500G Reef Tank in Puerto Rico

[JanVelazquez]

Originally Posted by luisgo

Jan if you are using clorox you are not cooking the rock you are sterilizing it. You should remove the rock in two or three days and preasure wash the rock. Then put it in fresh water with anti clorox for two or three days more. Then put it in saltwater for the rest of the time until you used it.

If you can add two or three damsels even better to create a cycle.

luisgo

Moving all that rock was a pain in the you know what.

I have a question... I filled my seccond tank with 500 gallons plus the 90G from the sum. How much clorox should I use?

I will leave it for a few days, power wash and then add water.

This tank is not my main tank and I dont want to waste salt for 500G.

What do you recomend?

Thanks

Jan

[createyourown]

I wouldnt let the rock sit in anything but ro/DI water or salt water.

[luisgo]

You don't have to fill the tank with 500 gallons. Just the water needed to cover the rock that you will clean with some power heads or pump. I think that here someone recommended 1 part of clorox to 10 parts of water. You can use less than that. Maybe 1 to 20 because you wil leave the rock more time in the water with clorox.

You may not use saltwater to save on salt. Just use water with no light after the clorox treatment.

[cougaran]

Maybe I missed where you got the rock from, but I think you refer to it as dead rock already. I believe Cooking method is for when you have live rock and you want to keep it alive, but get rid of nasty stuff like aptasia, bubble algae, and other nasty stuff... To clean already dead rock that has been dead for awhile, ex left out to dry for extended period of time, i would clean the rock.. 1 to 10 bleach to water for complete sterilization, however i've used less myself( not in QT) for cleaning. I would clean rocks after soaking in bleach solution for a day or so by holding rock under water in a seperate container and gently swirling it in water and by using a scrub brush. Afterwards I would let to resoak in your 1 to 10 tank,rinse and empty 1 to 10 tank. Then use a dechlorinator in rinse tank and leave to sit for a few days... should be good after that. Chlorine disapates in sun light as well, just like the chlorine in your pool--same stuff. I've waited before for green algae to reappear, which means it's safe for life. But then you will have green fw algae started, which you'll have to swirl off rocks.

[JanVelazquez]

These are the rocks in my seccond tank. It's just running on plain water and a 1:20 solution of clorox.

I will do a complete water change after power washing them and then using clear water with a declorinator for a few more days and then another water change to get them ready for my main tank.

Keep in mind that there is absolutely no aquascaping here and I wont use them all.







The external overflow


Covered in complete darkness

[luisgo]

Jan I don't see the photos...

[Kaneda215]

Never realized that people actually have to use machines to lift tanks into their home. Swag.

[frank the tank]

Is it set up yet pics?

[JanVelazquez]

Originally Posted by createyourown

I wouldnt let the rock sit in anything but ro/DI water or salt water.

createyourown

This is just for killing any organism that may be left on the rocks, after this process i will set them in my main display tank with RO/DI water.

I had a few from another supplier that I just left in plain water for two months and everything died but a lot of things were still stuck on the rocks that I had to scrub off.

Thanks for your input

Jan

[JanVelazquez]

Originally Posted by luisgo

You don't have to fill the tank with 500 gallons. Just the water needed to cover the rock that you will clean with some power heads or pump. I think that here someone recommended 1 part of clorox to 10 parts of water. You can use less than that. Maybe 1 to 20 because you wil leave the rock more time in the water with clorox.

You may not use saltwater to save on salt. Just use water with no light after the clorox treatment.

luisgo

I am doing precisely this. Thanks for your advise once again.

I just filled it up to the top so that the external overflow would work.

Regards

Jan

[JanVelazquez]

Originally Posted by cougaran

Maybe I missed where you got the rock from, but I think you refer to it as dead rock already. I believe Cooking method is for when you have live rock and you want to keep it alive, but get rid of nasty stuff like aptasia, bubble algae, and other nasty stuff... To clean already dead rock that has been dead for awhile, ex left out to dry for extended period of time, i would clean the rock.. 1 to 10 bleach to water for complete sterilization, however i've used less myself( not in QT) for cleaning. I would clean rocks after soaking in bleach solution for a day or so by holding rock under water in a seperate container and gently swirling it in water and by using a scrub brush. Afterwards I would let to resoak in your 1 to 10 tank,rinse and empty 1 to 10 tank. Then use a dechlorinator in rinse tank and leave to sit for a few days... should be good after that. Chlorine disapates in sun light as well, just like the chlorine in your pool--same stuff. I've waited before for green algae to reappear, which means it's safe for life. But then you will have green fw algae started, which you'll have to swirl off rocks.

cougaran

Thanks for your post.

I got the rock from a local supplier. It is basically dead coral but it was sitting in the ocean anyways so it does have some active live organisms.

Since I dont know what's in them like brsitleworms or mantis shrimps I want to make sure that the rocks are clean because I wont be able to move much stuff around after aquascaping.


I like your suggestions and it's what I will be doing. I also will be power washing them between water changes to get any loose stuff out.

Take care

Jan

[JanVelazquez]

Originally Posted by luisgo

Jan I don't see the photos...

Luis, here are the links to the pics, they are on my website. Not much on it now except for a image repository.

http://janvelazquez.com/images/aquarium/liverock/26.jpg

http://janvelazquez.com/images/aquarium/liverock/27.jpg

http://janvelazquez.com/images/aquarium/liverock/28.jpg

http://janvelazquez.com/images/aquarium/liverock/29.jpg

http://janvelazquez.com/images/aquarium/liverock/30.jpg

[JanVelazquez]

Originally Posted by Kaneda215

Never realized that people actually have to use machines to lift tanks into their home. Swag.

Kaneda215

I live on the 15th floor and it woudn't fit in the elevator.

I dont think I could have found someone to take it up the stairs with what that thing weights

Thanks for your post

Jan

[JanVelazquez]

Originally Posted by frank the tank

Is it set up yet pics?

frank the tank (that reminds me of the movie Old School)

It's not setup yet. I'm just getting started. I gave myself two month to complete the project and get it finished. Well... at least the first phase

It will be a long process and I hope to share it with you all.

I'll keep posting pics as the progress comes along.

Thanks

Jan

[cougaran]

Take your time on the setup. BTW I found a guy on youtube who didnt drill his 1200 gallon tank and has 8 vortech pumps on one side of the tank. pretty cool video too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6Cz...eature=related

[othercents]

Originally Posted by cougaran

Take your time on the setup. BTW I found a guy on youtube who didnt drill his 1200 gallon tank and has 8 vortech pumps on one side of the tank. pretty cool video too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6Cz...eature=related

Actually that tank is drilled on one side. Basically there is an overflow section on one side of the peninsula with three chambers inside it. One center chamber for the actual overflow and the two dry chambers on the ends to house the vortechs. The dry chambers allows you to place the vortechs on one end of the tank to provide flow all the way across the 10' aquarium. This is one of the designs I have been thinking of creating for myself, but only 300 gallons.

This design could work for Jan's aquarium with or without the overflow on one end. The major difference in the aquariums is the 1200g is more of a DD type while Jan's is much taller and skinnier. I think what would be recommended for this tank would be to use one or two vortechs on both ends to create the right flow across the aquarium.

[JanVelazquez]

Originally Posted by cougaran

Take your time on the setup. BTW I found a guy on youtube who didnt drill his 1200 gallon tank and has 8 vortech pumps on one side of the tank. pretty cool video too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6Cz...eature=related

cougaran.. great video. I have seen it in youtube as well but thanks for sharing it.

Actually this is exactly why I posted this thread, to get input as to how to complete my tank and avoid any potential dangers or mistakes along the way.

I would like to drill the bottom and install an internal overflow but I was thinking of using vortech pumps and tunze waveboxes.

I would like to have as little plumbing as possible to be seen inside and out.

I love chingchai's methods and the attention to detail. I just wish I had his budget

Regards

Jan

[cougaran]

Funnily after I posted I wondered if it was drilled..lol.. It's a cool video none the less and I'm finding myself liking the Vortech more and more myself, except the cost........

[JanVelazquez]

Just FYI

This is the layout of my apartment, or at least the part where the aquarium is located. It is in my family room which opens up to the outside terrace with folding doors. I had a closet made on part of the terrace to hide all of the equipment that maker either noise or heat so that it wouldn't ne either noisy or hot in the room.

Inside the maintenance area I just want to put the sump, skimmer and filtering devices.




I have since installed a door behind the tank and after plumbing everything up I plan to close off the wall and just leave the aquarium glass showing. I will do maintenance in the space behind the tank. I will leave three doors in front on the top for feeding and for any maintenance on the front.

[/

[drhurtado]

Gran hazaña. Súper atrevido.

Good luck !

Im starting my 250g. Just halve of it and a lots of work.

Another aquarista boricua. Excelent!

[doggydoc]

Originally Posted by drhurtado

Gran hazaña. Súper atrevido.

Good luck !

Im starting my 250g. Just halve of it and a lots of work.

Another aquarista boricua. Excelent!

Y mas de un aquarista boricua...y mejor de MAYAGUEZ!!!
Saludo mayaguezano!!!!!

[JanVelazquez]

Originally Posted by drhurtado

Gran hazaña. Súper atrevido.

Good luck !

Im starting my 250g. Just halve of it and a lots of work.

Another aquarista boricua. Excelent!

drhurtado

I know the feeling. The to-do list is endless

Best of luck to you too, post your progress as well

Saludos

Jan

[JanVelazquez]

I've been thinking of also installing my second 500 gallon tank but on the first floor and conecting both for 1200 gal total. I would have to disassemble the seccond tank in order to get it in the elevator and assemble it back again.

I could open a hole through the floor and pass the plumbing through it.

What do you guis think?

Regards

Jan

[luisgo]

Estas loco pana!!! I think you should install the first tank, give it some time and see if you really want more water in that apartment!!

[cougaran]

^^Agree..Concentrate on one project at a time. You are going to have your hands full with one tank. You will need more space anyway for QT tanks if you are planning to have alot of fish in your main.