Ken's 290 Peninsula

[kgstei]

Thanks I appreciate it. The one thing that you mentioned that would concern me is quarter-inch deflection. For a floor it's no problem because it flexes. The fish tank doesn't so I would keep an eye on that as I would think that would put stress on the tank possibly leading to a leak. I would keep an eye on that over time.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Thanks I appreciate it. The one thing that you mentioned that would concern me is quarter-inch deflection. For a floor it's no problem because it flexes. The fish tank doesn't so I would keep an eye on that as I would think that would put stress on the tank possibly leading to a leak. I would keep an eye on that over time.

I am not overly concerned. No doubt I will be nervous during the fill, but I think I have mitigated the risk.

First, I have margin. The beam were designed for 5K lbs load, 2500 lbs each, evenly distributed on basically half the beam (6ft tank 13ft span). My final tank size is 72x36x26 exterior dimensions, so internal volume on the order of 71x35x25, assume a fill level 1" below that, so 71x35x24=258 gallons, round up, and that puts the water around 2200lbs, assume 500 for the tank itself, 500 for the stand and equipment, a couple hundred lbs of rock and stuff, final weight around 3500 lbs. The beams are in addition to the existing floor structure, not instead of.

Second, I'd be willing to bet there are thousands of tanks out there that are slightly out of level. Not that I recommend it, but I have no doubt it happens a lot!! Unless you are putting the tank on a concrete slab, the floor will move, its just a matter of how much. I'd bet 1/4 inch over 6ft doesn't seem like it would be much of an issue. I would think that flatness of the stand would be move significant...that would really stress the joints.

Third, I had leveling feet added to the stand. After plumbing I'll do a freshwater fill/leak test. During that time I can monitor the sag of the floor and adjust the leveling feet as necessary. Besides the aforementioned laser measuring of the height in under the beams, I'll stick my 6ft level on the tank while we go!

If I have missed something, please do let me know...it would be an awfully expensive mistake to make!

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Just to keep thread rolling. I have most of the equipment on hand now. I got the update from Synergy reef that my sump was in production. Not sure when it will be complete, but I expect it will be here by the end of April.

CDA hasn't been great with communication. Zoya was very quick to respond prior to my order being placed, but more difficult to nail down after that. I am good with a delay as I have a lot going on with the house project, work, wife, kids, parents, etc. I understand what it means to be the sandwich age...parents with issue and kids with issues...both requiring my attention...I did ask Zoya for a best guess when my tank would be ready, with the understanding that it may change, and I got no response....I still expect that I will be happy with the tank when it arrives, I just dont know when that will be...

Stand for both the tank and sump/frag tank are officially ordered.

The stand is basically a 73x36x36 with a bump out on the back to accommodate plumbing and support the canopy. The sump/frag tank will now be 84x24x42. I had them increase the overall height to make sure I have good access to the sump and associated equipment.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Questions for you all. I have been trying to source either PVC or Starboard (marine HDPE) instead of plywood for the stands. Starboard seems to be cheaper than PVC sheet overall.

I did get a quote from a place called The Plastic Factory in Bridgeport CT, they have 3/4" black (or white) starboard in stock in 54x96 sheets for $485 per sheet, eek. I'd need qty (2) 36x72 for the tank stand and qty (2) 24x84 for the sump/frag stand..so that would require 3 sheets....Maybe plywood is good enough!

I am also trying to source 100ish gallon water storage tanks for a mixing station. Prices aren't terrible, but shipping costs as much as the tanks. Trying to find a local source as well.

I have a truck and don't mind driving a few hours if it saves me $500 in shipping if anyone has any leads on either starboard or storage tanks in the New England area..

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Second question. really have a debate about rock. The biggest advantage of dry rock is that you can build and shape your aquascape outside the tank, drill, cut, epoxy, whatever to your hearts desire. With the closed loops that I am planning, I am a little nervous about trying to create an aquascpae ahead of time. knowing my luck, something will be off and I'll end up tearing it apart anyway. Live rock, with all the natural flora and fauna also seem to help a tank reach maturity faster and introduce excellent bio diversity. I believe I can get live rock from my LFS for $6 per lb if I order 200+ lbs. So my thought is to order some marco foundation rocks that are cut smooth on the bottom, and then build on top of that with live rock once i Have the tank set up and plumbed.

Is this a good plan?

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Just adding that coincidentally I got a message from Zoya yesterday. The glass for my display and frag tanks are in and they are starting to drill holes...!

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Got a little work done this weekend. Ran a set of (4) 1.5" pipes from the tank to the sump location. Directly below the tank is a drop ceiling, so that is not very difficult to access. Then it goes through a wall and over a full bathroom. Things got tricky there as the only real space to run them was right over the shower. I ended up removing the vent fan and believe I will ended up replacing it with an inline fan tucked up in the joists a little further over so it doesn't interfere with the tank plumbing. So that's another project to be completed in the near future. Then it passed above a finished laundry room. and finally the pop out in the unfinished area of the basement. This is where I plan to build a sump "closet" to house the sump, frag tank, etc.

Right now all the piping is just laying there, not connected end to end. My thought is to wait until the tank is here and ready to be plumbed into the overflow/returns. Then I will start connecting things working from the tank location across the house to the sump room and get everything supported properly. But the hard work is done!

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Things are happening....

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Nearly finished tile on the the entire first floor. We have had quite a few family issues with both parents and kids need significant help from us. I wont go into those, but we definitely feed sandwiched between lots of issues. Trying to keep things moving forward, if slowly!

This is in the family room, on the far side of the house from where we started!

The stand arrived earlier in the week. Ran into a small issue getting it off the truck, it was on a long pallet that was placed into the truck end first and there wasn't enough room for the driver to turn it with his pallet jack as I was the firs stop of the day. Luckily, I have a tractor with bolt on forks. The driver pulled it out as far as he could onto the lift gate and I got my forks under it and was able to maneuver it out the rest of the way and into my garage. No pics of this as it was just me and the driver and I was focusing on not tipping over!

I started to open the packaging and freaked out where I saw this drawing. I thought FramingTech sent me the wrong parts!

But after sorting through the pieces, it became obvious that I had the correct parts, just the wrong drawing was in the box! Never mind the odd looking seat, its part of the sectional from the family room which is disassembled and stored in different areas of the house as we work on the floor!

Each piece comes numbered and the drawing shows you where it goes.

There are no assembly instructions, but for the most part, its pretty intuitive, even a 10 year old can do it!

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Almost complete:

Brought in a rolling shelf to help get organized:

The sump shipped on Friday, should have it in my hands sometime this week!

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Just got word from CDA that my tanks should be completed next week!

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Well, sump hasn't gotten here...its somewhere between TN and here in CT..

Got the stand fully assembled and approximately in position.

Entering from the hallway:

looking toward my "office"

View from my desk!

First fish!

If anyone hadn't noticed, my wife picked up some starfish tiebacks for the curtains.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Well, I had a sump....briefly. Got it off the truck with my little tractor and some bolt on forks only to discover that the UPS freight guys weren't as careful about moving it around as I was....Refused delivery and reported it to Synergy Reef. I got a call from Rick within minutes of my e-mail. They will take care of the damage claim and put a new order into the que. I placed the initial order on 1/31, it shipped on 4/29, as expected. Rick said my new order would jump right into production, but it would still likely be 5-6 weeks. Just gotta roll with the punches these days. I didn't fully unwrap it, didn't need to, but other than the fork lift holes, it looked beautiful. Can't wait to get one in tact!

 

[Gundy]

Well, I had a sump....briefly. Got it off the truck with my little tractor and some bolt on forks only to discover that the UPS freight guys weren't as careful about moving it around as I was....Refused delivery and reported it to Synergy Reef. I got a call from Rick within minutes of my e-mail. They will take care of the damage claim and put a new order into the que. I placed the initial order on 1/31, it shipped on 4/29, as expected. Rick said my new order would jump right into production, but it would still likely be 5-6 weeks. Just gotta roll with the punches these days. I didn't fully unwrap it, didn't need to, but other than the fork lift holes, it looked beautiful. Can't wait to get one in tact!

I can’t believe synergy wouldn’t get a new sump out to you within 7-14 days. I know they are a small company but. Its not the right way to build relationships and take care of your customers when a sump gets damaged during shipping. I recently got my synergy sump and it took 3 months for it to get here as well.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

I can’t believe synergy wouldn’t get a new sump out to you within 7-14 days. I know they are a small company but. Its not the right way to build relationships and take care of your customers when a sump gets damaged during shipping. I recently got my synergy sump and it took 3 months for it to get here as well.

I guess my level of anger/frustration is dependent upon the impact. My tank hasn't shipped yet...maybe this week..?? who knows, but that's a separate issue. Having a sump right now doesn't really hurt the overall build schedule much. The initial quote was 12-14 weeks and Synergy shipped within that window. Could they/Should they produce a replacement more quickly, maybe, but again, no significant impact to me at this point. So as long as they deliver within the new 5-6 week window, it still works for me. Getting outraged as every issue isn't good for my health!

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Got pics of a tank, should ship next week.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

The display and frag tanks have arrived from CDA. I did open the crates and inspect, the best I could. The driver was not interested in hanging around while I took out the dozen or so screws from the crate lid, he was in a rush to get on to his next delivery. Everything appeasers to have made it in one piece, but I'll know better once I get the crate fully opened.

They are going to sit for at least a couple weeks as I've gotten distracted with a side project, starting a small herd of Nigeria Dwarf goats! I am building a 12x12 barn with a 6x12 lean to one side!

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Well, not much progress has been made. I am very much enjoying our new little herd.

I did get a little further on the sump "closet". It's just under 8ft wide, 3ft deep, all lined with 3/4 plywood that will make mounting shelving or whatever I need easier in the future. Not sure exactly what I am doing for doors at this point, but the near term goal is to get a couple coats of paint on, punch through with plumbing from above, and place a few outlets. That will in tern allow me to assemble the sump/frag stand from FramingTech and move the sump and frag tank our of the garage.

Yes, that means the new sump arrived since my last update as well!

 

[Fiziksgeek]

A little progress...

For reference, the stand is 84 long, 42 high, and 24 front to back. The sump is 72x18x18. I slide it though the end and then pushed the stand into place. Its just temporarily on a scrap of plywood. I've been trying to source some starboard to top botht eh main display stand and sump/frag tank stand. Seems to be running north of $500 for a 4x8 sheet in 3/4" thickness...I would need 3 sheets...ouch! Maybe some plywood with a laminate top would work well enough....

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Slow but steady....

Ran some power, initially qty 3, 2 gang boxes high along the back wall of the sump closet (2 visible in the pic). I ran an individual wire for each to a junction box outside the closet that is readily accessible. This way I have flexibility to change how each outlet is fed by how they are connected in the junction box. I can have each on its own circuit if I so desire, or all on one, or whatever!

Also connected the plumbing. You can see the stubs coming through the ceiling. Doesn't look like a lot of work, but remember from my earlier post that the sump will be in the basement and nearly 40 feet away from the display tank. So I have qty 4 -- 1.5" lines running across the house, 3 drains and 1 return. I plan to put a union on the stub so I can change/adjust the plumbing within the sump area as needed.