Ron Reefman's new 90g build

[NY_Caveman]

Nice Ron! That Stunner is stunning, LOL. Cannot believe you got it in one piece.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Nice Ron! That Stunner is stunning, LOL. Cannot believe you got it in one piece.

Neither could I! Now we are debating over taking a smallish frag and selling the colony whole, fragging it down to a number of nice size colonies to sell and keep the piece attached to the magnet or figuring out where to put the entire colony in the new tank!

We should all have such terrible decisions to make! ;Hilarious;Hilarious

 

[Ron Reefman]

What a day!

So I moved everything out of the 40g cube DT. I did some aiptasia removal and some macro algae removal. The contents of the 40g cube are now spread out between 3 tanks. A 20g holding tank, a 40g breeder holding tank and a 10g holding tank. The 10g tank has 5 rocks with more aiptasia than I was willing to work on late in the day.

I went to bed an felt chills and achy. We woke up a 11pm to go outside and see if the meteor shower was happening. I was feeling VERY stiff mussels, achy joints, alternating chills and over heating and a slightly nauseous stomach. So I stayed in bed. This morning I feel 95% better and we think it was toxins from handling corals all day.

But this morning I went to see the tanks in the reef room and the 40g breeder is white hazy. The big Hollywood Stunner looks awful. The other corals look a bit stressed. The fish and scallops I can see look to be doing OK. I tested the water and got a SG of 1.026, temp 78, ammonia of 0.2ppm and alk 8.5dKH. So I don't know what the issue is.

Today I will rinse each coral in new saltwater and move them to a Brute with saltwater I made 2 days ago. The Stunner will go into a container of it's own. Then I'll remove all the water out of the 40g breeder, wipe it down and refill it with new salt water. Then I'll rinse each coral again in new saltwater and move them back into the 40g breeder. That should make for a reasonably full day!

I have my fingers crossed. The other 2 tanks look perfect! Crystal clear water and good polyp extension.

 

[Ron Reefman]

It took a couple of days and 80% water changes to get the 40g breeder holding tank under control. I lost 2 big sps corals and a few small ones. I also lost both flame scallops (I had one for 2 years!). I also lost 3 of my 4 fish. That's the bad news.

The good news is everything else seems to be doing OK. I pulled out the sump and cleaned off all the calcium deposits and soaked the return pump, wave makers and skimmer. I cut and fit all the plumbing that goes behind the weir on the new tank. And I took the top off one of the 2 cabinets I use as a stand. The new countertop will be 6" wider from front to back to fit the new 30" (front to back) tank.

 

[Ron Reefman]

This is the plumbing behind the weir. Left to right: return, main drain, emergency drain, durso and 2nd return.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Starting to rework my old kitchen cabinet stand for the new aquarium. The stand on the left has four 2x6 joists running from side to side for additional support. It will have the tank and house the sump/refugium. I opened up the backs to make plumbing and electrical access easier. After these pics I also drilled 2 holes in either corner at the back of the right side cabinet. I think the 20g ATO tank, the dosing pump and the dosing storage tanks will be in the right unit. both cabinets have soft close hinged doors and I'll make a door to fit between the 2 cabinets. I think all the electrical hardware will be in the center.

The top is 3/4" plywood and will have a waterproof plastic covering and will be trimmed out with PVC corner molding.

I can't do too much here yet as these need to be away from the wall so the plumber can access the bathroom sink pipes, the toilet water supply pipe and the shower pipes for the bathroom on the other side of this wall. They can't access it from inside the bathroom do to lite walls, cabinet and toilet placement. That work is scheduled for next week! It can't happen soon enough for me!

 

[crusso1993]

Been away for a while but happy to see things coming together nicely on this build. Hope you have been and are well!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Been away for a while but happy to see things coming together nicely on this build. Hope you have been and are well!

We are good, thanks for asking. I hope all is well with you as well?

The build is kind of on hold as we have major plumbing work being done. Our house has/had polybutelyne pipe which cracks when it gets old. Ours is 30 years old and we've had 2 leaks in the attic in the last 2 years. Yes, plumbing is in the attic, no basements in SW Florida. So walls have had to be opened up for installation of new pipes.

The guest (or hall bathroom backs up to the dining room wall where the new tank will sit. All the bathroom plumbing (sink, toilet & shower) is inside that wall so they opened up most of the bottom half of the wall! Along with 4 holes in the ceilings (main bath, dining room & garage), and 2 more in our walk-in closet.

So the plumbing is done and inspected by the city. The plumber put old drywall back in place where he could and made new where needed. But I wanted the finishing of the drywall install to be done right, so I'm doing it. As of today all the seams have been filled, taped over with mesh and covered with drywall mud. Some will need more, some still need to be sanded, some need a bit of texturing and a couple are ready for priming and paint.

This is where the aquarium will sit! I offered to cover the holes with clear acrylic and make it a 'Visible House' but Elaine wasn't thrilled with the idea!

There is a good size hole in the ceiling here as well. And behind the toilet is a major PITA! I considered pulling it, but I have enough work already. Maybe later as this project winds down and I have the new tank set up!

And we had to take everything out of the walk-in closet, so there are piles of clothes everywhere!

After the dining room wall is painted, I'll install FRP sheets (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) to protect the wall from salt creep, spray and splashing in the tank. Then the stand can be set in place and leveled. Then the tank (currently waiting in the garage) can be placed. I want so badly to get this done, but doing it right takes time and I'm trying to do this as well as I can. This will most likely be the last big aquarium I deal with. After this it will be downsizing to a smaller tank (or tanks) as we aren't getting any younger and we are traveling more and plan to even ramp up the travel while we still are both in good health.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Today I hung FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) on the dining room wall as a preparation for the aquarium stand being placed in front of the wall (it protects the wall from splashes and salt creep). I'll also got the aquarium stand top a final coat of white paint. My goal was to have the stand in place and ready for the new 90g tank by the end of the day! ;Happy;Woot

There's a lot to finish on the stand. I need to attach the top to the cabinets so it lies flat. I've already leveled the two cabinets within 0.1 degree. I need to make new kick plates for the front of each cabinet. I intend to make a door of some kind to fill the gap between the cabinets. The cabinets are about 7" out from the wall because they are 24" deep and the counter top is 31" deep. So I'll make a support system to fit up against the wall and wedge in between the floor and the back edge of the counter top where the tank will sit. I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to 'finish' the raw edge of the plywood.

The goal will be to get the top attached, add a 36"x30" section of yoga mat where the tank will sit and get the tank on the stand tomorrow. The trick is catching my neighbor to help me move the tank from the garage to the stand! It's heavy enough that it's all I can do to handle one side with his help. Lucky for me he's young and goes to the gym regularly!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Some progress has been made over the last couple of days.

The trim I will use along the 3/4" plywood is 7/8" inside, so 1/8" too long and it allows the trim to hang down and interfere with the cabinet doors. So I cut some material from an old 'For Sale' sign and siliconed it along the edge of the plywood.

Then I took the yoga mat I was going to use just under the tank and covered the entire plywood top just inside the new edge material. Then I used some flexible plastic wall protector sold at Home Depot and covered the entire top of the stand. The end you see here is where I had to use some yoga mat cut off the front and used it to fill in where it was 18" short.

I cut out the rectangle in the yoga mat and plastic cover to match the hole in the plywood where the drains and return pipes run through. With the help of my wife and 2 neighbors, the tank was moved from the garage to the stand. Having bought 2 suction cup handles at Graingers for $25 was a worthwhile investment.

I set the new egg crate rockscape platform in place and attached the polished stainless steel light hangers I had made to the back of the tank. The plastic blocks at that hold the stainless steel hangers to the glass were provided by Current USA. I asked them how much 4 would cost (I always want spares) and they just asked for my address and sent them to me at no charge! Thank you Current USA!

As of this morning I'm installing the bulkheads and plumbing inside the overflow. I do not intend to glue the pvc together inside the overflow so it can be removed if I need room to catch something that gets in there or just to do general cleaning. So I currently have end caps on the lower side of the bulkheads and I've added water behind the overflow to see if the bulkheads are holding the water.

This is the way the system looks as of mid-morning today. The extra room to the right of the tank will probably end up with either my old 16g rimless holding tank or my 40g rimless cube that was my DT before. But whichever one I use, it will not get plumbed into the system because it will be used to house locally collected wild livestock. It will run with a HOB filter system and an in the tank nano skimmer. That will still leave me working space on the counter top. Always a useful thing to have!

 

[45ZoaGarden]

That tank is looking awesome! Did you make the light brackets too?

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Those pictures are beautiful by the way! Not many people have the eye for photography!

 

[Ron Reefman]

That tank is looking awesome! Did you make the light brackets too?

I had them made. A shop that builds stainless steel towers for fishing boats here in Cape Coral made them for me. I still have to drill the mounting holes where the lights attach.

Thanks for the kind words about the photography. I've been doing it for a long time. But I only started to get serious about it after I stopped driving race cars and started taking photos of them! ;Hilarious;Hilarious;Hilarious

I love the cat photo, it it yours? We have a small flame point Siamese. This is her back when I had the big tanks.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

I had them made. A shop that builds stainless steel towers for fishing boats here in Cape Coral made them for me. I still have to drill the mounting holes where the lights attach.

Thanks for the kind words about the photography. I've been doing it for a long time. But I only started to get serious about it after I stopped driving race cars and started taking photos of them! ;Hilarious;Hilarious;Hilarious

I love the cat photo, it it yours? We have a small flame point Siamese. This is her back when I had the big tanks.

No, that is not my cat. It was actually Ernest Hemmingway’s cat. One of the many six toed cats on his property in Key west. I do have a cat though. I have a Norwegian forest cat and a tuxedo

 

[NY_Caveman]

Those eyes! Wow! That cat is beautiful!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Those eyes! Wow! That cat is beautiful!

And she (Maia) is a stray we adopted from Siamese Rescue! She was 3 months old (that was 7 years ago) and they transported her down here from North Florida. She was fixed and came with a cat carrier, half a box of caned food, half a bag of dry food, half a bag of litter and a small litter box... oh, and a grocery bag of cat toys! All that for $125. I now help transport cats for them and Elaine knits cat toys!

Most Siamese have darker blue eyes, but to be a flame point you need a tabby for the orange color (and rings on the tail) and that also gave her those piercing light blue eyes!

 

[45ZoaGarden]

And she (Maia) is a stray we adopted from Siamese Rescue! She was 3 months old (that was 7 years ago) and they transported her down here from North Florida. She was fixed and came with a cat carrier, half a box of caned food, half a bag of dry food, half a bag of litter and a small litter box... oh, and a grocery bag of cat toys! All that for $125. I now help transport cats for them and Elaine knits cat toys!

Most Siamese have darker blue eyes, but to be a flame point you need a tabby for the orange color (and rings on the tail) and that also gave her those piercing light blue eyes!

We are Siamese... thank you for bringing that cursed song back into my mind! LOL

 

[crusso1993]

Wishing you and your family good tidings!

 

[Ron Reefman]

@crusso1993 and to everybody who follows this thread (all 3 of you...;Hilarious;Hilarious;Hilarious) I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy, Healthy and Thankful New Year!

 

[Ron Reefman]

The drain and return plumbing is installed and finally leak free... I think!

I had to tighten a couple of hose clamps that hold the flexible connector between the bulkheads and the return lines from the pump. I use them to keep down vibrations and make removal or repairs easier. I need to make the drains behind the overflow a bit taller so the water isn't spilling so far behind the wall. It's a little too noisy right now.

Here is a shot of the return plumbing. The gate valve at the right end is for a future chiller install. If we have a big power failure (like after a hurricane) I have enough generator to run everything in the house except the stove and the air conditioner. So I'll have a chiller as a back up, other wise I don't need it.

And the pump. I pull a valve in because the out flow in the tank is too deep for anti-siphon holes. So if I shut the pump down to feed I can keep the tank from siphoning more water than just the overflow. There is still enough room in the sump/refugium to hold all the water if things shut down while I'm away.