CBM5

I went cheap...gravity. 5 Gallon jug that sits in a stand on a shelf higher than the top of my sump. Ran a line to the sump on a float. Flip the top of the stand open to refill jug without having to remove jug.

Chris i wish you would hvae called, i can help. mine was loud as well. i tried countless ways to quieten it down and now its silent. LMK, i can stop by

Off road I am in Cedar Park also and have been trying to reduce my noise and gurgeling as well. The only way I seem to be able to reduce the noise is to cut the return flow way down. Any recomentations? Chris M.

I would remove the bio-wheel. If you had a good nitrate export mechanism, the bio-wheel would not be an issue. Does the tank have a surface skimmer to feed the sump water from tank? If so, any cascade splasing would oxygenate the tank water. This is particularly important during lights out when pH and oxygen both decrease. Patrick

I have a 1600GPH powerhead in the tank for circulation if that is what you are referring to.

Do you currently have any livestock in the tank?

I have a about 15lbs of live rock that I purchased from RCA and 90lbs of base rock that came with the tank assuming the base rock will eventually build up bacteria

I bought a used tank on eBay two months ago, I have had the tank up and running for one month. I am using the sump that came with the tank which includes filter / carbon trays as well as a Bio Wheel. My concern is I have been reading about the “Nitrate Factory” the Bio Wheel can create. Should I remove the Bio Wheel?

I could potentially just remove the Bio Wheel and continue to use the trays for the filters and activated carbon. The media trays and bio wheel are encapsulated in a separate unit from the sump so I could potentially remove trays and all.

Tank is a 90 Gallon Bow Front. I have a about 15lbs of live rock that I purchased from RCA and 90lbs of base rock that came with the tank assuming the base rock will eventually build up bacteria. I have 35lbs of Aragonite. My water levels are much better than the spike I had in the first two weeks. Current readings are Ammonia 0.3, Nitrate 3, Nitrites 0, PH 8.2.

If anyone in the Cedar Park area would like a few Turbo Snails hit me up. These things go to town on hair algae.

If it is copepods, then their movement will be visable to your naked eye. They move slowly. You must slow down and watch patiently to see the movement. It is like hatching brine shrimp eggs. While looking at the eggs floating in the culture water column, all of a sudden it is obvious that they are all wiggling. Enjoy the progression of your cycle. My 135 G lagoon tank has the same white spots after two months of cycle.

I have stared at it until I am cross eyed....no movement. I think George probably nailed it.

Maybe sand? those are my initials-it tripped me out when I saw that for a sec haha

Great initials...sorry for tripping you out....you probably thought you had a white powder problem that you did not even know about !

Its not sand, looks like powder sugar, there are several spots in the sand bed that are much brighter white than my sand. I think subsea is probably right, I found something similar on another forum.

It is part of the cycle. Expect more. Not sure what your white spots are, but I have had similiar spots. A bloom of copepods would look like what you have.

Thats what I read on another forum a lady could not figure it out and it turned out to be copepods. Thanks.

I just set up my first SW tank two weeks ago. I have a Diatom break out but I understand it is fairly normal especially at this stage. I have been noticing white spots on my rock the last two days. Has anyone seen this before? Is it anything to worry about?

I used some live rock but primarily base rock. Since the base rock is still mostly white it is hard to make it out in pictures but it's visible on the live rock in pictures.

My Ammonia spike is down from 6.1 to 0.3

Nitrates and Nitrites are both on the downward trend as well

PH is 8.2

Temp is 77 degrees

See pics below

Thanks in advance for any info.

I just set up my first Saltwater Tank Friday May 4th. I started by having Prof sand and refinish the stand and canopy. Friday after work I plumbed it, installed sand, base rock, and saltwater. Saturday I added a little live rock. I am not in a hurry to cycle, I do not plan to add fish until mid July. Installed the light / fan timers tonight and did some temporary cable management.

Outstanding Items:

1. Mount RODI unit in Garage

2. Build shelf inside canopy for auto feeder

3. Running out of space but need to figure out the best way to mount UV sterilizer but its last on the list

Thanks for the reccomendation I will hit him up.

El Jefe - I am looking for a 60 x 24 x 24 which seems to be a little hard to find. Oceanic made one a few years ago called the Ultimate, I have a message into them to see if I can still get it as a standard unit without paying an upcharcge for Custom. DSA has a standard 60.5 x 20 x 27 which might work but I was hoping for the extra depth of the 24". I am also hitting craiglist and ARC daily to see if there are any used ones out there in this size. So Far I have only found one but its drilled for closed loop which I was not planning to do. Thanks again for the reccomendation.

Hi I have not had a tank since I was a young kid. I know I am probably in over my head but really exited. I have always wanted a sw aquarium but heard it is really difficult.... Never been interested in a fresh water so I have done without. Fortunately, a few friends with sw tanks have given me an overview but I am sure I will have tons of questions.

As I have been shopping for tanks it seems most stands are rather dated looking. My wife wants the tank to flow with the decor of the home, and I want a tall stand. Any suggestions in austin area

for solid stands or custom stand/furniture makers?