My 60g Ocean View Escape

[pleuralplexus]

Today begins the collection and unpacking process for my latest reef aquarium build.

I have had several recent aquariums in the past since 1995 with varying degrees of technology. In the past, efforts were centered around DIY processes where I built my own equipment in order to save significant amounts of money. Now, my efforts are centered around what I have learned from the current technology from my last three generations of nano cube aquariums. I plan to put all of this to use in a new full-on 60 gallon custom cube aquarium which is being built for me by Planet Aquariums.

My plan is to transfer the following equipment from my current 28 gallon nano cube over to my 60 gallon custom build, slowly over the course of several months as the new aquarium cycles. I will set up the new tank right beside the old tank which will make transfer oflivestock and breakdown of the old system much easier after the new aquarium is ready to go.

Equipment I plan to recycle my current aquarium:

-One Radion gen 2
-Two MP10 wES
-HOB1 skimmer
-Two two little fishes canister reactors (one for phosban one for carbon)
-One 1/10 Hp JBJ chiller (although I now have a massive 1/3 Hp chiller on the way from a fellow reefcentralite for backup if the little one won't cut it)
-Three 1.1 mL/min BRS dosing pumps for Ca Mg and Alk
-A circulation pump for the canister filters and chiller
-one 100watt eihem heater
-JBJ ATO (I won't be using this to top off my water anymore. I'm going to turn the sensors upside down and use it to control an automatic water changing system that I will build. The reason I won't purchase a prefabricated water change system is that none is available that will fit in my cabinet.)
-30 lb liverock and attached livestock

Equipment I plan to add (or have already bought)
-Tunze osmolator
-small sump
-Apex auto controller
-30 lb pulkani dry rock from BRS
-Fijipink AragAlive (have 20lb) and not sure how much I plan to get

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The dry rock arrived very well packaged by BRS

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The pieces were just perfect! Here they are soaking in RO water in a new plastic bin. How long should they soak??
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And the osmolator is here.
Still need to order the apex. Does anyone know if the lab grade ph probe is worth the extra cost??

 

[pleuralplexus]

Anyone??
How long should the dry rock soak?
What in-sump skimmer is the best for a total volume of 70g?
Which heater should I use?

 

[pleuralplexus]

Question bump...

 

[jorda9095]

ill try to help. im not completely sure but i think you want the rock to soak for quite some time to purge all of the phosphates out. you can just cycle it out in the tank also but you can have algae outbreaks. thats what i did. a good skimmer for that size tank at a sorta low price is the reef octopus nwb 150. they are a little loud though. eheim makes a good heater.
if you are planning on a 10g sump, i would suggest a larger one. they fill up with equipment fast.

 

[fishroomlady]

you can cycle the rock in a bin or your tank as mentioned. You want to rinse it well but I'm not sure soaking in RO is going to do much. You can put it in saltwater and cycle it. Add a piece of something (table shrimp) or fish food to start the cycle.

 

[pleuralplexus]

Thanks!
Yeah since it's a cube tank, the stand has a small, tall footprint. That's why I'm stuck using a 10g sump.

 

[pleuralplexus]

More new goodies
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And last but not least, the Tank, stand canopy and sump are here!
Pictures when I get a chance. I'm really pleased with the custom cabinetry.

 

[hoooop54]

Regarding your Pukani rock question, I would do either 1 of 2 things. Either use muriatic acid to cook the rocks, and remove the organic material that causes PO4 leaching. Or it takes about 2-3 months in saltwater to remove. I have done both. The first batch, I soaked in a tub, with saltwater, powerheads and carbon. I tested every few days and finally started using Seaklear to remove the PO4. The second time, I used the acid and it took it out right away, but it does take off some of the rock. If you search for Pukani rock curing, there are a ton of threads on it. Good Luck!

 

[pleuralplexus]

Loading the aquarium, stand and canopy in the van at the LFS (actually the FS is not so "L", since we live 150 miles away, but Fush2Morrow has been good to me over the years so when I sprung for a custom build, there was nowhere else I wanted to turn).

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[pleuralplexus]

Regarding your Pukani rock question, I would do either 1 of 2 things. Either use muriatic acid to cook the rocks, and remove the organic material that causes PO4 leaching. Or it takes about 2-3 months in saltwater to remove. I have done both. The first batch, I soaked in a tub, with saltwater, powerheads and carbon. I tested every few days and finally started using Seaklear to remove the PO4. The second time, I used the acid and it took it out right away, but it does take off some of the rock. If you search for Pukani rock curing, there are a ton of threads on it. Good Luck!

So as far as I can tell, muriatic acid is the same thing as hydrochloric acid which is the same thing as chlorine bleach, right? So I can just soak the rock in bleach for a while? How long? And then what do I do?

I took the rock out of its first soak of RO water which it's been in for three weeks. The water was light yellow like urine and had a strong odor that reminded me of the pesticide and fertilizer aisle at the local plant nursery. Scary!! Beautiful rock but I'm not sure I want to invite a Cyanobacteria bloom into my new build by using this dry rock. Any thoughts on all of this??

 

[pleuralplexus]

Question bump...

 

[Dakota Reef]

Muriatic Acid and bleach are not the same thing and are not interchangeable. Bleach can help remove any leftover organic material on the rock. But if you're trying to get rid of the phosphates that are often bound up in pukani rock you'll need to use one of the methods Hooop mentioned.

There are several good threads in the Chemistry forum that explain in great detail how to do this. I'd highly recommend that you read them.

In short you can use muriatic acid baths which are quicker but messier and can be dangerous if not handled properly. Or you can soak your rock in clean seawater or RO water and let the phosphates leach out over time. This usually takes much longer and will require a number of water changes. Some people dose periodically with SeaKlear (a phosphate remover).

As for how long either of these methods will take, the only way to know for sure is to use a phosphate test and determine when your rock is no longer leaching phosphate.

Of course you'll still have to cycle your rock.

 

[pleuralplexus]

When you guys mention Seaklear, you're talking about this stuff, right?
And as far as everyone knows, there's no lasting detrimental residue afterward?

http://www.spadepot.com/shop/Sea-Kl...&zmap=CA1074&gclid=CN7_vcKnsbwCFUUV7Aod-iUATw

 

[Dakota Reef]

Yes, that's the stuff and a little bit goes a very long way.

You should rinse your live rock to remove any precipitate before you add it to your display just to be safe.

 

[kdumph]

Cool I'm looking forward to the rest of this thread, i'm doing a build about the same size.

 

[pleuralplexus]

Cool I'm looking forward to the rest of this thread, i'm doing a build about the same size.

Thanks Kdumph
Im really excited about this build. I'm sparing no expense-- all the way from the autocontroller setup, to the in-cabinet lighting, to the custom cabinetry. I cant wait to post pictures of the cabinetry because the workmanship is flawless. It looks better than my custom kitchen cabinets! In fact, even the inside of the stand has a beautiful furniture finish. I really hate to drill holes in it, but I have to start installing the shelf necessary to hold all the reservoirs, and of course I have to screw down the Apex and dosing pumps soon too... Maybe Ill just admire the woodwork for a while first! haha

Right now I'm in a holding pattern while I finish some remodeling on the house. It may be weeks to months before the tank is sitting on the stand all plumbed up and I begin leak testing. But that's ok because patience is the most important ingredient in a successful reef build. In the meantime, I'll finish treating and curing the Pulkani dry rock, and finish acquiring the equipment and designing the automatic water change system.:smokin:

 

[pleuralplexus]

The Apex, two power bars, and a breakout box are now installed. I've installed an LED light strip throughout the stand to make the contents of the stand much more visible, but unfortunately this makes taking decent pictures impossible....

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Finally a pic of the stand. I just love the workmanship of the woodwork.
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And here is the tank itself, stuffed with in assembled plumbing. I am also impressed with the quality of the canopy. The entire top sits on a solid wood subframe and the whoe thing pivots open with no visible hinge.


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I built a shelf over the sump to hold the RO water reservoir for the ATO

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I'm going to wire a switch to the break out box so the Apex controls the in-stand lighting. This way the light will come on automatically when the door on the stand is open (like a refrigerator)

 

[neuro]

Great start!

 

[pleuralplexus]

Yesterday I finished most of the electrical hardware installation (except for the dosing pumps and door sensor). The main issue I ran across was where to place the control panel for the Apex. Since I didn't want to drill holes into the oak cabinet (which I gladly did when installing an auto controller in my old particle board stand), I mounted the panel along the side at the back so it wouldn't be too obtrusive (terrible pic sorry):

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After I ran out of hardware to install, I decided to stack the tank an canopy to have a look at what the final product will be like. It's over 6 feet tall and I love it!

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This isn't the room the tank will be set up in, but I have to wait for construction to finish in the kitchen before I can set it in place, plumb it and do a leak test.

 

[maddmaxx]

love the stand and canopy. looks really good...