Reeftanks6 90g reef build thread ( pic intense)

[chrismunn]

:lol: point taken!
rt6, buy your 90 lbs of LR and try to find some cheap base rock. ive heard alot about this new place called www.marcorocks.com that sells dry fiji base rock. although ive heard good and bad reports about the dealer.
and no, base rocks arent the rocks that are at the bottom of your rock stack inside your tank. base rocks are dry calcium carbonate rocks. the same kind as live rocks, but are not yet live. the actuall LR in your tank will seed your base rock, and eventually your base rock will turn into LR. when you consider the cost, its deffinatly the way your going to want to go rt6!

 

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11755306#post11755306 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrismunn
:lol: point taken!
rt6, buy your 90 lbs of LR and try to find some cheap base rock. ive heard alot about this new place called www.marcorocks.com that sells dry fiji base rock. although ive heard good and bad reports about the dealer.
and no, base rocks arent the rocks that are at the bottom of your rock stack inside your tank. base rocks are dry calcium carbonate rocks. the same kind as live rocks, but are not yet live. the actuall LR in your tank will seed your base rock, and eventually your base rock will turn into LR. when you consider the cost, its deffinatly the way your going to want to go rt6!

The drawback of baserock is that it provides zero filtration for your system, which may take 6 months or longer to get going. Some baserock never filters due to its density, and thus should not be counted as part of the live rock in the tank.

I know of a guy that used a ton of base rock in his tank, and bought 10 lbs of LR to seed it. Even with the tank running for a year or longer, he couldn't get his parameters in line and it was then that we found out how the tank was set up. Posting that he had 250 lbs of LR when in fact he had 10 lbs plus 240 base makes a huge difference.

For me, I'd rather only use liverock when setting up a tank since the reef's filtration is based on that rock. This method has worked very well for me over the past 10 years, and I don't foresee myself changing that method.

You can buy used LR from other hobbyists getting out of the hobby for as little as $2 a lb.

 

[chrismunn]

very good point marc! they also say that base rock will never reach the full filtration potential of real LR. is this true? ive seen some pretty heated debates on the topic!
and like you said, i would always prefer 100% live rock over using any base rock, period. but what options are there when you need $2000.oo worth of rocks and your broke? find a new hobby, right?! :lol:

 

[melev]

No, just do what I suggested in my last sentence. The drawback of buying used LR is that you get some nuisance stuff sometimes, like algae, hydroids, bad crabs, etc.

However, if you buy it as it comes available and simply "cook" it to clean it up (please google 'cooking live rock'), you'll save all kinds of money. I have a rubber trashcan that is 50% full of LR right now. I don't know how much that weighs, but it was enough to overfill two salt buckets and all the pieces are nice decent sizes, with one massive tonga piece that filled one bucket 80% by itself. I don't have a use for it at the moment, but when I need some LR, I've got it.

 

[Reeftanks6]

Ok guys thanks for the reply's i got the rock today. I managed to get 80 lbs of uncured fiji rock. This rock is great its got some algae here and there but overall great color of the rock her is some pics.

FTS on the right side i will add some smaller rocks from the other tank. And maybe some on the right

Right

Left

 

[Reeftanks6]

Sorry guys type-o ment to say. FTS on the right side i will add some smaller rocks from the other tank. And maybe some on the left side.

 

[melev]

That looks pretty good. And you got 80 lbs, which I bet will surprise most readers since you are still in school.

Did you try waving your hand back and forth strongly to make sure the rock doesn't topple?

Do you understand what uncured LR means, and what you need to do? And no, you can't just say "yes." Tell others what your plan is so that they can learn from this thread, and we can make sure you are going to be successful with that method.

 

[Reeftanks6]

Yes i moved my hang a little here and there to make sure nothing fell but when i add the smaller pieces i will do it again and check. Not positive on the uncured rock and cured rock but i asked a couple lfs stores told me to go with the uncured so the stuff that is bad will die off during the process. I did this because i wanted the bad stuff to die and then it will also help me more with the circulation.

 

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11757256#post11757256 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reeftanks6
Yes i moved my hang a little here and there to make sure nothing fell but when i add the smaller pieces i will do it again and check. Not positive on the uncured rock and cured rock but i asked a couple lfs stores told me to go with the uncured so the stuff that is bad will die off during the process. I did this because i wanted the bad stuff to die and then it will also help me more with the circulation.

Once you put some powerheads in that tank, which you now desperately need, you may see that rockwork tumbling. Move your hand back and forth strongly to see if it will stay in place. Or you could use some reef epoxy to glue some of them together. Personally, I stack them so they stay where I want them.

The LFS told you to go with Uncured LR. What bad stuff did you see on the rock? Overall it looks clean, but uncured means your tank will cycle. Is that what you were trying to say? Are you prepared for 3 weeks of waiting before any livestock can be added? You may also notice a smell as it cures, which many find unpleasant.

LR will not help with circulation. Quite the opposite, it will impede it. However, LR does help with natural filtration, if that is what you were hoping.

I'd like to hear about your three years experience at some point.

 

[Reeftanks6]

ok thanks for the reply melev i did not think there was anything bad on the live rock. I checked each peace very carefully to look for hair algae and some other type of algaes that are bad. As for the the light i will be getting that soon and for the power heads i would like to place one on korailla #3 one each side. On the right side pics i was thinking of putting it behind the rock and on the left i would like to put it in the front. Good or bad idea. I think this will create good flow in the back and in the front but i might decide to change it. Would like to hear your opinions. As for the cycle i want to wait about 5 to 6 weeks to get all levels right and make sure everything is right and when i do add my first fish i think i will put my two perculas in there for the testing fish. I dont want damsels because i know they can become very nasty.

 

[chrismunn]

well if nothing falls, then it looks like your off to a good start. having your rock, off the glass is a good idea. and like marc said, your rock has nothing to do with good circulation, but actually prevents good circulation. the way you have it stacked with plenty of room all the way around your stacks will make it easier for you to achieve good flow throughout the tank.

 

[Reeftanks6]

ok a little of topic but do you guys have any idea how to fix the head and litheral line disease on my blue hippo because my parents are begging me to get him fixed and possibly make him part of the move because they say he is part of the family because we look after him everyday to see if he is alright and doing any better would love to get this fish back up to par.

 

[NanoGurl]

Looks great! :thumbsup:

 

[Reeftanks6]

Thanks NanoGurl i want to add some of the smaller rocks from my current tank to the new one today.

 

[RumLad]

Pretty easy to find HLLE info these days RT6!
Now is not the time to get lazy!


Head and Lateral Line Erosion Disease (HLLD or HLLE)


Also known as: Lateral Line Erosion (LLE), Lateral Line Disease (LLD), and Hole-in-the-Head Disease

Symptoms: Begins as small pits on the head and face, usually just above the eye. If untreated, these turn into large cavities and then the disease progresses along the lateral line.

Head and Lateral Line Disease is attributed to a nutritional deficiency of one or more of: Vitamin C, Vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus. Though its cause is not definitively determined, it is thought to be caused by a poor diet or lack of variety, lack of partial water changes, or over filtration with chemical media such as activated carbon.
HLLE has been reversed by one or more of the following treatments:
Increase frequent water changes.
Add vitamins to frozen foods.
Add the addition of flake foods, as they are enriched with vitamins.
Add greens, either frozen or in leaf form, to the diet.
Decrease the amount of beef heart as it lacks many critical nutrients.
Remove activated carbon filtration.

Seems you should be doing good, regular water changes, take out the carbon, and feed proper vitamins.

So go ahead and fully treat this fish, in the old tank, while waiting for the new tank to fully cycle.

I noticed in your posts above how you are starting to jump around abit once again. Going from rock curing, to powerheads to lights to perc introductions during cycling. As we talked about before, make a single plan, and stick to it. You have done well so far in the patience department, no need to rush now. So, what are you going to do next?
I myself think the flow issue needs to be addressed before the light issue. Start seriously thinking about obtaining the Koralias and getting the flow right. This will help with the cycling immensely. Have you noticed if your skimmer functioning changed since adding the new rock? Is this good or bad?

Tell us what you are going to do next, okay?

Oh, and as far as the "testing fish" comment you made earlier, if you are monitoring and measuring your tank parameters correctly, there is no need to use live fish as "tests". Wait until the water parameters are correct and stable and then introduce the livestock with confidence that they will survive in the environment you have created for them. Do not throw them in and "hope" they survive. That is wrong on many levels.

 

[Reeftanks6]

rumlad thanks for the reply. As for the next step i thinking i am going to place the order on marinedepot for the koralia #3's. I should do that tonight but if not tomorrow.

 

[pnsnowboard]

i have a 90 sps reef and i have 2 koralia 3's and 2 koralia 4's and its not too much

 

[Reeftanks6]

really

 

[RumLad]

Good idea on the order. Get what you can afford now, and ask for more at birthdays, Valentines, Easter, whenever someone is in a giving mode

About that skimmer. Notice anything different since adding the rock?
Also, did you record the water parameters before you added the rock? How often are you measuring the parameters since adding the rock?
Why am I asking these questions?

 

[Reeftanks6]

lol rumlad well i just ordered the power heads i did some research on them before i purchased them and people said i would definitely recommendend this to anybody. I also found a guy with two #3s and its a reef tank and he loves them. I did not notice any thing different with the skimmer yet. I have done one water test everything is good will do another tomorrow and post them.