Thanks for the help, any more appreciated. Jims Startup and Build thread.

Jim96SC2 · 04/14/2009, 01:36 PM

A while back I posted asking questions about 40g vs. a 58RR, thanks for everyone who helped.

I purchased a 58RR with Starphire glass, megaoverflow, etc. Looks great sitting in the back room right now. I may scrape the back paint off on the sides, leaving it on the overflow, because I want to be able to see it from the front of the bar and behind as well.

I have framed out a tank stand, awaiting to skin it. Its a little oversized for the tank on purpose, I wanted a shallow lip all around the tank to look at. 29g sump and a soon to be purchased drilled 20g for a fuge. Both of these will live under the stand, another benefit to haveing a wider then usual cabinet. Since the stand is 46" tall by itself I have lots of verticle room (on purpose), so I'l going to have my standpipe from the tank Y-split into the fuge and into the sump. The excess water from the fuge will also retun to the sump after it passes through.

On the wish list to get:
Nova Extreme Pro T-5 Fixtures 36"; 234 watt
Glass Only Mag-FloatÂ® Medium
Power Sweep Model 226 Should I get 2 smaller ones and put them on opposite corners?
Quiet One Pumps Model 4000
Portable Refractometer 0-100 ppt salinity and
1.000-1.070 specific gravity
53.0 mS Calibration/Reference Fluid 2 fl oz
Stealth Heater 150W (backup)
Stealth Heater 200W (main)
Super Skimmer Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer 65 gallon

Any comment/suggestions are much appreciated.

drummereef · 04/14/2009, 01:38 PM

I'd stay away from the Power Sweep powerheads. If you have the budget I'd get a couple Tunze Nanostreams or even a small Vortech. It's a wider flow which will allow for more GPH. Might be more happy with a differnt skimmer on that tank too. You might be able to fit a small MSX or Octopus in the 29g. Don't know the dimensions though...

Jim96SC2 · 04/14/2009, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drummereef
I'd stay away from the Power Sweep powerheads. If you have the budget I'd get a couple Tunze Nanostreams or even a small Vortech. It's a wider flow which will allow for more GPH. Might be more happy with a differnt skimmer on that tank too. You might be able to fit a small MSX or Octopus in the 29g. Don't know the dimensions though...

I could afford to throw a few more bucks in for the smallest NW series octopus.

Not a problem with the nanostreams. Thanks for your input.

jet fixer · 04/15/2009, 10:31 AM

I have been thinking about purchasing this tank also or the 70RR (same dimensions except height 21" vs 25"). Why did you decide on the Nova extreme pro T5 over the outer orbit 150 MH/T5 ?

Sugar Magnolia · 04/15/2009, 01:26 PM

I agree with the powersweeps. They are notorious for failing early on. Spend the extra $$ and buy the Tunze nanostreams. Two 6025's, one in each corner will give you a good amount of flow.

Skip the Quiet One pump, they too are a problem. I bought one a few years back to use as a return and it was loud, and I had problems with it restarting if the power went out. Had I done my research beforehand I never would have purchased it. Go with one of the Mag series pumps. Probably a Mag 7 or a Mag 9 depending on how much head you have to pump through. Larger if you need to, you could always split the return to divert some of the flow back into the sump or refugium if you need to reduce the flow going back into the DT.

Jim96SC2 · 04/15/2009, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jet fixer
I have been thinking about purchasing this tank also or the 70RR (same dimensions except height 21" vs 25"). Why did you decide on the Nova extreme pro T5 over the outer orbit 150 MH/T5 ?

Just for light penetration levels really.

Didn't want MH because of excess heat and power useage. Another guy on this site is growing great SPS witht eh extreme, and I still have a little room to put an extra single/double light behind if absolutely needed.

Quote:

I agree with the powersweeps. They are notorious for failing early on. Spend the extra $$ and buy the Tunze nanostreams. Two 6025's, one in each corner will give you a good amount of flow.

Skip the Quiet One pump, they too are a problem. I bought one a few years back to use as a return and it was loud, and I had problems with it restarting if the power went out. Had I done my research beforehand I never would have purchased it. Go with one of the Mag series pumps. Probably a Mag 7 or a Mag 9 depending on how much head you have to pump through. Larger if you need to, you could always split the return to divert some of the flow back into the sump or refugium if you need to reduce the flow going back into the DT.I agree with the powersweeps. They are notorious for failing early on. Spend the extra $$ and buy the Tunze nanostreams. Two 6025's, one in each corner will give you a good amount of flow.

Got it on the sweeps.

Mags are quite noisy from what I have heard, so I was going to go withthe quiet one pump.

Jim96SC2 · 09/23/2009, 12:03 AM

Holy crap! 5 months without an update.

So I finished the stand. Decided the whole back should come off, so I built it that way. The stand will house a 15g refugium (if LFS ever gets it in for me) connected to a 20g sump. It took me all summer to finally get it done because of home stuff, family medical emergencies, and home renovation. Poplar plywood stained cherry with oak trim done in red chestnut. If I do say so myself, turned out quite nice.

So last night I went to the local gougers, I mean LFS', and decided to get online and start ordering after being quoted $200 for a bare-bones 25gpd RO/DI setup.

Picked up:
Aqueon HOB skimmer (for QT tank)

Ordered:
Korelia 1
Mag 5
40lbs Marco Rock
40lbs argonite sand
75 GPD RO/DI unit

Plan to order:
ATI Sunpower 6x39w 36" (gift from wife)
NW Octopus Skimmer

IridescentLily · 09/23/2009, 12:08 AM

Sounds great, looking forward to watching the progression.
:-)

Jim96SC2 · 09/27/2009, 06:37 PM

Wow, 40lbs of rock really doesn't go that far, does it? Maybe 2/5ths of what I was looking for. Back online after I get a chance to get to the bank and pull some cash. Picked up the 15g, going to be tight for the skimmer to make it in there, I think I'll have to do some fancy plumbing to fit everything like I want to.

In other news, yeah I'm bored. Project is ALMOST ready for water.

Plans:
Order another 40/40 of DR/sand.
Order premium LR.
Put LR and DR together to seed in what will be the QT tank, maybe throw in a fish or two.
Finish ordering everything and put it all together.

Now, soft line or hard line? Was thinking of going soft because of the tight fit and its easier to work with.

Jim96SC2 · 09/28/2009, 10:13 PM

BRS stuff came. Tried to test the RO/DI unti, but my hose leaked. Off to Home Depot to get another one tommorow.

Jim96SC2 · 09/30/2009, 02:26 PM

Pictures finally here. Sorry the stand pictures aren't the best, working with little to no spce ATM. Everything is spread out in my bar/office for the fall cleanup. Stand made with poplar plywood, cherry stain with oak trim done in red chestnut.

Front of stand:

Back removable panel.

Completely opening rear panel removed. Thats a 15g and a 20 long sitting in there.

Taking over our newly renovated bathroom. Wife hasn't yelled just yet.

Seeding tank being warmed up. Thankfully I got a whole load of different tanks at my disposal.

The Korelia 1 doesn't seem like it flows too much, I may go up to a 2 for the other side of the tank. Off to test my tap water and see what kind of crap we drink every day.

Jim96SC2 · 10/04/2009, 01:14 PM

Did some drilling to put the rods in to hold the rock together. I have enough to do the left side of the tank at least right now. Its seeding in the 20H thats sitting in the shower right now. I spend 2.16 on a piece of rubble and 0.40 on a shrimp. I'm pioneering the "Screw it" method of tank cycling. Basically its when you have most of the stuff you need to get started, but no lighting yet so you throw massive amounts of base rock into a tank with a shrimp and a piece of rubble and you forget about it for a few weeks until you can afford to pick up the lighting.

Jim96SC2 · 10/05/2009, 09:58 AM

Ordered another PH, Korelia 2, and a 2009 NWB110 Octopus skimmer. I also realized I could have done more work on my car with the amount of money sunk into the tank already.

Jim96SC2 · 10/06/2009, 09:21 PM

Added 3.5 lbs of LR rubble to the mix today.

pH: 8.4
Ammonia: 8
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
Ca: 400ppm
kH: 13dKH

So I had to go to a meeting at work, turn on the RO/DI unit to just top off the tank, and go upstairs to shower. I forgot to turn the thing off! Came back to 20pp salinity. Mixed salt real quick, added it to the tank and brought the salinity up to a normal 30pp. Good thing nothing is living other then some bacteria and algae.

Jim96SC2 · 10/07/2009, 11:38 PM

Adjusted salinity back to 35ppm, rechecked ammonia levels and they are still at 8. I think I found my first hitchhiker, little wormy thing and I'm hoping its not atipisia. Moved around some stuff, getting a little bit of darkening on the base rock. Hopefully in a week or two everything will have a decent coating, and maybe, just maybe, some coraline on it.

Found a source for cheaper clean up crew.

Still looking at the stocking list. I'm trying to stick to under 3" fish so I can have plenty of movement in the tank. Gotta have a "nemo" pair, but also loving the gobies/blennies. LFS has ORA stuff stocked at LiveAquaria prices so I'll save shipping charges at least.

Jim96SC2 · 10/08/2009, 09:38 PM

Octopus Skimmer and second PH arrived today. Test fit into the sump, a bit more then I hoped for so now I have to fab out some fancy baffles to get everything working in the correct order, that will be done tommorow. I figured a way to build the fuge stand so it sits on top of the sump without getting too much in the way, going to X the horizontal support so that the middle section of the tank can have the return line snaked through... or I'll just drill a hole in the 2x4.

Jim96SC2 · 10/10/2009, 02:01 PM

The bathroom stopped smelling like low tide! I just checked the nitrates and they where at 40ppm. Happy!

Jim96SC2 · 11/06/2009, 08:24 PM

Water being added bucket by bucket to the main display. Slow going since I can only fill for 30-60 mins before/after work. I'll be off tommorow so I intend on getting the rest filled with fresh water and doing a pump check. Coraline starting to pop up on the base rock. Decided to order a few pounds of LR and keep them in the QT tank for a while after what I have now is brought over to the DT.

Plumbed everything with food safe hosing and PVC. The sump was finished and I build a mini-under tank stand to suspend the fuge over the sump. Compared to most other tanks, the fuge is obsurdly oversized. Going to order a DJ power station and get some hamilton timers.

Jim96SC2 · 11/19/2009, 05:01 AM

OK, so the water is in, the pumps were running and problems started.

1) Had a gurgle from the returns that just wasn't working for me or the wife. Needed to go. Put on ball valves to slow the water flow down to prevent slurping air. Had minor overflow when I decided to test valves and shut both.

2) Added 40lbs of sand to the tank. Next time, wash sand more then 3 times. The stuff is killing me with this silt-storm. Tried a tie-on filter bag from a siphon, quickly overwhelmed and clogged, came back to water spray everywhere. Not happy. Running filter sock and HOB with some floss to try and stem the tide of silt. Lost water OK, I need to add the rock work today or my wife is going to make me live in the bathroom I took over.

Having an extra 3 or so gallons of overflow water paid off, flood prevention at its finest.

Skipped the DJ power supply, instead I decided on running a second power strip which will hold the heaters, pump, and skimmer. I'll flip that one off during feeding. My Coralife timer will run the lights, power heads, and LEDs.

Still don't having lights, ghetto rigging up some curly-Q workmans lights once the rock goes in.

Jim96SC2 · 11/23/2009, 11:35 PM

HOB with floss flowing into a filter sock within a UTZ pretzel plastic container worked for me.

HOB took out a bit, then the sock caugh the rest. Needed the container because every time you touch the sock the silt would fly all over. This way the silt just came out into the container and I only lost 2 gallons of water in the process. Took <24 hours to settle out once everything was in place.

Decided against the single on/off setup, so I'll be ordering a DJ supply whenever I get some scratch.

Got lots of LFS gift certificates and cash. Got an eight pound rock for cheap thats covered in the good 'ole purple stuff. Need another 2-3 more to finish off the tank plus the rubble. Also picked up a small bag of live sand for giggles and mixed it up with whats in the tank now.

ATI Sunpower ordered today as well! Great deal on it, save about $75

lalo809 · 11/24/2009, 02:15 AM

Thanks

Jim96SC2 · 11/30/2009, 03:18 PM

Added a clown today, starting to get some algae buildup so I'll need to pick up some sort of CUC soon. Also found some hitchhikers. 2 Feather dusters, green christmas tree worms, and a host of brine shrimp.

Jim96SC2 · 12/16/2009, 08:55 PM

Clown is doing great. Also added a Skunk Cleaner and a Fire Shrimp. Margarita's are KIA. The Skunk cleaner did not take kindly to the small Peppermint shrimp I put in the tank, so the Pep is KIA. Something tore the lower jaw off of my YWG that I had in within 24 hours. Not happy about that either. If I see either of the Shrimps causing grief off to the time out or the frying pan.

Jim96SC2 · 12/23/2009, 01:49 PM

Added a clown goby, everyone else is getting along well. Found a wierd green tentacle that is about the thickness of spaghetti, no idea what it is. Doesn't seem to be bothering anything. Also started seeding with Tiger Pods, they are chilling in the fuge, took off the sponge for the return pump while I was there. I have some hair algae, about 5-6 strands, but they haven't grown and I'm using them as my canary to tell if I'm overfeeding. Right now its a pinch of flake and a pinch of spectrum pellets.

Also raised the protein skimmer to proper height and tuned it for some bubbles. I left the bubble "mix" line just before the cone neck. 24hrs and I'm seeing the right kind of foam, happy about that.

The light is ghetto. I have my Sunpower sitting on light diffuser and only 2 of the lamps plugged in. The tank looks nice, but I've been so lazy/busy I haven't had time to hook up my hanging kit just yet.

04/14/2009, 01:36 PM	#1
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Thanks for the help, any more appreciated. Jims Startup and Build thread. A while back I posted asking questions about 40g vs. a 58RR, thanks for everyone who helped. I purchased a 58RR with Starphire glass, megaoverflow, etc. Looks great sitting in the back room right now. I may scrape the back paint off on the sides, leaving it on the overflow, because I want to be able to see it from the front of the bar and behind as well. I have framed out a tank stand, awaiting to skin it. Its a little oversized for the tank on purpose, I wanted a shallow lip all around the tank to look at. 29g sump and a soon to be purchased drilled 20g for a fuge. Both of these will live under the stand, another benefit to haveing a wider then usual cabinet. Since the stand is 46" tall by itself I have lots of verticle room (on purpose), so I'l going to have my standpipe from the tank Y-split into the fuge and into the sump. The excess water from the fuge will also retun to the sump after it passes through. On the wish list to get: Nova Extreme Pro T-5 Fixtures 36"; 234 watt Glass Only Mag-FloatÂ® Medium Power Sweep Model 226 Should I get 2 smaller ones and put them on opposite corners? Quiet One Pumps Model 4000 Portable Refractometer 0-100 ppt salinity and 1.000-1.070 specific gravity 53.0 mS Calibration/Reference Fluid 2 fl oz Stealth Heater 150W (backup) Stealth Heater 200W (main) Super Skimmer Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer 65 gallon Any comment/suggestions are much appreciated.

04/14/2009, 01:38 PM	#2
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	I'd stay away from the Power Sweep powerheads. If you have the budget I'd get a couple Tunze Nanostreams or even a small Vortech. It's a wider flow which will allow for more GPH. Might be more happy with a differnt skimmer on that tank too. You might be able to fit a small MSX or Octopus in the 29g. Don't know the dimensions though... __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

04/15/2009, 01:26 PM	#5
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	I agree with the powersweeps. They are notorious for failing early on. Spend the extra $$ and buy the Tunze nanostreams. Two 6025's, one in each corner will give you a good amount of flow. Skip the Quiet One pump, they too are a problem. I bought one a few years back to use as a return and it was loud, and I had problems with it restarting if the power went out. Had I done my research beforehand I never would have purchased it. Go with one of the Mag series pumps. Probably a Mag 7 or a Mag 9 depending on how much head you have to pump through. Larger if you need to, you could always split the return to divert some of the flow back into the sump or refugium if you need to reduce the flow going back into the DT. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

09/23/2009, 12:08 AM	#8
IridescentLily Editor-Reefkeeping mag Join Date: May 2008 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Posts: 3,858 Blog Entries: 5	Sounds great, looking forward to watching the progression. :-) __________________ ~April Editor-Reefkeeping Magazine

11/24/2009, 02:15 AM	#21
lalo809 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: west,Indianapollis Posts: 346	Looking nice Thanks Last edited by lalo809; 11/24/2009 at 02:24 AM.

04/15/2009, 10:31 AM	#4
jet fixer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Litchfield Park, AZ Posts: 718	I have been thinking about purchasing this tank also or the 70RR (same dimensions except height 21" vs 25"). Why did you decide on the Nova extreme pro T5 over the outer orbit 150 MH/T5 ?

09/23/2009, 12:03 AM	#7
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Holy crap! 5 months without an update. So I finished the stand. Decided the whole back should come off, so I built it that way. The stand will house a 15g refugium (if LFS ever gets it in for me) connected to a 20g sump. It took me all summer to finally get it done because of home stuff, family medical emergencies, and home renovation. Poplar plywood stained cherry with oak trim done in red chestnut. If I do say so myself, turned out quite nice. So last night I went to the local gougers, I mean LFS', and decided to get online and start ordering after being quoted $200 for a bare-bones 25gpd RO/DI setup. Picked up: Aqueon HOB skimmer (for QT tank) Ordered: Korelia 1 Mag 5 40lbs Marco Rock 40lbs argonite sand 75 GPD RO/DI unit Plan to order: ATI Sunpower 6x39w 36" (gift from wife) NW Octopus Skimmer

09/27/2009, 06:37 PM	#9
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Wow, 40lbs of rock really doesn't go that far, does it? Maybe 2/5ths of what I was looking for. Back online after I get a chance to get to the bank and pull some cash. Picked up the 15g, going to be tight for the skimmer to make it in there, I think I'll have to do some fancy plumbing to fit everything like I want to. In other news, yeah I'm bored. Project is ALMOST ready for water. Plans: Order another 40/40 of DR/sand. Order premium LR. Put LR and DR together to seed in what will be the QT tank, maybe throw in a fish or two. Finish ordering everything and put it all together. Now, soft line or hard line? Was thinking of going soft because of the tight fit and its easier to work with.

09/28/2009, 10:13 PM	#10
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	BRS stuff came. Tried to test the RO/DI unti, but my hose leaked. Off to Home Depot to get another one tommorow.

09/30/2009, 02:26 PM	#11
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Pictures finally here. Sorry the stand pictures aren't the best, working with little to no spce ATM. Everything is spread out in my bar/office for the fall cleanup. Stand made with poplar plywood, cherry stain with oak trim done in red chestnut. Front of stand: Back removable panel. Completely opening rear panel removed. Thats a 15g and a 20 long sitting in there. Taking over our newly renovated bathroom. Wife hasn't yelled just yet. Seeding tank being warmed up. Thankfully I got a whole load of different tanks at my disposal. The Korelia 1 doesn't seem like it flows too much, I may go up to a 2 for the other side of the tank. Off to test my tap water and see what kind of crap we drink every day.

10/04/2009, 01:14 PM	#12
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Did some drilling to put the rods in to hold the rock together. I have enough to do the left side of the tank at least right now. Its seeding in the 20H thats sitting in the shower right now. I spend 2.16 on a piece of rubble and 0.40 on a shrimp. I'm pioneering the "Screw it" method of tank cycling. Basically its when you have most of the stuff you need to get started, but no lighting yet so you throw massive amounts of base rock into a tank with a shrimp and a piece of rubble and you forget about it for a few weeks until you can afford to pick up the lighting.

10/05/2009, 09:58 AM	#13
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Ordered another PH, Korelia 2, and a 2009 NWB110 Octopus skimmer. I also realized I could have done more work on my car with the amount of money sunk into the tank already.

10/06/2009, 09:21 PM	#14
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Added 3.5 lbs of LR rubble to the mix today. pH: 8.4 Ammonia: 8 Nitrites: 0 Nitrates: 0 Ca: 400ppm kH: 13dKH So I had to go to a meeting at work, turn on the RO/DI unit to just top off the tank, and go upstairs to shower. I forgot to turn the thing off! Came back to 20pp salinity. Mixed salt real quick, added it to the tank and brought the salinity up to a normal 30pp. Good thing nothing is living other then some bacteria and algae.

10/07/2009, 11:38 PM	#15
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Adjusted salinity back to 35ppm, rechecked ammonia levels and they are still at 8. I think I found my first hitchhiker, little wormy thing and I'm hoping its not atipisia. Moved around some stuff, getting a little bit of darkening on the base rock. Hopefully in a week or two everything will have a decent coating, and maybe, just maybe, some coraline on it. Found a source for cheaper clean up crew. Still looking at the stocking list. I'm trying to stick to under 3" fish so I can have plenty of movement in the tank. Gotta have a "nemo" pair, but also loving the gobies/blennies. LFS has ORA stuff stocked at LiveAquaria prices so I'll save shipping charges at least.

10/08/2009, 09:38 PM	#16
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Octopus Skimmer and second PH arrived today. Test fit into the sump, a bit more then I hoped for so now I have to fab out some fancy baffles to get everything working in the correct order, that will be done tommorow. I figured a way to build the fuge stand so it sits on top of the sump without getting too much in the way, going to X the horizontal support so that the middle section of the tank can have the return line snaked through... or I'll just drill a hole in the 2x4.

10/10/2009, 02:01 PM	#17
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	The bathroom stopped smelling like low tide! I just checked the nitrates and they where at 40ppm. Happy!

11/06/2009, 08:24 PM	#18
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Water being added bucket by bucket to the main display. Slow going since I can only fill for 30-60 mins before/after work. I'll be off tommorow so I intend on getting the rest filled with fresh water and doing a pump check. Coraline starting to pop up on the base rock. Decided to order a few pounds of LR and keep them in the QT tank for a while after what I have now is brought over to the DT. Plumbed everything with food safe hosing and PVC. The sump was finished and I build a mini-under tank stand to suspend the fuge over the sump. Compared to most other tanks, the fuge is obsurdly oversized. Going to order a DJ power station and get some hamilton timers.

11/19/2009, 05:01 AM	#19
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	OK, so the water is in, the pumps were running and problems started. 1) Had a gurgle from the returns that just wasn't working for me or the wife. Needed to go. Put on ball valves to slow the water flow down to prevent slurping air. Had minor overflow when I decided to test valves and shut both. 2) Added 40lbs of sand to the tank. Next time, wash sand more then 3 times. The stuff is killing me with this silt-storm. Tried a tie-on filter bag from a siphon, quickly overwhelmed and clogged, came back to water spray everywhere. Not happy. Running filter sock and HOB with some floss to try and stem the tide of silt. Lost water OK, I need to add the rock work today or my wife is going to make me live in the bathroom I took over. Having an extra 3 or so gallons of overflow water paid off, flood prevention at its finest. Skipped the DJ power supply, instead I decided on running a second power strip which will hold the heaters, pump, and skimmer. I'll flip that one off during feeding. My Coralife timer will run the lights, power heads, and LEDs. Still don't having lights, ghetto rigging up some curly-Q workmans lights once the rock goes in.

11/23/2009, 11:35 PM	#20
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	HOB with floss flowing into a filter sock within a UTZ pretzel plastic container worked for me. HOB took out a bit, then the sock caugh the rest. Needed the container because every time you touch the sock the silt would fly all over. This way the silt just came out into the container and I only lost 2 gallons of water in the process. Took <24 hours to settle out once everything was in place. Decided against the single on/off setup, so I'll be ordering a DJ supply whenever I get some scratch. Got lots of LFS gift certificates and cash. Got an eight pound rock for cheap thats covered in the good 'ole purple stuff. Need another 2-3 more to finish off the tank plus the rubble. Also picked up a small bag of live sand for giggles and mixed it up with whats in the tank now. ATI Sunpower ordered today as well! Great deal on it, save about $75

11/30/2009, 03:18 PM	#22
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Added a clown today, starting to get some algae buildup so I'll need to pick up some sort of CUC soon. Also found some hitchhikers. 2 Feather dusters, green christmas tree worms, and a host of brine shrimp.

12/16/2009, 08:55 PM	#23
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Clown is doing great. Also added a Skunk Cleaner and a Fire Shrimp. Margarita's are KIA. The Skunk cleaner did not take kindly to the small Peppermint shrimp I put in the tank, so the Pep is KIA. Something tore the lower jaw off of my YWG that I had in within 24 hours. Not happy about that either. If I see either of the Shrimps causing grief off to the time out or the frying pan.

12/23/2009, 01:49 PM	#24
Jim96SC2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 311	Added a clown goby, everyone else is getting along well. Found a wierd green tentacle that is about the thickness of spaghetti, no idea what it is. Doesn't seem to be bothering anything. Also started seeding with Tiger Pods, they are chilling in the fuge, took off the sponge for the return pump while I was there. I have some hair algae, about 5-6 strands, but they haven't grown and I'm using them as my canary to tell if I'm overfeeding. Right now its a pinch of flake and a pinch of spectrum pellets. Also raised the protein skimmer to proper height and tuned it for some bubbles. I left the bubble "mix" line just before the cone neck. 24hrs and I'm seeing the right kind of foam, happy about that. The light is ghetto. I have my Sunpower sitting on light diffuser and only 2 of the lamps plugged in. The tank looks nice, but I've been so lazy/busy I haven't had time to hook up my hanging kit just yet.