220 Inwall - Plan
- Thread starter bheron
- Start date
- Status
Haha. Would be a nice experiment, though. 
bheron
Active member
Hey, not too much to update here, but its been awhile so I figure I'd let everyone know what going on.
A couple of things:
1) Still working on my first water change. Its tougher now with more water volume to do simple WCs. This one's gonna be 50 gallons and, between the water I need for topoffs, and trying to fill up my 50 gallon tub, its taking quite awhile.
2) One of my brand new Tunze Streams is broken! Not sure what happened - just noticed it not working. I've taken it out and Marine Depot has been helpful so far. We'll see.
3) Another rookie mistake the other day. I noticed my corals looked really closed up. I shortly realized that my one bank of lights were on ALL night pretty much!! Yep, when I checked, I realized I set the timer wrong and had the lights set to come on at 3AM rather than 3PM. So, my lights all went off at midnight and one set came on at 3AM! Man they mustve all been peeved! Well, simple, but bad mistake. Always double check your timers!
4) Finally, Ive been back working on those pesky microbubbles. Its not my sump, but I've been hypothesizing that it was coming from my return pump/plumbing. I proved this yesterday by shutting off the main return pump for about 2 hours and definitely saw a decrease in the microbubbles. So I'm now gonna go around and reseal all the PVC Connections.
My question is: I was looking real closely at the Union Im using at my return pump connection. Of course I couldnt use any glue here -- just teflon tape. Is it possible this is leaking air into the return plumbing???
A couple of things:
1) Still working on my first water change. Its tougher now with more water volume to do simple WCs. This one's gonna be 50 gallons and, between the water I need for topoffs, and trying to fill up my 50 gallon tub, its taking quite awhile.
2) One of my brand new Tunze Streams is broken! Not sure what happened - just noticed it not working. I've taken it out and Marine Depot has been helpful so far. We'll see.
3) Another rookie mistake the other day. I noticed my corals looked really closed up. I shortly realized that my one bank of lights were on ALL night pretty much!! Yep, when I checked, I realized I set the timer wrong and had the lights set to come on at 3AM rather than 3PM. So, my lights all went off at midnight and one set came on at 3AM! Man they mustve all been peeved! Well, simple, but bad mistake. Always double check your timers!
4) Finally, Ive been back working on those pesky microbubbles. Its not my sump, but I've been hypothesizing that it was coming from my return pump/plumbing. I proved this yesterday by shutting off the main return pump for about 2 hours and definitely saw a decrease in the microbubbles. So I'm now gonna go around and reseal all the PVC Connections.
My question is: I was looking real closely at the Union Im using at my return pump connection. Of course I couldnt use any glue here -- just teflon tape. Is it possible this is leaking air into the return plumbing???
mcdonaldtj
New member
It most likely is coming from there, What I did was went out and got aquarium silicone sealer that they use to make tanks and put it around the connections that way it seals it up and you can take it off later. HTH
V/Tim
V/Tim
tgunn
Active member
I used Schedule 80 unions most places on my tank (cheaper than schedule 40 in my area)... They seem to seal fine as is, but the schedule 40s need to be cranked down a little bit more....
BTW, I hear your pain on the timers. I accidentally hit the "random" button on my ozone generator timer a week ago; so for a day it was coming on for 0-15 minutes every hour (randomly) instead of the usual 5 minutes per hour. Glad I caught that in time; though I'm dosing a very low dose of ozone so it didn't make a diff. Yes, I know I should be running a controller.
Tyler
BTW, I hear your pain on the timers. I accidentally hit the "random" button on my ozone generator timer a week ago; so for a day it was coming on for 0-15 minutes every hour (randomly) instead of the usual 5 minutes per hour. Glad I caught that in time; though I'm dosing a very low dose of ozone so it didn't make a diff. Yes, I know I should be running a controller.
Tyler
TheCoralReef731
New member
Wow! I really like your setup. It is very well planned out and very neat. Have you thought of using a sliding rack for your lighting? I think that would work very well for your lighting. How does the holding tank work? Does it have a system to drip the new specimens, or no?
bheron
Active member
Hi all, thanks for the feedback. I think I've narrowed down the microbubble thing finally (see below).
But first and update...
- Got a few more frags the other day! Im really not trying to stock this thing up, but each time I get something, local fellow reefers have been so kind and nice that I always come back with more than I wanted! Pulsing Xenia has been on the top of my list for awhile and I picked some up from a local reefer the other day. Well, he threw in a rock of zoos for a few more bucks, and then a stony coral (my first one) for free! Ive never heard of it, but its called "Hydnophora sp." Everything acclimated just fine, well not sure about the Hydnophora since I dont know what signs to look for to see if its doing well. Anyway, I'll have pics tomorrow night. Here's my current list of corals:
- Frogspawn
- Torch Coral
- Gree Star Polyp
- Red Mushroom
- Assorted Zoos
- Zenia
- Hydnophora sp
Its a nice start and, hopefully, we'll keep it there for now.
- Also, performed my first water change on Saturday. 50 gallons (20%) and boy was it a task. Took about 2 hours to make the switch, cleaning out the sump in the process. Not much of it was automated as I wanted to make sure I tried it myself before putting in some kind of system. Well, I'll be working on that real soon. The water is noticably clearer after the WC. Fish and corals seem the same, however, my Banded Coral Shrimp molted just like he always does after a WC. Good sign I guess. I'll already have plans to automate the process but am bummed b/c the LFS I buy my sea salt from burned down. So I need to find a better deal, or fork out some more cash soon! Any ideas?
- Disaster of the week: along with my WC system, I have a very manual, crude top off process. It involves running clear tubing from my 18g FW resivoir into the sump. Well, I learned a lesson in gravity last week. I always make sure the tubing isnt left submerged in the sump after a top off -- knowing how a reverse siphon works. Well, one night last week some how the tubing came unlatched and fell to the floor. I wasnt doing a topoff so you wouldnt think anything of it, right?? Wrong!! :mad2: Even though there wasnt anything forcing the water, b/c the end of the tub, when it fell on the ground, was "BELOW" the other end of the tub in the resivoir, it resulted in an instand siphon! Yep, water on the floor. And, b/c I was making RODI water for my WC, I was continuously pumping FW onto the floor for about 2 hours, at a slow rate!!! When I noticed it, I quickly shut things down. Luckily I caught it in time. If I hadnt been making RODI, it would drained maybe 3 gallons of water from the resivoir and that would've been it. Thats another reason I dont run my RODI when Im not around. Oh, but I caught a break when the rubber baseboard I put in went into action and stopped 90% of the water! instead of the water going all over the adjoining room, it formed a pool of sorts. Only some seeped through. Here's what the baseboard looks like:
[/IMG]
THANK YOU REEFCENTRAL!
In the end, it was a slightly damp rug, a slew of towles in the dryer, an averted heart attack, and another lession learned! Be aware of differing levels in areas of siphon.
- Alright, one more update and I'll end this neverending novel....
Im pretty sure I know what I have microbubbles...and why I had them in my last tank, too! Its not the sump. I now have a 75 g sump. I dont think its the return plumbing (well, sort of) -- I resealed all of the plumbing this weekend with an extra coat of PVC cement. But...it IS the Loc Lines I use at the end of my return plmbing back into the display. YEP! I use two loc lines that are threaded and screwed into threaded PVC. I realized either they're damaged or are not on tight enough and let in air bubbles. I tried tightening them this weekend and made on worse. No I can literally see the airbubbles shooting out of the loc lines. So, out wit them this week and I think that will be the end of the saga. I think......
Mcdonald:
Melev:
- Im hoping I dont have to go that far. We'll see after I replace the loc lines with plan ol PVC. Thanks!
Tgunn:
- Hmmmm...Interesting. Thanks!
TheCoralReef731:
- Thank you!!! Planning was my biggest part of the effort, and its paid off several times (see above RE: flood
). As far as the rack, yes, Ive thought of that and seen it on here a few times. Would like to have something like that and probably will. The current system for my lights is a major PITA, let me tell you. It will be made out of aluminum (ala Weatherson) and on a moving rack (ala Melev). Some day. The holding tank has been working great so far with acclimating new corals. I dont have an official drip system, per say, but I do have a system in which I clip the specimen back, open, to the side of the tank. After 15-20 mins, I begin replacing the water in the bag, slowly, over the next hour or so. With it held in place, it makes a work of difference! Im also going to make the holding tank double as a fuge, I've decided. Thanks for the comments!
rdmpe:
- The union is threaded to the PVC, so maybe thats it. Hopefully, as mentioned, I have it figured out. THanks for the input!
Well, if you've read this far, it must be Monday morning and time for work!
Pics of the new corals to come soon. And an update on the microbubbles!
But first and update...
- Got a few more frags the other day! Im really not trying to stock this thing up, but each time I get something, local fellow reefers have been so kind and nice that I always come back with more than I wanted! Pulsing Xenia has been on the top of my list for awhile and I picked some up from a local reefer the other day. Well, he threw in a rock of zoos for a few more bucks, and then a stony coral (my first one) for free! Ive never heard of it, but its called "Hydnophora sp." Everything acclimated just fine, well not sure about the Hydnophora since I dont know what signs to look for to see if its doing well. Anyway, I'll have pics tomorrow night. Here's my current list of corals:
- Frogspawn
- Torch Coral
- Gree Star Polyp
- Red Mushroom
- Assorted Zoos
- Zenia
- Hydnophora sp
Its a nice start and, hopefully, we'll keep it there for now.
- Also, performed my first water change on Saturday. 50 gallons (20%) and boy was it a task. Took about 2 hours to make the switch, cleaning out the sump in the process. Not much of it was automated as I wanted to make sure I tried it myself before putting in some kind of system. Well, I'll be working on that real soon. The water is noticably clearer after the WC. Fish and corals seem the same, however, my Banded Coral Shrimp molted just like he always does after a WC. Good sign I guess. I'll already have plans to automate the process but am bummed b/c the LFS I buy my sea salt from burned down. So I need to find a better deal, or fork out some more cash soon! Any ideas?
- Disaster of the week: along with my WC system, I have a very manual, crude top off process. It involves running clear tubing from my 18g FW resivoir into the sump. Well, I learned a lesson in gravity last week. I always make sure the tubing isnt left submerged in the sump after a top off -- knowing how a reverse siphon works. Well, one night last week some how the tubing came unlatched and fell to the floor. I wasnt doing a topoff so you wouldnt think anything of it, right?? Wrong!! :mad2: Even though there wasnt anything forcing the water, b/c the end of the tub, when it fell on the ground, was "BELOW" the other end of the tub in the resivoir, it resulted in an instand siphon! Yep, water on the floor. And, b/c I was making RODI water for my WC, I was continuously pumping FW onto the floor for about 2 hours, at a slow rate!!! When I noticed it, I quickly shut things down. Luckily I caught it in time. If I hadnt been making RODI, it would drained maybe 3 gallons of water from the resivoir and that would've been it. Thats another reason I dont run my RODI when Im not around. Oh, but I caught a break when the rubber baseboard I put in went into action and stopped 90% of the water! instead of the water going all over the adjoining room, it formed a pool of sorts. Only some seeped through. Here's what the baseboard looks like:
THANK YOU REEFCENTRAL!
In the end, it was a slightly damp rug, a slew of towles in the dryer, an averted heart attack, and another lession learned! Be aware of differing levels in areas of siphon.
- Alright, one more update and I'll end this neverending novel....
Im pretty sure I know what I have microbubbles...and why I had them in my last tank, too! Its not the sump. I now have a 75 g sump. I dont think its the return plumbing (well, sort of) -- I resealed all of the plumbing this weekend with an extra coat of PVC cement. But...it IS the Loc Lines I use at the end of my return plmbing back into the display. YEP! I use two loc lines that are threaded and screwed into threaded PVC. I realized either they're damaged or are not on tight enough and let in air bubbles. I tried tightening them this weekend and made on worse. No I can literally see the airbubbles shooting out of the loc lines. So, out wit them this week and I think that will be the end of the saga. I think......
Mcdonald:
- Thanks!
Melev:
- Im hoping I dont have to go that far. We'll see after I replace the loc lines with plan ol PVC. Thanks!
Tgunn:
- Hmmmm...Interesting. Thanks!
TheCoralReef731:
- Thank you!!! Planning was my biggest part of the effort, and its paid off several times (see above RE: flood
). As far as the rack, yes, Ive thought of that and seen it on here a few times. Would like to have something like that and probably will. The current system for my lights is a major PITA, let me tell you. It will be made out of aluminum (ala Weatherson) and on a moving rack (ala Melev). Some day. The holding tank has been working great so far with acclimating new corals. I dont have an official drip system, per say, but I do have a system in which I clip the specimen back, open, to the side of the tank. After 15-20 mins, I begin replacing the water in the bag, slowly, over the next hour or so. With it held in place, it makes a work of difference! Im also going to make the holding tank double as a fuge, I've decided. Thanks for the comments!rdmpe:
- The union is threaded to the PVC, so maybe thats it. Hopefully, as mentioned, I have it figured out. THanks for the input!
Well, if you've read this far, it must be Monday morning and time for work!
Pics of the new corals to come soon. And an update on the microbubbles!
gkarshens
New member
For your salt... If you have a Petsmart around you. Their website price on the 160g bucket of Instant Ocean is 31.99. If you print that and go to the store they will honor the price. http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...t+ocean&In=All&previousText=instant+ocean&N=2
bheron
Active member
Gkarshens - thanks! Ive been price comparing and this helps.
Beleive it or not, my awesome LFS was selling me 150g "boxes" of Crystal Sea Salt for.....$17.99!! Yep. They sold the buckets for $19.99 and that was the lowest until I saw the boxes. My other LFS sold the same buckets for $39.99. So, right now, $31.99 is pretty good.
I may never find the same deal again...or at least until my LFS re-opens.
Beleive it or not, my awesome LFS was selling me 150g "boxes" of Crystal Sea Salt for.....$17.99!! Yep. They sold the buckets for $19.99 and that was the lowest until I saw the boxes. My other LFS sold the same buckets for $39.99. So, right now, $31.99 is pretty good.
I may never find the same deal again...or at least until my LFS re-opens.
bheron
Active member
Hey Marc. thats actually a good idea! Wish I thoght of that. Well, one problem is that I busted one of the loc lines by overtightening it :-() !! I know, classic mistake. Oh, and no, I dont think I used teflon tape either -- dumb b/c I used it all throughout the rest of the plumbing.
I realized, since I dont take full advantage of the loc lines anyway, I wont use them anyway. In fact, I liked having them submersed only an inch or two below the surface as they acted as an instant siphon from backflows (I know, I can drill the PVC too).
So, b/c the one is busted anyway, I decided to run over to HD today and get a few extra PVC parts to make a mini spray bar, of sorts. And I'm gonna glue the whole thing really well.
If this turns out to be the problem all this time......why I oughta...
I realized, since I dont take full advantage of the loc lines anyway, I wont use them anyway. In fact, I liked having them submersed only an inch or two below the surface as they acted as an instant siphon from backflows (I know, I can drill the PVC too).
So, b/c the one is busted anyway, I decided to run over to HD today and get a few extra PVC parts to make a mini spray bar, of sorts. And I'm gonna glue the whole thing really well.
If this turns out to be the problem all this time......why I oughta...
bheron
Active member
PICTURE TIME!!
PICTURE TIME!!
Just took these tonight! Still have to learn how to take these closeups -- cant seem to get it focused right!
Full Shot of the Tank:
Always make the Frogspawn go first:
How does the color look? Not sure. The pic is accurate.
Torch Coral
Green Star Polyp with Red Mushroom
Zenia!
Some nice colored zoos I hope spread all over my tank!
And my one and only SPS coral (already forget the name) Hydro-something...
If anyone's seen one of these before, let me know how it looks.
PICTURE TIME!!
Just took these tonight! Still have to learn how to take these closeups -- cant seem to get it focused right!
Full Shot of the Tank:
Always make the Frogspawn go first:
How does the color look? Not sure. The pic is accurate.
Torch Coral
Green Star Polyp with Red Mushroom
Zenia!
Some nice colored zoos I hope spread all over my tank!
And my one and only SPS coral (already forget the name) Hydro-something...
If anyone's seen one of these before, let me know how it looks.
bheron
Active member
Too much to fit in one post....continuing from above with pics.
The Usual Suspects:
Cleaner Shrimp
Emerald Crab
...And The Grinch himself
And close out with a side shot:
Also, Im really having fun feeding this cyclopeeze stuff to the tank. The fish and inverts LOVE it, and I believe its very healthy for them. Not sure, however, if the corals are getting any. Ive even been target feeding the Frogspawn and Torch with a turkey baster. Tonight I target fed them as well with Mysis Shrimp.
A few pieces of the shirmp stuck in their tenticles, but I didnt see them eat it. How do I know theyre getting any food?
Enjoy!
The Usual Suspects:
Cleaner Shrimp
Emerald Crab
...And The Grinch himself
And close out with a side shot:
Also, Im really having fun feeding this cyclopeeze stuff to the tank. The fish and inverts LOVE it, and I believe its very healthy for them. Not sure, however, if the corals are getting any. Ive even been target feeding the Frogspawn and Torch with a turkey baster. Tonight I target fed them as well with Mysis Shrimp.
A few pieces of the shirmp stuck in their tenticles, but I didnt see them eat it. How do I know theyre getting any food?
Enjoy!
melev
Well-known member
Your pictures are a touch too green, but they still look good and give us a nice indication of how your tank is doing.
That is a Hynophora.
Frogspawn, Torch, and Hammer corals have a mouth within the tentacles. They can eat mysis and even tiny bits of krill or silversides. Usually you'll only see the mouths at night when the tentacles are retracted.
That is a Hynophora.
Frogspawn, Torch, and Hammer corals have a mouth within the tentacles. They can eat mysis and even tiny bits of krill or silversides. Usually you'll only see the mouths at night when the tentacles are retracted.
- Status
Similar threads
