New guy in Brandon

[Joslyn]

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Joslyn.
I started up a tank about 4-5 months ago but just haven't gotten around to registering on this site.

I picked up a 150 gallon wood tank about 5 months ago.
I have a 25 gallon laundry basket type sump.
In a couple batches I put in about 95 pounds of live rock.
I picked up a used Becket Skimmer which has been working great.
T5 lights - Four 4 foot bulbs.
100GPD 3 stage RO/DI filter
pinpoint pH meter

With the help of Mike here in Brandon, and Jason at SWC, I haven't had any serious or expensive problems so far.

Here's what I have in the tank.
1 Yellow Tang
1 Regal Tang
2 Maroon Clowns
1 Blenny
2 Columbian Sharks - I was able to get these locally in Brandon to help start cycling the tank and I just left them there.
1 Benghai Cardinal
50 Turbo snails
30 blue hermits
3 scarlet hermits
1 emerald crab
2 candy shrimp
2 queen conchs

As I'm getting into this I realized the corals are much more interesting than the fish to me anyway.
I've probably got too much in the tank too fast, but I'll quit now for a while.
I've got a few feather duster worms,
green button polyps
green star polyps
purple/orange mushrooms
small pulsing xenia
a couple toadstools
anemone
small brain coral

Everything seems to be growing and happy.

Ammonia and nitrite tests show nothing. Nitrate very low - about 0.2ppm.
I'm doing about 10 gallons of water change per week.
Any problems with doing this weekly? Most things I have read say do more water every two weeks or every month. I just find it easier to keep a routine if it's weekly.

A couple things I need to take care of.
- A bit of hair algae growth. This is under control, and probably just needs a bit more water flow and attention to blowing off the rocks more
often.
- calcium and alkalinity levels low. Calcium around 320-350 for the past couple weeks. Alk around 8. I'm dripping about 3 gallons of kalk per day (more than evaporation), but I may need to look at a calcium reactor.
- level of sump. I would like to get an auto top off pump to put in the kalk so the salinity levels are not up and down with the sump level.
- Need more aragonite base. I have probably 2.5-3 inches now and should have around 4.
- Overflows not ideal. I might consider building little boxes inside to get more surface water pulled off.

I'll make another post with some pictures.

Any suggestions for me?

[Skimmerking]

A couple things I need to take care of.
- A bit of hair algae growth. This is under control, and probably just needs a bit more water flow and attention to blowing off the rocks more
often.
Joslyn the more cirrent is not really going to help you out you need to track down the excess nutrients in the tank. Dripping Kalk should slow down the Algae in the tank.



- level of sump. I would like to get an auto top off pump to put in the kalk so the salinity levels are not up and down with the sump level.


THe salinity levels shouldnt be moving up and down. try to stick with the evaporation to kalk, have you considered adding turbo calcium to the tank to bring up the CAL levels. ANd Arm and hammer baking soda for the ALK levels




- Need more aragonite base. I have probably 2.5-3 inches now and should have around 4.


With the sand bed base do you have any fine sand in there. you only really need around 1-2" of sand bed for the denitrify to start process to work the 4" rule is pretty much not really there any more..





mike

[Skimmerking]

Where do you live in Brandon Joslyn i live on 338 Dennis street. I remember mike having his 1st tank the 55 gal and then he went to the 120 and now the 180 he has come along way from the 55 gal tank. his tank is really taken off...


mike

give me a call me be we can trade some frags

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[Doug]

Hi Joslyn,

WELCOME to CANREEF

Did you get a new pump for the skimmer yet?

[predator]

Welcome Joslyn

How is the wood tank working out? Who made it?

I going to be setting up a 135g wood tank very soon and was wondering what kind of epoxy was used.

[phreezee]

Welcome to the board! That's a crazy amount of life you have in there for 4 months! Saltwater is sooo addictive!

[Joslyn]

I'm at 1052 8th.

I haven't gotten a new pump Doug - This was originally yours right?
It makes a bit of a racket but I can live with it.
There's nothing really wrong with it is there?

I like the wood tank. It seems good and solid, and I never have to worry about running into it with something and breaking it. Its very easy to cut holes for whatever you want. Less concern about how it sits on its base too. In fact I don't really have a base - just some cinder blocks. It's just 3/4 inch plywood. I got it from Mike (yes another MIke...) at Vinny's in Brandon. He knows someone who makes them so you could go ask him. I don't really know how it was made. The paint or epoxy is a bright blue color, but I don't know what it is.

I had a bit of a mess a couple days ago. My return pump from my sump to the main tank died. I hadn't cleaned it as often as I should have and the ceramic shaft in the impeller broke. I also stupidly stuck on an extra fitting on the return line in the main tank to direct water a bit, and it was another inch or two lower in the water - so it siphoned an extra couple inches out of the main tank and onto my floor, which set of the house alarm because the phone line got wet and it didn't work for about a day. Anyway - it's all cleaned up now. Now I know to clean all my pumps at least once a month. A new impeller was only about $30.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Joslyn

I haven't gotten a new pump Doug - This was originally yours right?
It makes a bit of a racket but I can live with it.
There's nothing really wrong with it is there?

Hmmm, not sure what you mean Joslyn. The pump you purchased with my skimmer was brand new. I thought you sold it to Mike though and were going to buy a new, larger pump for the skimmer? What are you running on the skimmer now?

Yea, I know what you mean about watching build up on impellar shafts. One of the pain in the butts of our hobby. If you wish to run a return pipe, a bit lower in the water, you can drill a siphon break hole in the pipe, just about at the waters surface. That way it will beak the siphon during a pump shutdown.

It should be drilled at a slight angle, so the water squirts downward to the water surface. It also needs to be given a poke clean now and then, to keep build ups from clogging the hole.

Even with that, I usually make sure my returns are no lower than the max my sump can hold. Perhaps a larger sump would benefit you also, like one of the 55g Rubbermaid tubs. That would near double your holding capacity. I use one of the white ones, available from Zellers. Only problem, it has the little legs that can push up over time, so I always use styro under it and cut holes to accept the legs protusions.

[Skimmerking]

Hey there Joslyn, If you want i can pop over tonight to give you a hand on fixing the return i have lots of plumbing parts and pipe. So if you can handle yet another MIKE Give me a call ok my number is at the upper post that i sent you. I take it you are running 1" or 3/4" right for the mak 4



mike
p.s I have a hockey game tonight in shilo at 6pm and can stop over later ok

[Skimmerking]

the conchs are you interested in trading a conch or selling


mike