Frank needs more space.
Here I will be documenting the enhancements to his tank.
As big as the existing tank is it still doesn't seem to allow them the variety in their life of captivity that I feel adds value to their existence.
Goals of the new tank aside from the obvious increase in area are:
Better ventilation and environmental controls.
This includes filtered air flow, temperature and humidity.
The in-line duct fan works great with the ceramic heat bulb and I want to extend it's use for cooling as well or just fresh air circulation in general.
To achieve this I will use the same fan and heat lamp and enclose the heat lamp in a metal box, similar to how a forced air furnace works. The box will need an opening for air intake (with a filter). Using an Aqua Controller JR (Neptune Systems) I can program the air with heat to come on when the temp cools to the lower limit and program the air alone to come on when the temp reaches the upper limit.
This will require use of a mechanical air filter to filter out the larger air born debris. For humidity I will use the same style of mister in the current tank but will feed that into the new "intake box" rather than it's own vent as it is now. This will be observed at first and then programmed to operate at certain times to maintain the consistency of a day/night cycle.
Consistent daytime and nighttime lighting.
The day time and night time lights will more resemble the patterns set by the normal course of a day.
Improved pond with a more aggressive water flow by adding the upper pond and the water return in the lower pond.
The pump will be enclosed under the upper pond. If this proves successful the space behind the ponds also add room for a refugium should I decide to use salt water, add nutrients, or heat the water, etc.
December 6 - Delay with pond....leaks. Removed glass wall and will need to clean and try again.
November 23 - Camera off this week. Should have new tank completed by the end of the week.
November 10 - Finalizing plans for the base support. It will be lower than the existing tank. Since the canopy (or "lid") will be higher need to compensate from the bottom.
August 19 - Nothing to report and probably will not have any work done until next week. Going to NYC for the weekend.
August 16 - Some work on the upper pond. The glass at the lower pond was removed from the current tank.
Need to finish the wood work and apply one more coat of the resin before relocating the gang while I disassemble the current tank.
August 11 - First coat of resin. I received the material today I want to use to form the waterfall.
I will need to experiment with it first.
August 9 - Started finishing over the weekend. (This picture is prior with the back not boxed in yet)
August 1
July 28 - More work on the waterfall/pond framing. Materials for the surface on order!
July 26
July 25 - Upper pond (water fall) in place.
July 24 - Pond and water fall starting to take form.
July 21 - Yesterday and today - added the plateform for the lower pond.
I will need to frame the upper pond but need to wait for the pump I ordered and design a sump system first...
The 2 part epoxy has arrived so I could start that but will probably wait until the weekend.
July 19 - More sanding and cleaning. Starting to flesh out the pump/water system.
July 18 - Glass stops in place. More wood putty sanding and framing for the plumbing tomorrow.
July 17 - Here is the base assembled to plywood.
No hurry as I am waiting for the epoxy resin and hardener to arrive.
There is framing in between these pieces and it is very heavy.
Later today I will place the stops for the glass and then clean the surface.
July 16 - Base for new tank cut. Total length 7 feet and width 3 feet.
Next step is to prime and frame the bottom and add braces on top for the glass. After that, apply epoxy resin to seal the surface...