New tank! Red Sea Max 34 gallon!

[explod3]

Hi I'm new to the world of saltwater. I've basically been doing research for about 2 months on everything possible and decided to go with the Red Sea max system. I wanted something small, compact, and sleek, but not too small. I understand this system is not perfect that that the protein skimmer is more or less junk in this system so I plan on replacing it.

I basically purchased this tank from my LFS yesterday and a reef central member that I met at the store was kind enough to help me bring my stand home.

I drive a miata so you can picture how silly i must have looked with a huge 4'x4' box on my passenger seat obstructing about 70% of the view from my windshield as well as completely eliminating any peripheral vision. The box was balanced precariously on my armrest and leaning on my a-pillar.



this is what the tank is supposed to look like.



labeled buttons with waterproof switches (nice touch)



lighting timer for led/t5's



hood



the hood had an extra spot for a cooling fan, and the fan was included too. I think total it has two built in including this one?



front open




switch by the timer.


I basically got the tank setup yesterday and went back for sand and water. I purchased the "system water" which the LFS told me would have virtually no cycle time. Me being the paranoid skeptic am going be safe and play the waiting game.

I put in the water sand, and added live rock and immidiately the crud from the sand started swirling around making the tank murky. I checked the bag and it said no rinsing needed.. yeah right.

It's basically been about 14 or 15 hours and the tank is still murky. I threw in the bag of activated carbon or whatever you call it. I doubt it will help. I also moved the power heads to point straight forward instead of at the sand but it doesn't seem to be helping. I also had the pump and everything off for about 3 hours and it still didn't seem to settle. help



front part of my murky tank



side view of murky tank.

I hope I wont have to siphon out the water and start over. That water cost me 30 bucks... also the protein skimmer looks like the equivalent of a kid blowing bubbles through a straw. It's not producing any suds.. more like soda pop bubbles.

any ideas?

[WaterKeeper]

Hi explod

To Reef Central

A cloudy one day old tank? Will wonder never cease!

Nothing in this hobby ever goes fast and that includes sand settling. Right now you are waiting to see what happens to ammonia levels with that new LR so you have some time and I bet the sand is settled by then. You could help it along by using a fine filter but right now you need to let the LR sit for a few days while you measure ammonia levels. If they remain low or at zero that will be a sign that the LR you purchased was fully cured. Often store bought LR can be.

The protein skimmer feeds on protein so it is not surprising it doesn't have much to offer up at this point. Once you start stocking it then it should start to show some output.

This week should be dedicated to letting things settle down. There are no instant tanks.

[godofsod]

Good luck with your tank just stay patient

[spw4949]

I've seen those tanks in magazines & what not & thought they looked pretty cool. I'm interested in hearing firsthand how they are. Keep us posted, welcome, & be patient. Ask a lot of questions(I do) 99% of everyone on here is great & there is a ton of great knowledge to pick up.

[Tangweed]

I think the Red Sea tanks are cool They have one set up at my LFS and it's a great looking tank. I always check it out when I go.
You should check the Nano Forum, you might find more info and more Red Sea tanks.

WELCOME

[crvz]

Great nano, I've been dying to set one up in addition to my 150. Good luck!

[Percula9]

I would turn the power heads off until the water clears. There is no need to use them until you add live stock. Let the tanks filter clear the water. Try adding some filter floss to help remove fine particles. Remove after the water clears. Protein skimmer won't skim until there is a bioload in the tank. The power heads probably kicked up a lot of sand.

[Kdocimo90]

Originally posted by Percula9
I would turn the power heads off until the water clears. There is no need to use them until you add live stock. Let the tanks filter clear the water. Try adding some filter floss to help remove fine particles. Remove after the water clears. Protein skimmer won't skim until there is a bioload in the tank. The power heads probably kicked up a lot of sand.

+1... thats what i was gonna say lol

[explod3]

you guys are absolutely right. it looks like the tank is clearing up finally. it was just taking an awful long time for the sand to settle. I just got worried only because its been so long, and the bag said no rinse needed.

I also just noticed something funny. When i turn on only one of the powerheads instead of two, the tank suddenly becomes very quiet and the power head doesn't spit out any bubbles. I think whats happening is the chamber that that powerheads draw from actually fills up. So i guess if i turn on both, the pumps shoot out water faster than the chamber can fill up, but if i turn on just one, the chamber is able to completely fill up with water making the pump quiet.

Do i not have enough water in the tank?

Does the tank water need to be all the way up to the top?

[Tangweed]

[i]

Do i not have enough water in the tank?

Does the tank water need to be all the way up to the top? [/B]

Not sure but I would think it would help to have a full tank water.

[crvz]

Not to the point of nearly overflowing, but yes you'll want to fill the tank. It does look like your water level is a bit low (it would likely go past the lower edge of the black trim).

[explod3]

I still can't figure this out. i filled up the water about 1cm from the top (overflowing) and the pump still manages to pump out water faster than the water can drain into that chamber.

Could the filtration media be slowing down the water from spilling into the overflow?

[WaterKeeper]

Sure can explod. If one uses something like filter floss in an overflow it will increase head and reduce flow rates. I always tell people to oversize the overflow somewhat to reduce this problem. The total weir length of any overflow is also a factor. Things like having a notched weir are not only to catch floating debris but also lenghten the overall weir length thereby increasing its capasity.

Here is the flow formula for a V-notch weir-

Q = 0.266 x cB x (2g)0.5 x H1.5

where;

Q = water flow rate, m3/sec

B = width of the weir at the flowing rate

c = discharge coefficient, average 0.62

g = gravitational constant, 9.81

H = Height of the water over the weir, measured behind the weir edge, m

If get trickier when you have a notched weir all along the edge (saw tooth weir) as that formula is only for a single V-notch. If you are interested here is a paper on the subject-

Multistate flow devices

Happy reading.

[sunfish11]

Welcome Explod3!!!

I have a Red Sea Max tank that I was lucky enough to win at IMAC this year. I really like it. I had a heck of a time getting it to stop spitting out micro-bubbles though. Finally they stopped and I don't know why, LOL. I just left the skimmer in mine. It gets out some goo and since I have other skimmerless tanks, it doesn't really bother me that it isn't completely effective. I have had it set up for a few months now and I really like the ease of maintenance and the look of the set-up. I know you will enjoy your tank.

Lisa

[explod3]

i heard you can return the protein skimmer to RSM for a refund. I don't know if its true but i'm going to try.

I think i'm going to upgrade to the tunze 9002 skimmer because it will fit in the back and its a lot more effective.



Also I got the second pump to work without spitting out bubbles. I had an epiphany and realized that some of the filtration media did not go right under the overflow and that it went in the compartment right under the return pump. That small change allowed the water to spill through faster to keep the return pump chamber constantly filled. Go figure.. of course it was a user error.

Thanks for the info WaterKeeper!

looks like some of my rock is growing some green algae. yay!



The rock on the right is purplish and I'm guessing some of it is coraline.




In the far corner on the left I had a pleasant surprise; A feather duster coral is growing! Either it popped up in just a few short days, which i highly doubt, or it hitchhiked on the rock. It's only about 6 or 7 millimeters tall, but still a coral I guess.

I also noticed a few small shrimp-like creatures roaming around. I wonder if they came out of the sand or if they came out of the live rock. I'm excited to see if anything else will pop out considering all this happened in 3 short days.


Shot of the front of the tank. I will probably add another 10-15 lbs of live rock to the tank. I tried to do my best with the rockscaping but it's a lot harder than it looks. I was almost going to pull out the rock and break it into smaller pieces with a hammer and glue them together the way I wanted.



I just realized too that the testing kit that I bought doesn't test for nitrites.. just nitrates and other stuff for corals. I really need to keep track and i've been dropping the ball. (stupid work) I wonder if places like petco will test for nitrites and salinity for free. Anyone know?

[WinnipegDragon]

There is a RSM owner's club thread in the Nano forum. Be sure to drop and say Hi to those guys. They will give you a lot of advice on modding the unit to improve performance.

I had one and ended it returning it to the store, but those guys have made a lot of improvements that you can make if you have any basic DIY skills.

[explod3]

cool. thanks for the advice.

[jkrentz2515]

I think you should add more rock before your tank gets too far along in the cycle.

[hodagmike]

I have this same aquarium but haven't had any of the problems you did. Mine came with a text kit....

[WaterKeeper]

Originally posted by hodagmike
Mine came with a text kit....

Ah, someone who reads the instructions.

[Kdocimo90]

Originally posted by WaterKeeper
Ah, someone who reads the instructions.

pshh REAL men dont read/need instructions

[mg426]

Nice !!!

[Capt_Cully]

Welcome! Looking forward to the rest of the "build". Lots of great advice on the nano-tank forum. Also, I think that Tunze will CRANK out the crud! Very nice skimmer.

Ask ANY questions you might have and someone here will be happy to help in a constructive manner and remember RC is easy to please, just don't stop posting pictures!!!!!

[FishNFun]

Originally posted by explod3
i heard you can return the protein skimmer to RSM for a refund. I don't know if its true but i'm going to try.

I think i'm going to upgrade to the tunze 9002 skimmer because it will fit in the back and its a lot more effective.

Only five posts in and he's already upgrading!!! That's how it starts. I see a 180G in your future.

[mindytoy]

looking good