June meeting discussion

[Chris]

Okay... topic changed. This thread will be used now for working out the acrylic workshop to take place in June.

[Chris]

Any other acrylic handy people in the group?

[Triggerman]

maybe we could get a hold of matt here on the forum to see if he's finished with that maco cal. reactor. since calcium reactors are a big topic right now maybe we can have a discussion dedicated to this as well as seeing some acrylic fab. that matt did or others that want to volunteer they're work or ideas. dean also had some ideas on a diy project.

[captexas]

Chris -
Matt would be great if he is willing to share some of the stuff he learned on the class he has taken on the reactor. I know Dean is working on a DIY overflow box and possible calcium reactor. He has also made his own Kalk reactor based on JimD's work. I think there are others there in Austin good with acryilic like Tim and I want to say UTMachete?
If we do something like this, it would be better at a location with a large room so that all could see what is going on. A persons house would not provide a room large enough for over 30 people to do such. Maybe this would be a good topic to do at Austin Aquariums class room if they are willing to let us use it (sure they will with no problem). Schedule the meeting/presentations to start at a certain time and last a certain time frame. Before and after the meeting we can check out the store, chat like we always do, and do any trading if people want.

[MikeP]

Bill M / utmachete does really nice acrylic work. He made that frag tank of Tim's and I just had him make a 60 gallon cube for me which turned out nice. I know he's busy but we might get him for a future meeting.

I think for acrylic maybe something simple like an overflow box or mini refugim might be good to start with. The kalk reactor/calcium reactor/skimmers are fine if you use pvc but for clear the only affordable thing I've found is extruded tubing which cracks too easy for my taste. Maybe a small DIY nurce/top off unit?

Other topics to consider that might not cost as much:

Lighting overview - e.g. Halides/HQI vs. PC vs. NO vs. VHO, maybe cover t-5's as well.

Maybe a meeting where the focus is tips and ideas for lower maintenance on tank (auto top offs, ca reactors, auto feeders , how to take care of tank on vacation what have you).

Basic reef / saltwater chemistry - could cover the big ones like SG, PH + Alkalinity and how they relate to fish tanks vs reef tanks, maybe cover calcium and the best way to supplement - reactor/dripping calc/2 parts solutions.

A basic plumbing primer and how to choose the right pump / piping for your needs might be good.

Skimmerless tanks w / refugium vs tradition Berlin style tanks pros and cons?

I think a hands on would be best obviously but you can't build something or frag corals every meeting. Industrious people could write some good FAQ's if they so choose also - there are a lot of good ones out there but some well written ones would attract traffic to the site perhaps.

OT - anyone local have a table saw I can use for a few hours? Making cuts on 2x4 with a mitre box is a pain.

[Tim Marvin]

I hope we can work out the sea world deal this time! I am still ready to go.

[captexas]

I agree with Tim that Sea World would be a great opportunity. We need to find out as soon as possible whether that is going to happen or not that way we have time to make other plans for a meeting.

As far as meeting/presentation topics go, those mentioned by Technoshaman are all good. I think that an acrylic workshop is a topic that would need more time to discuss and would have to be a dedicated topic for a meeting.

[Jimnorris]

What ever the topic count me in!
Jim

[newtosa]

I'm up for Seaworld; that sounds fun.

Also - next month or any time - I wouldn't mind presenting on these topics:
- DIY overflow, along with some math of how I made my decisions;
- DIY KW reactor (would need to involve JimD, since it's his idea and I think he's selling a few of these now);
- plumbing concepts & how to apply them;
- water chemistry principles - alk, Ca, pH, etc.

The calcium reactor (the square one I posted about earlier) is still but a dream in my mind. I would definitely like to get together with a few people and build a few. Maybe after we've all dialed them in and seen how they work, we could come back and do a workshop on both building them and the chemistry involved.

Other topics suggested - lighting, acrylic workmanship, maintenance-saving ideas (this would be huge), and skimmerless tanks/refugiums - are also good. I think there are others who have much more knowledge than I do and would be a better presenter on these topics.

Chris - we need to elect a Programming Director! Please note that I am not volunteering, with the baby coming days away. I wouldn't mind doing it next year at all.

Dean

[Pernelf]

Any idea of a date if ya'll do the SeaWorld thing? I'm assuming this would be in San Antonio.

Leslea

[RedDragon]

I am all for the Sea World thing 100%

[z28pwr]

SeaWorld Sounds Good :-D

[Hammer]

Of course sea world sounds great.
I also like the idea of presentations. I know I could offer a bit of insight on lighting. I might not be an expert, but I know I can gather information FROM experts and try and help some of the people who are still new to a lot of these ideas.

And there are many people in this club that have a lot to offer.
Workshops are great, but from dealing with this before, it might be better off to have these as seperate dates from the monthly meeting so that only the people who are truly interested can participate (lurkers welcome of course). And the Nurce unit is actually pretty easy to make btw.
I have a CA reactor that can be used to copy. Just one peice of acrylic tube, the rest are PVC fittings. So pretty easy to make.
http://www.froadin.com/thereef/images/ca_reactor/ca_reactor3.jpg

[reefer]

Sea World sounds great, or maybe we could head to Schlitterbahn Water Park and see if we can get some first hand knowledge on wave generating devices :lol:
:roll:

[Sherri]

SeaWorld would be awesome...

Sherri

[SuperXdude]

since I am new to the area, I'd just be more than happy to meet the other people in the club period.

Sea World would be great though. I ain't been there in 10 years or so.

I am still interested in making some imitation rock with a DIY project. Perhaps that could be done at a meeting in the summertime?

SuperX

[Brett Wilson]

SuperXdude,

Talk to Fuzz about making rock, I think he has been doing this recently.

I also agree that seaworld would be neat , I'd definately make the drive :) (not to say that I wouldnt otherwise :))

-Brett

[Janice]

Seaworld sounds fun :grin: .

[Chris]

Hey guys, just received an update on the Sea World tour, here's the deal...

Option 1.
We can do our little behind the scenes tour on a weekday and the price would be in the $10-$15 range per person. The hours would be between 8AM-5PM during the day we pick. The park won't be open so that would be the extent of our meeting.

Option 2.
A full day access pass for $30(normal price is $35) which would include the tour and the meeting as well as take place on a weekend date. Since the park will be open, we'll have access to other rooms in the park and we can have a semi meeting there prior to or after the tour. Then the rest of the day you and your family, or friends from the group can have fun throughout the park.

Option 2a.
Jeremy is going to ask if we can be allowed to purchase cheaper tickets to get in *just* for the tour on the weekend, but leave the option open to still let people buy the $30 tickets and stay the whole day. Also waiting to find out if there's a charge for people who have a season pass.

Option 3.
We go the cheaper route and have our acrylic workshop(location?).

[Pernelf]

Do you mean behind the scenes tour for option 2? Any idea on date?

Leslea

[RedDragon]

am going with opion A or B, I think going to Sea World would be fun and we get to do our thing and see the super size tanks plus we get to see the big killer whales whats his name, LOL, but than A's cool just for the tour, am down for any one, suprised every one likes the idea about Sea World funny thing is this is the second time I think that Tim has tried to get every one to do a sea world tour :-o

[RedDragon]

am going with option A or B, I think going to Sea World would be fun and we get to do our thing and see the super size tanks plus we get to see the big killer whales whats his name, LOL, but than A's cool just for the tour, am down for any one, suprised every one likes the idea about Sea World funny thing is this is the second time I think that Tim has tried to get every one to do a sea world tour :-o

[ziggyrocket]

Ok, Here is the scoop.. Currently, (and this is not set in stone) The most preffered date would be Apr-19th. The cost for the behind the scenes tour is going to be 10 dollars per person. We have arranged this so thats its not just the generic ooh look at the underwater mammals, but we will be meeting with the guys that manage the Reef aquariums there and have degrees. No time is set in stone yet, but she advises that we do the first one which would be at 9am...this would mean we would be the only people in the park, and would have the aquariums all to ourselves. After that we go play in the shark tank :D , and pet the stingrays, and see all the dolphins and such. In addition to this, for 30 bucks...you get the tour, and you get to spend the whole day in the park..(tickets alone are 39 bucks) so its a deal. If you have a season pass, it applies, and you only have to pay the 10 dollars for the tour. Again nothing is decided, and we definately need to decide on a date, and get an approximate head count soon. :D

[Jeff Post]

Sea World tour sounds good to me.

[Chris]

Sea World it will be. Would anyone want to take some pre-emptive action and start planning for the May meeting? We could do the acrylic workshop for that one.

Some things that need to be taken care of:


Get people together who will be presenting
Get a list of materials & cost
Organize a time/date/place for the meeting

[Gin_Tseng]

Man the MCAT is on the 26th so studying has to be done.

[Jeff Post]

Who will be the acrylic expert that demonstrates how to cut and assemble acrylic so that it does not leak. I will supply the acrylic for a calcium reactor design that was on reef central.

[Chris]

Who will be the acrylic expert that demonstrates how to cut and assemble acrylic so that it does not leak. I will supply the acrylic for a calcium reactor design that was on reef central.

We have a few people who have some experience, this will be their chance to volunteer to teach us. Who's up for it?

And Jeff, we have funds now so that will pay for the parts we use. ;)

[Jimnorris]

For May I will ago along with learning how to work with acrylic. Skimmer calcium reactor, tank, and sump would be good.
Jim

[Gin_Tseng]

The acrylic workshop would be cool. Does anyone here know where we can get scrap acrylic (Austin area) that we can use so we don't ruin a good piece of acrylic?

[RedDragon]

this mit be an idea for the next meeting or sometime, making your own live rock (base rock)

[reefer]

an acrylic work shop would be great, i would like to try my hand at making a nurce topoff tank.
i've been to regal plastics here in austin. i've asked them if they have any scrap material, and they don't. but you can buy all the material you need directly from them, including the glue, drill bits, and saw blades. if you have plans or drawning, they can even fabricate it for you as well. i would think possibly if we all all chipped in, we could score a discount price on the materials if we bought in bulk. btw, is there a target date for the may meeting yet?

8)

[RedDragon]

so Chris is the May meeting going to be in the end of May or the first of June? :confused:

[Chris]

Nothing has been decided yet... I still don't have any volunteers to teach us yet. :oops:

[matt]

Chris;

I have an idea that's probably not realistic, but would be very cool. The guy who teaches the MACO acrylic courses, Brian Ferguson, would be ideal for doing this. We'd have to raise money, but it would be worth it. Also, with as much interest as there is here in acrylic fabrication, I'm surprised nobody from the area other than me has signed up for these MACO classes. The skimmer class, which starts in about a week, costs $35, plus maybe $100-$150 in parts and a few tools, and you end up with a 6" diameter cast tube beckett skimmer. That's assuming you have or can get a router and router table. If you have to buy that, it's an extra $150 at least. But, with a decent router and table, and a good spiral cut flush trim bit, you can build almost anything for the aquarium out of acrylic. And really, this guy Brian is a great teacher. Maybe at some point we could raise the money to get him down here to teach a weekend seminar.

Matt

[Chris]

That's a great idea Matt, but unfortunately we're on a very limited budget.

I don't think the acrylic workshop idea will pan out this month... but when we do get around to doing one we might have to settle for one of Brian Ferguson's students. <wink @ Matt>

[utmachete]

Let me see how my June looks like I might be interested in doing an Acrylic workshop. The thing about it is making large tanks and refugiums require tools that most people don't have. It's kind of like cabinetry the better tools you have the better your product will be. I'm still in the process of gather all the tools I need to do acrylic work (about to drop $1600 on a table saw $300 on the blade ouch) and everytime I get a new tool my product looks better. 1/4 inch acrylic can be joined very easy and doesn't need any special tools if you can get a distributor to precut your pieces and joint the edges. After you accomplish this all you need is some Weld-on 4, syringe, weights, maybe clamps, and some masking tape.

I am moving to Tyler in August so I will need to sell my Tank sometime in Late June early July. Maybe sometime in the first part of July or last of June I can do a Workshop and a meeting and then the Maast group can help me part out my Tank.

[Jimnorris]

Bill,
I have some of your works and they are very good! I would like to see you give the class! So if you need anything that I can help with call!
Jim

[Tim Marvin]

I have to mirror image Jim's comments. Thanks for all the good work you have done for us and the group. I have a custom corner tank with matching refugium that Bill created if anyone wants to see the quality of his work! A+++++++ I say created because this is a total custom idea of Bill's and I have never seen this design before.

[utmachete]

Thanks Tim and Jim, here is how I think we should do a acrylic workshop. I'll find a date that I can boot my roomates out of the house and see about having a maast meeting there. (I have a large house not your normal college living arrangement) I'll move most of my tools from my shop to my garage at my house. I'll try to find a date that I can do this.

I don't know what everyone will want out of the course, but I think the easiest thing to do is to teach everyone how to make simple things like a small refugiums or small tanks. I'll teach everyone how to bend 1/4 inch acrylic and how to join it.
I'll have to have some people that want to actually build acrylic refugiums and tanks to decide on a design before the meeting so that I can pre-cut the material.

What you will learn
1. Different methods for designing small tanks and refugiums
2. Do's and don'ts of acrylic fabrication
3. Techniques for joining acrylic
4. Techniques for bending acrylic
5. What to ask for when ordering acrylic from distributors
6. ?router techniques? Maybe
7. ?joining thicker material than 3/8"? Maybe

To sum it up, everything you need to know to do simple small tank and refugium designs

What you won't learn
1. How to cut acrylic (this should only be considered if you want to make a large investment in a good table saw $1600+ and blade $300)
2. how to joint edges on acrylic (Jointer cost $500+)
3. How to build large tank (need to know what your doing, or be willing to risk a large investment)


What you'll Take home if you decide to build something at the Maast meeting (pm for pricing)

Must order two weeks before meeting I will add pricing when I figure it out.

-Joining kit (Weld-on 4, syringe, Weld-on 16, masking tape, felt pad) (need to bring weights, concrete solid bricks work best)
-scratch repair Kit (underwater and normal)
-Refugium or small tank that I will help you build.
-Bending Kit (heater coil and pre-made mount) I will bring mine for those who want to learn but don't want to own.

Well that is what I have so far, any suggestion would be appreciated. Also if anyone likes to experiment and needs a large refugium with built in Skimmer pm me because I have a design that I want to try out.