Check out this build I am working on...

[BAYMAC]

See -- this is why the midwest boy in me loves basements!

My family was one of the rare ones in my area... we had a basement in Santa Cruz. It was for an old GIANT sand filled furnace which of course of covered in asbestos.

 

[splitting_lanes]

Great to follow these builds, it’s affordable to Watch.

 

[max_nano]

How do you learn how to do these builds and what is necessary at the larger scale? Is it from your experience with the huge display at the store and with other tanks in your past, or are there industry conferences to discuss with peers?

It must be a fun mix of anxiety and exciting to work on and see these builds progress. Thanks for sharing the pics!

 

[robert4025]

How do you learn how to do these builds and what is necessary at the larger scale? Is it from your experience with the huge display at the store and with other tanks in your past, or are there industry conferences to discuss with peers?

It must be a fun mix of anxiety and exciting to work on and see these builds progress. Thanks for sharing the pics!

No problem! Glad you enjoy the pics. I’ll post more as soon as these projects progress some more. At this stage, they are roughly only 50% done so still long way to go.

To answer your first question, a lot of it are based on what I’ve learned from building Neptune 2.0. A quarter of it are based on what I’ve learned from my past life as a test engineer. The rest came from a lot of research based on what the industry has adopted. And some I had to really talk to a lot of people in order to come up with answer. But that is the best part, learning new things and opening new possibilities. At the end, the biggest driven factor in these projects is that it is someone’s dream that I am helping to fulfill so that is a really humbling experience and blessed to be a part of.

 

[BAYMAC]

No problem! Glad you enjoy the pics. I’ll post more as soon as these projects progress some more. At this stage, they are roughly only 50% done so still long way to go.

To answer your first question, a lot of it are based on what I’ve learned from building Neptune 2.0. A quarter of it are based on what I’ve learned from my past life as a test engineer. The rest came from a lot of research based on what the industry has adopted. And some I had to really talk to a lot of people in order to come up with answer. But that is the best part, learning new things and opening new possibilities. At the end, the biggest driven factor in these projects is that it is someone’s dream that I am helping to fulfill so that is a really humbling experience and blessed to be a part of.

Keep em coming!!!

These sort of projects, for me, are always a mix of love and stress :lol: I love doing them, and I stress over it at the same time. My last big one was a public tank, so a lot of work was done with people in the resort. I did most my work after hours, the hotel staff kept me company all night.

 

[H2OPlayar]

At a certain point, it is simpler to just rent a room above your LFS. @robert4025 what's the going rent for your attic in the store?

 

[ashburn2k]

At a certain point, it is simpler to just rent a room above your LFS. @robert4025 what's the going rent for your attic in the store?

What? You didn’t see his WoodShop next to Neptune?

 

[robert4025]

At a certain point, it is simpler to just rent a room above your LFS. @robert4025 what's the going rent for your attic in the store?

You want to live in this mess???

 

[Kensington Reefer]

That’s a pile of pillows, right?!

 

[robert4025]

That’s a pile of pillows, right?!

You can sleep on it, yes. A little hard for my taste but I think the corals will like it better as their bed...

 

[Coral reefer]

Indoor plant, spare skimmer, blue glow...I’m in!

 

[iani]

You can sleep on it, yes. A little hard for my taste but I think the corals will like it better as their bed...

That dead coral skeleton is worth its weight in gold. I had Eric pick up a whole bag of it from you a month or so ago. How many of those bags do you have left?

 

[H2OPlayar]

That dead coral skeleton is worth its weight in gold. I had Eric pick up a whole bag of it from you a month or so ago. How many of those bags do you have left?

Great for your back if you sleep on it right I hear too!

I knew I was picking the right substrate 2 years ago when I copied Neptune's display tanks.

 

[JVU]

That dead coral skeleton is worth its weight in gold. I had Eric pick up a whole bag of it from you a month or so ago. How many of those bags do you have left?

It’s also great in a cup for getting mushrooms to attach, better than other types of rubble I’ve tried

 

[robert4025]

That dead coral skeleton is worth its weight in gold. I had Eric pick up a whole bag of it from you a month or so ago. How many of those bags do you have left?

I think I have about 20 bags left?

 

[robert4025]

It’s also great in a cup for getting mushrooms to attach, better than other types of rubble I’ve tried

Yeah I love that stuff. While I love the Real Reef artificial rock, that stuff just isn’t porous enough compared to the real thing. So, when I had the idea of using those Aragonite media to supplement biological support along with Marine Pure, the corals became much much happier and system became much more stable. The side benefits of it working well as a grow bed and handling massive water flow was also a huge plus.

 

[robert4025]

A bit more progress from the last few days. All the plumbing under the tank are done, including the closed-loop stuff. We officially now have a PVC forest underneath! Next week, I’ll start on the opposite side of the room connecting the sump and remote water change system together.

 

[ashburn2k]

1K iPad Pro for apex monitoring? Ok… I’m jealous

 

[PeetaJai]

1K iPad Pro for apex monitoring? Ok… I’m jealous

I am so jealous of the whole setup.
Better go sleep early so I can dream about a setup like this.

 

[robert4025]

Some progress on the two of the three projects!

The cantilevered system finally got the shelf install with a 1/4” pitch to compensate for the anticipated deflection. The tank is scheduled to go on it next week.

I’ve also completed the plumbing in the main fish room on the 10 footer tank and adding the two IM 25 EXT frag tanks. Lighting system going up next and then on to leak testing. Fingers crossing.