Jhodge

Well...........Sorry folks there has been a lot going on and the blogs kinda got put on the back burner. My deepest apologies but we are back on track. Boy oh boy do we have a lot to cover, but we will do this in future blogs. The short and sweet, I moved, I purchased a business, I'm 3 remodels deep, I signed 2 new accounts, lots going on so bear with me on timing. Ok now to cover this blogs topic of the new cabinetry.

Ok we have covered the aiptasia, the mess of plumbing and electrical and etc.... Another major reason for this remodel was the stand wrap and canopy. It is in true disrepair. It wasn't built well to begin with. The builder I guess decided that unfinished, unprotected wood was a good choice for a large volume of water. Velcro was also a premium choice of products to use. Regardless of the number of issues in building materials and overall condition of the wood work, ONE MAJOR issues still remains.......Access for maintenance.

As you will see in the picture above there are 2 access points on the front side and every inch of the front panel can be cleaned. However for some reason on each side only one access panel was added. This made the front sides and corners nearly impossible to clean thoroughly. Placing coral and removing the previous aiptasia problem was an utter joke. There are major issues in the design that make certain sections incredibly difficult if not impossible to clean. Please keep in mind that I spent months removing massive amounts of Coraline algae from every square inch (minus the portholes ) of this ACRYLIC TANK, so this is not a cry baby, I have to work hard to do my job thing, well there is some of that . To add to the nonsense I have a nick name of T-Rex insulting yes, but my arms really are short making cleaning this 8'x3'x6' even more difficult. I have also had a few excess beers and double cheeseburgers in my life, to safely brace myself on the top of the tank to get just that right angle and pressure to scrub the algae without scratching the tank, especially in the corners would cause for a complete disaster.



Since the day I stated working on this system, I knew that changes had to be made, when you have issues with aesthetics and operations a change is needed. It has been a very long year a half + working with the department head and explaining the issues that are at hand. Again in previous blogs I have stated the issues, in short detail, that were created by the previous maintenance companies. It wasn't an easy sell, nor a quick fix. But the trust has been built and the understanding of the TRUE potential of this system has been realized by the board. I honestly am in disbelief that at the time of me writing this, tomorrow is the day that the final major addition to the complete remodel of this system will be complete (minus the interior and equipment upgrades). But as always it seems in this "hobby" there are always hurdles to hop over.

With all that being said we haven't touched base on the warping of the wood, the 70's style design, the way the electrical was run through the system....the 3 keys it took to get the system open.....and so on and so forth. I won't bore you with every single detail. The time came when the remodel of the system was approved, and the wood work was first on the list. It was decided that the access to the tank was a first priority in the "beautification" of this system. I already knew who I wanted to do this build. Dion Richins. My primary aquarium furniture builder. Richins Carpentry. They have been my furniture builder since the day I started and I have a hard time going else where. When he created Driftwood Aquarium Furniture his aquarium furniture division I was ecstatic. Please visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drift...0740?ref=br_tf his quality is amazing. He builds everything to the EXACT specifications that are needed.

The hurdles to conquer and hoops to jump through were present almost immediately. For those who don't know, let me give a quick explanation of government contracts.................. Keeping up with the policies and procedures of a government contract is like..........pause for adult content.........&#*&#%@$@!*&($)$)(*^&@^.($)$)(*%@( $(*&$))#& (*&#&*^@(**!@#............That about sums it up................The client allowed me again with loads of )(()*#&$)(*&#$)(* to fully oversee the project from design to approval. I am not saying anything bad on the client at all, but it is not easy to get anything done, but again the trust was built on the progress that had already been made on the system.

Finally, a contractor was selected to do the project and my initial impression was very good. While he had never worked on an aquarium system before, the contractor seemed to understand the wants and needs of myself and the client. A few weeks past and a final plan was submitted to me. It included automation of the system. 1 button press and keycard access to the system. With the press of a button and a swipe of my key card all doors and panels on the system would automatically open. SWEET!!!! I was sold on that point alone. Then came the talk of veneers and stick on tiles for the design. The contractor literally wanted to use self-adhesive faux marble linoleum as the finish for the woodwork..............My heart sank as I instantly knew we were back to square one.


After weeks of deliberations, pulling a few strings, and many more design changes. the contractor decided to pull his bid. I knew this was my chance to get my guy to do the job. I took pictures, links, pricing, everything I could to the client in order to push Driftwood Aquarium Furniture to be the one to redo this system. I stressed my trust in Dion and our history. I ensured the client that Dion would understand what I required and the quality that you desired. I made clear that
given our short yet detailed history, Dion and I were on the same page with quality requirements and design features. Again dealing with the government, this was no easy task, finally the approval was given to have Driftwood submit a bid. Dion agreed to make the 5 hour trip to come and look at the system with me and discuss the changes that were needed. As usual Driftwood Aquarium Furniture didn't cease to amaze. Without a question even being posed Dion listed all the issues that were existing and the ways that he would remedy the situation. I was yet again impressed as this isn't the first time Driftwood had understood the issues I had and an immediate and perfect remedy to the situation. Let me clearly state that as a maintenance and custom aquarium builder, there is nothing like having a fellow aquariust understand the issues and more importantly the resolutions to problems, build your aquarium furniture.

(A matching system Driftwood did for me, 90 gal mixed reef and a 35 gal hex seahorse system that required some major adjustments to the standard design that Driftwood was more than happy to customize form me)

Any woodworker can build it, but having someone who understands the hobby, is an asset that can't be ranked. I asked Dion to make a statement on his thoughts on the project. I quote "We are excited at the opportunity to help Justin at Fish and Frags bring beauty to his wonderful project. We have seen how much care and work he has put into bringing this 1000g system back from pure ugliness. Our goal is to bring some of the beauty on the reef system he has sculptured in to the wood work surrounding it. The two combined should be a stunning representation of how awesome Reefing can be!!"

Thanks!!! Dion Richins owner of Driftwood Aquarium Furniture truly has a passion and understanding of the hobby and has the ability to build the most stunning furniture you can imagine for your system. If you have the need or want for quality work, give Driftwood Aquarium Furniture a call, I am positive they can't meet your needs.

Ok so lets fast forward now about 5 weeks. More problems and more hurdles, of course showed their ugly face. But here we are at 12:13 AM the day that the wood work will be completed. Driftwood Aquarium Furniture will be arriving at my shop in less than 8 hours to assist in finishing this remodel. I spent the night doing as much prep work as I could. I removed the dangerous MH setup (so glad to have that fixed) removed some electrical boxes, disconnected all the wiring, I just reran during the intital stages of the remodel, unhooked the APEX.............SCARY................(From years of not having a controller on this system, as a maintaince company I don't know how you can go without a controller and the APEX is like a dream come true, literally I'm 4 hours from disconnect and slightly panicking that if there is a power outage, or massive failure, temp spike, ph goes haywire or anything, I will be in the dark, I trust my systems and I am paranoid for sure, but the peace that an aquarium controller grants is worth WAY more than any expense. I can honestly say I can sleep at night knowing my systems are connected to a controller.

I did have some fun tonight, I had to remove an electrical box that was permanently connected to the existing canopy and like a dummy received shock of a life time!. Again I can't state how excited I am, this has been an ongoing battle for a over a year and a half. To see it come to a conclusion is a relief yet causes sadness all in its own. There is still much work to be done, but the rebuilding of the life support system, the plumbing, the electrical, and now the wood work is complete. After almost 2 years of working on this system I finally will be able to do what we all love, and play with a system. I am truly blessed to be in this position, it has taken years of hard work, many headaches, pump failures, leaking bulkheads, disease outbreaks, thousands of key strokes, tears, and smiles, but all that being said it has all been worth it. This is just one of the many systems I maintain, but it all the crap and B.S. becomes worth it because now I get to do what I love and build a reef, A 1000 GAL REEF!!!!!!!!!!

I will update in the future, in part 6 and 7 of what took place in the past month and a half. But don't be suprised to see part 9 first as an update of all the new wood work. I will get 6 and 7 up eventually which will include the removal of 400 lbs of rock, aiptasia destruction, a mermaid, underwater coral pics, and a new aqua-scape design. Part 9 won't be the end, there have already been more coral additions, another pump failure , the species systems will be reinstalled. SO much more to come on this system alone.........................I CAN"T WAIT!!!!!!! Thanks again!

Justin