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New 90 Gallon Reef setup. - Going to need alot of advice.

kschweer

kschweer

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Plumbing under the tank looks good. Only thing I would change is the 45 you have on the return going into the tank. It's going to put your return line under water too much. If it's that far under the water a lot of water is going to siphon back to your dump if the power goes out or you turn your pump off for water changes. You want the locline just under the waters surface.
 
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Freddybnj_2004

Yeah..I think I have to figure that out... I could always go back to the 3/4 pipe and put an adapter at the bottom of the Overflow box connecting to the bulkhead that is a 1 inch slip
 
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Freddybnj_2004

Hey all... I hope you all made it thru the Blizzard... :)
I have a question... A little back I posted about a copper problem... I put the poly filters in and let it sit for a couple of days... I took it out (It was really BLUE) and I put a new pad in and later that morning I posted all clear.. white as snow... well with other issues going on I forgot to update that later that day it turned blue again.... I've went thru about 4 pads already and still blue... I also just added CupriSorb two days ago... well yesterday I put in a new pad and this morning... it's turning blue... now I still have snails and hermit crabs and an Emerald Crab that are fine... I'm just curious about how long it will take to get rid of this copper... I'm guessing it's in my rocks because I tested my RODI ATO Tank by putting a pad in it and laying the pump on it and turned it on overnight ... white as snow... so it's not my RODI Water... I ordered a new Cleaning crew a little while back and they will be here on Friday... now I'm scared the copper is still in the tank... Do the Poly filters turn blue even if there is a very low amount of Copper? Also how often should I replace the Cuprsorb? Can I put in multiple Cuprisorb bags in the sump at the same time?
Thanks.
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

this thread is jumping lol - i miss a day or two and we're on page 23! lol.

what's with the copper? stuff is wonderful in a qt tank but not so much for a tank with inverts haha.

Anyways Having copper under 30ppb is normal. It's when it's higher than that - that problems happen. Everytime we change the water - a little bit of inorganic copper is being added back. I think ocean sea water normally has 0.25ppb.

I wouldn't worry too much if the inverts are ok since they are typically the canary in the tank. If you want you could add GAC to capture organic particles that bound with copper.
 
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Freddybnj_2004

Looking good... 1 casualty... Sally Lightfoot Crab...but he didn't look right from the minute I put him in the bucket for acclimation. I will post new pics of the new tank all cleaned up... ran Vinegar and water through the tank and sump for two days and then scrubbed...looks 1000 times better... now I have fresh water running thru overnight and am about to drain and wipe down... finally starting to make saltwater to fill it... WooHoo!!!
 
mrehfeld

mrehfeld

Officer Emeritus
Too bad about the Sally Light Foot, I got one for my GARF plenum test tank. It cleaned up my little algae problem in 2 days. It did such a great job that I am supplementing its feeding with some nori. That is an amazingly unique little crab
 
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Freddybnj_2004

Hey all... okay my 90G is almost full with brand new RODI... I will be adding salt probably tonight and testing salinity, ph and temp to match my 55G.
From here I need a plan to move everything over... getting confused and overwhelmed with all I'm reading...
Here is what I had planned...
The water should be ready by Friday... I am having my 80lbs of Sand and 25 lbs of rock delivered on Friday... I will add the sand 1 1/2 inches then the rock 25lbs (for now)... The sand and rock are both "Live" so I expect to only have a mini cycle if any... I will let the tank run for a week and test for spikes... Question: Do I need a light on the 90G while it's minicycling? I do have the original florescent fixture that came with the 55... not HO Florescent or anything just basic light... should I use it?

Here is where I need more of a detailed plan... Carbon, GFO, Bio-pellets... During the cycle week when can I move these over? Will it hurt my 55G to run without these for a week?
What about my protein skimmer? (I would think this would have to wait until the moving day?
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

Add the rock first and then the sand. This will keep critters from toppling any rockwork you might have. I put down cutting boards on the glass to protect it from the rock others use starboard. Build your rockwork first figure out what you like then add the sand after you are VERY happy with the rocks. Try to figure out what you want to do first, example two islands, a wall, one island, etc.. If the rock has coralline algae on it then yeah any light will do otherwise don't bother as it will just feed other algae. It will not hurt to move your stuff over. Leave the protein skimmer on your old tank IMHO, it helps aerate the water in the tank.
 
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Freddybnj_2004

Thanks... sounds like a good plan to start...
The only thing I have to figure out is how am I going to setup my rocks if I planned on moving over 50lbs from my old tank... Maybe I can just build the base for now... or maybe one island... and then I'll have to add the other rock after and just be careful to set the rock as far down in the sand as possible? Any other suggestions... I don't want to pull the rock from my old tank now because then the fish and inverts will have nowhere to live for a week...
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

Freddybnj_2004 said:
Thanks... sounds like a good plan to start...
The only thing I have to figure out is how am I going to setup my rocks if I planned on moving over 50lbs from my old tank... Maybe I can just build the base for now... or maybe one island... and then I'll have to add the other rock after and just be careful to set the rock as far down in the sand as possible? Any other suggestions... I don't want to pull the rock from my old tank now because then the fish and inverts will have nowhere to live for a week...
Click to expand...
The sand is in bags right? So set up the rock and figure out what you want to do then you can move the rock over from the other system...BTW you have had some copper problem right? You might want to avoid the old rock or really treat it well to remove any copper that remains in your old rock before moving. Your fish can live without all the rock you have in there now so you can be flexible depending on what you want to move etc..my thinking is you want to get it right the first time because after water and rock moving fixing stuff is a pain.
 
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Freddybnj_2004

I restocked my inverts and no deaths...so I am hoping the copper issue is behind me but since I'd hate to throw away 50 lbs of rock what would be the process for treating the rock?
 
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Freddybnj_2004

Ok...I'll research... I'll get my water tested at the Lfs that confirmed I had copper originally... if they tell me it's good then I will feel better reusing the rock...
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

I just read that etching your rock in acid might help burn away the outer layer that would have been the most copper intense. Not sure any procedure is worth the hassle for some old rock. That is up to you I guess. Be careful because what may be no issue now may become one again when you disturb the rock/sand.
 
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Freddybnj_2004

Letting the tank run until Saturday... but just had this thought... so even if my tank is cycled and has some live rock and some live sand... what is going to happen when I move all my fish and inverts over... will the tank bacteria be able to adjust to such a large addition of life? Will it help if I basically use all of my 55 water and swap it with the cycled water right before the fish go in?
 
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