Converting my 90g from brackish to full salt...

Wickedfun · Mar 7, 2019

Hi guys! I am doing a DIY, +repurposing project to convert my current brackish tank with gobies, monos and green spotted puffers to a full salt reef tank. I currently have a 20g IM nano with a few young fish (clown, blenny, pseudo bicolor), CUC (snails, hermits, peppermint shrimp), a bta, temporary housing for a juvenile condylactis, and some random corals on frag racks.

I would like to take my non drilled 90 gallon with a black sand bed to reef ready.

I currently have over 100 lbs of dry rock cycling in a 60 gallon full salt bath with a heater, HOB filter, circulating pump and a 75 gallon BioSpora starter dose.

I am gradually raising the salinity in the brackish tank every two weeks with the hope of having them at 1.026 by the time the dry rock becomes live wet rock. As I do that, I have removed the sponge and floss from my canister filter leaving just carbon and ceramic media. I am also running a large HOB with carbon and floss for water polishing. I am down to just 3 pieces of mopani wood for the gobies to hide under, and will be removing them and replacing PVC for now...until I can get the reef caves built.

I am gathering supplies for an under tank sump / fuge and have a large protein skimmer and pump, a 40 gallon long tank, return pump and am looking to build a pvc over flow.

I will try to update my progress here as it happens.

Thanks for reading!

Dee

SeahorseKeeper · Mar 7, 2019

Good luck with your journey!!

Wickedfun · Mar 9, 2019

I spent the afternoon fabricating my new PVC overflow . I used 2" for the weir and overflow, capped on the bottom ends. On the piece that hangs on the outside of the tank, I inserted a 2" to 1" reducing connector valve. , I drilled holes for flow around the top of the inside the tank piece, used 2 T connectors to make an open ended H, to connect the two 2" pipes then put 1" flow pipes connected with 90 degree elbows inside the 2" pipes for my actual water movement. I dry fitted everything, cut, and glued then painted black with Krylon. It is currently curing. Pictures tomorrow. This sounds way more complex than it is. On reflection as I write this, the valve may be useless, if the 1" pipe passes through it....grrrr

Wickedfun · Mar 12, 2019

Pictures! Turns out I did NOT screw up the overflow, the valve was appropriately installed to the side...rather than in line. SO here it is

My PVC overflow...mostly complete...just need

To move it to the back side of the tank.
Next up...

My ridiculously siliconed sump...omg...it looks like a preschooler high on glue fumes put it together...but it is still drying and I will clean the excess once it cures...giggle

Progress of sorts...and all done by me!

Mastiffsrule · Mar 12, 2019

I like it. Sump tank looks better than what I would have done so no worries there. Looks like you got it covered so far. Keep posting pix, looks very interesting

Wickedfun · Mar 13, 2019

Ok...sump is working...pulled all the livestock...new batch of water

Wickedfun · Apr 1, 2019

And look where we are - 3 weeks later! All livestock transferred out of the 20 gallon, full 1.026 salinity, rock alive and happy with feather dusters and who knows what all else!

Wickedfun · Apr 23, 2019

Hello again! 6 week update on the conversion...all is well. I moved the Mono Sebaes out, they were not thriving, but everyine else is doing well. Plenty of growth in the new leathers, lots of new button polyps and my condylactis is thriving!