Ferro 80 Gallon 32x24x24 build thread!

[ferro]

I have posted a few times getting my ducks in a row on the stand and equipment and now I think it is time for a build thread! This is my first aquarium ever. My parents had a salt water aquarium 14 years ago and I always wanted to try it out. Any advice along the way would be great!

Location before:

and now:

Mounted the TV in the corner and am in the process of getting rid of the entertainment stand. Still have to get wall mount shelves to hold my cable box & blue ray player.

Sump:

Started to get some of the plumbing done.

Still waiting on a bunch of stuff I ordered from BRS/Amazon to come in the mail so more to come!

 

[revhtree]

Nice tank!

 

[ferro]

The build continues! Got the tank setup then had to work nights over the weekend so havn't had time to update.

Wife was not happy with the mess!

Filled the tank with DI water and added my rock and sand. Used 50lb of dry fiji from BRS. Not sure if I like the way I have them positioned may change before I start adding livestock.

The rock went nasty on me and started to smell! Picked up some cheap carbon and put it in my filter sock. Also got my skimmer running.

This is where I sit now. I added a raw shrimp and 2 live rocks from my LFS. They are some sort of glued/painted rock but I figure good enough to get some bacteria seeded.

Water is still very yellow with a slight smell, but I think the carbon is helping. Have to do some cleaning around the room to get rid of some wife agro . Did some tests ammonia is .25-.5 ppm and nitrate is at 12ppm. I bought a nitrate test kit from my LFS and it looks half used/missing the spoon so I can't test. I have been very unhappy with test kits so far. I bought a red sea test kit from BRS and it arrived leaked all over the paperwork and the LFS kit missing stuff.

Can't wait to get the cycle done!

 

[ferro]

Got my nitrite test done, miss spoke earlier. Nitrates at 12 ppm and nitrite at 1 ppm

 

[revhtree]

Looking good!

 

[ferro]

UPDATES!!

I have been distracted from reading and doing research and have unfortunately been just winging it lately with the tank.

Currently stock:
2 clown fish (~8 months old)
yellow tang (~7 1/2 months old)
Goby (5 months old)
Large nudibranch (5 months old)
green mandarine (3 months old)
blue chomis (2 weeks old)
firefish (2 weeks old)


As far as coral and other stuff
Started with 1 red bubble tip anenome and now I have 3
green mushroom
red mushroom
A ton of feather dusters

Not sure what the branch soft coral is but it is spreading like a wild fire
Grass coral with aiptasia on it

Origonal Invasion site....

It killed the coral it came in on. I didn't notice the aiptasia until the coral started to die. By that time it was large and spreading. Started to notice small aiptasia in the tank

I bought the nudibranch (slugger) as an impulse buy because my wife really loved him at the fish store.

Ill have to get another picture of him when hes out, he is about the size of a potato now. I read how to keep them and discovered they starve to death in tanks all the time ;Nailbiting
So about once a week when he is crawling on the top of the tank I put him in my sump


I have a ton of green hair algae that grows down there! He feasts for a week then moved back to the display. Strategy has been working so far.

Initially I bought chaeto with pods to try to keep in the sump, but the algae over ran and the chaeto died. So I have been using the green hair algae for nutrient export and tossing a hand full every couple weeks. My sump has a large marine pure block (4x12x12 maybe) and a small 1x12x12 that my skimmer sits on top of. Plenty of bugs crawling around the sump, not sure if I should have some live rock in the sump or not to have some more area for the pods/bugs to inhabit.

 

[ferro]

New corals!

A torch and Hammer

My wife loves the duncan

Also got 2 jebao wave makers... previously I had 2 hydors that I will be changing out. Need another power strip since I am out of plugs.

 

[ferro]

Long time since an update! Currently battling cyano and I now have 14 anemones running wild stinging everything. Also a coral my wife liked that I don't remember the name of is taking over! I have about 5 aptaisa in my display and hundreds in my sump. Haven't had any luck with euphylia corals they all seem to die

 

[ClownfishGuy]

Got my nitrite test done, miss spoke earlier. Nitrates at 12 ppm and nitrite at 1 ppm

I am buying the same aquarium any problems with yours? I have a sump ready and am building it in my walk in closet with a hole in the wall to see the front. I’ll have to start a page like you did cause I’m doing a lot to the aquarium before installation. My only real problem is I can’t seem to decide on what light to use. Are you using the radion light?