500G Reef Tank in Puerto Rico
- Thread starter JanVelazquez
- Start date
Newbie Aquarist
Reefing is my middle name
Congrats on the new baby. Its so cool to see a future reefer born.
JanVelazquez
New member
Good to be back janey... It's been a while.
I'll post some pics this week as I have them in my phone and need to use my computer at work.
So you know.. Today I finally set it in its final resting place and put in the rock and filled it up. I need an RO/DI unit to fill it back up again with clean water.
Next week I plant to finish the furniture if possible and star running the filter which still needs plumbing.
The equipment I still don't have is the skimmer and pumps.
Was thinking of the Reeflo Hammerhead
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reeflo-barracuda-hammerhead-hybrid-6000-4590gph.html
For the skimmer maybe a Skimz... Not sure yet.
I'll keep updating as I go along.
Suggestions are welcomed.
Regards
Jan
JanVelazquez
New member
Thanks... It was worth the wait
Today I took a picture with him inside the tank before putting in the rock and filling the tank. Will post it soon.
JanVelazquez
New member
JanVelazquez
New member
Aquascaping (First Pass)
Testing out some blue actinisca only.
Still have to setup a lot of things.
Testing out some blue actinisca only.
Still have to setup a lot of things.
JanVelazquez
New member
Hey Newbie
As promissed... Here's the future reefer "Gio"
Had to take this before putting in all the rocks.
Regards
Jan
bigbpro916
New member
Wow
JanVelazquez
New member
Just a quick update on progress...
Almost finished with the furniture. First time building something so big so it took me some time and a lot of trips to Home Depot
Almost finished with the furniture. First time building something so big so it took me some time and a lot of trips to Home Depot
JanVelazquez
New member
I'm now looking into getting some live sand. Not sure what to get as I can get it locally but I want white sand and not the yellow or cream colored one.
Also ... Should I get small grain or larger particle? Not doing a DSB only an inch or two at the most.
Recomendations are welcomed.
Regards
Jan
Also ... Should I get small grain or larger particle? Not doing a DSB only an inch or two at the most.
Recomendations are welcomed.
Regards
Jan
dave.m
Active member
No matter where you get the sand from you must clean it thoroughly. The finer the grain of sand the easier it is to be stirred up by the pumps. You will get no 100% endorsement on grain size as there are many opinions. If you get it locally make sure it comes from the bottom off-shore and not from the beach, which would be full of tar and other pollutants. You need no more than a handful or two of actual live sand to infuse a bacteria load into the rest of the sand bed.
Dave.M
Dave.M
TankRazr
New member
I'm currently doing an install for a client and using the pump you mentioned. I believe it is a good solid choice.
I personally think the aquamaxx skimmers are a good value. I also like the reef octopus skimmers but pricey. I'm not familiar with the skimmer you mentioned.
That rock looks pretty awesome, can you say where you got it? BTW: probably more trouble than its worth but I think Culebra had some pretty white sand?
Also, is that a through wall A/C above the tank? I'd consider spraying the electronic components down with some CorrosionX
I'm really looking forward to seeing your build progress and seeing you stock this tank.
I personally think the aquamaxx skimmers are a good value. I also like the reef octopus skimmers but pricey. I'm not familiar with the skimmer you mentioned.
That rock looks pretty awesome, can you say where you got it? BTW: probably more trouble than its worth but I think Culebra had some pretty white sand?
Also, is that a through wall A/C above the tank? I'd consider spraying the electronic components down with some CorrosionX
I'm really looking forward to seeing your build progress and seeing you stock this tank.
JanVelazquez
New member
Hi Dave
I have a pretty tall tank and I thought that maybe a larger grain size would be better because of what you mention. I was thinking of putting in either 2 or 4 Vortech MP60's to stir up the water in addition to the returns. Still undecided about a closed loop.
I need a couple of buckets and I was thinking of diving down to get it myself. Just looking for the spot. Didn't know that you only needed a little to feed the rest. Good tip
JanVelazquez
New member
Thanks for the tip about the skimmer, don't really know of anyone who has it but the aquamaxx cone 6 looks good.
I got the rock from a small island in the south of Puerto Rico. Still have to change a few pieces around.
I put out a post on facebook and got that same response about Culebra. It's against the law to collect sand from the beach so I will probably end up buying it. I'm also responsible and don't want to damage any reef. The rocks were collected from the ground and not from the bottom of the ocean. Protecting our oceans is very important to me.
The AC is dedicated for the aquarium, I still have to put up the lids in the front so I can have access from the front & back. I forgot to protect it from corrosion so I will do so this weekend. I have another AC in the room where the aquarium is visible from. Thanks for the name of the product I did it on another AC I have as I live close to the beach and rust is a BIG problem for me.
In the back of the room I have about 30 inches off the wall where all the equipment will be accessible from. I will also have a frag and a quarantine tank.
Happy new year !!!
Regards
Jan
dave.m
Active member
You don't have to have only one grain size. If you want finer sand to encourage growth of meiofauna you could put a couple inches of that down first and then cover it with an inch of a heavier grained sand or rubble that would be less prone to getting blown about.
Another thing you can do is put your power heads a bit lower but then angle them upward so that they don't disturb the sandbed too much. This has the added benefit of pushing lower water up to the surface to be re-oxygenated.
Dave.M
Another thing you can do is put your power heads a bit lower but then angle them upward so that they don't disturb the sandbed too much. This has the added benefit of pushing lower water up to the surface to be re-oxygenated.
Dave.M
paola98santana
New member
Nice post and great Tank in progress. Exito amigo
