Reefsi 240 gallon In-Wall Build

[Reefsi]

Thought I'd start the process of cleaning my old live rock.

Sat in a bucket over winter and it was a cold winter up north to say the least.


The rest of it.


All the supplies.


Bleach in.


Container 1


Container 2


Container 3


And the question.... Was it safe to use this to adhere my acrylic overflow covers?

Perfect beads and was great to work with as far as ease of beading. I personally couldn't tell the difference from silicone. I just hope its not toxic to the fish or corral in any way.

 

[crvz]

I don't know if the consensus has changed in the last year or so, but I've always heard that if the tank sits in a trim you should not use styrofoam under it. I have a 300 gallon DD tank directly on a similar stand and I have had zero issues with the tank in 4 years of operation. Can you elaborate a little on whey you're using the styrofoam?

 

[dave.m]

Question:
I hope I didn't make a mistake, but I used Lexel Silicone to seal the edges of my acrylic covers. They are just covers as the over flow is made up of glass. My question is, was it ok for me to use Lexel?

I thought all silicone after its cured is safe.

re. Lexel - Why not read the technical specs on a product you are about to use first? These are freely available from the manufacturer on-line.

First of all, Lexel is an adhesive, not a silicone. In fact, all their advertising is aimed at proving how "superior" their product is to silicone.

It says specifically in the tech spec:

WHERE NOT TO USE:

• Areas of submersion where there is animal life (i.e. aquariums).

Doesn't get much clearer than that.

Also, the deal with silicone is not the curing time but that many silicone products include mildewcides for use in bathrooms. These mildewcides are toxic to most fish and invertebrates and remain so long after curing. You have to read the label carefully when using silicone on an aquarium to make sure it is safe for your tank.

There is no mention in the Lexel specs of mildewcides but there is a possibility of leaching other toxic substances. You might want to contact the manufacturer for clarification as they don't state what the specific concern is with their product around aquariums.

Dave.M

 

[Reefsi]

Thanks for the response as always.

Yeah Im not to sure where my thought process was there. Actually complete mind blank to be honest. I contacted the company and also read on the product. I found these 2 things:

1.
Can Lexel be used to repair a pond, a fountain, a bird bath, an aquarium, etc?

Depending on the exact application, it can be used to repair cracks or leaks in all of the above. Allow it to fully cure before putting animals in. Don't use in aquariums or enclosures with animals prone to chewing (gerbils, hamsters, rats, etc.) and only use in large aquariums (like outdoor ponds) in aquatic applications.

2.
Is Lexel toxic after cure?

No.

Both under there FAQ's

My guess is I will be ok, I have to wait 3 weeks to put water in the aquarium anyways and they said it takes 1-2 weeks to cure. I am awaiting there response to see what happens.

Worst case scenario I have to remove the 4 bead lines that I did make, which shouldn't be too bad.

 

[dave.m]

If the concern is just with chewing animals you may have caught a break. Fingers crossed.

Dave.M

 

[Reefsi]

O, they're crossed lol

 

[OutsideBrian]

Subscribed!
Nice merganser too

 

[Reefsi]

Good eyes! Very avid hunter/outdoorsmen/deep sea fisher
I have around 40 mounts in my house all types of species that was taken by me or a family member, everything was mounted and painted by my father.

 

[batesdc]

I noticed the Merganser mount also. Very nice.

 

[Reefsi]

Got this as a response today in a email from Sahsco, the company that makes Lexel.

Good morning Scott!

You are correct about waiting for Lexel to cure. Giving it three weeks should be plenty of time for the toxins to evaporate and after that they will not harm the fish.

Please let me know if you have any further questions that I can answer.

Good to know! Will not make that mistake again, complete mind failure :headwally:

 

[dave.m]

Dave.M

 

[Reefsi]

So I let my live rock soak in bleach and water overnight(24 hours) and my next step was an acid bath. I know I went a little extreme but I wanted to make sure all organisms, metals, and phosphates were out before adding it to the tank.

Heres some pics!

Just out of the bleach and water, Rinsed everything really well.


Loaded back in the containers.


Just before any acid was added.


Acid just added.


10 Minutes into it.


20 Minutes into it.


30 Minutes into it and Baking soda added


Out of the acid bath and rinsed off.


Next was soaking it in prime!

 

[Reefsi]

So I put all the rock back into the containers and I am going to let it soak in prime for 2 24hour sessions.

Using Prime by Seachem.


Soaking.



So the method I used for this was as follows:

1. Get containers that will hold all of your live rock and have ample space for the acid to bubble.

2. Soak live rock in Bleach and water, I use a 1:10 Ratio bleach to water. I soak it for 24 hours, I don't like soaking it for any longer as your live rock will begin to get fragile.

3. I remove all the live rock from the bleach water and rinse the containers and rock really well with freshwater. Make sure you do this as the acid and bleach may have a reaction if any bleach is left over.

4. Load all the rock back up into the containers and add Muratic acid. MAKE SURE YOU ADD THE ACID TO THE WATER not the other way around. Its best if you have a plastic tarp or something underneath your buckets because Muratic acid will eat away at your concrete. I mix the acid at a 1:10 ratio acid to water, and leave it soak for 30 minutes. Make sure not to let it soak for too long because it will begin to etch and decay the live rock badly.

5. BEFORE you dump the acid out your going to want to neutralize the acid with baking soda, I use about 3lbs to 10 gallons of water. However you dispose of it, just remember that it will kill anything living and etch concrete, just a heads up.

6. Once everything is emptied out I rinse the rock and containers out as well as I can.

7. Put all the rock into the container and fill the container with freshwater and add Prime by Seachem. I let it soak for 24 hours and then repeat once more.

8. Put the live rock outside in the sun for a day to let it dry out, just make sure it is dry before adding to a tank.

The reason for the bleach is to kill all the organisms that may inhabit the rock. The purpose for the acid is to remove the phosphates and any unwanted metals that may be in your rock. Basically the acid removes the outer layer of your live rock. The prime is then used to dechlorinate any chlorine that may be left over from the bleach.

This is the method that I use feel free to comment.

 

[Reefsi]

Pull in the driveway from work today and found some goodies at the doorstep!



Skimz Skimmer, 3 Kessil A360WE LEDs, and a Water Bluster HY-10000




Skimz Skimmer SM 201, Kind of confused on the size, it was definitely small but I'm going to give it a chance, about 10"x10' footprint around 21" tall


Kessil LED, very impressed by there lights, Ill post some pictures with them lit up






Water Bluster HY-10000 by Reef Octopus
This thing is massive! Internal or External!


Definitely getting my blood going, can't wait for it all to come together, Tomorrow ALOT more stuff will be arriving and ill be starting my sump, hopefully I can post some mock drawings of it tonight.

Enjoy!

 

[Reefsi]

Any suggestions on a Calcium Reactor that would keep up with a pretty well stocked SPS tank? Tank is 240gal+120Sump

 

[OutsideBrian]

You had to put it around more taxidermy didn't you
Looks good

 

[Reefsi]

Had to! Was too good of a background!

 

[Reefsi]

So I have got a lot of work done on the tank, I have been taking a lot of pictures just haven't got to post them yet. Hopefully I will do so today sometime. I also changed the lighting on the tank, I sent back one of the 60" ATI 4x80w fixtures and ordered 3 more Kessil A360 WE. That will be a total of 6 Kessil A360WE and 1 ATI 60" 4x80w. The tank is coming along and I have began to build the sump.

Ill keep you posted!


What are your thoughts on the lighting for SPS?

 

[crvz]

I'm not terribly familiar with the Kessil LED fixutres, but I've had good success with T5 lights personally. Arguably in my tenure of keeping saltwater aquaria (nearing 15 years), my best success with SPS was under T5 lighting, though there are a lot more variables going into that (I also had no children during that time, so my dedication was much higher). I'll reserve final comments once you've got things set up (placement weighs into it on some level), but I think you're headed in the right direction for keeping almost anything with the combo of lighting you've got thus far.

 

[kmu]

Pull in the driveway from work today and found some goodies at the doorstep!







Definitely getting my blood going, can't wait for it all to come together, Tomorrow ALOT more stuff will be arriving and ill be starting my sump, hopefully I can post some mock drawings of it tonight.

Enjoy!

Nice Bucks!!!