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[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Kevin! The trick will be getting all the fish to coexist peacefully. The order of introduction, and the understanding of each species' tendencies, like what level they tend to hang in, will be important. Getting a preview of them in QT should help a lot.

[Michael Hoaster]

Agreed McPuff. The Talbots' look to be a good choice for a school. I'm not sure about the Springer's Damsel yet. Still watching.

I'm sure you could pull off a trio of grammas. They'll form a mini harem, with the largest one becoming a male, and the other two will stay female.

[Chasmodes]

You have been doing your research and your stocking plan seems like a good one. Now it will be up to the fish to behave. I don't know much about those particular damsels, but if it works out, they will add nice color and activity to your tank, filling out the entire middle of the water column. With a tall tank, that will really make things pop!

[Michael Hoaster]

I still have a few more damsels to test, but I'm excited about keeping these beautiful fish for sure. My QT is much more interesting to watch these days!

[SaltySully]

Are you thinking about any fish for the top 1/3 of the tank?

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[Michael Hoaster]

Sure! Any suggestions?

I've noticed than just the two that I have seem to hang at different levels. I've yet to see them quarrel. I think that will be one of the keys to success with multiple damsel schools. If each group prefers different spaces, that should go a long way to preventing friction.

[SaltySully]

I would consider a mollie species or some gambusia. Both come from the mangroves.

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[Michael Hoaster]

For sure I'll be keeping mollies again. They're such a great utility fish. Probably not permanently in the display, but definitely from startup through the algae phase. I've got some juveniles in QT right now. Gambusia are an interesting option. I'll keep them in mind.

[Michael Hoaster]

I'm hoping to make some progress Saturday. Getting the wave box placed and figuring out where everything is going to go will be a real challenge. The front chamber of the side sump will need to be dry now, to accommodate the magnets that hold the wave box in place. So I'll have to move the float/fill valve for the auto top off, the heater, and the canister filter return. Plus I want to integrate my UV back in the system so it's hidden and ready to go.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to hide some of it IN the new fake wall, since I can add space behind it. I'll be getting creative with the egg crate!

Another concern is, will the wave box work with the other two pumps' arrangement? I'd like to test everything, before it's set in stone, or rather, foam. So I may have to fill the tank with tap water, check out pump function, make any adjustments, then drain it again.

It helps to write this stuff down, to help me wrap my head around it all. This is definitely the most complex part of the re-do. Getting it done will go a long way towards finishing the system changes. I am so ready to fire up the ecosystem!

[Michael Hoaster]

Another underwhelming day of progress. But it is something. I got the heater and sensor placed. I got the float valve placed. I got the new canister filter setup, with CO2 intake. That is all. I'm finding every time I get started, I find stuff I need to do BEFORE I can get to what I wanted to do.

Next I want to get the UV setup done. I haven't quite decided how I want to do it, but I'm looking at it and thinking. I should be able to house a submersible pump in the new fake wall. That will be the hardest part. The UV unit will sit above the tank. In and out hoses, power cord and done.

Then, finally I can place the wave box. I will consider filling the aquarium and testing the pump setup, before committing to everything, with the foam. I'm concerned the main return output may be too close to the wave box output, in the spot I'm thinking of placing it. Testing seems like the only way to know.

I guess this is the pace I have. Not fast, but steady…

[Chasmodes]

Hey, you are making progress. Better safe than sorry. Will the new space used where the two walls join add extra room to hide equipment?

[Michael Hoaster]

Exactly. I plan to round it off where the two walls join, especially towards the top. This should give me plenty of room to hide a pump to feed the UV.

[Michael Hoaster]

Again, thinking out loud here, the new wall starts with the skeleton of egg crate. First, I need to know the placement of the wave box and UV pump. I can frame around them, like a box. Then there's the vents in the flow-through wall. Raised slabs should allow good flow. And I'd like it to blend into the back wall well. Take care of the function first, then the aesthetics.

I'm still hoping to get a couple more test damsels. Allen's and Tuxedo. The Allen's, or Neon Damsel looks a little like the Blue Chromis, but should be sturdier. The Tuxedo looks like a Three Stripe or Four Stripe Damsel, but is less aggro.

Having three or four schools of Damsels would be pretty sweet! Plus Grammas! Can they coexist peacefully? I think if I do it right, it'll work. Order of introduction and the QT schedule will be critical. Assuming four schools of six fish would be twenty four damsels. I'm not sure how many of them I can accommodate in QT. It's forty gallons. I think ideally I'd QT one species at a time, making order of introduction into the display important.

Maybe four species is too greedy. Maybe I should try two or three. I don't want a stressed out war zone. I want a colorful, active and peaceful community, with natural, social interactions.

[Subsea]

Three to tango.

Enjoying your thought processes. When we started this hobby, I had no clue I was going to need to understand fish phycology & sociology.

[Chasmodes]

Maybe use a see through dividing wall in QT so they can get used to each other?

[McPuff]

I'd recommend 2 or 3 Groups, but 4 may be stretching it. You also want to make sure the species you choose will stay small. Not sure how big the tuxedo get, but the 3 and 4 stripe can get a few inches. 6 of them would be a lot. The Talbotts stay small as do the yellow tail. This should be really cool. And you know there will always be action since damsels tend to be out in the open swimming around. Will also be nice and colorful!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Patrick. I'm leaning towards three too.

Hard to believe, but, yes, fish sociology is a real thing. And it's intensified in the confines of our aquariums. I'm fascinated with order of introduction, and its' effects on fish.

[Michael Hoaster]

Good idea Kevin! I'll keep that in mind. I'm also considering two 'waves' of three of each species in QT and introduction into the display. But I'm leaning towards six of each species, one at a time. It seems like smaller groups of three may cause more aggression in the smaller confines of QT, than starting with all six. Not sure yet.

[Michael Hoaster]

Right on McPuff. I've been checking max sizes. No monster damsels! I'm looking at the yellow tails too. Thanks for pointing them out. I'll probably only pick one of the three blue species I'm considering, since I know color can be an issue. It's fun stuff to consider! Much more fun than figuring out the system changes…

[Michael Hoaster]

Another slow trickle of activity. I went under the house to give the floor jack couple of turns. Over time, the floor has sagged a bit under the weight of the aquarium. I'd like to get it back to level, especially considering the extra stress the wave oscillation will cause. I cut a piece of acrylic to block the front chamber overflow. Since I need it to be dry, I'm sealing it and the return off from the tank with silicone. I got the wave box in place, and started with the cord management. There's a ton of them, with the controller, the power supply, and the light sensor. I'm not a slick cord setup guy, but I'm going to have to raise my game a bit, just to make it all fit and function properly.

Seeing the wave box in the tank gave me a clearer picture of how far it protrudes from the wall. It's further than I thought, with the magnet mounts. This will necessitate a thicker fake wall, which is not good. Too much buoyancy. I may need to build the structure with egg crate, so that the foam is just a skin.

I was concerned that the wave box output is too close to the main pump return output. I read through a ton of posts in the Tunze forum. It sounds like the only 'bad' setup is for a pump to blow right against the wave box output, so I have hope that my arrangement will work. I'm still considering giving it an early test run. I think I should do it. Maybe seeing the tank with water in it will inspire me to hurry up!

[Michael Hoaster]

Woo! I just got a great idea, looking at another thread! I don't need a pump for my UV. I can just use my canister filter! Elegant! Yay!

It simplifies the plumbing AND the fake wall. No additional plumbing in a tight area. More flexibility with wave box placement.

It's good. Really good.

[Chasmodes]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Woo! I just got a great idea, looking at another thread! I don't need a pump for my UV. I can just use my canister filter! Elegant! Yay!

It simplifies the plumbing AND the fake wall. No additional plumbing in a tight area. More flexibility with wave box placement.

It's good. Really good.

Excellent!!!!

Are you going to do the test run after you complete the wall modifications? Or are you going to add a fake test skin (like tin foil, or something like that attached to your egg crate frame)? I was thinking that if you're using FW for the test, maybe you can get that worked out before you go through the foaming process?

[Michael Hoaster]

I'll probably do a test before I build the wall. I'm less concerned with its effect on the waves as I am with the pumps' arrangement.

[vlangel]

I like your idea of using a canister filter to power the UV. That is perfect for saving space in a tight spot.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Dawn! I saw it done in a photo from another thread here on RC. It's a great solution to my problem.

Since I'll be running CO2 and calcium media in the canister, for a pseudo-calcium reactor, it occurs to me that I'll need to plumb the UV BEFORE the canister, to avoid calcium buildup. That shouldn't be a problem. The only complication I can think of would be the need for longer tubing to accommodate the arrangement.

With the leaves turning in my neck of the woods, it's prime time for camping and mountain biking, so I haven't progressed much lately.