Putter's first tank

so I should be looking at some sort of algae bloom in the next short while?
won't be able to get any critters for about another week anyhow so will have some time to keep and eye on it to make sure. Man it would be nice if it was over already LOL.
 
I always add live rock first with Phosban or equivalent in sump with running skimmer. I really do not see the point in letting the phosphates from rock curing being absorbed by a sand bed as the Live rock goes through the die off stage of curing. I always wait to arrange rock until after curing and adding sand bed, just move it to one side to get it out of the way to add sand. Tank is just used as a vessel for rock curing, with easily applied skimming and chemiacl absorption through medias, in the beginning not as a show piece. However I only seed my sand beds with live sand, so I would probably do things differently with an entire bed of live sand. Good live sand is expensive, up here it is more expensive to get really good live sand than to get good live rock, si I give good treatment to my live sand materials. I prefer dedicated circulation pumps to unsightly in tank pumps. If your going to go with high dollar LED's you should consider a temperature controller for your heaters. Cheap insurance even without a chiller being used.
 
Bifferwine! What size sump refugium are you using that you have 1800 gph flowing through it? Seems like it would be pretty turbulent if the water is very shallow. Do all your skimmer micro bubbles actually disipate with that quick flow through your sump/refugium? Figuring 30 gallons water in your sump/refugium means a turnover of once per minute. Possible, sure but why?
 
Putter, please change your RO exit valve over to a plastic valve. Low pH, soft water and brass/copper do not work well together. Unless you, for some strange unknown reason, want to put copper back into your freshly cleaned/filtered water. I really doubt that you will find factory furnished brass or copper fittings anywhere on a RO or a RODI unit. If so they were definately not using an engineer or an experience marine aquarist to look over there production plans. Home Depot, and probably Lowes, carries a complete line of plastic fittings, threaded and Johnny Quest.
 
The brass fitting was on the system for the first few days, where I live I don't have access to alot of materials and that was all I could find in that size to stop flow. I have since had the kent marine float system on that barrel, oh and by the way, I got rid of the barrel of water that was in use while the brass fitting was on the exit line, but I think that was covered in a post here some where....maybe....

Oh and I will be looking into a controler at some point in the near future....got to pay off the expensive light first...LOL, heck at some point I would like to be able to run digital probes for water quality ensurance, but again it will have to come down the road when I actualy find out if I can manage to keep a system up.
 
Last edited:
Recieved the replacement power supply tonight...got a couple pics of the lunar light set up.
IMG_0022.jpg

IMG_0023-1.jpg
 
fatman said:
Bifferwine! What size sump refugium are you using that you have 1800 gph flowing through it? Seems like it would be pretty turbulent if the water is very shallow. Do all your skimmer micro bubbles actually disipate with that quick flow through your sump/refugium? Figuring 30 gallons water in your sump/refugium means a turnover of once per minute. Possible, sure but why?
Click to expand...

I have a 55 gallon sump/fuge. No turbulence or microbubbles. I didn't even bother to build bubble traps into this sump either. I have a recirculating skimmer that sits outside of the sump (it's almost four feet tall and doesn't fit under my stand), so I don't experience any problems with it. If you take into account the distance that the water has to travel from the return pump back to the tank, it's probably a lot less than 1800 gph.
 
:shock:Wow, a four foot skimmer. Is that a DYI or a commercial unit. Is the through put large enough to run all your externally circulated water through prior to the sump? Are you extra safe, or have a heavy load in your tank? Four foot! Of course I do suffer from the disease of more and bigger. Used to get me into all kinds of trouble when married. Now it just means more circulation (and larger bulkheads), higher light intensity, more live rock and dreams of larger tanks. I guess I need to find another LFS to manage again. Nah!
 
Tested again today and the results are:

Temp 80.5
Ammonia 0
Nitrites .25
Nitrates 10
Phos 0
PH 8
ALK 11
Calc 430...435??
salinity .023

Nitrites are dropping slowly, Ammonia is <.25 so I assume 0, no color to the test water at all. I am trying to bring the temp down, most fish from what I see like it between 74 ish and 78? Can't see anything moving in the tank or on the rocks, no alage yet, with luck the Nitrites will be at 0 in anohter day or 2 and I will be able to order some kind of macro alage for the fuge and maybe some clean up crew, altho, I see nothing for them to clean yet. Maybe a pair of clowns to start with. Any thoughts or suggestions for stock?
 
Well looks like I am waiting until Monday to order fishes and such, Nitrites are .1 and Nitrates @5 Ammonia is still <.25 and every thing else seems to be ok. Dang it was |---| that close, in fact by the time the critters and fish showed up it probably would have been ok, they would not arrive here until late tomorrow. Sigh I guess I waited this long another 5 days won't kill.....I do have to wait right.....<looks around for some one....ANY one in the crowd that will tell him to go ahead and get the fishes!>....:grumble:
 
Well I did it, I ordered my first critters and fishes today, also ordered some chaetomorpha for the fuge. This is what I have comming:

Clownfish - Ocellaris ORAORA Ocellaris Clown2
Crab - EmeraldEmerald Crab1
Snail - CerithCerith Snail4
Snail - Red Banded TurboRed Banded Turbo Snails30
Snail - Conch SpiderSpider Conch1
Snail - NassariusNassarius Snails20
Snail - Spiny AstreaSpiny Astrea5

hope that about does it for a start, and they won't be here for a week to 10 days, depending on the airlines cargo loads....seems they are a bit over stuffed with cargo and passengers right now :( So there should be ample time for the tank to finish what it is doing.
 
Last edited:
Sounds good. Good cleaner crew. 30 turbo snails is a bit much though, depending on if they are big or small (the link didn't work). I have 4 turbos in my 240, and that's more than enough. I would have gotten 30 astraea snails and only a few turbos. If they are small, it's okay though. Good going with the nassarius snails.
 
Yeah, that definitely isn't a Mexican turbo, which gets really big. Those should be fine in the quantity you ordered, I wouldn't bother changing it.
 
And while I have your attention....I have 2 #3 and 1#2 korila power heads...is that enough flow in a 100 gallon, or should I add another power head, I have a #3 and a #2, was going to use one the the hospital tank and the other just to circulate water in the storage tub...but I certainly can use one or both in the tank if advised to. LOL I knew there was more I wanted to ask... is it ok to start using purple up in a new tank, or should I give it awhile to settle out, also I still have micro particles floating in the water colum, should I be concerned with these? I have a HOB filter from the hospital tank I could install with the carbon cartridge if it would help or if there is a need for it.
 
Last edited:
Running carbon will help clear up the water faster. You can start using the Purple Up right now if you want, I love the stuff, I thought it did wonders for my tanks, but others have not seen results with it. It seems to be hit or miss. I dig the stuff. And if it doesn't work for you, then you're just out some cash.

I would add one more powerhead to your tank. I have six #3s running in my 240. The more flow, the better.
 

Similar threads

JohnVH
200 Gallon build
2
Replies
29
Views
6K
JohnVH
JohnVH
C
New Reef Tank Opinions
Replies
0
Views
1K
CTorres28
C
Klavis
125 Gallon FOWLR First Tank
Replies
2
Views
2K
Aquarian
Aquarian
MikeMartin
(Feedback Needed) My plan for a natural low-tech nano reef.
Replies
4
Views
3K
ErinCahir
ErinCahir
bwilhite
Barbara's Showcase
Replies
6
Views
1K
Aquarian
Aquarian
Back
Top