Tswifty's Custom 40g Rimless Build Thread - Page 12

Aquarist007 · 06/28/2009, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tswifty

Seriously... overfeeding, overstocking, etc... etc... is not a concern of mine... at all. Believe it or not, there is a method to my madness. Based on experience, knowledge, research, and the advice of those with stellar SPS dominated systems.

care to share the advice for overfeeding overstocking etc etc

Tswifty · 06/28/2009, 01:58 PM

Not to someone who doesn't intend to listen.

BigJay · 06/28/2009, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tswifty
Not to someone who doesn't intend to listen.

Hey now, I'm all ears. Until you say something that I disagree with!

Just kidding man.

Tswifty · 06/28/2009, 08:49 PM

I wish I could get some pictures of my tank up. My mother and little sister took off to the beach for the weekend, and took all 3 of the digital cameras in the house.

Aquarist007 · 06/28/2009, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tswifty
Not to someone who doesn't intend to listen.

do you mean me

kudora · 06/28/2009, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tswifty
I looked at the Juvenile Chevron Tangs a while back. I'm not crazy about the adult coloration (or the price tag). I've seen some pretty nice variations of Kole Tangs that have peaked my interest. Like I mentioned... I've been trying to make up my mind for a few months now with no luck. My default, if I can't make up my mind, will more than likely be a small Tomini Tang. Who knows... maybe you'll see a baby Powder Blue or Achilles.

i agree that an adult chevron will prob be hard to unload

oh achilles, if i had a big enough tank i would own one in a heart beat lol

melev · 06/28/2009, 11:17 PM

kolokefalo · 06/30/2009, 04:38 PM

subscribed. Lots of great ideas in this thread

hops523 · 06/30/2009, 06:08 PM

Wow very nice, this thread makes me sad Im getting out of the hobby for a little haha

pschmitz · 06/30/2009, 07:32 PM

Wonderful thread(s)! Its taken me quite a while to read through it all, but there is quite a bit of useful information.

I was wondering how often you clean your skimmer pump and if it was a hassle to get it out from under the unit. It looks like a popular design these days (either the "box" at the base of the unit, or with the pump actually located in the reaction chamber) so I figured Id ask someone who actually uses it.

Any insight?

Tswifty · 06/30/2009, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev

What??? You hungry?

Quote:

Originally posted by kolokefalo
subscribed. Lots of great ideas in this thread

Thank you

Quote:

Originally posted by hops523
Wow very nice, this thread makes me sad Im getting out of the hobby for a little haha

Thank you. Sorry to hear you're taking a break. Hopefully you'll be back soon.

Quote:

Originally posted by pschmitz
Wonderful thread(s)! Its taken me quite a while to read through it all, but there is quite a bit of useful information.

I was wondering how often you clean your skimmer pump and if it was a hassle to get it out from under the unit. It looks like a popular design these days (either the "box" at the base of the unit, or with the pump actually located in the reaction chamber) so I figured Id ask someone who actually uses it.

Any insight?

Thank you.

I try and do it every few months. I'm actually getting ready to do it here soon. Since I finally got around to re-meshing my old impeller, I want to throw the mesh mod back and run a comparison. Yeah, having the pump located underneath the skimmer body is a nice feature, and helps shrink the footprint of the skimmer. The MSX-160 is considered their "space saver" model.

If I was purchasing a skimmer nowadays... I'd probably look into the newer cone skimmers.

Tswifty · 07/01/2009, 04:03 PM

Water Params:

Aslan · 07/01/2009, 04:08 PM

Excellent!

MADtanks · 07/02/2009, 11:16 PM

dang i went through a lot of pages on this thread!!! lol and through like 3 or 4 splits bc of so many pages! great i mean great tank!!

I noticed that you changed, but there were so many pages i did not see when you changed and the reason... im sure you just needed more room

Makes me wish i could just use my credit card to buy the rest of my gear! lmao!!!

will keep an eye on this thread

thanks for the inspiration.

Tswifty · 07/03/2009, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Aslan
Excellent!

Thank You.

Quote:

Originally posted by MADtanks
dang i went through a lot of pages on this thread!!! lol and through like 3 or 4 splits bc of so many pages! great i mean great tank!!

I noticed that you changed, but there were so many pages i did not see when you changed and the reason... im sure you just needed more room

Makes me wish i could just use my credit card to buy the rest of my gear! lmao!!!

will keep an eye on this thread thanks for the inspiration.

Thank you for the kind words. I changed tanks because I am a klutz, and managed to drop my cube tank when transporting it home. After I broke it, I had the opportunity to change the dimensions, and settled on the current tank.

I actually wish I had even more room. With shallow, small tanks you run out of real estate very quickly!

Padrino · 07/03/2009, 07:21 AM

TJ,
do you think you could post some pictures showing how your Kalk reactor is set up? You mentioned that you use one but how does it work. Ato to the kalk reactor which pushes the kalk solution into the sump right?? But doesn't that add a lot when the ato goes on. I thought it was better to add that gradually and slowly over the course of a day??

Taqpol · 07/07/2009, 11:54 AM

Tj, I think I'm about to bite the bullet and finally glue some black acrylic over my overflow box. When you did this on your 90, how long did you let the silicone cure before you filled the tank back up?

Tswifty · 07/07/2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Padrino
TJ,
do you think you could post some pictures showing how your Kalk reactor is set up? You mentioned that you use one but how does it work. Ato to the kalk reactor which pushes the kalk solution into the sump right?? But doesn't that add a lot when the ato goes on. I thought it was better to add that gradually and slowly over the course of a day??

As soon as I can get my hands on a camera, I'll take some for you... and try get some updated tank shots up.

That is how it works though. The ATO pump pushes the RO/DI water through the kalk reactor. The fresh RO/DI water enters into the bottom of the reactor and pushes the kalk saturated water out the top of the reactor and into the sump. The nice thing about using it via an ATO, is that it only adds small amounts at a time. The concern with adding too much at a time would be a spike in pH, however it's easy to watch with the AC3, and I've never seen my pH move to an unacceptable range. It usually stays between 8.1-8.4.

Quote:

Originally posted by Taqpol
Tj, I think I'm about to bite the bullet and finally glue some black acrylic over my overflow box. When you did this on your 90, how long did you let the silicone cure before you filled the tank back up?

I think I only let it sit for 12 hours, but am not certain.

Taqpol · 07/07/2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tswifty
I think I only let it sit for 12 hours, but am not certain.

Did you just transfer your heaters to the DT for the time being? Did you do anything else to run sumpless for that long (Airstone to try and replace skimmers oxygenation?)?

Tswifty · 07/07/2009, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Taqpol
Did you just transfer your heaters to the DT for the time being? Did you do anything else to run sumpless for that long (Airstone to try and replace skimmers oxygenation?)?

Yes, I transferred one of my heaters to the display tank, but that was all.

Taqpol · 07/07/2009, 04:51 PM

After you're experience do you feel that there is a risk of harming the system by having "uncured" (less then 24-48 hours) silicone in the tank? I can imagine there might be some drop in pH due to released acetic acid, but did you notice any other problems?

Tswifty · 07/07/2009, 07:19 PM

Nope, My system was fine. If you're worried, just go with the 24-48hrs. I wouldn't be concerned with having the sump off line for that period of time. Although, I would probably place a powerhead in the sump to keep the water circulating in the various compartments.

Padrino · 07/08/2009, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tswifty
As soon as I can get my hands on a camera, I'll take some for you... and try get some updated tank shots up.

That is how it works though. The ATO pump pushes the RO/DI water through the kalk reactor. The fresh RO/DI water enters into the bottom of the reactor and pushes the kalk saturated water out the top of the reactor and into the sump. The nice thing about using it via an ATO, is that it only adds small amounts at a time. The concern with adding too much at a time would be a spike in pH, however it's easy to watch with the AC3, and I've never seen my pH move to an unacceptable range. It usually stays between 8.1-8.4.

I think I only let it sit for 12 hours, but am not certain.

this is while you are using an ca reactor in line correct?

Padrino · 07/08/2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tswifty
Nope, My system was fine. If you're worried, just go with the 24-48hrs. I wouldn't be concerned with having the sump off line for that period of time. Although, I would probably place a powerhead in the sump to keep the water circulating in the various compartments.

agreed you probably would not want the water to go stagnant

chrismunn · 07/08/2009, 06:24 PM

hey TJ, i was wondering something. i tested a fresh batch of my instant ocean water change water and was curious if the values i got are anywhere near what you got when you tested yours? I tested at 1.026 and 87 degrees.

CA. 420ppm (API)

dKH. 13.8 (SALIFERT)

ph. 8.2 (SALIFERT)

MG. 1110ppm (SALIFERT)

i thought i recall you testing your fresh salt water?

06/28/2009, 01:58 PM	#277
Tswifty Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: PA Posts: 14,022	Not to someone who doesn't intend to listen. __________________ "Enough light? Heck I could go barebottom and grow SPS in the stand!" - DiscoReefRover

06/28/2009, 08:49 PM	#279
Tswifty Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: PA Posts: 14,022	I wish I could get some pictures of my tank up. My mother and little sister took off to the beach for the weekend, and took all 3 of the digital cameras in the house. __________________ "Enough light? Heck I could go barebottom and grow SPS in the stand!" - DiscoReefRover

06/30/2009, 04:38 PM	#283
kolokefalo Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Tarpon Springs FL Posts: 71	subscribed. Lots of great ideas in this thread __________________ People who run BB are the type of people who sniff their socks after a day of wear, and look inside the tissue after they blow their nose. It is just not right. Current Tank Info: 58g Reef

07/01/2009, 04:03 PM	#287
Tswifty Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: PA Posts: 14,022	Water Params: __________________ "Enough light? Heck I could go barebottom and grow SPS in the stand!" - DiscoReefRover

07/02/2009, 11:16 PM	#289
MADtanks Stix Anyone? Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: East Coast Posts: 5,392	dang i went through a lot of pages on this thread!!! lol and through like 3 or 4 splits bc of so many pages! great i mean great tank!! I noticed that you changed, but there were so many pages i did not see when you changed and the reason... im sure you just needed more room Makes me wish i could just use my credit card to buy the rest of my gear! lmao!!! will keep an eye on this thread thanks for the inspiration. __________________ M.A.D. 75G(36X24X20 E-Overflow) \| DIY - LED/T5 \| Tunze ATO \| Eheim 1260 \| Reef Keeper.... in progress Current Tank Info: 24X24X20 AIO SPS Dom

06/28/2009, 11:17 PM	#282
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217

06/30/2009, 06:08 PM	#284
hops523 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: colorado Posts: 438	Wow very nice, this thread makes me sad Im getting out of the hobby for a little haha

06/30/2009, 07:32 PM	#285
pschmitz Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: iowa city Posts: 30	Wonderful thread(s)! Its taken me quite a while to read through it all, but there is quite a bit of useful information. I was wondering how often you clean your skimmer pump and if it was a hassle to get it out from under the unit. It looks like a popular design these days (either the "box" at the base of the unit, or with the pump actually located in the reaction chamber) so I figured Id ask someone who actually uses it. Any insight?

07/01/2009, 04:08 PM	#288
Aslan Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 70	Excellent!

07/03/2009, 07:21 AM	#291
Padrino Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,934	TJ, do you think you could post some pictures showing how your Kalk reactor is set up? You mentioned that you use one but how does it work. Ato to the kalk reactor which pushes the kalk solution into the sump right?? But doesn't that add a lot when the ato goes on. I thought it was better to add that gradually and slowly over the course of a day??

07/07/2009, 11:54 AM	#292
Taqpol Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Durham, NC Posts: 2,205	Tj, I think I'm about to bite the bullet and finally glue some black acrylic over my overflow box. When you did this on your 90, how long did you let the silicone cure before you filled the tank back up? __________________ ^ Click on my username and 'Visit Taqpol's Home Page!" to view my 220 gallon custom Miracles tank! -Alex

07/07/2009, 04:51 PM	#296
Taqpol Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Durham, NC Posts: 2,205	After you're experience do you feel that there is a risk of harming the system by having "uncured" (less then 24-48 hours) silicone in the tank? I can imagine there might be some drop in pH due to released acetic acid, but did you notice any other problems? __________________ ^ Click on my username and 'Visit Taqpol's Home Page!" to view my 220 gallon custom Miracles tank! -Alex

07/07/2009, 07:19 PM	#297
Tswifty Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: PA Posts: 14,022	Nope, My system was fine. If you're worried, just go with the 24-48hrs. I wouldn't be concerned with having the sump off line for that period of time. Although, I would probably place a powerhead in the sump to keep the water circulating in the various compartments. __________________ "Enough light? Heck I could go barebottom and grow SPS in the stand!" - DiscoReefRover

07/08/2009, 06:24 PM	#300
chrismunn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 4,200	hey TJ, i was wondering something. i tested a fresh batch of my instant ocean water change water and was curious if the values i got are anywhere near what you got when you tested yours? I tested at 1.026 and 87 degrees. CA. 420ppm (API) dKH. 13.8 (SALIFERT) ph. 8.2 (SALIFERT) MG. 1110ppm (SALIFERT) i thought i recall you testing your fresh salt water? __________________ Marine Aquarists Association of South Texas Austin Reef Club PBITAWA... Current Tank Info: 14g bio cube