We started ordering stuff for the aquarium over a month ago so that we would have everything here in time for this week. Unfortunately, there were some production delays at LifeReef.com and the Overflow, Sump, and Refugium weren't going to be here on time. We were still able to get the aquarium setup and part of the start up process complete without them so we decided to move forward with our plans.
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We started processing water on Monday. Because our water pressure is pretty low, I ordered a booster pump for the water filter. Unfortunately, the pressure switch that came with the booster pump wasn't working correctly, so for the first while the RO/DI unit wasn't making water as fast as we had hoped; only about one gallon per hour. I was working with Jeff from J&L Aquatics to try and get it to work but couldn't; they are sending us a new one.
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I figured out how to regulate the pressure from the booster pump without the pressure switch and the unit was making water at a rate of two gallons per hour. Given how dirty Winnipeg water is (I'm not sure what the tap TDS is but after the 1 micron sediment filter and the .5 micron carbon block the TDS is 65 ppm) and how cold the water is (35.5 F or 1.5 C) that is a pretty decent rate.
I cut the eggcrate and put it on the bottom of the tank and then put the base rock on it before putting in the sand. The South Sea Lace is awesome; lots of caves and nice pieces! :thumbsup:
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We were able to get 75 gallons of pure water processed and mixed with salt before the RO/DI unit stopped processing water late Wednesday. I guess Winnipeg's water is too dirty for a .5 micron sediment filter because it clogged pretty quickly. I called the place we ordered the RO/DI Unit from (MOPS.ca) to see if they had any .5 micron sediment filters as their website didn't list them. They told me that they don't sell them because the .5 micron filters are too small for Canadian water supplies and they recommended that I use a 1 micron filter. Not trusting only one source of information, I sent a message to AZDessertRat asking him what he thought. I also called a few places in town to see if they had any .5 micron filters. I talked to some guys at Arch Distributors that were very helpful. They said pretty much the same thing as the people at Mail Order Pet Supplies plus gave me a ton of information. Kara and I went there and picked up a 1 micron sediment filter and spent about 20 minutes talking to them about water. We were both really impressed by their knowledge and passion for this stuff.
Unfortunately, it appears that the .5 micron carbon block is clogged too as we were only able to get another 5 or so gallons made before the unit stopped making water again so I went back to Arch Distributors this afternoon for a new carbon block. That did the trick and we're back to two gallons per hour again. I talked to the guys at Arch Distributors about a long term solution and may add another pre-filter to the unit if we continue to go through pre-filters this fast.
Another roadblock we had is that J&L Aquatics didn't have any Tonga Deep Water live rock in stock so we aren't able to get the tank cycling. They are supposed to be getting in an order late this week or early next week so we're on the list for when it comes in.
So the tank is sitting at 3/4 full with only base rock and sand in it right now. We had the powerheads running but they were causing too much of a sand storm. The water is clearing now though.
I'll post more pictures when the order from LifeReef.com comes in, the live rock comes in, and/or the tank is full.
I liked it a lot, so I wanted to pass along the idea. 
