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Big day coming sooner than I thought!

132K views 3K replies 60 participants last post by  rininger85 
#1 ·
Emptied my music room out last night, and moved the 220G stand into it.....have folks getting lined up to help move the tank into the house today. Getting the jitters now thinking of setting up this monster....big step up from my 45G. Feel like a young child on Christmas Eve......going to be a great journey, I'll keep all informed, as I take this trip nice and slow.
("An excited!")Dave
:blob:
 
#9 ·
Got tank in and set on stand by 6:00p, was getting ready to move it from the van up the 3 stairs of my front porch and in place with only three of us, but thank God number 4 showed up just in time! Went incredibly smooth, no smashed fingers or boo boo's of any kind. Then had time to sit back, relax and enjoy our weekly shindig! Yea we had tons of people, probably 10ish or so.....but most of our usual crowd are shall we say, uhmmm, able to remember 'Sea-hunt with Mike Nelson', or other wise mobility challanged...so had to wait for sons n grandsons in some cases to get here for the tank move. My first chance with the new tank to show patients.Our last camera died a pre-mature death a while back, so am at the mercy of the Mrs. to E-MAIL me the pics from her phone so I can shair them with you all......'CHECKS n THE MAIL' trust me. Took pics with my dinosaur of a flip phone but need to text them over to her phone, so she can E-MAIL them to my computer.......life has gotten so complicated with all these devices that make life easier!
Pics and updates to follow......eventualy,
Dave
 
#11 ·
....O.K., here's the first pics. Eating a pizza now, then right back to cleaning this beast. Big difference between this and working on the 45! I'm 6' and can barely reach the bottom.....wow! Crawled under the front porch and added three cross braces to help support the weight, good way to spend a day off, only in the low 90's. The pool felt good too! I'm the one in the white-cap.
 

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#14 ·
I'm laughing at a phone that can text pictures being called a 'dinosaur'. But then, I'm still getting used to the idea that mine can even take pictures.

Nice tank. I look forward to seeing it grow.
You're so right Carl.....I'm from the 'corded-phone' generation, and can remember my older brother having one of those first cell phones that looked like a brick, and you had to carry the battery pack/and transmitter in the other hand.....things are moving awfully quick!
Dave
 
#15 ·
Getting my little guy to do the dreaded 'leak test fill'......saw what happened to a 45G tank I picked up once at a yard sale.....sounded like an outboard engine in the tank before all these jets of water started squirting out of all the seams! He works cheap!
Dave
n son
 

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#16 ·
Tank is all filled now, and no signs of leaks....Nate's safe! Will drain it when I get home tonight from work and start placing orders.....now the 'money spending' starts! It's going to be a long slow thought out build, using the 'slow n know' method I learned keeping my 45g. Thanks for your' support, and I'll post my milestones, and questions.....
Dave
 
#17 ·
Instead of draining it so fast I'm leaving it filled for the moment while I 'test-run' the over-flow box and sump, pump, and return ect. Fasten hoses and wires, and a good long look to be sure everything stays nice and dry, and wet where it should be wet. Read a lot of threads on HOB over-flow boxes....THEY ARE LOUD! Couldn't picture the big whoop every one was talking about the noise they make.....can now! After talking with the fella I got it from, and a good laugh, he told me about the sponges he put over the drain tube....quieted right up it did, thanks. Then the rubber under the pump in the sump to isolate it from making noise. Now the only sounds come from the 'trickle-filter' part of the sump where the water drops thru.....I think it sounds relaxing, my wife has another term for the sound. Can't decide if it's a benefit keeping the 'trickle' aspect since I removed the bio-balls from it, or just run a hose to the bottom and get rid of the 'falling/dripping aspect? I'm kinda thinking it helps with oxigenating the water, but could be wrong, and my wife will wind up with a quieter sump, Any thoughts....still have plenty of time to fine tune, and even make u-turns.
Dave
:read:
Oh yea....got home from work yesterday to the site of a paper towel on the floor by my return line.....panic! But my wife saw the look on my face and yelled out from the kitchen that it was cause of one of the dogs...accident. Wooooooow! That stopped the old heart.
:funny:
 
#18 ·
Just a little update...Started the long slow process of bringing this beast to life. Added first piece of LR Saturday,("That whole Saturday over time, it's my 'play money' thing."). Have 55lbs. of dry rock, God willing should be here today from 'Reef-Cleaners', and we get to do some aqua-scaping to night. ("I'll be ordering and picking out localy more as I go into building this reef once I see it taking shape.") Been looking over all the pics of 'softies only' tanks trying to find a direction I want to steer this reef.....overwhelming! There some absolutely gorgious tanks out there, but seeing them flowing in all their glory covered in mature corals takes your' focus off the reef it self. Going to take some thought.....as every part of this hobby. Always open for suggestions, and pics, thanks,
Dave
 

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#19 ·
so you went from a leak test, to tossing in LR to start cycling the tank... did you add salt? Is the tank set up to be an island or still have to drain it and move it back? Seems like a lot of natural light coming from a window behind the tank? Have you taken that in to consideration? Might be an algae issue... if you are sliding the tank back maybe planning on painting the back first?
 
#20 ·
Just like my wife always tells about that 'face-book' thingy she goes on....seems there are some on there that tell you about each breath they take, and which direction they were pointing when they did. I'm kinda just hitting the 'mile-stones' as I go. Though a fresh water reef tank would be soooo much simpler! After easing my concerns of the tank and sump system being safe, I drained it and is now running using 'reef crystals'. As my other tank, the 45g I didn't even think about the salt mix, went instinctively with Instant-Ocean, just what I had always used with fish only. Now I'm going to gradualy start adding the reef crystals in with the IO as I do my water changes getting the inhabitants use to their eventual new home in the 220. And yes, my tank is going to be an 'island' set up....will be the focal point of the room, with several 'rolling stools' close by to take in the view....if there are others around who like me, can just sit and stare for hours at a reef tank. And it happened to have been a beautiful day when I took that picture, windows wide open to take advantage of it. But the room is actually fairly dim with the blinds kept down, as they will be usually, so I have as you said, better control of the algae growth. My box of rocks did show up yesterday, and are now keeping my lonely piece of live-rock company. And will be purchasing a few more pieces of live-rock Saturday....need the OT money to support my habit!
Dave
 
#21 ·
OK just checking =)

I've been working a lot of OT lately too, unfortunately they are only paying me straight time rather than time and a half because the company changed its policy a few years back and said that salary people don't get paid OT... but I told my boss I wouldn't be putting in any extra hours if I wasn't getting paid (we already have to work 45 hours and get paid for 40 so we give the company 5 free hours for the 'benefit' of being salaried, so not giving away any more of my free time...) but at least straight time is better than nothing. I've been using mine to pay off debt and put money aside to buy a house so I can start my big upgrade too =) getting tired of all the extra long weeks, but it is the first time I've been paid more than a 40 hour week in probably 4 years due to the policy change, so I'm using up every little bit of it that I can.
 
#22 ·
I'm a working class stiff, probably always will be. But when I do get a little 'mad-money' my wife is happy to see me spend it on things I am here with her and the children sharing it with......my 'geek-hobbys' she calls them, REEFING, AND ASTRONOMY', though she really gets a kick out of our reef tank too.
Work 6 days a week, and that Saturday pay gives us enough extra to 'play' just a little....need to have 'vents' in your' life to break up the mundane!
Dave
 
#23 ·
brassaxe is another astronomy guy on here... I think it'd be cool to learn more about and have the equipment, but I have too many expensive hobbies as it is (scuba diving, reefing, motorcycles, skiing, golfing, hunting, fishing, boating... its hard to do them all!) not enough free time and free money to keep up with anything new =) maybe someday I'll win the lotto and not have to work anymore so I have more time for my hobbies.
 
#24 ·
Thanks for the heads up about brassaxe, good to know I'm not the only sky watcher on here....as though one expensive hobby isn't enough....there's places for people like us, well at least 2 actually, forgot about the 'poor-house' LOL! Yes besides the funds, this is, or can be, a very time consuming hobby. I find I spend an awful lot of time just staring in wonder at my little reef, the incredible tiny little things you just don't notice at a quick glance. People don't understand the difference of just having a fish tank, or having this as a 'hobby'. An addictive one at that!
Let's see,
Diving....check
fishing...check
boating..check
golfing...check,check
Yeh bro, I feel your' pain.
Dave
 
#25 ·
THE BIG-DAY CAME! Last night after work and a quick dip in the pool to destress after working all day, our family had an assembly line going switching our 45g over to our' 220g. Actually the process took a couple of weeks......matching parameters, switching water between tanks to acclimate everyone to their new home, yada, yada, yada....
Had big tubs set up with water, fish n shrimp in one, corals in another, live rock another, and a few truly huge pieces of 'dead-coral' on a towel with my son going over them carefully searching for snails, or shrimp he would put in with the others. No matter how careful you are, when it comes to moving stuff out of a tank, and into another, you make a mess! Towels every where covering our tracks, hands arms and rocks dripping.....I was more worried about the fish and corals than my snails...HA! They'll be crawling out of the substrate for weeks, put a bounty on them, 10cents ea. for my family to keep catching them while I'm at work today. Figured I'd give them a day to clear out of Dodge before I drain down the 45g tonight. Going to be converting it over to a fresh water tank......
Was way to busy last night for pictures, went into 'over-time' by time we had the transfer completed, but I'll be getting some after work tonight. Actually as concerned as I was over the move, and I was, it's a load off my mind and shoulders now having only the one reef to worry about.
Now our' life with the 220 begins......
Dave:rimshot:
 
#26 ·
Good morning all. Just a wet dreary morning as a 'nor-easter' passes thru, giving me a day off from work. Battened down the hatches at the boat yard yesterday, so no reason to go sit over there and stare out the windows at the wind and the waves, and the rain....buckets full! So a good day to sit right here.....or until the Mrs. wakes up, and I can start assisting her with her baking. Good time to up date pics on my 220g. Had no idea how time consuming it would be when I up graded from my 45g. I spend a lot of time in, under, over, around, doing for, and looking through and at this incredible addition to our' lives. But in a lot of ways it's much easier to care for: tons of room for cleaning and maintenance. Though my shirts get much wetter trying to reach the bottom....and my son, not happening. I'm a 6footer and I can just reach the bottom, and little Hack has a lot of growing to do yet before he can take over, and God willing he will one fine day. Another thing is....it's real tough in that room to get a 'full shot' of the tank. So there tends to be a lot of close ups, since anywhere in our sun parlor is a close up with this tank.
Dave
 

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#27 ·
Hi all, just kind of a 2 month up date on 'Hack's-reef'.
Falling into a pattern for cleaning and maintenance, cleaning glass every other day.....a pit fall of the assistance of natural sun light on my reef, and bi-weekly cleanings and 20% water changes. Algae, but ain't complaing, I keep it trimmed and my fish love the salad-bar idea. Actually recently began bringing home some 'bay cabbage' and clipping it in the tank.....old one spot loves the stuff!
Here's some of the newest pics.....
Hack
 

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#29 ·
Thanks ChiWing, and the chromises are 2-2 1/2" or so, but what they lack in size they make up for by 'schooling' together.....they're a major attraction in that tank. It's so easy to get lost in the moment sitting there in the evening looking into the tank, just kinda drift away momentarily forgetting about the cares and worries of the world. The Mrs. is starting to get more and more interested in the reef, starting to find the thrill as I do, looking past the obvious, and seeing the little things that get skimmed over in a world that's in such a hurry.
Hack
 
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