Clownfish Chris's 210 Build

[Clownfish Chris]

For years, I have been interested in fish. My grandmother gave me my first fish tank at 5 years old. It was a 10 gallon with tetras and such that my parents ended up taking care of. As I got older, the tanks got bigger. I always was in awe of the gorgeous salt water aquariums but was afraid to set one up due to the complexity of maintenance and the cost.

Eventually I set up my first salt water tank. I was under a huge amount of depression and needed a way to relax. As I was walking through the isles of pet-co, I decided to get a bag of salt, a tetra 10gal kit, and a piece of live rock. I researched a bit here though nothing like I should have. I knew about the cycle and used a blue damsel to cycle the tank. Yes, the poor fish survived... to kill the clown in the picture under my name... lesson learned. After the tank cycled, I added a pair of Clowns and an Orchid Dotty back. Then some better lights... then some coral... then a sump... Bigger tank... You see where this is going.

Well, After dealing with an assumption that I knew everything, moving everything to my office in a 120gal and killing everything off... twice, I have it figured out that I don't have it figured out. The 120 was given away and my live rock was stored at my house.

That's when I saw it. It was a used tank sitting in my LFS. After some discussion with she who must be obeyed, I brought it home.

I got lucky with some free sand that I rinsed, sifted, and thoroughly dried.

I also bought a cheep LED from Odyssea (I know... it will burn the house down...)

 

[stingeragent]

Looks like a good start. What help do you need with it.

 

[nuxx]

Looking good

 

[Clownfish Chris]

Looks like a good start. What help do you need with it.

Well, at this point, I am not really sure. I will be keeping this thread up to date and I am completely open to suggestions. If you see anything that could be an issue, please let me know.

Photography is something that I will be focusing on a bit. I am using my phone for all of the pictures for now but have access to a Nikon DSLR and know how to turn it on and use it in automatic mode. I want to be able to take some of those awesome coral photos I see all over the internet.

 

[Clownfish Chris]

Looking good

Thanks!

I am waiting on bulkheads now. Once those come in, I will be getting the pluming started. I hope to have it wet by the end of the weekend.

 

[Clownfish Chris]

Update 10/23/15
Last Weekend, my wife and I went to a local shop to pick out some dry rock to finish the aquascape.

I filled the tank and began to wait for a cycle. Then last night, I heard a crackling noise coming from the tank. It was the sound of silicone separating from glass. I quickly went over to the tank to see this:

So, I drained as much water as I had containers for and then removed the canopy. I think the canopy was the only thing that saved the tank from catastrophic failure.

 

[mcozad829]

Damn dude that really sucks! You better be having a conversation with the LFS that sold it to you real quick!

 

[Clownfish Chris]

Damn dude that really sucks! You better be having a conversation with the LFS that sold it to you real quick!

Its my fault. I should have had it resealed. All of the other seals look brand new and I know the tank was rebuilt 2 years ago. There is a build thread on a local forum from the previous owner. The seal that failed had algae buildup on about 3/4 of the joint. There is a clear difference between the seal on the top trim back panel and the rest of the tank - Green buildup between the seal and the glass. It is clear that this particular joint wasn't resealed.

 

[mcozad829]

Its my fault. I should have had it resealed. All of the other seals look brand new and I know the tank was rebuilt 2 years ago. There is a build thread on a local forum from the previous owner. The seal that failed had algae buildup on about 3/4 of the joint. There is a clear difference between the seal on the top trim back panel and the rest of the tank - Green buildup between the seal and the glass. It is clear that this particular joint wasn't resealed.

I don't think its your fault unless the LFS told you that it needed to be resealed before use... used or not if I buy a tank from a LFS i expect it to hold water.

 

[Clownfish Chris]

Update and Question

I repaired the brace with the advice of a local reefer as guidance. That was much more of an undertaking that I thought it would be.

I have diatoms like crazy. I have been slowly adding a CUC consisting of a couple of nassirious and about 20 Trochus snails as well as about 10 hermits. Any suggestions as to what else I should add at this point? I should be purchasing a pair of clowns this week that will go straight into TTM. Then after 12 days into the display.

Here is where I need some guidance. I got a used Deltec 1350 Skimmer last weekend that is pulling an incredible amount of decaying matter from the water. The issue is that it is not collecting in the cup as a liquid. It foams out the vent holes. I have been trying to adjust the water level and/or the outlet gate to get a wetter skim and so far I have failed to do so. Any advice?

And no, the skimmer is nowhere near the electronics in the background. It is a poor angle.