Auquanut
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My Tank Thread
I'm a little apprehensive about starting a build thread after so long, and especially after viewing the incredible builds our members have achieved. But my system has evolved so much in the past two years and I have no documentation. Hopefully I can give an accurate account of the tanks progression so far. Be warned. It's pretty low budget.
Here we go.
May 2017:
Purchased a used 125 gallon 72" tank on craigslist.
It came with:
the stand
aquaticlife MH/T5 lighting fixture
Iwaki 1300 GPH external return pump
30 gallon wet/dry filter
mixing tub and mixing pump
misc plumbing
about 60 lbs of live rock
Purchased:
BRS 4 stage 75 GPD RO/DI unit
Simplicity protein skimmer
50 pounds of BRS dry rock
Caribsea argonite substrate. (way too much!)
a couple of cheap power heads
Heaters that had to go into the overflows, because there was no room in the filter.
probably more, but I can't remember.
I put the live rock in a brute trash can with a power head and an old T8 light fixture on a timer to keep it alive. Painted the back of the tank black. Lined the bottom of the tank with egg crate. I knew I wanted engineer gobies, so the rock work had to be solid. I used flexible hose to plumb the system because the lid on the wet/dry filter had to be removed for maintenance.
On July 4th 2017 I turned it on for the 1st time. No leaks!
First lesson learned: I shouldn't have put it so close to the wall. It's really hard to get back there. One good point is that the back of the stand is open, allowing for decent air exchange under the tank and what I can't reach from the top and sides, I can generally reach from the bottom.
I used shrimp in stockings to cycle the tank. Didn't use any bacteria in a bottle. The system cycled surprisingly fast. I was growing a nice crop of diatoms, hair algae and coraline algae in less than a month.
Well, that is enough for now. Not trying to write a novel. Keep in mind that my system today hardly resembles what I started out with. Will continue the journey soon. My wife says I've been a good boy and we're going to the LFS today.
Here we go.
May 2017:
Purchased a used 125 gallon 72" tank on craigslist.
It came with:
the stand
aquaticlife MH/T5 lighting fixture
Iwaki 1300 GPH external return pump
30 gallon wet/dry filter
mixing tub and mixing pump
misc plumbing
about 60 lbs of live rock
Purchased:
BRS 4 stage 75 GPD RO/DI unit
Simplicity protein skimmer
50 pounds of BRS dry rock
Caribsea argonite substrate. (way too much!)
a couple of cheap power heads
Heaters that had to go into the overflows, because there was no room in the filter.
probably more, but I can't remember.
I put the live rock in a brute trash can with a power head and an old T8 light fixture on a timer to keep it alive. Painted the back of the tank black. Lined the bottom of the tank with egg crate. I knew I wanted engineer gobies, so the rock work had to be solid. I used flexible hose to plumb the system because the lid on the wet/dry filter had to be removed for maintenance.
On July 4th 2017 I turned it on for the 1st time. No leaks!
First lesson learned: I shouldn't have put it so close to the wall. It's really hard to get back there. One good point is that the back of the stand is open, allowing for decent air exchange under the tank and what I can't reach from the top and sides, I can generally reach from the bottom.
I used shrimp in stockings to cycle the tank. Didn't use any bacteria in a bottle. The system cycled surprisingly fast. I was growing a nice crop of diatoms, hair algae and coraline algae in less than a month.
Well, that is enough for now. Not trying to write a novel. Keep in mind that my system today hardly resembles what I started out with. Will continue the journey soon. My wife says I've been a good boy and we're going to the LFS today.