90g w/ 30g sump

[scarf_ace1981]

sorry dean but that is external. internal, please.

 

[Deanos]

Ocean Runner 6500

 

[scarf_ace1981]

here is the canopy w/ one coat of stain.

 

[PalmTree]

Looking good! I was just about to suggest Lowes since they will cut your lumber to size. I have a ton of PVC fittings and spaflex left over if you need. PM me. I'd love to help out! :splitspin

 

[scarf_ace1981]

thanks palm. my plumbing came w/ the tank. up until now i think the plumbing will work w/ my set up. it's pretty simple, just a drain(splits into two) and a return. applied my second coat of stain to the canopy last night. not sure if i want to give it a light sanding.

i will go to lowes next week. got some shopping to do. need to finish the stand and get tons of trim and molding.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

well my cerium oxide has arrived. i can start polishing my tank. yippy. and to think i only ordered it like two days ago and wasn't expecting it till next week. that means i can polish the tank and finish the stand this weekend. woohoo.

 

[charile1]

Let me know how it works. I might need to do the same.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

it didn't come w/ any instructions so i left a message and emailed the company i got it from. we'll see what he says and how fast he responds.

the guy that used it to polish his tank didn't state either. all i know is he used a drill w/ a buffing pad. i'll email him also to ask it the powder needs to be mixed w/ water or sfome other substance.
http://www.bostonaquariumsociety.org/html/faqs/scratches.htm

correction he says he mixed w/ water but i/m not sure if it should turn out like a paste or more liquidy.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

here's some info from the website. don't know how i missed that:

Cerium oxide is the polish of choice for glass. Before you can polish scratches out of glass, you must first determine how deep the scratches are. If you can feel a scratch as you run your fingernail across it, the scratch is too deep to be polished out with cerium oxide. You must first grind the scratch out.
The grit used to grind out the scratch will depend on the depth of the scratch. It is best to use the finest grit you can to grind out a scratch. I suggest starting with 2000 grit. If that is too slow, go to 1500 or 1200 grit and if it is still grinding too slowly, try 600 grit. However, after grinding with 600 grit, you will have to re-grind with 1200/1500 and then again with 2000 grit to remove scratches from the coarser grits. Only then, can the glass be polished with cerium oxide.
An easy way to grind out the scratches is to use silicon carbide sandpaper (the black sandpaper available at hardware stores or auto body shop supply houses) with water as a lubricant. After grinding, carefully clean off the area you ground with water and clean off your tools before going to the next finer grit. It's best to use an attachment on a drill, or an electric buffer.
Mix cerium oxide with water to create a slurry that's the same consistency as milk. Put the slurry on spinning buffing pad. Harder buffing pads made out of hard felt, or leather work best. The polishing action will be fastest when the cerium oxide is damp, but not dry, or runny wet. Fill a spray bottle with water and use it to keep the area you are polishing damp.
Glass is relatively easy to polish. Therefore, you don't need to use the more expensive 99.9% cerium. Instead, the less expensive 90% Optical grade will work fine.

 

[vanceny]

Let us know how that polishing turns out. I have a few scratches I'd like to get rid of.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

i will start w/ 1500 grit then 2000 and finally the cerium oxide.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

looked everywhere for 1500 and 2000 grit paper. no luck. if anyone knows where i can get some please inform me.

stand is looking good. pics will be up later today.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

well i'm almost done w/ the stand. i painted my canopy already but now i think i want to do something else w/ the stand and canopy. i don't want to paint it. maybe cover them w/ some funky material or do so some fox treatment. i know they sell these spray cans that give the surface a sort of stone appearance. not sure what to do.

my euroreef es 5-3

cpr fuge from steve. thanks man this thing is huge and in perfect condition

 

[vanceny]

I've thought of actually putting up ceramic tile on the doors or along the border.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

vance that's what i'm talking about give me some more ideas.

1)light coat of cement + color= i think will be a little heavy

2)tiles= great idea but i think it will be heavier than light coat of cement

3)formica

4)veneer= would still have to paint since i don't want wood

 

[scarf_ace1981]

i covered the stand and canopy w/ those floor tiles. 2(30 tile boxes). i only used one box. i picked out a very light grey marble looking tile. picks will be up today.

 

[Nsr250NYC]

very creative Jon

 

[scarf_ace1981]

i just wasn't feeling the stained wood. plus molding is very expensive. i'm still not 100% happy w/ the tiles. i'll have to see what it looks like when it's all set up.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

here's the almost finished product. i will be using some corner trim that i did not want to use if i would have left the whole thing stained.

 

[Nsr250NYC]

Jon,

did you reinforce the stand after you modded it? i would do it just for the sake of sleeping at night.