scott11106
Well-Known Member
i just noticed you went with planet aquariums...I had them build my custom 300 so keep me posted but im sure it will be great,,
themcfreak's 85g upgrade
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It's starting!!!! Dry fitting for now, trying to decide the best fit for returns and drains, but it has begun. Hopefully have this done by tomorrow and glued tomorrow night. Then leak test Saturday morning, and then begin moving Saturday night!
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Notice that I have a Neptune flow meter on one of the return lines. I haven't seen anyone else do it, but going to try and see if I can use that as a safety backup for the emergency drain on the Bean-Animal. If water flow >0, then notify me so I can fix it quickly. Thoughts? @Terence
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oh, and @Bulk Reef Supply :your advice in one or more of your videos (I think it was in the BRS160 plumbing episode, if not more) about using PVC cutters might be some of the best advice I have ever received. Soooo much easier than a hacksaw (and cleaner too!)
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Plumbing: glued it all (most of all) last night!
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Aaaaand: commence leak test! 
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Funny thing. I had 2 leaks. Both had to do with unions I didn't tighten lol! Still testing now. Nearly filled!
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More updates. Sorry I didn't post a ton this weekend. Was very steadily busy getting a lot set up. Tank is in place, full of water. Put it in place on Saturday. Very late night, as I didn't have enough salt water, so had to mix it up, twice, to get it full enough to run the pump. Had a feeling that would be the case, but waiting up til 2:30 am to let saltwater mix.. I wanted sleep. Then the first night is always restless, scared a leak will spring... Which is did, I found when I woke up. I used Rectorseal 5 to connect my Neptune flow sensors to the unions, except 1 of them I applied the product to the male threads, instead of the female threads. It matters. It was a very small leak, but luckily very very easily fix by removed the sensor from between 2 unions, cleaning threads, and reapplying on the correct side! Other than that, no leaks!!!!
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During the move, I had taken rock and fish out and put in small buckets and saved about 35 gallons of the saltwater. Realized I was missing a fish (must have been eaten or disappeared some time earlier. It was a yellow watchman that had been paired up with a pistol that didn't come out very often. I saw it a few days ago, way out away from where the pistol shrimp was, so not sure if that is when it disappeared or not). When everything got put in the new tank, the six line looked very very stressed, and I was worried he wouldn't make it. But Sunday morning comes around, and he is doing great! In the end, everything looks great. Some of the corals look better than ever, already! I did lose the pistol shrimp in the move. I have a latern basslet (beautiful fish that I have a picture of earlier in this thread) decided he was hungry immediately after the move. Was swimming around with the shrimp half in, half out of his mouth.. So I will have to get another shrimp/goby combo after I get new rocks to fill out the tank. Along with more fish, because I have so much more room! Pictures coming soon!
(must have been eaten or disappeared some time earlier. It was a yellow watchman that had been paired up with a pistol that didn't come out very often. I saw it a few days ago, way out away from where the pistol shrimp was, so not sure if that is when it disappeared or not). When everything got put in the new tank, the six line looked very very stressed, and I was worried he wouldn't make it. But Sunday morning comes around, and he is doing great! In the end, everything looks great. Some of the corals look better than ever, already! I did lose the pistol shrimp in the move. I have a latern basslet (beautiful fish that I have a picture of earlier in this thread) decided he was hungry immediately after the move. Was swimming around with the shrimp half in, half out of his mouth.. So I will have to get another shrimp/goby combo after I get new rocks to fill out the tank. Along with more fish, because I have so much more room! Pictures coming soon!
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Here is a picture from Saturday. Tank was in place, had moved my existing light to the new tank (but just mounted, not plugged in). Heater to warm the water. New sand in place. I went with Caribb Sea Special Grade Reef. Settled out very quickly, not cloudy very long at all. Strange fact, this is one the first time I have not used black sand. I always loved black, but decided to go different this time.
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Sunday morning, woke up and spent the day doing smaller tasks than moving a tank. Vital, but much easier and smoother. Ran ATO line, ran dosing lines, ran AWC lines. Plugged in sensors. Added second light. Added the Vortechs. Hooked them up to the Apex. Installed skimmer, hooked it up to Apex. All in all, it went very smoothly. Used new lines for all of the DOS equipment, so was able to run and start fresh.
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And finally, the 'end' result! Full tank, running equipment! Definitely not over, because I need more rock, fish, and have yet to build the manifold for my reactors (I have a line going to a valve running up from the pump in the previous post' picture, but the actual manifold isn't built. For now, have a bag a Purigen and Phosguard until I get carbon and GFO plugged in. That is probably going to start tomorrow night. Also need to buy stuff to put in the refugium! Going to place an order with AlgaeBarn today for that. This picture is no lights, late last night after I had completed all of the weekend's work. My dog was sitting there, ready to go to bed.. Will take more pictures today of lights on, fish out.
Glad to see the tank finally arrived! Can't wait to see it progress.
Oh...I didn't scroll down far enough to see the full tank! So you didn't go with the tideline overflow did you?
Oh...I didn't scroll down far enough to see the full tank! So you didn't go with the tideline overflow did you?
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I did go with the tideline overflow. And per our conversation, I was very weary of the overflow leaking. But so far, no leaking. The gasket system is ...very weird on it. I still don't know if I trust it completely, but so far, not a drop has come out anywhere in regard to that overflow. My only issue so far is figuring out how to lower the 'dripping' noises coming from the tank side through the teeth.
I ended up having to raise the emergency pipes as high as possible so that it raised the level of the water in both chambers.
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Finally! Here is a pic of the tank set up, installed, lit up, and running smoothly.
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Did my first water test today, and yay! Nitrate 2ppm, Phosphates 0.02ppm, Alk 9.5, Calcium 400. Slight slight ammonia, but I a snail died today and already removed. Also no nitrites. So no spikes as of 1 day after upgrade!
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Well. Turns out I lost another fish. Found the remains under a rock this evening it was the 6-line. Explains the slight amount of ammonia I have had since the upgrade. At least part of it? I still imagine I have some cycling going on, since I more than doubled my water volume. After everything settles again, I will be adding more and more fish!
it was the 6-line. Explains the slight amount of ammonia I have had since the upgrade. At least part of it? I still imagine I have some cycling going on, since I more than doubled my water volume. After everything settles again, I will be adding more and more fish!
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Annnnd ROCKS! Finally bought some more rocks, tried a couple of options. Have an overhanging shelf, a little depth, a little bit of negative space/cave area. Hopefully this looks good, I think it does.
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Update time! Ammonia is nearly gone. Nitrites are present (not too high). Cycling right along. Only algae I am getting is a little bit of diatoms on the sand bed that disappear every night. Its such a small amount. Fish are doing well, corals are doing well. I plumed the manifold this past weekend. No pictures because I haven't got a light under the stand yet. It comes in tomorrow, and will be wiring this weekend. Going to hook it up to a Neptune BOB and magnetic sensors on the doors so they come on when I open the door.
For a picture, here is a new blue-tip hermit climbed its way out onto a mostly dead bird's nest (died when I had a cyano outbreak in previous tank, but still has some live polyps near the base. Can't decide if I should cut off dead part and see what happens, or let it be)..
For a picture, here is a new blue-tip hermit climbed its way out onto a mostly dead bird's nest (died when I had a cyano outbreak in previous tank, but still has some live polyps near the base. Can't decide if I should cut off dead part and see what happens, or let it be)..
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