Flying Dutch 700 gallon in wall tank-living room/home office divider - Build Thread

[Euler Kernighan]

...so it is time to mix - mix very well, i mean mix until the drill machine get hot and starts smoking... i meaning it!






another view:






after the 'first mix' i added the second substrate part - 2 out 3.5, mixed it again and added the last part - 3.5 out 3.5, and mixed again! this is how it looks like:






then i added the part B of epoxy resin:






close:




and mixed very very well again, can you see how the texture has changed:






after that I just drop the whole bulk in the tank and started to spread it out on the starboard, to accomplish this i divide the bottom in three sections, the first was the right side:







so I repeat the "whole mixing process" again to prepare fsb batch for the right side - thanks God, my buddy Macio was helping me! thanks again pal!

here you guys can see all preparation, at first I had to cover the closed-loop bulkheads:






so my buddy Marcio drops the fsb bulk on the starboard then i started to spread it out:






another view:

[Euler Kernighan]

...continuing.

after that i started the process to compact the fsb like this:





as of result of compacting the fsb, the resin starts to coming up and forming some humidity points - can you see on the picture bellow? that is really important - some FSB makers make the fsb surface very smooth and the resin of surface helps with that. I prefer not so smooth as you'll see on next photo.






i just spread some dry substrate to make the FSB looks more 'natural':




and slightly compact it again:






at that moment the thermometer marked 110F (43C) but it rises to 118.4F (48C) at the FSB surface:

[Euler Kernighan]

it's time for the last part - the middle! this is hard to do 'cause it was make by outside the tank... after prepared the last FSB batch, i dropped it on starboard again:






spread it out:






compact it and i just figured out that more fsb will be needed. thanks God again Marcio was help me and make another batch asap!






dropped it:






spread it:






compacted it:





dry sand:

[Euler Kernighan]

i almost forgot to mark the places where the bulkhead were:






here you can see Marcio just making the QA service:






removing the tape:






details...






attention to details:






FTS:






top view:






close shot:






i really like the final product!!!! hope you guys like!!!

[dca22anderson]

I love the final product! The real look and feel of sand without it moving and shifting in the currents! Great idea!!!

[Bello]

Originally Posted by Euler Kernighan

going to bare bottom, uh? in this project I opted to starboard just as a 'base' to FSB - just wait for the next post to see it - i'm updating the photos to photobucket right now.


regarding the skimmer, i'm going to use a bubble king supermarin 300 - what are you using?

Thinking about the Starboard, but won't do the FSB (which looks pretty good so far!), as my sea cucumbers will probably hate it. So starboard with an SSB over it. My tank has unusual bracing at the front and back bottom, so by using starboard, I'll have a shallower SSB, if that makes any sense?

I thought you bought the SM 300 and the Alpha Cone 300? I have the SM 300 , love it!!

[Newbie Aquarist]

Job well done. I probably would have to add more sand if I plan to add sand sifters ?

[cdrewferd]

That looks great.

[allsps40]

What if a bulk head leaks??

[dirk_brijs]

Hi saw you will set your CL on a timer base.
Dont forget to close up your outlets with some sort of netting or stariner to avoid fishes to get housed in the CL outlets while they are switched off. Especially blennies or any other small fishes.

[Euler Kernighan]

Originally Posted by dca22anderson

I love the final product! The real look and feel of sand without it moving and shifting in the currents! Great idea!!!

thanks DCA, but I deserve no credit about this... thumbs up for this guys

• Idea for Faux sand bed. Envirotex Lite high gloss finish.
  
• New setup with "pseudo substrate"
  
• Foam stuff for the "rock work" look????
  
• Monkey's Reef - A photo journal [img heavy]
  
• and
  
• Geoff. "Reefless Reefer" - admin of a big england forum

[Euler Kernighan]

Originally Posted by Bello

Thinking about the Starboard, but won't do the FSB (which looks pretty good so far!), as my sea cucumbers will probably hate it. So starboard with an SSB over it. My tank has unusual bracing at the front and back bottom, so by using starboard, I'll have a shallower SSB, if that makes any sense?

I thought you bought the SM 300 and the Alpha Cone 300? I have the SM 300 , love it!!

yep! it make sense but the other guys using a starboard are strictly bare bottom 'defenders' and just uses starboard to make the tank bottom look a little better - aesthetics, you know?


and you're again, i got they both but intend to use alpha cone 300 as a backup in the shelf... you know, i work as a project manager and contingency plans are in my mind every second... (maybe ocd symptoms? )

[Euler Kernighan]

Originally Posted by Newbie Aquarist

Job well done. I probably would have to add more sand if I plan to add sand sifters ?

humm.., really don't know my friend it's seems that FSB and sandsifter doesn't match each other... can you imagine a yellow watchman goby and pistol shrimp pair trying to dig a FSB... it'll be insane, uh?!


btw, Clearwater is amazing place to live, uh? got in st petersburg a lot of time and and just hang around.

[Euler Kernighan]

Originally Posted by cdrewferd

That looks great.

thank you! stay tuned :L

[Euler Kernighan]

Originally Posted by allsps40

What if a bulk head leaks??

ohh ALL, please, don't remember this things!!! knock on wood, because it's supposed to never happen.


did you see how I've prepared the bulkheads? I tried to make my best, hope IF in case of leaks they occurs AFTER -12-12-12




or definitely i'll need some space to store so much water...

[Euler Kernighan]

Originally Posted by dirk_brijs

Hi saw you will set your CL on a timer base.
Dont forget to close up your outlets with some sort of netting or stariner to avoid fishes to get housed in the CL outlets while they are switched off. Especially blennies or any other small fishes.

Hi DirkB,

how you doing? I just missed the link for your thread... what about the HUGE project?

thanks you for get my attention to this i'll keep my eyes on!

btw, share your building tank link address!

[fefegarcia1]

Euler, este tópico está atrasado.
Acelera essa atualização aeee. rs!

Abraço.
Fernando Garcia.

[dirk_brijs]

Originally Posted by Euler Kernighan

Hi DirkB,

how you doing? I just missed the link for your thread... what about the HUGE project?

thanks you for get my attention to this i'll keep my eyes on!

btw, share your building tank link address!

I hope by the end of this month I will finally start to build.
I have downgraded a little not too much though went from 300cm to 250cm.
Have been using your timed CL idea. Will drill it and install it though will start without it being operational due to delays in getting my OM 4 ways.
Anyway will keep you informed and get my build thread started as soon as I start.
By the way you seem to be going real well yourself.

[Euler Kernighan]

certainly you will do! new scaled down system sounds good, you know, we reefers always think so biiiiggggg trying to build a tank as large as possible...

a timed closed-loop is a good idea with very good results, you'll see!

and you know as we have to share all precious time among so many things - family, work, friends, hobby... sometimes the project progress slow down, some times it speeds up you know that's why it's amazing hobby!

[Euler Kernighan]

Originally Posted by fefegarcia1

Euler, este tópico está atrasado.
Acelera essa atualização aeee. rs!

Abraço.
Fernando Garcia.

Hey pal!! who you doing?!!

do i deserve such pleasant honor to get your first post here at RC?!

WELCOME!

btw, did you forgot? here we use english

stay tuned I'm trying to update it all!

[dirk_brijs]

Originally Posted by dirk_brijs

I hope by the end of this month I will finally start to build.
I have downgraded a little not too much though went from 300cm to 250cm.
Have been using your timed CL idea. Will drill it and install it though will start without it being operational due to delays in getting my OM 4 ways.
Anyway will keep you informed and get my build thread started as soon as I start.
By the way you seem to be going real well yourself.

Can you come over to my house one day and talk to my wife like this so she would understand too??
haha

[syedjilani]

Nice idea man..... Looking good...

[devildog999]

Any new updates?

[biecacka]

A guy near me has the fake sandbed in his tank and I love the look of it. Been thinking of it on my next tank
Corey

[dirk_brijs]

love the look of it but not sure about it all?
Just love those sand digging creatures too much.
Just love all those snails coming out of your sand when feeding.