250 gallon reef setup/build

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Dino said:
Agreed, from the pictures it looks like at most there might be 5 gallons of overflow room in the sump. Calculated out that means if the main tank drops anymore than 1/2" when power goes out the sump is going to be running over.



Ok, from this post it sounds like you're going to be adding fish right away. You need to slow way way WAY down. Not only do these DIY rocks need to cure for a couple months or sometimes even longer (and that is in a separate container that you can regularly change all the water in), dumping some magic chemicals in the water is not going to make it ready for any fish "soon". You'll need to wait a month or perhaps even longer for the tank to cycle and stabilize.

Here is a really good post on everything that is required with DIY rocks. Its not as simple as molding a bunch of rocks, waiting a few hours for the concrete to dry and throwing them in the tank.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11531293&postcount=12
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Check online buddy I went to my LFS There is some new stuff out that cycles tanks in a week. This isnt my frist tank my friend i have had plenty everything will cycle well and i simulated a power outage at worst i may have a gallon or two on the floor i cut the pvs on my return to sit almost at the very top of the water so once it drains down i will be a ok
 
dericcanderson said:
i simulated a power outage at worst i may have a gallon or two on the floor i cut the pvs on my return to sit almost at the very top of the water so once it drains down i will be a ok
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LOL well if you are ok with a gallon of saltwater on your floor...
Stuff that cycles a tank in a week = :thumbdown JMO
Best of luck!
 
Hey. looking at your pictures, it appears that you have a leak. You can see water coming down the front of the stand near the middle of the stand. It is not visible in the empty shots, but you can see it when you started filling the tank, and it is worse when it is full. Was this just a spill?

Anyway, good luck with your build! I hope it all works out for you. I would just recommend what others have said, and that is slow down. I hope you are successful, but remember, a reef was not built in a day.
 
Jason S said:
Hey. looking at your pictures, it appears that you have a leak. You can see water coming down the front of the stand near the middle of the stand. It is not visible in the empty shots, but you can see it when you started filling the tank, and it is worse when it is full. Was this just a spill?

Anyway, good luck with your build! I hope it all works out for you. I would just recommend what others have said, and that is slow down. I hope you are successful, but remember, a reef was not built in a day.
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Wow, good catch on the leak. I didn't even notice that until you said something. Hopefully it is just a spill and not a leak in the tank. That would be a pain to have to drain that and re-fill it.
 
Yeah, I thought maybe that was just a spill at first, but it appears to get slightly bigger and remains in the pictures that follow...
 
dericcanderson said:
Check online buddy I went to my LFS There is some new stuff out that cycles tanks in a week. This isnt my frist tank my friend i have had plenty everything will cycle well and i simulated a power outage at worst i may have a gallon or two on the floor i cut the pvs on my return to sit almost at the very top of the water so once it drains down i will be a ok
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If there were a product that cycled a tank in a week everyone would know it by name. (snake oil)
If this is not your first tank why is this thread in the "New to the hobby" forum?
In your first photo of the empty tank (when stand was still dry) it looks like there are big square holes in the bottom glass, what is that?
 
If everything was from a previously established tank, its not impossible for it to cycle in a week or so.

When I bought my first tank 4 years ago (55 with ~100lbs LR), I got it from a guy that was upgrading his system. Took everything down, moved it to my dad's house and threw the live rock into his sump, then two days later I moved it 6 hours to my apt, threw it together and then added some Prodibio ... cycled in under 2 weeks...

Just sayin....

Also... not that it matters, but i pretty much only read the "new to the hobby forum" so if I were to post a tank build it'd prolly be here as well. No need to knock him for that. I'm def not an expert, but not new to the hobby either.
 
Jason S said:
Hey. looking at your pictures, it appears that you have a leak. You can see water coming down the front of the stand near the middle of the stand. It is not visible in the empty shots, but you can see it when you started filling the tank, and it is worse when it is full. Was this just a spill?

Anyway, good luck with your build! I hope it all works out for you. I would just recommend what others have said, and that is slow down. I hope you are successful, but remember, a reef was not built in a day.
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Yea i spilled water in the front and the sides i checked no leaks at all i had lots of problems geeting the overflow up and going and the ro hose spilled water on the front
 
Uncle Salty 05 said:
If there were a product that cycled a tank in a week everyone would know it by name. (snake oil)
If this is not your first tank why is this thread in the "New to the hobby" forum?
In your first photo of the empty tank (when stand was still dry) it looks like there are big square holes in the bottom glass, what is that?
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Got to your LFS and ask what the product is called again but i posted in the new to hobby because it gets more attention and i have had alot more views in this section then any other section. and teh square holes and doors that pull out
 
snarkes said:
If everything was from a previously established tank, its not impossible for it to cycle in a week or so.

When I bought my first tank 4 years ago (55 with ~100lbs LR), I got it from a guy that was upgrading his system. Took everything down, moved it to my dad's house and threw the live rock into his sump, then two days later I moved it 6 hours to my apt, threw it together and then added some Prodibio ... cycled in under 2 weeks...

Just sayin....

Also... not that it matters, but i pretty much only read the "new to the hobby forum" so if I were to post a tank build it'd prolly be here as well. No need to knock him for that. I'm def not an expert, but not new to the hobby either.
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thanks buddy
 
Ok guys so today i checked all my water levels everything looks good zero nitrates and nitrates ph is a 8.3 and salinity is right on point. The product that cycles your tank is made by instant ocean and i have heard tons of positive things about it. and By the way If you read my beggining post I already put 100 gallons of stabile and established water in and then follwed it up with the rest. I am not new to the hobby as i stated this section gets way more attention. I have everything ready to cycle my tank and be on my way. Also to everyone just in case you didnt know but no matter how long you let your tank sit and run empty and prepare it for your fish you will never have your tank cycled til you add fish. so if i set my tak up in one day and then the next added a damsel or goby something cheap it wouldnt do anything but get my tank to begin the biological filter stage. Trust me guys ill keep you updated and have tons of pics im painting the stand and canopy today and oh by the way THAT WAS NOT A LEAK ON MY STAND I SPILLED WATER EVERYWHERE REMOVING MY RO HOSE WHEN I FILLED THE TANK. I WALKED AWAY AS IT WAS FILLING AND COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT MY TANK LOL. I am currently looking for a bigger sump as others have stated my ten gallon will not hold up in a power outage situation. Ill post pic tonight of the paint job and the beggining of my rockscape design I cant wait by tonight my tank will start to have some spunk =)
 
Good to know on the water... that would really stink if that were a leak :(

You can and should cycle your tank without fish, and you do not speed the process up by adding water from an established tank. Fully cured rock can speed it or eliminate it in some cases, but it is cruel for the fish to put them through a cycle. Most will recommend the raw shrimp method, but other use pure ammonia, uncured rock, etc. Your tank cycle begins when you add organic waste that breaks down into ammonia, etc. It does not have to be fish waste.

There is no product that will eliminate the initial cycle completely. Yes, products like MB7 and IO may seed some bacteria, but you still need time for the bacteria to colonize and grow. You can also seed bacteria with LR and live sand which is what I prefer. The initial cycle needs to be as robust as possible. If you skimp on it, you will run into problems with mini cycles down the road as you add livestock. The more robust it is, the better off you will be.

Good luck.
 
dericcanderson said:
If you read my beggining post I already put 100 gallons of stabile and established water in and then follwed it up with the rest.
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Its not old water you need, little of the nitrifying bacteria is actually present free floating in the water. Quicker cycles can happen with the addition of cured live rock and/or live sand but even in those cases a tank doesn't reach stabilization in a week.

dericcanderson said:
I have everything ready to cycle my tank and be on my way. Also to everyone just in case you didnt know but no matter how long you let your tank sit and run empty and prepare it for your fish you will never have your tank cycled til you add fish.
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So if I read you right, you're saying a tank won't cycle without fish present? So tanks that don't include fish never cycle? :)

:) My suggestion to you would be to stop listening to your LFS (at the very best, take any advice they give with a VERY large grain of salt). I get the feeling from reading a lot of your posts that that might be a source of a lot of your info as a lot of what you've said are common myths or downright misinformation that is commonly passed on by "knowledgeable LFSs". If you're not, great, then you can ignore what I've just said. However, that is not the feeling I get. Tanks do not require fish to establish nitrifying bacteria (aka "cycle"), adding old water from another tank will do little to result in a speedy cycle, there is nothing that comes in a bottle from the LFS that will instantly cycle your tank and make it ready for fish.

Not trying to be hard on you, you're not the first to believe these things and certainly not the last, these are quite common myths passed along. Simply trying to steer you down the correct path for your sake, and livestock's sake. I know how exciting it is to have a new tank and the urge to get stuff in it, you need to take your time though. A good phrase in this hobby is "the only thing that happens quick is disaster." :)
 
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I think the instant ocean product Derec is referring to is Bio-Spira. Here is a link to the product information: http://www.instantocean.com/sites/instantocean/products/productdetail.aspx?id=1294&cid=5417. This is the first I have heard of it and am not saying it should take the place of a traditional cycle but I could see how something like this could certainly make the cycle less stressful for the inhabitants. I would think that in the long run though the aquarium would be better off having the ammonia and nitrite spikes to build the nitrifying bacteria. I certainly wouldn't trust putting an expensive fish in a cycling tank with this stuff. I'm interested to see your results though, Derec and how well it works. Keep us posted.
 
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