Slow down there Mr SuperSized Fry- I just backed up to your tank thread and on 5/30 you had plumbing complete and water leaking from every place possible!!!
I'm only laughing because we had a few floods and plumbing issues too and it just reminded me of all those headaches.
Steven and his dad were here Memorial Day weekend and by Monday, May 28th, we had perfect plumbing with no leaks.
And to make this a complete slam dunk, my tank didn't arrive until April this year.
Jeff- The stand/canopy came from Cappuccino Bay Aquarium which is usually the first LFS mentioned for "must see" fish stores in Atlanta. The stands/canopies are made by a local guy named Russ who owns a cabinet maker business. I've been told that he will have a booth at MACNA XX. I didn't know he was the guy making them when I bought it from CapBay. I met Russ at a dinner with Walt Smith about a year and a half ago.
I was able to pick the color which made it extra nice. I went a little darker than the floors because I didn't want them blending together. Its just what I wanted, but I'm sure I paid the price. This was also the first time Russ had built one for a 125. It took two months for it to arrive. The owner of CapBay even delivered it to my house which took 2 trips and I live over 30 miles away.
Thanks everyone!
__________________ Gwen - 2008 Atlanta Reef Club Board MACNA XX Committee 125g RR AGA "The Simple Reef Tank"
Finished rinsing the remaining sand that I had in a bucket, let it dry a little in the sun, and added some to the fuge and the rest to the display. A few more bags wouldn't hurt.
Tested CA. Salifert showed 390 and SeaTest said 330
The only testing equipment I trust is my refractometer. As long as I observe and keep my eye out for problems and keep up with water changes, I don't worry about what a test kit says.
Let me show you some pictures that I took today....
__________________ Gwen - 2008 Atlanta Reef Club Board MACNA XX Committee 125g RR AGA "The Simple Reef Tank"
So here we have the left side of the sump (without the skimmer,) which is a 55g AGA Tank.
We built a little stand for the skimmer so it could sit a little higher, and one of the drains is in this chamber. I also put a bag of carbon here too.
In the middle are the Mag7's that return the water to the display. This picture also shows the baffles we made which break up the skimmer bubbles. The white PVC is the drain from the Brute water change bucket for doing topoffs or replacing fresh saltwater.
Top down view
The arrows are for idiots like me who have no idea which way the water is flowing in the PVC and tubing
__________________ Gwen - 2008 Atlanta Reef Club Board MACNA XX Committee 125g RR AGA "The Simple Reef Tank"
Right Side - The Refugium "Land of Magic Pod Breeding"
Added the sand today and setup the rocks along the back. The Green Algae stuff came from George, TR & ARC member, at the August meeting. Maybe it's chaeto?? I can't remember what he told me. I keep the heater here too so the pods can be nice and warm for their cozy nights by the fire doing what ever they may be doing. Love is in the air
The other drain comes down this side so the pods can breathe or flap their gills or whatever they do.
I laid down and watched pods for about 30 minutes today. They are so cute.
Top down view. The water overflows the fuge and to the center chamber which brings it back to the display. Lion King... "It's the circle of waaaater"
__________________ Gwen - 2008 Atlanta Reef Club Board MACNA XX Committee 125g RR AGA "The Simple Reef Tank"
When I was thinking the layout of this tank, I kept thinking of Project Dibs and helping breed ocean critters, which is the reason for the refugium. The tank is new and needs a little more stability and then I might call Brian to ship me something small and fun. For now, there are little critters all over the place. I have lots of mini brittles, asterina's, bristleworms, spaghetti worms, and pods.
Question
There is aiptasia in the fuge and I wanted to put a peppermint in there. Do you think that would hurt my small critter population too much??
__________________ Gwen - 2008 Atlanta Reef Club Board MACNA XX Committee 125g RR AGA "The Simple Reef Tank"
lol, only u could say pods are cute.
if they were as big as a cat i bet you wouldn't be saying that!
well done Q, i like that fact you dont mind getting in & getting your hands dirty, especially with DIY mini tank projects.
A dash of musical mayhem & the level of understanding your currently reaching by trusting yourself, not your reagents is great!
And when its time to replace the water, turn some valves and viola
Once again ladies and gentleman, no buckets were used to lift, maneuver, carry, strain oneself, pull a muscle, cause days of aches and pains, or any other injuries related to moving water. Do not try this at home!!
__________________ Gwen - 2008 Atlanta Reef Club Board MACNA XX Committee 125g RR AGA "The Simple Reef Tank"
Here we have a Tunze Vortex - the whirlwind of water caused by pumps that K!@& A$$
Here we have all the "Idiot Notes to Self" that Steve wrote for me
Also is the Tunze controller and I'm really not sure of all the features. The tunzes are facing each other in the display and running constantly at 40%. Any better ideas on how they should be set? Can I make waves?
And here we have an updated photo of the Fish Closet
If you would like to see all the photos from today, check out the album and start on the last pic of page 2
V-series Productions 
yes planning is what it's all about. I just kept thinking to myself "I need to take the wall down" and look what happened.
"Land of Magic Pod Breeding"
