200G IM EXT (First tank ever)

[UncommonSense]

Looks like I might have got it

Sadly us safari browser users can’t see videos uploaded directly…

Try wiping the exterior/bottom of the Bulkhead nice and dry, then sit back and play with your new toy for a while!

— just check the bulkhead fittings in a half hour with a tissue or similar for signs of any new water!

 

[vittpsu21]

Little bit of slurping on the middle drain so I prob just need to adjust the main to take more water. Everything I read says you want it up to your second but not going in your second

 

[vittpsu21]

Yeah leaks gone, yay! Overflow looks like I’ll have to adjust flow a bit. lol what a process and learning experience this has been!

 

[UncommonSense]

Little bit of slurping on the middle drain so I prob just need to adjust the main to take more water. Everything I read says you want it up to your second but not going in your second

You can let it trickle into the second drain if needed, it can be tough to balance between both drains sometimes! — wait at least a few minutes between gate valve adjustments!

The gate valve will need occasional adjustments with changes to return pump flow rate (such as when water level in the return pump chamber is lower than normal), but should hold stable otherwise!

The water should be significantly clearer in the morning if you have any form of mechanical filtration in the sump!

 

[vittpsu21]

Little bit of slurping on the middle drain so I prob just need to adjust the main to take more water. Everything I read says you want it up to your second but not going in your second

You can let it trickle into the second drain if needed, it can be tough to balance between both drains sometimes! — wait at least a few minutes between gate valve adjustments!

The gate valve will need occasional adjustments with changes to return pump flow rate (such as when water level in the return pump chamber is lower than normal), but should hold stable otherwise!

The water should be significantly clearer in the morning if you have any form of mechanical filtration in the sump!

Well the temp will go up which will be nice at the very least and I’ll be started down the path. I haven’t turned on any of the mp40s yet and I believe my cylinders are all empty. So I’ll likely need to pick some stuff up for media for these three holders. I very much need to get some LEDs for under the sump also lol

 

[vittpsu21]

I need to make a board for one end also for my power rack and then some stuff to mount the inkbirds and power head controllers on! But making progress anyway! You would think after years in tech I would look forward to cable management and running wires but I still hate that stuff, though will be very necessary

 

[UncommonSense]

I haven’t turned on any of the mp40s yet

You might as well start running one or two of these tomorrow just to help mix up the display!

and I believe my cylinders are all empty. So I’ll likely need to pick some stuff up for media for these three holders.

The cylinders are likely reactors, the media they hold is mostly used for nutrient control, and can be very agressive!

For now, carbon is the only thing I would run in a reactor, and it isn’t necessary at all either; just a water clarifier at this point!

I very much need to get some LEDs for under the sump also

Like for the sump’s refugium? That only needs light if you’re growing photosynthetic organisms like macro algae/etc in there!

inkbirds and power head controllers

Just stick the heat and flow on it for now, that will get the biology going! — cable management can come when you aren’t in a rush!

 

[vittpsu21]

You might as well start running one or two of these tomorrow just to help mix up the display!


The cylinders are likely reactors, the media they hold is mostly used for nutrient control, and can be very agressive!

For now, carbon is the only thing I would run in a reactor, and it isn’t necessary at all either; just a water clarifier at this point!


Like for the sump’s refugium? That only needs light if you’re growing photosynthetic organisms like macro algae/etc in there!


Just stick the heat and flow on it for now, that will get the biology going! — cable management can come when you aren’t in a rush!

Yeah the powerheads I might turn on tomorrow, I also need to retake the salinity because I put in some base RO water when I was dumping and fixing the bulkhead.

I want LEDS just to see under the stand, its so dark, and my overhead lights arent' cutting it. Eventually I will do a fuge with a light so maybe that will just solve it but just something for my old butt to see :)

These inkbird controllers are much nicer than I thought they would be too, though I wish the probe lines were a little bit longer since I am putting them upstream of the heaters

 

[UncommonSense]

Yeah the powerheads I might turn on tomorrow, I also need to retake the salinity because I put in some base RO water when I was dumping and fixing the bulkhead.

I want LEDS just to see under the stand, its so dark, and my overhead lights arent' cutting it. Eventually I will do a fuge with a light so maybe that will just solve it but just something for my old butt to see :)

These inkbird controllers are much nicer than I thought they would be too, though I wish the probe lines were a little bit longer since I am putting them upstream of the heaters

Yeah get salinity, temp, and flow dialed in, then everything else is a game of hurry up and wait!

There’s nuances to cycling and feeding the bacteria/etc, but you’ll have plenty of time to get that all figured out once you’ve got your ecosystem in a biologically favorable condition!

 

[vittpsu21]

Yeah get salinity, temp, and flow dialed in, then everything else is a game of hurry up and wait!

There’s nuances to cycling and feeding the bacteria/etc, but you’ll have plenty of time to get that all figured out once you’ve got your ecosystem in a biologically favorable condition!

I will be going to pick up some live rock once those are intact too, to put in the refug section for now, just to get things moving along a bit

 

[UncommonSense]

I will be going to pick up some live rock once those are intact too, to put in the refug section for now, just to get things moving along a bit

If the live rock has photosynthetic life on it, you’ll want to put a light over the refug to prevent any die-off! — any light will really do, but if you’re not going to have the display lights on during cycle; why not stick one of them over the refuge while you find a permanent solution?

 

[vittpsu21]

If the live rock has photosynthetic life on it, you’ll want to put a light over the refug to prevent any die-off! — any light will really do, but if you’re not going to have the display lights on during cycle; why not stick one of them over the refuge while you find a permanent solution?

this sump they give also just has a dedicated spot for refug so I could just buy the light ahead of time and know ill use it later tbh

 

[UncommonSense]

this sump they give also just has a dedicated spot for refug so I could just buy the light ahead of time and know ill use it later tbh

that sounds like the most practical option!

 

[vittpsu21]

that sounds like the most practical option!

I think my most important next steps though are just planning out my sump/under stand area. I need to be able to fit my 15 gal ATO (or rather would like to) and would like to enclose 1 end with some type of ply or popular to make a board with. So I think that will be high on my list

 

[UncommonSense]

I think my most important next steps though are just planning out my sump/under stand area. I need to be able to fit my 15 gal ATO (or rather would like to) and would like to enclose 1 end with some type of ply or popular to make a board with. So I think that will be high on my list

You can also hide the ATO reservoir in a piece of furniture adjacent to the aquarium, or even remotely in another room if you want to get creative!

 

[Grallster]

Little bit of slurping on the middle drain so I prob just need to adjust the main to take more water. Everything I read says you want it up to your second but not going in your second

I found this to be a design flaw on the IM EXT overflow box—the box really needs to be a bit deeper.
I’ve had to have some flow going down the secondary drain because if I don’t, either the water level in the tank is too low or it doesn’t skim the surface.

 

[vittpsu21]

Well was expecting the temp to be slightly higher over the few hours before work overnight --- we landed at around 73.3 for now, keeping an eye on it but it seems like I may have to order a third heater perhaps? the 2 200W Jaegers may be slightly under powered for the water volume perhaps!

 

[vittpsu21]

You might as well start running one or two of these tomorrow just to help mix up the display!


The cylinders are likely reactors, the media they hold is mostly used for nutrient control, and can be very agressive!

For now, carbon is the only thing I would run in a reactor, and it isn’t necessary at all either; just a water clarifier at this point!


Like for the sump’s refugium? That only needs light if you’re growing photosynthetic organisms like macro algae/etc in there!


Just stick the heat and flow on it for now, that will get the biology going! — cable management can come when you aren’t in a rush!

was looking at carbon a bit today, my concern however is that I think the carbon would be so small it would go through the holes in my cylinders. This is a stock photo obviously as mine are empty but maybe these are meant for another media type or something larger if you look closely you'll see the small circles

 

[UncommonSense]

Well was expecting the temp to be slightly higher over the few hours before work overnight --- we landed at around 73.3 for now, keeping an eye on it but it seems like I may have to order a third heater perhaps? the 2 200W Jaegers may be slightly under powered for the water volume perhaps!

This is because you’re trying to heat up roughly 2,000lbs of water by 10+ degrees in ~12hrs!

Once the tank is up to temp, it will take probably a day or more to actually cool down if the heaters are unplugged; large volumes of water have a lot of energy density!

— once the tank’s up to temp, the two current heaters will happily hold it there!

was looking at carbon a bit today, my concern however is that I think the carbon would be so small it would go through the holes in my cylinders. This is a stock photo obviously as mine are empty but maybe these are meant for another media type or something larger if you look closely you'll see the small circles

That is interesting! They almost appears to be intended for a bio-media… GFO, Biopellets, Carbon, etc would all be way too fine for those chambers!

most bio-media leeches aluminum in saltwater, so that’s not the best move either…

Hmm… this seems like it could justify a dig back through the directions and/or a email to customer support!

In the meantime; carbon can also just be put in a fine mesh media bag and chucked in the sump to yield much the same effect over time!

 

[vittpsu21]

Well was expecting the temp to be slightly higher over the few hours before work overnight --- we landed at around 73.3 for now, keeping an eye on it but it seems like I may have to order a third heater perhaps? the 2 200W Jaegers may be slightly under powered for the water volume perhaps!

This is because you’re trying to heat up roughly 2,000lbs of water by 10+ degrees in ~12hrs!

Once the tank is up to temp, it will take probably a day or more to actually cool down if the heaters are unplugged; large volumes of water have a lot of energy density!

— once the tank’s up to temp, the two current heaters will happily hold it there!

was looking at carbon a bit today, my concern however is that I think the carbon would be so small it would go through the holes in my cylinders. This is a stock photo obviously as mine are empty but maybe these are meant for another media type or something larger if you look closely you'll see the small circles

That is interesting! They almost appears to be intended for a bio-media… GFP, Biopellets, Carbon, etc would all be way too fine for those chambers!

most bio-media leeches aluminum in saltwater, so that’s not the best move either…

Hmm… this seems like it could justify a dig back through the directions and/or a email to customer support!

In the meantime; carbon can also just be put in a fine mesh media bag and chucked in the sump to yield much the same effect over time!

I also wondered if I could just put socks there and pull out the cups who knows lol