180 build from scratch!

[michika]

I have gone the booze route...vodka and juice, and vodka and vodka... I have also been "promoted" to director of the remainder of the aquascaping project for tonight. This means I get to sit on the couch, watch the tank and tell Kevin what to do (the last two parts seem pretty normal for me ). Kevin is designing me some sort of electronic monitoring system for the top of the tank incase more fish jump and make it through the top netting.

So I'm thinking we have another hitchhiker crab that we think came in on that second batch of live rock we got from another reefer. I can't really think of anything else that could kill and eat a whole fish, about 1.5" in length, overnight. All the rocks I took out of the tank tonight were inspected, but I suspect may never know, and need to pull out every rock and inspect everything to find out for sure, and get the thing.

 

[michika]

2nd reflector is up and running, we are still without a second 250w bulb so we've put the 175w XM 15K bulb on the left side of the tank temporarily.

Photos;
Before

After

Photos from the re-aquascape tomorrow!

 

[michika]

UPS tells me my lighting packages should arrive to me by the end of the week. I got out our Workhorse ballasts so they are in easy reach. Now we just need the package to show up.

I also adjusted our lights, since I'm out later and later now due to sports we've move the MH schedule to 12pm-8pm. How should I adjust this schedule once we have the T5s online? I'm hoping for maybe a total of 12 or 14 hours of light, but I'm not sure if that is appropriate for my SPS. I've never run T5s before. Lighting will be 2x 250w MH, 8x 24w T5s.

Can I run my MH for 6-8 hours and then my T5s for the rest of the time? Is this going to be too much light?

I'm hoping for something along the lines of:
9am-12pm T5s
12pm-8pm MH
8pm- 11pm T5s

Yesterday we were at the Calgary Zoo for a Behind the Scenes with the Giraffes. The stingray exhibit still isn't open. We headed to the butterfly conservatory, and then had to head home. I would love to spend a whole day there, but the good days for us to go, aren't so good for Kevin job-wise.

We fed two of the four giraffes at the zoo, Mardi and her son George. The other two didn't come over to see us while we were there.

Mardi

George

A random photo from inside the aviary where the butterfly conservatory is housed.

 

[psteeleb]

I think that lighting schedule will be fine. It's very close to what I run but I have VHO atinics (not t5), and, of course you could go shorter. I don't know if there is a study on how much dark the corals need but I would think 6-8 hours is plenty and you have more then that.

 

[J4Life]

On my 75 gallon I run my MH's for only 8 hours a day and my T5's come on for 10 hours a day. The T5's are overdriven on an IceCap 660 ballast. Here is how my schedule looks.

On
=========
T5's - 1 pm
MH 1 - 2 pm
MH 2 - 2:30 pm

Off
=========
MH 1 - 10 pm
MH 2 - 10:30 pm
T5's - 11 pm

I run 250 watt SE Reeflux 10K's on ARO electronic ballasts. Like you I have a 180 gallon Oceanic that sitting in my basement that I plan to upgrade to some day soon and I will only being using 2 MH's with Lumenarc or Lumen bright reflectors and 2 or 4 T5's. My 180 gallon has a very large glass center brace in the middle so placing a light over it would be a waste in energy and expense.

Hope that helps,
Bill

 

[michika]

Thanks guys, that helps a lot. Now I just need my box to arrive to me!

 

[michika]

So the tank has been running since May 11th, technically its had water in it since then. We have been topping up, but have not yet performed a water change. I try not to do a water change in the first month of setting up a new tank or transfering new livestock from one system to another. It just seems to help things along better. I do however change the water sooner if the chemistry tells me to.

Anyways so these are my pre water change numbers for today. I'm guessing that the total water volume right now is 200g.
Temp 79
SG 1.025
pH 8.1
Nitrate 35! Thursday was 19
Ca 345, Thursday was 400
dKH 6 Thursday was 8
Mg 1260, 1280 on Thursday

I've adjusted the kalk. reactor by adjusting the mixing pump and re-filling it with kalk. powder. I feel kind of dumb because I'm still on auto pilot and dosed the levels I used to do for my 28g long.

Ca reactor is going online ASAP. I'll dose with a powder when I do the water change while we wait for the reactor's plumbing glue to dry. Mg is okay, a few points lower then I want, so I will probably dose for it as well.

Off to do the tanks first water change! I have 55g of water to swap out.

 

[jnarowe]

sounds like a cycle.

 

[michika]

I'm confused, can you elaborate?

 

[jnarowe]

Well, you don't show ammonia numbers, but having your nitrates climb that quickly is usually a sign of a cycle, or mini-cycle as it were. This is very typical for setting up a new tank even when using water and/or rock form an existing system.

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12805479#post12805479 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by michika
I'm confused, can you elaborate?

probably in reference to your nitrate increase - that much of a change usually only happens at the end of a cycle or a significant increase in your bioload (basically the same thing)

with your alk drop (and ca) you may need to start dosing (or dosing more)


added - I think I just said the same thing "jnarowe" said

 

[michika]

Ammonia and nitrite is 0 and were on Thursday too. I'm thinking the nitrates are part of my excessive feeding this weekend, and the death of the powder grey. Either way everything still looks good, and happy. Definitely could be a mini cycle, however I don't have enough consistent data to say much more then that.

Sunday 15? Kevin wrote 15...but he is colour blind, so I'm not sure how valid this is
Tuesday 19/20ish
Thursday 19
Today 35 (testkit), re-test with pinpoint monitor is 22...which to believe?

I'm going to re-calibrate my nitrate meter and test again, along with the testkit. I need to know which test results to believe.

 

[jnarowe]

:lol: good luck with that! All you can do is three tests and take the average. Our hobby tests are not very accurate. Plus you really need brite white light to view them properly. I have a lamp at my testing station just for this.

 

[michika]

Yeah its quite the battle this test kit vs. monitor thing. I have a desk lamp for the same reason!

I screwed up earlier when I wrote 8x24W bulbs for T5, I meant to write 6xT5s... I ordered bulbs in fiji purple, and aquablue. I am itching to get them here and on the tank.

 

[michika]

So the water change is done, and we opted to only do 25g today, and then 25g on Wednesday. Also, schlepping 10 buckets hurt my arms...

So now we are having an issue with the overflow level. Before we had dialed it into a nice level about 4" below the main tank water level. Now the water level is on par with the tank water level. Kevin has been fiddling with it all night I hear. I guess tonight will be a late night because we are still fumbling around with the gate valve...I have never been this frustrated by an overflow before!

 

[Cprowler]

I like the new avatar but I like the one on Canreef better. :rollface:

 

[melev]

If you open the hole in the drain pipe, more air enters and the water level in the overflow should drop. As the hole closes, the water level rises until a vacuum occurs that sucks it all out quickly and noisily.

 

[michika]

Thanks Marc!

The overflow level is fixed again. We are still getting used to the gate valve, and weren't opening it enough at once, which is why it was taking so long to get the level right.

Cprowler,
I'm told this one is pretty fitting for this week! Maybe I'll swap it out later for that sweet SPS photo.

So yesterday;
- Kevin drilled a new plate for the calcium reactor, and made it into a single stage vs. a dual stage.
- We noticed growth on our purple cap!
- Dosed the tank for Ca. and will do dKH this morning
- Firmed up some more return flow plans, we will be using either a Dart or Snapper pump, maybe both.

So the return plan so far is leaning towards a manifold with about 10 nozzles returning water through loc-line around the top of the tank, and two more returning water from pipes placed vertically in the corners of the tank that boarder the overflow. The vertical returns would have holes drilled up their lengths, and potentially alternate their flow from one side to the other. The catch is making it pretty, and trying to keep it sleek.

So far the options we are looking at are spraying the pipes with Krylon's Fusion spray pain, and waiting the PVC to be covered in coraline.

 

[michika]

I just got confirmation that I could actually use wavysea or two with my eurobracing. That is another option we can continue to explore now. I'm also thinking that this type of purchase maybe be a MACNA purchase item along with the vortech I want.

 

[melev]

Sounds like you are going to have big bags of money with you at MACNA - for the first day anyway. :lol: