OP
OP
Rocklin Mike
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2017
- Messages
- 125
- Reaction score
- 66
Tank Reboot
So back in January of this year, i decided to move the tank from one room to another. Yeah, big undertaking but there were reasons. The main reason is a better room became available in my house and it made more sense for the tank to be there. Contributing reasons were getting my dining room back and there was something amiss with my tank and it needed a reboot. When i say something amiss, i mean things like not being able to grow chaeto, major algae that i struggled to get ahead on, did not like the grain size of the sand, corals were not happy and i lost a bunch. Things needed to change.
Changes
Went down one grain size in sand and less of it. I had considered bare bottom but talked myself out of it. I also had fish that needed sand and wasnt interested in getting rid of them.
Pushed rockwork further to the back to keep the fish mostly in view. They can still go behind the rocks to hide but they stay in view more now. Also provides more sand space in the front.
Added an ATO and started doing auto water changes via the DOS. Some other custom switches for better automation including an auto feeder.
Thats about it.
Results
Not sure what the issue was during the first build attempt but the chaeto grows like mad, mangroves are doing well, corals seems to grow great, particularly the LPS. My snail population has struggled but the tank overall is in good health. I recently had a calcium and magnesium spike that i'm still recovering from. Lost a couple of fish for no good reason. Two other fish have just vanished. Right now, just trying to keep chemistry stable...its been tough since i've worked out of town for most of this year. My job has changed and keeps me home more so i'm expecting to get things straightened out.
I also just installed the new brace from Red Sea since i have an XXL750. Install was easy enough although instructions could have been better. i had a gap under the tank right where the brace gets installed and after installation, i could barely get a piece of paper in the gap. Seems like a solid fix. I also installed the side bracing. Pic of center brace attached below.
Future Plans
So back in January of this year, i decided to move the tank from one room to another. Yeah, big undertaking but there were reasons. The main reason is a better room became available in my house and it made more sense for the tank to be there. Contributing reasons were getting my dining room back and there was something amiss with my tank and it needed a reboot. When i say something amiss, i mean things like not being able to grow chaeto, major algae that i struggled to get ahead on, did not like the grain size of the sand, corals were not happy and i lost a bunch. Things needed to change.
Changes
Went down one grain size in sand and less of it. I had considered bare bottom but talked myself out of it. I also had fish that needed sand and wasnt interested in getting rid of them.
Pushed rockwork further to the back to keep the fish mostly in view. They can still go behind the rocks to hide but they stay in view more now. Also provides more sand space in the front.
Added an ATO and started doing auto water changes via the DOS. Some other custom switches for better automation including an auto feeder.
Thats about it.
Results
Not sure what the issue was during the first build attempt but the chaeto grows like mad, mangroves are doing well, corals seems to grow great, particularly the LPS. My snail population has struggled but the tank overall is in good health. I recently had a calcium and magnesium spike that i'm still recovering from. Lost a couple of fish for no good reason. Two other fish have just vanished. Right now, just trying to keep chemistry stable...its been tough since i've worked out of town for most of this year. My job has changed and keeps me home more so i'm expecting to get things straightened out.
I also just installed the new brace from Red Sea since i have an XXL750. Install was easy enough although instructions could have been better. i had a gap under the tank right where the brace gets installed and after installation, i could barely get a piece of paper in the gap. Seems like a solid fix. I also installed the side bracing. Pic of center brace attached below.
Future Plans
- Add hybrid T5/LED light
- Better tank lid
- 2 MP40's for better flow coverage
- Backup Generator (i live in CA...been fortunate so far with power outages)
- Apex Trident
- Controls cabinet overhaul
