120G 5 ft

[Griffin_Reefer]

Hey Fellow Reefers!!

So i am a newbie to both the hobby and the forum. When i introduced myself yesterday everyone said i should start a build thread even if it isn't finished. Not going to lie i thought this was crazy talk, but i decided to browse the current threads last night. Funny enough the one complaint i saw a lot was that people were sad they didn't start from the beginning. SO i decided to take this opportunity to do a few things. I want to use this as a diary of sorts that documents my adventure into poverty haha.. only kinda kidding. Secondly i think it would be cool to be able to show my friends and family my progress. Finally and most importantly i think if i put this up step by step maybe a couple of you more grizzled vets can save me from my newbie mistakes. So with that as and intro here we go!

TLDR: new guy looking for help!! Seriously save me from myself!

So this is my office where i will be installing the Display tank. Its a 120g 5'x 18"x 2'. In the room it comes up to slightly under that map board. If salt creep becomes an issue ill have to move my maps to another wall..

So a little back story for those who didn't read my intro post. My wife is wildly allergic to life itself. So we cant have any more traditional pets. I even had a super hypoallergenic dog but she was allergic to the grass she played in... So her doctor suggested if we really wanted pets to look into fish! After doing a little research i was hooked. The majority of my work day is doing paperwork in this office and i spent about 2 weeks watching hundreds of hours of videos brs160 and the likes. Finally one day i broke, as i have little self will and bought a tank and bunches of random supplies from a friend who is upgrading from this older tank to a 200+ gallon tank. That about catches you up on my life as a reefer. Here is a photo of what i am thinking I'll do as my aquascape!

the blue lines you can kinda see are the dimensions of the tank and the second self is how high the tank is. I want there to be plenty of room up top for potential SPS later down the road!

Doing a bleach cure on it to get rid of any potential hitchhikers or spores that are left over from his tank. Will be rinsing it with rodi water thoroughly after and letting it dry on my back patio later down the road.

doing it in the spare bathroom down stairs as it has a good vent on it!

Here is said vent and my fancy shower curtain!!

Yummy stuff that already floated to the surface as i was pouring water and bleach into it!

So i spoke to my home insurance guy as he is a regular at my store and he said i need to have a smoke detector in the room with all my fish equipment so that if something sketchy were to ever happen it would be covered. Also said i need to GFI everything! So safety wins!!!

One of the main reasons i am also doing this is that i am about the least handy person there is. My dad and brother are super handy but as a kid i was more interested in other things and never bothered to learn. He taught me its not what you know but who you know, so i always made it a habit to know more handy people. But this has its downside and as a home owner i would like to know how to fix things with out always having to ask for help... you know pride and all. So i am using this to learn how to be more handy-capable lol. Also my basement is like 1/3 third a workshop that has sat abandoned for 3 years.. So i decided to take this room and make it my fish room. here are a few before and after pics of that transformation.. i did sadly only take the before photo like half way through clearing out the junk stored there!

Here is what she looks like today!!

So now we are pretty much caught up to where my project is at now. This last week i have been putting a few coats of black paint on the back i also drilled 3 holes into my glass. Which might be one of my more proud moments in life lol. Tonight when my wife gets home we are going to clean the tank and attach the Synergy Reef Shadow Overflow and the return bulk head and put her back on her stand. Ill add some photos of that later tonight maybe! Right now i have the old power heads i got with the setup soaking in vinegar to get some of the growth off.

Tomorrow my dad and i are going to hard plumb the sump and DT. I got some pretty green and blue pvc and nice dark grey fittings all from BRS. Cost me a pretty penny but as they will be running through parts of my house i want them to look nice.

Most of my posts are going to have a question or two on them for you brilliant people to give me a hand on. Today i am wondering about basement fish rooms. I have read that you have to be careful that they sometimes the amount of CO2 and humidity can build up. I was thinking about installing an exhaust fan in this window? Will that work? I live in the St Louis area and i am worried that by having that the temp swings in this room could be great issue than CO2 or humidity? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I also thought i might be fun to add a photo or fun anecdote to draw you guys into my life!! As you guys seem like a tight knit community and all! My wife and i like to make homemade alcohol. Currently in the works is some Limoncello!!

Well there you have it! Like i said in the intro any help you guys can lend would be greatly appreciated! Feedback will always be welcome i work in a restaurant i can take it!! lol

Michael

 

[Griffin_Reefer]

Update Number One

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was eventful to say the least. When i left here i had intended to go put one final coat or two on my tanks and clean it and bring it inside. Well i am sad to announce i had made my first mistake. When doing research into what kind of paint to use instead of going to my normal sources online i spoke to a helper at the hardware store. He said latex would be the best for what i wanted. It did not work in the slightest. I wish i would have thought to take pictures but i was so flustered that didn't happen. I had spent most of week putting a coat or two on a day because if i didn't let the paint dry totally it would smear across that glass undoing all the previous work. Friday when my wife got home we set the tank on the table on our patio and i began to spray it off to get the bigger particles of dust and sand. then when i went to stand it up all of a sudden there were these lines and bubbles on the back of the tank. I was distraught. upon further inspection water had run down from the bulkhead cutouts and in between the glass and pain neatly separating the two parts! So in 30 seconds i had undone a most of the work i had done on the tank this week. SO i went on YouTube and here and searched for a more fitting paint. I settled on Rustoleum enamel in semi glossy black. Saturday morning went out and got it and in three coats and 2 hours i was back where i left off!

Then the first thing i did was to attach the Synergy Overflow... More on that later! ;Punch

About that time my dad showed up to help me learn the ways of PVC plumbing, A job that we thought would take us the better part of the afternoon ended up taking us 12 hours and 2 trips the local Big Box store(unplanned) and one trip (planned) to my local hardware store. We had a few kinks and a few design flaws that had to be worked around, but we did conquer it. One of the design flaws we had to work around was that i wasnt aware that it was difficult and unwise to drill into your basement walls (not handy remember) so we had to build up a false set of studs to have something that the manifold could be attached to!

But we got most the kinks out and had it all dry fitted by dinner time. Then, probably due to us being tired and inattentive we had a few more kinks and i had to cut a union out due to not putting the piece that gets screwed into back behind the piece thats the anchor... SO there went one of my expensive unions... and a few more battles later we finally got it all plumbed upstairs!!

there is my dad holding it up so i could drill the anchors in!

So the pipes made it upstairs. Then we began to finish the plumbing in the overflow box. we didn't glue it as they recommended but as i was pushing the u bend onto the back up the u bend came apart at the seams.

So i get to call BRS in the morning and see if i can order a new one or if they will maybe replace it. After that we did finally with a little help from a couple buddies this morning get the tank in place! and here is the final pic of it plummed from behind!

So that's all said and done now. for better or for worse she is in the house. There was a brief moment around 1115 last night that i was tempted to call it quits when a piece of PVC that was slightly misaligned had to be glued three times before the hold kept. But i do have to say i feel quiet good about the work i got done over the weekend and i am one step closer to having a little slice of the ocean i get to call my own. Which i am super excited about.

This weeks projects will be many but much smaller. I want to get a fish list finalized with the wifie. I need to wire that section of the basement. It use to be wired but during the home inspection the inspector made the guy pull it out because it was the old stuff and he didn't want to bring it up to code so he just pulled it all. So i am going to be getting a small 50amp service box and going to run all the wiring from that to a half dozen or so GFI outlets in the room all on their own circuits for easier control when i expand! And hopefully i will get the stuff for my Rodi design picked out so i can order for later. My wife's birthday is next week so next weekend we are doing stuff with her friends all weekend so i wont have any project time. I also at some point need to drain the rock chilling in bleach and replace it with vinegar water to try and neutralize all the bleach and then next week ill spray it all off and let it chill on my back patio when i get a couple sunny days in a row. So any input on my projects for the next week would be appreciated as always!!

Fun Fact number two i am recently married! I married the greatest woman i have ever meet back on April 29. It rained most of the day but was still a blast! Here is a photo of us on that day!

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Good-looking work so far!

Congrats on the wedding!!

 

[Griffin_Reefer]

Good Evening Everyone

Just a small update on the build. Today was pretty busy with work so i didnt get anything physically done with the tank i did finalize the fish plan with the wife tonight. So here it is!!

So i have just one small request if you see any conflicts speak up! I do plan on having 2 maybe 3 qt tanks probably the 20g longs so that i can separate fish as i bring them in. I will also be doing this over several months to a year depending on how my bacteria handle each load. My plan is to have a very mixed and diverse reef. I want to simulate nature as best as possible with as many of the little symbiotic circles as possible. I will also eventually do a coral plan as well but that will be a little further down the road. One thing in particular is there a way to look up which nems do best with which clowns... most of the stuff i have found isn't very helpful! The Wife had to have an Angel and i read that the potter is the best for a mixed reef if you keep him full. Is there one that's better? And are those three Tangs compatible i know i need to get small and at the same time and the articles ive read said they need to look different so there isn't any that look alike so they don't fight!!

This is obviously the best fish!!!

Fun fact i have home made cinnamon rolls in the oven because food network made them sound good!! They should be amazing they are my grandmothers recipe!!

 

[Griffin_Reefer]

Today's Update Power!

So my basement is old and there are two outlets both old school not grounded. Obviously this wont do for the fish room i have in my head. So i did an inventory of my current 100 amp service. I have two 20 amp breakers that aren't being used I've been running for two weeks now with them off, and haven't had an issue. So this weekend my buddy who is an electrician is going to come over and help me move the breakers around and double check all my work. Then we are going to run a 50 amp service from the spare slots in my breaker to the box i set up tonight!

here is my box and the two off mind the chicken scratch!

used these blue boxes make sure they are deep! That made it super easy!

next i ran all the cord making sure to leave plenty spare on both ends you can always cut the excess away but you cant make more appear you would have to rerun it all!

then you cut away the yellow i had best luck with a razor blade id run it down the middle then pulled it away and cut it with the razor blade... I bought a pair of electrician pliers they were 25 26 bucks and made my life really easy. They had a few gauges that made removing the razor really easy and thin flat ends that made making hooks that were flat easy too! Worth the money if you can buy them or maybe borrow from a buddy.

Attach those tiny hooks. screw them down. pull the yellow from the back of the box i found that was a lot easier than trying to push from the outlet side.

My buddy taught me to tape all your work it provides just that little bit of extra insurance.

Now you again pull the cords tight. slice them open and run the white to the screw bank in the top. the ground to the green screws in the bottom. and the Black live wire to the breakers! From what i know the black live is going to plug into that big screw up top. and the white to the white screw up top right. but that's why I'm bringing in my buddy. I think i should stress that if you don't have the luxury of an electrician you can make dinner for work i would hire a professional. I am lucky enough to be able to feed a friend for some expertise. I am not particularly happy with how the cords dropping in look. If he says i can i might change how this looks but we will see. For now how is how this looks!

Here is that part of the room! Fun fact of the day! I was a chef at Disney in a former life! I loved my year down there but in the end the call of my family brought me back to the Midwest!

 

[Griffin_Reefer]

Well this is hell week! In a perfect world Saturday and Sunday will be first fish in quarantine and beginning of cycling the tank. I have several Projects i will have to finish before then but hopefully with any luck it will be a success.

So Sunday i was able to get my RODI water system set up! With my pressure at 60 PSI and the cold water i am able to get about 100 gallons a day.

I also cut all the baffles for my Sump i am just waiting for the skimmer to come in tomorrow so i can make sure all the measurements are right.

This weekend i also pulled out my rock from the bleach after a week. I filled and emptied the container twice then i spread all the rock on my back patio and for 3 days i washed it in the morning and at about 2 in the afternoon. let it air dry each time for 3 days then yesterday i let it sit out in the sun all day to make sure it was extra dry and also you know be witness to the eclipse. Now its in a trash can with salt water circulating and a heater. I also put some bacteria stuff in there to help accelerate the process.

Tonight's project was to build my 3 tank quarantine set up. I designed the concept around something i saw on fishofhex. Good channel if you like you-tube! i don't have as big a system and don't plan on getting any fish full size anytime soon so i figured a 10g set up would work. I how ever did want to be able to separate species that i get in so i wanted 3 tanks. So i built three shelves and then legs to hold them together and longer supports on the bottom to make sure it doesn't tip. I painted the bottom and 3 sides blue and placed them in an area of the fish room that gets mild light 24/7 so that it wont ever be pitch black but will always be dim unless i am visually inspecting the fish, or showing a friend the set up.

Well that's about it! Tomorrow i should in a perfect world get my next shipment from BRS and will be able to finish my sump and then drill it. SO i can then let it sit for 24 hours and fill it with water!! Also pardon the mess that is my RODI system since i don't have the reservoirs ill be using so I'm not doing anything permanent yet.

My random fact for the day is that Its my Wife's birthday!!

 

[marissas47]

Happy birthday to your wife ! Everything looks like it's coming along great

 

[Griffin_Reefer]

Hey all 2 days until F-Day. Fish not the other word! I got a lot done while my wife was at work yesterday and tonight. I have a TV in my fish room so she hangs out and cross-stitches while i work on stuff! Yesterday i put in the baffles i have seen a couple different ways but i thought this would be a clever idea. I took a board the size of the gap at the bottom. Then i drilled to smaller boards to it like so!

Then once the caulk had set i removed one of the boards and pulled it out the other side.

Tonight i was way more productive. Mainly because i could breathe with out toxic fumes nearly killing me! I made the fittings on the RODI more permanent i cleaned and tapped the copper line. Drilled the waste line hole as well! Shortened up the lines. i am going to tack them in place when i have the chance to hunt down the things i want for the job. Had a little bit of fun once i tapped the copper pipe i had some issues trying to figure it all out and couldn't find the compression fitting. Took about 4 tries before i dug through box and found it. But that was after a few trips to the shut off and a couple gallons of water on the floor lol.

Also drilled my sump with a little help from the wife.


We picked up the heaters for qt tanks while i was near a petco running errands for work.

Also got two water storage tanks from farm and home. A sixty gallon that i can use for water changes and fresh water. And then a 30 gallon one that i am going to use as an emergency overflow for my sump in case of power failure, and my Wye check valve failing. I kinda had to remove some of the plastic and did a poor job of it. Kinda bummed me out but its just a small thing.

Got all my plumbing finished i just need one more of the little circle clamps that hold on the silicone tubing and then its finished. Well kinda lol i have a lot of big plans like hard plumbing water changes with light switches that turn on pumps.... an RODI set up that ties into my ATO that fills a main reservoir and turns on once a float valve at the bottom is triggered and runs for 24 hrs to refill. Fancy stuff like that! But that will be to keep me entertained once i get it up and running until i can talk my wife into a frag tank, and things like that. One other idea i worked on was a small solution to my cord octopus. Here are some more pictures! Tomorrow we will be getting the last few things to make sure the QT tanks are comfy for our fish friends come Saturday. We are having a bunch of friends over and i am hoping to have something to show them.

got to build a little stand for my pan world... as a cardboard box wont work well when its pumping 1000 gph lol.

And today's random fact I am a huge fantasy nerd. My favorite series is Sword of Truth. I am blowing through the Chainfire Trilogy. I listen to books on tape while i do paper work, drive, and work on projects.

 

[Griffin_Reefer]

Wow what a weekend! Sorry for the delay. We picked up the fish on Saturday then spent the rest of the day with family and friends. Sunday was the day we celebrated my wives birthday with everyone, and i had a small work emergency on Monday! So i suffered my first loss also on Monday! We bought Clowns a Picasso and a Mocacasso not sure how that's spelled! We also got a few fire fish and a royal basslet. I put each of the species in their own tanks! Saturday and Sunday everything was great but when i got home Monday i had loss my Fire fish! I wanted to do a water change before i left for work but wasn't able to due to a mechanical failure at one of my stores. But i am assuming one died and that led to an ammonia spike that killed the others. Lesson learned Ive been doing more water changes but i thought since i added the tank start bacteria to the tanks a few days ahead of time i would have a little more leeway.. guess its not so!

Sunday afternoon i did pump one of the full storage tanks into the system. Then allowed it to fill the rest of the way and topped the system off Monday evening. When the tank was empty monday night i also added some plumbing including a ball valve to the bottom of the 60g storage tank.

Last night i also added sand and rock to the system. It was extremely cloudy as i added 2 bags of fiji pink and 1 bag of oomlite. I want the option of a sand sifting goby so i had to go with the smaller grain size. But it resulted in a major dust storm. I let the larger stuff settle out over night with nothing running. Then today i added pillow stuffing to a few spots in the sump and continuely agitated everything to make sure i got all the really small dust particles out of my system for good! Did some final aquascaping i am going to make sure i like this for the next couple days and if i do ill be glueing it all together after i haven't touched it in 24 hours lol. Waiting on a BRS shipment then ill be adding a few more things and pretty much be set up until i am ready money wise to do a frag tank and coral in a few months! Random Fact today as you can see in my photo. I am a huge blues fan! and can't wait for hockey!