So yesterday marked the worst day in my entire reefing experience!
This post will be a little bit longer so here is the short version for some of you:
9 hours one day, 5 the next and the tank still isn't setup all the way!
Okay onto my mistakes and what you can learn from them, I hope.
Let's get a timeline going to make things easier.
2-3 months ago: I decide I want to upgrade my tank. Same size but I want to change some plumbing and other things here and there.
~2 weeks ago - yesterday: I get all plans finalized and start working on the new tank. Drill all my holes (2 in the bottom for drains and 2 on the back for returns). This is where ALL of the problems come from.
I then paint the back of the tank blue (love it!).
I start all of the plumbing and build the overflow box. I decide I want all hard piping this time. I hate the flexible stuff I used the first time for the return. It was stiff as a rock and taking the pump out was a pain. I put the bulkheads in the back and they work pretty well. The holes were drilled alright but not great so I have to silicone the bulkheads in.
I put the bottom bulkheads in, SON OF A !@#%, drilled the holes way too close to the back wall and the tank trim is in the way. Get out the Dremel and cut parts of the trim off. Bulkhead fits way better now that the nut can screw on properly. One problem, the bulkhead can't sit flush on the glass because it is hitting the silicone that is between the bottom and back glass.
I silicone the bulkheads in and let it cure. Come back to test them and they seem to hold water. Alright things are looking up. I then realize that the bulkheads aren't gonna fit on the stand because a 2x4 will be in the way. Plan, get a jigsaw and cut out what we need. Yeah, great plan Ryan! (sarcasm, more later on that)
I go buy the acrylic for the overflow and build my new box. I also built an overflow lid to keep snails, fish and light out. I silicone it all in and it looks great. I then have to plumb my entire tank when I don't have the stand, sump or pump with me. Yeah, bunches of fun there!
Fast forward to yesterday:
3PM - Get off work and head over to my parents to get the tank and all supplies. Wait for my little brother to get home and take off about 3:45pm.
4PM - Head to Reef Runners to get all boxes and jugs that John loaned out to me. Want to say thanks publicly for that! Great guy and great store.
5-6:30PM - Get to my apartment and start tear down. Things go pretty smoothly for a while. Hit a small snag, no net to catch the fish. Get 2 of them caught and can't find the third. My Dad sifts through the sand for about 10 minutes and finds the Yellow Coris Wrasse (yes, they burrow).
6:30-7:15PM - Try to get the sand out of the tank and rinsed. Lesson, buy new sand and throw old crap away! Not worth the time and effort to clean it all.
7:15-8:15PM - Travel to new location and drop off brother.
Now the fun really starts! Everything I type next takes place somewhere between 8:15PM and 1AM.
Unload truck and get all fish and corals in the warm house. Later found out that water dropped down to about 67F.
Put tank on stand and get ready to cut out slots for bulkheads. Jigsaw won't do the job and we don't have ANY of the tools needed for this job. Call a neighbor and spend the next hour getting the !@#$ thing cut!! Looks like everything will fit and we haven't ruined the integrity of the stand too bad.
Move all equipment inside that was left outside while we had water inside warming to room temp.
Get the tank in place and try to plumb the tank. We didn't cut nearly enough 2x4 out!!! Have to take out another nice chunk out. It is close to 10PM at this time. Corals and fish have been in buckets for about 5 hours already. I am getting extremely ticked off at the tank and myself. I planned so many things so well and blew this one!
We finally get things plumbed and looking good. Start filling the tank with sand, rock and water. Yeah I know, no FW test! DUMBEST IDEA IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!! ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS FW TEST YOUR NEW TANK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Get the tank almost 75% filled. Put some water in the overflow box to get water into the sump and to check all plumbing. Major leak from a bulkhead!!! Try tightening it but can't do crap with how we have everything. Spend at least 15-20 minutes screwing around. I got it tightened enough that the leak has slowed a ton. Still leaking but not bad. Drain all water from the overflow box and call it a night.
I am so tired at this point I can't think and I am ready to quit and sell everything! I have never been so upset in this hobby as I was at this point.
It has got to be around 12:15AM by now and we are through. Throw the Vortech's in and get the heater on the tank. I have at least an hour drive ahead of me and just done.
On my way home I decide the tank is going up for sale! I am sick of dealing with it and it doesn't look like it is going to work anyways.
Sleep it off and decide that I have to drain the tank, pull all rock out and somehow silicone the snot out of the bulkhead! I will use an entire bottle of silicone if I have to so that thing won't leak!
Okay gonna through today super fast. Drain tank, take off stand, take bulkhead all the way out and go to Home Depot. Buy silicone needed, head home and silicone every bit of bulkhead I can!
Get the bulkhead installed and the nut tightened (not fun times). Put the tank back together and remember I didn't install the plumbing. We have to budge the tank forward 1/8th of an inch to get the plumbing installed.
Finally get it installed and we are finished. Won't know if the bulkhead will leak until the silicone fully cures sometime tomorrow.
Moral of the story and lessons learned:
1) ALWAYS FW TEST YOUR TANK!! Set it up a week in advance and make sure everything fits and works perfectly. I did this the first time but not this one. Trust me, one way works better than the other.
2) Buy a tank pre-drilled and build the stand around that.
3) Plan everything at least 3 times then plan again.
Well thanks if you made it this far. So far the tank isn't up for sale but might be soon! Good thing I kept the old tank. It is leak proof and ready to go.