90 Gallon Reef Move

sfoister · 01/30/2015, 08:36 PM

I'm going to use this as kind of a diary and I'd like for you guys to join me for the ride. A lot of what I enjoy about build threads are the stories behind the tanks so that is where I'll start.

My father and I have kept tanks for as long as I can remember. We used to camp out in the Florida keys almost every weekend and bring back styrofoam containers full of fish and rock. Looking back on it.. wow... I would never do that now but it was a fond memory.

About 12 years ago I was still living with my parents and I set up a 90 gallon reef with a 20 gallon sump, T5's w/ 460 actinics and 20k daylight. For roughly a year I took care of it until I finished college, moved into an apartment and left the tank. I told my dad he could keep everything, which he did. He has been maintaining it ever since. However... in recent years he has lost interest, gotten lazy and basically killed everything with tap water. He never changed the T5's, has not done a water change in probably 4 years, let the skimmer stay turned off, etc...

All that's left from what used to be an amazing reef is a Flame Angel and a Green Mandarin that have somehow lived in spite of my father doing everything in his power to kill them.

I just recently bought a house that my daughter will grow up in and it has plenty of room for a tank, multiples if I wanted. I actually have a wall slated to be knocked down and replaced with a tank in some future renovation plan.

But first, I'll start with a 90 gallon. My father asked me if I wanted to take it back. So here is the story of me taking it back...

Plans:
- Updated lights, going the cheap chinese LED route. I've seen some amazing results with them contrary to a lot of hate toward them.

-Upgrade sump to 30 long w/ fuge

-Deep sand bed. Currently about half an inch. I plan on 2 inches.

-Fix scratches in stand

-Build canopy

I've already had the glass cut and purchased the 30 gallon long. My first small obstacle was trying to decide how to affix the baffles in the sump. What configuration, and also how to physically attach them, hold them in place while the silicon dried.

I came up with a "mechanical" solution to holding baffles in place. I took a piece of plexy, laid it across the top of the tank then took a long piece of duct tape and draped it over the top of the plexy. The sticky ends that hang down get stuck to the glass at the height I want them to sit. This allows me to slide the plexy back and forth while the glass hangs. See the photos...

http://i.imgur.com/LL0u45q.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BNeQkLW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/fHOoj2S.jpg

I'll be affixing them one at a time, letting one cure and doing the next so that I don't mess up the bead on the previous one.

sfoister · 01/30/2015, 08:42 PM

Here's a photo of my daughters little gold fish tank. She's 3 years old. She loves to feed them and watch me to water changes.

The little ceramic snail in the background was actually an ornament in my first tank when I was a little boy. My mom found it in the attic and brought it over to me a couple of days ago. I let my daughter stick her arm in the tank to put it where she wanted...

http://i.imgur.com/eB3x8AK.jpg

sfoister · 03/23/2015, 07:15 AM

I kind of gave up on this thread and decided I didn't want to post micro updates about every step I'm taking.

Tank is moved, got my QT set up. Already had the single flame angel in QT for 3 weeks. The 90 gallon cycled VERY quickly. I used about 50% water from the old setup and and about 90% of the old rock.

I kept the rock alive in a huge plastic bin with a heater and power head. Obviously it worked because I still have a ton of sponges, feather dusters, spaghetti worms and a healthy copepod population growing in the rocks. I saw a very small amount of ammonia, followed by a very small amount of nitrite followed by a very low level of nitrate.

Currently seeing a fairly small diatom bloom on sand, glass and rock. Probably from the new sand. Small cleanup crew added along with flame angel. More cleanup crew will be added as I go.

Finishing work on the canopy this week...

SparkyTuna · 03/23/2015, 07:47 AM

Looking good

What light did you end up going with?

sfoister · 03/23/2015, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SparkyTuna

Looking good

What light did you end up going with?

Hanging in the canopy are two of the Mars Aqua 120/165w units. Otherwise known as the "cheap chinese alternative".

01/30/2015, 08:36 PM	#1
sfoister Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 149	90 Gallon Reef Move I'm going to use this as kind of a diary and I'd like for you guys to join me for the ride. A lot of what I enjoy about build threads are the stories behind the tanks so that is where I'll start. My father and I have kept tanks for as long as I can remember. We used to camp out in the Florida keys almost every weekend and bring back styrofoam containers full of fish and rock. Looking back on it.. wow... I would never do that now but it was a fond memory. About 12 years ago I was still living with my parents and I set up a 90 gallon reef with a 20 gallon sump, T5's w/ 460 actinics and 20k daylight. For roughly a year I took care of it until I finished college, moved into an apartment and left the tank. I told my dad he could keep everything, which he did. He has been maintaining it ever since. However... in recent years he has lost interest, gotten lazy and basically killed everything with tap water. He never changed the T5's, has not done a water change in probably 4 years, let the skimmer stay turned off, etc... All that's left from what used to be an amazing reef is a Flame Angel and a Green Mandarin that have somehow lived in spite of my father doing everything in his power to kill them. I just recently bought a house that my daughter will grow up in and it has plenty of room for a tank, multiples if I wanted. I actually have a wall slated to be knocked down and replaced with a tank in some future renovation plan. But first, I'll start with a 90 gallon. My father asked me if I wanted to take it back. So here is the story of me taking it back... Plans: - Updated lights, going the cheap chinese LED route. I've seen some amazing results with them contrary to a lot of hate toward them. -Upgrade sump to 30 long w/ fuge -Deep sand bed. Currently about half an inch. I plan on 2 inches. -Fix scratches in stand -Build canopy I've already had the glass cut and purchased the 30 gallon long. My first small obstacle was trying to decide how to affix the baffles in the sump. What configuration, and also how to physically attach them, hold them in place while the silicon dried. I came up with a "mechanical" solution to holding baffles in place. I took a piece of plexy, laid it across the top of the tank then took a long piece of duct tape and draped it over the top of the plexy. The sticky ends that hang down get stuck to the glass at the height I want them to sit. This allows me to slide the plexy back and forth while the glass hangs. See the photos... http://i.imgur.com/LL0u45q.jpg http://i.imgur.com/BNeQkLW.jpg http://i.imgur.com/fHOoj2S.jpg I'll be affixing them one at a time, letting one cure and doing the next so that I don't mess up the bead on the previous one.

01/30/2015, 08:42 PM	#2
sfoister Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 149	Here's a photo of my daughters little gold fish tank. She's 3 years old. She loves to feed them and watch me to water changes. The little ceramic snail in the background was actually an ornament in my first tank when I was a little boy. My mom found it in the attic and brought it over to me a couple of days ago. I let my daughter stick her arm in the tank to put it where she wanted... http://i.imgur.com/eB3x8AK.jpg

03/23/2015, 07:15 AM	#3
sfoister Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 149	I kind of gave up on this thread and decided I didn't want to post micro updates about every step I'm taking. Tank is moved, got my QT set up. Already had the single flame angel in QT for 3 weeks. The 90 gallon cycled VERY quickly. I used about 50% water from the old setup and and about 90% of the old rock. I kept the rock alive in a huge plastic bin with a heater and power head. Obviously it worked because I still have a ton of sponges, feather dusters, spaghetti worms and a healthy copepod population growing in the rocks. I saw a very small amount of ammonia, followed by a very small amount of nitrite followed by a very low level of nitrate. Currently seeing a fairly small diatom bloom on sand, glass and rock. Probably from the new sand. Small cleanup crew added along with flame angel. More cleanup crew will be added as I go. Finishing work on the canopy this week...

03/23/2015, 07:47 AM	#4
SparkyTuna Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Coal Creek, Colorado Posts: 103	Looking good What light did you end up going with?