Fish building/man cave build!

[dantimdad]

Plumbing…. Check!
Sump…. Check!
Scape…. Check!

Just t5s

Hooking up the rodi shortly…

 

[dantimdad]

I had to get some orders out for a couple customers going to a trade show today. Tank dividers, canister hose holders and led signs.

Last one wasn’t cleaned up yet. But the customer was super happy.

I just might like this new laser.

 

[dantimdad]

RODI going in! Ran into a hiccup hooking up the booster pump and it wouldn't produce any water. Figured it out and put in an inline TDS meter andd am getting a calculated (after 30 minutes running into a bucket) 90GPD of 0TDS water. LOVE IT!

Should mean salt goes in after lunch tomorrow and Dr Tim's ammonia goes in as soon as salinity and temp are reached and the live sand goes in. Monday evening the stinky solution Fritzyme Turbo Start goes in.

I am betting between that and the live sand it'll have 0ppm ammonia and nitrate by Saturday. Sure hope so because my buddy is wanting me to get the fish Sunday. Pushing it. If I have to I can run up one afternoon early in the week and get them. He's about and hour from me.

Lights over the tank will stay out until the clean up crew goes in at about two weeks. I will throw in 50 astrea, 25 nassarius and 25 asst. hermits along with a large order of pods and phyto to start.

At first the fish will only get fed TDO chroma boost small pellets and a little nori to keep nutrients down. I don't want to run the skimmer the first week after the pods and phyto go in.

 

[dantimdad]

Here’s the decorations for the doors.

Took a while to get the graphics laser ready. Worth the effort if you ask me.

 

[dantimdad]

Tank and sump at level. About to fire up the return pump and set the Herbie drain and watch it for a bit then put the salt in. It's already almost up to temp.

I did all of this and forgot salt! LOL

I have to run to Petco and get a bucket.

I also had a drip and freaked. Turned out to be a bulkhead a little bit loose. Thank God for a huge pair of channel locks!

One baffle on the sump has a leak but it's not massive so I am not going to break it down and fix it.

I have an scp-70 gyre going full blast and a Tunze 6045 and the flow seems pretty darn good. I have a second 6045 on the way just in case the return pump with a spinning outlet doesn't kill the last dead spot I notice.

BTW, I am going to try out this FlowCoulour double end rotating water outlet. I saw a video and liked it. it's metric so I had to give it a few wraps of teflon tape. We will see how it works.

 

[dantimdad]

Live sand is in.

As soon as the water clears up, I will post a video of the spinner.

It's really cool. I think it will add to the randomness of the flow in the tank for sure.

Going to put the turbo start in before work tomorrow morning.

 

[dantimdad]

Turbo start in.

Salinity at 1.026

Temp at 77.6 (set at 78)

I goofed and didn't look at my test kits, all out of date. Ordered API master to test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. I have hannah checkers for phosphate, ph, calcium and alk. I will have to check the dates on those reagents as well.

 

[dantimdad]

Just FYI Turbo Start smells like literal sewage. UGH! :squinting-face-with-tongue:

 

[Lowell Lemon]

There once was a lady from Boise who wrote about nephew peeing in her sump and her name was Sarah. Probably cheaper and just as effective hahaha!

 

[dantimdad]

So truth time here. I cycled a fowlr tank with pee one time. Honestly I never had diatoms in that tank and it seemed that tank, crowded as it was, was bullet proof. It was just the smell while it cycled was unbearable.

 

[dantimdad]

Salinity, temp and ATO all holding steady.

Test kit here tomorrow

Ordered pods and photo and rotifers today.

 

[dantimdad]

Almost there….

Pods, phyto and rotifers get her tomorrow.

I got the second tunze 6045 and am debating on using it. There is so much flow in this tank already it’s crazy.

Water is starting to clear up. I’m changing the poly fil daily. I am going to completely remove it for a couple days after the ammonia drops to zero and the pods and phyto go in.

I’ll fire up the skimmer after the first fish go in.

 

[dantimdad]

Gonna check when I get home for zeros. If so, the pods and phyto go in with pumps off for 30 minutes.

Confirmed I have to get the fish Sunday. I sure hope the timing works out. If not, I am gonna have to have a buddy keep them for me in his sump. I would hate to do that.

Water has almost completely cleared up.

 

[dantimdad]

Well it’s not zero. Hoping it finishes tomorrow.

 

[dantimdad]

Well the ammonia is almost zero, nitrites are still up as of 4pm yesterday. I will test this morning.

My buddy agreed to keep the fish until nitrite is zero and pods are in.

 

[dantimdad]

I had a buddy question my sanity for removing all the glass and plastic rim from the tank. Happy to say that I can put my 6 foot level on the glass and there is zero bulge.

It looks so much nicer without it. I only wish the 12 footer was rimless so all three tanks matched.

 

[dantimdad]

ok we are good to go!

Going to pick up the kole and clowns Saturday morning and then I will get ready to order the clean up crew.

Will add a big shot of Fritz nitrifying bacteria just to be safe on Friday.

I will turn the lights on to take pics and decide bulb combinations and then turn them off for a while to let things calm down and get ready to hit the full light cycle after the clean up crew arrives.

 

[dantimdad]

About to head out to get the fish! He’s wanting me to take coral but I am not ready to switch in the lights yet. I need to order cuc and let the system catch up to the fish.

Pics to follow…

 

[dantimdad]

Lights on super low just to take pics.

I’ll let them rest now.

 

[dantimdad]

ok i have the lights programmed on a low ramp up with no t5s. over the course of the next month, I will ramp up the kessils. Two weeks later, I will add two of the 4 t5s and two weeks later the other two.

Everyone is eating well. The box fish absolutely destroys nori. The kole is super shy.