Well, here goes nothing.
http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_1981.jpg

Heres the water test, it's just about full now, everything looks good.

I get nervous filling a tank for the first time in the shop, can't imagine doing it in the house, looking good Bob.

Okay the picture was taken in the day time now it's getting dark is it full!

Thats wicked Bob!.......how close do ya figure you are to calling it ALIVE?????

So i take it i could bring the skimmer back anytime?

Yep, all 315 gallons.

Well Doug, I think it's going to be a while yet. Now that is tested, I'm going to start the woodwork around it, I don't even have a sump yet. So it's going to be a while. Between the extra shifts at work and the kids, haven't had much time to work on this, but...........summer is coming and we know what that means! Two months off and my parents want the kids for at least a couple weeks. So I'm hoping by the end of August to be operational. I wish it could speed things up but I might as well be realistic.

No rush, won't have salty water for a bit yet. But I should swing by for a visit anyway, haven't seen the tank in a couple of months.

Unfortunately with this one I couldn't test it outside. Oh well, whats 300 gallons if it let go! No worries on this one, Im confident on the build, I've seen quite a few tanks and this one is solid.

I wouldnt second guess the quality of the tank either:wink:.....

Yay water :biggrin: Getting closer :mrgreen:

Bout due for an update, no?

well if you need drool for your tank, i got plenty over here. MY GOODNESS this is awesome. love the center overflow. good job on it so far.

Bad Luck
 

Well, probably not the update you guys want, but an update. In late June with all the rain, I had a sump pump failure(The house sump, not the tank sump). Needless to say with all the rain we have had, it filled the basement pretty quick and by the time I got home from work that night, the basement was pretty sloppy.
Of all the things that could happen, a simple pill switch failure can do a whole lot of damage. So with that being said, the clean up and re-build of the basement has begun, a contractor should be here in the morning so start, thank god for insurance.
I actually laughed a little to my self afterwards, I thought for sure, if there was ever a flood in the basement it would be because of a fish tank. The answer to that is "no". Although I did check the pump in the spring, and I just installed that sump pump when we moved in (3 years ago) I guess if I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any at all.
Now that all the badness is out of the way, lets talk about what has happened.
1- pulled 5 separate circuits in for power, I figure that has to be plenty.
2- pulled a cat5e from the computer into the sump area. That way I can hard wire my controller into my computer
3- ran a 3" fresh air line into top of canopy(for cooling) and a 2" down into sump area(again, cooling and skimmer intake)
4- wired in and installed a 50 cfm fan and de-humidistat into canopy area
5- almost completed the skin of the sump area, (I will finish it all in maple I think, but have a bit of time yet)
6- repaired the ceiling(just have to re-stiple the ceiling
7- removed two of the smaller walls that were left from the bedroom. Nice part about this is now I have a good 4' walk space around all three sides of the tank. It really opened up the basement.
All in all, I haven't had a ton of time, as the summer I have a very demanding job to fill. I become a full time dad to my two girls and they are quite demanding. Now that I have bored most of you to death, you might as well see some of the pictures.

pics
 

Heres a nice little plate I picked up a while ago.
http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_2005.jpg
A pic from the right side, you can see how they had to cut 30" up from the floor to make sure the basement would dry
http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_2007.jpg
A pic from the left side
http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_2006.jpghttp://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_2003.jpghttp://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_2001.jpghttp://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_1999.jpg

Looking good, at least you had the aluminium studs, imagine wood ones getting wet and rotting would have made for a lot more of a mess.

I never noticed the carpet gone either, was it flood damage or you had to pawn it off to feed the KID lol. Now you should just tile the floor so next time when u flood the floor its easier to dry :lol:

They say that with the aluminum track it actually causes more damage, because of the ability for the water to travel faster once it gets inside the track. I have no idea if it's true or not, but it does make some sense.

Next time??? Trust me, there won't be a next time. I've added a second sump pump, and have saw cut the floor with an emergency overflow to my floor drain, incase of power failure. This will not happen again, trust me. Once is bad enough.

Sorry Robb, kind of a disappointing update. I still have to stop by some time a check out your tank, might have to drag my kids along though.

I meant when u do what we all regularly do start filling the sump and walk away . I know what u mean how much it sucks we experience it last spring but we had to move the tank amidst the flood so it really sucked. Its just didnt cause as much damage none i can see other than all out door frames took on water and don't close anymore :redface:

You meant tank floods? Oh ya, hell there will be lots of those. Those keep life interesting, and that special bond between husband and wife strong.

Husband and wife ? :wink::wink:

So have you decided what equipment yet,

power heads and controller are you going with pellets or zeo, or just going fish only for now

[quote=BlueTang<3;624605]Husband and wife ? :wink::wink:


Wes, after 17 years and a couple of kids, I don't need a piece of paper to tell me she's my wife. I told her we could get married in Vegas last time we were there, but it had to be by Elvis. She didn't go for it.

Lol I dont blame her, any ways ill stop cluttering in boredom, Ill need to swing by some day and bring the swabbie and skimmer home. I probably have a bunch more of your goodies but who knows. I might try to find a par meter and for shits and giggles we should throw some lights over the tank once it get wet again and see what is going to perform best. Thinking pacific sun vs vertex

I think I am going to jump on the LED bandwagon, have a few ideas in mind, but nothing solid. As for controllers, I was thinking of a profilux still, as well as a dosing unit. I still have to get ahold of Dave or Brad about my sump, keep promising to get them the paper work on it, but it seems like I never have time(sorry guys). You know where I can get a bubble king skimmer?? Seemed to have misplaced mine.

My thoughts exactly. I think it's going to come down to one of these anyway.

Wow Bob, I just saw the bad luck. Sorry to hear man. At least you'll have contractors fixing the house instead of you having to do it yourself. Still looking forward to the progression of this aquarium!

Sorry to hear about your bad luck, it looks like you're well on the way to recovery though..

Feel free to stop in anytime and kids are always welcome!

Well managed to get some what back on track, progress has been slow. The nice thing is the basement is near complete, the rug goes in next Tuesday. Everything else is small odds and ends, so maybe I can get back on track and get some water and at least the rock work done in the next couple months. Here's a couple of pics.
Started to do the wood work around the tank and the access panels.
http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_2044.jpghttp://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_2042.jpghttp://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_2043.jpg
And what it looks like now.
http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_2045.jpghttp://i617.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/IMG_2047.jpg
A lot done but still a pile to go.

Stand looks really good Bob, blends right in with the walls. I guess you can look on the bright side of the flood, new tank & part basement.

My god i am envious of some of the woodwork skills on this board. Your stand looks amazing

+1

Looking good. I noticed that you refinished the ceiling too, that must have been fun.

humina humina humina........gorgeous set up! Great work on the stand....so clean looking.

Thanks Mike. Hey, Im going to have to work a bit in the panel. Sure could use some help, let me know when your free.

Ya, it's been a pain in the butt, but the basement sure is opened up and looking good. Can't wait to get some water in and get started again.

Thanks, Im no carpenter, but it has worked out quite well.
Just don't look too closely, you'll see where I screwed up.

By "in there" you mean the tank this time right? :biggrin:

Things are progressing nicely. Keep those pics rollin!

Is that a bathroom fan in the wall there? Will it's location allow you to effectively pull enough moisture out of the room? Maybe some stylish fans on the eurobrace aimed across the top towards the fan will help some?

HAHA, your a funny guy! Im hoping this is my last incident with water.:doh:

I don't know quite yet how Im going to finish this off, I had planned on a canopy over the tank. So the fan would quite easily remove enough moisture out(it is wired to a dehumidistat above the tank). This would also cut any of the glare off the lighting over the tank as well. Haven't quite figured this out.

If anybody has some ideas on how to finish this off, Im all ears.