CyclistMT's 300 Gal Plywood and Glass Build

[muttley000]

Wow, a lot you have been through young skywalker! Glad to hear it's on the mend. Have you considered that once things tilted allelopathy could have been a contributor? Thanks for the update and looking forward to the next

 

[CyclistMT]

You don't make it clear what your ongoing nitrate and phosphate readings are. Hard to tell if you should be doing something as chancy as carbon dosing or not.

Yes, going cheap in this hobby is always the road to hell.

Dave.M

Nitrate is always at zero. Phosphate, well, I have the wrong Hanna checker for that but I figure nuisance algae=phosphate so I clearly have more than I need.

You may recall that carbon dosing (via vinegar) helped clean up a horrible hair algae outbreak I had. I think there is room for a carbon dosing strategy but I just need to get back to basics first before I go down that road again. My fish load may demand it though as part of my nutrient export strategy.

Well... I don't think the cheap MH or RODI are the root cause. I use both from Amazon and it hasn't hurt me (you're thinking "YET!!").

I got a cheap TDS in/out and a pressure gauge. This way I check my RODI regularly.

As far as the bulbs, I'd say rapid change is the issue, not the bulb costs. A PAR meter would go a long way to being able to make better low cost decisions.

As predicted, everyone will have opinions - water chemistry is actually my bet. Between copper, nitrates, carbon and fluctuating Alkalinity (especially), this is what kills SPS.

The only reason I'm looking to build an automated Alk tester is because I believe it to be the holy grail in SPS resiliency. Not 7 or 9 or 11, but any stable consistent Alk over 7...

In cases of wonky chemistry, I would try to force it with water changes. BUT I'd check each batch for Alk to avoid sudden changes there too.

Sorry- couldn't resist.

I agree on all counts. Water chemistry was far and away the main issue here. I just didn't want to discount the other things that may have contributed to a lingering issue and thus a need to do a course correction on them.

Nice build!

Thank you!

Wow, a lot you have been through young skywalker! Glad to hear it's on the mend. Have you considered that once things tilted allelopathy could have been a contributor? Thanks for the update and looking forward to the next

DOH! That was one thing I forgot to include. Yes, allelopathy could have been a contributing factor. I do run carbon but you never know. There is a big leather in there and another one that has put on substantial growth in the past couple of months. Which reminds me, I think it's time to change that carbon.

Thanks for the continued interest everyone!

 

[sde1500]

Just read through all of this thread, and have say I really enjoy your writing style. Admittedly when I see a big wall of text in a post my brain automatically goes "nope", but I read just about all that you wrote. Tank looks to be built very well. I would love to try a plywood build sometime in the future.

Good luck on getting the tank in order, and thank you for putting updates here. It is informative for everyone to read not only successes, but struggles and what was done to address the issues.

 

[CyclistMT]

Just read through all of this thread, and have say I really enjoy your writing style. Admittedly when I see a big wall of text in a post my brain automatically goes "nope", but I read just about all that you wrote. Tank looks to be built very well. I would love to try a plywood build sometime in the future.

Good luck on getting the tank in order, and thank you for putting updates here. It is informative for everyone to read not only successes, but struggles and what was done to address the issues.

You should have stuck with your first instinct and gone, "Nope, gonna go find a post with a bunch of pretty pictures." Would have saved you a lot of time reading my drivel.

All joking aside, thanks for the kind words. I'm the same way when it comes to a wall of text. I refuse to read it if there are no paragraphs. (For God's sake dude, take a breath!) But if someone can make it entertaining, I'm all in. Sounds like you felt that way about my posts or you wouldn't have kept going. Thanks again and glad to have you aboard!

 

[Brian Crook]

Any recent updates to share CyclistMT? On your way back from the tailspin of '15?

 

[yaad]

hi, how much time there is the aquarium?
if the corrosion of wooden parts?
salt water is very aggressive environments for wood

sorry for my English)

 

[CyclistMT]

Any recent updates to share CyclistMT? On your way back from the tailspin of '15?

Thanks for the bump and sorry for the delayed reply. It was on the way back but seems to be on the downslide again. More details to follow later.

hi, how much time there is the aquarium?
if the corrosion of wooden parts?
salt water is very aggressive environments for wood

sorry for my English)

Yes, if saltwater ever reaches the wood it would be a disaster. The epoxy shell keeps this from happening. Think of the wood as the skeleton completely enclosed in epoxy. If water penetrates that, something was done wrong in the construction.

This summer the tank will be 4 years wet and is going strong.

 

[yaad]

The tank looks like now, photos please ?)))

 

[yaad]

My friends can't believe that marine aquarium can be made of plywood, and even so long))) I'll build a plywood aquarium for your technology and prove to them that it is possible))

 

[karimwassef]

It works! My plywood sump has been up for two years now. It's only 180gal though.

 

[yaad]

Links, foto please?)))

 

[provost_reefers]

Hey, I realize this is an old thread but was trying to find other people with a plenum. It doesnt sound ike the tanks run as smooth as hoped, would you attribute that to the plenum? Or would you do it again? I've read so many good things...and my tank is on the way!! Thanks, Anna in Montana