someone new to salt planing to build a sump+undergravel jets

[Pwny]

anyone know any fish safe ways to paint pvc or what kind of paint?

 

[andersoned14]

is this looking down into tank??? Looks very intresting I need to see this thing running. All the pvc in my tanks I did not paint and it is getting coraline growing on it so I hope it covers it in a couple months so you don't see it. Looks great btw do you have a time line when you think you will be adding water??

 

[Pwny]

thanks, um nothing set just do some here and there when i have spare time but maby a week or 2

 

[andersoned14]

I guess I can wait, lol right now my tank has no fish and I am going to wait another 18 days to try and rid the tank of ich. My patience is being test every day with this hobby.

 

[Jmck]

anderson, you can do it :)


great work there Pwny, its coming along great, you have some real DIY skills. I would not be able to do any of that!

 

[Pwny]

aright so i have a few questions since im still new to reefing i already got my skimmer a Reef Octopus NWB 110 Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer. but i havent got my light yet and was wondering what you guys that have been reeding this thread would suggest for this tank, i was looking at Aquarium Lighting: Coralife Lunar Aqualights Compact Fluorescent Strip Lights but wanted to see what people thought of it for this 30x18x24 56 gal or if they know of anouther good light without spending crazy amounts of money on a led fixture. i want to have my live rock stacked in middle going up near top of tank to cover up pvc and overflow, but id like to try and grow some corals, my fuge will have some poded Chaetomorpha when it gets setup. also ive seen people say diffrent things as far as what to add first live rock or sand, and if the rock goes in first in main tank would it be alright to drop some sand in the fuge? also i was thinking of 1 40lbs bag of Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand
and 1 40 lgb bag of
Marine Substrates: Ocean Direct Caribbean Live Sand at Foster & Smith Aquatics
anyone have sand suggestions or is this on right track it cool for the fuge also :P

 

[Bifferwine]

Those lights aren't strong enough for a reef (notice the picture is a freshwater tank). Compact fluorescents are weak lights -- look into a set of T5s or metal halide instead. You want to aim for at least 4 watts per gallon.

Put rock in the tank first, so the rock sits on the bottom. Then put the sand around it. If you put the rock on top of the sand, you risk a rockslide when the sand shifts.

You don't need to use live sand, just use dry bagged aragonite sand. That sand will become live as soon as you add live rock. You can use the same stuff in the fuge.

 

[Pwny]

so i need somthing a lil over 200 wats a lot of the 30in lights ive seen are only 100 wats would somthing like this be more like what im looking for?Aquarium Lighting for Nano Reef Aquariums: JBJ Lighting K-2 Viper Deluxe HQI Metal Halide Fixture anyone know of one maby a lil cheeper

 

[Ulta]

How bout this one? 250W Metal Halide Pendant Lights

I looked at the T-5 Fixtures on that site and seems like 30" is not a common length, they only have 2ft,3ft, &4ft. Maybe thats where your running into trouble.

regardless a 250w MH pendant should suffice :)

 

[Bifferwine]

30" lights are hard to find. You're stuck between the common 24" and 36" lengths, unfortunately. That pendant that Ulta linked to is a great choice, though. I really like Fish Need It lights.

 

[Pwny]

looks like a good light it says 6700K;14000K;20000K are available, what would be best for a reef setup?

 

[Bifferwine]

Go with the 14K.

 

[Pwny]

that was fast lol i just ordered one :P

 

[Pwny]

so all she needs left is to let wood fill dry sand it off and get some paint slaped on her. Hopefully ill get some more time this week to work on it and be able to do a tast run next weekend. next on the choping bord is building sump then plumbing/wireing. but she is commin along :)

 

[Pwny]

aright so had a lil setback when building the sump guess it will be one more week b4 it gets done >.<

 

[Bifferwine]

Oh damn. That sucks. :(

 

[crazy cajun]

OOPS that sucks !!!! maybe applied to much pressure???

 

[dcantucson]

Damn that sucks! That is the reality come true fear of drilling a tank. I don't think I would have enough confidence to drill one myself. Good luck with the next sump. :x:

 

[Pwny]

lol i think where it whent wrong was i had a dimonds hole bit that the sides were cutting goo but the center drill wasent digging ing so to much stress on the one point. o well $30 down the drain good thing i did it on the 29g tank fist. i got a new one and im putting baffles in trying to get everything but drilling and pluming done by thursday and ima pay a fish store to cut both tanks. o well used the dimond tiped hole drill to cut some holes in some flowerpots for my gf's new 50 gal with a red devil in it :P. o ya nearly forgot i dropt my protine skimmer and broke part of it off that runs from the pump to it when i was measureing the new baffels for the new sump :frustrat: o well some silacone looks like it will fix it, lol seams like im bent on destroying everything befor i can get the tank running lol

 

[dcantucson]

I see some new equipment in your future.