JHill 58 Gallon Build - New to Hobby

[jhill]

I changed the QT setup a little. Original plan was to use a AquaClear 50 HOB but switched to the Penguin 200. Felt that never changing the bio-wheel would keep the bacteria that is needed.

After getting the tank filled up, salt added, and HOB filter on.....the shrimp wanted to go for a swim.

Can someone tell me what this is? After the salt dissolved I found these little ball looking things rolling around the bottom of the tank.

 

[jhill]

Now that the QT is cycling it is back to working on the plumbing for the DT.

Here is what I have done.

Everything under the DT will be connected with flexible hoses with plastic hose clamps. I used PVC primer and PVC cement. Someone tell me that stuff was OK to use because it is a little to late to change it. Ha ha. Probably should have asked that before gluing it. Also is it ok to use Teflon tape or plumbers dap (I think that is what that putty type stuff is called) for the threaded parts?

Covered the bottom of the tank with plastic gratting to help keep the rock in place.

Next step is to fill up with freshwater and test for leaks. Moving a long nicely now that I have a few days off from work.

 

[jhill]

Tank has been filled with freshwater and is going through a leak test. At first one of the bulkheads wasn't tight which created a nice flow onto the floors. Good thing it was only a cup of water that I poured into the tank. Ha ha.

Is there a way to make the drain quieter? I only have 2 holes in the tank so I only have one drain. Let me know if anyone has come up with anything.

 

[pwahrn]

Love the "furniture quality" stand/hood (versus generic store-bought). I was going to comment on the Viper then saw someone else beat me to it. Your garage looks incredible!

 

[jhill]

Love the "furniture quality" stand/hood (versus generic store-bought). I was going to comment on the Viper then saw someone else beat me to it. Your garage looks incredible!

Thanks. I started out planning on building my own stand because I thought I could build something nicer for cheaper. Boy was I wrong. Ha ha. Turned out spending a lot more than expected but it turned out how I wanted. And since this is a test tank to see if I like the hobby I should be able to put a piece of granite on the base and call it furniture when I am done.

I love my garage (still need to do a few things)! I live in an older neighborhood where the houses were built in the 50s. Came across this house with a 4 car garage (2 deep) and jumped all over it. Now I am spoiled and can never go back to a 2 car garage.

 

[jhill]

The QT tank is starting to smell from the shrimp. How long do I need to keep the shrimp in there? Only been 2 days so far and ammonia is only at 0.75.

 

[jhill]

Made some good progress this week. Tank was filled yesterday with the RO water and mixed in the salt. I was surprised that I was able to get 1.025 with the first try.

Today I picked up the LR and I think it turned out pretty good. Went with 42 pounds of Fiji rock. Kinda wondering if I need some more but figured I can always add more later if I want. LFS wanted me to go with live sand but from what I read on here it is just a waste. Ended up going with dry sand. Took forever washing it to get the crud out of it. Sorry for the photos, still only using my iphone.

Now comes the hardest part.......Waiting for the cycle to finish.

 

[jhill]

QT: Day 7
Temp - 80.0
Gravity - 1.024
Ammonia - 7.00PPM
Nitrite - 0.00

Is the Ammonia too high on the QT? I still have the shrimp in the tank. The shrimp is starting to look very nasty. Time to take it out or do I leave it in there till the end?

DT: Day 3
Temp - 84.0 I turned down the lights to help with the heat while I find some fans I can use to help pull the heat out.
Gravity - 1.024
Ammonia - 0.50
Nitrite - 0.00

The rock on the right has turned an orange color. Is that die off or is that some sort of bacteria growing?

 

[jhill]

Stopped by a new LFS and they hooked me up with some snails and blue leg crabs so I could have something other then the LR to look at. (Ammonia-0, Nitrites-0, Nitrates-.30) I probably shouldn't have gotten the snails and crabs because as soon as I placed them in the water a few hours passed before I could pull myself away from my tank. I don't know what I am going to do as soon as there is a fish in there. Work productivity is going to suffer!!

 

[jhill]

This past weekend I decided to get my first fish since Ammonia - 0, Nitrites - 0, Nitrates - 0.5 and the snails and crabs were doing well. Since I am getting a lot of algae growth I went with a Lawnmower Blenny, Emerald Crab, and a Cleaner Shrimp.

This was the same store that I picked up the LR and assumed the salinity was the same as what they told me it was for the LR (1.025). When I got the critters home and tested the water from the bags it was all 1.020. That had me a little worried since I have read that you shouldn't raise it that quickly. I didn't have a choice and slowly changed the water till I got to 1.024 which took 6 hrs.

So far the Blenny has been eating up a storm. It is amazing at how well he blends into the rock because if he doesn't move good luck trying to see him. Emerald crab has been hiding during the day and because I have been working nights haven't seen him till last night. He was perched on top of some rocks picking away at the hair algae. The cleaner shrimp hasn't come out of a cave yet which has me a little concerned. But I do see him moving around so I know he isn't dead.

This coming weekend I am thinking about picking up 2 black/white Ocellaris Clownfish but should probably wait till the QT finishes cycling instead of putting them directly into the DT.

 

[stancfii]

You can make the drain completely silent. Turn both into a drain! Make one of the pipes lower than the other by a few inches, put a couple 90* elbows on it, and a ball(or gate) valve on the underside of that line between the bulkhead and sump. This will be a siphon line ( you also want to put an air hole in the line after the ball valve but before the water level). On the other drain hole, make a herbie drain. Hang your return line over the back. Once the return is going, SLOWLY close the ball valve until the water starts to rise up in the overflow towards the herbie drain. You'll have to play with this for a little bit to get it perfected (tap it, wait 30 min, then see if it needs to be adjusted again). Eventually, you will have a faint trickle down the herbie drain, and you won't hear anything because the siphon is silently handling the draining. Key is to not have too much return flow (on your tank, 400gph should be max). That way if something clogs the siphon, the herbie can handle the load. Also, the slower the turnover, the more effectively your skimmer can pull out the gunk.

 

[jhill]

Girlfriend has a Nikon SLR D90 and she says she needs a different lens to take better pictures of the tank. What are you guys using or recommend?

 

[jhill]

You can make the drain completely silent. Turn both into a drain! Make one of the pipes lower than the other by a few inches, put a couple 90* elbows on it, and a ball(or gate) valve on the underside of that line between the bulkhead and sump. This will be a siphon line ( you also want to put an air hole in the line after the ball valve but before the water level). On the other drain hole, make a herbie drain. Hang your return line over the back. Once the return is going, SLOWLY close the ball valve until the water starts to rise up in the overflow towards the herbie drain. You'll have to play with this for a little bit to get it perfected (tap it, wait 30 min, then see if it needs to be adjusted again). Eventually, you will have a faint trickle down the her is drain, and you won't hear anything because the siphon is silently handling the draining. Key is to not have too much return flow (on your tank, 400gph should be max). That way if something clogs the siphon, the herbie can handle the load. Also, the slower the turnover, the more effectively your skimmer can pull out the gunk.

Thanks for the tip. As of right now it is just about silent. I am able to keep the drain from swirling which was creating the sucking sound. Now the drain from the skimmer is making the most noise. Thinking about adding some pipe to the skimmer to make the drain right above the water (currently 2" or so above the water line). I am probably going a little overboard since the HOB filter on the QT is louder than the DT.

 

[stancfii]

What kind of skimmer? Have a pic of the drain? I may have an idea.

 

[jhill]

What kind of skimmer? Have a pic of the drain? I may have an idea.

Skimmer is a Super Reef Octopus 1000int. My idea is to get a very short straight pipe and then attach a 45 to angle it down to the water. That will make it go back into the sump at a slope instead of falling from a few inches. Problem is all of the plumbing stores that I have been to so far don't carry this type of pipe. :headwally:

 

[jhill]

I had a big hermit crab picking on a little hermit and when I lifted the top to separate the two with the net. The cleaner shrimp finally came out of his cave. It seems that he feels the lights are to bright. Lights were set to 60%. I dropped the lights to 45% and he is slowly venturing out.

Anyone else have this problem? The LFS had him under LED lights with coral frags so I never thought that it would be too bright. Should I slowly ramp up the lights?

 

[NeilFox]

Really love your rockwork! The Rock looks good too! How is the Lawnmower working out? I would like to get a small tang suitable for a 120 but maybe I will go with a Lawnmower for cleaning up. I love yellow tangs but here they may grow too big. Is he very shy, I have kinda a busy tank with some active damsels.

 

[jhill]

Really love your rockwork! The Rock looks good too! How is the Lawnmower working out? I would like to get a small tang suitable for a 120 but maybe I will go with a Lawnmower for cleaning up. I love yellow tangs but here they may grow too big. Is he very shy, I have kinda a busy tank with some active damsels.

So far I love the Lawnmower (I was going to name him after the guy that cuts my grass but the girlfriend didn't think it was funny). Great personality. He found a small cave in the middle of the tank about 3/4 of the way up the rock that he calls home. He hops all over the tank because I don't really call what he does swimming and then if something startles him he rushes back to his home and sticks just his head out. Then after a few mins he does it all over again. Plus he is eating the hair algae constantly.

He is the only fish in my tank as of now besides some snails, crabs, and a shrimp so I hope he stays as active as he is once some tankmates join him.

I have was thinking about getting a small yellow tang but my tank is a little small for them. Very happy with the Lawnmower.

 

[rlpardue]

Nice job Justin! You make it look like you've done this before! Kudos on taking it slow and doing it right.

 

[jhill]

Nice job Justin! You make it look like you've done this before! Kudos on taking it slow and doing it right.

Thanks Lee. Grab the wife and we will all grab some dinner or I can cook something at my house. Let me know what works for you guys.

I don't know about taking it slow since the tank is only 2.5weeks old and I already want to throw in a pair of clownfish this weekend. :lol: