Yeah I realized that after I had cemented everything and that is actually why I have put this all aside for a while. My fish will have to wait. Im really sick of dealing with all this at the moment. Would have even been nice to have paid someone to do it. A friend of mine did that last year and it has worked out great for him!

So anyways it will most likely be a few weeks or a month until I do much more.

What kind of strainer were you thinking though? I really do not want to see a bigger strainer in the tank. I already hate how that one looks! I actually wanted something smaller. I was going to test it with this one and then see how it goes. I knew there might be a lot of suction but there are also no fish smaller than about 10" going in this tank. Maybe the eel could get hurt though...

Bigger surface area. Something like this:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...duct%5Fid=2457

No fish smaller than 10"??? Yikes. I would agree that fish that large shouldn't have a problem with that intake.

Well there was only going to be 2 fish. Both are around 8" or 9" now. The porc should only reach about 10-12" and the Stars and Stripes about 12-15", so yeah no fish under 10". My eel is about 24" and very strong. Im not sure he could get hurt by the intake but like I said, I was going to do a test and see how hard the suction is. Because I will be putting this project aside for a few months now, we have decided to sell the porc. I think when this does get set up, it will just be the S&S and the eel. Just makes things easier having the one fish!

Anyways...That test will not be happening for a while now. Your right about the valves on the output and input of the closed loop pumps. Thats exactly why I wanted to post everything here and hope people caught these kinds of things. Well, it would not be very hard to cut out a section of the input and add a valve but for the output, theres no room between the union and reducer. I will not have the time or desire to fix this until after the new year when I will be taking 3 months off work. I am working about 60 hour weeks right now and just do not have the time. I needed to have this tank done by last weekend before I picked up all this freelance work but it obviously did not happen, so I have no problem waiting until January to finish this up. Thats just the way things go I guess...

Well after being really discouraged and out of time the other night I stayed up until about 4am and finished the plumbing and fixed added valves to the input and output of the closed loop pump (Thank you Untamed for noticing that).

I was going to bed and thought I would go see my Stars and Stripes Puffer, "Crush", as I do every night. I couldn't find him. I looked all over the tank and finally found him in the PVC cave he usually sleeps in but he was not moving. Turned on the lights to find that Crush had passed away. I have no idea what happened, he was his usual playful, energetic self just hours earlier. This has been absolutely devastating. I did not end up sleeping at all the other night. I tested the water MANY MANY times trying to figure it out but found nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing has changed in his tank that I can find. I checked him all over and there were no marks on him. His eyes looked fine and same with his gills. I have never had a fish just die on me and I still can't believe he is gone:cry:

Crush was an incredible companion for the year I had him and he will be very, very missed. Its already weird to not see him come to the glass everytime you pass his tank and spit for food. Its so sad too that he died the night his tank was pretty much ready to go.

Anyways, really not sure whats going to happen now. Tank is ready for water testing but I just have not had any motivation for a few days now to even bother. My fiance wants me to keep going with setting it up and get my porcupine and eel in there but I am now seriously considering selling them and taking a break. Crush really was like family to us and its been so hard to see him go...







Sorry about the length of that. Its just been very upsetting.

I'm so sorry to hear that.

I know how you feel (well, we probably all do, at some point). Take some time to grieve but press forward. You'll likely have more regrets about ending it on a note like that than if you kept with it.

That's so sad, sorry.

Dang GSP, I am sorry to hear that, but like delphinus said, Take a breather, then come back. You know youll kick yourselff if you dont.

Thanks. I have lost fish in the past of course but its never felt like this. None of them were quite as personable as this guy or really connected with me like he did.

Oh yeah I can't give up the hobby for sure. I just meant I may take some time away from it for a bit but I doubt it because Im pretty attached to my porc too and I would have to give him up.

Thanks to all you guys for the support.

I really do wish I knew what happened though. I guess it doesnt matter but I can't help but feel I did something wrong, just can't think of what it could have been.