reef-rc WB 190.5 SPS

[reef-rc]

Minor update...

I think I got the water intake/outtake to/from sump all settled in. Added EcoTech M2 pump. Below is the look.

I also drilled a 2" hole through to the other side of the room behind the tank for future ATO, AWC, dosing tubing and capped it with a furniture plug so I don't damage the hole and wall in the future. You can see it in the under the sump pic above.

I also did minor change to the middle rock structure. It looked a little too massive and so I took a large chunk off and like the look and negative space more. Not yet sure if I will be able to remove more rocks in terms of height to open more negative space for corals and fish. Most of the rock structures are less than 12" in height which is around 50% height of the tank

Next up this weekend will be setting up the skimmer and starting add the water. Will be filter water today. I figured fill this will take days.

 

[najer]

Caught up again, I hate when things randomly drop off my watch list, looking good.

 

[reef-rc]

Caught up again, I hate when things randomly drop off my watch list, looking good.

Thanks. You did not missed much

 

[reef-rc]

Alright...there's water coming in. No going back now

 

[reef-rc]

Moving the 30G water container from the laundry room to the tank got old fast and so I decided just to filter the water directly to the tank using a 100 feet hose tubing. So much simpler ;Happy .

I did remove the rock structures for the interim since I will have to mix the salt directly to the tank and though it was less of a mess if the tank was empty.

 

[reef-rc]

It's Running!!!

System now running as of yesterday after I mixed in the salt and added the rocks back in. After a little fine tuning the overflow box, it's running pretty quiet.

Next up will be to add additional bio-media into the sump and live nitrifying bacteria to start the cycling process for the next 3-4 months.

 

[najer]

Congrats, nice.

 

[reef-rc]

Congrats, nice.

Thx. I am excited just to get water and rocks in and going. Sooner that is in, sooner there will be fish and corals.

 

[reef-rc]

In goes the whole bottle of live nitrifying bacteria to get party moving for the next 3 months. This treats 240 gallons but 180ish is close enough.

 

[bdouglas119]

Great looking build, I love the office/fishroom

 

[reef-rc]

Great looking build, I love the office/fishroom

Thanks. I am beginning to really like the flow.

 

[reef-rc]

With the amount of morning sun light the room gets in the morning, I had to blacken out the tank while it's cooking now that nitrifying bacteria is in. Simple thick black trash bag will have to do the job for the coming few months.

 

[jstephens24]

why are you waiting so long since you added in the bottle? I can understand a few days and maybe a week but a few months is a long time

 

[PacoPetty]

Exciting build! I look forward to following it.

 

[reef-rc]

Exciting build! I look forward to following it.

Thanks. It's slow and steady @ this point.

 

[reef-rc]

why are you waiting so long since you added in the bottle? I can understand a few days and maybe a week but a few months is a long time

I am in no rush. The wait is really for the bacteria to occupy the rocks. Adding fish, corals and turning on the lights too soon seems more likely to increase the chances of having algae problem. If I let the tank run for a few months and feed it occasionally, then slowly add lights, small fish and test corals, I will likely be able to avoid most of that.

 

[reef-rc]

Auto Topoff Setup...

With the tank now running, I am already having to refill the tank with fresh RODI water by hand every few days to maintain a consistent water level.

This weekend's project is to automate water top-off using Neptune Systems ATK V2 AUTO TOP OFF KIT. Never used an ATK before so this will be the first. Also received a few other goodies to compliment the ATO:

• Neptune Systems ATK V2 AUTO TOP OFF KIT
• Neptune Systems OS-1-M OPTICAL LEVEL SENSOR V2 WITH MOUNT
• Neptune Systems LD-2 SOLID SURFACE LEAK DETECTION PROBE

The freshwater container is 30G and is located on the other side of the aquarium. The hole I drilled previously will connect the waterline. The container is currently placed 4" above the floor using retaining walls as foundation. This was simpler than me building a platform for the container. I also figured by having it above the floor, it will give me room for options down the road. Will be painting the retaining walls white just to give it a cosmetic clean look to match the room. Here is how I think it will end up looking.

 

[reef-rc]

Paint + Quarantine tank...

Got the retaining wall painted today to more match the color of the room.

I am also setting up a make shift quarantine tank. This is my FIRST quarantine tank ever. The 25G acrylic tank is something I had for years. I had it cleaned out yesterday. The metal shelf is also re-purposed. It was previously used to hold kids toys...now it holds mine .

Quarantine tank setup will be pretty simple. I will be using all re-purposed equipment I already had with exception of Seachem Tidal 35 filter for filtration. Setup will include:

• Seachem Tidal 35 filter (on order)
• 75 watt heater
• small pump (if needed)
• Kessil A80 TUNA BLUE NANO LED LIGHT with gooseneck
• PVC tubing for places for fish to hide

 

[reef-rc]

ATO Setup - check...
Quarantine Setup - check...

Both ATO and Quarantine setups are setup and running. The blue line running into the ATO directly from the RODI unit. I currently have the water filter directly to save time and hassle. Next up will likely be RODI water station .

 

[reef-rc]

Unplanned Quarantine - blotch anthias ;Happy

Late last week I had to setup another quarantine tank rather quickly. Within the past 10 days I was able to get my hands on 3 relatively small blotch anthias that became available. I currently have 2 housed in one quarantine tank, the 3rd in another. So far all three look healthy and are eating like pigs.

The plan is to bring all three together into one quarantine tank once they are more acclimated and continue to show no sign of issues. This would allow one tank to be open which I plan to quarantine 1-2 tangs in the coming month.