Turtle's Deep Blue Sea

SashimiTurtle · Oct 10, 2017

Step one, buy new tank... check

Ahem, Turtle... that's not a new tank.

It's new to me.

But look at it, it's filthy!

Ok, fine. It's "nused."

Did you just put new and used together in one word?

Why, yes I did... I am talking to myself, do you expect me not to make up words. Now, go invite our friends. We have a build thread to start!

Fine, but they are your friends. I'm not real, remember?... @Katrina71 @ReeferMadness80G @saltyfilmfolks @Amoo @najer

Dsnakes · Oct 10, 2017

Can't wait to see more! What are your plans for it? I'll be tagging along

saltyfilmfolks · Oct 10, 2017

How many gallons of vinegar did you pick up?

Where's the snacks?

SashimiTurtle · Oct 10, 2017

Now that I have my alter ego off running errands, lets get to cleaning up this cesspool in a glass box. This thing smells very strongly of decay. Quick look in the overflow reveals tons of barnacles.... all rotting. Yay! So we fill the spray bottle with household vinegar, get the scrub sponge, a tooth brush and head to the back porch to give this thing a detail. Sorry I do not have pictures of this process, I was having too much fun soaking my dog and even tho my S8+ is waterproof, the screen doesn't work when wet. So, here's some clean after pictures.

I do have a picture fitting the drain and return plumbing on the porch...

SashimiTurtle · Oct 10, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
How many gallons of vinegar did you pick up?

Where's the snacks?

I had 2 gallon jugs of walmart brand 5% distilled white vinegar under the kitchen cabinet. I'm not a novice reefer anymore. Cleaning supplies are on hand. =)

Ok, I guess I'll get snacks this time since I started a new thread and invited you over to play. How does buffalo wings and bleu cheese sound? I've been wanting some today.

SashimiTurtle · Oct 10, 2017

Dsnakes said:
Can't wait to see more! What are your plans for it? I'll be tagging along

Welcome to the Deep Blue Sea @Dsnakes! Hang around. I have a few more updates coming very soon, and one special surprise I haven't really seen done before on here.

Yes @Amoo, I stole your greeting from The Pasture. Get over it.

Katrina71 · Oct 10, 2017

Coral wish list?

SashimiTurtle · Oct 10, 2017

So, after giving the stand a quick wipe down I carried it inside. Moved my 14g over, while full of water ;Nailbiting!!! Set the stand where it's going to live, and its all wobbly. The back right "foot" needs a shim. What do i have around the house for shims... Paint stick! Head to the garage, no paint sticks. But, I did find this plastic putty knife.

Bingo, It's level!

Actually, Turtle... it could go a bit higher on the right side.

You again? I thought you were running errands? Besides, it's good enough for government work.

I'm done.

Oh... fine I guess you can hang out too. Nobody wants to look at a putty knife sticking out of their stand. Why don't you make yourself useful and go cut the end of this thing off.

There, that's better. Just tuck it in a bit more and we'll forget it's even there in a few weeks.

Katrina71 · Oct 10, 2017

Black Sharpie+ beer. What shim?

Dsnakes · Oct 10, 2017

Katrina71 said:
Black Sharpie+ beer. What shim?

One may not even require the black sharpie!

SashimiTurtle · Oct 10, 2017

@Katrina71

;Turtle

SashimiTurtle · Oct 10, 2017

Alright where were we... oh yea, now that the stand and sump are cleaned up. It's time to reassemble the return and the overflow, and put the tank on the stand.

Yes, those are my grandparents on the mantle. They were born in '33 and '34. Grandpa is retired USAFR radio operator from the Korean War. That's when they met. He still operates a HAM radio and has antennas all over the yard. Oh and he can't here a gun shot going off in a tin can, morose code beeping in his ears for years. He's got a cochlear implant, but it only does so much. I call it his cyborg modification, not to him... he wouldn't understand. Grandma can sew anything by hand, trivet... got it, pot holder... got it, table cloth... got it, afgan, got one too. They live right up the road from me. My other grandparents are passed on. They lived right up the road too. I was lucky, I got to grow up with both sets of grandparents less than 10 minutes away. They were born in '23 and '25. Grandaddy was US Navy Armed Guard in WWII, Grandma was a White House intern... she had some awesome shorthand skills, lost art shorthand. They met in union station during WWII before Grandaddy shipped out to sea. Grandaddy passed in 2016 at the age of 92, I always said he was too mean to die. Grandma passed in 1998.

Back to the fish tank, the Jebao doser is unplugged and not hooked to the 14g. Alk is high still, so I'm letting it fall a bit and I'll figure out where to set it, probably on the hearth for now until I get the 35g cycled. Yes, those are Voss water bottles on the cabinet. The water is HORRIBLE. I never thought water could taste stale, but I guess I was wrong. Oh well, I bought it for the bottle anyway. Stick with Fiji water if you want to drink it. I'll be turning these into my dosing containers. They are 800ml each.

Hmm, so... looks like need a piece of 1" PVC to connect the drain to the sump. My aim is good, but even I splash every now and then...

Measure once, cut twice... or is that measure twice, cut thrice... Well looks like 7". Time to get the hacksaw.

A little bit of hacking, a little sawing, stick the pipe in the valve, pick up the tank and try to look thru the bottom, hope you don't crack the glass and vualá... Like prego, it's in there.

Stick the Curve 5 and the Cobalt 200W(overkill for 50g total water, but I already had it) heater in there and we're getting really close to having a complete system.

SashimiTurtle · Oct 10, 2017

Katrina71 said:
Coral wish list?

Don't think I've forgot about you. The plan is to transfer over everything from the 14g once this tank cycles. Acros, acans, stylo, pocci, birds nest, frog spawn, hammer, zoas, pallys and rhodactis...

The focus however, will be SPS, mostly acros, might try a monti cap again, and acans, scollys, lobos... I've really picked up interest in the squishy button LPS corals, but I'm still a stick head.

Katrina71 · Oct 10, 2017

That's looking good!

Zack K · Oct 10, 2017

The best thread I have read in a while. Definitely following this one.

SashimiTurtle · Oct 10, 2017

Oh no, we forgot to post the return plumbing.

No, you did, I'm drinking beer.

And you didn't offer me one?

If you remember from earlier, the original lock line had a small round jet nozzle on it. Well I wanted a wider flow pattern for more surface agitation. Behold, a 3" fan nozzle I snatched off the old 75g. Mine was much cleaner too, and didn't require 30 minutes of scrubbing salt creep off of it.

I also got a package in the mail today. My Jebao SW2 came in. @Katrina71, you need to get one of these for little man's tank. IT'S SO TINY. It's.. well, it's cute. Here, I'll show you.

I'm not a large man. I'm 5'8" when I stand up REALLY tall, and I wear only wear a large glove out the Fastenal machine at work... I never have to worry about my size gloves being out of stock, XL and XXL are usually gone first. I was shocked when it came in, it's half the size of my Koralia 565gph, and this thing is DC and goes from 100-650gph. I'm excited to get it wet.

Jason mack · Oct 10, 2017

Robin Haselden said:
So, after giving the stand a quick wipe down I carried it inside. Moved my 14g over, while full of water ;Nailbiting!!! Set the stand where it's going to live, and its all wobbly. The back right "foot" needs a shim. What do i have around the house for shims... Paint stick! Head to the garage, no paint sticks. But, I did find this plastic putty knife.

Bingo, It's level!

Actually, Turtle... it could go a bit higher on the right side.

You again? I thought you were running errands? Besides, it's good enough for government work.

I'm done.

Oh... fine I guess you can hang out too. Nobody wants to look at a putty knife sticking out of their stand. Why don't you make yourself useful and go cut the end of this thing off.

There, that's better. Just tuck it in a bit more and we'll forget it's even there in a few weeks.

Funny as ....!!!!!im in stitches ...