You should!! Dory is out and about. She still likes the left side rock the best but she ventures out now. She is so dang cute!How's your little Dori doing? My little grandaughter really wants me to have one.
slow but done right is good!! Start your build thread!!
I have a chamber in front of the skimmer-after the filter socks but I'd have to see if the pump will fit and allow socks to be removed. Might consider doing this. Need more hose as the UV is in the other side of cabinet. Pump goes to manifold and then to the UV.
as house is a disaster. Will clean glass though....
the new lens are a game changer lol's.SPS is looking so gorgeous!! The PE is amazing!!! The new lens helps a lot.
Okay, moving this from discussion thread to a new build thread. This is my second time trying to reboot this tank. So counting the original set up, this makes I hope, 3rd times the charm! I'm inspired by my son-in-law who just set up a custom 400 peninsula tank. God, it is a beauty! So, time to get my beauty back.
Life intruded for the last couple years, and I had to put my tank on hold.
-2018 I lost my mom who lived with us. As she smoked in her room, I had it painted with a special primer for smoking, and it was so noxious, it wiped out half my fish and corals in 3 tanks! Talk about a huge white bacteria bloom!
-2019 my daughter decided to get married in Croatia-destination wedding (and it was a fairytale wedding and experience!) so I took down all but the 125 tank as we were going to be gone 3 weeks, and I didn't want a pet sitter overwhelmed. All money went for that trip! 2020 as we all know has been with its own challenges. Esp. in California where not everything is reopened, or safe to go out, like to fish stores. And summer here is too hot to order any live fish or corals. So now that fall is about here, now is the time!
I also admit to some disappointment with the tank. It is just a "cheap" glass tank. My first tank was starfire glass (RS Max c250). I wanted to go bigger so found the one I know have. It isn't as wide as I'd wanted so my rockscape wasn't what I envisioned. And the glass, being used, gets coraline fast that is hard to remove. I should have waited but oh well. This is what I have until I upgrade.
I've lost most corals. But all fish seem to be doing good. So now I'm ready to reboot and redo. I spent time today making a plan. And it will be a job. Here is my plan:
Start now
Next Step
- Clean glass in stages to not overwhelm system (no3 is off charts as it is)
- Clean sump. Remove all media and vacuum out as much as I can without taking all the water out with the refuge
- work on 45 gal tank RS Max e170. Remove the atv we tried to use as sealant for bulkhead leaks (has option of under cabinet sump). The seals, I think, dried out. So now I have to remove all the stuff we used, and take bulk heads out to check seals. I need this tank to hold rock that I remove from the 125 to keep it live. fix and move to new location.
- research new lights. The marine orbits just don't seem to do for the corals
- buy sand
- clean all powerheads. Use pitcher of vinegar water hanging on rim to soak each powerhead
Set up 45 gal tank, remove sand in stages- I have very fine sand that blows around. I'm going to add some med. 1-2mm size. I'll devise a way to dump sand where I want it, down a pvc pipe maybe.
Remove a lot of rock and redo scape
Rescue Clown stuck in overflow if still alive... I put food in there everyday. use old sand to fill overflow where it is stuck to get it out.... If he is still alive. I put food there every day.... Then vacuum out sand. Put him in the 45 and decide whether to give away, buy another. Have 1 pair in tank already
Add new sand
Redo landscape
Replace lights
Fix all electrical cords
Hook up doser and manifold. If easy to change water, perhaps I'll do it more often!
Lastly: buy fish and corals!
set up schedule for water changes and testing
Okay, I guess a new build needs pics, even ones that are embarassing!!! I'll make a list of my fish after I can see lol's.
And here it is. Just awful. You can tell which side I always start to clean first lol's. The 45 will be moved to the dining room to free up some living room space. Like for my xmas tree...
Sigh. There are fish in there...
Well deserved...
what a nice tank in a nutshell from the old disaster to the new dream tank. I think we tend to forget the work involved to fix a tank out of control lol's. Work and sheer dogged determination lol's. I'll add another pic here from the 125 to show the then --your posts--and now--now being in september, a year later when I had the tank nearly perfect. New tank a month later! A bit of irony that I upgrade to get the tank I wanted just when the tank I settled for was looking and doing so great -smh-. Pic has some of my new corals in it and the killer leather gone (hence new lps and sps surviving!).You really worked your rear off this last year...
lol's. I hope you know the tank pic above is the old tank which I just took down and have for sale! New tank is much nicer and I'd be happy to share coraline! It's starting on all the gyres and mp 40's. thank god not on the glass yet!
what a nice tank in a nutshell from the old disaster to the new dream tank. I think we tend to forget the work involved to fix a tank out of control lol's. Work and sheer dogged determination lol's. I'll add another pic here from the 125 to show the then --your posts--and now--now being in september, a year later when I had the tank nearly perfect. New tank a month later! A bit of irony that I upgrade to get the tank I wanted just when the tank I settled for was looking and doing so great -smh-. Pic has some of my new corals in it and the killer leather gone (hence new lps and sps surviving!).
