90g Reef Rebirth

K

KnightReefer

New member
Hello All,

I'm a long time lurker and decided to document my 90g overhaul to please the masses. My current tank is a 90g acrylic tank and it is a complete and utter embarrassment. Wild algae growth and coralline all over the acrylic are the highlights I'm afraid. The tanks spiral into disrepair was caused mainly by a busy college/work schedule and a progressing lack of enthusiasm. Before I go any further I offer up some pictures of my 90g disgrace.

Full Tank Shot(Lol)
052.jpg


Sump
054.jpg


Perspective
053.jpg


More to follow.....shortly

-Sean
 
WOW......ok you win for the award for the "I know I suck but I'm still gonna post pics" !!!!!
I can't wait to see the rebuild though.
 
Continuing along with my ranting I would like to note why I do not like acrylic very much(this tank in particular)
*Disclaimer* I realize some people enjoy acrylic and it certainly has its advantages, just not for me.
-Scratches Easily
-Inconvenient Eurobracing
-Doesn't have the same "look" as glass
-Scratches Easily
-Cleaning requires Specialized care and attention
-Not really the acrylics fault but mine is not Pre-Drilled

Plan:
Complete System Revamp with new glass tank and various upgraded equipment.

Since I am no longer a poor college student but a recent graduate and new member of the workforce I have the steady schedule and finances to begin this task.

New Tank
DSC00837.jpg


DSC00838.jpg


-Sean
 
Plans:
Tank: 90g RR by Deep Blue Professional
Furniture: Custom built stand to house 55 underneath with 2 large front doors and removable side panels, no canopy
Sump: 55g with Skimmer Section, Return Section, Refugium Section
Skimmer: Currently owned ASM G3
Lights: Currently owned Aquactinics TX5
Controller: Reefkeeper Lite
Water Filter: I currently have an economy RO unit but want to replace with a nicer RO/DI one. Now accepting applications(suggestions) for a good unit under $200, apply within thread(post suggestion)
Return Pump: Current Quiet One 4000HH
Flow: 2 currently owned Koralia K3's, possibly more
Heater: Suggestions welcome

Sump to be
055.jpg


RKE
DSC00836.jpg


-Sean
 
Well for my own entertainment I will update myself on my progress as of today. I bought some supplies to make the sump and to paint the back of the tank and in-tank plumbing. I also picked up the baffles that a local glass shop cut out of 1/4" glass.

Had baffles cut for the sump, heres 2 of the 4
DSC00845.jpg


Silicone
DSC00844.jpg


Krylon Fusion
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More pics of the sump cleaning and painting to follow

-Sean
 
Looking good, I love it when people regain their enthusiasim for the hobby, it is also always amazing to see what thrives and stays alive in a negelected tank. Did you keep up on top offs and or water changes???? With only a couple fish and a copule corals in that tank I would think it was a very healthy environment. Obviously not pretty or neat, but water chemistry wise it must have been ok.
 
Shane Hoffman said:
Looking good, I love it when people regain their enthusiasim for the hobby, it is also always amazing to see what thrives and stays alive in a negelected tank. Did you keep up on top offs and or water changes???? With only a couple fish and a copule corals in that tank I would think it was a very healthy environment. Obviously not pretty or neat, but water chemistry wise it must have been ok.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the encouragement!! Top offs were done religiously with RO water and monthly 10% water changes. Parameters have been good due to algae growth and very light stocking. I would not be surprised if some of my old corals reemerge when things get straightened out.

Heres a bonus pic of the newly painted in tank plumbing
DSC00848.jpg
 
Must say I admire the effort to re commit..

I've been there to a degree, so I am projecting a bit, but it seems you probably had and still have a latent nutrient problem that needs addressing. Unless you address the source, these things can fuel the macro and micro algae to the point where they wear you down and no longer have the will to fight.

One of the biggest impediments you might have had with the old tank was stored nutrients within the rock. Are you planning on reusing it in the new tank?
 
gonzalezcp said:
Must say I admire the effort to re commit..

I've been there to a degree, so I am projecting a bit, but it seems you probably had and still have a latent nutrient problem that needs addressing. Unless you address the source, these things can fuel the macro and micro algae to the point where they wear you down and no longer have the will to fight.

One of the biggest impediments you might have had with the old tank was stored nutrients within the rock. Are you planning on reusing it in the new tank?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the admiration. Heres a brief tank background
-Originally set up in Feb 08 with about 25 lbs of live rock from a LFS and a 3-4" sand bed(later realized this depth is bad)
-A month or two later I added about 50 lbs of live rock from a local reefer, really nice stuff with various corals and coralline.
-The tank was very stable for a few months then I moved the tank back home(was in Orlando Fl for school) and set it up without any tragedies and everything was good, parameters were stable and the livestock flourished.
-Sep 08 I added another 30 lbs or so from a local reefer and a few months later is when some algae started appearing and my schedule went to hell(internship, school, commuting) The tank continued to slip and admittedly I did little to fight it.

Perhaps the sand being stirred after the last batch of new rock began to release nutrients? I'm sure my lax husbandry practices(water changes and lazy feeding) certianly compounded the problem. I also believe my RO filters might have needed replacing(I plan to buy a new RO/DI unit, suggestions?). Either way I had planned to reuse a majority of the rock and perhaps add a little additional base rock. I will also have only a 1"-1.5" sand bed in the display with new sand

Thoughts?

-Sean
 
The rock in it's current state may give you problems in the new tank. It sounds like it has had ample opportunity to soak up nutirients and these will just be leached back into the new aquarium and feed the algae.

There many that know more than me, so take this for what it is worth as there are probably many directions you could take, but if it was my tank I would either buy new live rock and toss the old or go thru something similar to the method below..

Cycle the new tank with new sand and a smaller amount of dry rock like Marco Rocks as they dont seem to contain much bound organic material. You could use fish food as a source of ammonia. The sand you could soak in bucket or tub of RO/DI for a few days to leach out any phostpate and then drain before placing it in the tank. I dont think you need an entire compliment of rock to get enough bio filtration going for your few fish. especially if you have an appropiatly sized and fuctioning skimmer. Maybe the sand and 25lbs or rock??

When the new tank was cycled then you could put your fish in their new home. Once they were moved out I would remove all the old rock from the old tank and cook it in tubs in the dark for some number of weeks until the cooking water no longer shows measurable PO4 or ammonia. Search on the "rock cooking process" for more details on what is involved. This could take a while. Once done you can then move the old rock into the new tank.

That is alot of work so it might be easier to start the new tank with new live rock and once it is cycled move the fish over slowly. Either way you need to get the RO/DI straigtened out and insure that going forward your equipment and husbandry practices export more nutruents than what currently exists in your tank and those that are imported on a daily basis.

Good Luck! :thumbsup:
 
I'll add that buying new live rock or live rock from another individual will not guarantee you do not wind up with the same problem.

Even if you buy freashly collected live rock it could come in with all kinds of life that might never acclimate to tank like and contiune to die off. This can be managed though with proper export methods.. many are sucessful in this regard but I suspect success is sometimes both rock specific and how individuals manage thier aquarium.

One person may not see a lot of dye off from live rock collected from area "X" but the person that got his live rocks from area "Z" that come in with huge rock boring worms that never aclimate and die off over the course of several months polluting the tank.

Buying rock from another hobbiest can be an even more risky proposition. You could be buying any number of things that you did not count on, to include nutirent laden rocks, or problems with fish diseases like ICH. If you know the person and are familar with their tanks and history of the rock then this practise is probably OK.

As for the RO/DI I use a unit I bought from Bulk Reef Supply. It is a very nicely built unit.. but any of them out there should work well so long as you maintain them properly.
 
Last edited:
Is that table able to hold the DT? I am indeed still new, but I always seem to see big beefy stands, and this one seems sleek and slender. Love how it looks and the drawers and all.
 
Last edited:
IndianFeather said:
Is that table able to hold the DT? I am indeed still new, but I always seem to see big beefy stands, and this one seems sleek and slender. Love how it looks and the drawers and all.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliments on the desk, but I'm afraid that its not the stand for the tank. I am in the process of building a custom stand for it. Your right, I dont think that would hold 1000+ lbs.

-Sean
 
gonzalezcp, thanks for the input. I guess I will have to weigh my options and decide what to do with my current rock. Anyway I picked up a RO/DI unit at the LFS today. I got a pretty good deal on it so I figured I would go for it. It seems pretty comparable to most other units on the market so I'll give it a go.

RO/DI
DSC00849.jpg



-Sean
 
5 stage is nice.. the last two stages are DI resin right? The unit I use has two DI canisters and the resin changes color as it becomes exhausted. In case you are not familiar, the idea is once the first DI canister becomes exhausted you move the last one into it's place, then put the new/refilled unit at the end.

If you don't have a TDS meter you can pick up a handheld unit for $25 or less. Invaluable tool to monitor the RO/DI units performance. For $40 the dual inline models are really nice and allow you to monitor both the output of the RO membrane and the final product coming at the last DI canister. Really a matter of convenience with the dual inline unit though. If you had a hand held meter you could disconnect the exit tube from the RO canister and measure it's output.

The RO membrane should last a good amount of time as long as you replace the sediment and carbon filters at the appropriate time AND do not let hot water run through it.
 
Sorry if I seems like I have camped out on your thread like a stray cat :D

Ran across this thread and thought it might interest you. Bear in mind he has a very efficient skimmer and by the time he turned the tank around most of the organics in his rock might have already peter'd out.

With manual removal of the algae, heavy wet skimming, GFO, activated carbon, and proper calcium, alkalinity, and magneseum parameters you can turn the curve and beat the algae. Actual time needed depends on how much is in there.. which is hard to say.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1742692
 
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