Neptunes 125 Reef Diary.

wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
I'm not sure either. I think hes talking about a lip that extends into the open top to prevent fish jumping.
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
yes, but I am also thinking they re-enforce the structure.
And Mr. Reef,
I will be putting up so many High def pictures of every angle, Ill show all the perfections, and in perfections as well.
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Aluminum + SW = rust too
(Oxidastion, same thing just aluminium corrodes grey...) Neither are good in a closed SW aquarium...
 
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eric b 125

Guest
+1
I'd say ordering this part would be a good idea. it would suck big time to find all this hard work soaking the carpet. a $30 piece could end up saving g's down the road, eh?
 
bmkj02

bmkj02

Member
I have a 125g All Glass Aquarium and thought the same too about missing the cross brace. The trim around the bottom and top of the tank is super thick. Dont know the material they used on it. At first I thought it was metal cause the way it dented. Looks like a plastic wrapped in rubber. On top of that the glass thickness is like 3/4 of an inch which because of the thickness avoids it from bowing which makes it not nessesary for the brace in the middle. Now my 55g tank had a thin plastic trim and was thin glass. The cross brace broke and man did it bow. Its no good for a fish tank but is now home for a gecko. my 125g does not bow at all. And it came that way. If it had broken off you would be able to tell. IMO I think the longer taller tanks need that brace or thin glass tanks. Buddy of mine has a 125g. Shorter but taller than my tank and his has the brace
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by bmkj02
http:///forum/post/2944446
I have a 125g All Glass Aquarium and thought the same too about missing the cross brace. The trim around the bottom and top of the tank is super thick. Dont know the material they used on it. At first I thought it was metal cause the way it dented. Looks like a plastic wrapped in rubber. On top of that the glass thickness is like 3/4 of an inch which because of the thickness avoids it from bowing which makes it not nessesary for the brace in the middle. Now my 55g tank had a thin plastic trim and was thin glass. The cross brace broke and man did it bow. Its no good for a fish tank but is now home for a gecko. my 125g does not bow at all. And it came that way. If it had broken off you would be able to tell. IMO I think the longer taller tanks need that brace or thin glass tanks. Buddy of mine has a 125g. Shorter but taller than my tank and his has the brace
its a pretty short and wide tank. Im gonna put strings on it to see if it bows at the middle when I fill it. Ill let it sit fora week. if there is no bow...then obviously its designed that way. I don't see any evidence of a broken cross member. just because someone happened to put a snake in a fish tank doesn't it transform into a reptile tank, it will still be a fish tank.
I have been looking at many tanks online, and not having a cross member is actually a pretty common design.
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Hear is the result of several hours drilling and fitting.

I cut the foam back because I am going with a different brand that has UV protection. And I simply foamed it yesterday to get the panels to hold.
This is the remainder of my Rock, I am sorta at a crossroads...I have two color schemes in my mind...
one is Layer it with the yellow on the bottom and the grey towards the top.....

Or I can have it flow from darker red...to grey...then yellow

Hear is a shot of the rocks I have left.

I am nervous about the red lava rock tower...its not going to match the sand and epoxy...but over time I'm hoping it will blend in and add depth of color. I did make it so it could be broken out relatively easy if it was indeed a bad idea.
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Just because you put fish in a reptile tank doesn't make it an aquarium either....3/8 in thick glass with 125 gallons of pressure is going to bow. That's around 1000lbs. of weight.
LAVA ROCK? Why on earth Lave rock? I don't think I would have chosen that. Your LFS didn't have any BASE ROCK? I get that for 2$ lb. around here. Base rock is calcium carbonate, Lava Rock is something entirely different....Probably a lot iron I would assume judging by it's natural color.... Doesn't mean you cant use it, but metals are definitely NOT GOOD for a reef. As well it will not look very good IMO. The thing is with a SW tank coralline algae covers the rock etc, no need to try to blend it in. But Lava rocks shape is nothing like Live Rocks....
I think you need to stop, before you do anything, like buy Lave Rock, ask opinions here. Forget your LFS. If he sold you that Lava Rock for a reef he's just another crook, or idiot.
I'm not trying to be negative here at all Neptune.
You have a very good direction here, BUT IMO are jumping in way too fast.
Didn't you say you are going to set it up for 2 weeks then tear it down and move it? Why not just wait and set it up in it's permanent location?
 
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eric b 125

Guest
Coming right along, eh Nep? I agree w/ wattsup. I really don't think the lava rock will look right. You're the one with the final picture in mind, though. also, i think that it's possible that it could take more than a week to see any bowing in your glass. If i were you i'd get a cross brace, but that's just me. that's cool about the bit coming in. are you still nervous about drilling your tank? i took a look at their website and learned a little more and now it doesnt seem so bad to me.
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
http:///forum/post/2944816
LAVA ROCK? Why on earth Lave rock? I don't think I would have chosen that. Your LFS didn't have any BASE ROCK? I get that for 2$ lb. around here. Base rock is calcium carbonate, Lava Rock is something entirely different....Probably a lot iron I would assume judging by it's natural color.... Doesn't mean you cant use it, but metals are definitely NOT GOOD for a reef. As well it will not look very good IMO. The thing is with a SW tank coralline algae covers the rock etc, no need to try to blend it in. But Lava rocks shape is nothing like Live Rocks....
I think you need to stop, before you do anything, like buy Lave Rock, ask opinions here. Forget your LFS. If he sold you that Lava Rock for a reef he's just another crook, or idiot.
Didn't you say you are going to set it up for 2 weeks then tear it down and move it? Why not just wait and set it up in it's permanent location?
Im just setting up as fresh water for a dry run. Turns out I might stay hear a couple months longer. I'm not going to add salt or cycle till I move later this summer. But having a freshwater simulation running in the garage for the next couple weeks will give me a good idea on the overall stability of the system I'm designing.
I'm headed to the LFS with all the rock in tow right now, and give them an ultimatum...refund $30 bucks of rock, or they will never see me again. They knew full well what I was planning on doing with the rock. It was no secret it was going into a Reef tank. I should have been suspicious it was sitting in the back on a dusty shelf.
As for stopping not moving along? Forget that! I may stumble and falter, but there is no way I will quit. I read and read and read all the time. I have notes that I make and a book full of them. I do my best to retain everything I read. And if something like this slips past me it doesn't mean I'm in over my head. These are minor course corrections, and that is why I am posting so many pictures and keeping such rigid detail.
I know someone will catch me and point out problems. So thanks for the lava rock. Its getting squashed once and for all.
And for further reference...is it red lava rock only? Or any lava rock?
I have a few pieces of black and gray lava rock as well....not many, but they had a really nice shape to them.
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/2944845
Coming right along, eh Nep? I agree w/ wattsup. I really don't think the lava rock will look right. You're the one with the final picture in mind, though. also, i think that it's possible that it could take more than a week to see any bowing in your glass. If i were you i'd get a cross brace, but that's just me. that's cool about the bit coming in. are you still nervous about drilling your tank? i took a look at their website and learned a little more and now it doesn't seem so bad to me.
Na, I'm not nervous at all. I am confidant Ill be able to drill this no problem. Once its drilled Ill set it in the garage full of water. Ill set the sump underneath the stand and do basic plumbing(nothing fancy, just enough to get it to go into the sump and cycle the water for a while, while I work on other projects...like the rock wall and building a new pimp stand.
Then I will empty the tank and place it on the new stand. And do the final plumbing from there. In the garage it will proably sit another month or so while I slowly buy all the parts....lights pumps, skimmers ect. The final plumbing will be modular so I can take it apart easy and re-locate the system.
When I do make my move. I just found out last night there is a technicality that I can stay in the house evin after foreclosure. I can dig in while the house is being auctioned off. Out of respect for the new owners, I wont give them a hard time. AS soon as the house is auctioned off. Ill openly and candidly let them know that I have plans to move out w/in a week, no fuss.
State law is they have to give me 30 days...and If I fight longer..there are loopholes where it can take another 30 on top of that. I don't mind digging in for the bank, they are big boys. But little people...no, I wouldn't do that to an actual person who has something at stake. As soon as its auctioned off, I will be moving out to my brothers empty house and living there till I finish Grad school. Who knows...the new owners might actually be wanting it as a rental. What better way to show I'm a good tenant than them seeing how I treat the house already.
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2945290
Not Doc but IMO same potential problem with any color lava rock.

I kinda got an idea of lava rock in my head...its just the bubble pourous rock that is uber light. Base rock is considerably heavier and is gray, white, and almost a blue/gray in some cases.
I did get some otehr rock that was yellow in color and almost chalky. It was light and easy to grind little bits of grain off off.
ANy ideas what kind it is? I was told possibly tufta.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Yeah I think I was the one that metioned Tufa. It is great stuff IMO. I have a number of lbs. in my tank and cannot tell which pcs. they are now after covering with coralline.
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
You want calcium carbonate rock...BASE ROCK. This is dead Live Rock. Live rock is rock that has been made on the reef it is calcium carbonate, coral skeletons, as well as Coraline algae. The Coraline is what gives the live rock color it grows and spreads. Live rock is teaming with life not only beneficial bacteria but cope-pods, bristle worms, tube worms spaghetti worms fisher worms, amphipods, mini starfish ....all kinds of beneficial life. These eat debris and coupled with the bacteria are the reason the live rock IS a filter. Additionally it looks like a reef does. It doesn't matter what nice shape the lava rock, or any other kind of rock has, it wont look the same as live rock does, thus it will stand out. I generally suggest when mixing live rock and base rock to use no more than 40% of it base rock, with AT LEAST 60% LIVE and from different sources as well. It would be good to get your rock from 3different sources. Though that's not by any means a requirement. It's just that some places might have rock that just doesn't have much life on it. Or there might not be much of a variety of life on it. Getting it from different sources can help guarantee a broader variety of life.
BASE ROCK will be white...bone whte....just like your calcium carbonate bones are....
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Quote;
"Tufa is the name for a form of calcite rock.
Tufa is a calcium carbonate (CaCO3) deposit that forms by chemical precipitation from bodies of water with a high dissolved calcium content. Tufa is not to be confused with tuff, which is volcanic.
Tufa deposition occurs in seven known ways:
1. Mechanical precipitation by wave action against the shore. This form of tufa can be useful for identifying the shoreline of extinct lakes (for example in the Lake Lahontan region).
2. Precipitation from supersaturated hot spring water entering cooler lake water.
3. Precipitation in lake bottom sediments which are fed by hot springs from below.
4. Precipitation from calcium-bearing spring water flowing into an alkaline lake.
5. Precipitation throughout a lake as the lake water evaporates, leaving the lake supersaturated in calcium.
6. Through the agency of algae. Microbial influence is often vital to tufa precipitation and may be involved in the other methods listed.
7. Precipitation from cold water springs (for example in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Hinton, Alberta).
Tufa is common in many parts of the world. There are some prominent towers of tufa at Mono Lake and Trona Pinnacles in California, USA, formed by the fourth method mentioned above whilst submerged and subsequently exposed by falling water levels. Tufa is also common in Armenia and Great Britain."
 
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