Cody's 153 CTC Custom Build with Basement Sump Room

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ReefDreamz

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Big update! Since my last post. I've been able to check a few major things off the list. All the plumbing is finally complete.

I plumbed the saltwater mixing station to the sump via a T on the emergency drain for easy water changes. I just need to turn a few ball valves and I can fill the sump with saltwater directly from the saltwater reservoir.

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I filled up the system with tap water and got most of the equipment dialed in. The Abyzz pumps are amazingly quiet, vibration free and have no trouble pumping water up 12 feet to the display.



The overflow box is not as silent as I'd like but I'm hoping that once the tank is "salted" it will quiet down.



I also installed the ATO. I'm using a Tunze Osmolator with the Tunze Switched Socket and an Ecotec Versa as the ATO pump. I'm using the RO/DI side of the mixing station as my ATO reservoir. I'm using the Apex, a solenoid and optical sensors to automate the filling of the RO/DI reservoir. I installed the Versa in a place that would make it easy to switch from topping off with RO/DI to utilizing the kalkwasser stirrer.

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Next I installed my lighting. First I made some wood ceiling anchoring supports since of course I didn't have a joist right where I needed one. I do like how these came out though. Someday I'll fill in the screw holes with some putty.

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To hang the lights I used a piece of 80/20 T slot, Reef Brite X-Series LED brackets, and a GHL Mitras hanging kit.

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I ran the cords inside a slot on the T slot and through the wall into the closet where I have an EB832.

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The tank with the lighting up looks amazing in the room. Don't mind the cloudy water, it's my tap water. Shorty after taking these photos I drained the system. My next update will be after I add the rock scape, sand and saltwater.

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Wow you’re moving fast now! time to get it wet.
Yes, it's time! I can't wait. I am planning on using Algae Barn Nitrocycle, Fritz Turbo Start 900 and PNS Substrate Sauce to cycle the tank. It seems to be a popular option for cycling a dry rock dry sand tank.
 

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Wow! Beautiful build, very impressive! Following along :)
 
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Well the tank is officially "salted"!

I opted to use the Caribsea Special Grade dry sand. To rinse it I used this 600 micron bucket strainer and this paint mixer attached to a drill. I put about 1/3 bag of sand in the strainer and ran the hose through it while mixing with the paint mixer. It worked perfectly and my water was crystal clear while filling.

The filling process went very smooth. I simply let my RO/DI fill my RO/DI reservoir, pumped the water from the reservoir into the sump, and used one return pump to slowly pump the water from the sump to the display. I let the system run with RO/DI overnight and the next morning I mixed in the salt directly in the sump in front of an MP40.

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I also got the Trident installed. I used Brightwell NeoMarine salt and at 1.0255 my first test read 7.45 Alk, 413 Ca, and 1387 Mg. Good enough to start cycling!

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In an attempt to reduce the ugly phase and especially avoid dinoflagellates I came up with the following cycling plan.

  • Start with lights, UV sterilizer, and skimmer off, and no filter socks.
  • Dose 0.5 mL of Nitrocycle per gallon of tank water to achieve an ammonia level of 3 ppm.
  • Dose 1 oz. (29 ml) TurboStart 900 per 25 gallons.
  • Soak a Genesis Rock in PNS Substrate Sauce and add to sump.
  • Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate daily.
  • Once aquarium has cycled do a partial water change and add two clownfish.
  • Turn on lights for a 6-hour photoperiod at max 20% output.
  • Add filter socks and turn on skimmer to break it in but let it drain into the sump.
  • Test nitrate and phosphate daily.
  • Dose 5280 Pods and Oceanmagik live phyto.
  • One week after clownfish are introduced begin dosing AF Life Source mud (20mL of aquarium water and 10ml per of AF Life Source for every 27 gallons).
  • Continue testing nitrate and phosphate every 2 to 4 days. If nitrate and/or phosphate gets too low add more bio load (fish), feed heavier, and/or dose NeoNitro and/or NeoPhos. If nitrate and phosphate get too high start collecting skimmate, dose MicroBacter7 (5 ml per 50 gallons), and/or do water change.
  • When algae starts to appear on the glass add CUC.
 
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My cycle went according to plan for the most part. I began the cycle on 8/22. I dosed a bit of ammonia again on 9/9 and it was back to zero 24 hours later. I had high nitrate readings early on but I suspect those were false readings due to the presence of nitrite. I did dose NeoPhos a few times so far just to make sure my phosphates weren't bottomed out. My nitrates are currently at 11 ppm and phosphates at 0.03 ppm.

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After having an issue with the Innovative Marine Helios 1000 watt heater continuously displaying an error code "E7" and not heating I called the company and was sent a replacement controller and probe. The replacement controller and probe did not fix the problem and the error message continued to be displayed every 6 to 8 hours requiring power cycling the unit to get it to heat again. So I decided to replace it with what I should have used to begin with, two Aqualogic (Ranco) thermostats. Each Aqualogic is powering one 200 watt and one 300 watt BRS titanium heating element. Each Aqualogic is plugged into a seperate energy bar on a seperate circuit. Having two independent heater controllers (plus the Apex) on independent circuits and four heating elements I believe is about as bulletproof as it can get. So far it's been solid.

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On 9/16 I added the first two fish, one ORA black storm and one ORA gladiator clownfish. So far they are looking awesome and getting along great! They are eating mysis already. So far the ugly phase hasn't begun despite beginning the cycle almost 4 weeks ago although I just began turning my lights on yesterday so it shouldn't be long now until diatoms appear. I'm currently on step 9 of my cycle plan and will begin dosing phyto and pods next week.

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I also installed two Neptune DOS pumps for future supplement dosing and an Avast Marine auto feeder.

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I don’t know if you plan on QTing your CUC but if you are I’d suggest getting them now. I waited until the first sign of algae and now I’m on day 35 of 45 of QT and my tank is overrun with hair algae and some spots of cyano even though I took a similar route as you.

tank looks spectacular though, love the clowns!
 
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So far so good, I think. What I've done since my last update:

Added 5 jars of 5280 Pods and 4 jars of Galaxy Pods a few weeks later
Been dosing Oceanmagik live phyto
Added 3 jars of the Aquabiomics Live Reef Rubble, 2 jars of Indo-Pacific rock and 1 of the Gulf rock spread mostly in the display but some in the sump
Ran an outside airline through a CO2 scrubber to my skimmer
Added 15 Astrea snails, 10 Trochus snails, 2 Turbo snails, 6 Scarlet hermits, 25 dwarf Ceriths, and 2 Tiger Conch
Introduced a Royal Gramma, 2 Banggai Cardinalfish, and a few Green Chromis
Swapped out the socks for the Clarisea filter rollers
Turned on the UV sterilizer
Started running Aquachar in a reactor
Added my first few corals, a Duncan, some Zoas, and a Ricordea

Interestingly, my tank has been consuming around 0.23 dkh per day of alkalinity since the cycle was complete, despite zero Coralline algae and no corals for most of that time.

My Kessils are running 12 hours per day but only up to 35% intensity and only at 35% intensity for two hours.
I did go through a diatom phase a few weeks ago which cleared up within a few days of introducing the CUC.
Now I have a green/brown coating on the rocks, not sure what it is yet.

Current Parameters
Salinity: 34.4-34.6
pH: 7.9-8.01
Temp: 77.2-78.4
ORP: 480-490
Alk: 7.8
Ca: 421
Mg: 1383
PO4: 0.07
NO3: 13

I did an ATI ICP test and all was in-line besides:
Slightly low potassium at 345 mg/L
Low Bromine at 14.5 mg/L
Low Boron at 4.75 mg/L
Low Fluoride at 0.27 mg/L
Significantly high Barium at 72.12 ug/L
Slightly high Tin at 9.52 ug/L

I am starting the Reef Moonshiners program and ordered my first set of elements.
I did lose one Chromis to what I'm pretty certain was Uronema. The remaining fish have shown no signs of disease for 10 days. Fingers crossed.
I have a Yellow, Gem, White Tail, and Convict tang being quarantined which I'll introduce all at once in a couple weeks.

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3 month update
It's been 3 months since I cycled the tank. Things are going OK but some issues are starting to pop up.

Despite doing everything generally thought of to avoid dinoflagellates in a dry rock tank, I do have a few spots of SCA on my rocks which seem to be very slowly spreading. To remedy this I'm currently dosing live phyto daily and pods from time to time. I also added a jar of the Aquabiomics live sand recently. If the SCA continues to spread I plan to take more drastic measures and start dosing silicates.

Dinos:

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Since adding 4 tangs two weeks ago my phosphates have gone from 0.06 to 0.22. I'm currently at 12.3 NO3 and 0.22 PO4. To remedy this I've adjusted my skimmer to skim wetter and I've begun dosing Microbacter7. I will be installing an algae scrubber sometime soon as well. If PO4 continues to rise despite these countermeasures I'll run some Rowaphos in a reactor.

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Other than that things are going well. All corals I've added look great and fish are eating well. I think very soon I'll add more snails and hermits as I feel a major algae outbreak is imminent given my PO4 level. I have a hard non-filamentous green coating on the rocks which I'm hopeful is the beginning stages of coralline.

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