Dart Den

I finally got around to starting the builds on the two new Ghost Vivs. Hopefully I'll have some shots of them with initial planting sometime before the week is out, but in the meantime I grabbed a couple of shots before I started, just to show what the unadulterated vivs look like in situ.

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

Having just used up two caulking tubes worth of silicone mounting cork to them, I can say that one thing I definitely like about these over the Exos is when I lay them on their backs to work on the background, I don't have to work around the doors flapping around on their hinges - just lift them out of the tracks, put them out of harm's way, and get to work. Yay for removable sliding doors!

What did ya think about their weight? I was surprised how light they turned out.

Sa-weet.

Ghostvivs Wrote:What did ya think about their weight? I was surprised how light they turned out.

They really are, considering that they're quarter-inch plate all around. I was a little more struck with how solid they felt, though -- the Exos always feel a bit fragile to me; that may be the difference between having a solidly attached top vs. the drop-in screen top on the Exos.

Lookin good Chuck! I'd say you are headed towards an awesome setup, really looking forward to seeing how these turn out.

Chuck those look freakin awesome!!!!! Hats off to you and Casper!!!! My apologies if I didn't see this posted earlier but..LED bars lighting those??

They do look fantastic! 8)

fieldsmith Wrote:Lookin good Chuck! I'd say you are headed towards an awesome setup, really looking forward to seeing how these turn out.

Thanks Field! Hopefully they'll still look good after I'm done mucking about with them :-)

Rusty_Shackleford Wrote:Chuck those look freakin awesome!!!!! Hats off to you and Casper!!!! My apologies if I didn't see this posted earlier but..LED bars lighting those??

Thanks Jon!

Yup, LED bars -- but the cheap DIY variety -- step-by-step instructions here.

frogfreak Wrote:They do look fantastic! 8)

Thanks Glenn!

Work in progress...

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

Looking good! I'm digging the cork shelves.

That last pic looks like one big tank. They will look nice sitting side by side. Tanks look very nice and so does the muck job.

Chuck, I think you have posted it before but what are you using for the barrier layer?

It's reticulated foam. Works great, it's light weight, and holds up great.

A little on the pricey side compared to egg crate but I think it's worth it.


Sean

Not as pricey as you think. Add the zip ties, pvc for support and the window screen you need to add to the egg crate, and it's quite comparable.

http://www.thefoamfactory.com/opencellfoam/filter.html

heyduke Wrote:It's reticulated foam. Works great, it's light weight, and holds up great.

A little on the pricey side compared to egg crate but I think it's worth it.


Sean

[quote="Ghostvivs"]Not as pricey as you think. Add the zip ties, pvc for support and the window screen you need to add to the egg crate, and it's quite comparable.

http://www.thefoamfactory.com/opencellfoam/filter.html


True. I factor in my time as well.
Just got a sheet in yesterday as a matter of fact.


Sean

Ghostvivs Wrote:Looking good! I'm digging the cork shelves.

Thanks Casper!

IDPM Wrote:Chuck, I think you have posted it before but what are you using for the barrier layer?

Hi Brad;

Casper and Sean have it correct; it's 2" reticulated polyurethane filter foam from The Foam Factory. Water passes right through it, it acts as a strainer for the drain bulkhead and (best part) takes about a minute and a half to measure, cut and place. The gravel in the last shot is just for appearances -- I pull the foam back a bit and brush thin layer of gravel between the foam and the front glass so you don't see the foam when looking at the front of the tank.

foam factory
i have read on another forum that they have stuff you can use for a background instead of the foam board you buy at the hardware stores. it is not toxic like the styrofoam is.
just wondering how easy it will to suck out the "old" water when the water gets "old". :~