Mike's 140 Cubish Build

[veloboy]

waiting....patiently.

[reefsafe]

waiting impatiently...hope all is well mike.

[spleify]

Jeapordy tune playing...................

[miwoodar]

Oh man, that is some serious slacking on my behalf. I missed the final call for a response by about a year. Hmmm, my apologies.

Leif/Steve - awesome to see you guys last weekend. Let's do it again soon.

The tank is doing well but it's been on autopilot for a while. It's relatively healthy again. With the exception of my flame angel, I haven't lost anything in quite some time. I lost him when the overflow grate became dislodged...allowed him to find his way into the overflow and became trapped against the strainer. This was disheartening loss. It's one thing to lose a new fish. It's way worse to lose a fish that has been around for a while though. I will probably hold off any major livestock investments until this fall/winter. Plans for turning it into a freshwater planted tank are dead. It's not that I wouldn't love to have one, it's simply that I don't want to invest the time/energy into going that route any time soon.

I'm currently scraping the glass maybe twice a week and doing a water change every two to four. Easy, low maintenance.

I've been trying to diversify my interests over the last few months. The family is great. Kids are friggin awesome. If you don't have any yet, I highly recommend them. The Jeep started to catch my attention for a time but I had to cut that out as plans got waaaay tooooo expensive. I built a bumper with a tow point so I can at least take if off road when I want/need to. Lastly, I quit smoking (woo hoo!) and got back into shape.

The getting in shape part began after I started nagging a triathlon buddy about when he was going to take his first shot at an Ironman. That was late last summer. Welp, somehow we both ended up signing up for Coeur d'Alene this June. Mind you, I had never owned/ridden a road (or tri) bike and the furthest I had ever run was 13 miles...not to mention the fact that I was a pack a day smoker at the time. Cigarettes quickly got left behind as the training miles started piling up. When I signed up my goal was to finish. The cutoff of 17 hours seemed entirely feasible. After considering the time investment though, the mantra of " Don't Suck " has become an often repeated phrase. Exactly what that means in hours/minutes has yet to be determined but I can assure you I'm not gunning for a Kona spot. My goal is definitely less than half a day though. I don't know if I'll be doing more in the future. Doubtful. I would like to get back into Xterras, MTB racing, road racing, and feel the need to prove a few things to my running shoes (would love to pick up a qualifying spot for Boston...maybe this fall).

[veloboy]

miwoodar- good to hear from you. Sounds like you are busy. Glad to hear you scrapped plans for a switch to freshwater planted. I recently switched a tank over from fresh planted to salt recently and never looked back. Not nearly enough tinkering in the fresh water world.

Sorry to hear about your flame.

Coeur d'alene -you picked a dandy. Heard its a beautiful route - assume the bike/run can be a little on the hilly side! Should be a lot of fun - good luck - you'll be headed to kona next year. You ever do any road racing?

Don't spose there's any chance for a FTS or even some more recent randoms?

[miwoodar]

I spent a fair bit of time planning the switch to a planted tank...spent time on freshie forums...chose a layout including plants, rocks, etc....determined what to do with lighting and dosing....then it struck me how I would miss the cutting edge that reefing offers (geeks unite!). Then I realized how much work making the swap was going to be...would have to sell everything, order all new equipment, setup, tweak, read, tweak, read, setup, read, replan, setup again. Besides, salt water fish are waaaaaaaay cooler than fresh any day!

I haven't taken any pics in months. My guests tell me how great my tank is looking. To us reefers though it's full of B-rate corals. Probably the most exciting thing I've found is what kind of wierd surprises pop up from time to time. I'm constantly finding stuff in and amongst the rocks....corals, plant life, and all sorts of critters that I've never seen in the tank before yet there is no way they hitch hiked in any time recently. It's pretty cool watching a tank bounce back.

Coeur d'Alene...I've never been there. When we signed up for the race we were kind of wondering why it hadn't sold out yet (most of these races sell out very quickly...almost like a rock concert). We thought we were getting stuck with a less desireable course or a weak community. I've been very, very happy with every tid bit of info I've learned about CdA though. I've heard nothing but stellar reports in all regards. Bonus, it's supposed to be one of the best courses for spectators. This is good as the family will be in tow.

The bike route goes along through the city and along the shore line before heading up to Hayden lake with ~6000 feet of climbing dispersed into two loops. This is standard fare for Colorado riding so I think I'll be prepared for it. The run is all along the water front. It can't include more than a few hundred feet of climbing.

Kona would take 9:45 or so for my age group. It's crossed my mind that it might be possible but there is no chance I'm going to be shooting for those paces on my first one. It would be a looooooong walk to the finish line if I did.

I've been looking into road racing. Crits look like a blast. I like the built in carrots that the category system offers. Do you race? Do you have a thread on your tank? I glanced but didn't see one.

[LooseHip]

Good to see this thread back in action.

[miwoodar]

Thanks Derrick. Long time not talk. What's the scoop with your tank? Your home page is linking to the 40. I heard you parted ways with the 180 though. True?

[LooseHip]

Indeed, it has been a while! Yeah I sold the 180 back in Sept. After all the trouble I experienced from moving that once awesome reef, watching it slowly decay day after day, I almost gave up on reefing all together. It really was a bummer and I wanted to rid my memory of that tank so I downsized to a 100 gallon cube (or I should say I am still in the process everything has been sitting in tubs for the past 6 months)...

It still makes me sick to this day that I lost all those corals, but what do ya do. New build thread to be posted in the coming weeks! Enough about me, I think a FTS of your tank is def. in order!

[miwoodar]

Luck in the reefing hobby is a fickle friend. Too many otherwise perfect tanks have gone through rough patches for me to believe any different. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

Please link me to your build thread when it comes alive! Will you be attending any of the upcoming club events?

The next pictures of my tank, regardless of quality, will be posted here.

[crvz]

good reading something about your tank and other interests! The idea of qualifying for a boston terrifies me on so many levels... I "participate" in various runs, I don't do any "racing." Congrats on being in shape, I've been keeping myself fit for the last couple years and I'm sure I dont have to tell you; quality of life is much better when you're healthy.

[porthios]

ah. glad to see you back and having fun mike.

[miwoodar]

Thanks guys. Glad to be back.

crvz - life is definitely better with a little pop in the step. Boston is still pie in the sky right now. I keep telling my shoes that they are fast....they keep telling me otherwise. Then I tell them to shut up and get moving anyways. Maybe in time this will produce the results I'm hoping for.

porthios - I see your build thread on my list. Looks like I have a lot of reading to do!

BTW --- these things came in handy a few months back. My wife and I woke up at 3am to a wierd, unidentified alarm. Then it struck me what they were and I was out of bed and down the stairs like Santa coming down the chimney. The main pump had siezed (calcium carbonate buildup) at the very moment a snail had parked itself over BOTH of the anti-siphon holes. Viola...mess in the making. The sump overflowed. We lost about 5 gallons onto the floor. It would have been at least 5 more without the alarm though. A good slurp with the wet/dry vac and a few days of strong air movement and the major warping was gone. It took about a month for the floor to return 100% back to normal. A few ceiling tiles were ruined in the basement. Could have been much, much worse.

[paulthomas]

Wow, good foresight on those water sensors.

Yeah, come on down to Beantown. We'd love to have you.

[crvz]

It's never my shoes that tell me I'm not fast, it's my legs.

Good move on those flood alarms, I've used them myself. I hate coming in the house with that alarm going off, but it is good to know as soon as possible.

[veloboy]

Don't have a build thread, but here's my best Miwoodar impression. Little tech 70, I dream about a 140 cube. Been set up about a year. Big thank you to both you and Spleify. Couldn't a done it without your help.

[IMG][/IMG]


Yea, I used to race. I was only a cat4 but had a lot of fun. Carfeul with those crits, they can be pretty hairy! Went down a couple times, guess nothing that stitches can't take care of. Bet you have a great scene in Colorado-

Get some pictures of the tank up if you get some time between training and your kids!

[miwoodar]

That looks great - just my style! My wife, ahem, tweaked the details of my design a little though. She gets much of the credit. Being back on RC these last few days reminds me of how much I miss the acros. Gotta do something about that. Looks like you're off to an excellent start.

No crits yet but I plan on sneaking in a few. No MTB yet this year either. I am determined to stay injury free until the A race (I wreck my fair share). You're right, people a friggin fast. Nothing like heading out for a training ride and getting my doors blown off by some 55 year old dude in black dress socks on a 30lb 1990 steel lugged bike. There is always someone out there to remind you how fast the 'fast' guys really are. The rest of us are just pack fodder.

[reefsafe]

update please

[miwoodar]

Mike, sorry, I'm a few weeks late (a year late?).

I spoke to the wife yesterday and have decided to exit the hobby. I have this awesome tank in my living room that needs a refresh/renovation but my heart isn't in for another reefy rebuild at the moment. I'm going to put together a list of what I have and post on CL in the next few weeks. Purple tang, flame angel, long nosed hawk, regal tang, some soft corals, live rock, skimmer, 660, more. Might you have any interest in reaquiring your crocea? Sounds like you're moving on to a new tank soon, yes? Do you have a build thread going?

The tank, stand, canopy, dosers, and halides will remain in the family. I'm going to set up a freshwater planted tank again.

For those who haven't heard, Mr reefsafe has lost ~60lbs in the last handful of months. That's a lot for anyone, sir. For you though...I don't know where you ever hid weight like that.

Speaking of being fit, I noticed in my last post a mention of racing. My A-race last year was Ironman Coure d Alene. It was my first road triathlon. Lots of fun. I finished much better than any ex-smoker would deserve. Perhaps I'll sign up for another in 2012. 2011 will be a lot of cycling. I've joined a team and have ~15 races lined up for the spring/summer season.

Anyone have any cube freshwater tank aquascaping ideas to share?
I'm pondering something like this...

[veloboy]

Sorry to hear that you are leaving the hobby but sounds like you have made some serious lifestyle changes that will change things for the better! I got back into cycling last year too and its been a perpetual conflict between the sport and hobby. Not to mention the cost!

Hope the best for you next year. Hopefully you've already made it through the cat5's and 4's if you are racing road. If not stay near the front! Keep us updated on your progress and post some pictures of your freshwater set-up. Thanks again for all the inspiration!

[miwoodar]

I'm excited for the adventure back into plants. I'm considering this a lateral move. All signs point towards a great adventure.

How's your tank?

Glad to hear you're in the saddle as well. You'll have to be sure to let me know if you're ever planning a trip in this direction. We don't have 5's in Colorado (ACA) so everyone starts as a 4. I've been catching as many fast group rides as possible. I seem to do well but there haven't been any finish lines so I can't tell for sure. One ride starts out as ~50 people (about half 1's and 2's including a cat 1 natl RR champ). I have been fortunate enough to make the final selection once and have landed in chase group 1 a few times. My understanding of strategy is, ahem, deplorable. None-the-less, rides like this are a thrilling way to spend a morning. I never, ever, ever, expected to enjoy being a cyclist.