Update 180 tank

[jfolley67]

ok, after today, gotta admit that I don't EVER want to aquascape again!!! What a nightmare! It was like I did fine on one side and the other side would NOT fall into place...finally got to a point (after my fingers were raw from handling the rocks all day) that I think I am ok with what I have got....now I would LOVE to post pictures and will do so tomorrow.....BUT the sand has been put in and all we can see is the sand line and a beautiful solaris glow...hehe.....all electronics hanging on the wall and everything, looks great. Deciding if I am gonna keep the return pump or get another...it is not real loud but I do feel the slightest vibration in the room....and it is louder in the closet. Kind of like the washer is going in the next room kind of thing. All pumps and wavemakers are on and running.....tunze wavebox is wayyyyy cool.
Still hear a little water movement at overflow....do you all hear the overflow water at all? Very little but still there....we have holes at the top of the caps of the dursos we put on and we did get little valves to put in there, will this help the sound? Besides all that, we still need to set up the tunze osmolator and get the refusium going so if anyone has some cheato.....hint hint!
Next week we will make the transfer from the 90 gallon ....can't wait....gotta start watching water quality and my salinity is low so bringing it up now also....
Any other words of advice, I would take! Will post a few pics of our fabulous blue glow tomorrow.....
have a good night!

 

[TitansFan]

Ok Julie.....
We are going to have to cut you off on your posts if you don't stop teasing us and not supplying pics at the time of posting. I see your new threads and get excited.. I open and only find you further telling us of great things with the promise of future pictures. Quit teasing us!!!

I have some sound from my overflows but not much. The sound of running water is comforting and not so bad. How far is the water actually falling through the teeth into the overflow? Could you either raise the level of the water in the overflow or raise the durso?

For your pump have your tried putting mouse pads under it to stop the vibrating? What kind of pump is it you are running? I am considering a dart for my tank after reading so much on them and hearing Angela's run. I don't think it would give you the high pressure needed to make good use of your penductors though. With all the flow you have anyways are the penductors really needed?

As far as cheato I have some you can have when you are ready.

 

[crumbletop]

Almost done, Julie!

Re the noise in the overflow, try turning back the return pump some more and see if the noise lessens. It was much quieter without the acrylic overflow cover, so I think less flow would lessen the noise more. That may be all that would be needed which may help you in the decision on what to do with the return pump.

I agree -- that wavebox is way cool. First time I have seen one in person.

 

[SRT80]

At least your tank doesn't sound like a toilet flushing. When I set my brothers 80 Bowfront at my house, it really ruined my nature sounds upstairs. Use to have a waterfall sound from my 29 FW, crickets chirping in the bathroom (that's where I have to keep the Tarantulas food, too hot in the garage). But now I have this slurping/toilet flushing sound. Angela should know about this, she use to have the same setup. I feel you on the raw fingers though. Mine was the same way after the move handling the rock and re-aquascaping. After handling the corals and cleaning the rubbermaids everything was stored in, I got really sick, really bad. I felt like I was gonna die. Almost like the flu or really bad cold. Was sweating really bad, head was spinning. I don't know if it was a reaction to handling the corals. So, you might wanna wear gloves or be extra careful. I dont know if thats what caused it or I just caught a 24 hour bug. I was fine the next day. Can't wait to see the pics!

Steve

 

[Angela Short]

I feel your pain Julie! Aquascapping was the pitts in a big tank! You are all excited to get started then raw fingers and a broke back 6 hours later you just kinda say "screw it, looks good enouph!" :lol: I am a bristle worm magnit also and always have a bad reaction to the slightest sting. I have had my finger swell so bad once I couldn't hardley bend it.

Totally know the sound you are talking about steve! That was the LOUDEST tank ever made I think. Is it just the splashing from the wet/dry you are talking about or the actual overflow? If you keep the straw raised (or lowered, can't remember) enouph the actual overflow isn't bad but the sump is nutts! I hate background noise of any kind so that tank drove me nutts in my living room! It seemed to sooth Hannah a lot to set her in front of it when she was an infant though. The white noise more than the fish I would say!

Sorry for the hijack!!

 

[jfolley67]

PICTURES!!!

PICTURES!!!

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[jfolley67]

As you can see, it is just clearing up.......the wavemaker has made some funny grooves in the sand bed, which we will have to work on a bit....also we have to put it on the other side of the tank so it is not in front of any rockwork for us to stare at......also.....our skimmer is just not pulling yet and so I will be calling the company that makes it.....lots of movement, not much fuzz....bubbles....movement in the tank is fantastic...might switch return pumps for this is still a bit of a hum when door is closed and I want silence! Love the tank, thanks so much for the help to Jack and Wayne and all the advice online....I am sure I will still need more. MY 90 is getting picked up next weekend, so I need to have a quick cycle if any!
If anyone else has suggestions, bring 'em on.....

 

[SRT80]

Looks good. I like how you left it open in the center.

Steve

 

[teamreefers]

I would leave the sand I think it looks very natural! Kind of a neat effect. the open center is pretty cool as well!

 

[Fanof49ASU]

Another vote in favor of the open center. Aquascaping looks GREAT!!!

 

[jfolley67]

thanks everyone!! I really am enjoying the way it is coming out. we did move the wavebox to the left back corner. I was concerned that it would be hindered back there in behind the rock faced toward the center overflow...but the tank is completely waving still....and the sand bed did look cool, but in time the center would not have sand with the wavebox in front, so now it is not moving the sand. The only pumps you will really notice will be 2 tunze's like the one on the right side....will have on the left in same spot...for the other pump is hidden behind right side and of course wavebox also behind....tank looks cleared out from alot of pumps which I like, unlike my 90. Scott is working on setting up the osmolator. I took my water to fins today and no ammonia, small bit of nitrate......salinity was low, so upped that tonight and calcium low, so upped that....also my ph was sitting at 7.8 so buffered and now need to figure out how to keep that up because I have not made that 2 part stuff yet. Loving the look of the tank.....love the solaris, so far would highly recommend. It is very natural. I have alot of top of the water movement and every bit of the tank has shimmer.....

 

[TitansFan]

Since you still don't have alot of hard corals.. for ease you might consider using mrs wages pickling lime. It will help with your ph and calcium. Then you could goto the 2 part.

Did the club not buy a lux meter? I would be interested to see Julie's figures...

 

[crumbletop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10648702#post10648702 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jfolley67
thanks everyone!! I really am enjoying the way it is coming out. we did move the wavebox to the left back corner. I was concerned that it would be hindered back there in behind the rock faced toward the center overflow...but the tank is completely waving still....and the sand bed did look cool, but in time the center would not have sand with the wavebox in front, so now it is not moving the sand. The only pumps you will really notice will be 2 tunze's like the one on the right side....will have on the left in same spot...for the other pump is hidden behind right side and of course wavebox also behind....tank looks cleared out from alot of pumps which I like, unlike my 90. Scott is working on setting up the osmolator. I took my water to fins today and no ammonia, small bit of nitrate......salinity was low, so upped that tonight and calcium low, so upped that....also my ph was sitting at 7.8 so buffered and now need to figure out how to keep that up because I have not made that 2 part stuff yet. Loving the look of the tank.....love the solaris, so far would highly recommend. It is very natural. I have alot of top of the water movement and every bit of the tank has shimmer.....

Awesome, Julie! Re the pH, the lighting should start to help some when there are things in the tank that photosynthesize. Do a decent acclimation procedure from your old tank to your new tank when you move your corals. Go ahead and get decent Alk and Calcium kits if you don't already have them. By decent, I mean titratable kits that give you a more precise # than the ones that just do color change. That will let you know how out of whack your alkalinity is wrt your pH and will let you know a bit more about how to correct it.

Re the osmolator, that isn't too hard to setup as long as you have a decent place to put a topoff container. You want to make sure the water exits the line from the osmolator pump higher than the max water height in the topoff container. If it exits lower you can get a siphon going, which you don't want. You might want to briefly come over to my house sometime soon, and I can show you how I have everything all hooked up. It may help a lot with figuring your stuff out just to see things.

Re the nitrate -- is the mrc skimming yet?

 

[jfolley67]

Yes, good idea, let us know when you have time, maybe this weekend and we will shoot over....
the skimmer is starting to really make foam. Spoke with them at mrc, I just probably don't have a large enough load for it at this time, but seems to be doing alot more than it was....
Good idea on the test kits. I just did calcium last night but with color changing kit....and it was about 360.....so I added....then I buffered tank up to 8.1......today will check alk, forgot....also will see if I can find the more precise kits like suggested. Heaters came, they look nice so we will get them in tonight...gonna continue adding the calcium under desired amount....I knew my calcium was low.....gotta get on top of it! My salinity was also 1.020...had a hard time raising after adding alot of salt, so did ALOT yesterday and finally up to 1.024.....things are moving in the right direction......I understand the osmolator thing, I need to figure out what I am putting it in...probably just a tub of sort....

 

[crumbletop]

Just to clarify -- titratable Ca and Alk kits do a color change as well, but you know the value by the amount of stuff it takes to make a very drastic color change happen. This differs from tests that you end up with a certain color and you hold it up against a card to figure out the value. The titratable tests are the kind you need for Ca and Alk.