Setting Up The 'bank'
**warning, lots of ramblings below. As in lots.... Like crazy old man ramblings. Read on if you are really really bored**
Hi All,
decided to set-up a frag tank to keep frags of some of my favourite corals in to have on hand as backups, trade with others and maybe sell if it comes to that. Also, I wanted a spot to put newly acquired corals in for a week or so whilst I work out where to put them in the main display. When I go to the LFS on new shipment night, by the time I get home it is usually 9pm and I'm starving and tired so finding a place to mount a coral is not high on the agenda. End result, they sit on the sand bed for a week or two.... Which I don't like as it looks cluttered.
So after some quick chats with Dave at Deer Park on what room I had to work with, what lights I already had spare and some other details, we decided a 2.5x2.5x14 frag tank would be the go. This tank won't be sumped as it doesn't require filtration at all. Just receives water in and water out from my auto water change system that goes through my other two tanks first.The tank will require an ATO as I anticipate it will evaporate fairly heavily. I purchased a complete separate RODI unit for it as I figured it would be easier than trying to tap into the built in ATO reservoir at my other tank. Ran a water line down the side of the house as I also wanted access to tap water for a mister unit on the A/C compressor which is right next to the wall where this tank is situated.
Next up was to run the 1/4 john guest tubing for the auto water change system, back in the roof again.... Whilst the auto water change is awesome, getting up in my roof and running the tubing is a dead set pain in the ass. Anyway, it had to be done, so up in the roof, re-route the line from my second display tank OUT line that did go to the drain, over to the study where the frag tank will be situated. Then run a drain line from there through the double brick and out to the drain near the A/C unit. Did I mention that drilling through double brick is not easy! Ok, so in the mean time I have the water line IN to the study and water line OUT from the study connected together as there is no tank there yet, but once there is I have a litermeter expansion pump ready to precisely remove the exact amount of water I want out each day (probably about 15l)
I picked up a second hand chiller for the tank as the room it is in gets quite hot and does not benefit from aircon like my other two tanks, did toy with the idea of getting another split system installed in this room as it will eventually become the tank room for my next build in a couple years time, but this came up at the right price for now. The addition of a chiller does complicate the tank build a little as I will now need to have lines in/out for the chiller (plus a pump to move water through the chiller) but I think we can do it fairly neatly. Controlling the chiller/heater will be one of my STC-1000 builds which seem to do the trick nicely.
OK, so at this stage I have water change lines in and out sorted, RODI sorted (just need to mount a 200l drum on a stand outside as the reservoir), temperature control sorted, I have a spare halide reflector/igniter/ballast and bulb (or a GHL mitras if I get over the heat or power of the halide) and 2xMP40WES pumps for circulation. Starting to take shape!
In good timing, Dave lets me know that the cabinet is ready for collection and the tank won't be too far away. Headed up to Deer Park on my usual Thursday night trip only to find out that the stand wouldn't fit in the Skoda by like half an inch.... Never mind, coming back up tomorrow to help a mate move 9 tanks and a few racks (long story) and are brining our Volvo XC90, it'll fit in that beast easily. NOPE. Actually missed in the Volvo by more, probably a full inch. Lucky we had two trailers with us for all this other gear, so was able to chuck the cabinet on a trailer and get it home. Go to carry the cabinet inside, hmmm, doesn't fit through the door.. That's ok, remove the door from the hinges and it slides through nicely. Now to the study, remove the door from the frame same as the garage door to make sure it fits. BUT IT DOESN'T!!! Apparently this door is 50mm narrower than the other doors in the house..... After trying a few angles, head scratching, discovering that the window frame in that room is built in and can't be removed (without destroying it) I got in touch with my chippy brother in law. He is conveniently in town for the long weekend and will pop by the next day to take a look. After measuring it about 40 times and trying to find the screws to the window that don't exist for a while, he decides we can take the door stops off the door frame and remove the decorative lip from the cabinet and it should fit through with about a millimetre or two to spare.
And right he was! Unfortunately the cabinet was glued as well as nailed, so it did destroy a couple of bits that I can easily replace:
My wife watching on whilst pretending not to be. Once the cabinet was in the study, the door stops simply nailed back in place without any signs of ever being removed:
Finally, cabinet in place (note 6l pic to the side...)
Note, the top brace is just sitting there at this stage, I will need to nail/clamp glue it back on, clean up the bottom and put a new decorative trim on there. But basically, that is nothing! It is in! Now I can get to work in making the light stand, mounting the chiller, electricals and other crap in preparation of the tank to be ready :)
Phase 1 of the 'bank' done, see what is in store over the next couple of weeks for phase 2 and 3.
Sam
Hi All,
decided to set-up a frag tank to keep frags of some of my favourite corals in to have on hand as backups, trade with others and maybe sell if it comes to that. Also, I wanted a spot to put newly acquired corals in for a week or so whilst I work out where to put them in the main display. When I go to the LFS on new shipment night, by the time I get home it is usually 9pm and I'm starving and tired so finding a place to mount a coral is not high on the agenda. End result, they sit on the sand bed for a week or two.... Which I don't like as it looks cluttered.
So after some quick chats with Dave at Deer Park on what room I had to work with, what lights I already had spare and some other details, we decided a 2.5x2.5x14 frag tank would be the go. This tank won't be sumped as it doesn't require filtration at all. Just receives water in and water out from my auto water change system that goes through my other two tanks first.The tank will require an ATO as I anticipate it will evaporate fairly heavily. I purchased a complete separate RODI unit for it as I figured it would be easier than trying to tap into the built in ATO reservoir at my other tank. Ran a water line down the side of the house as I also wanted access to tap water for a mister unit on the A/C compressor which is right next to the wall where this tank is situated.
Next up was to run the 1/4 john guest tubing for the auto water change system, back in the roof again.... Whilst the auto water change is awesome, getting up in my roof and running the tubing is a dead set pain in the ass. Anyway, it had to be done, so up in the roof, re-route the line from my second display tank OUT line that did go to the drain, over to the study where the frag tank will be situated. Then run a drain line from there through the double brick and out to the drain near the A/C unit. Did I mention that drilling through double brick is not easy! Ok, so in the mean time I have the water line IN to the study and water line OUT from the study connected together as there is no tank there yet, but once there is I have a litermeter expansion pump ready to precisely remove the exact amount of water I want out each day (probably about 15l)
I picked up a second hand chiller for the tank as the room it is in gets quite hot and does not benefit from aircon like my other two tanks, did toy with the idea of getting another split system installed in this room as it will eventually become the tank room for my next build in a couple years time, but this came up at the right price for now. The addition of a chiller does complicate the tank build a little as I will now need to have lines in/out for the chiller (plus a pump to move water through the chiller) but I think we can do it fairly neatly. Controlling the chiller/heater will be one of my STC-1000 builds which seem to do the trick nicely.
OK, so at this stage I have water change lines in and out sorted, RODI sorted (just need to mount a 200l drum on a stand outside as the reservoir), temperature control sorted, I have a spare halide reflector/igniter/ballast and bulb (or a GHL mitras if I get over the heat or power of the halide) and 2xMP40WES pumps for circulation. Starting to take shape!
In good timing, Dave lets me know that the cabinet is ready for collection and the tank won't be too far away. Headed up to Deer Park on my usual Thursday night trip only to find out that the stand wouldn't fit in the Skoda by like half an inch.... Never mind, coming back up tomorrow to help a mate move 9 tanks and a few racks (long story) and are brining our Volvo XC90, it'll fit in that beast easily. NOPE. Actually missed in the Volvo by more, probably a full inch. Lucky we had two trailers with us for all this other gear, so was able to chuck the cabinet on a trailer and get it home. Go to carry the cabinet inside, hmmm, doesn't fit through the door.. That's ok, remove the door from the hinges and it slides through nicely. Now to the study, remove the door from the frame same as the garage door to make sure it fits. BUT IT DOESN'T!!! Apparently this door is 50mm narrower than the other doors in the house..... After trying a few angles, head scratching, discovering that the window frame in that room is built in and can't be removed (without destroying it) I got in touch with my chippy brother in law. He is conveniently in town for the long weekend and will pop by the next day to take a look. After measuring it about 40 times and trying to find the screws to the window that don't exist for a while, he decides we can take the door stops off the door frame and remove the decorative lip from the cabinet and it should fit through with about a millimetre or two to spare.
And right he was! Unfortunately the cabinet was glued as well as nailed, so it did destroy a couple of bits that I can easily replace:
My wife watching on whilst pretending not to be. Once the cabinet was in the study, the door stops simply nailed back in place without any signs of ever being removed:
Finally, cabinet in place (note 6l pic to the side...)
Note, the top brace is just sitting there at this stage, I will need to nail/clamp glue it back on, clean up the bottom and put a new decorative trim on there. But basically, that is nothing! It is in! Now I can get to work in making the light stand, mounting the chiller, electricals and other crap in preparation of the tank to be ready :)
Phase 1 of the 'bank' done, see what is in store over the next couple of weeks for phase 2 and 3.
Sam
Dam! Plan B was to take it round the back of the house and through the big glass doors at the back of my house. Fine idea till we remembered the several steps round the back (our house is on a slope). Managed to get it down the steps and through the back gate (after we removed the gate) and through the back glass door. Took 4 hours instead of 30 mins but we did it! The things we do for our tanks! lol.:rolleyes
