125 - Took Forever But Here It is!

[tbrown]

Dug out the 125 today and filled it with water. Leak test commenced! I have to cut the braces out of the stand so I can fit the sump underneath and then I'll be ready to mock up the plumbing. We have another out of town archery tournament tomorrow and then we're camping next weekend so that'll give me a 2 week leak test. On the 27th and 28th I should be able to cut the braces and put the tank on the stand, mock up the plumbing, and do a test run with the sump to see if I need a second sump/frag tank to handle the pump shutdowns.

I'm thinking I'm going to get a Pod/phyto pack and some PNS Substrate sauce from Algae Barn with my gift card. I'll probably throw in some TurbStart as well. Need to order some sand and a little bit more live rock. I have some old sun bleached rock that's going in and some rubble for the frag tank.

 

[Kenneth Wingerter]

I'm thinking I'm going to get a Pod/phyto pack and some PNS Substrate sauce from Algae Barn with my gift card. I'll probably throw in some TurbStart as well. Need to order some sand and a little bit more live rock. I have some old sun bleached rock that's going in and some rubble for the frag tank.

If you're already thinking of doing Sauce and TurboStart, you might want to check out their cycle kit. https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/ultimate-kits/ultimate-aquarium-cycle-kit

 

[tbrown]

If you're already thinking of doing Sauce and TurboStart, you might want to check out their cycle kit. https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/ultimate-kits/ultimate-aquarium-cycle-kit

I saw that. I'm not sold on the blocks.

 

[tbrown]

Alright! So far so good. Spent yesterday up north for my kids to participate in an archery tournament. My daughter got third in her class! Ok, so she was in a group of 3, but still! She hasn't shot her compound bow in about 3 years and this was her first tournament with it and we just got her sited in yesterday morning before driving up north... But she shot well all things considered and she had fun!

So anyway, back to the tank. I was gone most of the day yesterday and today but I ha da chance to check this morning and so far so good. Not a drip! So far so good. Dinner with friends tomorrow, movie night Tuesday, and going camping this weekend. I'm hoping next weekend it'll be good to bring out of the garage and mock up the plumbing.

In other news, my buddy just put 60 quail eggs in the incubator and said 20 of them are for me.

 

[tbrown]

I went camping this weekend. We found some agate, some quartz nodules (geodes with no cavity in the middle), and some bivalve fossils.

The tank didn't leak while I was out. Looking forward to starting the build soon!

 

[tbrown]

Ok! So I won an AquaRocks 12 frag 8.5" x 7" x 3" Peninsula Style Magnetic Frag rack for the new tank!

The tank has passed a two week leak test so I'm in the process of draining it now. I didn't get as far as I intended because I had to go to work this morning (but hey, OT is good, right?). I was playing on pulling the stand over into the shade and cutting the excess braces off and sanding today so I can start the plumbing test tomorrow morning but it's over 100 outside and I've been sweating since 6:30 this morning so I need to sit on the couch for a bit.

Hey, it's a dry heat, right? Yes, but so is my oven. Ask the chicken how that went.

I'm planning on removing the braces tomorrow and then spray painting the stand again. I'll move the tank onto the stand and fill it with water again tomorrow then Sunday afternoon/evening I'll work on plumbing and finish on Monday I guess.

 

[tbrown]

I was also thinking I'm going to be burying the return lines under the sand and having one in return in the fixture in each front corner and two or three along the back (probably going to do 2 facing out and 1 along the back to keep the detritus from building up behind the rock work). I'm going to be using two return pumps, so the bigger one will have three fixtures and the smaller will have two. I'm also going to be purchasing another powerhead soon and using three - two as wavemakers on timers opposite each other and one always on.

 

[tbrown]

Okie dokie! I got two of the braces removed since they were in the way. Touched up the paint on the stand. My wife is at a curriculum sale and I'm NOT moving the tank by myself so hopefully when it cools down some tonight we'll pull it out of the garage and put it on the stand. Tomorrow afternoon I'm going to start mocking up the plumbing and then do a dry (water only - no salt or anything) run to see if the sump will hold the drain down at power off or if I need to add a second overflow tank. Getting closer!

 

[tbrown]

Alright, so the stand modifications are done and the tank is coming out of the garage today. I'm planning on mocking up the plumbing hopefully tonight and then tomorrow I've got to set up the 30 gallon BioOrb in my daughter's room, tear down the 20 gallon, 10 gallon, and 5 gallon tanks, move the hedgehog, and then bring the 125 in. Maybe I'll start setting up the BiOrb tonight. The 10 is pretty much tore down and I have to figure out the 5 since it's pretty much all moving into the 125 in a month or two. Maybe I'll just keep it set up for now and relocate it temporarily. Soon it's going to be my work tank, but it'll probably be a nano freshwater tank for cherry Shrimp.

 

[tbrown]

Ok... So I plumbed 2 temporary 3/4" overflows and hooked up the old Rio 1700+, ran some tubing in and some tubing out and filled her to the top! She's running for temporary. The Rio is a little overpowered it looks like but I was planning on installing a "T" with a ball valve and returning some of the water or diverting it to a frag tank anyway so it should be just about perfect when all is said and done. Now comes the design phase for the return lines. I was actually considering running two return pumps so I could run multiple RFGs and get a more random flow through the tank. Even running the sump high and more flow going into the tank than I was anticipating, the sump is able to handle the water from the tank when I shut the power off. That means I don't necessarily need an overflow tank.

The good news: my daughter's room is getting close to ready for the BiOrb so I can start tearing down the 20 soon. Unfortunately when I measured, I missed by an inch. The 20 won't fit in the stand so I'll have to use the 15 if I decide to do a frag tank.

 

[tbrown]

Plumbing for the return is done. I picked up 80 lbs of rock this afternoon (dry "live rock"). Live sand is being delivered next week along with a powerhead and a new impeller for the return pump. I picked up a dual overflow box yesterday but I need to get some 1" tubing for it. The tank should be coming inside next week! I'm going to get some PNS Substrate Sauce and Turbo Start from Algaebarn. Probably going to grab a jar of Poseidon's and some Phyto to start the tank off.

 

[Goaway]

And no pics.

 

[tbrown]

And no pics.

It's in the dirty backyard. I'll try to get some soon!

 

[Goaway]

It will be fun seeing it full of life.

 

[Stang67]

Pns substrate sause?

 

[tbrown]

Pns substrate sause?

It's nitrifying bacteria but a different kind and
Supposedly it off gasses nitrates instead of just leaving them in the tank to build up. It means I might have to overstock my tank to keep my nitrates up?

 

[Stang67]

It's nitrifying bacteria but a different kind and
Supposedly it off gasses nitrates instead of just leaving them in the tank to build up. It means I might have to overstock my tank to keep my nitrates up?

I may have to look into this a bit more. Finally got my phos below .1 but nitrates are at 25-30.

 

[tbrown]

PNS Substrate Sauce™

PNS Substrate Sauce™ Containing a blend of the ecologically important purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Rhodospirillum rubrum, PNS Substrate Sauce™ helps to establish a healthy and dynamic microbiome in all marine and brackish aquaria. Cultured on select...

www.algaebarn.com

 

[RedoubtReef]

Plumbing for the return is done. I picked up 80 lbs of rock this afternoon (dry "live rock"). Live sand is being delivered next week along with a powerhead and a new impeller for the return pump. I picked up a dual overflow box yesterday but I need to get some 1" tubing for it. The tank should be coming inside next week! I'm going to get some PNS Substrate Sauce and Turbo Start from Algaebarn. Probably going to grab a jar of Poseidon's and some Phyto to start the tank off.

dude, where are the pics? Pics, or it didn't happen

 

[tbrown]

I may have to look into this a bit more. Finally got my phos below .1 but nitrates are at 25-30.

There's a nice write up on Algae Barn.