Howdy All

addict

addict

Well-Known Member
Thanks Mike. It's good to be back.

Yeah, the tank battles have been rough... I think one of the main problems was taking my kalk reactor offline (it needed a new check valve). That removed the extra margin for error I had when it came to nutrient levels, and also allowed my Ca/Alk to swing all over the place. Combine that with a little bit of neglect (I was putting all my time into my final semester of college) and that's when disaster struck.

But at least I have the opportunity to do it again, and hopefully this time I won't be so careless.
 
addict

addict

Well-Known Member
Well, I was going through my photos I took yesterday and I found another one to post (while I'm waiting for the tank to 'wake up').

The 'tower of power' has changed up a bit. I built a rack to hold my MJ-1200's across the front of the overflow box using a piece of lexan (an 8"x10" piece from HD), some PVC glue and my lighter.

I trimmed down the Maxijet 3-point mounts and glued them to the rack, then created a couple of arms which I bent to hook around the top of the overflow (this is where the lighter came in), and now they all fit neatly together, and I don't have to worry about suction cups coming undone (a much nicer situation).

So far it seems to be working great. :thumbup:
 

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addict

addict

Well-Known Member
Thanks Craig. :D
I'll see if I can get a better shot of it later... it's something I'd contemplated for quite a while, but I had to mull it over in my mind for the better part of a year before the way to do it really stuck. Only took me a couple of hours to build once I had the process figured out in my head. :)

I'm still working on more tank photos, but I think it'll be probably tomorrow evening, after we do some cleaning... I spent all day today getting the kalk reactor back up and running, and we're working on doing a water change tomorrow. Plus I still have some more fragging and rearranging to do... I almost forgot how tiring it is working on the tank. :D
 
addict

addict

Well-Known Member
For you Craig?
Sure thing. :D

Attached is something I quickly threw together, but it should give you an idea how I trimmed the mounts, and how the parts were put together.

One thing the diagram doesn't show, is that the piece of lexan the mounts are attached to (across the front), is 'doubled'... it's two pieces glued together to change it to 1/4" thick. I just left enough room on each end of the piece so that the arms could fit, then glued it to the back. It definitely made a difference in structural rigidity.

So here it is:
 

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addict

addict

Well-Known Member
It only blocks one gap on either side, since the arms are 1" wide. In my case, it didn't make any difference in the overflow rate at all... I have a ton of extra capacity that's unused.
 
addict

addict

Well-Known Member
Oh, y'all will also notice that I have a new name now too... I've decided to get rid of the 'reefer', now that I'm growing up and becoming more responsible. :D
 
addict

addict

Well-Known Member
Done!

I think that works pretty good, but it's no comparison to a hedgehog with a gas mask. :D
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

Well-Known Member
Dave, welcome back from the dark side. I had heard rumors of your demise "over yonder", and wondered if you just got tired of "kissing the ring"...Anyway, nice to see ya again...
 
addict

addict

Well-Known Member
Thanks BoomerD. :)

It's good to be back.

and wondered if you just got tired of "kissing the ring"
Click to expand...
Well the problem was that I wouldn't kiss the ring, and like the movie Gladiator, it was ordered that I be taken out for a little 'ride'. :D

Really, my departure was fairly amicable... all the powers that be decided it was a wise move for me to leave, including myself... besides, I missed everybody over here, and after doing all my administration and stuff over there, I was burnt on forums for the day, so never quite made it over.

So how's that back treating you? It was kinda sad that you had to sell off all of your reef stuff, but it's nice to see you still around. :)
 
addict

addict

Well-Known Member
Well, I was finally able to get a shot of the front of the tank (well, at least the 'logical' front... it's really the right side), though there was a bit more glare than I expected this time of day.

But, it'll have to do for now. :)

reef_front.sized.jpg


This is pretty much the alcove for the soft corals, since the flow is a lot less in this area, and is pretty much why I set it up this way. With the way the rockwork was stacked before, I couldn't get any calm areas for softies, because the flow would just bounce off the front glass and right back through the rocks. This way a good portion of it is blocked, and I also have some nice ledges on the backside for SPS in the high flow area.

I ended up having to trap my Potter's Angel, because it developed a taste for clam, and neither of my clams were too happy... you can see what a difference a couple hours makes. Now both clams are nicely extended again without that pesky fish trying to peck at them.

Luckily my Flame Angel has been a model citizen so far... it's nipped one of my SPS a couple times, but other than that it hasn't been a problem at all.
 
Craig Manoukian

Craig Manoukian

Well-Known Member
Love that Tower of Powerheads! Nuff stuff about the past, eh, and let's keep the discussion focused on the bright side, like that awesome full tank shot! Very nice Dave!
 
addict

addict

Well-Known Member
Thanks Doni and Craig.

Nuff stuff about the past, eh, and let's keep the discussion focused on the bright side, like that awesome full tank shot!
Click to expand...

You betcha... that's the last I'm gonna mention it. :)
I just figure that since people are 'hearing' things, I just wanted everything to be straight... now that it is, I'm done. :D
 
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