Lots of questions....pics included

[Jefe12234]

Why does everyone think the tank needs to be broken down and cleaned? From the pics it just looks like the glass and skimmer need cleaning. The rock and sand look fine. There's no microalgae visible. I'd say run the tank as-is for a while. Get the skimmer working well, do some water changes, run some GFO. I don't see the problem really.

 

[sheria]

Oh thanks so much! Im going to try the vinegar, and clean the glass tomorrow. I have to go buy new test kits as all the ones I have are expired. I'll keep you all posted...and will put up some more pictures. -hugs- Thanks again

 

[Macimage]

Sounds like a good plan. But you're not going to clean the inside glass with the vinegar right??

Joyce

 

[sheria]

Update

Update

Hi everyone,
I got quite a bit of feedack on whether to do a full tear down or not. I cleaned everything up, skimmer, glass etc. I have a few more questions, that I will post after these pics...

There iare no fish in the aquarium, just snails and cabs. Massive amounts of Aiptasia (spelling?)
So here is the few questions...
1) Do you all think a full tear down should be done?
2) What type of substrate, and how much, goes into the refugium?
3) what type of lighting over the refugium?
4) How do i get water running into the refugium? I was thinking a verylow flow pump, from the skimmer compartment into the refugium, which would overflow in the return pump compartment... Also, there is a black bulkhead on the refugium, maybe that has something to do with it?
5) lighting questions, right now i have 2x 250 halide bulbs, and the ballasts for 4x 55w PC's. Do I actually need to add those other bulbs? if so what kind?

Thankyou all sooo much

 

[jimwat]

Your tank looks surprisingly good all things considered. Your bioload must have been very low with no fish and your tap water must be pretty clean. If I let my tank go like that with the tap water here, my tank would look like I was farming hair algae.

- Anyway, I would vote to NOT break down this tank. I do not see any aiptasia in your tank (massive??)
- I would not put any substrate in the refugium unless you think your going to need pods (like for a mandarin).
- You can get lights that will grow macro algae from Home Depot for cheap
- 2x250 MH over a 75 is quite a bit of light. It really depends on what you want to keep.

 

[maxrebo788]

I would not start over - from the pictures you posted, your tank looks fine. The fact that your tank is not overrun with algae could be a good indication that your tap water may not be a problem.

With the lack of any major visible algae, the best way to determine the actual shape your tank is in would be through test kit measurements.

Figure out where your levels are at first and then slowly try and make any adjustments to get back to where you need to be.

Try that for a while. If things don't improve, then I would consider starting over.

As I once heard someone say "Only bad things happen fast in this hobby." If you rush too quickly into starting over, you may find yourself in a worse position then where you are now.

-Max

 

[sheria]

thanksjim.
Also, i was wondering how to flow the water through the refugium...do I use a small powerhead and flow water from the skimmer chamber? or do i cut the plumbing lines and make a split T from the overflow, and but a valve to slow the flow? (id rather not because i am liable to have the tank come crashing down

 

[Ratkiller]

I wouldn't do a thing to it, except weekly water changes. It looks like every thing cleaned up really well. One thing I would purchase would be about 4 cleaner shrimp (peppermint) to take car of the apistasia. Other then that do weekly 5 gal water changes, regular maintance cleaning and invest in a good test kit to test the parameters of the water, to watch out for any crazy spikes. In about a months tiem if verything is still good then you can statr thinking about up grading lights, skimmer, and adding a refug. good luck.

 

[jimwat]

+1 on the peppermints. But wait until you've got your tank has stabilized before adding anything new. And to maximize the peps efficiency at eating the aiptasia, do not feed them and/or add any fish until the aiptasia is gone.

There are many ways to add a fuge to your setup. You'll get a better response if you start a dedicated thread.

 

[sheria]

I am so sorry for bothering you all with my questions - I just want to say I really appreciate it.

Another question though, how do i set up the refugium (its built into a sump by my reef creations)

Do I use the black hole thing for it? Or do i get a powerhead and flow water through it...(from the skimmer compartment?

And what about mineral mud? Would that be ok for a refugium? Let me know and thanks again!!

 

[Timbor]

Can you try to post a pic of your full sump, including skimmer section, return section, and refugium?

Right now you have only posted pics of like half your sump. If we could see the whole thing, it would be easier to understand how to get the water to go where you need it.

Tim

 

[sheria]

Thanks again for your help. I found a picture of my sump (it is that very exact one, minus the two in the back corner. There are 3 or 4 slots at the top of the refugium, that would flow into the return pump

So what do I do? thanks !

 

[Timbor]

Ok, so correct me if I am wrong, but from that pic it looks like the skimmer section is on the right hand side, then the refugium is the front left, and the return section is the back left compartment?

From the way it looks to me, water enters the skimmer section and should be able to run through the refugium and into the return section just fine.

Where do you have your return pump located right now?

Tim

 

[Timbor]

Here, to make things easier, this is what I am thinking about how the flow is supposed to go through the sump.

Is this correct?

Tim

 

[sheria]

Thats exactly how I have it set up. I was just wanting to know, how does water flow from the skimmer section to the refugium? Do I put a small powerhead? If so, how much flow should it be? Thanks so much!!

 

[Timbor]

It should be able to run by gravity, as the water runs towards the return section. All the flow through the chambers should be controlled by the return pump. You don't want to be forcing flow with another pump, as that would probably lead to one chamber being pumped dry, or another overflowing, etc.

As long as the water flows in the direction I outlined, you should be fine.

Tim

 

[scaryperson27]

1) Do you all think a full tear down should be done?

No. If you have tons of algae in your tank, then it could be taking all of the toxins, and pollutants such as Nitrates, Nitrites, Phosphates, Ammonia, etc. out of your tank. You should either find a aquarium shop that'll test your water, or buy new test kits and test the water yourself.

2) What type of substrate, and how much, goes into the refugium?

I would advise going for a Aragonite for the tank, and a type of mud for the refugium. What brands are available to you? How much you stick into the regfugium depends on the space you have to work with.

3) what type of lighting over the refugium?

Any power compacts, or t5, HO fluorescents with a rather low Kelvon rating should do. A lot of people advise the Home Depot Reflector with a Daylight spiral bulb but do make sure it doesn't short out due to salt creep/deposits from splashing from saltwater.

4) How do i get water running into the refugium? I was thinking a very low flow pump, from the skimmer compartment into the refugium, which would overflow in the return pump compartment... Also, there is a black bulkhead on the refugium, maybe that has something to do with it?

Can you raise the skimmer and drill a hole into the refugium wall so that you can just overflow the water into the refugium? If you use a pump, there could be a chance of one of the compartments overflowing. We need a well lit picture of your refugium.

5) lighting questions, right now i have 2x 250 halide bulbs, and the ballasts for 4x 55w PC's. Do I actually need to add those other bulbs? if so what kind?

No you don't need any more lighting then you have. The PC bulbs I would assume were for Actinics? If so, Actinics are mainly used for aesthetics and nothing more.