Fresh Start

[Freenow54]

So I hope I am at the correct thread.
This is

where I am at with Sea world as my wife calls it.

 

[ScottR]

Welcome to REEF2REEF!!! What are your plans for the tank?

 

[Freenow54]

It has been like that for at least a year. Just retired a week and a half ago. Now have the time, and some cash. So I always used the saying KISS keep it simple stp. So have been watching BRS tv more seriously than before. Have been learning on a smaller tank, so have made a few mistakes but it was already going when my son and I bought it from his friend. It was full of hair algae and we beat that back. That is when I discovered Corals. Fish to me are secondary.
So I am going to try and be patient and follow all the steps. I will keep to the easier coral at first. Learning the language still but found what I called hard coral impossible to keep alive. The softer ones went crazy in the other tank. I loved seeing them breed. so that is the start. Clown and a Yellow tang. Then coral. I find you never know what to expect. So need advice on lighting first. I already bought a zero waste RO system made by Watts. They have been around for decades. The water in the tank is town water at the moment. So big goal small steps asking questions on the way

 

[Freenow54]

Update on progress. Not glamorous but necessary. I have read up on this particular RO system a couple of years ago. Made by watts who have been around for decades. It is the only Zero Waste RO system I have seen.
I bought it for the obvious reasons save money and not wasting water. It is more expensive than most and a lot of the parts are useless. I bought different valves since I don't trust sharkbites yet. And you will appreciate the simplicity. No soldering. A pair of tube cutters and a pair of wrenches that's it. For those that don't know half inch plumbing in fact all tubing is measured OD So the valve is 5/8 by 5/8 by 1/4. That little package is necessary because of using plastic lines. The little inserts are a must. You can use the brass compression ring, as a matter of fact I prefer to as they hold better. Do NOT overtighten any of the compression fittings snug then 1/4 turn

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Evening,

Congrats on retirement. I am not familiar with your water system. Will that make enough gpd for your needs and are you able to add on a DI canister to make Rodi?

Looking forward to more pics.

 

[Jekyl]

Evening,

Congrats on retirement. I am not familiar with your water system. Will that make enough gpd for your needs and are you able to add on a DI canister to make Rodi?

Looking forward to more pics.

+1 Grats and I also recommend plumbing some color change DI resin after the RO system. My water is still 6tds before the resin.

 

[mdb_talon]

I had one in a previous house for drinking water. It produced about 10gallons a day. Not sure if that has changed or they got upgraded models. There is still a waste line it just gets pumped into the hot water line for the house so reused(again assuming not changed in the several years since i had one)

 

[Freenow54]

Evening,

Congrats on retirement. I am not familiar with your water system. Will that make enough gpd for your needs and are you able to add on a DI canister to make Rodi?

Looking forward to more pics.

So I am not sure if it qualifies as a Di canister, All it says is that it is 4 stage. Tried to research still not sure . Can you tell?
So progress: Installed RO system and filled 3 30 gallon plastic pails like watching paint dry, and added salt. Found a great mixer is a simple 1/4 hp sump. Put a short length of garden hose on it and placed it in the pails.
Then went to aquarium store and spent a lot of money on all things necessary for next stage. Am now ready to add rock. A little tentative on the best way which I asked about in a different thread. Also spent some time pealing price stickers of things lol

 

[Freenow54]

By the way out of interest

this is what chlorinated town water looks like after circulating un filtered in my tank for a year and a half. Makes you think

 

[Freenow54]

So I was asked if I had room for a Di filter. I just checked water with an RDS meter, and the water is reading 2 to zero do I need one?

 

[mdb_talon]

So I was asked if I had room for a Di filter. I just checked water with an RDS meter, and the water is reading 2 to zero do I need one?

I always use a DI. It gets that last bit of TDS out after the RO to make sure you stay at zero. Not saying it is the end of the world if you got 2 TDS coming out, but in this hobby I find there are a million variables and many are very hard to identify or control.... the quality of the water I use is an easy one to control though so I just like to make sure that is perfect. That way when things go wrong I can pull my hair out with the million other things it could be instead :)

 

[Freenow54]

I always use a DI. It gets that last bit of TDS out after the RO to make sure you stay at zero. Not saying it is the end of the world if you got 2 TDS coming out, but in this hobby I find there are a million variables and many are very hard to identify or control.... the quality of the water I use is an easy one to control though so I just like to make sure that is perfect. That way when things go wrong I can pull my hair out with the million other things it could be instead :)

Thank You for the advice. Am going to get one

 

[Freenow54]

So I found out that I cannot get Live rock just cultured. Anyone have ideas on how to start the process once it is in the tank? I am going to use a product called Fritz Zyme. Was told that this is only a temporary start and that food will disappear. A guy at the store suggested I put a dead shrimp in the tank and let it start to decompose then take it out. Any thoughts? Going to get rock and sand tomorrow

 

[mdb_talon]

As far as i know Fritz Zyme does not include "food" it is just the nitrifying bacteria. In any case if using shrimp put that in first...then a day later put in your bottled bacteria.

Personally i find shrimp a pain and hard to control. I use ammonium chloride it serves the same purpose as shrimp, but can control ammonia precisely without some of issues you get using shrimp(again it goes in before bacteria).

I use this cause i start a lot of tanks and it lasts forever, but you can get small bottles of liquid for 3 or 4 dollars online.
Amazon product ASIN B00OTH5TAQ

 

[Freenow54]

As far as i know Fritz Zyme does not include "food" it is just the nitrifying bacteria. In any case if using shrimp put that in first...then a day later put in your bottled bacteria.

Personally i find shrimp a pain and hard to control. I use ammonium chloride it serves the same purpose as shrimp, but can control ammonia precisely without some of issues you get using shrimp(again it goes in before bacteria).

I use this cause i start a lot of tanks and it lasts forever, but you can get small bottles of liquid for 3 or 4 dollars online.
Amazon product ASIN B00OTH5TAQ

Unfortunately I discovered we cannot get a lot of things in Canada. The vets lobbied the federal government and all chemicals medicines were stripped off the shelf. I needed Metronidazole to treat my Cichlids for bloat. Six vets later no one will give me a prescription

 

[Freenow54]

Rock in used ammonia and fritz let the fun begin

 

[Freenow54]

Sorry hope you like my artistic attempt

 

[Freenow54]

So I have now completely cycled the tank using ammonia. I just added my previously quarantined fis

h ( of course the obligatory clowns ). Also added my skimmer ran it for 3 weeks in fresh water. Put it in yesterday. It ran amuck strange. I had to choke off the air supply, it is settling down now. It was an infesting 2 months learned a lot about the accuracy needed. I started using the same approach on my freshwater tank. Having ammonia problems with it ( see separate thread ) Anyway kept seeing the rock get darker that encouraged me. Still going to follow BRS advice, and run without lights for a while. No algae at all, just a bit in the sump. Used an idea from someone else on this forum, and blocked all the light off except to grow the beneficial algae. Works great.
Question. I want to get a tang, but since it eats algae, and there isn't any. Will it survive on food?