Will work for Diet Coke and Skillz

[cerreta]

I embarked on a new mission today. I am helping Matt setup the 110tall Starfire tank.

We finished the plumbing and modified his stand so the sump could slide in and out of the side. It was a very simple yet effective fix. It came out looking very pleasant too.

Tomorrow, we shall finish the sump (baffles had to be placed and time allowed for the silicone to dry) and begin the aquascape.

A trend seems to have started with the cement. We will use no PVC stand in this setup since he has several very large rocks which will serve as anchors for the rest of the rock to be secured to.

The equipment list includes dual MH lights, the awsome eheim pumps, and an H&S 8" overkill
:rollface: skimmer. The sump is a 30 long with center return chamber and side refugium. The plumbing is simple clean and up high and out of the way for maintenance.

Pictures will come tomorrow, if I get home at a decent hour.

After this project, I will be finishing my 30 gallon tall nano to sit on the chiller stand. Then I will be free to help whover else would like some help.

BTW, I'm not free. I drink a lot of Diet Coke and like a cat, I need an occasional meal.


I really do this for the joy of the hobby and to develop skills. Besides, I am bored to all heck with Katherine gone to Africa for 10 months. So take adavantage!!!

 

[cerreta]

Ok, the pictures are here.

Matt finished installing the baffles last night and the sump was dry and ready this morning. We went straight to work on the overflow. The new guy, Dan came over to check things out too. As Matt would say, “good clean fun!” That it was. We started around 9:30 and finished around 6:30.

We did have one glitch in the day. Water! I insisted on not using tap water. So after the first 29 gallons at a local dispenser, we headed to SW for some fast fill, 45gallons. We got ten gallons in the jugs, and the big vat was empty. So, we were going to head back to the slow dispenser when more water was offered from another reservoir. It looked like there was some sediment in the tank, but we went for it. This story gets good.

So, we get home and start mixing some batches of saltwater. Instead of grabbing another Diet Coke, I was getting dehydrated and wished for good old water. So, Matt pours me some of Tucson’s finest tap (No RO system here that is why we bought water) and I had a couple swallows. Then I thought, “I can’t drink this crap!” So, I dumped the glass and poured some fresh RO water. After three big gulps, I was shocked to find that it was the same nasty taste. Yup, we just bought 35 gallons of Tucson’s finest tap and 25cents a gallon!!! Hehehehehehehe. I fed some to Matt to make sure I was not crazy. He confirmed the bad taste of Tucson’s finest. So, we wanted to share the experience with Dan who quickly refused claiming to believe us wholeheartedly. After a while I had a bit of a belly ache too. Of course I was very curious to the origin of the water so I placed some in a jar and took it home and tested the TDS. It rang in at 578ppm. I thought this seemed high, so I measured some of Tucson’s finest, and it rang in at 235ppm. So my belly ache was likely caused by some really bad water. Who knows what the heck was in that tank!

Anyhow, it made the day even more memorable. Rob, you are lucky we like you! While we certainly don’t think this was intentional, it was a surprise nonetheless. We appreciate the effort to find us some water when all seemed used up, but I would suggest not selling from that vessel again.

Here are the photos:

Plumbing in the overflow

Tanks and Sump shot

Sump shot

Base rocks are down on the glass.

Sand goes down and then the second layer of rocks. Thorite cement was used in this project to secure the reef structure. Matt did not want to use a PVC rack in this install, so we avoided it. However, I found the project more challenging to so without the structure. Furthermore, some of the base pieces were Premium FIJI rock, which is very dense and lacked a porous structure to which wire ties could be employed.

Left side shot of layer 2

Middle shot of 2 layers.

 

[cerreta]

3 layers of rock. The right side piece is awesome. It is difficult to appreciate in the photos. The vertical rock is free standing. It is cemented in place but does not lean against any other rock or the back wall. It gives support to a flat rock that bridges this solo vertical rock to the center pieces. It is very spacious and gives lots of room for fish to swim. The photos just don’t do it justice!

A picture from the right end. You can see the vertical pillar is freestanding, but this picture also does not do it justice. The 3D effect of this section looks awesome.

The structure is done and water is going in.

Here’s Dan daydreaming on the couch that he discovered RC and met us before shopping at you know who’s. hehehe. Get it? A comparison equal to the deception by Voldemort. . . I crack myself up!!! Hehehehhehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe.

Center shot

Water is near the top!

Matt is hooking up the lights

Side view from Left side

Front view of tank

Right side view

 

[cerreta]

H&S 200-1260 in action. This thing makes massive bubbles. There were micro bubbles all over the tank from this bad boy! I hope it break in fast.

The refugium chamber is located on the right side of the sump. The return chamber is in the middle.

To get the sump to fit under the stand, the right cabinet panel was cut out using a jigsaw. It cut was pretty clean, but to affix the panel back in, a trim was added to keep the panel from falling into the stand. On the inside, four panel locks are used to secure the panel in place. The calcium reactor will reside in this small space. The panel can be removed when needed to access the sump or CO2 system.

Bottom panel locks

Top panel locks

After getting everything together, I spotted what appeared to be a Mantis shrimp cruising through the rockwork. At closer look, it was a blue-legged hermit crab without a shell. So, we tossed her a home and after everyone left, she took it form the open. She was too bashful for the camera, being all naked and all. Hehehe

That is all for now. Maybe I can get some update shots in a few days after the storm calms and all that tap water settles.

 

[majestic sea life]

Thats awsome good job man. Now for your next mission help me settup a 210 or 180gal FOWLR for under 4K.

~Brian

 

[Satori]

Looks great Scott, congrats Matt! Did you leave the high TDS water in the tank, or replace it? I like the rock work.

 

[AZreefkeeper]

Nice job guys, Scott it seems like your allover helping everyone out. I might take you up on help, with a project I have planned.

Congrats on the new tank Matt, looks great... Need Xenia??? :rollface:

 

[Crepusculum]

It was a fun day even though I wasn't feeling too well and I wasn't very helpful. It's nice to get out and get stuff done though. Makes me want to join the '110 club' as Rob called us when we walked into SW Saltwater.

 

[SWSaltwater]

The deposits in that 125 are calcium carbonate and can't be removed with any scraper I have found. I ran test on its harmless. Tim Had saltwater sitting in that tank (as a ballast to keep hit salt mix tank from falling over) for a long time before I cleaned it out to use for RO/DI storage. The calcium should be fine but, not for drinking. My RO/DI filters were changed 3 weeks back with Spectrapure filters, I will run a few test again to make sure they are not faulty.......

 

[cerreta]

Vince, let me know what you have in mind. I would be much happier working for espresso shots than Diet coke (ahhh the mere thought is so enjoyable).

We were too burned out by that time to switch the water. Besides, we already had half of it in before discovering the blunder. SO we added that water and were another 20 gallons short, so we just added more tap waer at that point. Matt does not plann on stocking it anytime soon, so the skimmer beast and lack of light use should resolve the problem.

Rob, dude, don't pull a Hector. Go taste that stuff for yourself and tell me it is not tap water. You know I like to explore, so I did. I just poured myself a tall glass of RO, tested it at 003ppm TDS and tasted it. Ah, goodness. Then I added soem Salifert Coral Calium to raise the TDS. It hit 377 on first addition, so I added a bit more to get to 458. Close enough, so I took a mouthful :eek1: paphewy! I spat it out instantly for it tasted like poison. This tasted nothing like the stuff we tasted yesterday. My tounge still radiates from the bitterness of that calcium shake.

If you would like me to bring you a glass of it I'd be happy too.

Please check that tank again, I think you would concur that there was an oversight somewhere. The thought of this is no big deal. But the thought of your filters spoiling and all the water in that tank, possibly your retail tanks, and what is being sold to customers right from the big Vat is quite scary.

 

[cerreta]

Rob, your box is full. I'll come by later today to pick up the light meter, I forgot to grab it on the way out yesterday.

 

[SWSaltwater]

The only source of tap water in the shop is the toilet and the bathroom sink, All other water is through an RO/DI system visible in the shop. All I can think of is a bad filter or the deposits in the tank raising the TDS. I drink off the RO regularly as a sample, and test Nitrate levels. Definately not tap water.

 

[SWSaltwater]

Just stopped by the shop, water in the main tank taste fine. The water in the 125 taste different so its just the calcium deposits disolving. The PH was higher and the Alk was higher in the tank with calcium deposits as opposed to my main RO Tank. I would also imagine the calcium was way higher. Nitrates and Nitrites were all the same undetectable.

 

[cerreta]

The water in the 125 taste different so its just the calcium deposits dissolving.

So it raises the question, what’s the Ca of Tucson's Finest Tap water vs. suspect water?

Well, I just so happened to save that water so I tested it.

Tucson’s Finest rings in at 55ppm Ca. SW water at 60ppm. I hardly see this slight rise as a contributor for such elevated TDS values of 578ppm, which is even more than Tucson’s finest at 235ppm.

So the next question is why the TDS so high is. I tested the pH and Alk next.

Tucson’s Finest pH 7.37, alk 4.5
SW water pH 8.5, alk 2.9
RO water pH 7.12, alk 1.3

So with an alk and Ca near tap water, I can't image that the calcium deposits in that tank were the sole cause of the problem. However, the pH is worrisome. Not sure what would cause this, other than maybe adding a buffer solution to the water, but that would likely raise the alk too, which does not seem evident.


Rob, it was not my intention to start any controversy over your store. I simply thought this was an oversight on your part, and assumed the water was tap water. This point is moot.

Here is the point I am trying to convey.
This forum is designed for hobbyists, not professionals. I was simply sharing experiences with group about the trials and tribulations of our day yesterday. It was fun, and our WATER experience made it even more enjoyable. We saw this as no big deal.

However, when you as a professional defend your actions on a hobbyist forum, it changes the tone of OUR experiences.

Definately not tap water.

You know what, who cares. The source of the water is not worth arguing. The argument is this: We purchased RO water from your store. We expected to get quality water, not what we were served.

The facts discovered in testing clearly indicate that there is something wrong with that water. Even you conceded to such a notion. It does not meet the quality standards of the industry and should not be sold or labeled as RO water. That is the point.

Actions like yours (defensive rather than problem solving) are the reason why many hobbyists in the area have stopped frequenting certain LFSs. Once the stories become fishy, customers begin to loose trust in those practices. Then they stop coming. This is the heart of what has happened with my experiences at Oasis Tropical Fish and Majestic SeaLife. I know of many others who stopped going their for the same reasons, lack of trust.

 

[cerreta]

Rob, clean out your mailbox. My PMs won't go through.

Let me clear somthing up. I understand that you are upset that I posted this. And, I'm sorry I used the term tapwater, but this is what the water appeared to be. Again, this is a hobbyist forum and if you want to post here than you should do so unbiased. If you can't then don't post.

This is the exact reason why I have been fighting for a long time that we need to be free of all pressures from the LFSs. If you want to promote your business than build your own website and forum.

Rob, I am still not upset ov er the water issue, but we have both agreed that somteing is wrong with that water. I guess this is more of a response that I would have expected from a quality store:

"Holy Hell! I'm so sorry there was a problem with that water. Let me check into it. Ok, we ran some tests. The main tank is fine and TDS is ??, all other parameters are within acceptable limits. But, you are right that holding bin had high TDS and tastes funny. We will fix the problem. We owe you a credit of 35 gallons at your next water change, free of charge of course."


Mistakes happenin business, but how you handle the aftemath is what will determine your success in any business. So far your responses have been nothing but defensive and I resent it. It is an insult to me to put up with this hassle because you sold us poor quality water.

 

[SWSaltwater]

You can have 70 gallons RO for free

 

[owsi]

Scott, You work in the Med. field and drink from unknown source and concocted chems, lol. Glad no livestock lost. Your work looks great, nice to have someone out there helping new folks who's good.

 

[cerreta]

John, yeah foolish I know, but a valuable tool taste is. I was actually drinking the RO water because I expected it to taste good and was thirsty. That is what led to the discovery. There are some things you can learn by taste alone. Besides, beer is poison, we just train ourselves to enjoy it

 

[cerreta]

Rob, I just tried to send you a fourth message. Your box is still full. I doubt the problem is with RC. Go to your Sent folder and empty it. Then your box will truly be empty.

 

[McCrary]

Time to get this thread back on track with an update. My sump broke tonight, it cracked on the side. Luckily I was in the room when I heard the popping noise of it breaking. I thought it was the wood on the stand starting to break, but when I looked under the tank I saw that the sump was cracking slowly along its side. I emptied it, but will have to wait until tomorrow to try and replace it. I don't know when I am going to have the time as school started a little more than a week ago and I have labs on Wed and Thurs. Hopefully no more problems will arise and I can start stocking it soon.