Twisty nano's build
 

Hi,

I'm new here :) Great forum and lot's of nice projects. :biggrin:

The members seems to very knowledgeable and courteous.

So this project started out 5 years ago, I had to put it on hold due to buying a new house. :sad: Prior to this project I owned a 75gl Reef (no sump)

I recently finished my basement and decided to resurrect this project.

My plans are to run a Biocube with Coast to Coast overflow and 40gl breeder tank Sump.
I also have a smaller 12gl cube that will be plumbed in-line.

When I first started the project (5 years ago) I had cut the back out of the tanks and assembled the overflow boxes. I recently made the Durso standpipes.

I built a custom stand to house the tanks and sump.

I will have several questions... some of which i have already answered by reading others posts.

Here's a pic of the project so far
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=6757

Finished basement....what's with the door sitting sideways? lol just kidding. looks good bud.:mrgreen:

It's a magic trick :P

It's going to be a slow process. I'm doing a bunch of reading/research regarding the muriatic acid baths we talked about.

I have approx 100lbs of rock that have been sitting "dry" for 5+ years. Prior to letting them "dry" I had cooked them.
Ie: Let them sit in a DARK TUB with him High flow and RO Salt Water with several water changes weekly.

RC's thread mention bleaching them ACID, there seems to be various opinion on the order of execution.

Is bleaching necesarry? or should I only do the ACID bath.

Do you think my local hardware store will have this muriatic acid? (home depot).

There's also a mention of using Baking Soda or Draino to neutralize the ACID.

It's cold in Ottawa (as i mentioned yesterday) :cry:

I'm hoping to find a warmer day to do this outside without the water freezing.

Any input would be appreciated.

Read the above in red please

Hi Twisty,

In regards to your question about the big 3 (alk, cal, mag), the following numbers should be a good guide (I am no expert).

alk : 6.5 - 8.5
cal : 410 - 430
mag : 1250 - 1300

I am only just starting to learn about balancing the big 3 myself, so hopefully other, more experienced reefers could chime in.
I would also recommend you do some research based on what livestock you plan on keeping, not every tank is the same.

I like the multi-level tank idea. This is going to be an interesting build!

Dog,

thanks for the numbers! :)
based on your thread... I know you don't have any test kits... but what brands are suggested?
I do know you like beer :idea:

I plan on keeping a Mixed Reef, given the size of the larger LOL tank. I will have to be selective with my corals or use frags.

I still haven't figured out what i'm going to do with the smaller tank.

I also have an empty spot, was thinking either Quarantine or Frag tank.

In my tank, I just couldn't keep my Ca stable unless my Mg was 1400ish. Once I got my mag there, I could leave my Ca reactor set for months till I had to refill it. And I started seeing huge growth of SPS once my Ca hit 420.
Either way, start with getting your Mg stable where you want it. Then play with the other two. If you don't, you'll chase numbers till the cows come home. Sk8er on RC has a great write up on the relationships between the 3

Good advice

And as for your other comments twisty, well you can't offer beers if you're halfway across the country
Most of us that are talking to you are in BC, so good luck with the beers for trade stuff :wink:

LOL...