65g reef

[Melina]

Hey guys, ignore my previous 54g thread... I've decided to go with a 65g reef-ready single overflow with a 20g sump instead. Thank you Hidden Reef for having it made & shipped to me so quickly!
My pump is a Sedra KSP 7000. I have a Euro Reef RS-100 protein skimmer which I'm trying to understand (see my other thread here http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=34601)
I have my Tek T5 light fixture (6x39w), 4 10,000K daylights & 2 actinics.
I ordered a 5 stage RO/DI and once it arrives (should be soon) I'll be filling up the tank (next week?). I've also ordered 70lbs of Tonga live rock. I will also have a sand bed. I will mix Caribsea Aragonite with live sand. I plan to have a mixed reef. Here are the very first pictures.

[michika]

Looks good so far!

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Good job for not skimping on equipment. Looks like you've purchased quality components....and you won't be sorry!

[super7]

Hey nice tank, I've got the same one and am just starting it up.

[Melina]

I have a problem. I was filling it up for a leak test and discovered the entire floor in the room I plan to put it in is not level. It's slanted in one direction. The reading on the level shows that it is off by only a little (I'd say about 1/4 inch... a few millimeters). But enough to see that the water in the tank is not level. Has anyone ever dealt with this problem? Is there a way to still be able to put the tank in this room? My husband is thinking about putting some sort of mat underneath half the stand, to even it out without creating any pressure points. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks.

[cav~firez22]

I had the same problem. for me it turned out to be the tak board thats under the carpet, however if your on hardwood, then i dunno. you could try stryofoam under the stand, but your best bet would be to ask Mike or one of the other guys @ hidden reef. Or maybe someone with more expierence on here can shed some light on your situation.

nice tank btw

[Delphinus]

You can shim the stand (never shim the tank though) to get it to level..

[Melina]

Thanks guys. I'll ask Mike and see what he suggests. :smile:

[Redrover]

" Like Tony said level stand only "

[Melina]

OK, we got the stand level with door shims, worked quite well! We filled it up and turned on the pump... and it's a lot louder than we thought it would be. There are a tremendous amount of bubbles exiting into the sump. There's a constant, loud, gurgling, bubbling sound... it's VERY loud. Is this normal? If so, is there anything we can do to make it run quieter?

[Pan]

OK, we got the stand level with door shims, worked quite well! We filled it up and turned on the pump... and it's a lot louder than we thought it would be. There are a tremendous amount of bubbles exiting into the sump. There's a constant, loud, gurgling, bubbling sound... it's VERY loud. Is this normal? If so, is there anything we can do to make it run quieter?

Is the water falling into the sump or into the water in the sump? I mean does it enter the sump below water level? You try and put some sort of diffusion under where the water enters the pump? With my big tank i had 4 drains and stacked a bunch of base rock under them so they hit it instead of splashing. Extended the pipe below to just below the waters surface. Course i had an auto top-off, so you would need to keep levels constant from evap. I guess I should have asked is the sound coming from the overflow or the sump :)

[Melina]

It drains below the water level.

There is a small hole on the drain pipe in the sump, above the water level (at the exact same height as the first baffle), draining water into the sump, making a loud trickling noise (or peeing sound, as my husband says!). It's really peeing out water. When we hold our finger over this hole, a lot of the noise is gone. Can we permanently block this hole? The sound gets a lot better when we restrict the flow from the pump. When the flow from the pump is cut back by about 1/3, and we block that little hole, then the sound is OK. Is it OK to restrict the flow that much?

Another thing... when we cut the power to the pump, the overflow drains into the sump. The standpipe?.. the pipe in the overflow? fits into a larger pipe (creating a gap at the connection) about 3-4 inches above the bottom... and water seems to drain into this gap. So the overflow box becomes empty except for the bottom 3-4 inches, when the power is out. Shouldn't it stay full in case of a power failure? I've heard of people having stuff growing in there.. you wouldn't want it to drain! Can we glue/seal those pipes together so it won't drain? Is there a reason we should not do that? It could have been glued together, but it wasn't.
(I've forwared this message to Mike at HR, who responded super quickly to my post! much appreciated Mike!) I'll see what he says...

Another question! I've read that some people suggest widening the little hole (what's it called again?) right on top of the standpipe (Dur... something or other?) in the overflow box? Is that something we should try?
Thanks! :biggrin:

[Melina]

Well I just got the live rock today and put it in... I love the way it looks! The rock is just beautiful (from Hidden Reef) I just took some pictures and am trying to identify what looks to me like 2 of the same species of sea cucumber? Anyone ever seen these before? They're about 2 inches long. And what's the purple stuff growing out of the rock above and below the cucumber(?) Man this is so exciting, I think I'm going to be up all night with the flashlight, checking out all the stuff growing on these rocks! I'm keeping the temp at 79-80F, and my salinity is 1.026

[Melina]

I believe I just identified them.. they're tiger tail sea cucumbers...
Will they be OK without a substrate for a few days? There was a bit of die-off on my rocks and I wanted to syphon it out and let the rock cure completely before adding sand so I could syphon out any stuff that falls off the rock. I wasn't planning to put my sand bed in right away. Also I was not planning to make a deep sand bed, just 1-2 inches... will this be OK for the cucumbers, and will they survive the curing/cycling process? The rock was cured, but there was some die-off during shipping. Not much though.

Are these guys really toxic if they're stressed/dying, or are they safe to keep in a mixed reef? Do I have to worry about them poisoning my tank? I don't plan to have many fish, just a couple clowns at the most, if any. Will they kill my corals, if they die and release their toxins?

[Redrover]

First I would have painted the back of tank [ outside ]...in order to hide view of plumbing and wiring from light fixture...Second I would put sandbed in first [ 1/2 inch ]

Make sure rock on both sides and front are away from glass for glass cleaning
Make a few caves for fish to hide [ sleep ] they will all pick there spot.:onfire:

[SuperFudge]

yes, you can plug the hole above the waterline if its quieter to do so.
The hole is there to let air purge out, sometimes its the exact opposite...if the hole isnt the air pushes down through the whole pipe.

I would lift up the out put lockline nozzle, from the pics it looks as if it might back siphon too much back to the sump when powers out.

Its ok if the overflow drains, but if you dont like it draining, glue it.
The reason for this is that if a small fish goes in there or theres a need to clean it, you can pull the standpipe out.

Yes, you can restrict the pump and it is necessary to do so on most systems.


:)

Marc.

[Pan]

Tiger Tails
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=712&N=0

Purple Stuff is Corraline Algae

[Melina]

First I would have painted the back of tank [ outside ]...in order to hide view of plumbing and wiring from light fixture...Second I would put sandbed in first [ 1/2 inch ]

Make sure rock on both sides and front are away from glass for glass cleaning
Make a few caves for fish to hide [ sleep ] they will all pick there spot.:onfire:

I personally don't like the look of a painted background, but my husband suggested doing just that. We will see. I put the rock first because I read that's the best way to go if you plan on having lots of critters that dig in the sand and can disturb the rockwork ie. cause a rock slide. Yeah I'm going to arrange the rock differently so it's away from the glass in the front and on the sides.

[Delphinus]

You can always make a background out of construction paper or .. er .. shoot, I don't know what it's called, but in the lighting aisles at Home Depot or Rona or whatever, in the section with the lighting diffuser stuff, there is this stuff that looks like corrugated cardboard, but it's a lightweight plastic. I think it's in the lighting aisle anyhow, I'm not sure what it's meant for. But it comes in various colours or you could spray paint that with whatever colour you like and then tape that to the back of the tank. I've done this and several others have done this on their tanks and it works well. The best part is, if you decide you don't like it, you can take it off and replace it with something else. :)

[Melina]

You can always make a background out of construction paper or .. er .. shoot, I don't know what it's called, but in the lighting aisles at Home Depot or Rona or whatever, in the section with the lighting diffuser stuff, there is this stuff that looks like corrugated cardboard, but it's a lightweight plastic. I think it's in the lighting aisle anyhow, I'm not sure what it's meant for. But it comes in various colours or you could spray paint that with whatever colour you like and then tape that to the back of the tank. I've done this and several others have done this on their tanks and it works well. The best part is, if you decide you don't like it, you can take it off and replace it with something else. :)

That's a good idea. We might try that. Saw your tanks btw, they are out of this world!!! :biggrin:

[Melina]

yes, you can plug the hole above the waterline if its quieter to do so.
The hole is there to let air purge out, sometimes its the exact opposite...if the hole isnt the air pushes down through the whole pipe.

I would lift up the out put lockline nozzle, from the pics it looks as if it might back siphon too much back to the sump when powers out.

Its ok if the overflow drains, but if you dont like it draining, glue it.
The reason for this is that if a small fish goes in there or theres a need to clean it, you can pull the standpipe out.

Yes, you can restrict the pump and it is necessary to do so on most systems.


:)

Marc.

We plugged that hole and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!! It is SO much quieter now. With the flow from the pump restricted a bit, it's so quiet now!!!

Thanks for the tip about the lockline, will do that.

We'll leave the overflow as is, so it drains.

Now I have a question about my skimmer. How long till the collection cup starts filling with skimmate? I've had it on since last night and the fine white bubbles are still swirling around in the main body of the skimmer but nothing is coming up through the neck or into the collection cup. Am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions? The water is murky.

[Melina]

I just finished aquascaping and I'm not going to touch another rock or I'll never be done!!! I made lots of caves & hiding spots and kept the rock away from the glass on the sides & front.

The water is extremely murky and my skimmer doesn't seem to be working?? I'm wondering should I do a water change. I cleaned the rocks as best I could but there's still some die-off, (even though the rock was cured, it was in transit to me, by bus, for almost 36 hours) which brings up another question... these cucumbers can't handle high nitrates so I'm thinking they're probably going to die with the curing/cycling process?

[0sprey]

I have no experience with cucumbers, but I can vouch for a long break in period for skimmers. It can take anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks to start producing a decent load of skimmate.

[Delphinus]

which brings up another question... these cucumbers can't handle high nitrates so I'm thinking they're probably going to die with the curing/cycling process?

I'm sort of wondering about that too. They might not do too well through the tank cycle. Is there someone who could put them in their sump for you in the meantime?

That's a good idea. We might try that. Saw your tanks btw, they are out of this world!!! :biggrin:

Thanks, you're too kind :) Yours is well on its way! :cool:

[Melina]

I spent the whole day looking for the cucumbers but couldn't see them anywhere, they had disappeared into my rockwork. But this evening, one of them came out, and it didn't look good. Half it's body was shriveled up and very dark, and shortly thereafter it began ejecting its inner organs. Looked like it was just opening up at the end. At which point I removed it from the tank. I really have to read up on holothrin. I'm guessing some has been released into my tank (the other cucumber must be dying as well, wherever it is). How long does this poison stay in the tank and what effect will it have on my clean up crew, corals, etc. I know it can be toxic to fish but what about other inverts? Anyhow, got some research to do.

Are you all in agreement about my skimmer? Does it really take days/weeks before it starts producing gunk, or should I have skimmate by now (after 24hrs).

I'm uncomfortable with all the debris in my tank so I'm mixing water right now for a 20% water change. For the heck of it I tested the water and here are my parameters:
ph 8.3
temp 80F
SG 1.026
NH4 non-detectable
NH3 non-detectable
NO2 0.05
NO3 20? ...

I am using Elos test kits. I had a hard time reading the NO3... just wasn't sure. It says to look through the vial from above, while the vial is placed on the white field next to the color card... when I do that, it looks to me to be about 20. But when I hold it up against the card and look through the solution, it's such a light pink... it matches a reading of 10. I'm guessing that doesn't matter and the color that matters is the color you see when you're looking straight down into the vial when the vial is placed on the surface, right? Duh, that's what they say so that must be it. I was just taken back by how light the color was in the vial when I held it up to look at it, and how much darker it is when I view it the other way (from the top when it's placed on a surface). Anyhow. Either way my nitrates are high.

When should the ammonia spike.. in about 3 days? Do you all think it's a good idea for me to do a 20% water change tomorrow? There is debris (die-off) on the bottom of the tank that I want to syphon out. Thanks.

[Mik_101]

MORE PICTURES PLEASE:biggrin:

[Redrover]

It's my understanding you have a H/S skimmer if so adjust it [ slow ] until it is about three quarters the way up neck of the collection cup.
I hope this helps

[SuperFudge]

Melina,


Your ammonia/nitrites may not spike at all, depending on where the rock came from.
If it was already cured, likley you will avoid the cycle altogether.

The skimmer is different for everyone, ive seen them start skimming 10 minutes later, and ive seen them take a week to start.

Make sure the air intake for the skimmer is just about fully open, and the water level in the skimmer is adjusted to (usually) about the base of the cone.

Usually the skimmer is unstable in a new system as the water is pretty much sterile, so i wouldnt expect it to perform normally this soon.


Marc.

[Melina]

Melina,


Your ammonia/nitrites may not spike at all, depending on where the rock came from.
If it was already cured, likley you will avoid the cycle altogether.

The skimmer is different for everyone, ive seen them start skimming 10 minutes later, and ive seen them take a week to start.

Make sure the air intake for the skimmer is just about fully open, and the water level in the skimmer is adjusted to (usually) about the base of the cone.

Usually the skimmer is unstable in a new system as the water is pretty much sterile, so i wouldnt expect it to perform normally this soon.


Marc.

Hey Marc, the rock came from Hidden Reef :biggrin: but it came by bus and was in transit for almost 36 hours :sad: so when it got to me there was some die off on a couple of the rocks... I had to scrape some black stuff off and I know I didn't do as thorough a job as I should have done. (I asked for the rock to get here on Thursday because my husband was going to be home that day and I wanted him to watch the kids while I cleaned the rock. But instead of arriving in the morning like I had hoped, it only came in on the evening bus, 30 minutes before Patrick had to start his night shift. So, I was alone to clean the rock and take care of my two young kids, which was more than I could handle (my son is 5 months old)... so anyway, I swished the rock around in a bucket of saltwater and scraped off what I could with my fingers but I can see now that the rock is in the tank, there is still some stuff dying on the rock.. I was going to scrape it off with a new toothbrush and do a 20% waterchange... it's not a lot of die-off, just in the holes (pores) on a couple pieces of rock, there is still some greyish dying stuff. So I'm thinking I am going to have a cycle, maybe it just hasn't started yet? I'll check my ammonia/nitrites again today.

I see a thin brownish film forming in the neck of the skimmer now, I guess this coating is what's going to allow the skimmate to rise up through the tube... good sign. :biggrin:

[Melina]

couple pics.

Hey guys how do you know live rock is healthy? I look at mine and see no life in them (except for the cucumbers which are dead now)... I hear about people finding crabs, mantis shrimp, etc, all sort of critters in their rocks but I'm staring at mine and see no signs of life at all (not that I want a mantis shrimp, but you know, I just want to see something!)... the rock looks so barren & dead. Is this normal? How can you tell if live rock is "good" live rock, or if all the life in it is dead?

[Mik_101]

Hey melina its looking realy good. Keep us updated.

[skylord]

...... there is this stuff that looks like corrugated cardboard, but it's a lightweight plastic. .........The best part is, if you decide you don't like it, you can take it off and replace it with something else. :)

I think you are refering to Coroplast.

Scott

[0sprey]

Your rock will come alive, not to worry. It just takes a little while for the critters that have survived to multiply. With good lighting, a little food, and clean water, the rocks will surprise you with the different lifeforms that sprout. I have had my rock for almost a year, and just recently discovered a black limpet, living undetected all that time (too bad the miserable peon decided to eat my GSP... he was kinda pretty until I peeled him off the rocks). Eggs, algae spores, etc, will sprout after a long time.
I would expect the first visible signs to be bristleworms and aiptasia... but then you might start to find pods, tubeworms, and various macroalgaes, most of which are fun. If you see a choice bit of rock in the store with dusters or something else hardy you want, buy it. The lifeforms on that rock will spread through the tank.

[Melina]

OK people, need some advice! We want to add a refugium. To have it beside the tank. We have no idea how to plumb it in. Any advice/ideas? Any links to suggest?

[Redrover]

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k81/Redrover_02/DSCN0017.jpg

My Refugium is integrated with the Sump which I believe is the way to go.
The big thing would be room...I've seen them on the outside of the main tank.

I had Marc [ SuperFudge ] build mine, great workmanship

[Melina]

Is it possible to have it on a table beside, and at the same height as, the main display?

[0sprey]

Better still to have the water level elevated above the main tank. Split the return line from the pump, run some of it into the fuge, then run the overflow (drilled into the side) into the main tank. Refugiums located above the tank are supposed to be the best possible source of pods.
This is all theory. My fuge is in-line with the sump, as well.

[Redrover]

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k81/Redrover_02/P1000246-2.jpg

Supply line to refugium from left to right...Fingers back of refugium is where it makes an exit back to the sump...I have 4 Seahorses which should be fed a number of time a day...I get enought pods to feed their hunger, that I only feed once a day

[Melina]

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k81/Redrover_02/P1000246-2.jpg

Supply line to refugium from left to right...Fingers back of refugium is where it makes an exit back to the sump...I have 4 Seahorses which should be fed a number of time a day...I get enought pods to feed their hunger, that I only feed once a day

This will not work with our set up, no room beside sump. Can't put it above main display either. We would like to set it up on a table beside the main display. Will this work?

[Redrover]

Google: Type in refugium setup...building a refugium by Stan Hauter
Great info and diagrams on different setups

[Melina]

Google: Type in refugium setup...building a refugium by Stan Hauter
Great info and diagrams on different setups

Thank you, we'll check it out! :biggrin:

[Melina]

My skimmer is working now! It's starting to produce a small amount of skimmate...

I'm trying to get a good picture of these things growing on my rock. They seem to get bigger every day. They are like tiny white branches coming out of the rock. I have a handful of feather duster worms... these are not the same... they don't retract, or move... they just sit there. Very small, fine, white branches. I will try to get a good picture soon, but do you have any idea what they could be?