Rebuilding my 90

M

Miasma_F

New member
I've posted once or twice and mentioned that my tank was torn down and still in the crate. We'll I am finally going to start working on it, and I really mean it this time.

After re-measuring my stand 5 or six times last night, I am going to order my new sump/fuge this evening. I've decided on the ADHI 45 refugium sump. My last sump was borderline too small and made me nervous every time my tank lost power. This new sump is the largest possible pre-manufactured sump that will fit in my stand.

As I do this I'll probably need a lot of help/advice from the FW community. Last time, I had the company I bought my tank from set everything up for me so I didn't have to mess with the plumbing.

Here are a couple questions to get me started.
Where is the best place to purchase plumbing parts here in Fort Wayne?
Where can I get some starboard?

Here is a quick list of the stuff I have/want to do to get my tank running again.

-Clean all equipment (everything was put away wet and in a hurry over a year ago so I'm pretty sure I've got a big mess on my hands)
-Gate Valve Mod for my ASM G3 skimmer
-All new plumbing, including bulk heads
-Fix my canopy (the hinges were damaged during the move)
-Wire in a plug for my lighting (previously it was hard wired to the ballasts)
-Install GFI (5 minute chore, but on my to-do list nonetheless)
-Get new test kits/scrapers/sand/etc.
-Uncrate, clean, and leak test my tank
-Find a better spouse approved holding container for fresh water top off (previously it was a 5 gallon bucket hidden in a decorative box. 5 gallons just isn't enough)

Now for the catch. I'm having ankle surgery on 9 January which will require me to be off my feet for 6-8 weeks. I either have to get all this done in 4 weeks or it will be March before I can put any water in the tank. Normally I would wait until then to even consider getting started, but the sump is basically a Christmas gift from someone so I have somewhat of an obligation to get started.

-Matt
 
If you need a hand with getting it all setup come to the meeting this saturday if possible. I might be able to donate some time to help you get it setup up. I am pretty good with almost everything on your list . I am not good at the the -Find a better spouse approved holding container for fresh water top off ". This has been a weak point of mine but I will do my best to help with that as well. After this week I am switching out my 75 to a 90 and I dont plan on that taking more than a day to get it up and going. I will also be on vaction for the two weeks over the holidays. WOOT!!!! cant wait. WEll let me know. I am sure others would be willing to help as well.
Get yourself some vinegar for cleaning
Lowes for the fittings ( it doesnt matter just get them all at the same place.)
Gate valve for the ASM , I done a frea of these. I have had a skimmer or two :)
Have to look at hinges probably lowes too. Not a big deal.
plug. lowes or radio shack just dpend on what you want.
all your kits and sand. I would consider ordering as if you buy them all at once it might save you some money. but otherwise just get an api test kit at one of the lfs to get you started. it will measure ph, ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite. startboard at lowes too. Hope all this helps.
 
I also have two weeks off over the holiday and would be willing to donate some time to help out if you need it.
 
Thanks for the offers. I probably wont need any physical help until I'm actually ready to put the tank back on the stand and plumb the system. With any luck, I'll be doing that right around New Years.

The sump is now on order and I have 5 gallons of white vinegar. Over the next couple of days I'm going to find and start cleaning all of my equipment.

I'll try and make the meeting on Saturday but I don't know yet if I can.

-Matt
 
Good news! So far I have confirmed that both my tunze and skimmer pumps still work. Both are now running in a vat of vinegar solution. I haven't tested my main pump yet since it is an external pump. I'll have to rig something up if I want to run vinegar through it.

Also, my sump shipped today!
 
I tore down my tank when I moved to Fort Wayne. The new job and the move all happened pretty quickly so the tank was torn down in a hurry. Basically, everything got thrown into a bunch of Rubbermaid containers. That was back in August of 07 and I'm just now opening up the containers.

As far as what was in it before, here is one of the last tank shots I had before the move.

IMG_2048.jpg
 
Sump came today!

The light came with all actinics (not sure how I feel about that) and one of the bulbs is acting funny.

You can also see in the pics below that I got the inside of my stand painted last night.

I've got an order of misc stuff coming from Marine Depot and I'll pick up the rest of what I need from Premium Aquatics while I'm down there next week.

I plan to leak test my tank and sump this week so if all goes well I'll have everything up and running late next week.

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Here's the quick description from the web site.


Refugium Model 45
Rated to 225 Gallons
Dims: 36"L x 16"W x 18"T
Skimmer Compartment 15.5" x 12"
Refugium Compartment 15.5" x 14"
2 - 1" Drain Intakes
3/4" Return for submersible pump(not included)
1" Bulk Head for external pump option
Maximum flow 1200 gph
Recommended flow - 5-6 times aquarium volume
Includes 2 x 32w PC Light kit
3 Year Warranty
Fits ASM-G2 & G3 Skimmer(not included)

The first baffle is 12" tall so I may need to put my skimmer on a stand. We'll see once it's up and running.
 
Thanks. My 3 yr old is pretty excited, "Daddy you putting my fish tank together? I get some fishies?" I think he's more excited about my tank than he is Christmas, although I'm sure that will change come Thursday. I've been warned that he's getting a drum set from his uncle.
 
Does his uncle have any kids? If so I reccomend gettting his kids a pony. He will never buy yours another noisy toy again. Just don't be surprised when yours gets that elephant for his b-day.
 
I got my tank out of the crate this evening and it looks to be in decent shape. The plan is to fill it up in the garage tomorrow for the leak test. After seeing how it was packed, I'm pretty confident everything will be OK.

FYI, the drum set turned out to be a non-issue. It is a real cheap set that my son will have destroyed in a matter of weeks. It won't even stand up properly when he tries to play it. With his attention span, he quickly moves on to other things.

-Matt
 
It's going slower than I hoped, but I've made progress. With the exception of my auto-topoff, the tank is now plumbed and mostly wired (I still need to do some cord management).

The only piece of equipment yet untested is my main return pump, thus the lead in to my current problem...water. I've only gotten the tank about 3/4 full so far. I forgot how long it takes to make this much RO water.

I went ahead and put in my rocks this evening even though there isn't any salt in the tank yet. I figured the rocks have been in storage for over a year so there wasn't any point in waiting. Plus the displacement will save me a few gallons of water.

Here are a few pics of the setup and my tank as it currently stands. I'll be adding a couple inches of sand so the cutting boards won't be noticeable when I'm done.

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