Author Topic: Big tank/Office build  (Read 85018 times)

Offline LoveTheFishies

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #135 on: January 07, 2014, 10:02:00 PM »
Whoo hoo. 

Offline TrailerParkFishTanks

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #136 on: January 07, 2014, 10:02:43 PM »
Been working on plumbing and building spraybars for the FX5's tonight. Everything is plumbed, Matrix media was shipped today so should be here by Thursday per the Amazon email I got. Annnnnnnnd ready for this? FILLING THE TANK as I type! 8) 8) 8) Been filling for the past 30 mins and still only about 30% filled right now lol.

If this is the last post you see from me it means the tank busted and I drowned in my basement ;)
the home stretch buddy!
I have about 18,000 rounds of .223 I'm  looking to get rid of, 100 rd bags. 1-4 bags $40 ea, 5-9 bags $38 ea, 10 or more bags $35 ea. I can't put this in the for sale section, its not fish related. No shipping.

Offline Steve

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #137 on: January 07, 2014, 10:46:08 PM »
The home stretch just got hit with a tornado. It is leaking. I tested it when I first got it and no leaks, just got it filled all the way up and I hear a dripping, it's leaking bad. Floor is soak and I'm pumping water out of it right now. I'm at a total lose for words right now.
Better to have a short life full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way.

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Offline Sean

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #138 on: January 07, 2014, 11:04:17 PM »
That sucks. Hopefully you'll have it up and running by auction time!
55 gallon African cichlid show tank
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Offline danielratti

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #139 on: January 07, 2014, 11:07:40 PM »
Is it leaking at the bottom?

Offline Steve

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #140 on: January 07, 2014, 11:10:48 PM »
Is it leaking at the bottom?

From what I can tell it looks like it's the right front lower corner.
Better to have a short life full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way.

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Offline Steve

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #141 on: January 07, 2014, 11:59:27 PM »
here's a few pics from the FUN night tonight.....

Starting to fill the tank up.....
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Getting there (yippie!)...
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Aftermath and carnage...
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And here's what the complete disheartening feeling of watching almost exactly a year's worth of hard work, sweat and money literally go right down the drain looks like...




But hey on the good side, thing's couldn't possibly get any worse! :o :P
Better to have a short life full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way.

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Offline Marty

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #142 on: January 08, 2014, 12:50:57 AM »
Ugh, that sucks man.  Maybe you could get the number of the guy Blair knows that reseals tanks and have him do it right in the basement so you can get it running.

Offline Steve

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #143 on: January 08, 2014, 01:02:02 AM »
I dunno what I'm gonna do at the moment yet Marty. With all this work and time into it I refuse to let this thing beat me so no way I'm getting beat by a leak. It's gonna need to be resealed that's for sure, but the big thing is how to get the 3D background I spent so much time on out of the tank without damaging it.

I had to give up on it tonight because tired/frustrated is not a good combo for solving a problem. Tomorrow though I'm going to remove all the decor/substrate and everything I can get out of the tank out of it. Then I'm going to get out the 10" fillet knife and some flexible hacksaw blades and see if I can carefully get them behind the background and start trying to get it out undamaged so I can reinstall it. Once I do that then I am either going to get a hold of someone to come out and reseal it in place here. Or most likely I will tackle it myself.

 I've never done it before and a 7ft 265g tank is a bit daunting to take on for the first reseal job. But one thing I am good with is my hands so I don't see why I wouldn't be able to do it myself. Well see though, that's something I'll have to decide once the background is out.

Just a set back is all.
Better to have a short life full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way.

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Offline Steve

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #144 on: January 08, 2014, 03:24:32 AM »
Well I told myself I was not going to go back down and mess with it tonight, but my personality is the type that there's just no way I can rest or sleep knowing I have a problem like not knowing if I am gonna be able to save the background waiting for me in the morning. So I went back down and spent the last couple hours working on it till about 3am.

Needed to use something sharp and flexible to get behind the background without doing much damage to it so pretty much used these. Most the damage was to my hands, but that's okay as long as the background is safe lol



And after 2+hrs of lifting heavy rocks, scooping sand, cutting, prying, sawing and cutting my hands to pieces........BAZINGA!

Empty tank again. And all five pieces of the background are safe and undamaged in the other room now. There is obviously a TON of scraping silicone to be done now. And once all the silicone from the background is scraped off then I will have to remove all the silicone from the seals in the tank, then decide if I am going to tackle sealing it myself or hire someone. Even though it was two steps back earlier tonight, at least now it's a step forward with being able to save the background and get all the stuff out of the tank without damage.

Silicone scraping party at Steve's tomorrow your all invited ....it's BYORB (bring your own razor blade)  :P
Better to have a short life full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way.

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Offline rcombs

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #145 on: January 08, 2014, 07:53:57 AM »


Silicone scraping party at Steve's tomorrow your all invited ....it's BYORB (bring your own razor blade)  :P

LMAO. Glad to hear your not giving up.Looks like you can save the years worth of work with a few hard days of work.  8)

Offline LoveTheFishies

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #146 on: January 08, 2014, 05:24:48 PM »
That stinks.  Glad you got the background out intact.  Good luck eith the reseal.  You may want to invest ina respirator for the vinegar smell thats in your future.
 :-X

Offline Ron

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #147 on: January 08, 2014, 06:09:59 PM »
Sorry to read.  :(

When you reattach the background, what about embedding some magnets in it and add some more outside the tank to hold it in place?
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Offline Steve

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #148 on: January 08, 2014, 06:31:36 PM »
That stinks.  Glad you got the background out intact.  Good luck eith the reseal.  You may want to invest ina respirator for the vinegar smell thats in your future.
 :-X

Yeah I was planning on running over to my sisters garage where I keep my GTO and dig through my tool chest and find my painting respirator. because that vinegar smell from silicone almost knocked me off my feet when I installed the BG the first time.

 
Quote
When you reattach the background, what about embedding some magnets in it and add some more outside the tank to hold it in place?

I had given that some though as well last night Ron, I still may look into it, but the only thing I am wondering is cost. Foam backgrounds are very buoyant so it would take some strong magnets to begin with. Then factor in the shear size of the BG (lots of magnets) plus the glass being about 1/2" thick and that would take quite a few strong magnets which I'm guessing would cost a pretty penny. Worth looking into though.

Well spent about 6+ hours scraping silicone today and about 1/3 the way there already. I wish I could do more tonight but my arms/shoulders are killing me right now. It's bad enough having to reach down into the tank scraping to begin with, but factor in that I have had a messed up rotator cuff in my shoulder for the past 5 yrs and that makes it really bad.

A good start at least though. Forward progress none the less.

Better to have a short life full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way.

-Alan Watts

Offline LoveTheFishies

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Re: Big tank/Office build
« Reply #149 on: January 08, 2014, 10:11:22 PM »
Good luck.  Take some naprosyn.    :'(