And the rebuild begins.

[fdokinawa]

Would like to thank jeffb3t for all his help yesterday. This project probably never would have happend. And I definatly wouldnt have had it as far as we did yesterday.

All the rocks pulled out. The sand that came out was nasty!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1666.jpg

Think I need to get another container for cooking the LR.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1667.jpg

my new nanno. everything looks healthy.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1671.jpg

My new stand!! look great, again, thanks Jeff!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1675.jpg

20gal sump & pipeing.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1680.jpg

Had a lot of crap in the system.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1681.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1682.jpg

[vest0830]

that stand looks real nice! I hope it all works out for the better for you.
It always comes out better!

[fdokinawa]

It should, going to have a lot more flow, and trying to get a MUCH better skimmer.

[vest0830]

hahaha...i just noticed this pic.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1680.jpg

the guy on the TV looks impressed. :p

[Airman]

I just looked at all of the your photos and read your thread. Keep the good work. Thanks for the link to PPMOKINAWA

[fdokinawa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7276063#post7276063 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vest0830
the guy on the TV looks impressed. :p

He damn well better be.. thats a beefy stand. :D

[vest0830]

yeah man, that thing looks serious. so hows the tank as of now? were you able to salvage anything? did you buy/get all new rock? For sand, the makeman has some nice stuff. its just regular sand but with crushed coral in it. its what I have in my tank. working pretty nice.

[jeffb3t]

Yeah, We did get quite a bit done. I had a ball working on it with you. Can't wait to get it finished and add some salt.

[fdokinawa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7281220#post7281220 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vest0830
yeah man, that thing looks serious. so hows the tank as of now? were you able to salvage anything? did you buy/get all new rock? For sand, the makeman has some nice stuff. its just regular sand but with crushed coral in it. its what I have in my tank. working pretty nice.

Still doing the fresh water test. Have a couple of leaks to work out. Hopefully Jeff and I will finish fixing those on Sat and can get most of the closed loop done.

I have everything thats survived in a nano tank. Everything seems to be doing ok, except one damsil that decided to commit suicide by shoving its head into a powerhead. :( I also had a serious aptaisia outbreak, so still working on getting those out of the nano. should have it all cleared up by the time the tank is up and running.

[jeffb3t]

I had to laugh about the aptasia. I have never seen them here until I saw your tank. I thought it was a stateside thing only. Don't worry though, they love lemon juice. Just keep hooking them up and let me know if you need another syringe. I have a couple here.

[jeffb3t]

Do you plan on getting the sqwd for your closed loop or are we going a different route?

[fdokinawa]

i ordered the sqwd.. :D I'm still working on the skimmer. Looks like im going to have to have my buddy in the states get it for me and ship it over here.

[jeffb3t]

Don't worry, we have lots of time since you rock is cooking... unless you want to get more? I have an urchin you can use anyway.

[fdokinawa]

yea, we should weight this rock when its done and see if I need any more.

[jeffb3t]

I think you have plenty. It should be enough to provide a very nice aquascape. Just have to wait until it cooks

[jeffb3t]

FD, did all the leaks stop?

[fdokinawa]

I did a water change on my LR today..god that stuff is nasty.

some pics ive taken recently.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1780Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1781Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1795Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1798Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1800Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1801Medium.jpg

pulled this bad boy out of the container that im cooking my rock in.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_1808Medium.jpg

[okinawafish]

Hey FD,

I just got my Lifereef skimmer in the mail today. It is a solid piece of equipment! Jason got one too so if you have any questions feel free to ask. Neither of them had any damage when they arrived.

[jeffb3t]

Whats the life reef rated for?

[okinawafish]

It's rated for 250 gallons and has a MagDrive 9.5 on it.

[jeffb3t]

cool, Hey fd should have some salt in his tank soon. HIs sqwd came in. Can't wait until he can stock it. We need to have a stocking party at his place. Admission is one frag.

[fdokinawa]

Well got my Mag 12 pump intoday.. I hooked it up to the return/chiller. wanted to see how good it really was, so turned the chiller ball valve off... damn near overflowed my tank!! This tank is going to have nuts flow..

[fdokinawa]

my closed loop setup..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2209.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2206.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2207.jpg

[vest0830]

dang, thats really sweet. I want one now.
only, i would like to make it like a frame around the top of my tank with multiple jets.

that turned out really nice though!

[jeffb3t]

It was my first time attempting a closed loop but hey it's PVC, you really can't screw it up. Flow is much better with it. I am thinking about one for my clam tank now.

[jeffb3t]

Hey Vest, If you want to do a manifold, let me know. I have some pretty good ideas for one.

[vest0830]

Wll do!

[fdokinawa]

well after a run to the beach in the rain, a couple trips to PPM for water and Makuman for some last min parts.. I finally got my tank up and running.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2298Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2299Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2300Medium.jpg

[vest0830]

no wonder PPM didnt have water yesterday. Lookin good :)

[fdokinawa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7537027#post7537027 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vest0830
no wonder PPM didnt have water yesterday. Lookin good :)

haha.. you try and get some? :D yea, took all thier salt water and about 10 gallons of RO water.

cant wait for this thing to cycle so I can get my stuff out of the nano..

[jeffb3t]

Hey FD, I take it the frag party will be in a few weeks? I got your frag here waiting.

[fdokinawa]

yea, in a few weeks.

I think im going to get a big gate valve for the output of the skimmer to be able to adjust water lvl better. Also going to swap out the sedra and mag 12. And mabey raise the skimmer up some more.

[jeffb3t]

Be careful about raising up the skimmer too much otherwise you will have to watch your water level like a hawk since evaporation will come into play and effect your skimmer.

[fdokinawa]

it shouldnt, with the gate valve on there and the fact that the pump for the skimmer is sitting in the overflow return side of the tank the amount of water going into the skimmer shouldnt be affected by the water lvl in the return section of the sump. Im wanting to raise it up so it takes up less water volume in that section and allowes more water.

[jeffb3t]

Good point. Post some pics of the crap it pulls out.

[fdokinawa]

and its done.. I moved all my coral(what I have left) into the 55 gal. The only thing I couldnt move was my feather.. he has attached himself to a good sized rock with a lot of aptasia on it. I lost a LOT of my cleaning crew im down to about 10 hermets and couple of snails. Anyone know where I can get some? I know there are differant kinds of hermits, PPM sells one kind at almost $10.

I just hope everything survives in the big tank, dont think Ive hit my cycle yet. Im going to try and keep it from doing a bad one.. oh well.. we'll see.

[jeffb3t]

Hermits??? When are you off work? I know where to get some... Real cheap too. If you experience a cycle do plenty of water changes to keep the shock down to the coral that are in there. I got some kalk if you wanna try that to hook up the aptasia. BTW, post pics!

[fdokinawa]

might try to just break the rock where the feather is at.

[vest0830]

PPm has these TINY sails for 15 for 300y. They are tiny though. get like 50 of them. in a few weeks you will have 150- I bought 15 of them about a month and a half ago, I had 15 snails within a hand print on one paine of my glass the other night.

[jeffb3t]

We can get lots at low tide too. A nice variety as well. Just flip over the rocks and you will see plenty.

[fdokinawa]

Id like to get some of the good ones, but I think they're rare.. hense the reason PPM sells them for $10 each.

[fdokinawa]

some picks.. I just put some more live rock in and pulled the ones we originally put in there out for a good scrubbing. I also found the rock with the octopus on it.. its sitting in my cooking tub right now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2363Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2369Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2364Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2365Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2366Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2367Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2368Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2372Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2373Medium.jpg

[jeffb3t]

Looking great man!!!

[fdokinawa]

The skimmer sits up about 6 inches now.. and I moved the rocks into the overflow area with the cheido. Slid the sump all the way to the left also, the 10 gallon fits... barely. going to get the mesurments and everything for it tomorrow.

With the skimmer up out of the water I shouldnt have to mess with the water flow and air as much.. wont be any back pressure on it now. Thing is a pain to keep having to dial in. I also ordered a external catch.. ahh thing for it. will keep it from overflowing if the skimmate gets to wet.

[fdokinawa]

and here are the new pics...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2374Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2375Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2376Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2377Medium.jpg

[vest0830]

lookin real good!

[jeffb3t]

It is really coming together now. Can't wait to see the 10 gl fuge set up.

[fdokinawa]

Jeff.. know where I can get another small tank? focking cracked the one we drilled out. really pi$$ed at myself. oh well.. Id like to find a plexi one if we can..

[jeffb3t]

Pet box in chatan has some Cheap ones but they are glass too. You might be able to find a plastic one though. Don't worry, If you have to get another glass one, We can drill it again.

[fdokinawa]

k, I'll check petbox and makuman out and see if I can find a plexi one, if not I'll get a glass one again. charge up the drill.. =D

[jeffb3t]

Drill is charged and ready to go. Makeman has lots of small tanks but all were glass. I was there today. Maybe petbox....

[fdokinawa]

Wont be able to look untill Wed. If they dont have any I'll just get another glass one.. I know how i messed up the last one.. and I wont do it again.

[jeffb3t]

Can you jam a 10 gl in there? measurements are 20 "long X 12"HX 10.5 W. If you can, you can have the ten i got. Might save you a couple bucks.

[fdokinawa]

ahh think thats to big. the stand we built bearly fits in there.

[jeffb3t]

Ok then, Go for the same size as the broke one and we will drill it again.

[jeffb3t]

So where are the pics of the new fuge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fdokinawa]

here ya go.. sorry, forgot all about it.. lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2433Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2434Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2436Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2435Medium.jpg

[jeffb3t]

Very good!! Make sure you harvest some of the cheato if it becomes too large. Glad to finally see pics.

[fdokinawa]

yea, I need to get another light in there.. that one sucks.

[vest0830]

man, thats looking real good!

Cant wait to see it!

[jeffb3t]

You should try one of those tetra clip on lights A couple of those will light it up good.

[Donstuprich]

hehe... like the one he just gave me :)

Let me know if you want it back

[fdokinawa]

naw.. its ok.. I'll look around. might order one online.

[fdokinawa]

ive got sea slugs.. :D

[Sangogo]

I had a yellow sea slug in my tank one day I looked, but never found it again. What color are yours?

[Donstuprich]

btw, that light has made that zoo patch perk up! thx man :)

[fdokinawa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7695502#post7695502 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sangogo
I had a yellow sea slug in my tank one day I looked, but never found it again. What color are yours?

ahh not sure, blue I think. its real small. Ive found a couple of them. babies.

[fdokinawa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7695736#post7695736 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Donstuprich
btw, that light has made that zoo patch perk up! thx man :)

dude, you really need to get some better lighting in there if that little light helped out..lol

[jeffb3t]

Donstuprich,
Check out the tek t-5s, They will really light up your tank.

[Donstuprich]

Actually the currents are on sale at drs. fosters... gonna order them soon.

[fdokinawa]

wow.. after looking at my fuge pics again, that ball of cheato sure has grown!!

I also got my skimmer skimate catcher in the other day.. so no chance of an accidental overflow in my stand now. still havnt gotten any of the penductors that bluezoo mailed to me.. I'm going to give it another week or so, I know they mailed them out, so I'm blameing the post office.

And purlyH2O said my RO/DI unit should be getting to my shipitAPO account very soon.. I'll belive it when I see it.

[Donstuprich]

Man you have a lot of patience. I would of got my money back by now :)

[jeffb3t]

No kidding. I would have disputed the charges long time ago

[fdokinawa]

yea.. well he kept telling me he wanted to work it out.. ect ect.

[fdokinawa]

FINALLY!!! shipitAPO got my RO/DI unit and forwarded it on to me.. should get it next week sometime. Now I just need my Penductors and Ill be all set.

[fdokinawa]

wow Im so glad I got that Precision Marine waste collector!!! Was talking to Jeff yesterday about the micron filter I have on the output of my skimmer catching all the pods from my fuge. So I took it off... well the lack of back pressure caused my skimmer to get out of whack and it started running super super wet.. filled up my waste collector. Think about this collector, it has a ping pong ball in the top, so if the collector fills up, it flotes up and cuts off the air and kills the skimmer, so no overflow... I did lose about half a gallon of water though.. but oh well better than 55 gallons.

I'm wanting to redo my sump in a differant configuration, but would like to keep the down time on the sump to a minimum. Does anyone have a 20 gal tank that they're not useing at the moment that I can use to temporarily?

[jeffb3t]

Wow, Never thought a filter sock would create that much back pressure to mess up the skimmer.

[jeffb3t]

Hey had an idea. what about extending the piping from the fuge straight to the return pump area instead of the skimmer pump area so all your pods never make it to the skimmer. you can still keep the sock on and reduce the amount of pods that make it into the skimmer.

[fdokinawa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7795704#post7795704 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jeffb3t
Hey had an idea. what about extending the piping from the fuge straight to the return pump area instead of the skimmer pump area so all your pods never make it to the skimmer. you can still keep the sock on and reduce the amount of pods that make it into the skimmer.

lol.. thats why I keep you around.. will do that this weekend.

[jeffb3t]

You are off tomorrow right??? it should be done this week and not the weekend!

[fdokinawa]

my weekend.. so.. wed if I can get the motivation to do it.

[jeffb3t]

Do you need a kick in the butt?

[fdokinawa]

haha.. probably..

[Sangogo]

Haha, this thread made my day. I think we all could use a kick in the butt....

[fdokinawa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7808218#post7808218 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sangogo
Haha, this thread made my day. I think we all could use a kick in the butt....

haha.. I need one on a daily basis.. :p

[fdokinawa]

damn damsiles.. got one out.. going to get that other one too. he's picking on the other fish.

The clown is happy though.. he just swims around without a care.. net.. what net. lol

[vest0830]

how about the anenome?

[fdokinawa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7812123#post7812123 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vest0830
how about the anenome?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2530MEDIUM.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2531MEDIUM.jpg

[Sangogo]

nice anemone! I love pink/red things.

[vest0830]

my tomato clown said screw the lather and went for the Rose bubble tip anenome. (ours split, you have one, I have one)
Now my other clown thinks the lather and the carpet is his. haha.

[Sangogo]

I'd love to have an anemone, but with the except of the "sango isoginchaku" (coral anemone is the literal translation, no idea what they call it in English), all are listed as pretty hard to keep.

Some places seem to imply that "shiraito isoginchaku" (white thread anemone, as it is literally translated) aren't too bad either.

I see mixed reviews on the bubbletips ("tamaitadaki isoginchaku) though. Some places say they are relatively easy, just as many say they are very hard.

And a few places say that a certain type of carpets ("ibohatago isoginchaku") are not too bad, though the main colorful carpet ("hatago isochichaku") is very hard. (Everything other than the above was listed in "too hard, don't try" territory)

So much information that conflicts. The only one that people consistently list as fairly easy is the sango isoginchaku. (Sorry that I only really know the names in Japanese... :()

What is your experience with anemones in general?

[fdokinawa]

This is my first one.. so we'll see. So far so good. went to PetBox today and they had a beautiful purple one that my girlfriend wanted me to get, but I dont want to add anything else to my tank for a little while. one step at a time...

[Sangogo]

is that little purple guy a bicolor dottyback? or is it the one that's all purple?

[fdokinawa]

he's all purple.. I just changed the water, so as soon as everything settles down, Ill get pics of the rest of the new guys.

[Sangogo]

oooh, how many guys are there in total?

[fdokinawa]

I have 7 total.. altho 1 is a very very small gobie.. dont have a pic of him yet. Im just hopeing one of the biger guys hasnt gotten to him yet. havnt seen him since I put these other fish in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2553MEDIUM.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2567medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2569MEDIUM.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2573MEDIUM.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/FDokinawa/Fish%20tank/IMG_2562medium.jpg

[fdokinawa]

the one with the white stripe down its back(if anyone knows what that is, let me know) likes to host in the bubble anenome.

[Sangogo]

sweet! I just came back from the LFS during dinner break. They had skunk shrimp on sale! (Skunk shrimp were next on my wish list.) Only 980 each!

[jeffb3t]

Very nice selection you have now. I can't wait to see the tank a few months from now.

[fdokinawa]

that clown is freaking me out though.. wont stop swiming..lol I think I can get him to eat out of my hand.. he's a brave one.

[jeffb3t]

That's a good thing. Fish movement in the tank adds to the enjoyment.

[fdokinawa]

yea, but its not conductive to photo taking.. lol

[jeffb3t]

True but you won't spend every waking second behind a camera either.

[Sangogo]

Has your purple guy gotten agrresive? My purple/yellow guy (they're related breeds) has become really agressive even though nothing I have read has implied they would attack shrimp.....

I:m wondering if I should separate him out . . but I can't seem to catch him.

[fdokinawa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7837498#post7837498 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sangogo
Has your purple guy gotten agrresive? My purple/yellow guy (they're related breeds) has become really agressive even though nothing I have read has implied they would attack shrimp.....

I:m wondering if I should separate him out . . but I can't seem to catch him.

HAHA funny you should mention that. I cought a couple baby peppermint shrimp today.. very very small.. and on Jeffs advise, I put one in the main tank.. purple guy swam over and in one bite ate him. :eek: So the other has a home in the fuge untill he is big enough to fend for himself in the main tank. hopefully he lives..

but other than that, the purple guy just hangs out in the corner, dosnt bother anyone. I have a big yellow one that will chase my damsil if he gets to close to him, but other than that everyone leaves everyone else alone.

[Sangogo]

Hahaha, my new shrimp are in hiding thanks to yellow/purple guy.

I went to an awesome sale today at an LFS near my friend's house. I picked up a magenta colored coral and a medium clown. (I wish I bought two, but I add fish one at a time, with at least two weeks in between each addition mostly out of paranoia.) Nothing has made me happier than this clown has. Clownfish were the reason why I owned tons of marine books as a kid. I figure I'll add a juvenile in a month as I have seen people recommend.

If you're able to come up to Tokyo during Obon, I would recommend you check out this store. They're doing massive crazy sales. In fact on one particular sale day during Obon, blue tangs are 980 yen (usually about 4000 yen in Tokyo) and you can get 5 chromis for 398 yen. (I'm not sure if they are out of their mind or what.) It's going to be so tempting to overstock my tank this month....

[fdokinawa]

do they ship? is it a good LFS? they take care of thier stock?

[Sangogo]

I don't think they ship, unfortunately. (They probably wouldn't have such crazy sales if they did.)

But their water is way clearer than many stores I have been to. And their selection is probably the best I have seen up here in Tokyo. (which is probably not saying much compared to what you have in Okinawa.) It's probably my favorite LFS so far.

[jeffb3t]

FD, My bad, Every time I added small shrimp in my tank I never had a problem. Didn't think It would end up a snack.

[fdokinawa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7841047#post7841047 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jeffb3t
FD, My bad, Every time I added small shrimp in my tank I never had a problem. Didn't think It would end up a snack.

ahh its all good.. didnt expect them to last that long anyways. Hope the one in the fuge does ok. And I dont know why, but the 2 snails that I put in the fuge are doing good.. there trucking around making lines in the alage, but the 4 that I put in the main tank started out ok.. but after a few min, just pulled in and dont do anything. And, I cant find 3 of them now.. mmm guess I'll just have to keep an eye out for them..

[jeffb3t]

I was just hoping that they would be ok and take care of the last remaining aptasia you have.

[Donstuprich]

I have not had any aptasia... does that mean i won't get them if i put nothing new in?

[fdokinawa]

yea, I was hopeing for that too.. these guys were so small though I couldnt really tell if they were peppermint or the ones with humpbacks...

I cant find the one that I put into my fuge.. but he was clear so really hard to see him anyways.. hopeing he is still alive.

[jeffb3t]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7848316#post7848316 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Donstuprich
I have not had any aptasia... does that mean i won't get them if i put nothing new in?


You are lucky. There is always a chance of getting them. But there is always a cure too.