Big tank/Office build

[Maize-N-Blue-D]

Been working on a little project for this tank the past week or so. Been wanting to find a way to at a realistic storm to the tank with thunder & lightning. Had a failed attempt last week which resulted in a burned out controller and a brief whiff of ozone lol luckily I was testing it on the bench when it happened. But now have a pretty solid way of doing it I believe and just waiting for the parts to arrive.

Purchased a small electronic unit called an Apollo Jammer which is used by DJ's for light shows. The unit has 3.5mm input jack as well as a splitter 3.5 output and it is sound reactive which turns audio input into controllable light output signals. Also purchased 15ft of white LED cut-able light strips. If all goes as planned I should be able to download thunder sound effects on to an mp3 player which will be hooked to the Apollo Jammer, then have small hidden speakers to produce some background thunder off one splitter jack, while the set of white LED lights are ran off the other splitter jack and the flashes will be controllable by the level of sensitivity set to the thunder crashes.....I.E- realistic thunder & lightning.

Should be a neat little addition to the big tank if all works as planned.

Steve - Bought this for Christmas for my 180 tank, it has preset lightning effects - really cool :

http://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Satellite-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B00CMFFMS6

[Steve]

I looked at a few of the lights like that, they are nice, only reason I choose to do my own though is so I could use audio in sync with the lightning. If my DYI one doesn't pan out like I hope it does then I may go with the ones you have. Should know maybe next week as I see my items were shipped the other day.

[Steve]

 First test run of the lightning with white LED's wired into the Apollo Jammer and hooked into an MP3 player with separate speakers. The flashes are in sync with the thunder perfectly     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChcAht-7-F8&feature=youtu.be

[GrizzlysDad]

it's going to look awesome Steve

[Steve]

It's hard for me to ever call a project "done" or to sit still for very long. Since I've been treating the tank itself for a slight outbreak of velvet for the past week (which is all but gone now but keeping up treatment for another week just to be safe) I decided to work behind the tank and turn that area into an actual filter/storage room. Just spent the past 7 hours cleaning it out and just started painting walls. Plan to do a tile floor back there as well as add some nice shelving units for dry good storage and make the area behind the tank look as nice as the front. Will post some pics as I move along.

[Steve]

Got everything pretty much cleaned out and the first two coats of paint on the side wall. Doing all the walls white, plan to do the floor maybe in a grey tile, not sure about the ceiling yet but might just put some painted plywood up there just to cover all the beams and heat ducts.
 
 

Also decided to use the humidity the big tank gives off to my advantage for my tropical bonsai trees. I opened up one of the non structural walls and am boxing in a 12" recess into it where my bonsai that have to come in for the winter will sit with a light on them. The higher humidity in the filter room will be good for them. Once done the above walls as well as the whole boxed in unit will be white as well.

[Steve]

Spent the entire day working behind the big tank today but got a ton done. Seems every project I tackle ends the same way, multiple trips to Lowes/Home Depot and a lighter wallet. All the walls are finished now (painted white). Picked up 100sq of white tile today and just about done installing that, looking very clean in there between the white walls and white floor. Decided to just use 1/2" thick closed cell foam board insulation sheets for the ceiling because I figure that will not only make it look better than just plain rafter, but also will serve to retain heat in the room which will keep the 300w x 2 heater on the tank from having to run quite as much.

Also got the 75 g tank moved where I want it as well as the dual 20g stand. I'm starting to think I may just leave the 75g where it is rather than replacing the 55g mbuna tank upstairs with it because it's nice having a big 75g behind the 265g for q-tank/hospital. Will decide for sure later. Recessed nook in the wall for the bonsai trees is all but done now too, just have to trim the opening on it.

All in all it's moving really well and looking good. Glad I decided to revamp that room as I was not happy with it the first time how it was. Should be done with it in a few days/week most likely.

[Ron]

Look'n good. I always admire how fast you move on completing projects once you decide to start them.

[Steve]

Doesn't matter much now but I figured I might as well show how nice the filter room came out with all the work I put into last week. I finished the filter room about 8pm last night, tank started leaking again about 10pm.
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What a difference a day can make. yesterday I was happy that the filter room was done and the tank was done and was getting geeked about going to pick up new fish at the auction. Now 24hrs later I just got done ripping 2 yrs worth of hard work down with the rock wall and will be demo-ing the tank probably tomorrow.



I'd be lying if I said I wasn't heartbroken. I swear I could very easily sit down and shed a tear that this 2 yr project is all but gone now. But looking back does nothing but point you in the wrong direction, so I guess I have to look forward to something else. I've decided I am going to keep one of my 55g tanks in my bedroom. It's the first tank I built and was the original inspiration for this 265g tank. So that way I can at least have a few fish. Just won't be the huge tank of my dreams, which turned into a nitemare. And I also think I might keep the 75g in the basement just so I have some sort of tank down there. Mainly because it would break my heart even more if I had to get rid of my Champ or my eyebiter or my big 10" venustus. So I might keep that tank for those three. Other than that though, my big tank journey, and all my custom made stuff/background building is over.

[Ogre44]

So sorry to see this Steve.