90g Build - My First SW Tank. Lots of pics

[audiophile42]

I've been wanting to get a reef going for a few years now, and now I'm actually able to make it happen. I just graduated from college, moved to a new city, and found a good paying job. In trying to learn about all of this (and there is a lot to learn), I found the build threads to be the most helpful. So I thought I'd contribute back to the community, hopefully it helps someone trying to learn.

I live in an apartment on the second floor, so I couldn't go crazy big. I figured that 90-120g would be a good size. The building was just built last year, and the floors are made out of concrete, so weight isn't a concern.

I picked up a 90gal RR with a few extras from a local reefer who was upgrading (thanks KJAhp098!). It's a good thing I didn't go with a 120g. I wouldn't have been able to fit the tank and the stand in my jeep:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/IMG_0133.jpg

I cleaned up the tank, and put a new coat of paint on the stand. Vinegar and razor blades work wonders. Also put some killz on the inside to help with spills.

Next was to order more equipment. I got a Eheim 1262 used from a member on this forum. Next, a MSX 200. It's really surprising how large this thing is:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000758.jpg

Before I graduated and I picked up some equipment from a friend who has been out of the hobby for a year or two. He had a heater malfunction and zap everything in his 65g. Anyway I got a 30g, glass baffles for said tank, ro/di, refractometer, tds meter, and a 20g long. I'm using the 30g for the sump. But the glass baffles were too high (12") for the skimmer. I went to an Ace Hardware looking to buy some glass scoring tools, and this really nice guy that worked there offered to cut them for me. They had a contraption in the basement to cut glass, and it worked great. I tried to give the guy a little money for his time, but he refused. How cool was that?

Now to silicone in the baffles for the sump. Picked up some GE Silicone from the hardware store. And wow.... I've been reading this forum for about 6 months straight, and I never read how much that stuff stinks! Work in a well ventilated area (not an apartment kitchen like I did). The first chamber is for the skimmer, second return, third refugium. Used CD cases to space the baffles apart while the silicone was curing. It's not the prettiest job, but it'll do.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000762.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000770.jpg

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And it in the stand:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000781.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000783.jpg

[audiophile42]

Plumbing..... What a PITA. I spent about an hour in lowe's looking at fittings, deciding what I needed and what would fit together. There's a 1.25" Durso in the overflow, which goes through a 1" bulkhead down into the skimmer chamber. The Eheim goes into 1" PVC, a T which splits into the refugium. There is a double union ball valve on the refugium, and on the return line to the tank. The 1" PVC on the return goes down to .75" for the return bulkhead. Then .75" PVC up the overflow, and hooked into some lockline. The cleaner/primer for this stinks also. Work in a ventilated area, I'm probably quite a big dumber now because of the fumes.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000746.jpg

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http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000791.jpg

Yay the plumbing is all done! Wait..... why do I hear dripping?

Well turns out my return bulkhead was leaking. It could have been a few things. It wasn't screwed on tight enough, it was screwed on too tight, or I made the return standpipe a bit too short and it was putting pressure on the bulkhead. I tore it out, replaced the bulkhead, replaced the return standpipe with something longer and threw some elbows on it to go OVER the overflow instead of through the pre-cut passthrough hole.

[audiophile42]

As I was working on the plumbing, a 6 bulb 48" ATI Sunpower was being shipped to me from reefgeek.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000818.jpg

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This thing is ridiculously bright. The pic with the bulbs was taken in a fully lit room, but that's how my camera captured it. I went with 4x ATI Blue Plus, 1 GE 6500k, and 1 UVL Actinic White per Grim's suggestion. In the last pic the light was just sitting on the tank, which isn't what I wanted. I couldn't hang it from the ceiling or wall.

[audiophile42]

So I head back out to the hardware store....

SIDE NOTE: In case you haven't noticed, frequent trips to Ace Hardware, Home Depot, or Lowe's are required. The employees have started to recognize me. In the past two weeks I've been to one of those stores probably ever single day.

Picked up some 2 10ft sections of .75" electrical conduit, mounting brackets, a pipe cutter, and a pipe bender. Cut the conduit to the length I wanted, then bent the pipe. Mounted the conduit to the back of the tank. I used the hanging kit that came with the Sunpower, and just drilled holes in the conduit where I wanted the light to hang from.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000842.jpg

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[H.Veras]

it's coming along really nice... keep up the good work..

[joem1cha3l]

nice looking build so far, also looks like a really nice apartment also

[kfisc]

Awesome job-

[spleify]

Nice looking build, I like that skimmer choice.

[eb8919]

Definitley tagging along...i'm roughly around the same spot in my 90g just havent started a build yet. Lookin great..keep the pics comming. Also me know how that fixture/bulb config works for you because i was looking into ordering the same setup. Thanks. What type of tank is this going to be? Corals, fish etc.

[audiophile42]

Thanks for all the comments so far.

I've done so more work on it, but don't have the pictures for it yet. I'll put some more up later today.

Having everything hard plumbed gave me some noise from the pump. So I cut out the section in between the pump and the T, and put some .75" vinyl tubing in there. It seems to have helped with the vibrations and noise. I also put some plywood on the back of the stand to help with the drain into the sump noise. Drilled 4 2.5" holes in the back wall of the stand to run wires and help with condensation. Do you think that is enough? I don't see too many stands completely enclosed, but the noise is an issue. I think I finally have the durso working how I want it to. It took a while to find the right combination between the ball valves and the vent hole on the durso.

Next step is to install a GFCI on the nearest outlet. Past that I need to order some salt and heaters for the tank. I also need to get a light and a filter for the QT tank. I'll probably order those online tonight as I haven't had much luck finding anything locally (at stores or used).

My plan is for it to be a mixed reef, LPS and SPS. Onyx Clowns, Potters Angel (some people have had success keeping them in reefs), anthias. I would like to keep a Powder Brown Tang, but don't know if my tank is big enough for one to be comfortable. WAY WAY WAY down the line I would like to get a mandarin. I've been mainly focused on picking and buying equipment so far, so I haven't done a ton of research into livestock yet.

[oceanluvr]

WOW!!!! Thats looking AWEOSOME ;)
Can't wait to see more photos.

[Tschupe]

looking great! I am currently looking for my first SW tank, I agree with you alot of good info on these build threads.

[nikon187]

In your pics you have the wrong hose on your skimmer venturi. The larger clear one is for the drain on the collection cup, the flexible surgical one is for the pump. ( This should be replaced with some better tubing anyways as it kinks easily.)

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15152785#post15152785 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nikon187
In your pics you have the wrong hose on your skimmer venturi. The larger clear one is for the drain on the collection cup, the flexible surgical one is for the pump. ( This should be replaced with some better tubing anyways as it kinks easily.)

I actually already did replace the tubing, it just happened to be with some clear vinyl tube. I didn't plan on using the collection cup drain, so I plugged it.

[crooks]

If I were you I would get a couple powerheads, salt, and live rock before buying stuff for the qt tank.

[crooks]

There is a guy on here that lives in park ridge that sells live rock for $4 a pound.

[Korrine]

Great thread. I'll be starting a 90g after awhile and am watching this with interest :D

[Aquarist007]

very detailed build thread--love the pictures

[n00by]

Awsome! I feel the same way, my 75g project is in the works but I can only work on it during the weekends :(

I have the exact same stand as you but need to get a back cover. I'm also soundproofing my stand, foam, padding, anti-vibration pads , etc... noise is not welcome.

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15153405#post15153405 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crooks
If I were you I would get a couple powerheads, salt, and live rock before buying stuff for the qt tank.

Yeah, definitely going to get everything setup and cycling before I put anything in the QT tank. I just want to get all the equipment bought ahead of time. I've got a couple Koralia 3's on the way, and I'm ordering most of the rest of the stuff tonight.

The RO/DI is hooked up - a 32gal Brute container filled up, and the display tank is being filled up. Being that it's an apartment I didn't really feel comfortable messing with the plumbing, so I just hooked it up to the bathroom faucet.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000859-1.jpg

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The GFCI installed:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000862.jpg

Should I be concerned about having everything hooked up to one outlet, one circuit? The entire living room is on the same 15A breaker.

And here are some pics of what I mentioned earlier: tubing on the return line, and plywood on the back of the stand.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000871.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000867.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000866.jpg

[audiophile42]

Update with no real update.....

Tank is about 2/3 filled with ro/di, wow it takes a long time. I also ordered the remaining pieces. Heaters, test kits, salt mix, calibration fluid for refractometer, qt filter, and a dj power strip.

Hopefully I'll be ordering sand and rock early next week. The plan is to go with TBS, I've seen some really nice things from them.

[PRDubois]

Everything looks really good except for one thing:

Thermostat on the wall above the tank.
1. Saltcreep will screw it up.
2. Is that a humidity control switch next to it
3. Heat from light will screw with the AC & heater comming on and off.

[LiveRockRob]

Awesome setup thus far. Very nice work.

I'm starting an 80 Gal myself. I'm in the research stage and am picking up equipment once a month. So, got another few months before I am ready to fill it up.

Quick question: I'm planning on buying an RO/DI unit and was wondering if you got the sink adapter for the RO/DI with the unit? or did you have to purchase it seperatly? If so where did you purchase it?

Thanks for posting your progress with the tank. Looking forward to seeing more pics.

Congrats!!!

Robert

[IridescentLily]

Looks great, it's good to see someone else who is just starting.

[PRDubois]

RODI sink adaptor you can get here for $12

http://www.thefilterguys.biz/fittings.htm

$12.00 - CHROME FAUCET ADAPTER
1/4" COMPRESSION BARB WITH THREAD FITTING

http://www.thefilterguys.biz/images/ADAPTERTHREAD.JPG

They have great customer service and sell good units.

[joem1cha3l]

Will that fit any RO/DI Unit?

[PRDubois]

I am not sure about ANY, but all the ones I have seen use 1/4 tubbing. So the answer is probally yes. Unless you buy something totally wierd.

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15161145#post15161145 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LiveRockRob
Awesome setup thus far. Very nice work.

I'm starting an 80 Gal myself. I'm in the research stage and am picking up equipment once a month. So, got another few months before I am ready to fill it up.

Quick question: I'm planning on buying an RO/DI unit and was wondering if you got the sink adapter for the RO/DI with the unit? or did you have to purchase it seperatly? If so where did you purchase it?

Thanks for posting your progress with the tank. Looking forward to seeing more pics.

Congrats!!!

Robert

My BRS unit came with the faucet adapter. HOWEVER - it has a female thread connection, and my faucet also has a female thread connection. A trip to home depot and a 2 dollar male thread to male thread adapter later, it hooked up just fine.

Just another one of the 2 million trips to hardware stores required to get a tank setup.

[atwinparadox2]

Nice job on the setup, following this one for sure!

[DSR]

Wow. That is looking really nice. Looking forward to seeing this through to completion. Wonderful job.

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15160945#post15160945 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PRDubois
Everything looks really good except for one thing:

Thermostat on the wall above the tank.
1. Saltcreep will screw it up.
2. Is that a humidity control switch next to it
3. Heat from light will screw with the AC & heater comming on and off.

Uh oh....

I never even thought of that. The tank is situated a little different now than it was in the pictures, but it's still near the thermostat and humidity control switch (yes that's what it is).

It's about 7 inches away from the wall. Also the tank was shifted to the right. It's no longer under the thermostat, but it is under the humidity control switch.

So if you look at it straight on, the electrical conduit would appear to be running inbetween the thermostat and humidity control (even though it is 7 inches from the wall).

Now that it is a bit further away, do you think it will it still mess up the thermostat? There isn't another really good spot to put the tank, so I hope moving it won't be necessary. That and it's filled with ro/di water that would have no where to go but down the drain if it needed to be moved....

Thanks for pointing that out, I really appreciate it.

[sunsetSPS]

Nice setup! keep us posted.

[PRDubois]

What is on the other side of the wall?
Can you move the t-stat and control over to it?

[Brian.Bentzen]

I wish I'd found a sink adapter when I got started. I'm still using the screw on adapter in my 1/2 bath downstairs. My GF will be happy when she can use that sink again.

You've put in a lot of work so far. Stay diligent and you'll do well.

I'd be a little worried about plugging everything into one GFCI outlet. My 90g + 65g refug takes up 2 outlets worth of surge protectors.

[skip2142]

How do you like that bulb combo? I have a 4 bulb combo with 2 actinic bulbs, and was thinking about switching one out with another blue plus, but didn't want it to be TOO blue.

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15165362#post15165362 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by skip2142
How do you like that bulb combo? I have a 4 bulb combo with 2 actinic bulbs, and was thinking about switching one out with another blue plus, but didn't want it to be TOO blue.

I haven't seen it with a stocked tank yet, just with water in it, so take this for what its worth. I really like the color, but I wouldn't want to go any more blue than this.

What is on the other side of the wall? Can you move the t-stat and control over to it?

On the other side is a bedroom. But this is an apartment I just moved into, so I don't really want to go ask the landlord if he can move some stuff for my fish tank. My lease agreement didn't exclude any aquariums, but they were a little reluctant to have a tank this big in their building.

I'd be a little worried about plugging everything into one GFCI outlet. My 90g + 65g refug takes up 2 outlets worth of surge protectors.

Yeah, I was wondering about that. The next closest outlet is a good 10-12 ft away. I guess I could install a GFCI outlet and run the cables to the tank. Would the benefit to that being that if the GFCI did trip for whatever reason, the entire tank wouldn't be powered down? It's all on the same breaker so I don't know what the other benefits would be (but I don't know a whole lot about electricity/wiring either, just enough to get by).

Thanks for all the kind words!

[n00by]

You'll be ok. My friend is running a 48" MH system with 2x 250w, everything is on one outlet and I don't even think it's GFCI.

[Korrine]

I think we'll end up running extension cords for our 90g tank. We'll have the 29 and 90 on a stand(29g on bottom 90g on top) and we only have one close outlet. I think we'll have to GFCI another outlet and then run the cord. Even my 29 has so many things to plug in...ato, lights, skimmer, powerhead, heater...plus the TV, DVR/Cable unit, DVD/VCR player. I'm surprised we haven't tripped the breaker yet.

[audiophile42]

Update time. Got a few more things accomplished today.

First installed a light timer that I picked up at Home Depot/Lowes (can't remember). It had two outlets on it so I thought that it would independently control each outlet. Well I was wrong, it just turns both outlets on/off at the same time. It'll do until I get a controller futher down the road.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000878.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000879.jpg

Got two Koralia 3s from someone on the FS forum. Both working great.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000883.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000884.jpg

The 1262 is running probably at about half capacity, I guess 300-400gph after headloss. That combined with the 2 Koralia 3s should put me at around 2000gph of flow. Is that enough, or should I look into maybe throwing another powerhead in there?

Also got a 8 outlet DJ strip delivered. I installed it under the stand with some 1x4 i had lying around. I ran out of material though. Tomorrow I'll pickup some more and cover the exposed bottom to reduce the risk of any spray/splashing.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000885.jpg

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And who knew that you could get 90 lbs of salt delivered for $13.... DRS F&S to the rescue! I literally got it the next day too.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000891.jpg

Finally I picked up a 24" double PC fixture for the 20g QT tank from a local reefer. Here it is starting to get filled with ro/di.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000894.jpg

That's all for tonight. But the rest of the equipment SHOULD be getting here tomorrow. Next week I order the live rock!

[chops29]

I don't know if this has been said or not. But if yo install a GFI outlet into a wall outlet, all outlet down stream from that one are protected by that GFI.

[VacavilleFC3S]

how are you going to clean the cup on your skimmer???

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15179513#post15179513 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by VacavilleFC3S
how are you going to clean the cup on your skimmer???

It doesn't look like it, but there is room for the cup to slide out of the stand. It was close but it fits. In hindsight I would have preferred a taller stand, but it was a good deal I couldn't pass up.

[rbredding]

I'll have to check out the pictures when I get home..

[audiophile42]

Alright, I've got a question. I got a refractometer from a friend who got out of the hobby a couple years ago, so I ordered some calibration fluid to check it. The stuff I got from Marine Depot it supposed to be at 1.0264 or 35ppt. On the refractometer, the highest I can get it to go is 21ppt, and as low as 0 by adjusting the little screw. Is there anything to do, or do I have to go buy another refractometer?

[audiophile42]

It's been a very busy weekend. The heaters and HOB filter (for QT) arrived.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000983.jpg

I got in touch with someone locally who has an amazing setup, and with quantities of good live rock available. So early Saturday I bought about 80lbs of aragonite sand. Even after rinsing it 3-4 times - which is a real fun time - 5 gal buckets and a bath tub, it still made a cloudy mess.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1000898.jpg

Later that day, I went over to this guys house - which turns out was like a 5 min drive, a rarity in Chicago. I think there was a 500gal, a 300gal, and a fishroom the size of my bedroom. A really gorgeous setup. He also had tanks and vats full of live rock and frags in his fishroom. It was all plumbed together, part of the same water column in his active systems. This stuff was loaded with purple coraline and life. We weighed out 130lbs of rock in salt buckets, and filled them up with saltwater to minimize any potential die off. He even threw in a rock with a coral attached! If anyone in the Chicago area wants to know who exactly I'm talking about (I'm not sure if he wants to advertise on here), shoot me a PM. He was great to deal with.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010003.jpg

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Since this is from an active system, and it spent maybe 15 minutes in buckets filled with saltwater while being transferred to my tank, I'm hoping there won't be any cycle. I'm keeping an eye on the water parameters as a precaution anyway though.

[audiophile42]

The skimmer is up and running now too. Been trying to get it set, but inevitably I have to adjust it because it's overflowing into the collection cup or the bubbles are too far down. I expect it will break in over the next week or so. I also picked up a light with a 6500k bulb for the fuge at lowe's.

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[n00by]

Man, I have the exact same stand. Talk about cramped. But it was also too good to pass up.

[crooks]

Bill does have an awesome set up doesnt he.

[prettypearl08]

How deep is your sand bed?

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15197610#post15197610 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by prettypearl08
How deep is your sand bed?

1"-2". I didn't want to deal with the potential issues of a deep sand bed. I know they work great for some people, but I decided against it.

[prettypearl08]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15198043#post15198043 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by audiophile42
1"-2". I didn't want to deal with the potential issues of a deep sand bed. I know they work great for some people, but I decided against it.

That's what I was thinking.... I only ordered a about 100lbs of sand....

[renisel]

Glad to see you were able to find a decent deal locally on the rock and sand.

Do you have an anti-siphon hole drilled in the return and have you tested to make sure that your sump won't overflow if the return pump is turned off?

I'd recommend giving a remote DSB a try if you don't want to do an in-tank DSB (I went the RDSB route in both of my current tanks).

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15198371#post15198371 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by renisel
Glad to see you were able to find a decent deal locally on the rock and sand.

Do you have an anti-siphon hole drilled in the return and have you tested to make sure that your sump won't overflow if the return pump is turned off?

I'd recommend giving a remote DSB a try if you don't want to do an in-tank DSB (I went the RDSB route in both of my current tanks).

Thanks for bringing that up, I forgot to mention it earlier in the thread. I did drill some holes in the loc-line return near the top to stop the siphon.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010019.jpg

I've heard some people say that a RDSB isn't really worth it unless you can give it a pretty good area. I don't remember how big your sump/fuge was for your tanks. I haven't really decided on what exactly I'm going to do with the fuge section in the sump. I was thinking of just putting some live rock rubble and chaeto in there for a pod factory. But I'll look into the RDSB idea.

Thanks for recommending Bill to me, it worked out great.

[renisel]

Cool. I'd hate to see you end up with saltwater flooding all over the hardwood floors.

I've got big sumps on both my tanks (75 gal for the SPS and 29 gal for the LPS), and each sump has a ~5 gal bucket filled with sand to serve as an RDSB. This allows me to relatively safely and easily remove the DSB if I think it's causing a problem. You could also set one up outside the stand if you don't mind the damage to the aesthetics. However, chaeto can also do a great job of keeping nutrients down too--although I could just never get it to grow (and therefore could never get it to suck up nutrients).

[CaptainFlyingFishGuts]

Nice pics and setup. Tagging along.

[n00by]

LoL, your entire place reminds me of my own. A few questions. What type of return pump do you have and how quiet is it... say on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the quietest. Also, if it really is an apartment that you live in, which floor are you in, have you tried moving around alot and noticed your tank move or shake, or the water ripple when your system is off? Just curious. :D

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15199968#post15199968 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by n00by
LoL, your entire place reminds me of my own. A few questions. What type of return pump do you have and how quiet is it... say on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the quietest. Also, if it really is an apartment that you live in, which floor are you in, have you tried moving around alot and noticed your tank move or shake, or the water ripple when your system is off? Just curious. :D

It's an Eheim 1262. It's definitely more pump that I need, but I got a good deal on it from someone here. Plus the brand is known to be rock solid and reliable. I wouldn't say the pump is loud.... but it's not quiet either. Along those lines I'd say a 6. In my setup the skimmer is the loudest part, followed by the drain, then the return.

Yes, I do live in an apartment (well condo technically, but they couldn't sell them in this economy so I'm renting it). It is on the second floor. I've been planning this tank since around January/February, which is before I found my current place. As nerdy as it may sound , I kept the weight factor in mind at all the places I looked it. Some of them I wouldn't have felt comfortable having a 90g tank - the floors bowed or squeaked already. But this place was just built last year, and the floors are made and supported by concrete. The floor doesn't budge at all.

If you are putting a large tank on an above ground floor, and it ISN'T a recent build, try to put it next to a load bearing wall. Also figure out which way the floor joist run, and then have the tank sit across as many joist as possible. Here is a good read on the subject:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_weight.php

How large of a tank are you talking about, and on what floor?

[n00by]

I have a 75g sitting in the middle of my living room. My townhouse has 3 floors and is a 2002 build. So far everything seems fine and right below the tank is a wall that seperates my basement from my garage. I'm not sure if it's a load bearing wall or a divider wall. Either way the floor doesn't seem to creek anywhere near the tank and I've leveled the tank many times even after filling with water to see if it moved. It's also sitting on carpet rather than hardwood flooring.

[Korrine]

I'm not sure on the refractometer issue. Have you found anything out regarding its display?

Nice rock :) Are you going to add any more or scape it different?

[newreef06]

hey renisel have any pics of your rdsb

[renisel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15203989#post15203989 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newreef06
hey renisel have any pics of your rdsb

The sump for my LPS/softie tank:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii318/renisel/sump1.jpg
The container on the right is filled with sand to a few inches below the water line.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii318/renisel/sump2.jpg
As you can see here, I have water being pumped in over the top and two holes on the other side for the water to flow out. This was originally used as an external RDSB and each of those two holes had bulkheads. Water was pumped up from the sump through the lower hole, and then flowed back out into the sump through the higher hole.

And here is the RDSB in the sump for my SPS tank:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii318/renisel/sump3.jpg
This is just an old salt bucket filled most of the way up with sand and dropped in the sump. The water level always stays a few inches above the top of the bucket. It's difficult to make out through the ripples in the water, but there is a Koralia in the lower-right corner of the picture that is pointed upward and toward the wall of the sump in order to maintain good circulation above the RDSB.

[rbredding]

the pictures didn't disappoint..

I REALLY want to get mine started... darn job!?!?!

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15203613#post15203613 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Korrine
I'm not sure on the refractometer issue. Have you found anything out regarding its display?

Nice rock :) Are you going to add any more or scape it different?

Ok, this is kind of bad, but it's working for now.... I smacked the refractometer a few times and now it can register the higher ranges. I dialed in the 35ppt calibration fluid, and it's reading fine now. I'll probably replace it down the road.

Funny you should mention the aquascaping.... lol. I pretty much just threw the rock in there to jump-start the system. Tonight I did scape it, and boy was that an adventure. You can read all about what equipment to buy and how to set stuff up, but there is no real easy way to place the rocks. Lots of trial and error. Here is what I came up with. Nothing amazing, but I don't think it's horrible for a first attempt. I'm going to get some epoxy tomorrow and make it topple proof.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010020.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010022.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010040.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010025.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010032.jpg

I've been feeding the tank a pretty good amount of flake food to keep all the little critters and bacteria alive. Checking the parameters every night, still no ammonia. Hopefully that means there won't be a cycle *knocks on wood* with this rock. And the frogspawn is still looking good, so I suppose that's a good sign.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010036.jpg

Thanks for posting those pics renisel. Do you think it would be worthwhile to put a RDSB in my refugium (it's only got a 9x12 footprint)? The only other way I could think of to have one is to have a container or bucket sitting outside the tank. Have a pump push water from the sump into the container, and then have it gravity fed back into the sump over the sump wall. Drilling really isn't an option as I don't want to tear the entire setup down.

[eb8919]

You may have mentioned this and I missed it...but how many lbs of rock do you have there?

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15206591#post15206591 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by eb8919
You may have mentioned this and I missed it...but how many lbs of rock do you have there?

Around 130lbs.

[rastarainy]

looks sick. can't wait to see some fish in there. do you only have the frogspawn in the tank coral-wise?

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15206657#post15206657 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rastarainy
looks sick. can't wait to see some fish in there. do you only have the frogspawn in the tank coral-wise?

Thanks rastarainy. Just have the frogspawn so far. I didn't plan on having any coral in it already, but the guy I bought the rock from threw it in for free (and it is attached to that piece of rock). He said I probably wouldn't have a cycle since the rock was from his active system, and I'd be able to put some livestock in it after a few days. Things are progressing like he said so far, maybe something else he said will turn true tomorrow :D .

[renisel]

As far as the RDSB goes, I'd get some fish in there, put some chaeto in the fuge, and see how the nitrate and phosphate levels are looking--and how well the chaeto is growing--after a few weeks. If the chaeto isn't doing the job for you, then I'd consider trying out the RDSB. But if you can get it to grow in your fuge, I think chaeto is preferable since it also sucks up a good deal of phosphate and CO2, and provides a good breeding ground for pods and other microfauna.

[Korrine]

Hey that new scape looks good. Keep your eye out for large bridging rock and you can bridge the left and right together(put it on the top between the stacks). Might be kinda neat. Just an idea. I'm sure a piece like that may be expensive though.

I bought my refractometer off of ebay for $35 with shipping. It's not a cheap plastic one either. Came from Hong Kong. Took it to my lfs for them to help me calibrate it they said it looked good.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg200/kj23502/sw%20tank/100_5092.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg200/kj23502/sw%20tank/100_5091.jpg

[rastarainy]

what exactly does a refractometer do korrine?

[Korrine]

Tests SG and salinity in a more precise way than a hydrometer (floating or swing arm)

Here:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-02/eb/index.php

A little ways down they talk specifically about refractometers :)

[audiophile42]

Water parameters have still be solid, and frogspawn looking great. I went over to kerusso316's place and picked up a pair of Onyx Clowns. Sorry about the pic quality...

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010084.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010111.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010114.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010121.jpg

I was comfortable with skipping the QT and putting them straight in the display since it was from a local breeder (who's setup is amazing btw) and not a LFS. They've been doing great so far. Out in the open, playing, and eating New Life Spectrum pellets. I'm still checking water parameters every night to stay on top of things.

[New Jer-Z]

Nothing like some good ole clowns to make a fish wrangler happy...

[Korrine]

Cool. I love those clowns. Unique :)

[n00by]

WoW, fish already?? Seemed like yesterday that we saw pics of your plumbing parts in the bucket. How did the cycle process go? Howlong did you wait? What were your water parameters before you added the clowns?

[AndyDavies]

Fair play, just read this thread from start to date, really interesting reading. Ony just set-up my marine tank, nothing in caparison to some of the set-ups described above but enjoying learning more and more about the hobby. Only problem is, i keep thinking, should i be looking to do that? Is my tank big enough? (only about 45gals, but seemed pretty big as a starter tank!) But i cant ever see myself getting bored in developing my tank and one day to be writting my own thread about my 90gallon set-up!!

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15227079#post15227079 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by n00by
WoW, fish already?? Seemed like yesterday that we saw pics of your plumbing parts in the bucket. How did the cycle process go? Howlong did you wait? What were your water parameters before you added the clowns?

Yeah I know, it seems like it is really soon to have fish. But I haven't had any signs of going through a cycle, probably due to using rock from an established system. I've been checking the water parameters twice a day, and still no ammonia or nitrite. PH has been stable at 8.1-8.2ish, and SG at 1.025. I've been feeding the tank flake since I got it setup to keep all the little critters and bacteria alive. The clowns have been eating flake and pellets.

[n00by]

That's great, I finally got my live rock in today. I'll keep monitoring and if everything goes well i'll toss is a domino damsel, $9.99 fish vs $34 clown :)

But that's awsome just keep monitoring incase a cycle breaks out. Is your QT tank up and running in case ine day you wake up to some high amonia levels?

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15230915#post15230915 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by n00by
That's great, I finally got my live rock in today. I'll keep monitoring and if everything goes well i'll toss is a domino damsel, $9.99 fish vs $34 clown :)

But that's awsome just keep monitoring incase a cycle breaks out. Is your QT tank up and running in case ine day you wake up to some high amonia levels?

Great, let us know how it progresses. You might want to reconsider the damsel, unless you really want to keep it long term. I've had numerous people tell me not to put a damsel in unless I want to, and I quote - "buy a size 22 hook a few months later". Oh, and the going rate for onyx clowns is a bit more than $34 ;) .

The QT has been up and running since before the main tank. I've had filter media in the sump to get a bacteria population going. Any sign of ammonia I've got that tank and 32gal of ro/di ready to mix and do a water change. I check ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, and SG every morning and every evening. Everybody is still active and eating. And the skimmer is pulling thick nasty green gunk.

[Korrine]

Remember the tank could be producing some ammonia even if it's not showing up. That's part of the danger in adding fish so soon.

[renisel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15235382#post15235382 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by audiophile42
Great, let us know how it progresses. You might want to reconsider the damsel, unless you really want to keep it long term. I've had numerous people tell me not to put a damsel in unless I want to, and I quote - "buy a size 22 hook a few months later". Oh, and the going rate for onyx clowns is a bit more than $34 ;) .

The QT has been up and running since before the main tank. I've had filter media in the sump to get a bacteria population going. Any sign of ammonia I've got that tank and 32gal of ro/di ready to mix and do a water change. I check ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, and SG every morning and every evening. Everybody is still active and eating. And the skimmer is pulling thick nasty green gunk.

I'll second that on the damsels. A green chromis would make a safer "canary", and should be about the same price. But tank-raised clowns are also generally extremely hardy and not too much of a risk to toss into a young tank.

When you do your testing, what are your nitrate values like? If you're getting nitrates, but no nitrites or ammonia, then you know that you've got a solid base of nitrifying bacteria and don't have to worry about a catastrophic ammonia spike (as this means that there is definitely ammonia being produced, but it's being efficiently converted into nitrites, then nitrates before it has a chance to do any harm).

[Korrine]

No he shouldn't have to worry about a catastrophic ammonia spike, but anything "lurking" in the water could potentially be bad.

Now if there was die off and bacteria doubled or so then what's going to happen to the extra bacteria when there's not as much die off ammonia being produced? It will die. Some bacteria release toxins as well. If the dieing bacteria kills some things in the rocks then that in turn could affect the water quality. That's why it's best to wait a bit before adding any critters to the tank. Imperfect water quality could be enough to trigger illnesses in our aquatic pets. Not saying it WILL happen or always happens, just saying that it's a possibility. :)

[waterworld2]

Enjoyed reading this string and found it helpful.
WW2

[n00by]

audiophile42,

Updates on the tank that needed no cycle, lol.

How's everything, the fish, corals, water param?

[audiophile42]

Long time, no update ;)

Things are still going well. I just got busy and let the thread lapse without an update for a while. Anyways.... onto the pics....

I installed an auto-top-off for the system. I was evaporating 2 gallons or so a day, and pouring cups of RO/DI everyday after work could get old.

Part one, 10 gal tank:
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010157.jpg

Part two, Aqualifter pump:
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010158.jpg

Part three, double switch sump ATO from autotopoff.com:
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010156.jpg

That's really been the only change in the equipment. The MSX200 is working great - I gagged the other day while cleaning out the collection cup. The only thing is that I've noticed is quite a bit of detritus is settling at the bottom of the sump. Space constraints mean that using a gravel vac to clean it out would be a major PITA. Instead I picked up a filter sock, and I'll try to rig that up tomorrow.

I appreciate everyone's concern about my apparent lack of a cycle. It did have a little hiccup - I'm guessing from the increased bio-load or me just overfeeding. A couple weeks ago the ammonia creeped up to about .25ppm, but I had salt water on hand to do a water change to bring it down. After that everything stabilized, and I've been sitting at these parameters:

Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 5ppm
PH - 8.2
SG - 1.025

There were some new additions to the tank as well. 6 Nassarius snails which seem to be doing a good job so far. Also, a Potters Angel. I know they can be finicky fish, but this guy has been doing great in the tank 2-3 weeks. Nips at the rocks and walls, eats New Life Spectrum flake and Ocean Nutrition Formula 2 pellets. Every once in a while I feed some Rod's food which they go nuts for. The clowns are doing good as well. All 3 now know when it's food time and they sit at the front corner of the tank waiting for me, lol. Here are some pics of the gang:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010196.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010198.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010187.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010184.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010175.jpg

Besides the detritus the other issue I have right now is aiptasia. There are 4 good sized aiptasia that I've been able to spot so far. I would prefer to go with a natural solution rather than dose or inject. Would a peppermint shrimp get the job done? Or are there other fish/inverts that would take care of it?

[Korrine]

Very nice. love the angel :D

Pep shrimp are supposed to eat them although it's not a guarantee.

[n00by]

Look great, man!

I would try the pep shrimp and see what happens or go for the copperband/kleins butterfly. I don't think any of these guys are reef safe but they might be busy at work on the aptasia if this if you pick them up for a short term. Can we say fish rentals? LoL!

Btw, are you monitoring calcium, alk, anything else? If this going to be a fish tank or reef tank, or 50

[renisel]

Looks good. If you're using kalk in the top-off water, keep an eye on the Aqualifter pump. If it occasionally gets a chance to dry out inside, the solids can deposit on the surfaces inside and cause problems.

With the filter sock, I'd suggest getting a few and changing them out every few days. If you just leave one, it can turn into a nitrate factory.

A few peppermint shrimp should take care of the aiptasia. Not all of them will eat it, but in my experience the majority will--so if you get maybe 4 or 5, you can be pretty sure that they'll keep the problem under control.

[audiophile42]

I added 4 peppermint shrimp, and the aiptasia are disappearing. These guys sure don't come out much though. The only time I see them is if I shine a flashlight into a cave they hide out in, or sometimes they'll pop out after the lights are out. I was hoping they'd be more active than this, but at least they're taking care of the aiptasia. Can more than one type of shrimp be kept in the same tank?

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010199.jpg

The plan is for it to be a reef tank. To be honest I haven't learned much about corals and their care, so I've been hesitant to buy anything. Does anyone have a good beginner info thread on corals? Generic info on if softies can be kept with LPS, SPS, etc? What parameters to measure and how to supplement them?

The QT tank has been setup for a while, filter media sitting in the sump, so I decided to put it to use.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010225.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010224.jpg

[rastarainy]

more than one shrimp can definately be kept in the same tank. i kept 2 peppermints along with a larger cleaner shrimp. they never conflicted as far as i know.

[renisel]

The shrimp will most likely start to come out more and more as they become accustomed to their surroundings, but it may take a few months--and some will just always be shy. I've never had any problems keeping different shrimp together, but if you want to keep them with a pistol or coral banded, there's a possibility those guys will go hunting if they get too hungry (I still wouldn't say it's all that risky, though).

I don't know of a good general thread for getting into corals, but I can give you a brief run-down... Softies, polyps and LPS are generally pretty forgiving of mistakes. In general, keep nitrates and phosphates minimal, pH above 7.8 at all times, dKH 8 - 11, calcium around 400 - 500, sg around 1.025. Get the two part solution from bulkreefsupply.com and dose as needed to keep your alk and Ca as stable as possible and at values that give you a safe pH. I feed my LPS/softie tank a few times a week with Coral Frenzy and/or smelt roe.

For SPS, most of the stuff above applies, but you want to keep your nitrates and phosphates undetectable if possible and minimize fluctuations in water parameters. They can be kept with softies and LPS, but it seems to generally be more difficult to get both to thrive in the same tank than it is to get either one to thrive by itself.

If you haven't found any chaeto yet, I'd recommend talking to Bill again. I just got some from him a couple weeks ago and with that huge system I'm sure it grows faster than he can find people to give it to.

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15361219#post15361219 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by renisel
The shrimp will most likely start to come out more and more as they become accustomed to their surroundings, but it may take a few months--and some will just always be shy. I've never had any problems keeping different shrimp together, but if you want to keep them with a pistol or coral banded, there's a possibility those guys will go hunting if they get too hungry (I still wouldn't say it's all that risky, though).

I don't know of a good general thread for getting into corals, but I can give you a brief run-down... Softies, polyps and LPS are generally pretty forgiving of mistakes. In general, keep nitrates and phosphates minimal, pH above 7.8 at all times, dKH 8 - 11, calcium around 400 - 500, sg around 1.025. Get the two part solution from bulkreefsupply.com and dose as needed to keep your alk and Ca as stable as possible and at values that give you a safe pH. I feed my LPS/softie tank a few times a week with Coral Frenzy and/or smelt roe.

For SPS, most of the stuff above applies, but you want to keep your nitrates and phosphates undetectable if possible and minimize fluctuations in water parameters. They can be kept with softies and LPS, but it seems to generally be more difficult to get both to thrive in the same tank than it is to get either one to thrive by itself.

If you haven't found any chaeto yet, I'd recommend talking to Bill again. I just got some from him a couple weeks ago and with that huge system I'm sure it grows faster than he can find people to give it to.

The peppermints have slowly been coming out a bit more, especially when I feed the tank.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010279.jpg

Today I did get a good sized blood red fire shrimp, and of course he hides in a crevice between two rocks. I can see his antennae sticking out, but can't get a pic of him.

Casualreefer hooked me up with some chaeto earlier in the week, hopefully it takes off. I also got a Koralia 4 from another member on here. That brings me to the Eheim 1262 (albeit dialed back), 2 Koralia 3s, and a Koralia 4. Do you think that gives me enough flow to be able to support SPS? I probably won't get any coral for the next month or so, but I'll start piecing together additional test kits and dosing/supplements. I think what I'd like to do is have mostly SPS, with some LPS and maybe a few zoas and ricordia. I've been told to stay far away from mushrooms and xenia.

Anyway, I figured I should post an updated pic of the setup even though not a whole lot has changed.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010288.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010289.jpg

[renisel]

The fire shrimp are cool. I had one for over a year that I barely ever saw--but I think that was fairly atypical. Hopefully yours will come out more as time passes. Doing at least some of your feeding when the lights are at full blast should help draw him out into the light and get him comfortable with coming out in the open during the day.

As far as what constitutes enough flow for SPS, you'll probably get a lot of different opinions from a lot of different people--but from what I've heard/read, very little of this has much solid scientific/theoretical basis. I think you definitely want enough flow to keep your pH up. You also want some degree of flow directed at the corals to sweep away the O2 and bring in fresh CO2 and food as they photosynthesize. A lot of people will say you need variable flow, but I really don't see how that helps other than to stir up detritus in different areas to keep the nutrient levels down--so if you're keeping the nutrient levels down anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about that. But I'd also encourage you to shop around for other opinions and examine their rationale.

In the end, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. So when you think you're ready to give it a try, pick up some cheap SPS frags from local reefers (shouldn't be difficult to find) and see how they do. If they don't do so well, then you know you need to make some changes. I've got a couple things I could give you to try out when you're ready, and I can give you the names of a couple other people who would be happy to give you some stuff cheap or free.

[n00by]

I hope that angel doesn't start nipping at corals when you start putting in SPS. I've seen my friends dwarf angel nip at everything from his zoo's to his hammer.

[fasteddie99]

Great thread so far! Great ideas, like the conduit light stands:)

Looking forward to following along.

[todd141]

this is a fantastic looking setup. I love the angel - very nice.

I'm also looking forward to following along.

[clownfish360]

Looks Great! Love the design.:D

[audiophile42]

Thanks for all the props. Unfortunately I've got some bad news - I found one of the three green reef chromis I had in quarantine dead after I came home from work today. I noticed that this one in particular wasn't eating over the weekend, but didn't have any obvious signs of disease. I checked the basic water parameters, ph is around 8.3, no detectable ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. I'm making water right now to do a water change. The other two seem to be doing fine, eating and swimming around like usual.

[aquaman05]

where did you get your dj switch ( I think thats whats its called...lol )

Thanks and everything looks GREAT

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15386992#post15386992 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquaman05
where did you get your dj switch ( I think thats whats its called...lol )

Thanks and everything looks GREAT

Ordered it from amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/American-DJ-channel-switches-mountable/dp/B0002GL50Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1248143737&sr=8-1

[aquaman05]

Thanks for that link ! So your just using the dj strip for your power strip is this right. I've seen these on other peoples tanks and liked it. Right now im running one of those power strips withthe built in timers.

Thanks for your help

[audiophile42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15387147#post15387147 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquaman05
Thanks for that link ! So your just using the dj strip for your power strip is this right. I've seen these on other peoples tanks and liked it. Right now im running one of those power strips withthe built in timers.

Thanks for your help

Right - it's a power strip that adds the ability to turn individual outlets on and off. I use it to control my power heads, return pump, skimmer, heaters, and fuge light. It's nice to be able to turn things on and off when doing maintenance. I have a separate thing that has a timer to turn my lights on and off.

[Akrite]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15387147#post15387147 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquaman05
Right now im running one of those power strips withthe built in timers.

What does that look like and where do you get one?

[audiophile42]

Had an interesting experience the other day. I wake up and check out the fish before I get ready to go to work. I can't find the smaller clownfish anywhere. After a few minutes of looking with a flashlight, I give up and figure that it died overnight. It's trapped between some rocks somewhere, or the snails already went after the body. Next thing in my head is the ammonia spike that is going to create. So at 6:30am I'm doing a water change with all the saltwater I have on hand (around 20g), and of course my roommate thinks I'm going crazy.

I finish up the water change, and open up the stand to turn all the pumps and everything back on. And I'll be damned if the clownfish wasn't in the sump right next to the return pump swimming around. I guess it jumped over the overflow wall, went down the drain pipe, and navigated through the baffles in the sump. Then I spent 5 minutes trying to net it in my cramped sump in my cramped stand. What a morning. I think I'll try to pickup some gutter guard or plastic mesh to cover the drain intake to keep this from happening. I found a snail down there yesterday too.

[Tschupe]

he must of seen finding nemo, tryin to get back to the ocean ,LOL

[Korrine]

wow. He went for quite a rid.

[audiophile42]

The Green Chromis have been in QT for almost 4 weeks now. 2 weeks ago I noticed a red mark on one of them which hasn't gone away. It's still eating and is very active. I started a thread with pics in the fish disease forum:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1681134

If anyone has some advice or insight I'd really appreciate it. I'm kind of at a loss as to what I should do. I want to move forward and keep stocking the tank, but that requires a clean QT which I don't think I have right now.

The local reef club (CMAS-Chicago) just organized a group buy from bulkreefsupply. So I ordered some two part and salifert test kits to measure calcium, alk, and magnesium. Next weekend the same club is having a frag swap, so I think I'll use that as an opportunity to start getting into coral.

[Korrine]

wow sorry to hear about your chromis.

[audiophile42]

Thanks Korrine. I called up the LFS that I bought the chromis from and explained the situation. The fish wasn't dying, I didn't want to put it in my display but wanted my quarantine freed up so I can continue stocking the tank. They took him back. Kind of a sucky turn of events - bought 3 and put in QT, 1 died from stress/not eating and one had red band disease. The 3rd one is fine and now in the display. Maybe at a later date I'll try to get 3-5 more and see how much luck goes then. I'm glad I put them through the QT process.

Quick QT question for those with tangs. One of the last fish I'm planning on adding is a powder brown tang. I know these things are ich magnets, so I definitely want to QT. But my QT tank is a 20g tall which is only 24" long. Will medium sized powder brown survive in a 20g for 4-8 weeks while in quarantine?

Of course I couldn't get out of the LFS without spending some money, lol. Added some more snails to the cleanup crew. Total is now 6 nassarius snails, 6 margarita snails, 6 cerith snails, 1 blood fire shrimp, 4 peppermint shrimp (although I've only seen 2 of them lately), and a hermit hitchhiker from the rock. I've been wary of adding any hermits because I've read many times that they sometimes kill snails for their shells. What are some others good creatures to add to the cleanup crew? I also got bored and redid the aqua scape.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010370.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010385.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010387.jpg

I got several salifert test kits since I'm going to start getting coral - calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, phosphate, and nitrate. Also started with two-part dosing from bulkreefsupply. Before dosing these were my parameters:

Calcium - 375ppm
Alkalinity - 8dKH
Magnesium - 960ppm
Phosphate - between 0 and .03ppm, closer to 0
Nitrate - 0ppm

After dosing the past few days I've gotten Calcium to 450, Alk to 9.5dKH, and Magnesium to 1100.

The ever expanding wall of fish stuff. Yes - that is a dry erase board, mostly to be used in studying for actuarial exams. And yes - I have been writing my tank parameters on it :lol:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010415.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010416.jpg

This saturday is the frag swap. I plan on going with a fistful of cash to get things started!

[audiophile42]

I forgot to post it when it happened, but a while ago there was a *minor* plumbing incident. I was in the sump moving the chaeto around and cleaning the pump intake. I guess I put a little too much pressure against the pvc with my arm, because one of the 90* elbows separated from the pipe while everything was running! I turned it off as soon as I realized what happened. I tried to cut and reglue the section back together, but I had a brainfart and accidentally left one of the union sides off. Oh well... time to replumb the tank.... this time I used spaflex/flexpvc. It gave me more room under the sump since I didn't have elbows and unions taking up a bunch of horizontal space. Plus, it makes putting a filter sock on the drain line quite a bit easier.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010351.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010358.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010381.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010380.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010379.jpg

[Fish_wiz2]

The Green Chromis have been in QT for almost 4 weeks now. 2 weeks ago I noticed a red mark on one of them which hasn't gone away. It's still eating and is very active. I started a thread with pics in the fish disease forum:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1681134

If anyone has some advice or insight I'd really appreciate it. I'm kind of at a loss as to what I should do. I want to move forward and keep stocking the tank, but that requires a clean QT which I don't think I have right now.


Bummer on the chromis but i've been through the same. I still don't know whats going on but i have found to move on and find more as the survivors will last (my survivors after the "initial" die-off have been through hell with me and are still schooling along). Great setup though and keep up the great work! Good luck man. Wiz ;)

[BANANAHANDS]

NIce setup

[Timmy77]

Looking good gives my some ideas for my 90

[audiophile42]

Thanks for the compliments. It's been a few months since I've updated this thread, and a lot has changed with the tank. Lots of new fish, corals, and equipment. The lights on the tank are off right now, but tomorrow I'll take some new pics and update the thread.

[Korrine]

Fabulous!! Thanks :)

[ahlebik]

As someone that is starting up your photos of plumbing really helped me understand how everything worked. Love your refugium layout. I hope you don't mind if I have one very... similar.

Beautiful work there.

Andy

[audiophile42]

I'll break the update into sections:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1020040.jpg

Equipment:
Some of my Koralias stopped working several months ago, so I decided to get a Vortech MP40w to replace them. This thing rules, I only have that and my return providing flow for the tank. It provides a very broad flow that isn't too harsh on the LPS coral, but keeps everything moving. It has a crazy undertow after feeding.

I also picked up 3 strips of actinic LEDs. They kick on an hour before the main lights, stay on during the day, and turn off an hour after. They provide a nice dusk/dawn effect, and provide some nice supplementation and shimmer during the day.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+20024+18485&pcatid=18485

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1020024.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1020025.jpg


Later this week I'll be getting some reactors to run carbon and GFO. The carbon is just to help out with general water clarity, and the GFO to help with phosphate levels. I have some red turf algae that I've been battling.

Coral:
I also got a lot of coral as you can see. Mostly LPS and Ricordia. I really like Acans, and have bought a few very colorful ultra frags. I have a few SPS and a clam.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010943.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010947.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010948.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1020012.jpg

[audiophile42]

Fish:
I've gotten quite a few fish since my last update. The complete list of fish is now:

2 Onyx Clowns (male and female)
1 Potters Angel
1 Green Chromis
2 Lyretail Anthias
1 Green Mandarin
1 Tailspot Blenny
1 Kole Tang
1 Copperband Butterfly
1 Lineatus Wrasse

Before the Mandarin flag gets thrown down - I purchased her 2-3 months ago from a reefer that trained her to eat prepared foods. She'll eat PE Mysis, Rods, even Formula 1 pellets (I kid you not). The Copperband and Lineatus are only eating PE Mysis and Cyclopeeze so far. Everything else including the Anthias will eat pellets. I think I'm pretty much at or close to my limit for fish, maybe another fairy wrasse. Sorry about the pics, I can't manually adjust my white balance so the colors are a little off. Plus I suck with a simple point and shoot. The Lineatus in particular looks much better in person.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010951.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010955.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010966.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010969.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010973.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1020019.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1020023.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1020037.jpg

When the Kole Tang was in quarantine, I noticed ich starting to show up. I treated with Seachem's Cupramine and measured the copper levels for a few weeks. All good now.

Something I forgot to mention in the last post - I replaced about 65lbs of my live rock with some dry rock that I got a steal on. I took out the liverock that didn't have very interesting shapes or just didn't work for the aquascape I was trying to create.

Those of you thinking of using dry rock, MAKE SURE YOU CURE IT FIRST! I did, and am extremely happy I decided to. I first soaked it in a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water to clean it off and get rid of some of the phosphates. Here is a pic after 15 minutes:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r217/audiophile42/P1010832.jpg

I then let it sit in saltwater with a heater and powerhead, along with a piece of live rock to seed the bacteria. I initially had it sitting my my bathroom. BIG mistake - it stunk up my entire apartment, so I moved it to the balcony. It literally took days to clear the smell out. It released tons and tons of ammonia. All in all it took a little over a month to get the rock cured and cycled. I'd hate to think of the disaster that stuff would have caused if I just threw it straight in the tank.

[Korrine]

amazing!!!! Your tank looks fabulous!

glad to hear your vortech rocks. I made an offer on a mp10 for my tank. Think my hubby will kill me on this purchase...lol...but I can't wait to get it :wildone:

[audiophile42]

amazing!!!! Your tank looks fabulous!

glad to hear your vortech rocks. I made an offer on a mp10 for my tank. Think my hubby will kill me on this purchase...lol...but I can't wait to get it :wildone:

Thanks Korrine. It has taken a lot of time, effort, and money, but it's coming along. Plus it helps there are a lot of cool people and LFS in the Chicago area.

Yeah, the vortech awsome. Whenever I have some extra cash lying around, I want to get a 2nd MP40w. I'm sure you'll love the MP10, your husband will get over the sticker shock. Just explain to him all the cool tech stuff for it (controller, premade algorithms, magnetic driven through glass) :lmao:

[Korrine]

Wow. I didn't see all the fish pics before. They are awesome!!! They must've been added when I was typing my earlier post. You take awesome pictures. How do you get such good pictures w/out a color draining flash? If I don't use flash, I get a giant smear :(

I know what you mean by expensive. My little 29 has hundreds of $$ into it.

[mdemuth]

very nice setup

[Neogenocide]

Very nice setup and excellent writeup/descriptions along the way.

Scott

[Kates]

WOW!Can I just say its awesome when people put up so many great pics, it helps me at least, to visualize the parts and workings of the system, so when I build my own big system someday I can have all these great ideas and visuals to go on. Thanks!

[bryman]

Very nice thread and build! Helps me with my 90G build. BTW, your Potters is probably the most spectacular I've seen. Tagging along!

[lighthouze08]

very nice tank bro

[bryman]

(Edited - my bad)

Sorry, wrong thread!!