mpyers
New member
This is a blog I'm going to start mostly because I'm bored at this very moment, and like all of us; Obsessed with my tank.
I have kept freshwater tanks for a long time. At one point I had 4 x 55 gallons and a 30gal going all at once. One held an Oscar. One was pretty with little tropical fish, one was for turtles, etc.
After getting rid of them one by one, I decided I would focus on one tank. A reef tank. I completely underestimated what I was getting myself into. This would have been in 2013, I went to an lfs and purchased sand, salt, a 48" single bulb T5 and took my goodies home. I set them next to my nicest 55gal, and didn't touch them again for two years. I'm positive that at one point my furnace when out and the sand would have been frozen solid with the little bit of water they keep in the bags. I didn't have the motivation to get started or the money to keep going once I started. Then I bought my first real house and my wife told me that I had to fill the thing with water or get rid of it. So that very day I used the garden hose to fill it with water, and I dumped the bag of salt and sand in it. I let it sit for about 6 more months. Nothing going on. Just sand salt and water.
Then one day I decided I should do something with it. So I went back to the lfs and got a couple powerheads because there was a visible separation of stagnant fresh and salt water. I asked them what I needed to do to get this thing going. They said that I should get a hydrometer, and a pH kit. Neither of which I did. Instead I got a live rock, a crab and a fish, and took them home to see how they would do. The fish died, but the crab lived. Then I took it more seriously. I realized that this wasn't freshwater anymore, you can't just set it and forget it. So I got the hydrometer, and the pH kit, and some buffer. I went home and got my water somewhat in line. I had this crazy brown algae so I thought that was a good sign. I asked the guy at the lfs and he said no its not good. I realized i couldn't leave my light on all the time like I could with freshwater. So I turned the light off for two weeks and let the stuff die. Then after taking things more seriously, I went back to the lfs with a water sample and confidence. My water was good, so I left home with a yellow tang and another couple pieces of live rock. The tang lived.
I bought a few more fish. A few clowns. Some more crabs. I put off doing water changes. I made failed attempts at saving money for better equipment. Then my neighbor showed me his reef that I didn't know he had. It was a beautiful 180gal mature reef. It is fantastic. With a whole closet dedicated to the sump and company. I was in awe. Then he gave me a frag. Just one.
Now I am hooked.
I took the frag home, and in a few days I realized that my setup wasn't enough. It was a devils hand mushroom. I started saving every penny, and researching every DIY i could find. I scoured the internet for every detail of marine life knowledge I can find. I may have been lazy in the start, but I am a scientist damn it and once I finally do put my mind to something I have to know how it works inside and out.
So a few more free frags later, lots of research, and some DIYing and today I am starting to get really excited about the possibility of shopping for my own corals soon.
I have purchased every test I can get ahold of (except phos.) the lfs was out, but I have some on amazon order. I have calcium and iodine supplements, because the ******* neighbor gave me a hydnophora which is way out of my league right now, but I am desparate not to lose it. My water has held steady for a month at 8.2 pH I want it a point higher but no luck so far, at least it is steady. KH is 180ppm and steady. Salinity is 1.024. Ammonia and nitrites are 0. Nitrates are my problem at the moment at 20.
My budget is TIGHT. So I have to DIY everything. I built a skimmer out of a small air pump I had already, and some PVC. It works. I have skimmate, and my nitrates have gone down from 40 to 20 in less than a week. Other than that I have two large HOB freshwater filters with carbon running all the time. I rinse out the filter cartridges every couple days and replace them every few weeks. I'll continue this until I can afford a real skimmer. I have my eyes on an HOB nano skimmer right now that is affordable, and I will go bigger once I get a sump set up.
For lighting I purchased chinese made LED components and drivers on amazon. Right now I have the original T5 I started with, a 30 watt 6000K LED chip, 900mA, and 10 x 3W 455nm Blue LED's. I just got a 100W 455nm blue LED today, but I am waiting on heat sink, driver, and lens for it before I can power it up.
Right now the lights and skimmer look like a science experiment on top of my tank. I am still going to order a few more 3W whites, and maybe a few purple, and a couple red and green. All lights are dimmable, and are going to be hooked up to a clickPLC that I got from work, where I can program all sorts of nice little settins. The usual sunrise and sunset, and a random chance at weather patterns.
Once I get the nano skimmer and a nice aluminum rail to neatly mount my lights on the top of the tank will look quite a bit nicer.
I have an RO/DI filter (4stage 50gpd) on the way now. It should eliminate my nitrate problem within a few quick waterchanges.
Next is the nano skimmer, then a waterpump for a sump and fuge. I work at an acrylic manufacturing plant, so I can get sheets to build the sump and fuge tanks once I have the pumps to run them. I am going to do a display fuge, aquascaped, with chaeto and mangroves, and as big of a sump as will fit under my 55gal.
Right now I have two clownfish, a yellow tang, a yellow watchman goby, a purple clawed daumi lobster, a peppermint shrimp, an assortment of crabs and snails, including one monster of a crab that is going to be banned to the sump when I get it. I have several devils hand's, a bubble mushroom, a yellow star polyp colony, a fresh aiptasia problem, another barely living mushroom coral (I say barely living because I thought it was dead when I got it, and the only reason I took it is for the devils hand attached to it, but last night it moved, curled up), and a hydnophora frag. My "dead mushroom curled up after being attacked by the monster crab. I don't know if that means he can be salvaged or not, but I am going to try. Also with the installation of my new blue lights today, I was able to notice several fluorescing spots all over him which are unmistakably offspring. Which is hopeul.
I have a cyano problem, but I am hoping with the new RO/DI, I can start doing frequent water changes, which will eliminate the nitrates and therefore cyano.
Because I work at the acrylic plant, I can get up to inch thick acrylic for free. at any size up to 120" width, and theoretically unlimited length. So my goal after this tank, is go bigger. I am going to do 1/2" thick probably 300-600gal. I am going to decide on a spot in the basement in the mancave and figure up the dimensions rather than pick a number of gallons. I will build a steel frame to support it and the corners, then do woodwork around the metal. my Company also produces acrylic mirrors, so I am going to do the sides of the tank in mirror, so it will create the illusion of a never ending reef.
With the big tank I am going to use everything I have learned, and not put water in it until I am ready for it. I will have the sumps, pumps, fuges, skimmers, reactors, lights, etc. All in place before I ever put water in the thing, so that I can have a stress free start up.
I can't believe how I went from half assing everything to how obsessed I am right now. I spend hours doing research every night. Sometimes I have a hard time finding something new to research. I can't wait to get this tank stable, and start working on my new build.
Also, if anyone ever wants some acrylic, I would be willing to trade for some frags.
I have kept freshwater tanks for a long time. At one point I had 4 x 55 gallons and a 30gal going all at once. One held an Oscar. One was pretty with little tropical fish, one was for turtles, etc.
After getting rid of them one by one, I decided I would focus on one tank. A reef tank. I completely underestimated what I was getting myself into. This would have been in 2013, I went to an lfs and purchased sand, salt, a 48" single bulb T5 and took my goodies home. I set them next to my nicest 55gal, and didn't touch them again for two years. I'm positive that at one point my furnace when out and the sand would have been frozen solid with the little bit of water they keep in the bags. I didn't have the motivation to get started or the money to keep going once I started. Then I bought my first real house and my wife told me that I had to fill the thing with water or get rid of it. So that very day I used the garden hose to fill it with water, and I dumped the bag of salt and sand in it. I let it sit for about 6 more months. Nothing going on. Just sand salt and water.
Then one day I decided I should do something with it. So I went back to the lfs and got a couple powerheads because there was a visible separation of stagnant fresh and salt water. I asked them what I needed to do to get this thing going. They said that I should get a hydrometer, and a pH kit. Neither of which I did. Instead I got a live rock, a crab and a fish, and took them home to see how they would do. The fish died, but the crab lived. Then I took it more seriously. I realized that this wasn't freshwater anymore, you can't just set it and forget it. So I got the hydrometer, and the pH kit, and some buffer. I went home and got my water somewhat in line. I had this crazy brown algae so I thought that was a good sign. I asked the guy at the lfs and he said no its not good. I realized i couldn't leave my light on all the time like I could with freshwater. So I turned the light off for two weeks and let the stuff die. Then after taking things more seriously, I went back to the lfs with a water sample and confidence. My water was good, so I left home with a yellow tang and another couple pieces of live rock. The tang lived.
I bought a few more fish. A few clowns. Some more crabs. I put off doing water changes. I made failed attempts at saving money for better equipment. Then my neighbor showed me his reef that I didn't know he had. It was a beautiful 180gal mature reef. It is fantastic. With a whole closet dedicated to the sump and company. I was in awe. Then he gave me a frag. Just one.
Now I am hooked.
I took the frag home, and in a few days I realized that my setup wasn't enough. It was a devils hand mushroom. I started saving every penny, and researching every DIY i could find. I scoured the internet for every detail of marine life knowledge I can find. I may have been lazy in the start, but I am a scientist damn it and once I finally do put my mind to something I have to know how it works inside and out.
So a few more free frags later, lots of research, and some DIYing and today I am starting to get really excited about the possibility of shopping for my own corals soon.
I have purchased every test I can get ahold of (except phos.) the lfs was out, but I have some on amazon order. I have calcium and iodine supplements, because the ******* neighbor gave me a hydnophora which is way out of my league right now, but I am desparate not to lose it. My water has held steady for a month at 8.2 pH I want it a point higher but no luck so far, at least it is steady. KH is 180ppm and steady. Salinity is 1.024. Ammonia and nitrites are 0. Nitrates are my problem at the moment at 20.
My budget is TIGHT. So I have to DIY everything. I built a skimmer out of a small air pump I had already, and some PVC. It works. I have skimmate, and my nitrates have gone down from 40 to 20 in less than a week. Other than that I have two large HOB freshwater filters with carbon running all the time. I rinse out the filter cartridges every couple days and replace them every few weeks. I'll continue this until I can afford a real skimmer. I have my eyes on an HOB nano skimmer right now that is affordable, and I will go bigger once I get a sump set up.
For lighting I purchased chinese made LED components and drivers on amazon. Right now I have the original T5 I started with, a 30 watt 6000K LED chip, 900mA, and 10 x 3W 455nm Blue LED's. I just got a 100W 455nm blue LED today, but I am waiting on heat sink, driver, and lens for it before I can power it up.
Right now the lights and skimmer look like a science experiment on top of my tank. I am still going to order a few more 3W whites, and maybe a few purple, and a couple red and green. All lights are dimmable, and are going to be hooked up to a clickPLC that I got from work, where I can program all sorts of nice little settins. The usual sunrise and sunset, and a random chance at weather patterns.
Once I get the nano skimmer and a nice aluminum rail to neatly mount my lights on the top of the tank will look quite a bit nicer.
I have an RO/DI filter (4stage 50gpd) on the way now. It should eliminate my nitrate problem within a few quick waterchanges.
Next is the nano skimmer, then a waterpump for a sump and fuge. I work at an acrylic manufacturing plant, so I can get sheets to build the sump and fuge tanks once I have the pumps to run them. I am going to do a display fuge, aquascaped, with chaeto and mangroves, and as big of a sump as will fit under my 55gal.
Right now I have two clownfish, a yellow tang, a yellow watchman goby, a purple clawed daumi lobster, a peppermint shrimp, an assortment of crabs and snails, including one monster of a crab that is going to be banned to the sump when I get it. I have several devils hand's, a bubble mushroom, a yellow star polyp colony, a fresh aiptasia problem, another barely living mushroom coral (I say barely living because I thought it was dead when I got it, and the only reason I took it is for the devils hand attached to it, but last night it moved, curled up), and a hydnophora frag. My "dead mushroom curled up after being attacked by the monster crab. I don't know if that means he can be salvaged or not, but I am going to try. Also with the installation of my new blue lights today, I was able to notice several fluorescing spots all over him which are unmistakably offspring. Which is hopeul.
I have a cyano problem, but I am hoping with the new RO/DI, I can start doing frequent water changes, which will eliminate the nitrates and therefore cyano.
Because I work at the acrylic plant, I can get up to inch thick acrylic for free. at any size up to 120" width, and theoretically unlimited length. So my goal after this tank, is go bigger. I am going to do 1/2" thick probably 300-600gal. I am going to decide on a spot in the basement in the mancave and figure up the dimensions rather than pick a number of gallons. I will build a steel frame to support it and the corners, then do woodwork around the metal. my Company also produces acrylic mirrors, so I am going to do the sides of the tank in mirror, so it will create the illusion of a never ending reef.
With the big tank I am going to use everything I have learned, and not put water in it until I am ready for it. I will have the sumps, pumps, fuges, skimmers, reactors, lights, etc. All in place before I ever put water in the thing, so that I can have a stress free start up.
I can't believe how I went from half assing everything to how obsessed I am right now. I spend hours doing research every night. Sometimes I have a hard time finding something new to research. I can't wait to get this tank stable, and start working on my new build.
Also, if anyone ever wants some acrylic, I would be willing to trade for some frags.
