need to decide what generator I want. I’ve been looking at the inverter one harbor freight has. Any one got any generator suggestions that won’t break the bank? Gotta have a 30 amp twist lock and electric start. Preferably around 10k running watts.

This weekend is last heavy coat of mud and a first coat on the tear away. Then probably second coat on tear away Sunday if everything’s dry. Following weekend will be sanding and a light skim coat to top it and fill in imperfections. Potentially even prime if everything goes smoothly.

 

[thomas_neil]

No updates this weekend, big push at work to finish a project to turn over to the owner on Monday, so working today and tomorrow. Will probably take Monday and Tuesday off to get away from work for a bit and get some more done on the basement. Inching closer, but it will probably slow down. Work is going to take all my time and weekends most likely until March. Gotta love construction.

 

[thomas_neil]

Made some more progress on the basement this weekend. Painted the walls, started the LVT up to the point I need to stop to make room to do the tile.

I started the tile but got a pretty gnarly cut on my finger so I called it a day. I’m working next weekend so had to try and make the most of this weekend.

 

[thomas_neil]

Weekend update, finished the floor, got the base trim up except for around the tank, need to get some bigger 1x for around the columns.

Next weekend is grout, get a final coat of paint on the base (got the pre primed stuff at depot and painted 2 coats before I installed it), touch up paint on the walls and ceiling, and install all the outlets.

I can see the finish line, should be able to finish next weekend! Now just need to start the fish room, get furniture, and get the tank ordered. Not sure when we will order the tank, we booked a vacation to the keys for the end of April so will need to plan around that.

 

[thomas_neil]

Getting close to ordering the tank. Trying to decide if I want to do a drop off tank or not. I might get a quote to see how much more expensive it would be.

My biggest concern about this would getting the scape down there, lighting (would prob just be softies at the bottom), cleaning, and attaching corals.

What are peoples thoughts on this? I think I would love the look of the tank, but not sure about the practicality of it.

 

[kevgib67]

Getting close to ordering the tank. Trying to decide if I want to do a drop off tank or not. I might get a quote to see how much more expensive it would be.

My biggest concern about this would getting the scape down there, lighting (would prob just be softies at the bottom), cleaning, and attaching corals.

What are peoples thoughts on this? I think I would love the look of the tank, but not sure about the practicality of it.

No experience but I do love the look, hopefully someone with one will chime in.