Steve's 480g upgrade 730g total Zeovit system

[Leonardo_]

Good idea to QT them at the LFS, when they eat they are very hardy.

All the sponges originally came out of some live rock. To prevent them compete for space, I fragmented them and seeded more live rock with it.
I'm also setting up a by-passed 30 gallon cryptic tank for the sponges. They seem to play a larger role in the reef-ecosystem then thought before.

Leonardo

 

[Jar*Head]

Thank you for the info Leon. What do you mean by a By-passed ?

 

[Jar*Head]

If you can post some picture of your Cryptic zone setup that would be great. Thanks

 

[Leonardo_]

I mean that one of the overflow pipes is going directly to the cryptic tank the output to the return section. It by-passes the skimmer etc.

My cryptic zone is still in my sump right now. Already done the plumbing for the cryptic tank, and ordered a small 30 G rimless cube. So it will be a project for the near future

Leonardo

 

[Jar*Head]

Do you think 55g drum will work well as a cryptic zone?

 

[Jar*Head]

I have a 40x40 compartment in my sump which is perfect for that but my turn over rate is too fast for cryptic zone therefore i have to use the drum....

 

[Jflip2002]

That tank is coming together perfectly, Steve. Looking at the video its surprising how "peaceful" it looks despite having those 6305 fish blenders, lol. It seems like sometimes people go TOO big, and have to skimp on the equipment. Not this time.

 

[jnarowe]

just about anything will work, but a drum will collect detritus right?

I brought in 75 red spot cardinalfish and not one survived. It was because the supplier was jack-hole and shipped each fish in an individual bag, even when I told them not to. IMO they must be shipped in groups of 10 - 20 because they are schooling fish, plus in general, the larger bag retains heat much better.

 

[Leonardo_]

Anything with the right amount of flow will work. A drum can collect detritus, but when you aim some flow at the bottom you can prevent that maybe.
I don't know your sump design, but maybe you can block some flow in the sump with large pieces of live Rock, and place the sponges behind it. They can tolerate a good amount of flow in my sump.

Jonathan, I have the same experience with small Apogon species. Bagged individually causes much more stress then in a large bag with many individuals together.
I always add some ammonia binding fluid (zeolite milk) to the bag, because they are very sensitive to that.

Leonardo

 

[jnarowe]

no doubt, and my stupid supplier sent a second batch the same way, even though I implored them to send in one or two big bags. Their philosophy was to save me money on shipping by having less total water. I cannot tell you how mad that made me.

 

[Jar*Head]

Thank you so much for the advice Leon. I will give the sump a try first to see if it is going to work...

 

[Jar*Head]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14839302#post14839302 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jflip2002
That tank is coming together perfectly, Steve. Looking at the video its surprising how "peaceful" it looks despite having those 6305 fish blenders, lol. It seems like sometimes people go TOO big, and have to skimp on the equipment. Not this time.

I try not to skimp anymore cuz it will cost more in the long run.

 

[Jar*Head]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14839384#post14839384 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
just about anything will work, but a drum will collect detritus right?

I brought in 75 red spot cardinalfish and not one survived. It was because the supplier was jack-hole and shipped each fish in an individual bag, even when I told them not to. IMO they must be shipped in groups of 10 - 20 because they are schooling fish, plus in general, the larger bag retains heat much better.

That is the reason why i hate buying fish online..

 

[jnarowe]

could never get red spots locally. took me two years just to track down someone who would send them to me in the first place.

 

[Jar*Head]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14839707#post14839707 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
no doubt, and my stupid supplier sent a second batch the same way, even though I implored them to send in one or two big bags. Their philosophy was to save me money on shipping by having less total water. I cannot tell you how mad that made me.

Sometime they thought it was the best for you but it turned out to be the opposite...

 

[jnarowe]

not to mention the fish.

 

[Jar*Head]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14839788#post14839788 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
could never get red spots locally. took me two years just to track down someone who would send them to me in the first place.

That hard to get? Ouch...

 

[Jar*Head]

Finally fix the drain pipe, tomorrow i will redo the plumbing and sunday the light will be on

 

[Jar*Head]

I finally get the protein skimmer up and running (picture and Video being upload). Currently i can only run 3 pumps but the foam already over flow . I will crank it up a bit as i start adding fish and corals. I also add a gate valve onto the drain on the collection cup. I have to swap the fitting around to be able to fit the 1/2" gate valve...

I was in the middle of fixing my return and found out that i run out of 1.5" Tee. I will finish the rest tomorrow night.... Stay tune for more update.

 

[Jar*Head]

5 Mins later

Modify gate valve

This is just 3 pumps

New drain pipe...

Future cryptic zone