Upgrade time! New 6 Footer!!

[Fizz71]

2 of the last 3 tanks I built I used a suspended lighting system (the other had a hood). I like suspending from the ceiling because I can put a few long screws in a joist and hang a Buick from it if I need to. What I do is mount the 2x4s (or whatever) to the ceiling then mount everything to the 2x4s so if I need to move or remove it I only have a few small holes (from the screws) in the ceiling and I can do whatever I want to the 2x4s.

For my current build I wanted to be able to adjust the lights both up and down and left and right so I have a painted stainless steel pipe suspended in my ceiling mount and the lights hang from chains. I'll put a photo up, but keep in mind my intention is to completely enclose it eventually so there is more ceiling mount lumber than I need for just the lights.

You can see in the photo I have trim and even vertical panels on the ends...that's actually all suspended..nothing it sitting on the tank. Sadly all of that had to be torn down when the tank cracked, but the light suspension is still as it was back then:


My previous system was a little cleaner with the wires...I ran them up the chains, but since I'm not expecting all this to be permanently exposed it's not as clean as it could be if I cared. I also have the one of the balleats mounted right inside the "hood". The others will eventually need to go there, but I've been REAL lazy on hardware/cabinet upgrades.

[Craigdillman]

Ah yea I see that looks good, im almost inclined to hang them from the wall and maybe put a shelf or something over them and hang them from that. Rather not hang from the ceiling if i don't have too it will look weird from where it is in the room

[Craigdillman]

Waiting for the RO machine and Lights are going to be the end of me... cant help to look at this empty tank in my living room

[Fizz71]

Click Here.

[Craigdillman]

ahaa awesome lol

[Craigdillman]

best part is the upside down copperband at the bottem of the sticker lmao

[Craigdillman]

Well in true reefing fashion after waiting for everything to come it... it all came at once RO/DI and the lights all came today so got right to work. Ro/Di machine set up now just flushing the filters tonight and ill start making water tomorrow and on the second heat sink of the lights

[Craigdillman]

Temp lights testing heatsinks and led working

Lights are going to be tricky when the tank swap happens cause I can only run one tank at a time and when I put the lights on the new tank the only tank will be without lights and don't have another light (other than a par38 for the fuge) but ill cross that bridge when I come to it

[Craigdillman]

Well water sand and rocks are in! The right side is mostly bear cause i have about 50 pounds coming from the other tank going there that will be a zoo garden and I'm going to make the structure connect to the 3rd island (ill take some close up shots of the rock work tomorrow )

[Craigdillman]

Bump for morning people also Question time.

How will I know when my cycle is over or if there will be one?

Rocks cured for 7 weeks in bucket with heater and power head and seeded with live rock from my tank all tests are 0ppm prior to putting in tank

1/2 sand was still wet from fellow reefer taken out of tank during shutdown

Rocks were kept wet and water been in there few days while heating up and adding more salt(damn RO machine why you so slow)

Tested parameters today
Amm-0ppm
Nirites-0ppm
nitrate-0ppm

So how do i know if my cycle has started or was it very quick due to the rocks and sand being seeded?

thanks

[mrpergo]

I think you need to add a source of ammonia, test, and if it's cycled after the ammonia spike everything should go back to zero

[Fizz71]

Originally Posted by mrpergo

I think you need to add a source of ammonia, test, and if it's cycled after the ammonia spike everything should go back to zero

+1

I've actually never done this because it's relatively "new" but going forward that would be my test as well. In the past I've just waited a week of seeing no ammonia and started by adding hardy fish like clownfish. If you don't see anything in a week it's safe to say you're not likely to see anything at all.

[Craigdillman]

Hey guys,

I need some hell in tuning the herbie overflow I can't seem to get it silent and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong is anyone able to give me a start to finish how to tune it

Im not sure if I have to much water or dialing it wrong or? My return pump is a DC controllable so I can ramp it up or down as well. Maybe I have to many variables

Do I just set my return pump then leave that and mess with my overflow ?

It seems that the noise is mostly coming from the water falling into the overflow not slurping or gurgling from the pipes

Thanks a lot

Also fizz, yea I added some brine shrimp and osyter feast to the water and started moving over some live rock to the tank. Only thing is most of my life rock has corals on it so don't want to add it too fast and hurt them

[Fizz71]

I've never used a herbie so I'm not 100% sure here, but the only way I know to silence the overflow is to keep the water level high. So the emergency overflow should be WAY up.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CC8Q9QEwAQ

[Craigdillman]

Ok thanks yea it seems pretty high now, just got to keep messing with it.

All tests 0ppm Still
0 amm
0 nitrites
0 nitrates

Setting up lights today, then do you guys think it would be bad idea to move some of my other pieces of rock from old tank, some are decent size but have GSP and random zoos on them

Also safe to turn my skimmer on?

[Craigdillman]

O looks like I'm getting a mini cycle .5 ammonia this am and by tonight it's already .25

[Craigdillman]

Update time 0amm 0 nitrites 0 nitrates, soooo put 2 chromis as test fish and they are doing great so far eating and schooling (ill add my other 3 from the other tank soon)






Lights should be up hanging from this all finished by thursday got them all wired and tested

[Craigdillman]

And a teaser of my clowns hosting my scan at night tonight

[mrpergo]

why don't your overflow lines go into the filter socks ?
Is there a reason, I'm new and always interested "in the why".........lol

[saltwater2999]

Originally Posted by mrpergo

why don't your overflow lines go into the filter socks ?
Is there a reason, I'm new and always interested "in the why".........lol

By the looks of it the water drains into the first chamber where the heater is then overflows over the filter socks

[Craigdillman]

Yea just the way the sump was built, I put one of my 2 heaters in there, the first chamber overflows to the "shelf" that has the socks

[mrpergo]

so the sock was not intended for the water to run through it to filter it, odd set up.
You would think the better filter would be through the sock.
Very nice set up by the way

[loki6969]

Originally Posted by cderleth84

definitely plan out all the plumbing on paper first, then mock up without gluing to make sure all lengths are correct and once you have all the plumbing in place then do the math to figure out your head loss and how much flow you actually need and buy the return pump last per how much flow it puts out minus the head loss. As far as feeding the fuge, personally i would have one overflow feed the fuge and the other one feed the skimmer but i'm sure other people have different suggestions (it's personal preference). Also, your last tank looked nice can't wait to see what this build will look like.

+1

[Craigdillman]

Originally Posted by mrpergo

so the sock was not intended for the water to run through it to filter it, odd set up.
You would think the better filter would be through the sock.
Very nice set up by the way

Yes I think your missing it, the overflows flow into the left section then it overflows onto a shelf and down through the socks then into the skimmer section

[Craigdillman]

Originally Posted by loki6969

+1

Yea I have my return pump feeding the fuge it's T'ed off,