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DisneyCoralReef
05-29-2011, 09:02 PM
Welcome to Disney's Tank!


http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/46938/2823723560101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2823723560101961236gbqTLZ)

DisneyCoralReef
05-29-2011, 09:10 PM
Salt Water Fish Tank

Tank: 75G
Sump: Aqueon Proflex Module 4
Skimmer:Reef Octopus 160 XS
Lighting: Aqua Medic
-54W Coral Light-New generation
-54W Coral Light-Superblue
-Fiji Purple
-54W Coral Light-Superblue
-54W Coral Light-Superblue
-54W Coral Light-New generation

Water Movement: 2-Koralia Hydor 4-1200 GPH



Now with the blue background
http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/49018/2754328810101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2754328810101961236cgfGJH)


The mess while plumbing the tank
http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/48425/2963258890101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2963258890101961236QmhZYE)


Dog not included
http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/12121/2097066760101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2097066760101961236jZENKW)


Aqueon Sump
http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/46682/2687687720101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2687687720101961236wjTmwd)


Powerheads
http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/46365/2758453490101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2758453490101961236oVOzSq)


Skimmer
http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/46401/2779369880101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2779369880101961236kCRCHC)

lpsreefer
05-30-2011, 12:22 AM
looking good!

fishytime
06-03-2011, 02:47 AM
your not messing around, are you Girly?.....any progress on the plumbing?

DisneyCoralReef
06-03-2011, 02:23 PM
your not messing around, are you Girly?.....any progress on the plumbing?
No more progress so far. I'm trying to set this up between work and the gentleman who agreed to help me. Will keep you posted as soon as something changes. Chomping at the bit!

Leah
06-03-2011, 03:45 PM
Congrats on becoming a reefer Girly! :biggrin:

Sucks to get only so far when it comes to us Girly's and plumbing. :wink:
Hopefully you will get it up and running soon. :smilecol:

DisneyCoralReef
06-03-2011, 03:56 PM
Nice to see someone who totally understands where I'm coming from :lol: We're very lucky to have some great local reefers tho, who've taken the time to give me some advice and helped with it all.

Steve'o
06-03-2011, 05:26 PM
can't wait to see more
looking good
Steve'o

skabooya
06-07-2011, 05:37 PM
Im excited for this one. Cant wait.

DisneyCoralReef
06-28-2011, 02:51 PM
Thanks to one of the many amazing forum members, the plumbing is now finished on the tank and is ready to accept water! I was having some troubles with the RO unit over the weekend and thought I would have to call someone in again, but ended up being able to get it working. I left it on, scared the crap out of myself this morning after forgetting I had it left turned on over night and voila!

Sorry for the quality of the photo. It was taken seconds after I got out of bed from my cell. Better photos to come later.
http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/48382/2285189660101961236S500x500Q85.jpg (http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2285189660101961236lenIae)

I have someone going in later this afternoon to turn it on again for me, so that by the time I get home it should be 1/2-3/4 full. Hoping to have enough in there by tomorrow morning to add the salt, start up the power heads, get the skimmer going(still need to figure out how to make it work) and start adding live rock!

DisneyCoralReef
06-28-2011, 04:10 PM
How much water do you guys recommend putting it? I still have to add sand and rock which will add to the volume. What's a safe amount of water to have(once the sump is full).

Lampshade
06-28-2011, 04:19 PM
I would add the full amount. A lot easier/cheaper/cleaner to find leaks with fresh water instead of saltwater. As you add rock/sand you will have to take some water out, but it's shocking how little water the rocks actually displace, they soak up most of it.

Nice setup so far, should do very well. I love that sump, should make life easy.

DisneyCoralReef
06-28-2011, 04:40 PM
Hey thank you, appreciate the compliment. I'm learning regardless how much reading you do, you never feel ready to start the big steps of putting the actual tank together. If it weren't for the help of a couple specific people, I wouldn't have made it to where I am today.

You make a good point to make sure everything is running before adding any salt. Keeping fingers crossed!

DisneyCoralReef
07-02-2011, 03:04 PM
Here we are. Turned everything on in the tank for the first time yesterday morning July 1st! let it run to make sure we didn't have any leaks, and now the salt has been added and waiting for it to clear up. These photos are from last night, so the tank is a bit clearer now than it was.

When the tank water was turned and accepting water for the first time, when we started filling
http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/48923/2426089200101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2426089200101961236yHHxfN)

http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/45738/2381178820101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2381178820101961236fdnETY)



Tank finally full enough to overflow into the corner of the tank, and into the sump
http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/49251/2719051670101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2719051670101961236gZhCNQ)



Sump in full work for the first time
http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/48416/2250591250101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2250591250101961236vJtxPl)



Initial salt mixing
http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/35417/2964738840101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2964738840101961236opwrLJ)

15 mins later
http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/47715/2807657350101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2807657350101961236pbjsww)




I no longer have mini dunes of sand, it's just cloudy now.

fishytime
07-02-2011, 03:56 PM
hey, good to see your almost there Girly.....have you got your rock yet?

dave_C
07-02-2011, 04:02 PM
Sump in full work for the first time
http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/48416/2250591250101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2250591250101961236vJtxPl)



Looking good:biggrin::, but do want to point out a couple little issues i see that you may run into in the future.


1) the output of the skimmer is really close to your return pump, not a 100% sure but i would bet you will have micro bubble issues in the display tank from this.

2) i didn't think the drains from the tank should be mounted that way, i almost think they should go in the black cylinder to the left of the filter socks. Here is my reasoning on this, the filter socks looks like they may be hard to take out and clean. From what i can see the drains should go in to the black cylinder, water fills up and than overflows into the socks. This will help in two area's, number one it should make the sump much quieter, number two there will be nothing in the way of pulling out the filter socks for cleaning.


thanks Dave

DisneyCoralReef
07-02-2011, 04:39 PM
hey, good to see your almost there Girly.....have you got your rock yet? No rocks yet my darling! I have the sand to add in (HOPEFULLY) later this evening assuming my tank has cleared up. I'm in no rush to add it yet, tho I was told to add all the rock at once? instead of adding 20 lbs there, and 15 lbs there and so on. Thoughts?

One of the guys here on the forum has been absolutely amazing in guiding me and helping me set this tank up.





...i didn't think the drains from the tank should be mounted that way, i almost think they should go in the black cylinder to the left of the filter socks. Here is my reasoning on this, the filter socks looks like they may be hard to take out and clean. From what i can see the drains should go in to the black cylinder, water fills up and than overflows into the socks. This will help in two area's, number one it should make the sump much quieter, number two there will be nothing in the way of pulling out the filter socks for cleaning.
thanks Dave Removing the socks for cleaning is actually very easy. There is a great connection, which isn't visible in the picture that allows me to disconnect the PVC that connects to the socks.

fishoholic
07-03-2011, 03:54 AM
No rocks yet my darling! I have the sand to add in (HOPEFULLY) later this evening assuming my tank has cleared up. I'm in no rush to add it yet, tho I was told to add all the rock at once? instead of adding 20 lbs there, and 15 lbs there and so on.

Darling hummmm I'm the only one allowed to call him that :razz:

When you're first starting a tank it's better to add all the rock at once and have it all cycle at the same time instead of adding a bit at a time and have it cause new cycles as you go along. After the intial cycle is done and the tank has been running for awhile then it's better to slowly add more rock over prolonged periods of time if you want to, that way you adviod spikes in an established system.

The tank looks good, exciting to see water in it :biggrin:

DisneyCoralReef
07-03-2011, 06:03 AM
You are kidding about the water. There have been a few bumps in the road, that have been really discouraging, so it is definitely very rewarding to be where we are now.

The tank after 36 hours of mixing:
http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/48469/2342393550101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2342393550101961236hfywoX)


I added the 2 bags of sand-tho I am now really wondering if it's enough? I added 2-40 lbs bags. Is it enough? I think I would rather have a deeper bed? benefit or bad for this tank?
http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/46438/2457791290101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2457791290101961236mLGuoN)

blacknife
07-03-2011, 06:48 AM
no expert here.. but.. if you want the sand just for the look.. perhaps thats enough.. if you want a DSB for the benefits of a dsb.. than thats not enough.. if your going ot have a really high flow tank for some inane reason<fuzzy stick addiction> that might be more than enough

and if i was on family fude.. the number one answer would be?

"if the reefer likes it it leaves it the way it is.. if the reefer doesn't like it it changes something that might be perfectly fine! for the better/worse of its tanks inhabitants."
ok im done, let the knowledgeable take over.

Dive_dry
07-03-2011, 06:46 PM
if you use a tube and pour the sand down the inside of the tube your tank wont silt up as bad. just a little trick i learned

DisneyCoralReef
07-10-2011, 08:36 PM
So the tank is looking good. It's still very foggy inside as the sand starts settling, but you can very slowly see some clearing up every day. I am running into an issue however with the pump.

I don't know if it's this pump specifically, or if it's something going on with my set up-but it's LOUD. I have been around multiple tanks that were similar in size, and this pump very loud. Now I can take a video to try to give you an idea of what it sounds like, but it is definitely much louder than what I would have expected a pump to be. I've tried changing the volume of the water in pumps out, and it does get a little bit quieter if I open it up, but it is still quite loud(having it more open really changed the entire way the water cycles through the tank. Should I try to sit the pump on something to help reduce that vibration? no idea what to do with this one.

The other issue as well, is I filled my sump at the recommended amount for my skimmer, but wanted to know if there were any tips or tricks to try to lower the volume of the sound it makes when it spits the water back out. I've tried rotating it a bit closer to the side of the sump wall, to help the water hit that instead of spitting it it right out. I thought about adding(I think it's 1 inch PVC) where it spits out, to have it go right into the water-bad idea?

Tho the sounds of the skimmer I really don't mind.

As for the corner overflow, regarding how full it is, how much water should I have? the less water there is, the higher it has to go when dropping into the corner overflow, and the louder I am assuming it is going to be. Advice?

Madreefer
07-10-2011, 08:59 PM
A thick peice of rubber that is not going to leach anything out of it placed underneath your pump should help with the noise. You can put a down spout on your skimmer, it wont hurt anything. If possible can you move the skimmer farther over to the left side of your sump? Adding live rock to your sump is also a good way to help with filtration.

DisneyCoralReef
07-10-2011, 09:02 PM
Great advice, I'll go see if I can get some PVC for the skimmer and hunt down something that holds weight that I can put in the sump. The tank isn't anywhere ready to accept live rock yet, so its not yet an option, but ill go try this. Not comfortable enough with the rubber idea tho, not sure what i could use that would be safe for the tank.

Madreefer
07-10-2011, 09:15 PM
I'd be adding that live rock as soon as you can to start it cycling so you can start adding all the cool stuff. You can also shorten your pcv pipe by an inch or so which will make it so your pump is not touching the bottom or side of your sump. That will stop the humming or rattling sound. Just make sure that the pcv is anchored or supported somehow so the weight of your pump is not putting any stress on your plumbing. But putting rubber on the bottom of your pump is just going to dampen the sound and really should'nt hurt your water parameters. Anything food safe will be good.

Boomboy
07-10-2011, 09:17 PM
looks good, keep it up, its always so muc fun setting up brand new tanks and getting them going the the bitter sweet of taking care of it comes in, and never having enough money :lol:

phi delt reefer
07-10-2011, 09:37 PM
I use the pink insulation stryofoam that most use use their tanks. I used a couple rubber bands and attached it to the base of my pump. You can also put some sand in a ziploc bag and put that under the pump.

You could also be noise sensative. Get an eheim 1250 or 1260/1262. They are dead silent and I too am noise sensitive. I can hear electronics buzz that most can't so my idea of quiet is very different from others. I ve seen a couple setups that people swear are silent that would keep my whole family up at night.

U should put ur rock in now to start the cycle. There's nothing wrong with ur tank that will improve if u wait longer. I would get dead rock from Eco-reefer or cacoareef and just seed it with 5lbs of really nice live stuff. A cup of sand from a trusted reefers tank will get ur sand going too. This will ensure ur tank remains pest free and reduces the chances of algae blooms.

DisneyCoralReef
07-10-2011, 09:41 PM
I use the pink insulation stryofoam that most use use their tanks. I used a couple rubber bands and attached it to the base of my pump. You can also put some sand in a ziploc bag and put that under the pump. I know exactly what you're talking about. I'll go see if I can find some over my break.


You could also be noise sensative. Get an eheim 1250 or 1260/1262. They are dead silent and I too am noise sensitive. I can hear electronics buzz that most can't so my idea of quiet is very different from others. I ve seen a couple setups that people swear are silent that would keep my whole family up at night. ...and you're probably right with that as well. We have had tanks that had some sort of regular "noise", but nothing to this extent, but then again, we have never had a tank that size in our house either.

DisneyCoralReef
07-10-2011, 11:17 PM
Alright we have 10 lbs of live rock and we have the pink insulation. Will put it in tonight, and let you know how that goes. Appreciate the advice!

fishytime
07-11-2011, 01:03 AM
I'd be adding that live rock as soon as you can to start it cycling so you can start adding all the cool stuff. You can also shorten your pcv pipe by an inch or so which will make it so your pump is not touching the bottom or side of your sump. That will stop the humming or rattling sound. Just make sure that the pcv is anchored or supported somehow so the weight of your pump is not putting any stress on your plumbing. But putting rubber on the bottom of your pump is just going to dampen the sound and really should'nt hurt your water parameters. Anything food safe will be good.

+1.....if you've got water(salted) in the tank and are happy with how the return and drains are functioning (aside from the noise(that will just take some tweaking)).....then get your rock in there Girly!......the rock doesnt care how cloudy the water is:wink:......might as well get the cycle started:biggrin:......

I cant remember if your return lines are over the top or if they are drilled???....if they are drilled, then I wouldnt "suspend" the return pump.....the pump vibration coupled with the weight of the pump and plumbing hanging from it could over time cause the bulkhead hole to fail and crack....best and easiest to go with a piece of dampening foam or rubber under the pump imho....

fishytime
07-11-2011, 01:08 AM
btw......your man is a pretty funny guy:lol:

DisneyCoralReef
07-11-2011, 01:13 AM
+1.....if you've got water(salted) in the tank and are happy with how the return and drains are functioning (aside from the noise(that will just take some tweaking)).....then get your rock in there Girly!......the rock doesnt care how cloudy the water is:wink:......might as well get the cycle started:biggrin:......

I cant remember if your return lines are over the top or if they are drilled???....if they are drilled, then I wouldnt "suspend" the return pump.....the pump vibration coupled with the weight of the pump and plumbing hanging from it could over time cause the bulkhead hole to fail and crack....best and easiest to go with a piece of dampening foam or rubber under the pump imho....
They are over the edge. The tank I bought only had a corner overflow. It was through one of the forum members, that the plumbing was all set, and we were able to have it go over the top. I'm going to give it a go with the foam tonight and the rest of the set up and see if it makes a difference.

DisneyCoralReef
07-11-2011, 06:51 PM
We added some rock to the sump last night, and it's made a big difference. I've also filled that corner overflow all the way near the top, so it's less noisy as well. I am still wanting to add an extension to the skimmer to try to take THAT noise down as well as the foam.

Will keep you posted, pictures to come.

DisneyCoralReef
07-12-2011, 06:56 PM
So we added the rock to the sump, instantly took some noise down, but I also noticed something else which I thought was unusual. Now the rock we added is dry, dead as dead can be-rock, within 18 hours following the addition of the rock to the sump(and I dont know that this its actually possible-because this makes no sense to me), but the tank got much clearer, to the point where you couldn't see a thing before in the tank, and now you can suddenly see the power heads and a vague outlines of the sand.

Does the rock itself(even dead) affect the way the water now goes through the sump and allow for the water to get clearer? is this coming from the skimmer that's now working differently?

I know I have read online the skimmer can suddenly "break in", tho Im not sure how you would know that, but maybe that would explain the response to the tank?

I've started to move the sand more evenly in the tank so it's quite a big messy again. For those iphone users curious to see the tank live, I have air cam installed live and have the IP address and password for those who want to see the tank-just pm me. Still need to add foam to the pump to still continue to try to bring the sound down.

lastlight
07-12-2011, 07:01 PM
if your sump rock is like my sump rock was you'll find it does a great job of trapping a ton of detritus you don't want it to. I'm sure it's helping clear your water. i took my rock out and saw a positive difference in my display however.

DisneyCoralReef
07-12-2011, 11:12 PM
Ok got the piping for the sump(hope it's the right size), and got some foam, and for FREE :mrgreen: I do have a question tho. This particular store said it's difficult to find that pink foam, and said they carry the blue version of that "same" foam. Now I'm not entirely convinced that it is the same thing, however took the piece because it was free. I will have to cut around there was glue, but it's a great piece otherwise.

Do you guys know if this would be safe to put in the sump vs the pink foam?
http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/47094/2808960780101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2808960780101961236MtbWdh)

Madreefer
07-13-2011, 12:04 AM
It will be fine. What do you mean the water is cloudy? Did you not put your sand in a few days ago? It should be clear by now, like within a day and a half at the most. Are you sure it's not micro bubbles that you are seeing? Try turning your skimmer off for a few hours, that could causing the micro bubbles. Your powerheads might also be stirring up the sand. But really it should totally clear by now.

DisneyCoralReef
07-13-2011, 12:11 AM
It will be fine. What do you mean the water is cloudy? Did you not put your sand in a few days ago? It should be clear by now, like within a day and a half at the most. Are you sure it's not micro bubbles that you are seeing? Try turning your skimmer off for a few hours, that could causing the micro bubbles. Your powerheads might also be stirring up the sand. But really it should totally clear by now.
No it's far from clear. I put the sand in about a week ago now? I do have the power heads on, tho the first 2 days they were not on and it made no difference. Should I try without again? if you have an iphone I could send you the live feed so you can see the tank. Pictures won't load otherwise. I will have to wait until I am home.

DisneyCoralReef
07-13-2011, 04:39 AM
The tank until tonight. We added the dry rock and foam-HUGE difference, appreciate all the advice.

Now onto waiting for the tank to clear?

http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/48128/2222439010101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2222439010101961236HtmqSO)

megs_clark
07-13-2011, 04:47 PM
If the foam doesnt work you might try a piece of those Sylicon cooking ware. I had sylicon ice cube trays I never used and slid it under my pump and had no noise. Think I got it for like $2 @ superstore. Their nice because they dont slide around at all and are easy to clean.

phi delt reefer
07-13-2011, 05:11 PM
Turn ur power heads off. Just use the return for flow for now. The sand needs to gum up a bit or it will keep blowing around. Took tens days in my tank. A filter sock should help catch the dust and silt.

fishytime
07-13-2011, 06:27 PM
What I have been told and read suggests that bacteria colonizes that fine sand particultulate making it heavier so it settles out.... Could be with no LR in the system, this is not happening.... Like PDR said a filter sock should really help

Madreefer
07-13-2011, 06:42 PM
How about taking the live rock out of your sump and putting it in your display tank instead. Sorry, when I suggested you put the live rock in it I was meaning in your display tank.

parkinsn
07-13-2011, 07:40 PM
Like PDR said a filter sock should really help

You are running filter socks now, no?

Not that im pro chemicals, but, you can also get products like this as well. If all else fails this will help "clump up" the particulate in the water and help the filtersocks catch more. since you have no live stock to worry about this might be a good option if you want to speed the "clearing" process up.

http://www.freshmarine.com/km-pro-clear-marine-16oz.html

DisneyCoralReef
07-13-2011, 07:49 PM
You are running filter socks now, no?

Not that im pro chemicals, but, you can also get products like this as well. If all else fails this will help "clump up" the particulate in the water and help the filtersocks catch more. since you have no live stock to worry about this might be a good option if you want to speed the "clearing" process up.

http://www.freshmarine.com/km-pro-clear-marine-16oz.html
Yea definitely have it running on socks right now. Some people are saying it might just need a lot more time. It's just started to clear enough for me to start seeing some of the sand in the display, so I am hoping it will get better. Going to give it more time, but man does it suck! I had never thought that this would happen. Going to give it another week or two to settle, and if it fails, ill have to empty the tank and put something else other than sand because I dont want to have to go through that every single time I make a change to the tank.

DisneyCoralReef
07-14-2011, 04:55 PM
The tank got suddenly much clearer again. Now we can actually see the sand. I ended up not turning off the powerheads like I thought I was going to. We've also added PVC to the sump and brought down the noise to nearly nothing! much better. Now it's just more waiting. Will test the water tonight.

From this
http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/48128/2222439010101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2222439010101961236HtmqSO)


...to this in 12 hours(after over a week of not improving much)
http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/46968/2690479700101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2690479700101961236lChfPQ)

http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/45633/2215920190101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2215920190101961236NQaUIs)

Skimmerking
07-14-2011, 05:56 PM
filter socks and Good skimming will tae alot of it out. keep changing the sock out for a clean one it helps alot.

DisneyCoralReef
07-14-2011, 06:13 PM
You bring up a question I had. Last week one of the socks got stuck with the laundry and got washed WITH the clothes AND detergent. Is this particular sock shot? is there a way to rinse it, or anything else to allow me to use it again in the tank?

parkinsn
07-14-2011, 06:59 PM
Personally I would garbage it. At the cost just but a new one or 6

Skimmerking
07-14-2011, 09:42 PM
no there isnt anything wrong with it just re wash it in hot water that s all I ever do and I dont have a problem.

Sunee
07-14-2011, 10:15 PM
Yea definitely have it running on socks right now. Some people are saying it might just need a lot more time. It's just started to clear enough for me to start seeing some of the sand in the display, so I am hoping it will get better. Going to give it more time, but man does it suck! I had never thought that this would happen. Going to give it another week or two to settle, and if it fails, ill have to empty the tank and put something else other than sand because I dont want to have to go through that every single time I make a change to the tank.

Good job so far. You are having many of the issues I had. Glad to hear you are working them out.

If you do decide to remove your sand you don't have to empty the tank you can just siphon out the sand with wider bore tubing (something like 1/2"). If you keep the tubing in the sand you don't remove too much of the water. I set up a new tank a few months ago (no journal yet) and used this method to remove most of the sugar fine I started with and replace with slightly coarser sand as my MP40 was moving it around too much. It worked great.

Another option to quiet your pump if you don't like the idea of the styrofoam staying in the tank is a mesh like Lifegard aquatics aquamesh filter - I used the blue stuff and it works great. I know I am going to have to clean it really well when I clean the pump but better that than the noise.

DisneyCoralReef
07-15-2011, 12:26 AM
Took all the advice that came. I put some foam on the bottom of the pump which did help, and added some dry rock to the sump(biggest result), I also added some PVC to the vomiting end of the skimmer to not have that "splash" when it comes back out-that was another great, HUGE noise control option.

Now it's focusing on clearing the tank.

DisneyCoralReef
07-15-2011, 12:56 AM
So we took care of doing the first few steps, measuring salt tonight, cleaning the filter, and installing the lights. The water is at the right temp-what's the next step once the tank clears up?

Skimmerking
07-15-2011, 01:15 AM
looking forward to seeing it soon.

fishytime
07-15-2011, 02:40 AM
Once your salinity is right.......GET SOME ROCK IN THERE GIRLY!!!:wink::biggrin:

Madreefer
07-15-2011, 03:19 AM
I've been really curious as to why you added your salt to a tank full of water. I'm sorry and apologize if you already know this, but you should never mix up your saltwater in your tank. Have you put any live rock in your tank yet? You dont need to take out your powerheads either. Just position them different. Make sure there is a it of a ripple on the surface of the water. As another member posted early, if you put some rock in your tank it will help "break up" the flow on the sandbed.

Bloodasp
07-15-2011, 04:33 AM
Red coral had some wicked pieces of live rock when I went this afternoon. Really light ones too.

Bloodasp
07-15-2011, 04:35 AM
I mixed my salt in my tank when I was setting it up. I don't think there is anything wrong doing it that way if there are no livestock still in it.

DisneyCoralReef
07-16-2011, 06:07 AM
Been changing my filter socks every morning for 2 days, and look what I have...funny how that works...

http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/48619/2493681010101961236S600x600Q85.jpg (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2493681010101961236uSCrPL)

Skimmerking
07-16-2011, 06:28 AM
:wink:

DisneyCoralReef
07-25-2011, 02:41 PM
It did clear, unfortunately tho, I left the R.O. unit running before leaving for work-on and forgot to turn it off. I was nearly an 8 hour shift at work, when I got a call that there was a "water leak" coming from my unit, and came to over $4,000 worth of damage in 2 different units-mine and the neighbor below.

Spent my entire weekend emptying the condo to rip out the carpet and the underlay. We've had fans in there for 2 days now-buying new underlay today. The tank tho at the time really upset and wanted to let it go-has been moved to storage in our underground storage unit. Gah! we were getting so close! everything has to be on hold while we wait for insurance to call us back.

Sunee
07-25-2011, 02:48 PM
I'm so sorry to hear that. Nothing worse than going through all that work and someting like this happening. I hope insurance takes care of it for you.

Do you think you will try again?

DisneyCoralReef
07-25-2011, 02:55 PM
I'm so sorry to hear that. Nothing worse than going through all that work and someting like this happening. I hope insurance takes care of it for you.

Do you think you will try again?
I will, I was so upset when it first happened. I knew flooding is always a risk, and really, I was waiting for it to happen-but not to that extent-especially when it was preventable. Eeverything is out right now as we redo the condo. It wouldn't have been a big deal had it been plain water-but it was salt water. Im thankful I didnt have any rock yet.

Sunee
07-25-2011, 03:01 PM
Glad to hear that. It is so exciting watching things grow and interact.

One low tech trick I use so that I don't forget to turn something on or off, is that I set a timer that beeps at me. The beeping reminds me I have to take care of it or reset the timer if necessary - so far has worked great.

DisneyCoralReef
07-25-2011, 03:05 PM
Glad to hear that. It is so exciting watching things grow and interact.

One low tech trick I use so that I don't forget to turn something on or off, is that I set a timer that beeps at me. The beeping reminds me I have to take care of it or reset the timer if necessary - so far has worked great.
..you're not kidding. I have always had such a problem with forgetting silly little things-but this never! it was a routine thing I did all the time-that why it makes me so upset.

Steve'o
07-25-2011, 03:27 PM
sorry to hear that Disney
I can only imagine the mess and the clean up.
Steve'o

fishoholic
07-25-2011, 03:39 PM
That really sucks, on a plus side at least there wasn't any livestock in the tank yet. I went through a top off disaster with a freind leaving the top off running all night and it ended up killing pretty much everything in the tank :sad: Really sucks though having to replace all the flooring :sad:

reefwars
07-25-2011, 03:51 PM
It did clear, unfortunately tho, I left the R.O. unit running before leaving for work-on and forgot to turn it off. I was nearly an 8 hour shift at work, when I got a call that there was a "water leak" coming from my unit, and came to over $4,000 worth of damage in 2 different units-mine and the neighbor below.

Spent my entire weekend emptying the condo to rip out the carpet and the underlay. We've had fans in there for 2 days now-buying new underlay today. The tank tho at the time really upset and wanted to let it go-has been moved to storage in our underground storage unit. Gah! we were getting so close! everything has to be on hold while we wait for insurance to call us back.




sorry to hear this dear:(:( if it wasnt for bad luck thered be no luck at all i wish you the best in repairs and hope its not as bad as it sounds:)

Skimmerking
07-25-2011, 04:48 PM
Sorry to hear about your bad luck. Well i guess its time to buy a house now.


It did clear, unfortunately tho, I left the R.O. unit running before leaving for work-on and forgot to turn it off. I was nearly an 8 hour shift at work, when I got a call that there was a "water leak" coming from my unit, and came to over $4,000 worth of damage in 2 different units-mine and the neighbor below.

Spent my entire weekend emptying the condo to rip out the carpet and the underlay. We've had fans in there for 2 days now-buying new underlay today. The tank tho at the time really upset and wanted to let it go-has been moved to storage in our underground storage unit. Gah! we were getting so close! everything has to be on hold while we wait for insurance to call us back.