G&D's Foray Into a 90G Tank (Take One)

[gridley]

For about 21 of our 24 years of marriage Deborah and I have maintained a freshwater tank and for several years a pond. We have often dreamed about taking a foray into the ocean of salt water. Until now our hobbies have taken us separate directions - Deborah loves crafts and sewing and George loves wood working. However, cutting cloth straight on a table saw is a real challenge and sawdust makes a mess of the dining room! As we begin this undertaking together, we are looking forward to the rewards, challenges, mistakes and successes.

First Purchase. We purchased a used 90 G tank with a canopy, corner overflow, stand, 600 gph pump, approx 30 G sump, 300 W heater, four Hydor Koralia powerheads, and a refractor.
http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/90galtank.jpg

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/Sump37x15x15.jpg
Where to put it? Once we purchased the tank we needed to decide where to put this thing! Living room, family room, dining room . . . ? The family room won – which displaces the freshwater tank . . . So what to do with that, move it to the dining room or sell it? We still have not decided. Another consideration was whether to re-carpet the family room right away, or be satisfied with the current carpet for the next many years. The final decision was to save the $2000 and live with the carpet as it is.

Refinishing the stand. The first challenge was to refinish the stand, which wasn't a challenge, it just took some time. Then, being a bit cautious, I decided to add an internal 2x4 frame to the manufactured stand. That being done I think the stand is ready to go.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/stand.jpg
Lighting up the tank. A next task was to think through the lighting. We had thought that the lights in the existing canopy would be sufficient – three T5s. As we had talked with a number of people we have realized that for corals to thrive at the bottom of the tank we will likely need better lighting. We are looking at a MH T5 combined unit or just make the jump to LED. At this point we are leaning towards the LED.

Rocks. Another question was rocks. We are leaning towards purchasing Marco base rock and seeding it with live rock. This will obviously take longer to get the tank fully operational, but it will save a few $$.

We are hoping that sometime in the next few weeks we will have the time to be able to set the tank in place, get some rocks and start the process.

Any comments or suggestions along the way are welcome. Thanks to Subman for the tutorial on getting pictures into this!

[subman]

Looks great George! That's a beautiful looking setup!

I recommend Led's and the mix of live and marco rock.

- I was hesitant on going with led's but now I can't believe it took me this long. The power and new bulb savings make up for the price difference. (That being said the mh t5 combos can be found used for dirt cheap right now)

- As for rock I love the look of true love rock and the joy of the hitchhikers (even the bad ones were super cool in the beginning)...but the marco rock is a significant savings for you and mother nature. There is a major impact on the ocean by harvesting live rock.

Its a great hobby I hope you both enjoy for many years!

[lpsreefer]

Well congrats on the tke over. Salt is way more fun.
LEDs are way better path to take.
I noticed you haven't said anything about filters?
There is a lot out there from mangroves to skimmers to algae scrubbers.
all I can say is make sure you have a good air supply to your tank.
The top two mistakes I see in beginners tanks is flow and air.
The rest you'll learn as you go.
Looking forward to see your progess.

[gregzz4]

Welcome Deborah and George. You are in for a huge change in thinking.
Last fall I decided to rid myself of 180g of combined freshwater headaches and I am almost ready to put water in my new SW tank ( I am taking a lot longer than most to gear up ). I felt SW would be more rewarding for the work I was performing.

So, good on ya'
What a unique looking tank/stand. Very nice. I haven't seen the white trim before.
I know not enough about SW yet, but will put my 2 cents in right now ....
And I mean it, so, if you don't mind some advice from a rookie ....

Get out of MH lights as I feel they are leaving the market and will cost you money in the long-run.
T5s are a huge improvement over T8s/PCs and rival MHs.
LEDs are up to you. They are relatively new so research lots as there are sooooo many options.
T5s will get you by for now, to save you initial start-up costs, and if you buy the right fixture, you may even keep it.
I have a Powermodule 8 x 54 watt T5 on a 75g and it will be all I need ... ever. I'd like to see where a 10 bulb makes a difference.
So, for you, you'll need lots of light. But you don't need to buy it all right now.
Find yourself a fixture that can change and grow with your tank.
Something that gives you the ability to control more than the standard "2 on" "6 on" crap out there.
I fell in love with Hamilton Lighting. Then I found my fixture (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=82405) on here ( Canreef ) and modified it. I bought all the wiring needed and now it's fully controllable ( well, I can control all 4 pairs. )

Rock is your choice. I opted for the cheap dry rock route for the majority of my stock, and it will probably take a year for it to mature.
If you buy mostly base rock like me, count on about a year before you can fully stock your tank safely.
If you get a mix of 50/50 you stand a better chance of stocking your tank much sooner after startup. This is where so many tanks thrive or fail. If you don't have enough live rock to support your critters, you will suffer failures that may make you want to leave the hobby. Make your choice RIGHT NOW.
Do you want to;

1- Fully stock your tank right now, and see all the fish in it you envisioned
Or do you want to;

2 - take your time and watch it mature as you add your critters, both fish and corals

If your choice is 2, you are on the right track.
Nothing good ever happens fast in a SW Tank

You obviously have a friend here that will help you, but I want you to hear it from another.

Take your time, add things slowly, ie;
Not like FW. One fish every 2-4 weeks is all your tank can handle, and that's if your rock is stable.
And if you can be more patient, 2-4 weeks between fish is too soon.
Use a Quarantine Tank if you have one left over and wait 4-8 weeks before adding the new fish to your Display Tank.

Big change, isn't it?

It'll be worth it ... just be patient.

Oh, lastly, you can glean a whole lot of good info from our resident Writer here (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=52543)

Hope you read all that
Happy Reefing :mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

Part II
Stop worrying about pH like we did with our FW tanks
And re-learn about Alk, it's relationship with Ca and so on.
I learned so much from here;

This is the link to all Mindy's writings
Myka's taking up bandwidth (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=52543)

But I specifically learned what I needed from here;
Myka's Guide ..... (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=48321)

[gregzz4]

I hope I didn't frustrate you in any way.
This is a wonderful hobby.

This community is invaluable.
Get started and everyone will help you if you need it

DO IT :mrgreen:

[gridley]

Well congrats on the tke over. Salt is way more fun.
LEDs are way better path to take.
I noticed you haven't said anything about filters?
There is a lot out there from mangroves to skimmers to algae scrubbers.
all I can say is make sure you have a good air supply to your tank.
The top two mistakes I see in beginners tanks is flow and air.
The rest you'll learn as you go.
Looking forward to see your progess.
Thanks for the question re: filtration. This is an area that I have not done much research on yet other than protine skimmers. As of yesterday I thought I had an almost new skimmer from a friend who shut down his system a year ago. Unfortunatly, after a long search through his shed (during Calgary's snow storm) he was unable to find it and came to the conclusion tha he must have sold it. One of my next tasks - on the growing "to do list" is to research filtration.

[subman]

I would suggest keep your eyes open on canreef, take your time and buy the best skimmer you can afford. There is no rush as the rocks will take time to seed and they don't need a skimmer to do so.

[Magma]

Nothing good ever happens fast in a SW Tank



Thats a lie!!


Tank crashes happen fast everytime :p

[gridley]

We want to thank all those with helpful suggestions on our project. We would appreciate it if you keep them coming.

Deborah and I were able to make a bit of progress on the tank project over the weekend. We moved the old freshwater tank (servicing only goldfish at present - they are our "pond fish") out of the family room and into the living room to make space for the reef tank. We then moved the stand into the family room and got that set up - it looks good - but I'll get back to that later. . .

We also took the tank into the shop to have a hole drilled for an emergency overflow. We appreciated the suggestion to install a second overflow. As soon as the suggestion was made, we were very uncomfortable with no emergency overflow. This afternoon we picked up the tank - it all looks very good.

Back to the stand. . . Though the stand looks great, I have been increasingly uncomfortable with the manufactured stand that we have. We took the time to refinish it and to build an internal frame to make it stronger, but the sides, top and doors are MDF. Even though they are finshed very well I am worried about what their condition will be in several years. So . . . Deborah and I made the decision this afternoon to scrap the stand (we might acutally use it for a TV stand in the basement!) and build one from scratch. Woodworking is my first hobby and in particular, making furniture. My schedule will not allow me to do much on it this coming weekend, but hopefully by the first weekend in May, I will be able to get a lot of it done. If anyone has suggestions for the construction of stands, please pass them on.

Until that is done, we will just enjoy the tank as it is. :wink: http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/stuffytank.jpg
My son took a picture and posted on Facebook that I had run out of money and had to settle for a borrowed stuffy from my younger son. Thanks kid!

Any comments and suggestions are welcome.

[reefgirl189]

You know it's really too soon to be adding a fish. you haven't even got your initial ammonia spike yet. :mrgreen: At least he'll be easy on the wallet!

Thanks for the last pic. BF and I had a good laugh over here!

[gridley]

Yes I realized that we were taking a bit of a chance but we were eager to make the tank look good. As I've been watching him tonight he seems to be a bit lifeless - should I be concerned?

[subman]

Yes I realized that we were taking a bit of a chance but we were eager to make the tank look good. As I've been watching him tonight he seems to be a bit lifeless - should I be concerned?

Nah That's normal for the super false Perc. They are completely lifeless but beautiful and live forever!

[gridley]

Not much has happened since our last post a few weeks ago. I haven't had much time to work on the new tank stand, but it is slowly coming. I really hope that by next weekend we will be able to finish and paint the stand. What we have done is to spend time talking to people, and learning more. Thanks especiually to Dave and Scott for your suggestions and input.

We have decided on using LED lighting - still not sure which one. We will use Marco rock and seed it with live rock - trying to think through how much of each to get. We have not decided which skimmer we will buy, but we will go with a mid priced one.

In the meantime our lone fish is looking quite content and appears to be doing well (see above picture).

George

[gridley]

We are finally making some progress! I was able to spend a few hours today on the stand and the construction is finished - pictures coming tomorrow. Tomorrow I will do a final sanding and start the painting. We are also planning on going shopping - it's time to spend some money!

We will get a RO/DI unit and hope that my plumber (brother-in-law) can help me on Sat to get it hooked up. We might also buy some rock. We are going to go with Marco rock. For a 90 G tank, how much Marco rock should we get, and how much live rock?

Thanks

[gregzz4]

Good to hear you're gettin' somewhere
Rock is a personal preference, based on what you want your tank to look like.
1-2lbs/g is the normal recommendation
1lb/g is heavy if you want a light 'scape and have a light bio-load, and some say 2lbs/g is needed for a full-blown reef with lots and lots of SPS etc
You can mix live and base, but the more base you use, the more quarters of the year you will wait for it to fully seed

[gregzz4]

Forgot to add ...
If you'd like to drink the RO water, plumb your system so you can fill your jug before the DI filter as drinking DI is a no-no ...

[gridley]

Forgot to add ...
If you'd like to drink the RO water, plumb your system so you can fill your jug before the DI filter as drinking DI is a no-no ...
Thanks - I appreciate knowing that. We were thinking about using the water for my wifes repitiles - this is good to know.

[gridley]

Another day of progress!

I was able to spend a fair bit of time today on the tank project. The stand will be completed by late tonight with three coats of paint. The frame has a 2x4 frame, 3/4" fir plywood for the top, bottow and sides, and baltic birch 5/8" ply for the doors. The middle panel on the front is help in place with magnets to allow full access to the sump.

We also went shopping and purchased a Vertex Puratek 100 Ro?DI. I hope to be able to get it installed tomorrow, but that will depend on whether my brother in law (plumber) can help with the install.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/stand3.jpg?t=1336182523

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/stand2.jpg?t=1336182523

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/stand1.jpg?t=1336182523

[subman]

Beautiful looking stand George!

Hooking up the ro/di is a peice of cake. Just a simple piercing saddle valve and some 1/4" hose. The only problem is if your house is new and no copper pipe to pierce, I had to put mine in the basement to t off the hot water tanks copper inlet.

[gridley]

Thanks for the compliment re: the stand. I went out this morning to inpsect the pain and can now declare it complete! (except for painting side B of the doors - that will be complete later today.

We are going to put the RO/DI in the laundry room at a place where there used to be an old sink. The line will be run off the old water supply - we are getting an adaptor and valve to go from the orignal line to the 1/4". The drain will go directly into the exsiting drain.

Today I am hoping to pick up a few items to begin replumbing the tank. The previous work on this used tank was really ugly.

The challenge that we are now facing is that Deborah is suggesting that we switch around the family room and living room - which means moving (again) the freshwater tank, moving a piano :cry: and all the other furniture.

I'm voting for keeping things as they are!:biggrin:

[gridley]

Well, after about 3 or 4 weeks I have finally completed the stand have it in the house. The original stand was a manufactured stand that was made of MDF - I was a bit nervous, so took on task of building a new stand. The new stand is 10" taller and another 1 1/2" deeper to give more room for equipment. The middle panel is held in place with magnets and can be removed for full access.
http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/finishedstand1.jpg?t=1336790241

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/finsihedstand2.jpg?t=1336790241

This afternoon I was able to install a GFCI for the electrical. I am hoping that tomorrow I will be able to start the plumbing - but I'm not counting on making progress :sad:

[reefgirl189]

It's very nice. Good job guys!

Glad to see Nemo is still kickin' :mrgreen:.

[gridley]

It's very nice. Good job guys!

Gad to see Nemo is still kickin' :mrgreen:.

Yes, Nemo is doing just fine - as you will have noticed I decided to add some dry rock for the dry fish!

[subman]

Stand looks great! love the removable middle section. Whats supporting the span if that middle section is just for looks?

[gridley]

Thank to both Reefgirl189 and Subman for the compliments on the stand.

Regarding what is supporting the span since the front panel is just for looks - the upper rail is in essence a 2x4 header. At a 4' span it has adequate strength to support the load and the load is transfered to the legs which the rail sits on top of. I did most of the planning in advance (my first hobby is furniture making). That being said I wasn't convinced I was right until I was forwarded the following link. It is a very close design to what I had come up with. Just to be safe I adjusted my plans and went with the recommended plan in the link.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169964

[gridley]

Stand looks great! love the removable middle section. Whats supporting the span if that middle section is just for looks?

Hi again - further to your question - which, by the way, is a great question. Because of the design of the legs, which is 2 2x4s which form an "L" shape, the span is 38" rather than 48". That puts much less stress on the upper rail.
Thanks for the question.

[gridley]

Despite it being spring and the need to get lawn work done, we have been able to get a little bit done on the tank. On the weeked we did some shopping and picked up an Elos ATO, two Radions, and a RLSS R8-u skimmer http://www.rlss.ca/#!protein-skimmer/vstc2=r8-u http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/rlss-protein-skimmers-by-h2o-systems Thanks Dave for your help with all this.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/ATO.jpg?t=1337141227

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/radion.jpg?t=1337141236

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/Skimmer.jpg?t=1337141239

I have also been working on the sump. The system we purchased was a used one and the original design was for the drain from the tank to splash onto the hloder for the filter socks. Thinking that this wasn't a great idea I decided to add a baffle and extend the drain pipe so that the water will drain directly into the water, flow up and then through the filter socks. This makes the main compartment a few inches smaller but still large enough to hold the necessary equipment.
http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/sump2.jpg
We have started getting serious about thinking through the aquascaping and will be having a few conversations with some local people to get tips and ideas. We are also trying to think through what we want for livestock and are a bit overwhelmed yet learning about different fish, LPS, SPS etc.

The next task will be to finish gathering the needed material for plumbing and get serious about doing that. I hope that will take place in the next week.

So, on with the yard work for today!

[FishyFishy!]

Nice work on the sump. That is personally my favorite type of mechanical filtration setup. Only difference is I prefer a filter floss as apposed to filter socks....maybe becuase i'm too lazy to constantly change the socks out lol.

[Madmak]

That is a very clean and sharp looking tank and stand, it will be gorgeous once complete. The equipment list is also looking like most of our wish lists. :)

Things will come together quickly and will be well worth all the planning that had evidently been done. Can't wait to see it!

[Madmak]

Had a closer look again at the tank/stand, was that on Kijiji a while ago? I thought it looked nice then, now it's in for an upgrade.

[gridley]

Nice work on the sump. That is personally my favorite type of mechanical filtration setup. Only difference is I prefer a filter floss as apposed to filter socks....maybe becuase i'm too lazy to constantly change the socks out lol.

Thanks for the compliments re: the sump. I was a bit nervous because I had never done something like this before, and I am pleased with the outcome. Hopefully it will work as good in practise as it does in my theory! LOL

Had a closer look again at the tank/stand, was that on Kijiji a while ago? I thought it looked nice then, now it's in for an upgrade.

Yes, this tank was on Kijiji a while back. Very sharp eyes! The upgrades are the new (almost identical) stand (10" taller and no MDF!) and we are now looking at changing the canopy. We need space to get the lights about 8" or so above the water line. One option is to build a new one, the second option is to have a professional build a 10" spacer between the tank and canopy. We know someone who owns a sign company and he certainly has the ability to make it look great. The question will be for how much $$$.

Thanks for the compliments - we are sure looking forward to actually getting the tank wet!

[Madmak]

Nice work on the sump. That is personally my favorite type of mechanical filtration setup. Only difference is I prefer a filter floss as apposed to filter socks....maybe becuase i'm too lazy to constantly change the socks out lol.

I use the same first stages in my sump. A small raw water chamber that flows over to a sock tray. It works great, very quiet and forgiving. 100% of the water goes through the socks when they are new and simply flows over them once dirty, same water levels are maintained.

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-c751-b444.jpg

[gridley]

Thanks for the pic of your sump and comments - this is how I hoped it would work.

[fishytime]

thats a sweet looking tank and stand!.....good to meet yous two tonight:biggrin:

[subman]

It's coming along GREAT! good work George

[gridley]

Thanks - Doug, it was good to meet you last night. Really appreciate the "tank tour" and all the information.

[gridley]

Deborah and I have spent the past weeks trying to get parts for the plumbing, trying to get time to do the plumbing and trying to just live life. In other words - this has taken a lot longer than I thought it would.:sad: In the past few weeks we did manage to get the sump into place and make some aluminum brackets to mount a florescent light that I picked up used.

However . . . I think that we have completed the plumbing - at least "take one". I assembled the last of the fittings and glued everything up tonight. Below are pictures of the sump with the plumbing in place.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/plumbing1.jpg

We were somewhat limited by the original design of the tank (it was a used tank). We have a 1 1/2" main drain using a gate valve to adjust the flow. There was no emergancy drain so we added a 1" drain but had to plumb that out the side of the overflow and on down. Our return line is a 3/4" line.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/plumbing2.jpg

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/plumbing3.jpg

We have left room to the right of the return line to mount carbon and GFO reactors to the side of the stand.

Tomorrow we will do a test with fresh water and if all goes well we will get serious about doing the aquascaping. If it doesn't go well - we will be doing "plumbing - take 2". Hopefully (and maybe I'm dreaming or delusional :razz:) we will fill it with salty water by the end of next weekend.

We have also been working on our RO/DI station. It is set up in furnace room but we are not finished and although we can produce water, there are lines running all over the place - so until I get a few more fittings to make it look neater - no pictures!

[gridley]

If this had been a final exam for plumbing school, I'd be on the street looking for a new career! On Sat we put water in the tank to test the lines and I found four leaks :redface:. One is a bulkhead - I think that is simple enough to fix. The other three are joints. I'm not sure if I didn't use enough primer, or enough glue or didn't hold the joints long enough - I think it might have been the third. Regardless, it is now time to put preassure on my plumber brother in law and see if he can come do it for me. In the meantime we will continue to admire our empty tank.:biggrin:

We also had some input regarding the amount of flow through our sump. To get more information we posted a thread on the reef forum and have come to the conclusion that at the minimum we will get a new pump. Please take a look at that thread and if you have any additional thoughts it will be helpful. Thanks.

[gridley]

After three weeks of battling leaks and my lack of plumbing ability, the tank finally holds water! :mrgreen: I had to call in the professional (my brother-in-law plumber instructor) and we are ready to proceed to the next step.

Nemo has finally gotten wet!
http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/Nemo.jpg

We began to plan the aquascaping today and hopefully will get the dry rock into the tank tomorrow. This shows our first thoughts on how we might do the aquascaping. We have about 70 lbs of dry rock and will add some live rock to that.
http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/aquascaping2.jpg

We discovered a bit of a problem while we were testing for leaks. The silicone job on the overflow was terrible. :sad: Part of it looked terrible and the other side acted more like a sieve than a seal. So while we were trying to get the plumbing solved we cut out the overflow, cleaned everything and today I put it back in place. For some reason there had been slits cut in the overflow along one side from top to bottom. The previous owner sealed it, but it looked ugly - here is the before and after. It is now resealed and a bit nicer.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/overflow-1.jpg

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/overflow2.jpg

If all goes well we will have the dry rock into the tank by tomorrow and then start adding water!

[fishytime]

Good to hear George.... Bet ya can't wait to get her alive

[gridley]

Yes Doug - we are really looking foward to getting this up and going. Will do a bit mor etoday but it is looking like yard work might be the first priority.

[gridley]

Well, not all has gone well - we are still a few days from adding water. :cry: I did a test of the overflow to ensure that there were no leaks and discovered a leak on one side - so, a bit more silicone tonight and hopefully that will fix the problem. I will do a leak test tomorrow evening and then let the silicone cure a few days before adding water.

[subman]

If its a small leak George the salt creep will plug it in no time. If it's over the sump let it go.

[gridley]

Thanks Jason - yes it is a very small leak - only a drop or two after a few minutes. The way I tested this was to close the gate valve, fill the overflow with water and watch for leaks into the tank. My concern was to ensure that in the case of a power outage, that no water leaks from the tank into the overflow and then down into the sump causing a flood. I have already done another round of silicine in the affected area - if for some reason this is still leaking, you think it will be fine?

[FishyFishy!]

The overflow looks a lot better! Nice silicone job.

Where did you get the white gate valve? Not that I have looked for one lately...But I like the white ones better than the grey ones.

[gridley]

The overflow looks a lot better! Nice silicone job.

Where did you get the white gate valve? Not that I have looked for one lately...But I like the white ones better than the grey ones.

Thanks for the compliment regarding the silicone job on the overflow. The white gate valve came from Concept Aquatics.

[HaZRaTTy]

Thanks for the compliment regarding the silicone job on the overflow. The white gate valve came from Concept Aquatics.


Good build thread so far, Welcome to the DARK.. errr Salt Side of the Hobby!!!

Can't wait for the wallet to empty and Coral/Fish start to populate the tank.


Reading your last post on the leak, I couldn't help but picture the infomerical "Mighty Putty" when he pushes it onto that leaky PVC pipe. Haha I guess you could give it a try. Never tried or looked at the stuff myself.

[gridley]

Good build thread so far, Welcome to the DARK.. errr Salt Side of the Hobby!!!

Can't wait for the wallet to empty and Coral/Fish start to populate the tank.


Reading your last post on the leak, I couldn't help but picture the infomerical "Mighty Putty" when he pushes it onto that leaky PVC pipe. Haha I guess you could give it a try. Never tried or looked at the stuff myself.

I was ready to try almost anything - but fortunatly, all leaks are now sealed and the tank holds water!

[gridley]

We have made a bit more progress in the last few days. All the leaks have been resolved and we have our 70lbs of dry rock in the tank.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/scape1.jpg

The next step is to add water, live rock and begin the curing process. We have decided to follow Myka's guide for this which includes having the skimmer up and running from day one. ttp://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=44859 (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=44859)

We purchased our skimmer (Reef Life Support System R8-u) a while back and last night pulled it out of the box to assemble it. We quickly discovered that one fitting has messed up threads and the fitting to hook up the pump to the skimmer is missing. This morning we contacted RLSS and new parts are coming by Fed Ex. The folks at RLSS were very easy to work with.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/skimmer1.jpg

So, while we wait for the parts to arrive, I plan to begin to work on a side cabinet that will house an ATO tank, some of the electrical and some storage space. So its off to the workshop this evening or tomorrow AM to start on a cabinet. I am willing to take any and all suggestions and recommendations on the electircal part of this cabinet. - Thanks

[gridley]

Wow - it has been a month since I lasted posted on here. Because of waiting for replacement parts for the skimmer, a trip for a conference and a busy schedule we have just now made some progress.

Last week we were able to add salt water to the tank! On Friday we bought 32 lbs of live rock to add to our 70 lbs of dry rock. We ended up putting some of the live rock in the sump as we didn't like the very full look of having everything in the DT.

Question: In order to properly seed the dry rock, do we need all the live rock in the DT?


http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/120723tank1.jpg?t=1343098255



http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/120723tank2.jpg?t=1343098238


We got the skimmer working, but it isn't doing much - not that I expected much at this point. Part of it might be that we really don't know what we are doing! :biggrin:

The next steps are to complete a side cabinet for the ATO and electrical stuff, and then to build a new canopy that will fit the Radions we bought.

I'm also looking for any advice on cycling the tank - people talk about ghost feeding the tank - now that we are at that place, what advice do you have for us?

Thanks!

[gridley]

While waiting the the tank to cycle, I have been working on a side cabinet that will contain the ATO tank, a bit of storage and the electrical stuff.

We have purchased an ELOS dIGITAL SYSTEM and managed to test it today - and we had one problem. After the pump shut off, the water started to siphone from the ATO tank into the sump :cry:. How do we prevent that?

Here are two pictures of the first part of the cabinet. The tank is on a shelf on slides (thanks Jason for the idea!).

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1207311.jpg?t=1343780309

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1207313.jpg?t=1343780289

[gregzz4]

Great little cabinet

Live rock is OK in the sump, it will still seed the DT. You may speed things up a bit with coralline if you scrape some of it into the DT

Get the ATO issue fixed ? I saw your other thread

[gridley]

Thanks re: the cabinet. I'm finding that making the cabinets is the easy part of the whole SW expereince :mrgreen:.

I appreciate the advice on the ATO - I'll be doing "take two" on that tomorrow.

And thanks for the comment re: live rock in the sump / DT. We did put about half the live rock in the DT and half in the sump. I guess that the next step is to wait for the ammonia levels to get to zero.

[gregzz4]

... I guess that the next step is to wait for the ammonia levels to get to zero ...
And if you don't want any algae issues, do weekly water changes until the nitrates and phosphates go away too
A Guide - Live rock; Curing & Cooking, and Tank Cycling (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=44859)

[gridley]

Thanks for the link. In the meantime I'll be working on getting the electical looking presentable, finishing my mixing station and designing / building something to mount the lights in.

[gridley]

I had time to tackle the ATO today - this time with success! Because I had already run the line and didn't want to mess with that, I decided that the simplist solution of the ones that were mentioned was to drill a small hole in the line. The ATO now appears to be working without any problems! :biggrin:

[gridley]

Well, after several months of slow work we have finally completed the side cabinet that houses our ATO tank, a small amount of storage and the electrical "stuff".

It started as two sheets of plywood, became three seperate boxes and then one cabinet.
http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/120808Tank5.jpg?t=1344445333

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/120808Tank6.jpg?t=1344445342

The bottom main cabinet is for the ATO tank, the top portion houses the electrical stuff and the bottom side one is for a bit of storage.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/120808Tank1.jpg?t=1344444762

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/120808Tank3.jpg?t=1344444758

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/120808Tank4.jpg?t=1344444751


We designed the electrical cabinet with a 2 inch space in the back at the top and bottom for ventilation. In the cabinet are the controls for the ELOS ATO, the skimmer and return pump, the two VorTech MP10s, and the two Radions. I have space for a future UPS (cost is delaying the purchase).

Thank you to Subman for the inspiration for the electrical part of the cabinet.

All in all, we are quite please with how it turned out. :biggrin:

Next on the "to do list" is to complete the water station in the basement.

[ensquire]

Wow , that is one of the cleanest, most organized electrical setups I have seen. Subman may have started something here.
Well done

[gregzz4]

Very nicely done Grid

[gridley]

Wow , that is one of the cleanest, most organized electrical setups I have seen. Subman may have started something here.
Well done

Very nicely done Grid

Thank you very much - we are very pleased with how it is looking. Again - thanks to Subman for the inspiration - he has also done a great job.

[fishytime]

Thanks George and Jason!!!!!....... thanks to you guys, I look at my electrical and I want to puke:puke:

[gridley]

Thanks George and Jason!!!!!....... thanks to you guys, I look at my electrical and I want to puke:puke:

Oh . . . well . . . uh . . . sorry about that!:lol:

[gridley]

:biggrin: We have been doing regular water changes and testing the water since we got the SW in the tank. We have been using Salifert test kits. As of last night the levels have been stable for three days at the following:
NH4 - <0.25
NO3 - between 2.5 and 1
PO4 - 0

The plan for today is to add the substate - we have 60 lbs of Nature's Ocean Substrate - argonite reef sand. We will rinse it well before adding it. We will then let everything settle, do another water change, further tests and then I think we will be ready to add a small cleanup crew.

While all this is happening we also will set up our quarantine tank.

:question: We are completly open to ideas / thought on what to add first for a cleanup crew.

[Coralgurl]

Wow, nice set up! That electrical box is genius, I gotta say, I'm a weeeee bit jealous. :mrgreen: can't wait to see life in your tank!

[gridley]

Wow, nice set up! That electrical box is genius, I gotta say, I'm a weeeee bit jealous. :mrgreen: can't wait to see life in your tank!

Thank you very much. I'm really looking forward to finally seeing life in the tank as well - it seems to have been a long time since we started this journey.

We put in the sand today - pictures likely tomorrow - once the water has cleared we will do more testing and begin to add some life!

[gridley]

One step at a time things are getting done! We have completed our mixing station.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1208087.jpg

I built a stand for the 20g Brute Cans to sit on - there is room under the stand for two buckets of salt. The right Brute is insulated and is for the SW - I have added a spout to make it easier to fill buckets to take upstairs. In the SW can is a heater and used Hydor Koralia powerhead. The left can is for fresh RO/DI water. I do not yet have the spout added to that can - but it will come eventually. Each can has an auto shut off float valve. Our RO/DI unit is a Puratek. I have plumbed the lines so that I can fill both at the same time or switch between them. On the right of the panel I have a power bar that everything plugs into including an overhead floresent light. If you look carefully, you will see an electrical box just under the panel - that is for a light in the adjoining room. Though it can't be seen I added vapor barrior over the electrical box just to make sure water and electricity don't meet. (I figured that would be a good idea :idea:)

Thanks to Nate for the idea of insulating the SW can!

Our next step is to install the Radion lights over the tank - maybe there will be fishies by the weekend! :biggrin:

[Coralgurl]

Are you sure this is your first set up??? LOL, again, nicely done.

[gridley]

Are you sure this is your first set up??? LOL, again, nicely done.

Ya, first set up - maybe it is my perfectionism that has caused me to take 6 months from tank purchase to "ready for fish" . . . well, that and my failure at being a plumber! :redface:

[gridley]

At the start of the week - after all the water parameters had been stable for about a week, we added the substrate and had the expected sandstorm - a little over a day later everything settled and was looking good.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1208161.jpg?t=1345247515

Once the sand settled we checked the water again and with everything good we installed the two radions and we now have light! :biggrin:

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1208162.jpg?t=1345247499


This afternoon I hooked the lights up to my computer and programmed then - not exactly simple :sad: as the software really isn't very intuitive - but I got it figured out.

For better or worse we have started to add livestock! We put in 5 turbo snails this afternoon and have picked out a Royal Gramma and a Percula to be our first inhabitants. They are staying at the LFS to ensure they are healthy then sometime next week I imagine that we will bring them home!

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1208171.jpg?t=1345247482

[gridley]

I was looking at the tank the other afternon and saw something small and white floating through the tank - pod - maybe a copepod? Upon closer look it was mostly translucient - once it landed on the substrate it quickly zipped behind a rock. I haven't seen another since.

I also noticed that there has been quite a bit of brown algae growing on the formerly "dry rock" over the past few days.

The few snai;ls I have in their seem to be doing well and we have one royal gramma in the QT - looks to be doing fine.

[Coralgurl]

Wait till the dry rock turns fluorescent green, mine did, then the coralline started to appear! Goes through a bit of an ugly stage for a bit.

Great news on the pod, bet there's lots more in there if you've seen one. Great job!

[gridley]

Wait till the dry rock turns fluorescent green, mine did, then the coralline started to appear! Goes through a bit of an ugly stage for a bit.

Great news on the pod, bet there's lots more in there if you've seen one. Great job!

Thanks - so how long does it typically take for the brwon algae to begin to turn the fluorescent green?

[gridley]

Well, our Royal gramma continues to do well in the QT, and the DT seems to do be doing well. We had been having quite a bit of brown algae forming on the rock and sand - the Turbo snails are keeping that in check without any problems. I did notice yesterday a new algae growing. This is very thin and hass the appearance of short hair - currently at 3/8" or shorter. WOuld this be what I hear of as Hair Aglae? Do I need to be concerend about this? Any advice :question:

[subman]

If it's single stands like hair no biggie. Lots of critters will eat it....but if it's fern like strands it's bryopsis. Bryopsis is hard to get rid of as nothing eats it. Post a pic George.

[gridley]

If it's single stands like hair no biggie. Lots of critters will eat it....but if it's fern like strands it's bryopsis. Bryopsis is hard to get rid of as nothing eats it. Post a pic George.

Good to hear from you Jason - thanks - I've got to call it quites for tonight as I work early tomorrow. I'll try to get a picture in the afternoon and put it on.

By the way - thanks for the inspiration for the electrical box and slide out ATO! They are working well for me.

[subman]

Thanks for all your compliments. Your setup is beautiful you definitely have amazing talent.
You should be very proud!

I'm just trying to catch up with everyone after a summer of holidays lol

[gridley]

Thanks for all your compliments. Your setup is beautiful you definitely have amazing talent.
You should be very proud!

I'm just trying to catch up with everyone after a summer of holidays lol

Thank you very much Jason - and welcome back after summer holidays!

[gridley]

If it's single stands like hair no biggie. Lots of critters will eat it....but if it's fern like strands it's bryopsis. Bryopsis is hard to get rid of as nothing eats it. Post a pic George.

Well, it took a few days longer than I thought it might to be able to get a pic, but here is it. I hope it is clear enough.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1208282.jpg?t=1346204205

Thanks

[gridley]

As I have been watching the newest algae grow in the tank I suspect that it is bryopsis. I posted a picture yesterday (above post) though the quality of the picture is not great. I'm now doing some reading on how to get rid of it - it sounds like it is tough to deal with. :sad:

I have five turbo snails in the tank and they did an amazing job of getting rid of the brown algae that had been in the tank but they are not touching this new stuff.

I have also noticed hundreds of tiny white specks floating on the water and on the glass. As I ahve watched the ones on the glass I have realzied that they are alive - moving around on the glass. If anyone has any idea of what they might be, I'd love to hear.

Our royal gramma (which is in the QT) appears to be doing really well - swimming well, eating very good and looking healthy. She/he has been in there for just over a week. :biggrin:

[daplatapus]

Check out a couple of these links. Might be isopods:
http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/hitchhiker.shtml
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchpods.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/id/

[gregzz4]

If the bugs are super tiny, they're probably copepods. They'll almost look like a dot in size and are almost impossible to see on rocks
If they have a dozen legs, they are probably isopods. These I've had everywhere - rock, sand, glass. My fish have all but decimated them
Both are great fish snacks
The bigger ones you may see will look like small shrimp and are amphipods. These you'll see crawling around the rocks at night and you'll get molts floating around the water. Some fish will eat these too

The bryopsis I had was easy to pick off and my CUC kept it in check. I also run GFO and feed very lightly
Now that I have fish in the tank, I don't have anymore of it
I have an urchin, hermits, 4 kinds of snails, and 3 kinds of fish that graze on algae, although I don't know if anyone is eating it, or if it was just part of the cycle

[subman]

Yes it does look like Bryopsis to me as well, nothing to worry about at this point but keep your eye on it. Sounds like copepods as well, its amazing what just starts growing isn't it, that was my favorite part of starting a new tank!

[spit.fire]

I've read that there's a sea slug kind of thing that will eat bryopsis

Also I've heard raising your mag will kill it off

[gridley]

Check out a couple of these links. Might be isopods:
http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/hitchhiker.shtml
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchpods.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/id/

Thanks for these links - I found them helpful - especially the first one. I have bookmarked them for future reference.

If the bugs are super tiny, they're probably copepods. They'll almost look like a dot in size and are almost impossible to see on rocks
If they have a dozen legs, they are probably isopods. These I've had everywhere - rock, sand, glass. My fish have all but decimated them
Both are great fish snacks
The bigger ones you may see will look like small shrimp and are amphipods. These you'll see crawling around the rocks at night and you'll get molts floating around the water. Some fish will eat these too

The bryopsis I had was easy to pick off and my CUC kept it in check. I also run GFO and feed very lightly
Now that I have fish in the tank, I don't have anymore of it
I have an urchin, hermits, 4 kinds of snails, and 3 kinds of fish that graze on algae, although I don't know if anyone is eating it, or if it was just part of the cycle

Yes, the bugs are "super tiny" - almost a dot. It's nice to know now what they are - I had done some reading but wasn't sure. I also have had one larger one that was more like a tiny shrimp - but haven't seen another one for a few days.

Regarding your bryopsis - did you pick it off by hand? And this will really show that I'm new at this "CUC"? what is that?

I have been running GFO from the start to keep the phosphate down. The phosphate levels have been at near zero.

Yes it does look like Bryopsis to me as well, nothing to worry about at this point but keep your eye on it. Sounds like copepods as well, its amazing what just starts growing isn't it, that was my favorite part of starting a new tank!

It has been amazing to watch new things develop - though I'm really looking forward to actually getting a fish into the tank!

Thank you to everyone for your comments and help. It has been encouraging.

[gridley]

I've read that there's a sea slug kind of thing that will eat bryopsis

Also I've heard raising your mag will kill it off

In my reading this week I had also read about increasing the mag - I'll keep a watch on this for a bit and if it is growing/spreading I'll start looking into the best way for me to increase the mag levels. Thanks.

[gregzz4]

The bryopsis just picks off

CUC is clean up crew, as in snails, crabs, etc

I wouldn't raise your magnesium right away. Give your tank time to settle in on it's own and go through some of the initial cycling
You'll add some critters, then some fish, then worry about the algae

[gridley]

The bryopsis just picks off

CUC is clean up crew, as in snails, crabs, etc

I wouldn't raise your magnesium right away. Give your tank time to settle in on it's own and go through some of the initial cycling
You'll add some critters, then some fish, then worry about the algae

Thanks - regarding the CUC :redface: I should have figured that one out . . . Thanks.

Well, off to "that northen AB city" for the weekend.

[gridley]

We returned from Edmonton last night to a nice surprise - the Bryopsis - if that is what it was - is completly gone! :lol: The snails that had seemded to be ignoring it for the past week cleaned it up over the two days we were gone. From the reading I had done I understood that few if any animals would touch Bryopsis - so maybe it was something different. Regradless, it was a nice surprise.

While in Edmonton we stopped in at Red Coral just to take a look - it was nice to see you again Doug - thanks for the conversation and advice. :biggrin:

[gridley]

A few new developments:
1. We continue to be amazed at the life that develops. Since the disappearance of the one algae last week another has developed. Having no idea what it is we have simply been calling it "the fuzzy stuff". The snails don't seem to be in a hurry to eat it, but they are munching on it some.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1209071.jpg?t=1347067948

2. We have also seem some new animal life - a very small centipede like creature - I'm guessing that it is some kind of bristleworm? But I have not been able to get a picture.

3. The best news is that we moved the Royal Gramma from the QT to the DT! Our first spot of color in the tank! :biggrin:

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1209073.jpg?t=1347067947

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1209072.jpg?t=1347067945

[gridley]

Our lone Royal Gramma is doing quite good in the DT - it spent about a day mainly hiding but has been swimming in the open since then and has been eating well.

We have now purchased a few more fish. We have three more Royal Grammas and a pair of True Perculas. We have just put the five of them in the QT and appear to be doing fine. (yes it is a terrible phone picture :lol:)

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/1209111.jpg

Our plan is to slowly introduce them into the DT after their quarantine. We are thinking towards the next ones that we will buy - though it will be quite a while before that takes place. We are thinking of a Kale Yellow Eye Tang, and/or a Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish, possible a Cardinalfish or two.

We also have five snails in the DT - Question - at what point do we add to the CUC? :question:

[gridley]

Wow - it has been a long time since I have posted on here - mainly because not much is happening. We now have four Royal Grammas (and a few snails) in the DT and all are doing well. Everything seems to be doing quite good. There have been no outbreaks of algae and the water parameters continue to be stable.

We did have a problem with the two Perculas that we had - unfortunatley, on about day 5 in the QT one of the Perculas began to appear lethargic and stopped eating. After talking to the LFS, we brought them both in and brought in a water sample. In the end, both fish eventually died. Niether showed any physical symptoms other then being lethargic. The water was sent out to a lab for testing and did not reveal anything. We are now waiting for another pair of captive bred True Perculas to arrive.

Other wise, everything is going fine.

[gridley]

It's been a little over a week since the last time I posted on here - Nothing has changed . . .

We ordered two captive breeed Perculas and they should be at the LFS on Friday. Sure wish I knew what happend to the first ones so that it does not repeat.

We are also begining to think about coral - when we should start to add some, what kinds etc. If anyone reading this has ideas, I'd sure appreciate hearing.

[Coralgurl]

What are you interested for corals? Lps, sps, softies? I personally prefer lps. To start you could add some shrooms, zoas, acans, leathers. My first corals were a bubble, button and frogspawn, lost the frog but still have the other 2.

I like frags as its rewarding to watch them grow, but it's nice to have some bigger pieces as well.

[chris88]

My advise would be to go with some Lps corals to begin with and when the tank ages add some spa corals to fill the upper layer. Maybe try some shrooms, zoanthids, or gsp to fill up the live rock. It's a beautiful tank and I am excited to see what it looks like a few months down the road.

[gregzz4]

Hey George
Sorry to jump in here, but I haven't read your whole thread lately
I was a little concerned about you having multiple royal grammas ...

I like the idea that you are adding corals and wanted to let you know what happened in my tank ...

I had originally planned on adding only some softies, then maybe some LPS, and eventually some SPS ...

Before I had a chance to think about the future, a friend came over with some Montis. Then, a week later, there was a frag swap ....

I populated my tank faster than you can say cycle :smile:

I ended up with so many SPS and took the crash course in keeping parameters ...

I am really happy with our tank and all it's SPS ...

So, I'm saying, just jump in :mrgreen:

If you can keep your major 3 up, just do it :wink:

[gridley]

What are you interested for corals? Lps, sps, softies? I personally prefer lps. To start you could add some shrooms, zoas, acans, leathers. My first corals were a bubble, button and frogspawn, lost the frog but still have the other 2.

I like frags as its rewarding to watch them grow, but it's nice to have some bigger pieces as well.

Our long term plan is to have a mixed reef tank.

My advise would be to go with some Lps corals to begin with and when the tank ages add some spa corals to fill the upper layer. Maybe try some shrooms, zoanthids, or gsp to fill up the live rock. It's a beautiful tank and I am excited to see what it looks like a few months down the road.

I appreciate the advice re: to start with LPS - that's two votes in favor :biggrin:

Hey George
Sorry to jump in here, but I haven't read your whole thread lately
I was a little concerned about you having multiple royal grammas ...

I like the idea that you are adding corals and wanted to let you know what happened in my tank ...

I had originally planned on adding only some softies, then maybe some LPS, and eventually some SPS ...

Before I had a chance to think about the future, a friend came over with some Montis. Then, a week later, there was a frag swap ....

I populated my tank faster than you can say cycle :smile:

I ended up with so many SPS and took the crash course in keeping parameters ...

I am really happy with our tank and all it's SPS ...

So, I'm saying, just jump in :mrgreen:

If you can keep your major 3 up, just do it :wink:

No problem jumping in with a question about the Royal Grammas - I think I understand your concern with the multiple Royal Grammas, we had been told to go with either one Royal Gramma or three or more - but not to have two. So far the four of them are all playing nice together. The larger one is obviously boss, but there have been no bullying issues . . . yet.

And . . I had noticed how quickly your tank seemd to fill with frags - I had wondered what took place as your whole build has been a study of patience - I've been amazed at your pateince. Now I understand the sudden amount of frags. Thanks for the advice to "just jump in!"

:question: Can anyone point me towards a good resource or two regarding chemistry / water parameters? :question:

Thanks

[gridley]

My advise would be to go with some Lps corals to begin with and when the tank ages add some spa corals to fill the upper layer. Maybe try some shrooms, zoanthids, or gsp to fill up the live rock. It's a beautiful tank and I am excited to see what it looks like a few months down the road.

I forgot in my previous post - thank you very much for the compliment re: the tank. I appreciate the feedback. :biggrin:

[kien]

Wow this tank looks awesome! Love the white stand and cabinetry. Very clean and sexy :-) you did a phenomenal job here! Well done.

[gregzz4]

Can anyone point me towards a good resource or two regarding chemistry / water parameters?
If you're still looking for some reading ...

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=48321

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

[gridley]

Wow this tank looks awesome! Love the white stand and cabinetry. Very clean and sexy :-) you did a phenomenal job here! Well done.

Wow - I really appreciate the compliment - I was looking through your tank thread and I only hope that when my tank grows up it looks close to yours. Thanks :biggrin:

[gridley]

If you're still looking for some reading ...

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=48321

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

Hi Greg - now I have some reading for tonight! I appreciate your sending these. I'm looking forward to learning and hopefully soon getting some coral into the tank.

[gridley]

I was doing some cleaning in the sump tonight and noticed something alive on one of my sump rocks - a closer inspection revealed a small crab. Its body is about the size of a dime. Sorry, no picts - I tried to get one with my phone but it was quickly gone.

What is the generally accepted opinion:
A. Let well enough alone?
B. Capture and remove?
C. Pretend I never saw it? :lol:

[daplatapus]

If it's in the sump, I think I'd leave it. It won't pose any threat to fish (which is usually the biggest concern with hitchhiking crabs) and it'll just help clean up any food that makes it back to the sump IMO.

[gridley]

Thanks - I appreciate that - now I just need to come up with a name for the hitchhiking sump crab.

[gridley]

Last week we spotted the crab in the sump and decided that we would let him be - however, just for the sake of doing it, we placed a small piece of raw meat in a glass, tipped it up against the rock in the sump and by morning we had ourselves a crab!

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/crab.jpg

It's body is about the size of a dime - quite small. After showing the kids we released it back into the wilds of the sump to live a happy productive life.:biggrin:

[gridley]

Its time to introduce the newest member of our family. We moved our Onespot Foxface Rabbitfish into the DT. He is doing quite well and playing nicely with the other residents.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/Foxface.jpg?t=1352504190

[kien]

Its time to introduce the newest member of our family. We moved our Onespot Foxface Rabbitfish into the DT. He is doing quite well and playing nicely with the other residents.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/Foxface.jpg?t=1352504190

WHOA! He looks like one badass MOFO! Watch those spikes!

[Jason McK]

Great build. Love the electronic cabinet

[gridley]

Great build. Love the electronic cabinet
Thank you very much :lol: - I am very pleased with how it turned out - though the inspiration :idea: for it came from Subman.

[gridley]

Thanks for the reply Kien - I managed to catch him in just the right pose for his portrait. And yea, I had heard that he packs somewhat of a bite! I'll make sure I keep my fingers clear.

[ChizerBunoi]

That fox looks fantastic. :razz:

[gridley]

That fox looks fantastic. :razz:
Thanks!

[gridley]

Last weekend was a step towards our desire for a mixed reef tank- we added our first piece of coral - we decided to start with what we have been told was the easiest. We placed it right at the bottom of the tank on the sand and it has been doing well. :biggrin: Yesterday we moved it up a few inches. Thanks Denny for the long conversation and advice last Sat.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/Coral1.jpg?t=1353109928

We also added our pair of Perculas to the DT on Tuesday - not with as much luck. They both appered to be doing well . . . but on Thursday one dissapeared, it's gone, lost, AWOL, not to be seen again. We have searched as much as we can and have found no part of him at all. :cry: The other one is doing great.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/Percula1.jpg?t=1353109927

[zhasan]

Nice going! Congrats on your first coral!! I can't wait to get to that point myself!! How could your clown just go missing?? Something is fishy there!!!

[LoJack]

That is one of the nicest photos of a one spot fox face I have ever seen! Great Job. It's been on my wish list for sometime now.

[gridley]

Nice going! Congrats on your first coral!! I can't wait to get to that point myself!! How could your clown just go missing?? Something is fishy there!!!

Ya, not sure what happened to him.

That is one of the nicest photos of a one spot fox face I have ever seen! Great Job. It's been on my wish list for sometime now.
Thanks for the compliment - a bit of luck and and some patience to get the shot. We have enjoyed having the Foxface as a part of the fish family.

[gridley]

Our home life is a bit "upside down" right now. We began a major kitchen renovation on Monday and with a family of five, no kitchen, and not wanting to spend money eating out - life is a bit upside dows. Our contractor (who is doing a great job!) used to have several tanks and is thinking about getting back into the hobby. This afternoon they surprised us with a gift of two cleaner shrimp and four hermit crabs! Thank you Lawrence and Sharon! :biggrin: :biggrin:

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/121129HermitCrab.jpg?t=1354235623

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/121129CleanerShrimp.jpg?t=1354235623

[gregzz4]

Nice !!!

Now, it's been over 3 months since you've given us a FTS, and that was only with your new 'scape
C'mon man, you're dropping the ball here ... :razz:

[gridley]

Nice !!!

Now, it's been over 3 months since you've given us a FTS, and that was only with your new 'scape
C'mon man, you're dropping the ball here ... :razz:

A FTS? I really hadn't thought about it . . . The trouble is that my tank is looking so boring and colorless - it might get embarased :redface:

Actually a good idea - I'll take some pictures and see if I can post one tomorrow. Thanks.

[gregzz4]

What the hell, right ?
At the very least, it'll give you something to look back on many months from now

And we want pikchoors :razz:

[gridley]

As a result of some freindly encouragement I took a few tank shots - however - there isn't much color yet - far from spectacular - in fact a long way from average. LOL! One is a partial tank shot of the left side, the other is a full shot.

I guess it is time to get some coral in the tank to brighten it up!

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/121130TankShot2.jpg?t=1354310019

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/121130TankShot1.jpg?t=1354310019

[FishyFishy!]

Tank is looking great! Nice work. I'm a huge fan of the blue background. Seems to lighten everything up a little.

Also seems like your foxface loves to raise his dorsal spines! haha. Almost every pic he has them raised.

[gridley]

Tank is looking great! Nice work. I'm a huge fan of the blue background. Seems to lighten everything up a little.

Also seems like your foxface loves to raise his dorsal spines! haha. Almost every pic he has them raised.


Thanks for the compliments! But the tank has a long way to go. Regarding the blue background - we have been wondering what to do with that - let it get covered or keep it clean. Deborah wants me to keep it clean (notice that I'm the one with the work to do? LOL). Keeping it clean - and therefoe blue does seem to add a depth to the look of the tank.

And yes the Foxface loves to keep his spine up. There are a lot of times that he will simply stay in one place, poping his fins - interesting to watch.

[gridley]

It has again been a long time since I have updated here. Christmas has been busy busy and I have not been doing so good - off work for six weeks - but ready to get back to it!

A few weeks ago we were having some algae problems so I changed the GFO and added a few more snales and hermit crabs - red abd blue legged. The algae is under control now, though today I noticed a bit more growth - maybe I'm feeding a bit too heavy? I did test the phosphate and nitrate and both are at 0.

We have been able to add a few more coral to the tank - we now have what we were told was a "tree coral" - but I see that there are a number of differernt corals with the same common name. In addition we have bought a Torch Coral and a Fox Coral.

We are planning to add another fish or two in the new year - maybe a sailfin tang.
http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/121230Coral1.jpg?t=1356914710

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/121230Coral4.jpg?t=1356914565

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/121230Coral3.jpg?t=1356914556

[daplatapus]

Looking good. Looks to me that "tree coral" is a Kenya tree. I regret putting one in mine. It'll drop those branches all over and before ya know it, it'll be everywhere. When you see it drop a branch try and get it out. IMHO :D

[zhasan]

Looking very nice! I really like your fox face fish!

How many lbs of rock do you have in your tank?

[Leah]

Tank looks great! Maybe look at a Kole Tang as a Sailfin will get big and then you have to re-home it or go bigger. :biggrin:

[gridley]

Looking good. Looks to me that "tree coral" is a Kenya tree. I regret putting one in mine. It'll drop those branches all over and before ya know it, it'll be everywhere. When you see it drop a branch try and get it out. IMHO :D

Thanks for help with identifying the Kenya tree. So . . . what causes the branches to fall off - is there some way I might be able to prevent / limit that from happening?

Looking very nice! I really like your fox face fish!

How many lbs of rock do you have in your tank?

We have a total of 103 lbs of rock. It is a 90G DT and approx 20g sump. We purchsed 70lbs of dry rock and seeded it with 33 lbs of live rock. Not all the rock is in the DT as we wanted a more open look. I am not sure how much is in the sump, but at a guess I'd say approx 30 lbs.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/bth_121231Sump_zps1b59a18f.jpg?t=1356979323

Tank looks great! Maybe look at a Kole Tang as a Sailfin will get big and then you have to re-home it or go bigger. :biggrin:

Thanks for the compliment - and the caution re: the sailfin - though I like the logic of getting the fish first and using that as the justification to go bigger and better! :lol:

[Coralgurl]

Great looking tank, your patience has certainly paid off.

Just wondering, why soooooo many royal grammas? Love your fox face, what a poser, wish I could get pics of mine with his fins up.

[gridley]

Great looking tank, your patience has certainly paid off.

Just wondering, why soooooo many royal grammas? Love your fox face, what a poser, wish I could get pics of mine with his fins up.

Thank you! The reason for the number of Royal Grammas is simple - Deborah really likes them - "happy wife, happy life"! :biggrin:

Regarding the Foxface - yes he does seem to like to show off. Though the last pict of him was the result of having the camera on a tripod, using a remote and kind of watching TV for two hours waiting for the right moment!

[Leah]

I love all the grammas...the last couple I have tried QTing have not made it. :twised: Not sure what is up with that.

I am guilty of buying fish and then upgrading. :biggrin:

[gridley]

What amazes me about the Grammas is their ability to hide - they find an incredibly small pocket deep within the rock and are almost impossible to find - amazing how that bright of a fish can disappear.

[gridley]

Happy New Year everyone! Now that we have few corals I decided to take another FTS - wow, sure looks empty - I guess I'll have to go buy some more! :lol:

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130103FTS_zpse905bc7d.jpg

I also decided to post two other pictures -

I took this picture several evenings ago after the lights weere turned off. I am amazed at how the Foxface changes color and blends into the rock at night - incredible defence mechanism!

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130103Foxface_zpsff14fc82.jpg

The last picture shows the new home that my shrimp has taken up. He spends a lot of time hanging out around the recently added torch coral.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130103Torch_zpsc437dc88.jpg

Have a happy new year!

[gridley]

Its time for a project. Ever since setting up our tank I have not been fully comfortable with the "sponginess" of the floor. To the right of the tank is a step from the kitchen area into the family room and with multiple teenagers and their running up the steps and jumping down, the tank sloshes a bit more than I am comfortable with.


http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130107Steps_zpsa88294a8.jpg?t=1357617580

So, I've decided to brace the floor from below. Under the family room is a storage room with an unfinished ceiling so it will be easy to brace the floor. The plan is to build a simple beam using two 2X4s which will be supported by two posts aconstructed of two 2x4s and a bottom plate to spread out the pressure on the concrete floor.

A simple job that should take an hour or so. With my energy level we'll see how many days it takes! :biggrin:

Day One - a trip to the local lumbar yard to buy the material.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/truck_zpsb1006efd.jpg?t=1357617583

[gridley]

Yesterday was day two of the simple project of supporting the floor under the DT. I created gluelam beams out of 2X4s - very simple.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130109project1.jpg?t=1357756180

The next task is to get the storage room ready - but with the mess in there, that will be for another day -maybe later this afternoon I might take a shot at it.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130109project2.jpg?t=1357756180

Deborah and I also went to Concept yesterday and bought a couple corals and a new percula - I'll see if I can get reasonable pictures in a day or two.

[gridley]

Well, I still don't have the support wall completed :redface: But I do have the storage room clean!

On to more urgent matters. A little over a week ago someone pointed out a red algae on one of my rocks and suggested that it might be cyano. Over the next days I watched as it spread to another rock and the sand. By Thursday morning it had spread significantly. I tried several times to siphon it as best I could - with little result. I did some reading on line and came up with a possible solution.

Since cyano needs light to survive, the absense of light will kill it. The theory was to turn off the lights and either close all blinds in the room or wrap the tank in a blanket for three days. During this time the fish will mostly sleep and coral will survive.

So I gave it a try. . .
http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130113blanket.jpg?t=1358122491

I continued with regular, but lighter feeding for the three days, made sure the skimmer was working well and hoped I was doing the right thing. At the end of day one there was no noticable difference. By the end of day two almost all the cyano was gone - there were still multiple red strands on the sand. By this afternoon the tank appeared complelty clean - an incredible difference! I wish I had before and after pictures, but never thought of that.

All the fish, snails, crabs, shrimp appear perfectly fine. The soft coral and LPS appear a bit "ticked off" but are already coming around and opening up. :biggrin:

Time will tell whether this is just a very temprary fix, whether significnat progress was made or the elimination of cyano was achieved.

So, maybe I'll finish the floor support project this week . . . LOL

[gridley]

Wow, I actually completed the floor support - not a large project at all - it just takes me time. Now there will be far less floor movement as the kids run in and out of the room and less "sloshing" in the tank. :biggrin:

Now onto another project . . . hmmm, maybe I could drill some holes in the floor, run the plumbing downstairs, get a larger sump, set up a tank room . . . that can't be that big of a project . . . can it? :lol:

[gridley]

I figured that I would do a quick update from the three day tank blanket wrap experiment. As of today (only 2 days later) there is no visable cyano - for which I am very glad. In addition the coral all seem to be happy critters. Here are pictures from yesterday afternoon.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130115Zoa.jpg?t=1358286580

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130115tree.jpg?t=1358286579

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130115Torch.jpg?t=1358286574

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130115Fox.jpg?t=1358286569

[Leah]

I do not mean to rain on your parade, and hopefully someone else will chime in here.

I think you have the right idea sort of with the black out, but you need to cover the tank for three days. Do not feed the tank or even peek at it then on the third day you need to do a water change...just can't remember how much!
Then slowly turn your lights, say half a day for 2 days and full on the 3rd.

Leah

[gridley]

I do not mean to rain on your parade, and hopefully someone else will chime in here.

I think you have the right idea sort of with the black out, but you need to cover the tank for three days. Do not feed the tank or even peek at it then on the third day you need to do a water change...just can't remember how much!
Then slowly turn your lights, say half a day for 2 days and full on the 3rd.

Leah

Thanks for the input Leah - and if anyone else can chime in, that would be helpful as well.

I have to admit that I did peek under the blanket - I couldn't help myself - couriosity took over, I was out of control! LOL :lol:

What you say here regarding the water changes amd turning lights on slowly makes sense. (I had done a WC earlier this evening) By all appearances I may have gotten off lucky. As I've been thinking about this there may be several reasons for the luck . . .
1. My lights (RADION) are only at 50% because I am still stocking the tank with coral.
2. All my corals are still quite low in the tank - the most are within 3 inches of the bottom
3. As the tank is still newer there are not that many fish so that the bio load isn;t that high.
4. Though the cyano was spreading it wasn't heavy yet.

If anyone has thoughts I would apprecaite it as I am sure this will not be the last time I need to deal with this.

[gridley]

The first round goes to the cyano! :twised:

I thought that I had an early victory over the cyno with the blanket wrap approach. A week ago Sunday when I took the blanket off, the tank looked great! However, on Saturday there was some suspicious looking algae growing and I now have three areas of cyano growing on the sand. :cry:

So . . . onto round two! Any suggestions? . . .

[kien]

So . . . onto round two! Any suggestions? . . .

Have you tried chemiclean? That stuff is MAGIC!!

[gridley]

Have you tried chemiclean? That stuff is MAGIC!!

Thanks Kien - I'll be proceeding with this today.

[kien]

Thanks Kien - I'll be proceeding with this today.

The key thing to remember is to keep your tank oxygenated during the treatment period of 2 days. Either use an air stone and pump or you can keep your skimmer on but take off your skimmer cup to allow it to overflow into the sump. If you keep your skimmer on and allow it to overflow you may get lots of microbubbles into the tank and it'll look bad for a couple of days but it'll all clear up once the treatment period ends and you do your recovery water changes at the end of the 48 hours. I did two consecutive 20% water changes then put my skimmer cup back on.

[gridley]

Round Two has begun! :twised: I purchased some Chemiclean this afternoon and treated the tank this evening. I turned off the carbon and pulled the cup off the skimmer as suggested by Kien. On Thursday evening I will do a 20% wc and then wait to see if I've won or if it goes to Round Three!

[gridley]

As I continue the battle with the bit of cyano that I have had in my tank I tried the Chemiclean as recommended (thanks Kein!). So far I have been very happy with the results. I treated the tank with Chemiclean last Tuesday and 48 hours later did a water change. The tank now looks great. :biggrin: I plan to do another water change tonight or tomorrow. And I will be keeping a close watch to see if the cyano begins to return. The challenge now is that I have been having a problem with the skimmer. When I turned it back on after the treatment it was "boiling over" and I have been trying to redial it in ever since. :sad:

Below are pictures showing the progress with the treatment.

January 22

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130122algae.jpg?t=1359412835

January 23
http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130123algae.jpg?t=1359412836

January 24
http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130124algae.jpg?t=1359412836

[ChizerBunoi]

Looking good and glad to hear that you are winning the cyano battle.

[kien]

When I turned it back on after the treatment it was "boiling over" and I have been trying to redial it in ever since. :sad:

Glad to see you're winning! This is typical and for the reason I did 3 20% water changes. After the third water change my skimmer started to get back to normal. Still not quite where it was prior to the treatment but it at least stopped boiling over to a point where I could put the skimmer cup back on. A couple of days after the last water change my skimmer was back to normal. You just have to give the system time to settle back down.

Also, did you put in some carbon into your sump to help clear up the meds? You can get a media sock and throw in some extra carbon into it and place it in your sump. I did this as well for a few days.

[gridley]

Also, did you put in some carbon into your sump to help clear up the meds? You can get a media sock and throw in some extra carbon into it and place it in your sump. I did this as well for a few days.

Thanks for the advice. The skimmer is working a bit better today. Regarding adding carbon - we are running a GFO / Carbon reactor - how often should they be changed out? Would adding some carbon to a filter sock be effective?

Thanks :biggrin:

[gridley]

A while ago we purchased a second Percula to replace the one that dissapeared in the tank (still have no idea what happened). It is close to half the size of the first one and they have paired up well with no problems. :biggrin: Below are a few pics of the Percs. Also I added a few other pictures that I took last night.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129clown3.jpg?t=1359505423http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129clown2.jpg?t=1359505421http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129clown1.jpg?t=1359505425

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129candycane.jpg?t=1359505424

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129shrimp.jpg?t=1359505427

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129torch.jpg?t=1359505428

[kien]

Thanks for the advice. The skimmer is working a bit better today. Regarding adding carbon - we are running a GFO / Carbon reactor - how often should they be changed out? Would adding some carbon to a filter sock be effective?

Thanks :biggrin:

I normally run carbon and gfo too and typically change then out once a month. However, when I did my chemi clean treatment I added an extra bag of carbon (in a media bag dropped into my sump) to help take out the meds. I replaced my carbon in my carbon reactor on day 7 after treatment and took out my extra carbon bag.

I don't have any experience running carbon in a filter sock. I personally wouldn't do that tho as my carbon would probably get lodged in my sock fibers and/or overflow into my sump if/when my sock overflowed.

[Pan]

Thats a lie!!


Tank crashes happen fast everytime :p
Hence the "good" part of the statement

[Pan]

A while ago we purchased a second Percula to replace the one that dissapeared in the tank (still have no idea what happened). It is close to half the size of the first one and they have paired up well with no problems. :biggrin: Below are a few pics of the Percs. Also I added a few other pictures that I took last night.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129clown3.jpg?t=1359505423http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129clown2.jpg?t=1359505421http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129clown1.jpg?t=1359505425

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129candycane.jpg?t=1359505424

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129shrimp.jpg?t=1359505427

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130129torch.jpg?t=1359505428

Congrats! lovely and healthy

[gridley]

I normally run carbon and gfo too and typically change then out once a month. However, when I did my chemi clean treatment I added an extra bag of carbon (in a media bag dropped into my sump) to help take out the meds. I replaced my carbon in my carbon reactor on day 7 after treatment and took out my extra carbon bag.

I don't have any experience running carbon in a filter sock. I personally wouldn't do that tho as my carbon would probably get lodged in my sock fibers and/or overflow into my sump if/when my sock overflowed.

Thanks Kien - this makes sense to me. I appreciate the advice.

[gridley]

Congrats! lovely and healthy

Thank you very much. I still have a rather emty tank and this is just a beginning (a slow beginning). Nothing that more $$ wouldn't solve. LOL :lol:

[gridley]

It looks like it is way past time for an update . . . but not a lot has been happening. I have added a few mushrooms though.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130309mushroom2_zps8428d3bd.jpg

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130309mushroom_zpsb6515e68.jpg

And a few additional recent pictures . . .

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130309zoa2_zps7586a080.jpg

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130309zoa_zps0b58c19a.jpg

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130309coral_zps7d67e5c9.jpg

[Leah]

Your pictures are so nice.. what camera are you using?

[gridley]

Your pictures are so nice.. what camera are you using?

Thank you very much for the compliment. One of my hobbies for years has been nature photography and marine shots are an extension of that - and I have a huge amount to learn yet about taking photos through glass!

About 15 months ago I bought myself a Sony a65. The reviews http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyslta65/ on this camera were very good and I have not been dissapointed :biggrin:. I upgraded the stock lens that came with the camera to an 18-250mm lens for a larger range of possible shots. What drew me to the camera was:
1) the very quick auto focus time - action pictures are much better
2) the ability to take 10 frames/sec - allowing me to get the "perfect" shot of a duck taking off or landing
3) the ability to takes pictures at high ISO - up to 16,000
4) the image size of up to 24MP

What I've found for the tank is that I can take a picture with an image size of 24MP and the lens at 18mm. I am able to take pictures from about 18" from the tank, letting more light in, a lower ISO and I don't have to go to a macro lens or macro settings. I can then crop the image significantly and still have a good sized photo without losing clarity.

Overall, I am very happy with the camera.

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4926392841798112&pid=1.7

[kien]

Looking good! And nice camera!

[Azzkr]

Great start for just getting into SW. Very well laid out system and clean.

[gridley]

Looking good! And nice camera!
Thanks Kien - yes I do really like the camera. The tank is only "looking good" because of some carefully takes shots - if I was to do a FTS the tank will look quite empty :redface: - we have a long way to go - and we are already talking about a potential upgrade! LOL :lol:

Great start for just getting into SW. Very well laid out system and clean.
Thanks - I appreciate the comment. Almost every idea we have had regarding the layout is the result of "borrowing" ideas from other people!

[gridley]

A few months back we purchased a Green Fuzzy Mushroom (I think that was what they called it) - in the past week I have been watching as it appears to have been splitting - a two for one deal! :biggrin:

The first picture was shortly after we got it, the second was taken today.

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130309mushroom_zpsb6515e68.jpg

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130330Mushroom_zpse5080b36.jpg

[gridley]

A number of months ago we purchased a Fox Coral that had three polyps- unfortunatley I placed it too close to a piece of rock and one polyp rubbed against the rock and I soon had two polyps :redface:. Over the past few weeks I have been watching as the polyp that I thought was dead has been slowly regrowing! :biggrin:. I find it absolutley amazing at the ability some of these corals have to withstand the mistakes of a beginner!

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj509/gridley1/130401FoxCoral_zpsade9dbcd.jpg