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Ryan Thompson 
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 Posted: February 02 2010 at 12:44am |
Thanks everyone! 
Nick,
No you don't put in the oven. That would ruin the acrylic IMO. In the above pictures you will see an orange strip. That is a heating strip and that is what you use to heat the acrylic. Just do NOT leave the heat on too long. 5 minutes or so is plenty long.
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Luckedout
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Posted: February 02 2010 at 1:05am |
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Why did you bend it versus just cutting the pieces and putting them together that way? Just curious.
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-Ben
90g Mixed reef
www.body-balancechiropractic.com
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 02 2010 at 9:20am |
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Because it's easy to bend and can look better than a glued joint.
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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fishoutawater
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Posted: February 02 2010 at 9:37am |
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I have used the oven to heat and bend acrylic several times, I have never had any problems with it.
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Some day, when I grow up,...
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Jeremyw
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Posted: February 02 2010 at 9:42am |
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RYAN i dont like it not one bit! OK OK i do like it ! Looks good! That is one big overflow for such a small tank I LIKE IT !
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: February 02 2010 at 11:53am |
 Luckedout wrote:
Why did you bend it versus just cutting the pieces and putting them together that way? Just curious.
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Mark nailed it. It looks better to me and much much easier than cutting a gluing. I wanted to be as close to a coast to coast that I could without taking up the whole tank.
Also not have a "wall" on the sides will really help with flow IMO. Kind of like if you go to Abravanel Hall and everything is curved. There are no 90 degree angles to block sound. I think the same principle applies here. The flow will bounce off the curves and not get stuck in a corner.
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: February 02 2010 at 12:05pm |
woottonjeremy wrote:
RYAN i dont like it not one bit! OK OK i do like it ! Looks good! That is one big overflow for such a small tank I LIKE IT !
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It is big but it isn't. It doesn't take up all that much real estate and that was my goal. My drains and return are all hidden nicely inside the overflow.
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Nick801
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Posted: February 02 2010 at 12:26pm |
Ryan Thompson wrote:
Thanks everyone!
Nick,
No you don't put in the oven. That would ruin the acrylic IMO. In the above pictures you will see an orange strip. That is a heating strip and that is what you use to heat the acrylic. Just do NOT leave the heat on too long. 5 minutes or so is plenty long. |
where did you get that heat strip =)?
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: February 02 2010 at 12:29pm |
That is Burt's heat strip. I think he got it from Home Depot for like $20 or something. It was the 24", 55 Watt version. It gets really hot so be careful. If you are serious about bending acrylic I would go buy some scraps and practice first.
I would also call Eric and talk to him a little bit. It is very easy once you know how to do it.
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Nick801
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Posted: February 02 2010 at 12:43pm |
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Sounds good....
Edited by Nick801 - February 26 2010 at 3:18pm
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: February 11 2010 at 4:23pm |
Well I have had a busy couple weeks lately. Between work and a wedding things are hectic for sure.
I got all the plumbing completed. I had to order an extra bulkhead and it showed up yesterday. I installed it and then did a FW test on the system. The Herbie drain is TOTALLY silent and the emergency pipe worked perfectly.
So this morning I installed the overflow that Burt and I built. It looks Da#$ good! I taped off the overflow and glass and then siliconed it. When I removed the tape it left perfect straight lines and no mess. Looks like a professional did it IMO. LOL
Any ways my light was supposed to be ordered on Monday but I haven't heard a confirmation on that. I need to build the light fixture hangers and then this tank will be ready to go!
I will have some pics up tonight of all the plumbing and the overflow installed.
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: February 17 2010 at 3:52pm |
Well I got the sand in the tank and added some LR to get things going. The FW test passed with no issues, so I was happy to see that. Right now the tank is running in my basement and is extremely cloudy. I didn't rinse the CaribSea sand that I put in because I was just gonna let my Magnum HOT filter and Filter sock clean out the dust. I couldn't find any of my filter socks and the Magnum wouldn't work! 
So I went to Reef Runners and grabbed a filter sock and called Marineland to troubleshoot the filter. The impeller just needed to be soaked in vinegar for a little bit. Everything is up and running and I go down stairs a couple times a day and blast all the rocks and sand to stir up the dust. Hopefully it clears most of it out in a week or so.
Here are the latest pics:
I am still waiting on the freaking light! I am starting to get pissed because that is holding everything up right now. I can't sell my tank I have now until the new one comes in. I also need to build the hanging kit for the fixture and need some measurements.
Thanks for looking  |
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: February 26 2010 at 3:01pm |
I thought I would give a quick update on here since I know everyone is anxiously awaiting one.....NOT!
The lights should be here today and I am more than likely gonna sell them on RC. I measured some things wrong and the 6 bulb will be too wide for my tank. Plus I want to run the PAR38 LED bulbs on this tank.
So my new lighting will be an ATI Sunpower in the 4x24W version with 3 PAR38 LED bulbs using 80 degree optics. Each LED bulb will highlight its' own island of corals. It should be way sweet!
Oh yeah I will be putting together an order for the LED bulbs so we can all get discount pricing on them, if anyone is interested.
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Pete Moss
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Posted: April 01 2010 at 5:04pm |
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Thats an awesome build. Not gonna lie. If I ever decide to build my own tank I know who to go to for some help :) I wanted to build a 55 saltwater. I guess this is just as expensive as buying a tank off of someone however, this way you can have it done EXACTLY how you want it.
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: April 02 2010 at 12:44am |
Thanks!
The tank has been so much fun and now I am just letting it do its' thing. Keeping my hands out.
I will take pictures tomorrow night for sure after I add in all the new frags I am getting. I got my Vortech MP10w ES. Best money ever spent in this hobby. The ATI is a really close 2nd place. Just having the ability to totally control my flow is priceless.
There is not another pump on the market that even comes close in comparison.
Pics tomorrow!
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kellerexpress
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Posted: April 05 2010 at 4:56am |
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Tank is looking good bro, when I upgrade ill probably go with something just like this. I just got my vortech10w ES too, I had the older version mp10 but wanted the new driver. Sweet pump I love it! Is 1 pump enough for your 40g or are you going to use 2?
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IM 30L
Kessil A160we x2
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: April 05 2010 at 6:00pm |
Thanks keller!
I really need to get the pics up with how the tank looks now. I had a busy weekend and had no chance to take pictures. That and I really don't like my bulb combo. In the beginning I was gonna add some LED's but that has been put on hold for now. They were gonna be the extra blue that the GE bulb took out. Now I am gonna order an ATI Aquablue to make the tank more 14k.
I LOVE my Vortech. It is just awesome. The one is enough but I will add a second. 2 pumps is always better than one IMO. If one ever breaks or needs work then I have the other to use. I set mine on Lagoon mode at like 90% or so. When I get my second I will probably use the Tidal Swell Mode and turn them down. I like the idea of them running slower, less heat and less wear on the motor.
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Nick801
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Posted: April 05 2010 at 11:52pm |
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What the heck.... you can't rename the topic "lighting started" with no pics!
and is this thing set up in the basement or did you move it to your room yet =)??
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kellerexpress
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Posted: April 06 2010 at 4:49am |
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so why did you decide to put a hold on the led's? I was looking forward to seeing those bad boys up and running....
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IM 30L
Kessil A160we x2
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: April 06 2010 at 11:45am |
I decided a Vortech was a better purchase right now.
I also found out that Nano Tuners is coming out with the MR16 bulb which is like half the size of the PA38 and will work better for my application. I don't really need the PAR from the LED's. I want them for the color they will bring to the tank.
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