bananags

thanks, my turbo does not do anything to it, i'll stop by RCA tomorrow

thank you

hi Gabriel, which size of the media do you use?

I am setting up a calcium reactor (I have a Korallin 4002 reactor, dosing 2 part solution now) I am a bit confuse on which calcium material to get? some say phosphate free, or other are not And the one that does not say phosphate free indicate the have other "good" trace element Go with the cheapest one or the one with phosphate free? Any added benefit from different material? CaribSea Calcium Reactor Media http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage...ribsea_arm.html or Korallin Natural CaCO3 Media 3 kg http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewItem~idProduct~KL3511.html or KNOP KORALlith Calcium Reactor Media (Calcium Carbonate) & ReefBase http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage...a_reefbase.html Thanks Anh

I think i've seen these for about $10 at the fish store. I am getting some hair algea in the new tank (developing) So far, i changed the RO filter to bring the ppm from 8 -> 0. I am also running Phosban also to control phosphate I know that Nitrate and Phosphate are what the algae eat, so far, I am 0 on these, but the spots that the algae already grown does not get any smaller. I tried to manually remove them, but it's too hard I am told that the sea hare will do the trick, but they it will start itself and need to pass on for someone else to use if someone have one now, can I borrow it? =) Thanks Anh

thank you for the kind comments. here some of mistake I made that maybe it will help others (that i have been trying to correct in the last few week) - need the bubble trap, the middle baffle should be at least 2" higher than the other 2 --> added after everything is up - water return from the tank and skimmer need a long distance run before get back to the pump --> need time to extract all the bubble -> I had to use a filter sock over the return and skimmer to take care of micro bubble (baffle bubble trap can't eliminate micro bubble) -don't mount the Iwaki or external pump to the stand --> lot of vibration --> noise --> I had to unbolt them and put on top mouse pads /foam cushion -don't stare at the tank for more than 15min at a time

my controller

Drill the tank with Ebay diamond drill hole saw bit 45min/hole (1/2" glass)---> cost about $15 for the drill bits, i got 2 set from HK Built the hood Paint the back with Krylon Blue spray paint and make a rock rack with pvc pipe Piping Old tank and new tank New tank view Rock rack support Light Euro Reef RS180 Skimmer Added bubble trap (not showed in picture in the sump) Sump layout : several small things have changed since: added bubble trap, added filter sock and adjust skimmer a little bit (not showed here) Fill in water After Day one, moved the 29Gal rock and live stock over at 3AM the morning before Day two, add filter sock, fixing the micro bubble problem, still need the skimmer to break in, water still not yet cleared, skimmer put out lot of tinny bubble, picture taken w/o artinic light Rocks are set up so Tangs can run both front and back, will get blue hippo tank soon, I used to have a small hippo tank in the 29gal until the itch killed it. now i quarantine everything 1 months =) lesson learn Disclaimer: I am no way an expert in reef tank, I set up the tank based on what I read online over the year and what work/does not work with my 29Gal (and what I read here on austinreefclub and reefcentral ). Being an engineer my day, I planned for everything (just in case). Tank was designed to allow me to replace any component anytime I want. Tested almost every case for leak and power loss that I can think off, so far, it's bullet proof on in my book =) Thank you for viewing Comment are welcome. Few more thing to do: -get rid of the bubble from skimmer (wait for it break in first to see if it goes away) - the iwaki WMD40 pump is a bit loud/vibration for my taste, it's mounted to the stand now, I will try to put it on a thick foam instead and see if there will be less vibration -get more fish in the quarantine tank and maybe next month, if thing line up ok, i will add them in the tank Josephatmbimortgage: i'll visit you soon =) for coral

Here is what I got, some part are used, some are new, some i already have Tank: Oceanic 125G 48x24x24 Sump 29G 135lbs of "dead" live rock stored dried out in storage of 6months 70lbs of live rock from existing 1year old tank Fish, snail, hermit crab, sps,zoo,acro..... from existing 29Gal tank Pump: Iwaki WMD40RXLT: Circulation Iwaki MD30RLT: wave effect Ocean Motion 4 way Stand and Hood: Home made canopy/hood Oceanic Stand/ modified to add 1 door Light Coralife 48 Inch Aqualight Pro retrofit kit: 2 x 150W MH DE, 2x 93W artinic, moon light LED Sump light: homedepot light Controller: Cypress micro-controller, code developed by me, tested on the 29gal tank for a year Control Temp, top-off, pumps, feeding, timers, reminders, tank life.... Main Drain: 1.5" Close loop: drain 1.5", 3/4" returns Pipe/valves: lowes/homedepot parts, very few from online R/O water with 3 x 55Gal barrel from Austin Homebrew. Instant Ocean Salt Not yet connected: 1/2 HP Chiller: not connect yet, for summer time Koraline Calcium reactor ================ I probably missed something, took me 6 months to build this up, don't have much time with a 4 months new born ;-)

I thought your goal was: 250W total power your goal was 250W so: so you either go with 2 DE 150W bulbs =300W + UV glass or 2 SE 175W=350W (175W SE is also more expensive and DE bulb) (there are no 150W SE bulb, and if there is they are hard to find, lack of choice in color also) 4R00P3R what is the confusion? if Karen power goal is 250W, and she needs 2 bulbs, so her best option is to use TWO 150W bulb, why does she need to run two 250W bulbs? She can, but more $$$ and more heat, i guess, coral will grow like crazy ;-) Odyssa light electronic is NOT good quality, that is why the ballast need to replacement to a better one, I also indicate replace all the bulb also. But that apply to anything you buy used. Ballast Model: DXE150HID1 150W is $50 at ballastwise.com , you will need 2, one for each bulb The light fit in my home build canopy for 48" Oceanic tank. But the problem is that it's make the canopy too heavy for me to open it up, so I scratched the idea. If you just hang or sit it on top of the tank, it should be fine (no canopy), it has the legs to stand on any 48" tank KarenM, I would not put 250W bulb in Odyssa fixture anyway, it's not made for 250W bulb I think you should also consider Metal halide in combination with Artinic or 50/50 fluorescent light, that way, if you don't want to use the big light all day, you can run the smaller light also.

wow, you guys have good eye, ha ha, i don't see anything flatworm should be moving around also especially if you come close to it, they look flat and almost see through also =) i use a long turkey blaster and suck them in one by one very time I see it, do this for several week. it has been 6-7months now, i they have not come back.

KarenM, 4ft tank will need 2 light, one is not enough to cover Dual Ended (DE) bulb: you need UV glass (not safe for the viewer w/o UV glass protection) Single ended (SE): has UV glass built-in ==> don't need extra UV glass your goal was 250W so: so you either go with 2 DE 150W bulbs =300W + UV glass or 2 SE 175W=350W (175W SE is also more expensive and DE bulb) (there are no 150W SE bulb, and if there is they are hard to find, lack of choice in color also) I have the same tank size as you, I went with Coralife 48 Inch Aqualight Pro retrofit, cost an arm and leg http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idP...3516~tab~4.html (so bright, i probably can tan in that room) But I also have another light that i don't use , you can get it for what I paid for $75, contact me if you are interested. 48" Oddessa 2x150W MH DE bulbs and 2 x T5 artinic with UV glass (I was getting this just for the UV glass anyway). The light is used, you need to replace the ballast for the MH (or replace the blow capacitor on the existing ballast), the T5 ballast is OK, MH bulbs are still working, but you should replace them also. I was going to replace the ballast before I sell it. (ballaswise.com has decent electronic ballast for this for cheap) I don't recommend getting this light unless you are planning to replace the ballast and bulb anyway, that is my original plan There is a long thread on Reefcentral on this light, and how they make it much better with replacement electronic ballast and bulb FYI, you may need fan or somethign to keep the temp down during the summer time in TX running with MH --> which then increase evaporation --> need more topoff water Good luck.

question, is the Koralia you use on a wavemaker or some kind of timer? some one indicate that there is a lot of noise and bubble during start up, so it's not the best thing if you on a wave timer? (set for short interval)

thanks guys. I went with the Mag-float 350 and the attachment scrapper thingy (just ordered). I think you are right on not leaving it in the tank, i need to start doing that. if this does not work, i'll try the algea free and use the Mag350 for holding seaweed clip to lower it up and down =)

-drill the back unless you are 100% sure it's not tempered glass on the bottom, most if not all Oceanic tank has tempered bottom (non-reef ready tank) -drain should be 1.5" each (maybe you can get by with 1" holes , maybe not, too small) (personally, i use one 1.5" on 125 gal) 1 drain hole, 2 holes,... your choice, just need at least 1 hole ;-) , i am sure you need a fast pump to circulate the 180gal, so it does not matter, if drain is both side or one, they all goes into the drain. -you can buy overflow box for $$$ (about $99 for one over flow), or make your own. or just use a pipe up and screen like at the many fish store setup (90deg pipe to the back wall and run up to maybe 1" from surface water), you don't really need an overflow box to have surface skimming. if you do this right, there is no more risk involve than using the internal overflow box 180gal, you really need to take your time to plan and test. drill is the only way to go for tank of this size good luck.

hello, I just added water to the new 125gal that i have been working on for the last 6 months.. i know it's a long slow process for me. Testing for leak now, it will run for the next few days with just RO water. trying to decide if i should put on x-mas light out side or the fish light is bright enough =) Anyway, what is a good cleaning magnet to get? I used the mag-float on my 29gal before, it's ok, not the best I could use more cleaning my new tank 1/2" thick glass. What do you use?

You can make your own over flow with PVC pipes for about $15 if you have a large tank, use more than one pipe, if you do it correctly, it works much better than the overflow box and will never lose siphon, I saw a detail step by step post on how to make this some where before, can't remember now but these link below maybe give you an idea. I drilled my own tank =) Paint the pipe black also for look here are some variation of the same concept http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.p...mp;pagenumber=1 http://www.reefbuilders.com/forums/diy-pro...rflow-sump.html video [/url]good luck

you sure he is not eating or he is FULL already inventory your life stock and see who is missing? hee hee

this sea cucumber right? i was reading up on them before, if they die, take it out, the release toxic to water and will kill your fish. i have them before but decided to return them since i don't want to take the risk

thanks gents. 30min mixing heh hey Joseph, the acoporas I got from you still growing but not very fast, i guess i did not run the light long enough hee hee. I'll check with you on more stuff when i get the new tank up ha ha thank for giving me a tour and lesson last time hee hee Anh

most all the recommendation I saw was to mix salt/water overnight before use here is my question: if you mix water with 1 pump for 12 hours, then if you use 2 pumps, will this cut the mixing time in half ie 6hrs? or put a few Mag 12 and have it done in 1 hr? why do I need to mix all night, what is the goal here? mix all the salt and create extra free O2 in the water right? or is there some slow chemical reaction that need to take place over the moon light to create sea water here? I am just asking this just in case of emergency water change, I need to make a large amount of water, can I short the time by adding more pump? Regards Anh

I am in the middle of setting up a new tank also, 125gal with 30 gal sump but with a new born at home, this will take me a while to complete everything here are what I've done so far, maybe you can copy or maybe other can give me suggestion also I have a 29gal reef running for a year now, nothing much, but I've learn a few lesson over the year (my 29 using a Squid on a mag 9.5 for close loop and DIY siphon pipe for the sump drain, no tank drilling, i got an HOB but got rid of it) My goal is to plan a reef tank with minimum parts, reliable, energy efficient, spend less time maintaining, cleaning, and if I have to clean, it better be easy to get to it. -> take your time, draw every thing on paper, visualize if you are going to have to replace something, can you get to it -> have a back up plan for everything -> drilled tank is the way to go -> return and close loop -> mag pump like to freeze up due to calcium deposit, noisy and generate a lot of heat (you can find good iwaki pump from craiglist or on the classified website a lot of time, these pump are really made to last forever ha ha, eheim pump is good, it can be use in sump like Mag ) if you don't want to drill, use 2 over flow box at both ends, at least have a back up, but you will be tired of cleaning them all the time due to algae build up inside the U tupe Stuff I have so far: (collected over several months) -Pump: Iwaki MD30 (close loop), Iwaki WMD 40 (sum return) -125gal tank /stand (used) -30 gal glass sump from old aquarium tank -stand and canopy (open up for easy access to clean the tank) -Euro Reef RS180 + gate valve -Corallife pro retrofit kit : 2 x 150W MH and 2 x 93w actinic with moon light -Calcium reactor (still need the Co2 bottle) but this is later, no hurry -Extra mag 9.5 for mixing water or emergency pump failure replacement -heaters (not really needed in texas, maybe in winter) -old Eheim canister filter, ==> plan to modified it to use as a cleaning device to clean the rock and sand etc... -Aquarium controller to protect pump, control water level, and lighting also (I wrote my own microcontroller, but I definitely recommend having something similar, less chance to burn up the pump or flood the floor, and less work on the operator also ie--> me) Need to get: filter sock for sum and phosban reactor (little fishy) ( may run carbon or phosban depend on the water condition, since you don't need them unless your water quality suck but i have seen and read may good thing about the filter sock, I wanted clear water, this is the way to go =) ) ===================== Light: Built a custom canopy to house 2 MH 150W and 2 x 93W actinic (simulation, sun/noon/ afternoon with the 2 MH) (I have an extra Odessa MH light setup (2 MH and 4 T5 bulbs) unit that I am not using, it's too heavy for the hood to open up) Wave device: Close Loop: (drain 1.5", 3/4" return, 3/4" return, and 2 more return over the top of the tank integrated in the canopy_ Ocean motion 4 way Pump: Iwaki MD30 2 of the returns are going to the rock racks set up to force water out from under the live rock and to the aqurium floor for random effect (each rack consist of 7 outlets) 2 of the returns are going over the top of the tank for back and forth motion After many drawing and design, i am almost complete with the pluming, setup also accommodate extra outlets to get water for sensor or chiller or what ever I may need at later time w/o re-glue the pluming. 1.5" PVC for all drains and 1" PVC for all the returns (convert down to 3/4 at the inlet side) (simplified buying part, and less pressure drop) 1" spa flex tub for all close loop return and drain you can remove and replace any of the pump at ease (flex tube /coupling and valve are in place to shut down any connection for service (cost me $200 worth of pluming part, all homedepot ) --> i am still high on the PVC cement glue to spend this much on ball valve and connectors All bulkhead that I used are threaded type so they can be remove for replacement if needed ball valve and coupling for every bulkhead so the connection can be remove for service if needed also, i plan to test out everything in the garage first, i need a way to remove the pluming before transferring the tank inside for final setup

i am sure you still have some room left to keep fresh frozen fish food in the freezer compartment right? =) definitely better than just having a chiller

KarenM Pet partners in round rock tank does have sump and skimmer below I have seen their set up below, also, any tank with an overflow box will have a sump of some type hidden some where =) on my 29gal + 20gal sum, i used to change every week, %10, but now I do %20 every 2 weeks. I also only feed the tank every other day, i like to keep them on a diet ;-) I think depend on your bio load and the water volume you that have, then do some trial by error by constantly test your water quality for a few week, and figure out what work best for you. Change 1/2 the amount more often or 2x the amount less often is up to you. Find what the longest time you can run w/o effecting water quality level too much, and stick to a STRICT schedule of water change. If you see stuff are not growing as you like or water quality of not consistent, then step up the schedule You want to spent a little longer time to clean the tank, equipment and i also vacuum the sand. Personally, i rather spend longer time and clean everything really well than spend a little bit of time and do everything haft *ss. Beside, my wife will kill me if I spend 2 hrs+ cleaning and changing water every week ha ha. Then it will be a long time for any one to change the water I do run skimmer 24 hrs a day. Regards Anh

Thank you Entropy. I understand the Herbie method and the risk of closing the valve to control the flow rate The idea here is really matching the flow rate of the drain to the return pump, as long as the return pump is close to equal or faster than the drain, then you don't even have to close the valve on the Herbie method at all, or close it just slightly (I am planning to use a powerfull pump Iwaki 40 forgot the exact XXXX model, the one with high head pressure rate) And as long as the return chamber water capacity lesser than the tank highest water line when the drain valve is completely closed then there is no risk of overflow. (pump will shut off with sensor level by my own micro-controller unit anyway) if the pump is faster or equal than the drain rate, then a T off needed at the pump output to reduce the flow rate and control the Herbie valve at the pump output w/o no risk at all Thus, as long as I power loss test and valve shut off test and they both pass, then no risk of overflow (I will have the overflow box to contain the water level) ==> as long as the over flow box does not leak also =) That bring to the next question, how do you use to glue the corner overflow box to the tank? just use a lot of aquarium sealant? how about underwater epoxy (2 part liquid form) then aquarium sealant on edges, both side? what do you use?