100 Gallon Renovation
- Thread starter silentscream
- Start date
Saltwaternooby
SPS junkie
Good stuff Justin.
silentscream
New member
Haha, I think you may have a loose definition of genius, but none the less, thanks! The suction cup holders never last long for me, so this should help organize things a bit.
silentscream
New member
Time to play catch up a bit here. Probably about 3 weeks ago now I ordered the "package" from Tampa Bay Saltwater to put into the refugium.
Here we go, part one of the package. Fresh from the airport.
Wait, I can't see anything!
That's better!
Then after a week of making sure everything was stable, we get the second part shipped in. There was no cycle for either shipment, this stuff is so fresh. The life on the rocks and everything Richard includes in the package is amazing.
I flip flop back and forth about my regret as to not purchasing the package for the entire system and just being done with it, but at least by doing it the way I did and using dry rock for the display, I could heavily customize the aquascape. The rocks that are included in the package are cool and interesting shapes, but a bit difficult to aquascape outside of the stereotypical rock pile look.
So right now I have the new aquascape trying to cycle in the display tank before I pipe the entire system together as one. Once the ammonia is reading zero in the display, I will buy live sand from Tampa Bay Saltwater and connect the refugium below. This rock has been cycling for 3 weeks now, and no dip in ammonia. I cannot wait for this to be done, so I can get this temporary tank off the floor and get my fish back in their home.
Boy, it is so difficult getting good color through iphone pictures, my apologies.
Here we go, part one of the package. Fresh from the airport.
Wait, I can't see anything!
That's better!
Then after a week of making sure everything was stable, we get the second part shipped in. There was no cycle for either shipment, this stuff is so fresh. The life on the rocks and everything Richard includes in the package is amazing.
I flip flop back and forth about my regret as to not purchasing the package for the entire system and just being done with it, but at least by doing it the way I did and using dry rock for the display, I could heavily customize the aquascape. The rocks that are included in the package are cool and interesting shapes, but a bit difficult to aquascape outside of the stereotypical rock pile look.
So right now I have the new aquascape trying to cycle in the display tank before I pipe the entire system together as one. Once the ammonia is reading zero in the display, I will buy live sand from Tampa Bay Saltwater and connect the refugium below. This rock has been cycling for 3 weeks now, and no dip in ammonia. I cannot wait for this to be done, so I can get this temporary tank off the floor and get my fish back in their home.
Boy, it is so difficult getting good color through iphone pictures, my apologies.
Jet Black
I finally found this!
With AI I find the pictures look like the real thing if you take the two of the blue channels down to 0%.
Everything looks really nice! Good luck on the move back.
silentscream
New member
Thanks for the tip, I'll try that out and post back the difference
silentscream
New member
Thanks, I'll get a better photo uploaded this weekend when I plumb everything together. The ammonia is finally disappearing and will probably be 0 ppm by tomorrow. Right now the rock is cycling in a half tank full of water.
silentscream
New member
Finally, my display tank is reading zero ammonia and zero nitrites. Today I'm going to plumb the entire system as one and watch for a few days before I put my fish back in and install part two of the TBS package. I'll snap a photo or two later, even though it's a mess of wires. It will be good to have a documented "before" photo.
silentscream
New member
My bad, I thought I answered this.
The package comes with live rock, sand, and clean up crew. The clean up crew is a mix of brittle stars, hermits, snails, cucumbers, peppermint shrimp and whatever hitch hikers hold on to the rock. For good measure Richard from TBS will generally throw in a mix of sponges, gorgonians and a few other critters. I ended up with an urchin and a Blenny of some type. This is from the ocean though, so you run the risk of unwanted hitch hikers. I need to capture a few gorilla crabs and I'm sure I have a either a mantis or a pistol shrimp because I hear a lot of clicking.
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Wow! for 100gallon it is $1186! hope its free shipping.
silentscream
New member
Unless you like a cramped aquarium I would go conservative when ordering. I went with a 20 gallon package for a 20 gallon tank, and I couldn't use all of the rock. For my 100 gallon display, I went with a 80 gallon package, and had him leave out the rock since I already aquascaped with dry fiji rock. So, my final price was considerably less.
No, the shipping is not free. All said and done I will have received 4 shipments, each around $75-80. While the start up cost is up there, I can assure you it is well worth the money, IMO.
No, the shipping is not free. All said and done I will have received 4 shipments, each around $75-80. While the start up cost is up there, I can assure you it is well worth the money, IMO.
silentscream
New member
Well, here's the rough draft. I'm really happy to finally have the whole thing plumbed together, this took about a month or two longer than I expected. Two things worth noting: 1) no leaks first try! 2) that ATB flowstar return pump is amazing, I've never heard a pump that quiet with that much power. I measured 65 watts with a killawatt and then choked it back to about 60 watts for a more appropriate flow. Now my skimmer is the loudest piece of equipment. I'll have to work on that.
robert s b.
Active member
Looks great!
