Austin goes Rimless - Dudester's 203g mixed reef

[Milleme]

Check it http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1053276 ! I believe this is the thread being refered to.

Dude, this is one gnarley tank. Keep up the excellent work.

 

[Dudester]

danskim - if you've got a PowerModul, you're no bum no matter how many bulbs are in it!

GSMguy - I'll keep looking

Milleme - Welcome to the thread! The link you gave is to Ching's tank, in Thailand. That was definitely an inspiration for my system but it's not the Japanese tank that was referred to earlier. Thanks anyway, I'll take any excuse to look at that tank again.

 

[Dudester]

First tests. Guess I was a little tardy on this stage of the game. Keep in mind I haven't added any bacterial source (like a raw shrimp), only the live sand and rock that have had some die-off, I presume. I've also not added anything else to the water with respect to supplemets, buffers, etc. This is straight TM Pro. All test kits are Salifert.

T 79.1
salinity 1.026
pH ~8.2
alk 7.4
Ca 410
Mg 1290
Nit 2.5
NH3 0

The only result I don't trust is the ammonia. The test kit expired 9/06. I've decided to use ZEOvit to initiate the cycle instead of a shrimp or fish, so I'll have to order that stuff right away. I leave town tomorrow and I'll be gone for 5 days, so hopefully the products I need will greet me when I get home.

 

[KingfishJohn]

Those results are dead on what I would expect from TM Pro.

Kudos to Tropic Marin!

 

[Dudester]

Hi all, just got back from a little R/R. I was happy to see that the tank is crystal clear, but disappointed to see the skimmer collection cup nearly dry. There was a very thick layer of the sand "dust" lining the walls of the lid and cup, but no real nog to speak of and very little odor. This means that either the rock I added was super cured, or I have some skimmer adjustments to make. I think I'll have to raise the water level in the skimmer a bit so it runs wetter, even though I have it at the recommended level.

I also placed an order for my ZEOvit supplies, as well as my sump return pump. Unfortunately the ZEO reactor that I wanted is no longer available, so I'll have to choose another one. This is disappointing since the sump return chamber was built to accomodate that reactor, but I should be able to find another one that will fit. Another problem is that the distributors seem to be out of ZEO reactors, so even though I'll have all of the liquid reagents and ZEO liths, I probably won't have a reactor for several more weeks.

 

[erics3000]

R/R sounds nice. i was looking forward to seeing your Zeo in action. What are your plans for the next couple of weeks? Adding anything?

 

[Dudester]

I was hoping to initiate and complete the cycle with ZEOvit, which would supposedly make the tank hospitable to corals and such after about 3 weeks. I can't really start using the ZEOvit until I have the reactor, so therefore I'm essentially handcuffed. So to answer your question more directly, I guess the only thing I'll be adding for the next few weeks will be top-off water .

 

[erics3000]

At least your tank will have more time to stabalize. Any fish to start adding a little more bacteria?

 

[Dudester]

Naa, the ZEOvit contains the bacteria that is needed, and I certainly don't want to put my only existing fish (a true perc pair) in there as test subjects.

 

[erics3000]

Got yeah....

 

[Bax]

Dude

I always leave my skimmer running dry when I am going to be away anyway, so ... you got it broken in, and now you can adjust it.

Hey! I am always happy when I return to a dry floor and do not have to part the hair algae to see the corals

Hope the Zeo thing works out for you soon

 

[robster]

Let me know where you end up picking up a reactor from. I have been thinking of playing with Zeo lately but found that reactors are hard to find.

 

[Dudester]

Bax - Agree on the dry floor! My skimmer is actually located in the sump for that very reason. I'd rather have skimmate overflow back into the system than on our floor, and I know I'm not the only one with that opinion in my house, if you know what I mean .

robster - I'll let you know for sure. I am kicking myself for not getting the I-Aquatic reactor when I had the chance. Now I'm looking to get a Gro-Tech or even a Captive Oceans model.

 

[fishypets]

I know.......

 

[Dudester]

Today I should receive my ZEOvit products, minus the reactor which will probably take another week or two to arrive. FedEx has had the stuff locally since 8/28 when they first attempted to deliver it. The shipper arranged for a required signature upon delivery, and we're never home during delivery hours which is why it's not in my posession already. I'm concerned because one of the products (ZEObak) is a live bacterial culture that should be refrigerated. I just hope it hasn't been cooked on the FedEx truck or at the station over the past week. I guess I'll subject it to the "sniff test" once it arrives to see if it has fouled or not.

robster - I ordered the reactor from Aquarium Specialty. They don't yet have it on site, but once they receive it they'll box it up and ship it to me.

 

[Dudester]

Quick update. All of the ZEOvit products arrived in good shape. The ZEOvit reactor is supposedly "in the mail" and should arrive by late next week. It'll probably be another 2 weeks until I receive my return pump but that's OK, since the chiller pump is circulating water through the sump. Boring update, I know, but I get excited thinking about it. Once the ZEO reactor is plumbed in I'll be able to start using the ZEOvit products, and then I'll start stocking the tank about 1 month after that.

 

[GSMguy]

cant wait for stocking

 

[Bax]

You just got to love the stocking part ... it's the best

You patient and well planned build will make that even more fun to watch!

 

[Dudester]

Thanks guys. If stocking the tank is half as fun as setting it up, it's gonna be a real party. With my first tank I found the stocking to be quite stressful, always worrying and wondering if the newly introduced livestock would be all right. This system will be much more hospitable and stable, so I'm sure the stress factor will be less (but not completely eliminated).

 

[melev]

The key will be quaranting everything to avoid any pests. Aaron had some tiny flatworms in his tank, which I discovered while testing a frag I got from him.

He called me yesterday to tell me he was up until 4am testing coral after coral to find out how bad it had gotten. His tank is stunning, and the particular flatworm he had isn't one to fear, but it got his skin crawling. He really should have been a doctor, considering how clean he keeps his system.