Mattgsa 315 gallon build

[lbacha]

Mine is 8’ as well and would have been expensive but I live a couple hrs away so I just went and picked it up.

I'm excited as I have the stand ordered for myself. Can't wait to get mine. Shipping was however expensive going to California and being 8'. I'm hoping it's worth it.

 

[Dorking It]

Mine is 8’ as well and would have been expensive but I live a couple hrs away so I just went and picked it up.

Wish I had the option

 

[Janci]

Congratulations on the new house.
Exciting times to come.

 

[cmaxwell39]

Congratulations on the new house. Good luck with the move.

 

[mattgsa]

I think I have decided to take the tank down. Moving it and getting it set up again is too much work for me at this point. It seems every time I get the tank to a point where I can add corals, something comes up, and we have to move, or something happens to the tank. At this point, there are other interests I would like to pursue. I would love to learn how to weld and fabricate. I even want to learn how to work on cars, but all my spending goes into this tank. Perhaps one day, I will pick this hobby up again, but for now, I'm ready to try something new.

 

[lbacha]

Maybe try something a bit smaller, a 300g tank is a huge investment in money and potentially time when things aren't going as planned. You could enjoy a smaller system just as much and have a much smaller investment in money and time.

 

[mattgsa]

I've thought about it. The problem is that all my equipment is for large aquariums, so it would be like starting over again. In addition, I don't like small fish; I like big fish that require large aquariums. LOL, I don't think I will get rid of the tank. I will hold onto it and perhaps set it up again one day. There is no telling.

 

[Janci]

I think I have decided to take the tank down. Moving it and getting it set up again is too much work for me at this point. It seems every time I get the tank to a point where I can add corals, something comes up, and we have to move, or something happens to the tank. At this point, there are other interests I would like to pursue. I would love to learn how to weld and fabricate. I even want to learn how to work on cars, but all my spending goes into this tank. Perhaps one day, I will pick this hobby up again, but for now, I'm ready to try something new.

That sounds like a plan.
Never doubt on doing new things. There is only so little time to get things done and better take the time to do what you like most.
This move is a good moment to reconsider and pursue other interests first.
Good luck again!

 

[mattgsa]

The problem is how to off load these fish.

 

[mattgsa]

So, after giving it much thought, I'm thinking about just doing a FOWLR tank. The cost of corals and the things needed to keep them alive account for the ongoing cost. A fish-only system greatly simplifies it and reduces the cost. The fish are pets that I care about, and I want to make sure they have a good life.

 

[mattgsa]

My new torch coral doesn't seem to like its new home; it's all shriveled up, and I'm not sure why. However, the SPS that I was sure was going to die is doing quite well without me doing any calcium or Alk dosing. I think I need to stop worrying about it so much. I'm always worried about the numbers. Or it could be the 15-gallon-a-day water change that is keeping everything happy.

 

[mattgsa]

I have been working on framing the tank. I'm still unsure what to do with the door that covers the lights. I will replace the bottom trim piece; it was just the longest I had on hand. I need to head back to HD.

 

[mattgsa]

Figured I’d share a little DIY project I threw together. My anion resin was getting smoked way faster than it should have, and after digging into it, I realized my RODI water had a ton of CO₂ in it. CO₂ doesn’t show up on a TDS meter, but it’ll chew through anion resin like crazy.

I built a degasser to strip the CO₂ before it gets to the DI stage. I had a little “Tim the Toolman Taylor” moment and had to superglue one of the bulkheads in place (I used coral glue—don’t judge). It’s holding for now. We’ll see how that goes. If you’ve noticed your resin burning out faster than it should, and your TDS is already zeroed out of the membrane, you might have the same problem. A degasser like this is cheap and easy to put together. It's nothing fancy; just works. Hopefully! I'm missing the airstone for it, however, once it get here I will put it in operation and let you know if it works.

I have also been working on the front of the tank. Its not done but here is a progress picture. The cover at the top is just placed up there I still need to stain and treat it, along with some hinges, but it was a good way to get an idea.

On a side note, we went to Reefapolooza near Dallas. I got a couple of things, like a clam, but I also stopped by the Marco rock display and told the lady that I would love to redo my rock work(as you can see, it needs all the help it can get). Well, she had a 6-foot table with a really nice display of rock and sold me the whole thing at a great price. I don't think she wanted to carry all that rock back with her, and I don't blame her it took me multiple trips to get it all loaded in the car. Let's just say I paid less for the whole thing than if I were to replace just two of the rocks from the web.

 

[ryanrick]

Matt, I am also in SA. How did you determine the water had elevated levels of CO2?

 

[mattgsa]

Matt, I am also in SA. How did you determine the water had elevated levels of CO2?

It was a theory, and I made a degasser, but it had no effect. I wouldn't recommend wasting your money.

 

[mattgsa]

As far as the anions and the cations, it may have been my fault, I put the Anions first and in the flow, when in fact I should have put the Cations. The CO2 will be stripped out with the Cations and will not be depleted as quickly as the anions.

 

[mattgsa]

Matt, I am also in SA. How did you determine the water had elevated levels of CO2?

I'm still not sure about the CO2. However, I want to try a silica buster. I know we have a lot here in San Antonio, and it is known to kill Anion, too. This is what I ordered (Amazon Link). I will let you know if it's effective. Putting the Cation first only helped very little, if at all.

 

[ryanrick]

One of my ICP tests showed silica at 1333ug/L after my 7 stage RO!

 

[mattgsa]

One of my ICP tests showed silica at 1333ug/L after my 7 stage RO!

Man, that's a lot. Are you too blowing through anions? I get about 200 gallons of RODI water per 10" canister of anion.

 

[ryanrick]

Man, that's a lot. Are you too blowing through anions? I get about 200 gallons of RODI water per 10" canister of anion.

Im pretty much in the same spot.. it's expensive to make water here!