35gal process and changes

[Jschoon]

Here is the beginning of my changes and additions to my 35 gal. The tank has been up for about 2 years or so, but about 9 months ago I moved the tank to paint and had a big die off. All that was left was some polyps a handful of snails and a bunch of algae. I have taken out and scrubbed almost all the rocks and have the following planned for the very near future.
1 - replace crushed coral with sand
2 - replace HOB filter with overflow and add sump
3 - add scrubber to sump
4 - replace old power heads with koralia 1s
5 - add 15 more pounds of LR
6 - paint back of tank black or dark blue

Here is the before pic... Not looking so good...

 

[XxKnuckleheadxX]

sounds good, if you dont have a skimmer i suggest that be toward top of list..

 

[Kazarko]

Are the black things bubble algae? If so I've never seen so many of them ever...

 

[daugherty]

marine alage-fix will help with the bubble alage. and then get a couple emerald crabs they will eat the bubble alage sometimes

 

[yote]

Sounds like you got a sound plan for the rebuild.
Cant wait to see it all coming together.

 

[Jschoon]

Are the black things bubble algae? If so I've never seen so many of them ever...

You are correct. I have (now had) a ton.

 

[Jschoon]

Knucklehead -- I am still thinking about a skimmer. I am putting in the scrubber that SantaMonica posted about first. I have everything on hand to build it.

 

[Bifferwine]

You are correct. I have (now had) a ton.

Oh wow. It looks like a tank full of tapioca!

 

[Jschoon]

Thanks everyone. I will post pics of the progress.

 

[XxKnuckleheadxX]

its your build, but i highly suggest the skimmer before a scrubber... skimmer is one of the most important pieces of equipment you could have in your arsenal..

 

[SeaBee]

Wow, some algae there.

 

[dcantucson]

Wow, that Black stuff looks like it's been fighting you. If it's better now that's great. I'd hate to see what it looked like before. :shock:

Looking forward to seeing your tank come along. Good luck.

 

[Jschoon]

That was the before.. I have been fighting the bubbles for some time. I tried emeralds and they did not make a dent and ended up dead. I have had no luck with them thus far. Last week I went drastic and pulled out the rocks and scrubbed them. I did a couple a day so as not to put too much shock on the system. Here is where I am now...

As you can see I still have a little to remove but it is getting better.

 

[Jschoon]

Forgot to update yesterday. Got my 40 pounds of sand from my LFS for $42. They call if "Fiji Special" and I think it will look great. It is much smaller/finer than the crushed coral. I plan on doing half the tank this week and the rest next. I want to have about 3 days or so between so whatever critters I have have a chance to invade the new sand and so I stir up as little as possble bad stuff.

I also picked up a new 300 gph pump and all the plumbing parts I need.

I have the glass dividers for the sump, but I wonder if it is safe to use. It is glass from an old window. Should I have any concerns using it?

Lastly, I ordered my overflow and should have it this week sometime.

More to come...

 

[Bifferwine]

Major improvement! Your hard work is paying off.

I, personally, would not have a problem using glass from a window. Clean it well with vinegar and water first. I'm not a "window expert" or anything, so maybe someone else will chime in if they are usually coated with something that could harm your tank, because I don't know.

 

[Smitty]

The tank is looking much better...keep up the good work.

 

[SeaBee]

That tank looks much better.

As for the glass, just sand the edges so you dont get cut, or use plexi as the baffles.

 

[Jschoon]

That tank looks much better.

As for the glass, just sand the edges so you dont get cut, or use plexi as the baffles.

I thought about using some plexi. I was concerned that it would not stick to the glass using clear silcone and I would have divider failure. This glass I have is from a window that is about 25 years old. Had just been saving it for that one day when I needed some glass... And my wife says I will never use any of the junk I have in my shop... Ha!

See you all later... Joe

 

[SeaBee]

I thought about using some plexi. I was concerned that it would not stick to the glass using clear silcone and I would have divider failure. This glass I have is from a window that is about 25 years old. Had just been saving it for that one day when I needed some glass... And my wife says I will never use any of the junk I have in my shop... Ha!

See you all later... Joe

That old glass is prob. just fine, just clean it like Biff said. And I would sand the edge a little so you dont get cut.

 

[dcantucson]

That is a hugh improvement indeed. Night and day!