Huh! Learn something new everyday. Have to remember that.

I was a little nervous about it too...but the guy swore by it...so we tried it and it did! gotta be on an OUTGOING pump though...not a drain pump. Don't ask me why, cause I don't have the slightest clue...

having said that. The tank is still cloudy as all hell and I have to wait to get some filter socks....so got a couple of those nylon bags and filled em full of polyfiber. Slowly getting there. Got the tank up to a nice 80* and sg is 1.025 on the button....so got the current skimmer running which should help as well...

still a little cloudy...but you get the idea:
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...3/IMG_2440.jpg

Top down of the right hand side of the tank, trying to show the little cove:
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...3/IMG_2441.jpg

Top down of the left hand side of the tank
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...3/IMG_2442.jpg

fired up the closed loop, works like a dream. With the two pumps and the small heater I'm maintaining a steady 80* reading. SG is 1.025...forgot to bring in some raw scallop yesterday and today is a day off, so tomorrow we'll start the cycle. Scallop and a cup or so of sand from an established tank should do the trick.

Also ordered two TLF reactors, going to run one with carbon and one with Rowa-phos or something similar. Question...should a maxijet 1200 be enough flow to daisy chain the two reactors together??? Rowaphos in the first one, carbon in the other? or should I look at two separate pumps....

This low budget tank is officially breaking me.

I used to daisy chain the two together with a MJ1200 and it worked just fine.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1250486267

sweet....carbon in the second chamber then? Assuming it would need less flow and more contact time to really polish the water?

I don't remember why but I had GFO I'm the second chamber actually. I think someone recommended that to me back then. I don't run GFO anymore but I thought they both more or less needed equally slowish flow?

well I guess I can try em one way...if I don't like the results I can switch em ha ha...Thanks!

ha ha water WAS crystal clear until I decided to take out some polyfibre....now cloudy again...for a little bit anyways.

Tank was up near 82 degrees this morning when I got into the shop, so lowerd the heater (it's only a 50 watt for crying out loud)...and threw in a hunk of fresh scallop. It was hella hard remembering to save one last night and not cook it....we got fresh scallops and I wanted em all!