A few noob questions

[billysprout]

Hi everyone! Currently upgrading from a 7gal cube + 15gal sump to a 38gal peninsula (fijicube) + that same 15gal sump. I have a few questions now that I'm diving headfirst into an actual saltwater tank.

• Every reactor, pump and tool uses a hose with a different ID and OD. It's driving me crazy! Is there a 'swiss army knife' that I should buy a bunch of to plug these various tools into my central plumbing? Is there an ideal standard pipe dimension that I should use for that central plumbing?
  
  
• I drilled a 1.5" overflow hole about 2 inches from the top-middle of my tank. It's an 'AIO' tank but I figure I can just cap a bulkhead if I don't need the hole. Is there a best-practice for maximizing flow out of that hole? e.g. the largest bulkhead union and the best pipe to connect it to. I currently have a bulkhead union installed with a .5" FIP hole and the flow is basically a trickle (it's absolutely because the plumbing from that hole to my sump is hilariously complicated -- see question #1 ). My return pump is slowed to a crawl to match it but I'd prefer to have faster flow both ways since my skimmer and carbon reactor are in my sump.
  
  EDIT: important to note that the height difference between the hole and the water level in my sump is only about 4". I'd prefer not to lower the sump if it's not too detrimental to flow rate (it fits snugly in the base of a cabinet).
  
• I bought Bahamas Oolite.... OOPS. Should I wait for the snowstorm to subside before moving my fish over? Any tips for expediting cleanup/settling? The little bags of bio-magnet were empty/punctured -______-.
  
  
• Related, would a pearly jawfish be happy in an oolite substrate? I'd need to add more to give it the depth it needs but liveaquaria says "5-7 inches of fine soft substrate such as sand of various particle sizes (not fine)". Confusing AF.

I've learned so much from this forum and BRS videos already, can't wait to dive even deeper into the blue B)

-billy

 

[Isopod80]

I'll touch on part of this. Others may disagree with me but I'm convinced that those bags of "biomagnet" are actually the live bacteria and the "live sand" is a scam. That said I'd drain the tank and rinse the sand well. You can use tap water to rinse at first until all the fine dust is gone then do a good final rinse with RO water. That fine dust will make you miserable long term and can seriously clog and damage certain equipment. You can make up for the lost bacteria by using the bottle bacteria. I personally like Fritz turbostart900. Don't put fish in the dust storm. Clean the sand, move your rocks over, add the bacteria then wait a few days before adding the fish. As far as the jawfish, you'll need to add some crushed aragonite or other larger particle substrate to the oolite so the fish can create a burrow that won't collapse immediately.

 

[i cant think]

Hi everyone! Currently upgrading from a 7gal cube + 15gal sump to a 38gal peninsula (fijicube) + that same 15gal sump. I have a few questions now that I'm diving headfirst into an actual saltwater tank.

• Every reactor, pump and tool uses a hose with a different ID and OD. It's driving me crazy! Is there a 'swiss army knife' that I should buy a bunch of to plug these various tools into my central plumbing? Is there an ideal standard pipe dimension that I should use for that central plumbing?
  
  
• I drilled a 1.5" overflow hole about 2 inches from the top-middle of my tank. It's an 'AIO' tank but I figure I can just cap a bulkhead if I don't need the hole. Is there a best-practice for maximizing flow out of that hole? e.g. the largest bulkhead union and the best pipe to connect it to. I currently have a bulkhead union installed with a .5" FIP hole and the flow is basically a trickle (it's absolutely because the plumbing from that hole to my sump is hilariously complicated -- see question #1 ). My return pump is slowed to a crawl to match it but I'd prefer to have faster flow both ways since my skimmer and carbon reactor are in my sump.
  
  EDIT: important to note that the height difference between the hole and the water level in my sump is only about 4". I'd prefer not to lower the sump if it's not too detrimental to flow rate (it fits snugly in the base of a cabinet).
• I bought Bahamas Oolite.... OOPS. Should I wait for the snowstorm to subside before moving my fish over? Any tips for expediting cleanup/settling? The little bags of bio-magnet were empty/punctured -______-.
  
  
• Related, would a pearly jawfish be happy in an oolite substrate? I'd need to add more to give it the depth it needs but liveaquaria says "5-7 inches of fine soft substrate such as sand of various particle sizes (not fine)". Confusing AF.

I've learned so much from this forum and BRS videos already, can't wait to dive even deeper into the blue B)

-billy

I can answer the pearly jawfish but but with plumming, I have no clue whatsoever.
Pearly jawfish do not need 5-7” of substrate (I’ve kept them on fine sand bed and not so fine sand beds and I’ve had 2 different types of jawfish, the red and the pearly)
The sand bed I’ve kept both jawfish on in the past was a max of 1” deep and they just made the rock their house along with the sand bed.
I would say that pearly jawfish would be housed fine in that tank (2” jawfish and it almost never swims away from or even out of its cave)

 

[GHOSTLY]

No such thing as a noob question. I have silly questions but no out right noob.

 

[Isopod80]

I can answer the pearly jawfish but but with plumming, I have no clue whatsoever.
Pearly jawfish do not need 5-7” of substrate (I’ve kept them on fine sand bed and not so fine sand beds and I’ve had 2 different types of jawfish, the red and the pearly)
The sand bed I’ve kept both jawfish on in the past was a max of 1” deep and they just made the rock their house along with the sand bed.
I would say that pearly jawfish would be housed fine in that tank (2” jawfish and it almost never swims away from or even out of its cave)

I agree. This works as well. I guess it just depends on whether you want the natural vertical burrowing behavior or not. 7" does seem excessive.

 

[i cant think]

I agree. This works as well. I guess it just depends on whether you want the natural vertical burrowing behavior or not. 7" does seem excessive.

Yeah, it really does but if you have an abnormally tall tank, sure go for that 5” deep bed to give them natural burrowing space (Although, nobody-very few people even have enough tank space for 5” deep sandbeds)

 

[billysprout]

i might give him a corner that's deep and full of mixed rock sizes once he gets bigger. thanks for the help y'all. is there a way to filter or sieve out the fine oolite particles? I'm a dummy and filled the whole tank assuming the oolite would act like my fiji pink did.

also still hoping for advice on the plumbing stuff in case an expert stumbles across my thread B)

 

[blaxsun]

Do rinse the sand and definitely use the clarify packs in the tank when you add the sand. They help a great deal.

 

[Isopod80]

Yeah, it really does but if you have an abnormally tall tank, sure go for that 5” deep bed to give them natural burrowing space (Although, nobody-very few people even have enough tank space for 5” deep sandbeds)

Not to mention, an excessively deep sand bed can become quite the garbage dump. Especially for a small tank. Perhaps angling a rock in the back corner and making a deeper sand area behind it in that location could allow for vertical burrowing while saving tank space.

 

[i cant think]

Not to mention, an excessively deep sand bed can become quite the garbage dump. Especially for a small tank. Perhaps angling a rock in the back corner and making a deeper sand area behind it in that location could allow for vertical burrowing while saving tank space.

Yeah, that would probably work better (Although the jawfish would probably end up going away from it because apparently all the jawfish I’ve had have decided ‘The back of the scape looks like a good home!’ same with my yasha goby)

 

[Isopod80]

i might give him a corner that's deep and full of mixed rock sizes once he gets bigger. thanks for the help y'all. is there a way to filter or sieve out the fine oolite particles? I'm a dummy and filled the whole tank assuming the oolite would act like my fiji pink did.

also still hoping for advice on the plumbing stuff in case an expert stumbles across my thread B)

You could try siphoning the water through some fine filter socks then adding it back to the tank but I think rinsing is better to get all of it. I made a similar mistake years ago and was fighting dust for some time. If you're worried about wasting your water you could siphon it into buckets and let it settle for a day or so then carefully scoop the majority out minus the dust. Either way I'd rinse the sand well.

 

[i cant think]

You could try siphoning the water through some fine filter socks then adding it back to the tank but I think rinsing s better to get all of it. I made a similar mistake years ago and was fighting dust for some time.

Siphoning will most likely work, however I agree with rinsing it first. I did that mistake of ‘Reuse old sand’ in my big 4x2x2 and killed off all 13 fish at the start of my tank’s life, NEVER again will I spend so much money on a tank to kill it off through an ammonia spike.

 

[billysprout]

thanks everyone! it's new sand but i'll be sure to avoid transferring over the fiji pink from my 7g cube (edit: without rinsing, i mean). dosing a bit of tim's ammonia just in case there's actual live bacteria lol. we'll see if it turns to nitrite...

i love the idea of re-cycling the water through a filter sock in a separate container. i'll definitely siphon out the sand at the bottom too. i can suck out that water into that recycling bucket and rinse the heck out of the remaining sand. I shudder to think what the 'settled' sand will do once i add my wavemaker

wish me luck! P.S. (plumbing script) I'm thinking of upgrading my bulkhead union to a 3/4" thread and using 3/4" PVC pipe for everything. I'll frickin flex tape things to the central plumbing if i need to.

 

[FishRN]

My jawfish a blue spot won’t even make his burrows in the sand he excavated a 4inch deep sand bed all the way to the glass and then moves all the rubble rock to line his caves

 

[blaxsun]

My jawfish a blue spot won’t even make his burrows in the sand he excavated a 4inch deep sand bed all the way to the glass and then moves all the rubble rock to line his caves

At least he’s keeping busy.

 

[i cant think]

My jawfish a blue spot won’t even make his burrows in the sand he excavated a 4inch deep sand bed all the way to the glass and then moves all the rubble rock to line his caves

That’s the jawfish a lot of people want in the UK but I don’t understand why (they go for £299+ whereas pearls go for £10-£20 and they have the same personality from what I’ve seen)

 

[FishRN]

That’s the jawfish a lot of people want in the UK but I don’t understand why (they go for £299+ whereas pearls go for £10-£20 and they have the same personality from what I’ve seen)

I’ve had both the blue spots do have a good bit more personality as far as holding their own and interacting with there surroundings. I think the cost comes into play with the looks and the fact that most of them die fairly quickly from Bluespot jawfish disease. Most specimens I see are torn up with tattered fins. Mine was eating like a champ and just happened to adjust to “reef temps” better than most others but I do run my setup a little cooler 75F.

 

[billysprout]

I’ve had both the blue spots do have a good bit more personality as far as holding their own and interacting with there surroundings. I think the cost comes into play with the looks and the fact that most of them die fairly quickly from Bluespot jawfish disease. Most specimens I see are torn up with tattered fins. Mine was eating like a champ and just happened to adjust to “reef temps” better than most others but I do run my setup a little cooler 75F.

should I lower my temps similarly for a pearly/yellow head?

 

[FishRN]

should I lower my temps similarly for a pearly/yellow head?

No pearlys are from warmer waters