Ron Reefman's new 90g build

[Ron Reefman]

Sounds fun. Your new Miata sounds like a beast. I recall people used to put the 89 - 91 5.0 Mustang engines in them but I heard they are nose heavy. Yours sounds more balanced.

Open track events would be Sears Point / Infinity Raceway and Thunder Hill are the two main areas that are close to me. I used to run in the beginner groups. My wife's requirement for me was easy - I have to be able to walk away physically and financially So that would limit me to 1 or 2 evens a year, track insurance, etc. I was using my daily driver anyway which was a 89 LX back in 2001 - 2003 and recently 2015 GT/PP with minor suspension adjustments. GT350R springs, steeda adjustable struts, few bushings. Basically firming it up but maintaining daily driver ride comfort. It was also our touring call if you will. Trips like Sacramento to Vegas to LA and back. Was planning Sacramento to Key West Florida Unfortunately I sold the car last year. Considering a used GT350 but probably not in the cards...

I'd love to do the western tracks, but probably not in the cards for me. Now that the wife is retired we are doing a lot more traveling and some of it is pretty expensive. Fall of 2020 I talked the wife into a week long snorkel trip in Fiji with a group called Road Scholars. We've already done 2 trips with them (Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and Churchill Manitoba Northern Lights) and have 2 more already scheduled. Next is this fall to Moab, Utah to photograph Arches and Canyonland National Parks with a professional photographer/instructor.

 

[User1]

I'd love to do the western tracks, but probably not in the cards for me. Now that the wife is retired we are doing a lot more traveling and some of it is pretty expensive. Fall of 2020 I talked the wife into a week long snorkel trip in Fiji with a group called Road Scholars. We've already done 2 trips with them (Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and Churchill Manitoba Northern Lights) and have 2 more already scheduled. Next is this fall to Moab, Utah to photograph Arches and Canyonland National Parks with a professional photographer/instructor.

If you don't mind me saying so you are clearly doing something right, and have done it right. Photo's and trips sound amazing and as I start to wind down my career and plan for retirement I hope I do it right like you have done. Great example.

 

[shred5]

Oh nice..
I have just one question, where did you get the rug that is assume?

 

[BeejReef]

My advise would be to build the overflow how you want to and just slowly move the dining room table 1" at a time so your wife doesn't notice.. lol.

Since you're doing the white silicone/kitchen cabinet style look, how about a nice white piece of pvc for a space-saver overflow?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Oh nice..
I have just one question, where did you get the rug that is assume?

I assume you mean the one in front of the stand? I got it and a couple of others online some time ago. They weren't expensive but they aren't high quality either. It's kind of a heavy printed cloth over a very thin foam and a thin non-slip base. I'll get photos of the others and post them here. Give me some time and I'll try and find the website for you.

My advise would be to build the overflow how you want to and just slowly move the dining room table 1" at a time so your wife doesn't notice.. lol.

Since you're doing the white silicone/kitchen cabinet style look, how about a nice white piece of pvc for a space-saver overflow?

The dining room table is already pushed to the opposite wall... which is the back side of the kitchen island that has a bar top high backside. I'm marketing the idea that since it's just the 2 of us and we never entertain at home for meals, we should lose the table and get bar stools which would save space! So far it hasn't be received to well. But we almost never eat at the dining room table. It used far more as a place to pile stuff that later needs to be moved on. So I have hope, but the build will move forward. And I currently plan to build a 12" to 18" wide white acrylic overflow box.

Update to the build: I have the 1/2" white acrylic base in my car and the glass should be delivered by the end of the week. I ordered white RTV silicone/adhesive from Graingers and it's in. It's a bit pricey at $18/tube, but it should really do the job. I ordered bulkheads today and found 1" strainers in my spares for the top of the main drain and the emergency drain (maybe). I'll reuse the gate valves I have in the current system when I rebuild the plumbing.

The next big step is taking the acrylic base and the bottom glass to a special shop to have the groove cut into the acrylic (1/4" deep and either 3/8" wide (the thickness of the glass) or 7/16" wide to leave a bit of room for adhesive. IMHO this is going to be a delicate operation as the grove can't under cut the glass bottom because then the side glass won't fit in what's left of the groove. But it can't be more than 1/32", preferably 1/64" away from the bottom glass, otherwise the silicone gap will be bigger than I want.

So now I just wait for the glass to arrive.

 

[Ron Reefman]

OK @shred5 , the website is called Rosegal.com

Here are the other ones I bought to get to the free shipping level. This one often gets used in front of the stand as well.

This one in in front of the sink in the guest bathroom.

And you'll never guess where this one is! LOL!

 

[shred5]

OK @shred5 , the website is called Rosegal.com

Here are the other ones I bought to get to the free shipping level. This one often gets used in front of the stand as well.

This one in in front of the sink in the guest bathroom.

And you'll never guess where this one is! LOL!

Thanks Ron Yea I did find them, a few different ones too.. They are pretty cool, some are made to absorb water and some resist..

I might get a few for in between my basement tanks..

I will check out the place you said because the places I found them I never heard off..

 

[Ron Reefman]

Sounds fun. Your new Miata sounds like a beast.

Was planning Sacramento to Key West Florida Unfortunately I sold the car last year. Considering a used GT350 but probably not in the cards...

If you ever head to anyplace in the Keys, let me know and we can meet for a drink and maybe a snorkel!

And now back to my new tank build. The white acrylic base is at a router shop and will be about 10 days to get done... yes, they are that busy! I asked if they would be comfortable cutting the acrylic down to size after they do the routing. They asked, what size? I said can you cut it so the edge is just 1/8th of an inch from the routed groove? No sweat, he says, we've cut acrylic down to 3/100ths of an inch!

OK, so while I wait on that and a couple of flared edges on a couple of glass panels to be ground down by the glass provider, I decided to go ahead and drill the holes in the base glass. I'll have two 1" bulkheads for the main drain and the emergency drain and three 3/4" bulkheads for two returns and the durso drain that will be a 1" pipe narrowed down to a 3/4" at the base. The drilling went well and only took about an hour from start to end of clean up. Here are some photos.

Wood under the glass to reduce chipping on the bottom side of the glass.

Wood fixture to hole the drill to one spot.

Side view at about half depth.

Finished hole with the removed plug.

The row of 5 holes and the with 5 bulkheads.

 

[crusso1993]

If you ever head to anyplace in the Keys, let me know and we can meet for a drink and maybe a snorkel!

And now back to my new tank build. The white acrylic base is at a router shop and will be about 10 days to get done... yes, they are that busy! I asked if they would be comfortable cutting the acrylic down to size after they do the routing. They asked, what size? I said can you cut it so the edge is just 1/8th of an inch from the routed groove? No sweat, he says, we've cut acrylic down to 3/100ths of an inch!

OK, so while I wait on that and a couple of flared edges on a couple of glass panels to be ground down by the glass provider, I decided to go ahead and drill the holes in the base glass. I'll have two 1" bulkheads for the main drain and the emergency drain and three 3/4" bulkheads for two returns and the durso drain that will be a 1" pipe narrowed down to a 3/4" at the base. The drilling went well and only took about an hour from start to end of clean up. Here are some photos.

Wood under the glass to reduce chipping on the bottom side of the glass.

Wood fixture to hole the drill to one spot.

Side view at about half depth.

Finished hole with the removed plug.

The row of 5 holes and the with 5 bulkheads.

Well done, Ron!

 

[Katrina71]

@Why-Me see above. I think this is what you were talking about.

 

[Katrina71]

What lights are you going to use for the new tank, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Ron Reefman]

What lights are you going to use for the new tank, if you don't mind me asking?

Katrina, seriously... you can ask me anything! How could I refuse the most popular person on R2R?

Currently over the 40g tank I have a 2' Reef Breeders Photon V2+ and a 2' inexpensive all white and blue led fixture set right behind it and I just run the blue leds. They will both work over the 3', 90g tank. I also have a 16" Photon V2 (not the + version) that I might add in the mix as well.

That's at least where I intend to start. Who knows what I might decide to do after I go to MACNA in a couple of weeks!

So what will you be using and do you have any suggestions for me?

 

[Katrina71]

Popular? No. Most willing to ask and learn, maybe. Sir, I'm humbled that you'd ask. I am going hybrid on the new build. Maybe more old school than you'd expect.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I think hybrid fixtures are very good. If I could have one made with the t5 fixture that dims like the leds, I'd give it serious consideration. I did a hybrid with a t5 bulb either side (white up front and blue out back). But they over powered the very cool white light of the led fixture. I think hybrids are more important to leds that are point source fixtures than to led fixtures that are big arrays like the Photon. But they do serve a purpose and reduce shadows under ledges and coral shelves.

 

[Katrina71]

Talk to @dantimdad he loves playing with lights.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I'll probably finish it today, but here is the start of the egg crate platform I'm making for the new tank. I very much liked the slope platform I did for my current 40g tank. But it's quite difficult to get under it to collect things that fall through or around the outer edges. Especially when it's a new and expensive frag! So this build I'm doing 3 flat tiers to create a pyramid that builds up to the overflow at the back of the tank. And the top level will be 8"x 8" square and I'l have a custom rock on it that can be full of coral. However, if I need to I'll be able to pull the top rock off and put it in a tray of water, lift out the top level and have room to reach in under the rest of the platform.

Here is the start so far:

The 3 different levels cut out and glued together from old scrap egg crate.

the legs for the first 2 levels.

The first level done and the legs for the second level attached.

 

[Peace River]

I think the 4’ and less ATI hybrids are dimmable:

ATI Hybrid LED WiFi T-5 PowerModule

 

[Ron Reefman]

Talk to @dantimdad he loves playing with lights.

We've exchaged phone numbers so we can find each other at MACNA.

I think the 4’ and less ATI hybrids are dimmable:

ATI Hybrid LED WiFi T-5 PowerModule

Now I may have to rethink my options! Thanks a lot for the lead.

You know as I continued down the downsizing road from 4 tanks to 1, I ended up with a lot of left overs and spares. So I just haven't kept up with all the new stuff on the market. Hopefully going to MACNA again this year will help get me more current! Well, maybe...

 

[Ron Reefman]

I finished all but the final fit of the egg crate rockscape rack today. So here is what it looked like when the 2nd level was installed. All the legs so far have been attached by drilling a couple of holes in the PVC pipe and looping a small cable tie through the holes and around a section of the egg crate. The short ones under the bottom level are only attached at the top of the pipe. The taller legs are attached at both the top and in the middle of the pipe. Don't ask how I threaded cable ties through two holes in the middle of a long section of pvc pipe. I'm not sure I could explain it... but it was kind of frustrating and I took some pride in managing to get them all done!

I want the very top level to be removable so I can get inside the rockscape to collect anything that may fall through (like an expensive coral frag) or anything that dies (sea cucumber, clam, serpent star, whatever). So I've made a stand that is independent of the other 2 levels and can stand alone. I'll either find a rock, or glue together some number of rocks, or custom make a rock that will sit on the top level. I'll have corals on it, but I'll keep it 'easy' to lift out of the tank and set into a small tub of tank water while I work in the tank. Then I can even lift out the top level egg crate and the pvc legs from the tank giving me fairly good access to everything under the rockscape.

Here is the full set up.

As you can see, the back side of the this rack is open between the two ends at the lower level. This rack will fit snug up against the center overflow and the two bottom extensions will wrap around the overflow and reach all the way to the back glass. I'll have to remove a bit more egg crate so it will clear the full width of the overflow once I have it made.

THE NEXT STEP:
So the next project is building the overflow. Again I intend to be a bit different. Rather than cutting teeth into the top of the overflow, or even leaving it smooth (I've done that before), I intend to dill holes just below the upper edge of the overflow. I've seen some commercial overflows that have small oval holes and I think it looks very clean compared to teeth. So now I need to figure out how big to make the holes and how many I'll need to flow about 1500 gph which is about 33% more than I intend to use.

The 1.5" full drain and 1" durso should flow about that much or more should I even decide to use that much. I've even toyed with the idea of running the durso through the refugium and then to the skimmer and return pump. At the same time running the main drain to a variable speed pump and run it like a closed loop or maybe even doing a 'T' off the pump and run the return to both a return in the tank and some to the skimmer and main return pump. But I think the split closed loop idea is more complicated than I need. And it's possible I could switch the drains so the durso goes to the closed loop pump and the main drain goes to the refugium and skimmer then the return pump.

Anybody care to comment... tell me I'm crazy... compliment an ingenious idea... I'm open to any discussion. I've never seen anybody split the 2 drains of a Bean Animal to feed two different pumps.

 

[Katrina71]

Crazy brilliant? Hard to say until you try it.