i'm going to have it all plumbed and ready to go by the 20th of july,
so that when i get back from vacation on august 5th i can just add water,rock,and sand and start my cycle :)

update
 

so a bit of an update,

i have almost all my plumbing supplies. just waiting on a valve,some vinyl tubing, and also i need to make another trip to home depot (some of the stuff i bought is wrong:redface:)

also, my step dad works at gregs industrial distributors, so he picked up some stuff for me:
-5 gallon pails
-40 feet of siphon tubing (reches from tank to toilet, plus extra)
-clip on light
-and one gigantic brute container. i think its like, 40 some gallons? its made of thicker plastic than the smaller ones too.


oh, and i found a mantis for the mini fuge!
He's only 2 cm long, and i think he might be a G.smithii, but i have to get a better look at him.
he's currently in one of the tanks at elite aquatics.
once he outgrows the back section ill set up a new tank for him.

water
 

well today i did a leak test, and it went great. no leaks what so ever.
the tank was a little tiny bit off being perfectly level.
but, once the rock and sand is in the tank, it should be perfectly level.
pics:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...101/001-14.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...101/002-12.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...101/003-16.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...101/005-13.jpg

Word of advice....get the tank level now, as I doubt very much that the 50ish lbs of rock and sand you add will shift the stand level with 300lbs of water already in the tank.

+1... Shim it while you can. That way you don't have to worry about it later. You've taken your time so far, no point in taking any short cuts now.

makes sense. thankfully it doesn't need much shimming, but ill have to shim it from the sides, as my sump hangs out the back of the stand on a block of wood (for easy plumbing and added water volume)

is it just the pics or did you use white silicone to attach the refuge?

its just the pics. its clear silicone.

well i finaly have an almost exact ETA for water...

cowbell role please...

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...01/Cowbell.gif


First Week Of August

if its not up by then, someone slap me.

also, i was tring to think of how to hang my lights, because with the hagen glo, the hardware it comes with for hanging doesnt allow you to adjust the height of the lights, for getting in and out of the tank.
so i jay at elite aquatics gave me the great, yet simple plan, of making a second set of loops, putting those rock climbing clips on them, and then taking the loops that are on the fixture and clipping them to the higher loops (if that makes sense :p)

here's a diagram:

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...ghtingfig1.jpg

does anybody see any flaws? does anyone know of a good way to make the second, higher up loops for the clips? does anyone know of a better idea all together?

thanks for following my thread, and i hope you guys have some good light hanging ideas :biggrin:

im almost there!!!
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...y101/021-4.jpg

here's my little mantis's castle of doom (his name is jeynkim)

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...y101/016-4.jpg

and just for fun, a fish that most Calgary aquarium owners know as George

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...y101/014-3.jpg