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Merv's new 40 gallon build
- Thread starter concept3
- Start date
reefsandrotts
NJRC Member
So um is there any new pics yet?
Maybe a cycle going on?
Maybe a cycle going on?
reefsandrotts said:
Yes Jim, a mini cycle-
I call it a "mini cycle" because last week, I went and drained about 35 gallons out my old tank and placed it in a brute container. It would have gone down the drain since it was gonna be a standard-practice water change.
I decided to load it up into my truck and lugged it back to Philly. In the tank it went, along with a few stragglers (let's call them orange cap, blue tort, frogspawn and purple digi)
The PVC structure that I built in the earlier stages above won't be going in the tank after all, I was able to cherry pick some really cool pieces from Hidden Reef which made a decent looking structure. I'll be putting that together in the next few weeks along with some PVC tubing in the base to get it off the sand bed and create a safe haven for some gobies.
The SPS corals I brought back with me are doing fine, full polyp extension and no signs of stress, I guess the large amount of water I brought with me attributed to that. I know SPS are very resilient given the proper parameters, a little stress isn't fatal; besides, that's the beauty of tank raised corals and 10th generation frags!
Since then I've stocked the tank with 2 turbo snails, about 20 nassarius (I think they're nassarius, they dissapear into the sand), 2 juvenile engineer gobies, a mini tank raised false perc and yellow damsel, oh and a watchman goby. Why so quick? I used 35 gallons of my old cycled water peeps
please don't try this with a brand new spanking system~I did go through a mini cycle with all the brown ugly stuff on the sand and the rocks, but the snails took care of that!
Pics of some inhabitants (I had to auto-adjust them in CS because of the 20K radiums, I haven't WB'ed the camera yet)
These corals are from my other tank, all frags of pieces I've had for years. Nothing beats tank raised- cultivate your own, save a reef! Tank raised frags are better suited to our systems than 'aquacultured' or 'maricultured' ones!
These corals are from my other tank, all frags of pieces I've had for years. Nothing beats tank raised- cultivate your own, save a reef! Tank raised frags are better suited to our systems than 'aquacultured' or 'maricultured' ones!
I also made some minor additions to the sump-
I modified the return drain in the fuge chamber and added some chaeto I got from a friend at the LFS- Also stopped by Home depot for a small clamp light to use as the fuge light. $11 for a stylish gooseneck clamp light!
Tomorrow, I'll post pics of what I did-
I modified the return drain in the fuge chamber and added some chaeto I got from a friend at the LFS- Also stopped by Home depot for a small clamp light to use as the fuge light. $11 for a stylish gooseneck clamp light!
Tomorrow, I'll post pics of what I did-
Need to update this thread, more pics probably fri- have to charge up the camera battery-
so far, the tank's algae film has dwindled to every 24 hours which means the chaeto in the sump is competing with nutrients, a great sign because I've never been able to keep chaeto alive this long- the sand has settled slightly, but am now looking to get a sand mover since it's starting to pack up in some places.
I'll need to remove the liverock currently in the tank now and elevate them so they aren't embedded in the sand. I wanna reduce the potential anaerobic dead spots which may lead to future problems. I plan on using some PVC and will also try and create a permanent hole for the jawfish since he's obliterated areas that I don't want him to obliterate- let's put it this way, he's managed to topple over the stack of rocks.
I knew this was a temporary landscape, I placed the rocks in to start and finish the cycle- soon comes the fun part of getting the tank looking like intended.
so far, the tank's algae film has dwindled to every 24 hours which means the chaeto in the sump is competing with nutrients, a great sign because I've never been able to keep chaeto alive this long- the sand has settled slightly, but am now looking to get a sand mover since it's starting to pack up in some places.
I'll need to remove the liverock currently in the tank now and elevate them so they aren't embedded in the sand. I wanna reduce the potential anaerobic dead spots which may lead to future problems. I plan on using some PVC and will also try and create a permanent hole for the jawfish since he's obliterated areas that I don't want him to obliterate- let's put it this way, he's managed to topple over the stack of rocks.
I knew this was a temporary landscape, I placed the rocks in to start and finish the cycle- soon comes the fun part of getting the tank looking like intended.
Here's an update. . . . .
ROCKWORK!
Materials:
Cordless drill and bits
Pieces of liverock (or base rock, whatever you have)
Small container of quick setting cement (waterplug, thorite, etc)
a handful of 12-18" zipties
Plastic coat hanger (check with the wifey/GF first!!!)
Pliers or cutting tools
Scrap PVC if needed
The pics tell the story:
ROCKWORK!
Materials:
Cordless drill and bits
Pieces of liverock (or base rock, whatever you have)
Small container of quick setting cement (waterplug, thorite, etc)
a handful of 12-18" zipties
Plastic coat hanger (check with the wifey/GF first!!!)
Pliers or cutting tools
Scrap PVC if needed
The pics tell the story:
