A Capital Dream - 400g SPS build

[rockworm]

Time for an update. I picked up Roger (the builder of my tank) at the airport this past Sunday morning. He looked at the tank after we got to my place and started right on to the repair. I became a build apprentice and helped him with the work. I was impressed with both his professionalism and his personal attitude. He built the tank himself and he had a vested interested in it. I helped him with the repair and gained some insight into building a tank. It took about 4 hours to do everything and I drove him back to the airport for his flight home.

Roger said to wait 4 days. Now that is only 96 hours, not that long until Thursday afternoon. However, Wednesday morning I started to ponder the 4 day wait. Did the 4 days mean 96 hrs or did it mean Sun, Mon, Tues and Wed. (I can include Sunday because he finished before 1:00

). Lol, impatience won. I started putting the sand back in and fired up the RODI.

 

[rockworm]

As you can see, the build is back on track.

I had disconnected some of the plumbing to get pictures of the corners for the builder so I reconnected that yesterday. I also picked up a new set of RODI filters and DI resin and refreshed my RODI. The old ones were starting to look a little brown. I have an in-line TDS monitor that measures TDS of the water entering the RODI and the water exiting RO/DI. Our city water has a TDS of 50 and my RODI water had a reading of 4. The TDS is back to zero with the new filters. Now I just have to wait until the tank is full. Think I will go watch the grass grow.

 

[revhtree]

Awesome!

 

[rockworm]

I have had the pyramid butterflies for a week now. I gave them two API General Cure treatments so far. However, I was observing them last night and it appears that they have ich. I waited until this morning to do a water change and then add CP (NLS Ich Shield). I did not want to do it last night in case they had an adverse reaction. As of now, after 5 hrs, they are active and eating well. I will do another two API treatment cycles starting on Monday.

 

[Justin D]

Did you have Styrofoam under the aquarium? And how long was there water in it before the leak?

Did you ask the builder about Styrofoam? And did you see what type of silicone he was using

 

[rockworm]

Did you ask the builder about Styrofoam? And did you see what type of silicone he was using

He tank is fine now and I am moving forward on the build.

 

[Justin D]

What type of silicone did he use?

 

[rockworm]

What type of silicone did he use?

I appreciate your interest in the tank, but it, and the stand, are fine. I met and worked with the builder and can confidently move forward on the build.

 

[Justin D]

All I'm asking is what type of silicone did he use

 

[rockworm]

All I'm asking is what type of silicone did he use

The correct silicone for repair purpose.

 

[TheHarold]

All I'm asking is what type of silicone did he use

The OP doesn't know what type of silicon apparently

 

[rockworm]

The bottom line is that I am happy with the tank and the work done to repair it. I said in the beginning that I will not point fingers. I will also not discuss the repair process that may be subject to debate.

The tank is still filling and there is 3 more inches before the water hits the overflow.

Discussions forward will be about integrating the tank into the existing system and the method of transferring livestock. Discussion regarding the glass box and stand is closed.

 

[rockworm]

The OP doesn't know what type of silicon apparently

Actually, I do know because I helped with the repair. The reason I am not going there is because I don't wish to listen to armchair builders decide whether or not the repair was done to meet their expectations.

I came here to share the build with fellow reefers. In my case, I also shared the bad, as well as what was done to fix it. I am happy with the result. If I was not happy, or I was not confident in the fix, I would seek advice. This is not the case.

I may seek help in the future. There is much to do before I can sit back and relax in front of a completed tank. I do have a little knowledge because I have been into saltwater tanks for 10 years. However, I certainly don't know everything.

 

[TheHarold]

Sheesh all about silicon. Was curious because I have a 40b that leaked and wanted to seal it. No need to get so.... not even sure what to call that. Btw I was under the impression that only mods can close topics

 

[rockworm]

Sheesh all about silicon. Was curious because I have a 40b that leaked and wanted to seal it. No need to get so.... not even sure what to call that. Btw I was under the impression that only mods can close topics

GE SCS1200 is a very good caulk, though may be overkill for a smaller tank.

Btw, I said discusson about the tank build/repair is closed, not the thread.

 

[TheHarold]

GE SCS1200 is a very good caulk, though may be overkill for a smaller tank.

Btw, I said discusson about the tank build/repair is closed, not the thread.

Thanks for the type. I meant the discussion.

 

[rockworm]

Thanks for the type. I meant the discussion.

[emoji106]

 

[Justin D]

Do you know the brand of silicone?

 

[rockworm]

The tank finished filling late Saturday evening. I added the salt while it was filling.

I had removed the sand to repair the tank. I dumped it into a 44g Brute can. I put it back in while the tank was filling and it created some dust in the water column. I believe tossing it into the can released the dust.

I started integrating the tank into the existing system yesterday afternoon. I really dialed down the return flow so it could not have been more than 50g an hour. I let this run until late last night. Today, I turned the return back on with a greater flow. The dust is now through all the tanks: the 220, the 75 and the 400. Past experience tells me that the dust settles significantly faster in a cycled tank than a fresh rock free tank. None of the corals or fish have been affected, so far.

I built two temporary shelves out of eggcrate. The one you see in the picture above is 24" x 24" x 15"h (helps give perspective on tank size). I also built a 15" x 24" x 15"h for the 220g.

I need the rock from the 220g, plus the shelf rock I bought, to create the aquascape in the 400. This does create a little logistical gymnastics, because of the existing corals. The plan is to move about half of the rock into the 400 and use the temporary shelf to hold half the corals. I will build half of the aquascape then move the shelved corals into the new tank. I also will have to move the MH from the 220 to the 400 when I move the corals. I hope to have a two stage process. Half the rock and coral in hte first phase, then the rest in the second phase.

The 400 will be aquascaped with two islands. I really want to take advantage of the 36" front to back by creating a valley between two structures. This should provide a sense of depth that I just cannot get in the 24"w tank I have now. I will make the valley a little diagonal from front to back to obtain a longer channel.

Something like:

Obviously, things can change as I start building the scape, but this gives you a general idea of what I have in mind.

 

[revhtree]

Awesome man!