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-   -   Aquarium Bar build (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=55041)

danny zubot 09-10-2009 01:41 AM

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Quote:

I'm loving the color, it is looking good! According to my fiance (he's a contractor) you should take out the caulking between the tiles and replace it with regular grout, then seal.
According for my 2 year old I should do the same thing, since he's already started it for me. My bad for leaving my tools laying around.:redface:

Pazil 09-10-2009 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danny zubot (Post 446813)
Pazil; should I have not used sanded caulk? I thought it was grout. Will I be able to grout over this since it has shrunk so much or should I be removing the caulk first?

Remove the caulking and use the sanded grout. You can use the color matched sanded caulking for the joints that meet the wood. If you try to grout those joints the caulking will crack. If you need any other help you can PM me I am always around.

UnderTheSea 09-10-2009 05:23 PM

Looking great. Can't wait to see the final pics......

Do you still run your RO with the carbon filter? You may want to consider removing as I noticed TDS to climb quickly with it on. I own an Aqua-Safe as well, are they even still in business?

danny zubot 09-10-2009 08:34 PM

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I never knew that the carbon raised the TDS. Yes I still run it. As far as I know Aqua-safe has new owners and will be up and running again soon.

danny zubot 09-12-2009 06:42 PM

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Just picked up some 1/4" line for the auto top up, but I'm not sure now if I can use the kind I bought. It's the black vinyl tubing that is normally used for out door drip lines. It says for out door coldwater use only. Does anyone out there use this for their tanks? Will something bad happen if I use this line?

danny zubot 09-17-2009 08:00 PM

steps 8 through infinity
 
For the past week I've been tying up all of the loose ends before the big move. I managed to get the bar and room finished, well, as far as a I can for now.

I moved the fuge and sump first so that I could get 90% of the plumbing done before the tank move. Here's a shot of them. The tank drains to the fuge where I have my 2 stage GFO/NO3 reactor as well as macros and some live rock chunks.

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...m/IMGP3666.JPG

Then from the fugethe water drains into the sump. I have my ASM G3 skimmer, carbon bag, filter sock, heater, PH probe, thermometer sensor and return pump all situated in the sump.

You can see on the right that I used a one way check valve and union for the return line. I ran it into my SQWD and then up to the tank via mostly 1" line. With all of that plumbing I figure I went from a 950 GPH pump to only 600-650 GPH. I guess thats fine seeing as how it only runs out of one exit at a time.
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...m/IMGP3667.JPG

danny zubot 09-17-2009 08:09 PM

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The light sit quite nicely in the cantalevered canopy, but I overlooked one crutial element when I designed it. I didn't account for the actinic T5's at all, so they aren't intalled right now. I will have to figure out a way to install them that doesn't look crappy.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3669.jpg

And now for the 99% finished product............
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http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3670.jpg

sphelps 09-17-2009 08:27 PM

Damn! Looks good and I love how well it blends in. The only problem I see is the limited space for a keg. This is a bar right?

lastlight 09-17-2009 08:28 PM

RAD! How is the light bleed from that badboy?

I'm noting a lack of a kid-potty but the addition of a child-gate. Moving on up in every way =)

And what is your flooring?

Lance 09-17-2009 09:52 PM

Nice job Danny. Looks great!

danny zubot 09-17-2009 11:30 PM

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Thanks all. There is absolutely no room under there for a keg.:lol: It's really just a dry bar so the most I'll do is put up shelves along the back wall for alcohol. There is enought room for our little fridge behind the bar though, provided I ever get around to having it fixed.

The light bleed is emense, but thats kind of what I wanted since the room sort of doubles as a solarium. And the floor is just painted concrete, that is until I can afford hard wood.

The one thing I noticed today was an increase in the tanks temperature. The room does heat up due to the south exposure and patio doors, so I'll have to remember to keep the curtains drawn.

chris121277 09-18-2009 01:26 AM

wow...thats awesome man!!! very nice job!

How did the move go? everything make the transfer ok?

danny zubot 09-18-2009 02:59 AM

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The move was hectic even with all of the prep work I put in. Thats what you get for being a stay at home dad I guess. I managed to drop only two colonies while attempting transfer them. I should have been more careful when choping them down because all I was left with at the end of the day was crushed coral instead of the frags I was trying make. Thats what I get for rushing. But don't worry there's still plenty of frags if you want, and I can always make frags of the SPS.

danny zubot 09-18-2009 03:13 AM

new pics
 
The tank is looking surprisingly healthy after the move so here's a couple of close ups.

Front:
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3674.jpg

Inside:
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3673.jpg

Outside:
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3675.jpg

JDigital 09-18-2009 04:17 AM

Looks fantastic!! Congrats on a successful build, it turned out awesome.:biggrin:

chris121277 09-21-2009 02:14 PM

Tank is looking great man, I like the new aquascaping

bauder1986 09-21-2009 04:04 PM

very nice! Everything compliments wel together!

danny zubot 09-21-2009 08:42 PM

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Thanks again all. A few of my SPS have dulled in color since the move but will they should recover soon. I still have to build the doors for the cabinet under the bar. Right now that flimsy baby gate is the only things keeping the kids out, and I just don't trust it.

globaldesigns 09-21-2009 08:43 PM

Wow, GREAT colors on those pic's

Parker 09-21-2009 09:39 PM

Wow, that truned out great!

JDigital 09-21-2009 11:55 PM

I just noticed looking back at the 99% finished product pic that the ONLY thing I can actually nitpick (sorry.. :mrgreen:) about is the black trim on the tank... it kinda throws off the aesthetic balance of the room (to my eye anyways), as the room is trimmed all in bright white.

Would look awesome as a Rimless but I assume it's to late to remove it, perhaps testing out some bright white tape on the trim (then paint white later) would work to see if it blends into the surroundings better but still catches the eye of the viewer.?? Just tossing it out there. :P :razz:

danny zubot 09-22-2009 03:26 PM

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It's funny you should mention that because I've been toying with various ideas about finishing the trim around the tank. Right now there is a gap around the tank that shows the styrofoam. I've pondered covering the bottom with some finger joint trim, but that may not work for the top of the tank. White tape might be the answer for that though, thanks for the idea.

I'll pst pics when I can to see what people think.

danny zubot 10-15-2009 03:29 AM

new pics
 
Just thought I'd share a couple pics of the tank with some updated aquascaping and tank trim.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3754.jpg

robert 10-15-2009 04:08 AM

Nice
 
Well done. Outstanding carpentry job and I really like the tank, simple but beautiful aquascaping. Now you just need to add a few bottles of some nice wine and I'm ready for the tank tour :mrgreen:

JDigital 10-15-2009 04:12 AM

Bottom trim looks great danny! What did you end up doing with the upper tank trim? Got a FBS (full bar shot)? :mrgreen:

danny zubot 10-15-2009 05:13 AM

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Oops, I have to appolgize about the missing pics. I didn't realize that re-organizing my photo bucket albums would result in link being broken. I'll post a FBS soon.

The top trim is still black for now because I haven't been able to locate glossy white tape. I wanted to use the tape first before commiting to glueing any kind of moulding in place.

Mrfish55 10-15-2009 02:31 PM

If you are looking for white tape, try your local hobby shop, they have trim for the model airplanes that will come in gloss white and it is easy to work with and very durable (has to hold up to fuel)

fishytime 10-15-2009 03:06 PM

Nice work Danny....looks like a great place to tip a glass....cheers

lastlight 10-15-2009 04:53 PM

For people that don't have their glasses sitting on a makeshift shelf in their sump right Doug?

Those colors are popping!

danny zubot 12-04-2009 06:07 AM

update
 
I haven't updated anything for a while so while I had the ambition tonight I snapped a couple of pics of some new things that have been going on with the barquarium.

I couple of weeks ago I noticed that my SQWD went, what a pain those things are to deal with. The theory behind them is good, but the product was lacking as it turned out. one of the gears broke inside so the valve got stuck to one side. I only noticed this after sme of my corals began to show signs of stress, and GHA started to appear on one side of the tank. I pondered replacing it, but instead opted to go a different direction. Thanks to a fellow Canreefer I've now jumped up a notch in the tech ranks to a digital wavemaker.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3846.jpg

It runs the existing 3 Koralia 2's that I have in the tank. What a noise they make when turning on after being idle. I couldn't stand it for even a day, and it got the gears in my head turning. (turn off your smoke detectors) This is what I came up with. A simple by as it turns out, very effectiveway to shut them up. Anyone who owns Koralia's knows that the impeller flaps around when they're turned on, until it grabs. A small piece of rigid watr filter tubing did the trick, and should also extend the life of the impeller.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3843.jpg

Oh, I forgot to mention; When I ditched the old plumbing from when I had the SQWD I increased my return line flow a lot. Not only did I get rid of the SQWD but also, a check valve and all of the 3/4" plumbing. Now with 1" plumbing I figure I've added about 250 - 300 GPH to the return line, if not more. This caused an unexpected problem with the overflow from my refugium to the sump. It couldn't handle the increased flow due to the lack of pitch in the drain line and I had a mini flood. Rookie plumbing mistake I guess. So I had to "T" off the 1.5" drain line before the fuge so that some of the water went directly int the sump. I also added some more pitch to the drain.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3842.jpg

danny zubot 12-04-2009 06:21 AM

more updates
 
After everything was re-done I had to re-aquascape things a bit. Let me know what you think.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3849.jpg

Here's a shot of a couple of frags that a bought from Oceanic Corals that I'm proud of.
Purple plasma and red planet acros.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3847.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3848.jpg

I've also added some Booze to the bar and the wife got me a calender to complete the "man" look.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3850.jpg

Delphinus 12-04-2009 06:29 AM

Lookin' great there Danny. :cool:

chris121277 12-04-2009 02:08 PM

looking good there Danny.......thats all the barquarium needed was booze and a girly calender
Some good growth on the new corals as well, should be able to frag thows babies in no time:wink:

lastlight 12-06-2009 04:26 AM

I'd definitely be spending some time down there very nice! You're playing with fire with the GSP aren't you? Looks pretty cool tho!

loveless 12-06-2009 05:57 AM

Grey Goose. Good choice.

untamed 12-06-2009 06:20 AM

Ha...there's no way my wife would be purchasing me a calendar like that! Your coke is going to get kind of warm up there... Looks like a wonderful place to hang out.

dcook 12-07-2009 03:02 PM

It runs the existing 3 Koralia 2's that I have in the tank. What a noise they make when turning on after being idle. I couldn't stand it for even a day, and it got the gears in my head turning. (turn off your smoke detectors) This is what I came up with. A simple by as it turns out, very effectiveway to shut them up. Anyone who owns Koralia's knows that the impeller flaps around when they're turned on, until it grabs. A small piece of rigid watr filter tubing did the trick, and should also extend the life of the impeller.please give more details ie how tooooooooooooo?

danny zubot 12-07-2009 03:38 PM

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Thanks everyone. I still have plans for a few more bar items, like one of those hanging glass holder things.

As for the Koralia mod; It's pretty simple. Normally there's about an inch gap between the impeller and the end of the berring shaft. So if your Koralia is facing down the impeller could slip out a bit, causing it to bounch around upon activation right. Well, just cut a piece of rigid water filter line 1" long and place it in there. As shown in the pic with the yellow piece of tubing.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...t/IMGP3843.jpg

dcook 12-08-2009 12:55 PM

Thanks danny zubot
I have 1 on a timer, it starts at 8am its so loud its my alarm clock lol
not anymore.....

danny zubot 12-09-2009 03:26 PM

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So last night while re-arranging the tank again I made a discovery about my Koralia mod. It doesn't work, or should I say it doesn't work all of the time. I guess when the impeller is bouncing around upon activation it's looking for the correct polarity. By inhibiting this action by the impeller I've managed to make it run backwards, pulling water into the pump instead of pushing it out. Wierd hey? It only does this about half the time, and is completely random it seems. So I might leave the sleaves in because it doesn't seems to hurt the impeller. What it does do, is create some strange flow around the tank when one or more are running in reverse. Sorry to all who have used my mod already, please check your Koralia's to make sure they are pumping correctly.


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