GoToSleep's 700g Build Thread (& complete remodel)

I had a busy afternoon today and got a little bit more done in the fish closet. My friend who built the aquarium stand for me, built this rack to go in the fish closet. Each 'shelf' has a slot perfectly sized to drop a 36" x 18" tank into (e.g. 40 breeder, 30 breeder). Each 'shelf' is wide open underneath which opens up the possibility of drilling the tanks through the bottom. It would also let me shine some light through to the lower tank if I go bare bottom. The racks are made from white oak. That's a 40 breeder in the bottom slot and the Hammerhead sitting underneath.



We also put in a stand for the salt water vat. I'm still not sure when it will arrive.



Here's on more shot of everything.



I'm going to have a very busy weekend working out here. Maybe I'll have some interesting pictures by Monday.

 

Quick question...hopefully something you haven't answere already. What exactly are the breeder tanks for? You sure that stand/shelf will be able to hold up 800+ lbs of water and other stuff?

 

My cabinet maker extraordinaire assures me that it will be fine. It actually is very sturdy construction and most of the load is axial compression on those front legs and the back braces which are securely attached to the studs in the wall.

 

you're really moving and the fish closet looks great. it appears you've got all your T's crossed and such. i went into this hobby saying "i want a tank, what do i need to make that happen." what did you say? "Wow, i've got more money than Oprah, a garage begging to become a 3reef tourist trap and a carpenter buddy to make all this cool stuff. man, i might as well get a big A reef tank!"

seriously, dude, you rock. AND classic work with the Alfred photo!

 

How long did it take you to get final plans on all of the remodeling and the tank design?

 

I had a decent set-up with my 125 but this tank is about 3 orders of magnitude more complex. I've already had to make a number of changes but thankfully, I had enough flexibility built into the design that there haven't been any major snags.

 

Had a busy morning working on the fish closet. I scraped paint off the concrete floor, and used concrete etcher/cleaner to prep the surface. I also cut some 3/4" aluminum angle trim and used silicone caulk to glue this in place around the bottom edges of the room. My plan is to pour a thick layer of epoxy onto the floor and let it self level. I hoping that It will give a nice look to the room.

 

I was supposed to finish the plumbing tonight but my plans got derailed. I took my son and 6 of his friends to RideMakerz RIDEMAKERZ® Home Pagefor a birthday bash. The boys had a great time but when we came out to the truck, I wouldn't start. We were an hour from home and it was pouring buckets. I got totally soaked in the process of determining that it was not something as simple as a dead battery. Ultimately, I had to get a 65mi tow home and have my brother-in-law drive an hour each way to pick us up. This resulted in my not being home in time to do more work on the tank.

 

Bummer but the kids had fun and you made it home ,,Thats what counts.

let me guess,
starter and or relay/solinoid eh.;D

 

Yep, that's the short list right now. My money's on the solinoid since I haven't had a moments trouble with the starter. Actually my money's with the tow truck driver -- $240 for 65mi one way. At least he didn't charge me for both directions and thankfully, my brother-in-law was able to come get seven of us with his Explorer.