Mike's 140 Cubish Build

[erics3000]

WOW..I love your shelf..Everything looks great>>>>>..................

[miwoodar]

Thanks Marc, Derrick, Eric for the kind words.

Marc - what material would you suggest to use on the wet side for an acrylic tank for a Hammerhead magnet? It just had a velcro like texture. I'm not so sure the material I've put over it to protect the acrylic is the safest. I thought it was but now I'm starting to wonder.

Stain and laquer were applied this weekend. Pics to follow maybe this evening. I heart gel stain on alder wood. I'm sooooooo glad that I didn't chicken out and pay someone else to do the finishing.

[melev]

There is an acrylic kit for that magnet, and it comes with some type of white felt-like material. Be sure to replace the outer one from time to time to, don't wait until it is so flat that it (the wood) starts leaving marks on the acrylic.

[miwoodar]

Hmmm...I think I need to go look at the replacement pads I added to my order. IIRC, I only received the blue pads which I assumed were for the outside only. No?

[melev]

Yes, the blue pads are the outside felt. Usually when I've ordered replacement sets, it was a set of pads, both wet side and dry side. There is an actual acrylics pad set.

For now, some white felt would probably do the job, but as you can imagine, felt has very little grip / friction. Using it very often is your best defense, and it is absolutely imperative you don't accidentally get even a single grain of sand on that pad. And don't do what I did one day, and somehow hit an asterina. I had no idea that stupid little starfish could do so much damage with its tough surface. I really marred the side panel of my angled tank accidentally one day.

[miwoodar]

That gives me one more reason to hate asterinas. I'll definitely check the box for the inner pads. I can't imagine that I missed them. Hopefully they are there though.

[miwoodar]

Update time...

Melev - no wet side pads were included in my box. I'm going to contact Algae Free and see if I was supposed to receive a set.

Before getting to the pics, I must say, I am in awe of the people out there that have gone fully monty to huge dream systems. The work that goes into something as small as this 140 is taxing to say the least. Cheers to you if you have pulled off the big one.


Pics.....

Remember this? The 'glue in the wrong order blunder'?


Here's an in-progress pic showing the corner and two nail holes being filled (one sanded, one raw).


Here's the final product. Who would ever know?

[miwoodar]

Applying the tint...


Applying the laquer after staining...


I'm very pleased with the finish. Everything is turning out as well or better than I could have hoped. The order of operations:
* Sand
* Sand
* Sand
* Tack Cloth
* Stain
* Tack Cloth
* Laquer
* Tack Cloth
* Steel Wool
* Tack Cloth
* Wax

[miwoodar]

Two 250 watt 20K's and four VHO actinics. I fired it up for just a moment last night after getting it on top. The color is perfect for my taste. I can't wait to test the par. Last time I tested it over my 65 gallon tank the readings were ~600 about 4 inches down and they dropped to ~300 or so by the bottom. That was with only two VHO's and the halide reflectors were partially obscured.


Woah - dusty! I was in such a rush to finish installing everything that I failed to wipe off the dust. That will be tonight then I'm going to go to bed early....stayed up way too late last night (mid morning) working on this.

[miwoodar]

And finally, two water alarms. These things would have saved us twice in the past year. We had a 5 gallon event followed closely by a 10 gallon event. $15 (e-bay) for a little piece of mind is nothing.

WARNING - 5 gallon water bottles like the ones you get from the grocery store will eventually crack around the base.

[LooseHip]

that turned out awesome!!! I like the attention to detail, on all your wiring. Def. need a camera shot of the whole thing!

How high off of the water are those reflectors?

[miwoodar]

Thanks Derrick. I'm very pleased with it. I can point the blemishes out from across the room but I doubt anyone will ever notice or look twice at any of them. The overall presentation is exactly what we wanted. As long as we have that and I feel like it's the best I could have done, I'm happy.

I'm not sure exactly, maybe 4" on the reflectors? The actual bulbs are probably 6 or 7".

The base isn't done yet. It needs the crown and the quarter round then finishing. Finishing takes longer than cutting and gluing. Somehow I always conveniently forget how long finishing takes when I am planning a project. As in, surprise..you're only half way done....

[melev]

That canopy looks sharp! You did an excellent job, and I totally agree with you on the finishing process. This explains why I've never been inclined to be a painter. Go ask me to trim a house, I'll do it. Ask me to paint & seal, and I'll point you to the Yellow Pages.

I like your water alarm. Did you notice they are using the very very old school antennae wiring for a contact point? I bet they bought 10 billion feet of that stuff for $1. I've got a few of those 55g blue barrels (that used to hold Dr Pepper syrup). I've been thinking about cutting off the bottom section maybe 3" tall, then use that as a tray for my 5g jugs, with the sensor inside the tray.

[crvz]

Marc, will you come trim out part of my house? I'm doing some repairs.

Mike, the woodwork looks great! I, too, know where the blemishes are in my setup, but learned you're not supposed to tell people about them.

[melev]

I don't have a long enough extension cord, crvz. Sorry.

[miwoodar]

Thanks guys. I'll keep the blems a secret. I should have a few pics with the lights on this evening.

LOL, I'm laughing about wrestling that thing into position last night. It occurred to me today how idiotic it was but after staying up that late in a quest to finish it, I was *NOT* going to go to bed without placing it atop the tank. It was only a short time before sunrise and there I stood with 75 pounds of wood stretched above my head staggering like a drunken sailer around the room trying to balance the load so I could slide it into place (I was sober). I did not have the confidence of this guy....

[crvz]

Mike, you probably lack the confidence because you don't have a killer mustache like that guy.

- Chris

[miwoodar]

Wait until March...'Mustache March'.

[spleify]

Wow Mike!! That really looks awesome, you got to love those long nights trying to get something done. It looks really good and I bet you're glad you stayed up now arn't you.
So I hate to ask but I know you want it done, but when are you gonna finish up the stand?
Keep up the great work!!

Spleify

[Mikeeal]

Originally posted by miwoodar
I tried this out last night. The ripples and faint glow look fantastic. I initially wanted to do LEDs again but I like the look of this even better. It's less of a pin point than an LED. The entire tank ends up with a faint glow instead.
[/B]

Hey Mike, everything looks fantastic! Nice work.

Are you using that moonlight on a timer? If so, unless you want some period of total darkness, you could try one of these:



It's a sensor I found at Lowes. No timer needed, as soon as your main lights go out, this will kick on.

I used a conduit bracket to mount it:



Just an idea for ya, keep up the nice work.

[miwoodar]

Leif - thanks for the kind words. Yes, it was worth it to stay up that late. The stand is next week. I had hoped to get to it today or tomorrow but it's been nice to divert my attention to a few fun mini-projects after the intense nights working on the canopy. Last night I piped in my ATO, ran the night lights, and zip tied almost all of the hanging wires. Tonight I revised, glued, and foamed the PVC shelf before taking an inventory of my corals and mapping out where I want to put them. Tomorrow night is booked and I'll be out of town for the weekend visiting family. So next week it is I guess...

Mike - that thing is sweet. I didn't realize that you could get a sensor socket. Nice idea! I actually scrapped the socket in the picture when I was walking through Walmart yesterday and low and behold, there was a dual bulb system with a dawn/dusk sensor for only $9. Pictures have been taken but for some reason I am not able to log onto my photobucket account from my wife's computer. Timers take up so much room on the strips, no need to add any more if I don't have to. How long do your bulbs last? Are they the 25 watt party lights? Have you ever tried the CF blue bulbs?

[miwoodar]

Here are the pics of the fixture.

[spleify]

That turned out good!! I like it.
How does it look at night? Do you like it?

[miwoodar]

stock list ideas

It's very exciting to have a largish tank again. I've been salivating over new fish for a few years. It's amazing how boring looking at the same four fish can eventually become. The lineup needs some new personality types to keep the tank active. Anybody have any thoughts about any of these combos?

Have already:
* Regal Tang (4")
* Flame Angel (4")
* Watchman Goby (5")
* 6-Line (going to a new home next week)

What I am about to get from another reefer:
* Purple Tang (3")
* Copperband Butterfly (3") (trained aiptasia assassin )

What I definitely want in the coming months:
* Blue Jaw Trigger
* Flame Hawk
* Mandarin

Other options I've been pondering (not all of these of course!):
* Small shoal of Yellow Tangs (that would be neat but I might end up with a tang overload)
* 5 or so Lyretail Anthias (never tried anthias, are these guys the ones I should be looking at?)
* Desjardini Tang (would an established purple of the same size rip this guy to shreds?)
* Orange Spotted Rabbitfish (everybody I've spoken to who has owned one of these has absolutely loved it)
* Chocolate Tang (dig the juvies, love the adults)
* 10 or so Apogon Leptacanthus (the artistic approach)
* Sohal (on this list but would be at least a year out after I was sure that it would be the final addition)
* Emperor Angel (that would be great until I had to rip apart the tank to pull him out - still - is it worth the risk?)

[spleify]

I'm a big fan of the Lyretail Anthias.