99 Gallon Tank Journal

Thanks for the comment Bob,
Mmmh...Not sure on which is worse as well. The end-results are both satisfying though...
If only the temperature would come up a bit as it should during this time of the year over here...sigh..still waiting...fill up maybe tonight if it is dry...
 
Thanks for the compliment Gunner. It's not that difficult, you only need to get started on it and let it shape itself. Foam, silicone, mortar and the epoxy to seal it is all you need.
For the next project, I likely go with a gray colored rock/slate type of background to have plants really jump out.

As for the plumbing, I used another project as the basis which I modified to what it is now. First trial was with fixed pipes everywhere, which (I think, can't confirm before fully tested again with water) slowed down the water quite a bit. What I am sure of is that this new setup with flexible and clear hose will not have any buildup of waste in the lines. If any, then it's also easy to spot.

Does anybody here have ideas on how long the epoxy can take to dry?
 
I need some help!!!
I finally got my epoxy done. It's hard as glass and not tacky or anything anymore.
Now, after filling up with water, it slowly turns white....sigh.
Emptying the tank, and the epoxy turns clear again.
Just wondering, what type of epoxy did any of you use?
Do you have specificatons on type and hardener used?

Epoxy I'm using is PC600 with 0.5% hardener and 0.03% Cobalt (Accelerator)...
I bought it in a specialized shop that only deals with Epoxy's and other coatings.
Explained the purpose and everything and he recommended me this one.
It has short drying time, takes about 15 minutes after adding the hardener to becoming gel and not able to use any more.

Hope anyone can enlighten me on the epoxy used....

Thanks all, desperate on that.
Will also get back to that shop and ask, but might be easier if I get some names/types of epoxy first.

Sidenote, the system with changes in piping to tubes is giving me so much power, I have to throttle both pumps back to about 50%. (with the T just after the pumps).
So improved waterflow and better flexibility.
Still fairly easy to tune the system to a complete silent operation except for a bit of pump-'humming'..
 
Ok, regarding epoxy.
Called the supplier. He made a mistake / misunderstood. (thai to english and back is difficult if not impossible at times)
The coating I have is PC, polyester resin. Initially he went on to say that 1 top-coat of epoxy should do the trick.
After 5 minutes he called again to explain that he called with a colleague who specialized in aquariums and using epoxy for that.
So instead of coming back to him, he asked me to have a talk with that guy to get the best result. No panick yet, the PC dried out nicely and should be ok to topcoat...

Still hope to get some advise from everybody reading this.

Cheers,
Luc
 
Not many comments or advise...but after having a busy time with work, I've picked up again on it.
Found out that if I scrub the PC-layer with a normal stiff brush, (like polishing it), then it stays clear, so I'm now scrubbing and brushing everything. Not as easy as having the right stuff on it straight away, but better than waiting.

The renewed clear-tube and water-distribution works great. Lowered the overflow a bit so that I can get higher flow and it runs sweet. No noise, no air coming into the sump with the over flow lines.

Hope to get the background finished scrubbing tomorrow and start finally on the electric side.
 
Any update with some pics..? :grinno:
 
Hello Bob, bit late, but finally got around taking some pic's.

Did not do anything on the background except the polishing/scrubbing. Turned out to a very nice effect, attached some pictures of it all.
Finally managed to get the top done and attached that as well.
Next step will be to put the wiring in place. Painted the first piece of wood just now and then I can start guiding all the wires.
Plan is to have that all done 'out of sight', meaning that only the components itself (ballast and stuff), will be visible. Wires all sandwiched between panels.
The hood has been done the same way. Just the caps visible, rest is in between the wood panels.

As mentioned before, no shiny background, only plain white gloss paint.
Works like hell, and with 6x40w T8's, I'm getting at a nice 240 Watt, 2.4 Watt/gallon.

The filter is up and running, went through a nice cycle.
1. Nice and clean
2. Algae bloom so big that I couldn't see the background anymore. (lasted for about 8-10 days).
3. Did 3x 50% water changes during that bloom.
4. Suddenly, almost overnight, the algae disappeared and the water is crystal clear.

Will only have to take the hoses off one of these days to clear out the film, but that's why I am happy to have those hoses and not the fixed pvc-lines anymore. So easy to clean or just replace for a couple of $$.

Anyhow, also some pictures of the water-system, not full with filter-media yet, but soon getting to that stage when the lights are done.
 
Seems my pictures are not there in my previous message?
Or something wrong over here.
Well, post them again, if they're double, moderator please remove them.

Thanks...
 
A beautiful, well thought out, neat setup. This makes me want to start playing with a tank again.
 
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