Stolireef Reborn -- Rebuild Thread
- Thread starter Stolireef
- Start date
NaClH20NMYVEIN
Red Dragons!
:bounce1::bounce1::bounce1:
m-six hundred
The Most Diabolical Hater
Excited to see the tank alive again!
Stolireef
Active member
I'll be dropping by for that cup of sand soon. Probably be dropping in a few shrimp tonight to get things going.
Stolireef
Active member
Here's my first FTS with all rock in place. I went for as much rock surface area as possible to allow for lot's of space to 'plant' corals. There is also a great deal of swim area for my beloved tangs and a pretty large sandbed area for things like Scoly's. The rock is all marco island dry with one piece of live rock from Elliot's tank. I may add a small piece of rock that has some coraline algae on it after the cycle.
I've put three cocktail sized shrimp in the tank to get the cycle started. After two days, I'm still not reading any ammonia but I figure that'll take at least a week. Once the ammonia starts to spike, I'll remove whatever is left of the shrimp and then ghost feed for at least six weeks before any fish go in the tank. I'm thinking about a Coris Wrasse for the first fish. I love the look and they are pretty hardy (not to mention, relatively inexpensive). I may follow that with an orchid dottyback but that's not written in stone. I figure I'll be ready for my first coral by the first or second week in June.
I'm currently waiting for delivery of a pair of Lumatek ballasts (replacing my rather large Hamilton HQI magnetic ballasts) as well as the metric to imperial adapter for my skimmer. I then have to drill a new fuge (cracked the old one because I'm impatient). Still some work to do but most of it is now fun (except for the inevitable breakout of cyano).
I've put three cocktail sized shrimp in the tank to get the cycle started. After two days, I'm still not reading any ammonia but I figure that'll take at least a week. Once the ammonia starts to spike, I'll remove whatever is left of the shrimp and then ghost feed for at least six weeks before any fish go in the tank. I'm thinking about a Coris Wrasse for the first fish. I love the look and they are pretty hardy (not to mention, relatively inexpensive). I may follow that with an orchid dottyback but that's not written in stone. I figure I'll be ready for my first coral by the first or second week in June.
I'm currently waiting for delivery of a pair of Lumatek ballasts (replacing my rather large Hamilton HQI magnetic ballasts) as well as the metric to imperial adapter for my skimmer. I then have to drill a new fuge (cracked the old one because I'm impatient). Still some work to do but most of it is now fun (except for the inevitable breakout of cyano).
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Mael
New member
question: Why not mix the salt/water before adding? Is there a benefit to doing it this way(besides it being easier I assume)?
I love the power enclosure, it is almost exactly what I was planning for when I build this sump enclosure, very clean and organized.
I like the scaping, Now that I have my first tank up and running for a while I already know I will employ different methods to my layout next time, primarily with coral farm space in mind like you.
All very nice and well done.
I love the power enclosure, it is almost exactly what I was planning for when I build this sump enclosure, very clean and organized.
I like the scaping, Now that I have my first tank up and running for a while I already know I will employ different methods to my layout next time, primarily with coral farm space in mind like you.
All very nice and well done.
Stolireef
Active member
Mael:
With 120 gallons total volume, it's much easier to mix in the tank. I don't have anywhere near that amount of mixing capacity anywhere else.
I worked really hard on the electrical systems. My goal was to make every pump easily removable for cleaning without clipping strap ties or disturbing other systems. The top of the enclosure is caulked so that any drips over the side of the tank do not impact the outlets. It's not nearly as neat as I would like but using wiring runs would have made it much more difficult to remove pumps. I really like the bungee ties I found at Home Depot for wires that may need to be moved.
One thing I've found is that pump reduction is key. By hard plumbing my return, I was able to eliminate the feed pump for my CA reactor, the feed pump for my fuge and the circulation pump for my sump. Plus, it is very adaptable due to the use of ball valves. Setup was a bit painful but I'm very pleased with the results so far. Now let's see if I can grow corals.
With 120 gallons total volume, it's much easier to mix in the tank. I don't have anywhere near that amount of mixing capacity anywhere else.
I worked really hard on the electrical systems. My goal was to make every pump easily removable for cleaning without clipping strap ties or disturbing other systems. The top of the enclosure is caulked so that any drips over the side of the tank do not impact the outlets. It's not nearly as neat as I would like but using wiring runs would have made it much more difficult to remove pumps. I really like the bungee ties I found at Home Depot for wires that may need to be moved.
One thing I've found is that pump reduction is key. By hard plumbing my return, I was able to eliminate the feed pump for my CA reactor, the feed pump for my fuge and the circulation pump for my sump. Plus, it is very adaptable due to the use of ball valves. Setup was a bit painful but I'm very pleased with the results so far. Now let's see if I can grow corals.
Stolireef
Active member
Houston, we have ammonia. I put the three cocktail shrimp in the tank on Saturday and this evening, I'm finally reading some ammonia. It's at about .5 ppm and I'm hoping it spikes up to about 3 ppm. If not, I'll probably add some ammonia directly but ... nothing good happens fast in reef keeping.
As Tom Petty said, the waaaiitttinng is the hardest part.
As Tom Petty said, the waaaiitttinng is the hardest part.
Stolireef
Active member
Also, just received confirmation that my new ballasts have shipped. I made a mistake in my prior post. The ballasts I ordered are LuXcore by Coralvue. As I understand it, they are identical to the Lumateks. Should have them in a few days and then I can complete the lighting wiring. I still need to drill and install the new fuge and install the Ca RX but neither of those are short term priorities. The plumbing is ready for both.
Stolireef
Active member
Tomorrow, I will install the water changing station. I don't expect to do a water change for several weeks but I'd like to have everything in place when the time comes. Ammo is approaching 1ppm but it's still not as high as I'd like.
In all past tanks, I cycled with live rock so the cycle was very fast. While I'm pleased with the dry rock, it does test one's patience.
In all past tanks, I cycled with live rock so the cycle was very fast. While I'm pleased with the dry rock, it does test one's patience.
Stolireef
Active member
Thanks. That's been the goal throughout this build.
