Rebuild and recovery of a dead tank

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15495702#post15495702 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jason2459
lol Capn yeah. He's got himself an ocean theme room he'll be going into. Already have the room fully cycled months ago.

Did run home for a little bit today to check in on our doggy. Neighbor is letting him out for us but still wanted to check in, give him a treat and let him smell some clothes the baby was in. Have to acclimate him too with a long sniff method.

Did a quick little water change.

2pm Tests (glad I did these enough that I'm pretty quick with it now, plus the prob helps)

Temp: 79.5
SG: 34
pH: 7.98
ORP 126 (bumped the ozone up a little more again after this)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate 20

Also, it was very exciting to see some hair algae growing. Will get a CUC this week. Saw the snail up on the glass and saw the red leg hermit. He found a new home.

I would let your nitrate go right to zero before adding the cuc--its been cycling according to Hoyle so far so it should be zero in a week or so
"I love it when a plan comes together":lol:

 

[bobbyjeb]

baby is so sweet, so pretty. congrats!!!!

 

[bobbyjeb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15433201#post15433201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jason2459
Thanks steve. I tried to make many caves and put some smaller rocks on the very bottom and propped up some of the bigger rocks.

Capn I certainly jumped straight to having some high nitrate by getting that water change water but I'm certainly not to worried about it right now. It'll go down.

I got the o-ring for the collection cup on the skimmer and got it going at half power right now to break it in.

WOW you have the same protien skimmer i have. Please can you tell me what it is, I need a manual for it so bad. I have never used a skimmer befor and not even sure if i am doing this right!
Mine does have a drain hole in the bottem of the cup. I run it to a five gallon water jug on the floor. What line are you running to the fudge?

 

[jason2459]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15495852#post15495852 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur


I would let your nitrate go right to zero before adding the cuc--its been cycling according to Hoyle so far so it should be zero in a week or so
"I love it when a plan comes together":lol:

True. I was thinking last week my Nitrate should be down to 0 or close to it this week the way the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate were cycling up and down. It probably wouldn't be until next weekend I get down to a LFS out of town to get the CUC.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15495920#post15495920 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bobbyjeb

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15433201#post15433201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jason2459
Thanks steve. I tried to make many caves and put some smaller rocks on the very bottom and propped up some of the bigger rocks.

Capn I certainly jumped straight to having some high nitrate by getting that water change water but I'm certainly not to worried about it right now. It'll go down.

I got the o-ring for the collection cup on the skimmer and got it going at half power right now to break it in.

WOW you have the same protien skimmer i have. Please can you tell me what it is, I need a manual for it so bad. I have never used a skimmer befor and not even sure if i am doing this right!
Mine does have a drain hole in the bottem of the cup. I run it to a five gallon water jug on the floor. What line are you running to the fudge?

IMO it looks like a coral life protein skimmer

 

[jason2459]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15495920#post15495920 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bobbyjeb

WOW you have the same protein skimmer i have. Please can you tell me what it is, I need a manual for it so bad. I have never used a skimmer before and not even sure if i am doing this right!
Mine does have a drain hole in the bottom of the cup. I run it to a five gallon water jug on the floor. What line are you running to the fudge?

I just have the outflow stuck right into the fuge. Using a vinyl tubing to get it to go about 1-2" under the water. It's a Coralife super skimmer. Sounds like you have either the 120 with a flat bottom or the 220 with an all acrylic rounded bottom. Both have a built in overflow connection.

Check out their site and can download the manual in pdf.
http://coralifesuperskimmer.com/

Also search this site as there are tons of people who have done all sorts of mods to them. Particularly you should check out using a gate valve for the outflow.

Edit: Just realized what line you were talking about. That gets shoved anywhere. Right now it's in the main tank. At times water splashes up out of it so I put that air line in to stop it from going on my floor.

 

[bobbyjeb]

thank-you, thats it!

 

[jason2459]

We are home now. It's an amazing and wonderful thing to have a new baby boy in the house.

The hair algae in the tank is getting along fine. Some thin strands are about an inch but most is still 1/2" or less still.

No water change today. Getting the brute mixing right now for the next weeks worth of water change. Once I have that down to 0/0/0 I'll reduce the water changes to once a week or two. Still planning on eventually getting to once a month or two in the long run.

6:30pm Tests
Temp: 79.5
SG: 34
pH: 7.9
ORP: 118
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20

 

[jason2459]

Cycle is coming along very nicely now. I have a few 6in long green strands and a bunch of small fern like things growing around the tank along with some new brownish spots and filaments.

Taking off work the next two weeks to help the wife recover. So far the days have been Poop,Pee,Eat,Poop,Sleep,Poop,Sleep,Eat,Pee,Poop,Eat,Poop,Pee,Poop,Eat,Sleep...etc. Baby must take after me.

Small water change in the morning. Got the MaxiJet 1200 rigid up to the skimmer. Much smaller and quieter then the Rio. Little less flow which is good for the refuge but performing so far just as well. I'll look into doing a mesh mod on it.

7:40pm Tests
Temp: 79.5
SG: 35
pH 7.9
ORP: 120
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20

 

[Paul B]

Jason, these are the good years. Wait 15 years, then you will wish for these days. After age 15 you will need another 10 years or so to recover.
Mine is now 30 and we are just beginning to relax

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15509000#post15509000 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paul B
Jason, these are the good years. Wait 15 years, then you will wish for these days. After age 15 you will need another 10 years or so to recover.
Mine is now 30 and we are just beginning to relax

then the grandkids start coming and you are doing it all over again :lol:

 

[jason2459]

LOL


Paul I'm certainly enjoying my days off here. Brandon is awesome. Just love watching all his different little expressions. Not looking forward to the rebellious years and hoping he's not getting into to much trouble.

Capn. Those times are great as then you can just give the kids back. Get all the benefits of spoiling them and not having to worry about the repercussions.

 

[Paul B]

Thats a fantastic looking boy you've got there jason.

The rebellous years is part of life which we all went through. I know I must have been a horror during those years.
But it's all worth it. My daughter now is a beautiful, respectful 30 year old who even helps me tie up the boat.
A few years ago it was a different story. But your at the best time in your life now, enjoy it, it whizzes by.

 

[jason2459]

Paul your daughter definitely takes after your wife and not you.
You're a very lucky man and very well deserved for a life time of hard work.

 

[Paul B]

Thank you Jason, and yes, thank God she takes after my wife and not me. I don't want a bald pot bellied daughter.

 

[jason2459]

This week is going by way to fast. Not looking forward to having to go back to work after next week.

Small water change yesterday and today. No testing yesterday.

1:30pm Tests
Temp: 78.8
SG: 34
pH: 7.83
ORP: 126
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20

Have the Ozone at 50%(25mg/h) now and ORP really is not budging. Nitrate is still hanging at 20. From what I've been reading on this site it's either being introduced by my crappy IO reefcrystals, leaching out into my water from my Commercial Brute mixing container(garbage can), my RUGF is a nitrate factory, or all of the above... I should just give up now.

 

[Paul B]

my RUGF is a nitrate factory

Excuse me! Impossable, unless of course it is new

 

[bobbyjeb]

The eat, sleep, poop cycle gets...different. It will be eat, sleep,poop,need money,need ride, sign this, and the best..."Mom, look what I got for free! Can we keep him, I promise i will take care of him....And you will, and he won't, and its still the best ride of all!!!

And i really like your thread. Thank-you I get alot of good info. The pics make all the difference.

 

[jason2459]

Paul I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I better schedule a cleaning in 25 years and it should be close to cycled in about 40 years.


Bobbyjeb, Glad to here someone is getting something out of this.

 

[jason2459]

The algae farm is growing nicely. The zombie snail is still alive I think. Never see him move but he's always in a different spot from day to day. Found the mystery crab this morning grazing and a blue leg crab. So, I either have a tank of zombie's and have the making of the next pet cemetery or I had two blue leg hermits in there and only thought I had one. The carcass was meaty so I know it wasn't just the little guy shedding.

4pm Tests
Temp: 79.9
SG: 34
pH: 7.92
ORP: 228
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20

ORP finally budged. I didn't change anything on it since it hit 50% which was earlier in the week.