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Tje`s 75gal reef build

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by tje22, Feb 26, 2013.

  1. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    Great!! I've got a cracked bulkhead!! Last night I had to tighten them up a bit because they had slow drips, and then they were fine! No leaks at all! then this morning I wake up and one of them has a fast drip, and upon further inspection I found it had cracked overnight! This is great!! There is nowhere in town to get any and its to snowy to get to des moines and back fast enough to be back to go to work! And of course glassholes doesn't have a phone number, only an email!

    What should I do??? any ideas?
     
  2. nickbuol Here fishy, fishy, fishy...

    718
    Marion, IA
    Ratings:
    +17 / 0 / -0
    I posted a response in your other thread about the broken bulkhead...
     
  3. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    Problem solved!! Thanks to xroads! Back up and running again! I also ordered a couple extra bulkheads. thank you everone who responded!
     
  4. Fultsreef

    Fultsreef Inactive User

    151
    Ratings:
    +1 / 0 / -0
    Xroads is a good choice for assistance. I was going to suggest calling him at AC&C to see if he couldn't overnight you a couple replacement bulkheads or if he could point you in the right direction. When your dealing with carpet, tile, wood etc. in a finished house there is nothing more frustrating then feeling helpless when you have a significant water leak. Glad you got things squared away!
     
  5. Bud Loves Bacon Website Team Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member Vendor

    West Des Moines, IA
    Ratings:
    +1,821 / 14 / -0
    Looking good. A few questions & comments, take what you will from them!

    1) Your filter sock shown in one pic looks like it is just sitting on egg crate and not in a ring, but up against the rim of the sump? When this fills up and overflows (and it will, Murphy's Law mandates it) you are going to have a huge mess. I hope this is only temporary.

    2) If you are cycling the tank which is full of dead rock and sand, just get a bottle of janitorial strength ammonia from Ace Hardware. Their stuff is surfactant free and 2x strength of anywhere else. I fully cycled a FW tank in 2 weeks using this stuff along with a handful of bioballs from a canister filter. Dose the tank up to 2ppm ammonia and keep it between 1 and 4ppm. It will take a bit of dosing/testing to figure out how much ammonia you can add to increase the level 1ppm but once you have that down then test daily before dosing and you will know how fast it is dropping. Don't exceed 4ppm or you will have to do a PWC to bring it back down. After you notice the level dropping faster and faster each day, test for Nitrite. This will get really high but don't worry, Nitrite is not toxic in SW unless it's in the 100s. When you notice Nitrite starting to drop, start testing for Nitrate. When you can add 1ppm ammonia and 24 hours later there is no ammonia and no nitrite, then it is cycled. Then just do a big PWC to get rid of the Nitrates and you are good to go.

    3) see Mything The Reef #15 http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/eb/index.php.

    4) on the leaking fittings, glad to hear that advice from Craig, I would not have thought of that for a quick fix either. But you commented about not enough thread tape, it is the opposite likely - too much. Fewer wraps mean the fitting will be able to seat further without cracking out. Threaded fittings are tapered so the threads lock together as you tighten them. Too much tape and this causes you to over-tighten them before they all lock together. So you need an even, thin wrap of tape. Also remember that thread tape is meant for metal plumbing fittings, not PVC - "they say" you are supposed to use TFE paste in PVC fittings, but in my experience (very recently) this does not work will on pressure fittings (return lines) as well as it does on drain lines. So you just have to be conservative on your usage of teflon tape on PVC fittings. Using schedule 80 bulkheads really make a difference, but you have to drill larger holes for those.
     
  6. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0

    ↵





    Thanks a lot for the comments and advise!!! I really appreciate it!






     
  7. Bud Loves Bacon Website Team Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member Vendor

    West Des Moines, IA
    Ratings:
    +1,821 / 14 / -0
    http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/eb/index.php

    the period messed up the link and I can't edit it

    Don't be afraid of the ammonia dosing. People do it all the time. The only time that it gets scary is when you go on the cheap and buy whatever ammonia you can find, and end up with one that has soap-base surfactants. All soap is a surfactant. Not all surfactants are soap. If you take a bottle of ammonia and shake it a few times and it foams up at the top and the bubbles do not pop or consolidate rather quickly, the surfactant is soap, which will ruin everything. Ace ammonia is pure and free of surfactants. The Target brand is also, it lists surfactants but when you shake it, it does not stay foamy, so it's technically OK to use.

    On a 225, here is what I dosed and tested:

    Day 1: dosed 7 teaspoons ammonia
    Day 2: Ammonia 2-4ppm
    Day 4: Ammonia 2-4ppm
    Day 6: Ammonia 2-4ppm
    Day 8: Ammonia 2ppm. Nitrite 0.25
    Day 13: Ammonia 1.5-2ppm. Nitrite 1ppm
    Day 14: Ammonia 1ppm. Nitrite 1ppm. Dosed 6 tsp ammonia
    Day 16: Ammonia 0ppm. Nitrite 2.5ppm. Dosed 6 tsp ammonia
    Day 17: Ammonia 0ppm. Nitrite 5ppm. Dosed 6 tsp ammonia
    Day 18: Ammonia 0ppm. Nitrite 5ppm. Dosed 6 tsp ammonia

    After that I apparently stopped logging info /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif but you get the idea. 6 teaspoons (2 tablespoons) was enough to fuel the bacteria for a day in a 225. For a 75g this would be only 2 teaspoons to get to the 2-4ppm level. I would add 1/2 teaspoon and then test.

    Before I did all of this, I filled a 5g bucket with tap water and a power head and let it run for a bit, tested ammonia, then does in one mL, waited 15 minutes, and tested again, then extrapolated the amount needed for 225 gallons.

    Bottom line though it the nitrogen cycle is only the beginning. your tank will cycle in one fashion or another for 6 months.
     
  8. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0

    Thanks for the info!! Ill look into it!


    Also I'm realizing one mistake I have made already haha. I should have made the return chamber in my refugium larger! So far I have had to add water every day to keep the pump going lol.
     
  9. Fultsreef

    Fultsreef Inactive User

    151
    Ratings:
    +1 / 0 / -0
    the ammonia dosing method Turbo suggested sounds interesting and fairly easy as long as you follow the schedule anduse the correct ammonia.
     
  10. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0



    I agree! I'll have to try it next time! I'm making a line graph of my cycle to share when it has completed. So far only ammonia has shown up, todays results were; Ammonia 1ppm, Nitrite 0ppm and Nitrate 0ppm.



     
  11. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
  12. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    Today everything tested the same as it did yesterday, and I also tested the phosphate today and the result was 0 ppm.
     
  13. Fultsreef

    Fultsreef Inactive User

    151
    Ratings:
    +1 / 0 / -0
    Those lights look interesting...never heard of them but that doesnt mean anything. I commented on your other post regarding what lights i would suggest (kessil a350w' or the ne a360's)...sounds like your po4 is good...you may be at a plateau period in your cycle where their isnt a noticable change for a few days or so...things will change on that hough i am sure.
     
  14. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    Well I decided to purchase the lights from ebay. They should be here by the 27th, I'm pretty excited!

    I also added 3 pounds of grunge original, 2 pounds of grunge plus, 2 pounds of crushed coraline encrusted rock, and a bag of bugs with chaeto to my refugium. It did a great job finally getting my cycle kick started! The very next day I finally had nitrite readings!. There are also tons of little copepods, amphipods, worms and little micro brittle starfish in my refugium now! The only complaint I have is that I got a couple little aptasias in my grunge plus. I took the little rock each was attached to out to be disposed of. All in all a good product.....I just hope that I got all of those little buggers!

    I have also come up with the beginning of a stocking plan.
    As soon as my cycle is over and I start seeing some algae I will add my clean up crew, which will consist of;
    10 cerith snails
    10 star astrea snails
    10 nassarius snails
    2 brittle stars
    and 2 pistol shrimp
    I wanted to start with a small crew at first then I can always add more later.

    Then after a couple of weeks or so I will add one or two gobies

    If everything goes smoothly for awhile after that, before I add any corals or anything I want to get a bubble tip anemone. That way he can get all settled in to wherever he decides to and not run the risk of running into corals.

    Thats as far as I've planned ahead. Let me know what you think.
    Thanks for looking!

     
  15. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    Well I was able to get my light hanger built today before work! All thats left is to add a piece of 1x2 across the top to help keep the board that will suspend the lights from warping, and to stain and seal it. Hopefully I can get it done tomorrow since the lights are supposed to be here on wed. Its nothing fancy, but I built it for less then $30 and with nothing more then a hacksaw, tape measure, and a hammer!

    I don't know why I cannot host pictures off of my phone but here is a link; http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac14/tje22/75%20reef/2013-03-25150137.jpg
     
  16. i am interested to see how these lights work out as well i looked at them a few times on there and just couldnt pull the trigger on them.
     
  17. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0

    Thank you for the comnent!! I too am curious to see how these lights work out. Ill get them on the tank tomorrow and try to get some pics posted.
     
  18. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    I have also decided on the fish that I want. I will list them in the order that I will add them;
    1 orange stripe prawn goby, 1 starry blenny, 2 ocellaris clowns (preferably some "designer" clowns), and 1 green mandarin ( when the system is more mature with a good pod population).

    And depending on how well my bio filter keeps up I may add a few of these;( keep in mind that this is just a list of fish I like, and in no way do I plan on adding all of these as that would be way to many fish lol)
    Bartletts Anthias, Exquisite Fairy Wrasse, Carpenters Flasher Wrasse, McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, Black & White Chromis, Blue Reef Chromis, Black Axil Chromis, or some Lightning Double Bar Chromis.
     
  19. Travis G

    Travis G Experienced Reefkeeper

    Ratings:
    +1 / 0 / -0
    Get ur lights?
     
  20. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0

    Yes I did! And so far I am very happy with them. I still havnt figured out how to post pics with my phone, but I can post another link for now. http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac14/tje22/75%20reef/2013-03-27150220.jpg

    It looks more blue then it actually is in person for some reason. I will try to post more later when im not at work.
     

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