New tank 125 (note: this may progress slowly)
- Thread starter boviac
- Start date
Originally posted on Chico Reef Club site on 7/2/09 9:31pm:
ok so it has been awhile... I'm getting back to cleaning my tank 1) red slime, 2) old carbon bags, 3) replace GFO, 4) remove dead/bleached corals, 5) water change, 6) clean glass with razor, 7) clean powerheads, 8) clean light fixture shield after spray from bubbler during red slime treatment coated it.
So far i'm part way through but since were probably not going anywhere I hope to get through the rest of the list this weekend. Pics will come shortly.
It is my new goal to take down the 29g very soon. If interested please quote me on what you want to pay (I'll consider fair offers and if you bring your own containers or buckets. for a blue/purple shroom covered barnicle, a tall piece of fire coral coated with coraline and blue/purple mushrooms and comes with a BTA, one piece with xenia-two stalks on each side of a purple mushroom, and several pieces small to palm sized lettuce leathers. I have a two 55W PC DIY canopy (it's a 29g tall). A prizm HOB skimmer with surface skimming cup, a Fluval 204 filter, sand... I think that's it. I may copy this over to the frag/equipment for sale or not...
ok so it has been awhile... I'm getting back to cleaning my tank 1) red slime, 2) old carbon bags, 3) replace GFO, 4) remove dead/bleached corals, 5) water change, 6) clean glass with razor, 7) clean powerheads, 8) clean light fixture shield after spray from bubbler during red slime treatment coated it.
So far i'm part way through but since were probably not going anywhere I hope to get through the rest of the list this weekend. Pics will come shortly.
It is my new goal to take down the 29g very soon. If interested please quote me on what you want to pay (I'll consider fair offers and if you bring your own containers or buckets. for a blue/purple shroom covered barnicle, a tall piece of fire coral coated with coraline and blue/purple mushrooms and comes with a BTA, one piece with xenia-two stalks on each side of a purple mushroom, and several pieces small to palm sized lettuce leathers. I have a two 55W PC DIY canopy (it's a 29g tall). A prizm HOB skimmer with surface skimming cup, a Fluval 204 filter, sand... I think that's it. I may copy this over to the frag/equipment for sale or not...
Well it doesn't look like that anymore. I pulled out nearly every rock and LPS coral with more stony than coral to remove undesirables: Mushrooms, Palys, Nephthia, Leathers, Valonia. Needless to say the rocks don't look anything like what they used to and the tank is all rearranged. I did this at night and pulled out my Harbor Freight 500W shop light to help see things. After two days I can see my efforst removed about 95%.
Ok so here's the summary of what I've done in the past week or so. Added Chemiclean to aid in red slime removal, did a water change, cleaned the glass, cleaned the powerheads, removed the bag of carbon, replaced fresh GFO in the reactor, prepped a second bag of carbon, Second chemiclean dose and the water change water is awaiting to be changed tonight and then I'll put in the fresh carbon (Rox 0.8 from BRS), cleaned the overflows, cleaned the light cover, etc....
I rinsed and did a pseudo cleaning of the sump I bought - it had dirt, cobwebs and leafs from the previous owner. It's not spaced the way I would like but I figured $100 for this much acrylic already assembled is worth it. It came with a 2" true union ball valve and 2" bulkhead. So I have begun work on the second stand concept again and plan to start work once I get a new job.
With the new stand, I can use this new sump and the reeflo dart I have sitting in my garage. The Reeflo will supply from the sump return the display, the chiller, the skimmer, the fuge, maybe the PO4,C reactor and future calcium reactor and kalk stirrer.
Oh and I restarted vodka dosing. about 0.5ml for two weeks and then 1.0ml thereafter.
the 29g is full of the stuff from the cleanout.
Ok so here's the summary of what I've done in the past week or so. Added Chemiclean to aid in red slime removal, did a water change, cleaned the glass, cleaned the powerheads, removed the bag of carbon, replaced fresh GFO in the reactor, prepped a second bag of carbon, Second chemiclean dose and the water change water is awaiting to be changed tonight and then I'll put in the fresh carbon (Rox 0.8 from BRS), cleaned the overflows, cleaned the light cover, etc....
I rinsed and did a pseudo cleaning of the sump I bought - it had dirt, cobwebs and leafs from the previous owner. It's not spaced the way I would like but I figured $100 for this much acrylic already assembled is worth it. It came with a 2" true union ball valve and 2" bulkhead. So I have begun work on the second stand concept again and plan to start work once I get a new job.
With the new stand, I can use this new sump and the reeflo dart I have sitting in my garage. The Reeflo will supply from the sump return the display, the chiller, the skimmer, the fuge, maybe the PO4,C reactor and future calcium reactor and kalk stirrer.
Oh and I restarted vodka dosing. about 0.5ml for two weeks and then 1.0ml thereafter.
the 29g is full of the stuff from the cleanout.
Seriously considering upgrading my lights to LED before I get a new computer... Hmmm.. Yeah wife keeps walking near the exhaust from the MH fixture and says 'your tank keeps this room too warm!' Yeah it's in the largest room of the house, consisting of more than 1/3 of the open space of the house, vaulted ceilings, and connected to the kitchen/dining area. To add more fault the thermostat is in the hallway that connects the two bedrooms and there is a noticable temp difference when going between the hallway to the living/tank room. Note, I also don't usually let the AC/air flow turn on until we get home in the after noon or unless the house gets above 84 or 85. All being the same yes the 78-82F tank/lights do add heat to the room.
So once real income starts again I'll be getting a 72" set of these bulbs. Buy them from Jody but google: "exotic aquariums Sacramento" and click on Sun-Bright LED link on the left. Lots of Youtube videos and photos documenting them and my favorite: the comparision of a 400W MH, SunBright LEDs, and a DIY LED similar to Solaris.
So once real income starts again I'll be getting a 72" set of these bulbs. Buy them from Jody but google: "exotic aquariums Sacramento" and click on Sun-Bright LED link on the left. Lots of Youtube videos and photos documenting them and my favorite: the comparision of a 400W MH, SunBright LEDs, and a DIY LED similar to Solaris.
hillscp
Soylent Green is People!!
Hi neighbor
Hi neighbor
Imagine my surprise finding this thread while cruising RC looking for a 125 build.
Good stuff!
I am currently building a 125 too.
So Far:
125 AG with dual overflows (just like yours) bought at AquaWorkz in Sac.
Custom stand (my other hobby is wood working)
72" current USA Sunpod HQI with LED moon lights
Two Durso stand pipes (bought from the durso site)
I'm busy pondering the following.
Plumbing
Return Pump size and brand
Substrate type and depth.
Here is my build thread.
I think I read that you are considering a new stand. Here you will find a Sketchup model of the stand I built in case you are interested.
Did I mention my other hobby is woodworking?
<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~chicowoodnut/images/DSCN0954.JPG" width="415" height="312" alt="" border="0" align="">
Hi neighbor
Imagine my surprise finding this thread while cruising RC looking for a 125 build.
Good stuff!
I am currently building a 125 too.
So Far:
125 AG with dual overflows (just like yours) bought at AquaWorkz in Sac.
Custom stand (my other hobby is wood working)
72" current USA Sunpod HQI with LED moon lights
Two Durso stand pipes (bought from the durso site)
I'm busy pondering the following.
Plumbing
Return Pump size and brand
Substrate type and depth.
Here is my build thread.
I think I read that you are considering a new stand. Here you will find a Sketchup model of the stand I built in case you are interested.
Did I mention my other hobby is woodworking?
<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~chicowoodnut/images/DSCN0954.JPG" width="415" height="312" alt="" border="0" align="">
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Ohhhh dddrrrrooolllinnng over your garage setup!!! 
Don't have too much time right now but hopefully will come back over the next couple of days. New job has me very busy. Our upcomming Reef Club meeting is on Aug 14. www.chicoreefclub.org
Looking forward to checking out the links and yes still working on details for the new stand build.
Seems like we have similar setups so far. Thanks for posting!
Don't have too much time right now but hopefully will come back over the next couple of days. New job has me very busy. Our upcomming Reef Club meeting is on Aug 14. www.chicoreefclub.org
Looking forward to checking out the links and yes still working on details for the new stand build.
Seems like we have similar setups so far. Thanks for posting!
Ok so I've done a major like 30gallon water change as It's been way too long since I've added Chemiclean and not done one. Plus, in the past, it has said to do at least a 20% water change after 48hrs. For this new setup that would be like... well, 30 gallons.
Only problem was I left it in a 33g trash can outside and I had to leave the chiller on for 30 minutes to get it cooled back down to normal summer temps in the aquarium.
Found my lost flasher wrasse as it was hiding in the right overflow. Had to pull off the Durso and unthread the 1.5" pipe and then drain the water out to catch it.
Calibrated the pH probe which turned out the be the source of the low pH I was detecting and overcompensating with Alk. So another reason this water change was needed.
Only problem was I left it in a 33g trash can outside and I had to leave the chiller on for 30 minutes to get it cooled back down to normal summer temps in the aquarium.
Found my lost flasher wrasse as it was hiding in the right overflow. Had to pull off the Durso and unthread the 1.5" pipe and then drain the water out to catch it.
Calibrated the pH probe which turned out the be the source of the low pH I was detecting and overcompensating with Alk. So another reason this water change was needed.
OK some update details. New Ca Rx, New Magnum PH's on a Reef fanatic wavemaker - powerful flow on top now and disturbing my sand layer and zoa's. New corals from Tim in Folsom as well as from the MARS swap! Still need to get the rest of the corals and rock out of the 29g to start cycling rock in there.
The new PH's are so strong they are even blowing some of the frag plugs right off the tray! Most common failure are the two awesome frags of pink lemonade I got! By far my favorite so far from Tim but I also really like the meteor shower cyphestria and the montipora undata frags
Did testing tonight after 24hrs of Ca Rx and found:
Ca 350 Low added 100ml of Ca two part
Mg 1450
Alk 8.0 dKH
NO3 10-20
PO4 0.0
pH 8.4
Aquacontroller pH 8.04 -
I swapped out the pinpoint probe I bought just before the December 2008 upgrade but I've noticed over the two months it can't keep calibrated. Right before I replace the 4 y.o. probe it was more than 2.4 points low. Put the old one back on and so far everything is working wonderfully.
I swapped a heater (1 of 2) in the sump that was no longer working with the X10 module. It was taking a while for the one 150W heater to heat the water and I feared with winter coming it wouldn't be able to keep up. So I now have a 150W and a 200W both are set about 81F but controlled by the aquacontroller's temp probe. Even though X10 modules fail off - I'd rather not set the heaters full-tilt just in case.
Also I checked the overflows for the larger clown - nope. Not there. And in fact, tonight I couldn't find the little one either. Hopefully it was just hiding behind the anemone that is facing the back wall anyway. In reality I'm seriously considering removing the anemone next time I do some aquascaping of rock.
Completed making RO/DI water for make up and 33g for the next water change.
Tonight I just changed out the actinic bulbs for the first time in this unit. Another thing I found on the DRF&S labor day special. Swapped one out and turned it on and I'm always blown away by how bright new bulbs are. Also, swapped out the left AquaMaxx bulb with a used Hamilton 14K. Left AquaMaxx had been in there for almost 10 months. Looking forward to see how things look in the morning. Also wiped down the light fixture's plexi cover that had salt creep buildup from the air stones during Chemi-cleaning events.
The new PH's are so strong they are even blowing some of the frag plugs right off the tray! Most common failure are the two awesome frags of pink lemonade I got! By far my favorite so far from Tim but I also really like the meteor shower cyphestria and the montipora undata frags
Did testing tonight after 24hrs of Ca Rx and found:
Ca 350 Low added 100ml of Ca two part
Mg 1450
Alk 8.0 dKH
NO3 10-20
PO4 0.0
pH 8.4
Aquacontroller pH 8.04 -
I swapped out the pinpoint probe I bought just before the December 2008 upgrade but I've noticed over the two months it can't keep calibrated. Right before I replace the 4 y.o. probe it was more than 2.4 points low. Put the old one back on and so far everything is working wonderfully.
I swapped a heater (1 of 2) in the sump that was no longer working with the X10 module. It was taking a while for the one 150W heater to heat the water and I feared with winter coming it wouldn't be able to keep up. So I now have a 150W and a 200W both are set about 81F but controlled by the aquacontroller's temp probe. Even though X10 modules fail off - I'd rather not set the heaters full-tilt just in case.
Also I checked the overflows for the larger clown - nope. Not there. And in fact, tonight I couldn't find the little one either. Hopefully it was just hiding behind the anemone that is facing the back wall anyway. In reality I'm seriously considering removing the anemone next time I do some aquascaping of rock.
Completed making RO/DI water for make up and 33g for the next water change.
Tonight I just changed out the actinic bulbs for the first time in this unit. Another thing I found on the DRF&S labor day special. Swapped one out and turned it on and I'm always blown away by how bright new bulbs are. Also, swapped out the left AquaMaxx bulb with a used Hamilton 14K. Left AquaMaxx had been in there for almost 10 months. Looking forward to see how things look in the morning. Also wiped down the light fixture's plexi cover that had salt creep buildup from the air stones during Chemi-cleaning events.
Ha ha... Yeah well actually I try to super cool my house down since I don't have a Whole House Fan. I open all doors and windows at night and in the morning I run around turing a fan on in front of each window all but one blowing inward. Then I turn on the HVAC fan only and help to circulate. I also have a ghetto attic fan in the garage that I occasionally turn on if I come home for lunch on hot days.
Anyway, on some nights during the summer and soon to be fall, the heaters actually do come on!!!
Thanks, I know you said you were busy and I was at the Hwy 99 accident/spill all day today. Pretty wiped but it was a great experience and the third water ER I've had to respond to such that having a boat would have been useful.
Anyway, on some nights during the summer and soon to be fall, the heaters actually do come on!!!
Thanks, I know you said you were busy and I was at the Hwy 99 accident/spill all day today. Pretty wiped but it was a great experience and the third water ER I've had to respond to such that having a boat would have been useful.
Ok so I've modded the MARS DIY v1.0 skimmer with the 4" neck and huge collection cup. I'm testing this one out until I get the sicce 2500 with pinwheel impeller to put upwards of 800 lph of air in through this guy. With the two inch neck I could barely open up the air valve without it overflowing on me. Now I've got the air wide open and the flow is about 6" below the top of the now 4" dia neck. At least the yellow/brown gunk is at the top still.
