- Joined
- Apr 30, 2016
- Messages
- 1,568
- Reaction score
- 1,193
- Location
- El Paso Tx
- What state or country do you live in
- Texas
I wish I worked for Ecotech for you to sponsor your 420 and my 75g lol , sorry Terry . Nice update though really enjoyed it.
Terry's 400 Gallon Upgrade
- Monster Build
- Thread starter Terry4505
- Start date
- Tagged users None
I've gone back and forth about what I want to do for lights. But for now, I've found a cheap solution that I'm happy with. I am using two 5000K outdoor LED flood lights in clamp fixtures and my 72" Reef Brite (which is really unnecessary upstairs, especially since I went to four Blue + bulbs in the fixture. The color isn't perfect, but for $50, it will light the tank for now, while I think about more permanent solutions.
I also replumbed the drains and returns. There was a slow drip in the return, where I didn't seat a ball valve well, and I had room to move the drains up, to get more downward movement in the pipes. I am happy with how it turned out.
I also added a juvenile Imperator Angel, and a small Majestic Foxface to the big tank, as well as a fairy wrasse and a pair of mocha clowns to the 180. So far everyone is settling in well.
I also replumbed the drains and returns. There was a slow drip in the return, where I didn't seat a ball valve well, and I had room to move the drains up, to get more downward movement in the pipes. I am happy with how it turned out.
I also added a juvenile Imperator Angel, and a small Majestic Foxface to the big tank, as well as a fairy wrasse and a pair of mocha clowns to the 180. So far everyone is settling in well.
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2016
- Messages
- 1,568
- Reaction score
- 1,193
- Location
- El Paso Tx
- What state or country do you live in
- Texas
Very nice ! Did you have the RB strip over your 180g and decide to take it off and put it on the 420g ?
Made some massive changes to the system. I'll shoot a video walkthrough later, but here's the basics...
I had an electrician come and install a new panel, with three dedicated circuts, one for the fish room.
With the help of my dad, we ran 4 boxes, one switched outlet, all on GFCI for the fish aread:
It really helped clean up the wiring and ditching all of the Daisy chained power strips.
I also had to replace the bottom sump, the 40B just didn't have enough capcity for a power outage. I used a 75, which works perfectly:
I had an electrician come and install a new panel, with three dedicated circuts, one for the fish room.
With the help of my dad, we ran 4 boxes, one switched outlet, all on GFCI for the fish aread:
It really helped clean up the wiring and ditching all of the Daisy chained power strips.
I also had to replace the bottom sump, the 40B just didn't have enough capcity for a power outage. I used a 75, which works perfectly:
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2016
- Messages
- 1,568
- Reaction score
- 1,193
- Location
- El Paso Tx
- What state or country do you live in
- Texas
Very nice , looks great Terry, that’s crazy you have my DT a 75g as one of your Sumps..[emoji33]so jealous lol with dew time I’ll get there ..very nice
Jim Heenan
Active Member
- Joined
- May 22, 2017
- Messages
- 177
- Reaction score
- 160
- Location
- Neenah, WI
- What state or country do you live in
- Wisconsin
Wow!
So... this is not a fun post, but I think it will have a positive outcome.
I was sound asleep last Thursday when I heard my wife scream from the kitchen that there was water running in the basement. I obviously panicked and jumped out of bed, and ran downstairs to the sight of water gushing out of the right side of the 420.
The seam between the front and side glass split about 2/3 of the way down. I was able to open the emergency drain on the back of the tank below the break, saving around 100 gallons and keeping the fish alive.
We then began the tedious project of pushing as much of the water into the sump pump. There was standing water on most of the basement floor. My best guess is that the tank was not perfectly level, and the uneveness caused stress on the front glass. This is just a guess. The tank was used, and it could simply have been age. I took a few days to think about what I wanted to do next. I thought about just taking it down, but I didn't want to give up too soon.
I decided to try to fix it. I was able to get silicone into the seam as far as it split, and used ratchet straps to pull the glass back together. I also releveled the tank while it was mostly empty. I didn't trust the silicone to hold on its own, so I built a frame for the top of the tank (and am planning on putting one around the bottom of the tank as well.) I cut it to fit snugly, then used ratchet straps to pull it tight before I screwed it together.
At this point, the tank is about 3/4 of the way full, and no issues. Only time will tell. We are a long way away from finishing the basement, so I guess I will wait and see. This was not a fun experience. And if it was my fault, not a mistake I will make again.
I was sound asleep last Thursday when I heard my wife scream from the kitchen that there was water running in the basement. I obviously panicked and jumped out of bed, and ran downstairs to the sight of water gushing out of the right side of the 420.
The seam between the front and side glass split about 2/3 of the way down. I was able to open the emergency drain on the back of the tank below the break, saving around 100 gallons and keeping the fish alive.
We then began the tedious project of pushing as much of the water into the sump pump. There was standing water on most of the basement floor. My best guess is that the tank was not perfectly level, and the uneveness caused stress on the front glass. This is just a guess. The tank was used, and it could simply have been age. I took a few days to think about what I wanted to do next. I thought about just taking it down, but I didn't want to give up too soon.
I decided to try to fix it. I was able to get silicone into the seam as far as it split, and used ratchet straps to pull the glass back together. I also releveled the tank while it was mostly empty. I didn't trust the silicone to hold on its own, so I built a frame for the top of the tank (and am planning on putting one around the bottom of the tank as well.) I cut it to fit snugly, then used ratchet straps to pull it tight before I screwed it together.
At this point, the tank is about 3/4 of the way full, and no issues. Only time will tell. We are a long way away from finishing the basement, so I guess I will wait and see. This was not a fun experience. And if it was my fault, not a mistake I will make again.
Greybeard
2500 Club Member
Ugh. Many of us have nightmares about this sort of thing. You're right, hard to post when something like this happens, but this is the sort of thing that might cause someone else with an out of level tank to look twice. You may well save someone's home with the post. Yours is in the basement... many of us would have a far worse mess to clean up.
When purchasing my new tank, several features I incorporated were done, at least in part, in order to help me sleep nights.
-18" deep, shallow==less pressure
-Rimmed bottom: I really wanted to rimless look, but decided to do a rimmed bottom anyway.
-Steel stand: I _know_ it's square, level, won't flex, won't get soft over time...
-Screw jacks under tank in crawlspace to keep it level.
Best of luck with your re-seal. I have _not_ had positive experiences with this kind of thing.
When purchasing my new tank, several features I incorporated were done, at least in part, in order to help me sleep nights.
-18" deep, shallow==less pressure
-Rimmed bottom: I really wanted to rimless look, but decided to do a rimmed bottom anyway.
-Steel stand: I _know_ it's square, level, won't flex, won't get soft over time...
-Screw jacks under tank in crawlspace to keep it level.
Best of luck with your re-seal. I have _not_ had positive experiences with this kind of thing.
