New BB Start-up
New BB Start-up
Hello gang,
I've just re-set my tank up after a couple of years (dry so to speak), and i've gone BB.
I have a 97 imperial gallon tank and sump, i have 2 drains in the weir with an ocean runner 3000 power head on a reef clean system with another 3000 on the opposite side of the tank pumping across the back at the bottom (the 2 hard pipes meet in the middle of the tank under the egg crate to keep the detritus in flow off the live rock above), in the right hand weir that is just a circulation box i have put a deltec 4040 hlp pump in on a closed loop this is linked to IKS to give me a wave action.
In the sump i have 2 x eheim 1262's as return pumps which are hard piped up to just below surface level to give me plenty of action just below.
I'm skimming with a deltec 701 which is my 1st skimmer of this kind that i've owned and i must admit it does pull out the c--p, i've also got a deltec fluidised reactor with rowaphos for the phosphates, i've got plenty of fijian live rock and tongan branch in the tank with some live rock rubble at the front just to break up the bare glass look, but i must admit it looks fantastic.
I've got no corals or fish in the tank yet as it's only 4 weeks old, the cycling process is well on the way ammonia is at 0/nitrite 0/phosphate 0 but the nitrate is at 10 (salifert), i've put in a clean up crew red legs and astreas along with a brittle star and they are all doing a great job.
I'm lighting the tank with 2 x 250watt 14k arcadia double ended bulbs and 2 60/40 T5 actinics, and i do think that the look on the live rock especially the coralline is really pulled out with the 14k bulbs, my tank is 42" long x 28" deep x 25" wide.
The only problem area that i have had is that i bought an aqua medic titan 1500 chiller which is situated about 15' from the tank and i have been trying to run it with a eheim 1262 and it just isn't up to the job, the flow rate is really diminished by the time it get's back to the tank, so i have just swopped it for a new teco chiller which runs on a much slower rate than the aqua medic, once i can start to bring the temp down somewhat i will then put in a bristletooth tang to start munching on the higher algae.
All the best
Paul, Manchester, England
P.S. I got started on the BB route after seeing Bombers tank, and i instantly thought YES
:beer: