Nemos at it again...

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nemo_66

Guest
i'll be curing it for 4 weeks, and after 4 weeks, im going to test the pH of the water it'll be curing it, and the water from my tap. based on the results of the pH tests, it'll either be done, or i'll have to cure it for a longer period of time.
btw, the pH of the tap, and pH of the curing water should be the same, and once they are, then you've got yourself cured DIY live rock!
 
greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
you mean cured DIY rock :) still probably another 3 - 6 months before its really alive. I'm doing something similar but I went the foam route.
 
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nemo_66

Guest
oh, right. lol. same thing to me. lol. just about every tank i've had has had diy rock. atleast 50% of the rock, sometimes more. lol.
UPDATE: ok, i havent really done anything today, but i have made a discovery. i have been told that the resin i will be using my leach stuff into my tank, and i dont really want to take that risk on this tank, so i wont be using it. also, i've heard great stuff breaks down under UV light, so i wont be using that either. i wouldnt want a rock slide to destroy all my corals and my fish, ya know what i mean?
so instead of wasting more money on the right things, i'll just use what i have. no, not the weak, toxic stuff. thats right, in place of foam, resin, and sand, i'll be using more concrete! im going to test it first, to see if it'll actually turn out good before putting it to use. if it doesnt work, its back to Home depot. lol
 
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nemo_66

Guest
ok, so i tried the cement thing, and it looks OK. it will be better with bigger rocks, but i was testing with a few pieces of rubble. i'll get pics of it tomorrow once it dries...
 
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nemo_66

Guest
ok, my tank is officially rimless! it was A LOT easier than the ten gallon i practiced on. i managed to take the top trim off in 4 pieces, one for each side. and the bottom trim came off in one piece! taking the silicone off was the hassel though, but definately worth it! will post pics once i come home from home depot. and hopefully by tomorrow i should be starting my wall.
this is my dream tank, thats why its an AIO, and rimless, and my dream tank couldnt be complete without MH, so thats where im going. 70watt pendant, and it'll be DIY. i already have the Brinks halogen fixture, and my ballast should be here by wednesday, and hopefully the bulb should be here before then. ohh, its all coming together now!
 
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nemo_66

Guest
Finally! i sold my 58 gallon. made a cool 150 bucks. now i need to sell my coralife super skimmer 65, and i'll be finished with my old tank.
btw, $150 will go into the bank account. yea, saddening, isnt it. lol. i'll use it to buy some coral later on, once the tank is ready. just thought i would share
 
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nemo_66

Guest
yea, ok. but there arent any pics yet becuase i want to get my whole foam process right before i put some on the actual wall. i may get it all done by sunday.
 
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nemo_66

Guest
after waiting two days to go to home depot, i finally went and got some suplies. turns out i got a bad tube of silicone. when i put it in the caulk gun and squirted some out, it was dry. not stick at all, just flakey. it doesnt stick at all. so now i have to go back to HD and exchange it. i love how just the building process of this tank is turning out a PITA. so that means that the false wall that i had planned out on the kitchen counter has to stay there for the night, making the kitchen look like a mess...
kinda venting, since this is the second brand new item for this build that didnt work, and the 4th that hasnt worked for the build altogether...
 
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nemo_66

Guest
yay! i love it when things get complicated! after i foamed up the wall about a day and a half ago, it seems to have warped, so its not flat. im not sure how im going to deal with it, but i'll find a way, since the main reason for the tank is the false wall.
on the bright side, i got my cheap e jay light. now i have to wait for my ballast to come so i can wire this bad boy up!
 
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nemo_66

Guest
ok, so i got all the lighting componets together, so i'll post a full DIY 70 watt metal halide in the lighting/diy forum. i'll link it here when im done. it should be posted around
8pm Central time.
 
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nemo_66

Guest
ok, well the mh was a success, and i love the color of my cheap 14k bulb! im way to tired to get the diy up, but i'll do it tomorrow.
i also need some dry wall screws, so it hasnt been hung up yet...
 
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nemo_66

Guest
ok, well, lights get mounted on sunday, and i will also hopefully go to hobby town sunday to pick up some epoxy to coat the foam with, but i do have the foam wall in place, kinda like a dry fit. im hoping i dont have to remove it to coat it with epoxy, but i most likely will. i'll post pics up when i get back from the gym
but before pictures, i have a question. there is a small leak from the "filtration" secton of the tank, on the bottom corner. should i try and seal it up, or just leave it? its pretty small, and unnoticable when the tank is full, but what do you guys think? i just might seal it up tonight, idk. let me know what you think about it...
 
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nemo_66

Guest
ok, well, im gonna get on it tomorrow.
i have some good news and bad news.
Good News:
*I found some old drywall screws so i mounted the halide over my tank.
*I got some pictures of the rock wall in place, but not siliconed...
Bad News:
*I didnt get any pictures of the Halide in place
*Once the halide was in place, i found out that half the tank would have a shadow! WTH! so my options were to leave it, or to have the halide directly over the tank. i decided i would have it directly over the tank. how im going to mount it is a suprise though, so stay tuned. :p
any for those of you who wont comment without seeing some pics first, here are some quickies...


btw, halide is not on with these pics. it wasnt even mounted when i toom em...
 
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