[SKRIZ]

Nice tank Bubba! That is going to be one awesome project!

I agree with the Lumenarc reflector reccomendations...I have four of them and seem to be the best out there. Email scott at www.aquariumspecialty.com and he'll beat the other price for you. I bought 4 and my tank is 9' viewable. 3 should be perfect for you (they're 2' wide).

Can't believe the 20 yr warranty! that makes the stand decision EASY!

I think the trickiest part of the whole setup will be the canopy. If you go with the lumenarc reflectors, they are 22.25"L x 22.25" W x 8.75" H, you will have zero access inside the tank unless you can "move" the whole fixture somehow. Although, I think they make a mini version of this reflector?

Ninong, I just love you posts...they're so professional and well organized!

[BubbaWPB]

I got a call that my stand is in! They got it in less than a week! I need to borrow a pick-'em up truck to go get it, though. I'll probably wind up getting it Friday night after work or Saturday. I've got to go to some board meeting tomorrow night, then afterward, it's Survivor night (not at my house this week). Why can't the LFS have 24/7 hours like the Super WalMart?!?

[Reefland]

Mab I know your excited! Just think of how much fun it'll be when you do get it.

[dougc]

Backing up a bit, I had to return my tank after it broke. I sent photographs to AGA and, based on that, they elected to replace my tank even though it was six months out of warranty. It wasn't too bad, since I returned it to the LFS and picked up the new tank all in one trip. The tank was shipped back to AGA via the distributor for the LFS. Maybe they learn something from analyzing failed tanks. I hope so, anyway, since I don't want to go through that again.

My hood incorporates some of the same concepts and Ninong's. My hood is 16" high, with 3 doors on the front. This gives me enough room to work and lets me adjust the height of the lights as necessary. The top is open and is covered with eggcrate. I am using Sunlight Supply pendants with 250 watt bulbs and have no appreciable heat problems. The pendants passively vent heat out of the top of the fixture and it just rises out of the open canopy. I have not had a problem with humidity, but my sump, heaters, chiller, etc. are all in a separate room built into my garage. I had more problems with moisture with my 70 gallon tank, but everything was in the stand under the tank. My overflows are covered with solid covers that I fabricated from styrene. The solid cover prevents algae growth in the overflows.

[BubbaWPB]

Well, I couldn't get the stand picked up today, but I did order some of the lights. I got 3 400 Watt Hamilton Sunstar HQI 10K for a start... next I need to add some actinics.

The canopy has a solid top (no hinges) and an open back. It's only 10 inches tall. I plan on cutting holes in the top and having the metal halide lights on top of the canopy. I'll also cut holes for ventilation fans...

[tonysdiscus]

where did u get the tank and how much did it set u back if you don't mind me asking you?..

[Boostable]

Bubba... Little tip as we go along.. Set your bulk heads before you set your tank on the stand if you can. Kind of a PITA once its on..

[BubbaWPB]

Thanks for the tip, Jack!

I got the tank at a local pet shop... it was around $1100.

[BubbaWPB]

Coat #1 of background. I'm glad I covered the whole tank (except where I'm painting)... the paint mist went EVERYWHERE....

[charlie]

Be the first tank on your block to be all blue!!!! Remember the old Earl Schieb commercials? In by 9, out by 5...........................

Looks good Bubba, how many coats are you going to put on?

[BubbaWPB]

Enough coats so that it doesn't look splotchy from the front....(2...3 at the most). Ya think I should put a coat of clear on after the blue to try to protect the paint from salt, gook and other stuff that may cause it to discolor, blister or peel with time?

P.S. I feel like a smurf... or one of those blue people in the Intel commercials...

[charlie]

Originally Posted by BubbaWPB

Enough coats so that it doesn't look splotchy from the front....(2...3 at the most). Ya think I should put a coat of clear on after the blue to try to protect the paint from salt, gook and other stuff that may cause it to discolor, blister or peel with time?

P.S. I feel like a smurf... or one of those blue people in the Intel commercials...

I am not much of a painter, ask the wife, but I don't think that a coat of clear would hurt.
Hey, at least you can paint in your garage, it's -12 here right now, the dogs won't even go out !!!!!!!

[BubbaWPB]

Originally Posted by charlie

... it's -12 here right now, the dogs won't even go out !!!!!!!

Now you know why I'm still here after 3 direct hits from hurricanes in 2 years! ...and you're an early riser, too, is the sun up yet out there? I got to sleep in 'till 8 this morning... an extra 2 1/2 hours of sleep!

[charlie]

Originally Posted by BubbaWPB

Now you know why I'm still here after 3 direct hits from hurricanes in 2 years! ...and you're an early riser, too, is the sun up yet out there? I got to sleep in 'till 8 this morning... an extra 2 1/2 hours of sleep!

I got up at 6:30 your time, (4:30), darn dog was taking up too much of the bed!!! Sun is just starting to show up.
My back will not let me lay there that long, if I sleep past 7, I had too much fun the nite before.:slap: :slap:

[Reefland]

I think the more coats the better. It won't take much to scratch the paint off when you start running plumbing, etc.

[BubbaWPB]

The solvent from the second coat made the first coat bubble up... good thing it was in an area near the bottom of the tank near the overflow so I can hide it with a rock... seems the glass is a bit slick for the paint to stick to real well.

[zhenya]

For crying out loud, Bubba, just take the paint roller and roll on some blue paint...those fancy-schmansy spray paints all suck.

[BubbaWPB]

Why the heck didn't you tell me *BEFORE* I spray painted it, Gene?!?!:slap:

[BubbaWPB]

Today's project:
DIY screen for durso-type overflow < $3

I also went down to Ft. Lauderdale yesterday to the big aquarium warehouse place... was a MAJOR waste of time.. they seem to stock items by low price, not by quality or choice in selection. Out of several items I went for, I did get two. Not the brands I wanted but I thought they were adequate.

I got a 36 W UV sterilizer (Coralife Turbo-Twist)... from what I read, it's not the most efficient unit, but UV sterilizers are only "adjunctive" for clearing the water anyway... they won't wipe out any critter, bug, algae, or protozoan when in a recirculating tank anyway. So I saved a few bucks over my first choice and got 11 additional watts.

I also got a Coralife Turbo-Sea 1740P external pump. Again, since I plan on some redundancy with the system, I decided to save a couple hundred bucks over my first choice in pumps.

I definitely decided it would not be worth the savings to pinch pennies on the actinic lights (I've already ordered the MH's), live rock, or protein skimmer. They didn't even carry ozonizers "too much liability with ozone - no fish store carries them anymore." Yeah. Right.

I did find a couple of items that weren't on my list: a big ole jar of ferric hydroxide phosphate binder (I only find the aluminum stuff locally), and the filter bags used in today's project.

Sorry, charlie, I didn't take any pics of the new purchases.

[Poseidon]

I got a 36 W UV sterilizer (Coralife Turbo-Twist)... from what I read, it's not the most efficient unit, but UV sterilizers are only "adjunctive" for clearing the water anyway... they won't wipe out any critter, bug, algae, or protozoan when in a recirculating tank anyway. So I saved a few bucks over my first choice and got 11 additional watts.

Where did you read this? I know that UV is not adequate for most parasites, but I thought they were effective against, bacteria, and algae spores.