My new (used) tank

[Tomoko Schum]

Since he is seeing nitrate climbs fast and no ammonia/nitrite, I suspect that he has enough nitrifying bacteria, which indicates that his sand bed is alive. I think that the tank has cycled already and he is just seeing the byproduct of cycling (nitrate), which now has to be exported or eliminated somehow.

Tomoko

 

[Mariner]

Thanks for the replies all.
Tomoko, I did purchase a python this week, but I'm reluctant to do much more to the sandbed right now...I fear that stirring it up again may make matters worse...create more die off and/or release more gunk into the water column. What do you think?
I will start rinsing the filter pad daily.
I haven't done a big water change yet, but apparently that's in my near future I had to add about 40 gallons of freshly mixed water after set up -- water we lost from emptying out the sump, etc.
Also, I should add that the SG was extremely low -- 1.017 when I first tested it after set up. It's up to 1.020 today; I've been topping off with saltwater instead of fresh...raising SG slowly.
Mariner

 

[The0wn4g3]

Well yes, but I've moved many tanks from complete breakdown to fully setup within the day. It never hurts to boost the bacteria after times of stress, but it's of course not required.
Anyway, the best way to remove nitrates is always water changes haha

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Sounds like you are doing everything that you can at the moment.

I don't clean my sand bed in my reef tanks with Python because my sand particles are too fine. I am afraid to suck the fine sand up and dump them into my house drain. I also don't want to lose all the sand bed fauna, either.

I do clean gravels in my fresh water tanks to keep detritus from building up in the gravels. When I do this, detritus stays neatly in the fat Python tube. No mess no fuss.

However, I had to be very careful and use a very small pressure for a German ram breeding tank with a fine sand substrate. Otherwise, the sand came up the tube quickly, threatening to clog up or run down the hose connected to the house drain.

When I have too much detritus built up in the substrate of my FW planted tank, my nitrate level gets too high even for my heavily planted tank (which I normally fertilize with KNO3 and K2PO4 to keep its NO3 and PO4 levels around 15 ppm and 1-2 ppm respectively.)

Tomoko

 

[The0wn4g3]

I honestly wouldn't try to use the python. They are pretty much a waste of time in SW, and i'm saying this from experience. Pretty good for FW... but SW it would be better to get some nassarius snails, or syphon the sand out and clean it. You could remove it and swirl it around in RO water if you don't want to risk losing micro fauna and bacteria.
It really doesn't even look like the sand has much gunk in it, from the pictures at least. Why not just swirl it in the tank, and right after do a big water change. Swirling and releasing the gunk will do much more good in the long run than harm. You want it out or in your filter, not in the sandbed =)

 

[stephish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12599009#post12599009 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 8BALL_99
I put 3.1 Gallons in my bike yesterday after going 155 miles Still cost me 10 bucks though.. Round about 53MPG! To bad the truck gets about 16MPG and cost freaking 75 bucks to fill up... I really miss the 99 cent gas from just a few years ago...

Will

My husband called today to tell me he couldn't fill up his work truck the diesel pump shuts off at $150, he left with just over 3/4 of a tank. This is getting crazy! I'm ready to follow Will's lead and ride my bike everywhere I can.

 

[8BALL_99]

Wow that sux. You will have to get some saddle bags for that sportster! Or a goofy looking backpack like I wear on my rice rocket

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Reilly is contemplating riding his bike to work. I am not so sure about it with the traffic in Madison and all the teenagers practicing driving.

I hear that a lot of people are now buying old/used Geo Metros that get over 40 miles per gallon. An Axon, which was introduced recently in England, gets over 80 miles per gallon because of its light frame made of carbon fibers. I hear that its price is much less than a Toyota Prius. It looks very tiny like a Mini Cooper although not boxy like it.

Tomoko

 

[Mariner]

Not to hijack your thread on gas, mpg and prices, but my new reef tank gets 130g to the fill up, plus about a 15g reserve tank (uh, sump). I figure with salt mix roughly $3 per 10 gallons, and RO water being 33 cents a gallon, a 130 gallon fill up runs $84.90.
So I'm getting about 27 miles per coral in sps city, but 35 mpc in softie country.

8Ball, did you get my e-mail?
Mariner

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Haha, that's cute, Mariner

Sorry about hijacking your thread. Don't know how this thread morphed into a car talk. Must be the troll's magic

Tomoko

 

[8BALL_99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12607309#post12607309 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mariner
Not to hijack your thread on gas, mpg and prices, but my new reef tank gets 130g to the fill up, plus about a 15g reserve tank (uh, sump). I figure with salt mix roughly $3 per 10 gallons, and RO water being 33 cents a gallon, a 130 gallon fill up runs $84.90.
So I'm getting about 27 miles per coral in sps city, but 35 mpc in softie country.

8Ball, did you get my e-mail?
Mariner

Haha, Yep I got your email today. Your suppose to use wire and connectors rated for 600V.. The gauge doesn't really matter the Voltage rating has more to do with the insulation on the wire.. But really it doesn't matter. A good 14g or 12g Drop works fine..You can order MH connectors from hellolights that are rated for 600v. To me though they look pretty cheap.

Will

 

[Mariner]

Update on the size of my tank. I found stickers indicating that both the tank and the stand were built by Tenecor. When I checked their site, they list this size aquarium (60x18x30) as being 135 gallons. So, I'm officially calling it "My 135" from now on

Update on the nitrates: After doing 35 gallons of water changes today, they're back down to ~40 . . . p a t i e n c e

Will, thanks for the info. Checking at Lowe's I didn't see any plug connections in the electrical dept. that were 600 volts -- all were either 125 or 250. I take it that I'll not be able to find what I need at a standard hardware/electrical store. Yes or no? I checked out the Hellolights site, and I think I see what you're talking about there, but was hoping just to pick something up locally.

thanks,
Mariner

 

[8BALL_99]

You probably will have problems finding wire and connectors rated for 600v 105c. I know home depot and lowes sells 600v rated wire by there ceiling fans.. I have all my ballast connected with wire nuts. I have some quick disconnects that I plan on using at some point that came with my relfectors. To be safe you will probably have to order some connectors.. To tell you the truth though.. Most aren't connected with 600v connectors and wire.. Infact even with my ballasts my wire nuts aren't even the High temp ones.

 

[Mariner]

Nitrate report:

Nitrate report:

Nitrates down to ~20 today.
I've changed 45 gallons of water since Sunday -- including 15 gallons that I brought over from my 75g. I've got ten more gallons of freshly mixed water ready for a change tonight or tomorrow.
I'm out of salt
Mariner

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Boy, that's a lot of water changes. I sympathize with you, Mariner.

I do 10 to 15% of water changes for my 120 every other week, but my nitrate has been between 0.2 to 0.5 ppm range lately with Salifert's test kit. I cannot get it down to zero, and the color of some SPS's is somewhat dull as compared to other real bright ones. Maybe I should just give up and get rid of those duller ones since they irks me.

Tomoko

 

[The0wn4g3]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but have you considered trying a coiled denitrator? They're supposed to be very low maintenance (no feeding) and work well at reducing nitrates after they've become established.
I've always get a first hand review of them, and I don't have a nitrate problem so there's no need to me to try one...

The dull SPS make the bright SPS look brighter, though!

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I've read mixed reviews on both coil denitrators and a DIY denitrator (made of a whole house filter housing) like Melev's. I am a bit curious about ARM's sulfur media that is supposed to be used in a second chamber of a calcium reactor.

Tomoko

 

[8BALL_99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12632046#post12632046 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tomoko Schum
Boy, that's a lot of water changes. I sympathize with you, Mariner.

I do 10 to 15% of water changes for my 120 every other week,
Tomoko

I did a 25 gallon in one tank a few days ago and 45 gallon water change lastnight in the other system. Doesnt take long to go through salt haha...You think you guys have it bad.. Did you read on the tank of the month for this month? Has about a 400 or so gallon system. He changes 15% Every week, and replaces his calcium reactor media every month! Not to mention the 6x 400watt MH Ouch!!!

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Replacing calcium reactor media every month? Wow, that's a lot of ca and alkalinity going into the tank.... His coral growth must be phenomenal.

Tomoko

 

[8BALL_99]

Well that or he just does it.. I've read serveral threads where people replace sand beds once a month or every other month. Same goes for reactor media.. Just cause they do it doesn mean they need to do it or that it even helps . He does have a nice tank though.

Will