Slowest build ever

[kwjones]

Picked up the tank today. 40 gallon IM Nuvo. Super pumped to get back into it after a 15 year break. I was never super interested in coral in my 75. Because I didn't have good enough lighting. This one is going to be mostly LPS. Favias, acans, frogspawn, and we'll see what else. A few easier sps might get added eventually. I really like leptosiris and cyphastria.

I have 5 lbs of citric acid on order to get everything cleaned up. I already have 44.5 lbs of dry rock that I've been buying slowly over time. I ordered a bottle of thin superglue and some blunt tip needles to build the aquascape.

For now it's going to be bare bottom when I set it up. The cycle will take a lot longer, which gives me more time to get used to maintaining a tank again and set up a coral qt/frag tank and figure out lights for the 40. I've been looking at the Quanta Helix lights with much interest.

The next purchase for the tank will probably be an Avast Parrot ATO. Then we buy the salt, mixing pump, heater, and refractometer and start cycling.

While the tank is cycling I will be figuring out building a battery backup since we do lose power from time to time. I didnt have one for my 75 gallon FOWLR and a hurricane knocked out power for 5 days.

Haven't decided if I'm going get fish right after it cycles or not since that means another qt tank somewhere in the house. I'm planning a very light bio-load with fish. I miss having a royal gramma. I'm also looking at getting a few Talbot's damselfish since they seem to be pretty chill. No clowns. I don't need the Jaws theme music running through my head during water changes again. I'd like to convert a wild type green sailfin molly too.

Planned clean up crew is a combo of cerith and trochus snails.

Anyway...home safe and sound.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Exciting! I like Talbots as well. Sometimes, however, in a small tank they can wean down to a single fish after a while-- the old 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Lol.

Keep the progress photos coming. ;)

 

[kwjones]

Yeah, that happened to my Chromis to. Wasn't sure if Talbots were similar.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I loved my Fang Blenny I had in my 20 gallon. Very colorful. Just don't get bitten. lol.

(I pulled the fish-photo when I noticed this was your Build Thread. I didn't want to photo-bomb it.) Best wishes!

 

[BryanM]

Good luck with the build!

 

[kwjones]

Thanks. I'm currently negotiating its setup location. I want it next to the kitchen table. She is afraid the Great Danes will bump it.

The other location is where the dream tank would go in the corner of the living room. I would have to empty the roll top desk and move it to the storage unit.

 

[kwjones]

So the tank landed in the bedroom.

Thin superglue and blunt tip needles have arrived for the aquascaping.

Waiting on the citric acid to arrive to clean the tank, return pump and skimmer.

I dont trust the tubing for the return lines. The tubes dont seem to be the correct length and no matter how I try to put them in they pop off one of the elbows. So I'm just going to replace the tuning. It's also missing one of the flat flare nozzles, so I'm going to order two of the VCA random flow generator kits, some extra 1/2 inch Loc-line, and drop adapters.
https://vividcreativeaquatics.com/innovative-marine/

 

[kwjones]

I decided to test the return pump.It is a Jebao DCS-3000. It's seized up. Not sure if citric acid will fix it or not, so a new pump has been ordered. Decided to try the Jebao DXP 5000. 3.5 inches so it should fit. 1300 gph, and I cant find any numbers on what the overflow weirs are rated for, so I will be ramping it up slowly.

I still have to get new return line tubing.

The VCA random flow generator kits have been ordered as well.

 

[kwjones]

Well that sucks. Return pump has to be returned. Product description said 3.5 inches wide. More like 3.75...which is too big to go in the return pump chamber. The next size down doesn't come with 1/2 inch hose adapter.

 

[kwjones]

Citric acid arrived yesterday. All the small parts, media baskets, and skimmer are saoking in a bucket of citric acid in the sink. The skimmer works! It's the AC version of the comline skimmer. Pump is audible, but it makes the bubbles.

Return pump arrives later today. Hopefully it fits. Still need to figure out how Im going to reduce the output to 1/2". Best case scenario, slip x ftp bushing and an mtp barb fitting.

I got my rocks broken up into smaller pieces yesterday to start building aquascape. Pro-tip...thin superglue sucks. Need to make or buy some instaset.

 

[kwjones]

So a Jebao DXP-3500 fits. To reduce down to 1/2 tubing is interesting. It comes with 1" and 1.25" barb fittings. Pretty sure the slip fitting it comes with is metric and ABS.

I have a 3/4×3/4 slip coupling, to a 3/4×1/2 FTP bushing, to a 1/2×1/2 MPT barb. The 3/4" coupling is snug, but not confidence inspiring that it wont pop out when pressurized.

 

[kwjones]

Mixed up a half gallon of citric acid and used it to wet down paper towels to lay on the glass to soak. About 75% done. There's a big white spot on the back wall that I'm fairly certain is superglue. Not sure how I'm going to remove it without scratching the acrylic.

 

[kwjones]

 

[PharmrJohn]

I decided to test the return pump.It is a Jebao DCS-3000. It's seized up. Not sure if citric acid will fix it or not, so a new pump has been ordered. Decided to try the Jebao DXP 5000. 3.5 inches so it should fit. 1300 gph, and I cant find any numbers on what the overflow weirs are rated for, so I will be ramping it up slowly.

I still have to get new return line tubing.

The VCA random flow generator kits have been ordered as well.

Yeah, when mine finally goes up, I'm gonna run two returns and two heaters for redundancy. Those two areas are too important to mess around it. In your case, I'd consider this.

 

[kwjones]

I decided to test the return pump.It is a Jebao DCS-3000. It's seized up. Not sure if citric acid will fix it or not, so a new pump has been ordered. Decided to try the Jebao DXP 5000. 3.5 inches so it should fit. 1300 gph, and I cant find any numbers on what the overflow weirs are rated for, so I will be ramping it up slowly.

I still have to get new return line tubing.

The VCA random flow generator kits have been ordered as well.

Yeah, when mine finally goes up, I'm gonna run two returns and two heaters for redundancy. Those two areas are too important to mess around it. In your case, I'd consider this.

Yes. Definitely going to be purchasing a backup return pump in the next few months. Still looking at heaters and deciding if Im going with dual heaters, or a single large with a backup in reserve.

 

[kwjones]

Not sure if I should worry about the thickness of a dime or not.

 

[kwjones]

Filled the tank with tap water and turned the return pump on. Lots of random flow with the VCA RFGs. I'm running the pump at 60% and it's pretty quiet. There's a little too much water in the sump right now, but evaporation will take care of that. I'm calling "Stage 1" complete...

Stage 2 - Aquascape, booster pump for the RO/DI, a bucket of salt, heater, and cleaning supplies and then I can start cycling the tank and ignore it for a few months except for water changes and top off. I'm hoping that I can start cycling the tank in early May.

Way down the road, but something I'm still thinking about is lighting. I'm leaning heavily towards the Quanta Helix lights, but I don't know how many I would need. I "think" I'm looking for T-5 performance, so I'm guessing 3 to 4 to get that blanket of light? I've never been a huge fan of the Windex look, so I'm thinking 2 reefcrest and 1 meso blue.

 

[Marco_99]

Not sure if I should worry about the thickness of a dime or not.

Your corals will grow crooked now. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 

[AtlanticGail]

So a Jebao DXP-3500 fits. To reduce down to 1/2 tubing is interesting. It comes with 1" and 1.25" barb fittings. Pretty sure the slip fitting it comes with is metric and ABS.

I have a 3/4×3/4 slip coupling, to a 3/4×1/2 FTP bushing, to a 1/2×1/2 MPT barb. The 3/4" coupling is snug, but not confidence inspiring that it wont pop out when pressurized.

How do you like the Jebao DXP pump now?