acropoorer

Here's a quick update on recent developements. I have installed all my lights into the hood and moved most of my corals into the new tank in the garage. So far, chilling hasn't been so bad as I am running a night cycle with lots of fans. Water quality is still poor -- missing the magic yet so corals are not well colored but I haven't lost any. I still have 10 to 15 corals to move and not a lot of room left. Some of my SPS still has decent color but others are not so hot yet. LPS and softies are all doing well. Here's a few iphone pics from whats moved in so far.

I agree on the chiller. I run the stock 28 gal JBJ as a quarantine tank and it gets to hot if I don't keep the lid up 2". The stock unit is typically 5 degrees above ambient at the peak. If you keep your house really cool and don't run the actinic and halides together you might be OK at peak temp, but the swing will be higher with the skimmer. A fan on the sump might work. Looks like a quality build, like the way you set up the ro/di. I'm a big fan of plywood stands -- looks like you have good carpentry skills.

Usually a 5 stage system has a sediment stage, 2 carbon stages, an ro stage and a di stage in that order. If you have two carbons (ideal for chloramine). The first carbon is a refillable granulated carbon and the second a chloramine buster. You should have all the stages you need, just a question of did they send you the right filters.

I bought there LED lights and was very happy with the construction. Rubber seals for water resistant box and they used Toshiba power supplies. I would expect a quality build on their T5s.

Thanks for the info Mark. For now, the tank is mostly empty and I'm looking for a quick kick start (preferably cheap). This dry live rock thing is new to me, but sooner or later it has to go live. My goal is to make it live, not sure that vodka or polyp labs will do that for me and if I try either it will be to get the rock established so I can quit additives -- don't want to do any long term dosing. Seen to many complex systems with periodic issues. I am hoping that the stability will kick in and get things moving. We'll see... Thanks again, Dale

Thanks for the link Brooks, and I was joking about your parents. I fully expect they would trust you without the article. Thanks again, Dale

Details? How did you start it? How much? Did you start before you had established rock? How long have you used it? And what did your parents say? It's for your reef tank, Yea Right!

Thanks, already picked some up at aquatek and have been using it. No change in the nitrates. Aquatek Bruce suggested dosing vodka, may try small doses. He didn't think the stability would help much with nitrates, though seachem makes some claims to help.

Nothing new, still waiting... and waiting...

Aquatek has it in blue and black. Not sure of the name of the film but it is similar to the tint films in how its applied and removed.

Nice build Don. You won't regret coming over to the dark side. Anything to replace MH is a fad. Welcome!

Hey Mark, Where did you get it? I'm willing to try whatever it takes and would prefer not to add rock from my existing tank. Summer is closing in and I need to get this stuff moving so I can get the tank in the house.

Hey Don, Could be a while before there is a major move as the dry rock has been very slow to come up. Still high nitrates so little or no anaerobic bacteria (at 6 weeks now). At the point where I may be ready to contaminate the rock with my old stuff and stick a bunch in there to get things going. Can't wait all summer as the chiller costs will kill me running two tanks with one in a very hot garage. Anyway, I put a few lps and zoas in the tank. Pretty! Watching closely, but they don't seem to mind the Nitates at 10 ppm. Here's a few pics.

First Light, First coral. Nitrates are still high but I'm starting to run lighting and will slowly add stuff this week (off all week). Pics:

Originally, I was using uri super actinic but now I use UV super actinic. I have been told that they are the same company, different name or something to that effect. If I'd have known about the cree 3 watt leds when I started buying this stuff I may have gone to all led for actinic. Still haven't seen the 3 watt cree's but Mike Delgado claims they are the bomb. Maybe in the future after I get an aqua controller...

We left out VHO T12's. Some old school people like their actinic. Here's mine with LEDs (finnex), haven't mounted the halides yet but they fit in the square holes with luminarc reflectors.

T5's have better bulb choices and I think higher par per watt, but if you want the bomb get t5's with a strip of blue LEDs. The leds will add a shimmer to any kind of florescent lighting not to mention they are incredible at night (1 watt blues look great and I hear great things about the 3 watt blues). If you aren't a build it yourself type, there are T5/led combo's available. I got mine from finnex they make led strips 2' x 2"x2". finnex also makes a combo T5 with led. I can recommend there blue LED but I know there's a lot of other stuff available from other companies. Cree has the best name for led bulbs but mine look great and I don't think they are Cree. I hear icecap has some great bulbs that can be overdriven with the icecap ballasts. Few people use pc bulbs any more except for specialized situations (spaces were a 2' minimum bulb is to big)

Probably to late to add anything, think I'm near the end. Just has taken a long time -- a month. Starting coraline and a few corals this weekend if the parameters look ok. Let me know when you are ready to start planning your tank build and feel free to call me if you want.

I have seen your posts, your tank is gonna be awesome! With regard to stand structure, I used a 3x6 plywood glue lam on the ends and 2.25x6 on the front and back. There is are six points of support to the floor as the front and back have a center support. I didn't use styrofoam, but leveled the base and built the tank in place. The bottom is 1" pvc landed on a 3/4" sheet of plywood. So far so good.

I will start soon, maybe this weekend if the nitrites get to 0. I plan to move slowly, not looking to lose livestock.

I mounted your 2 finnex lights on the side for a total of 8 led strips. Gotta get the shimmer and glow!

Free advise here! Always willing to help out and remember, bigger is better. I just finished installing most of my lighting until I take down my existing tanks and salvage the remaining lights I need. Still to add 3 luminarcs with 400 watt halides and one more icecap with two 6' T12 actinic but the heavy lifting is done. See pictures below. Next phase is to place the light hood on the tank to bring up coraline on my dry rock. Still waiting for the stuff to develop bacteria. My ammonia is 0 but the Nitrites and Nitrates are pegged on my tests. Not sure how long this will take and can't find much good literiture on curing dry rock. Everyone says use dry rock to avoid the bad stuff but then they tell you to seed with existing rock. How do you insure that you don't get bad stuff if you use existing live rock to start the dry rock? Been struggling with this. Let there be actinic! Lights off.

I have a couple of the 110 gal watering tanks with a side bulkhead plumbed in. Plan on using one as a cryptic fuge and place for sediment to collect under the tank (overflows will empty into tub) and will use a large single 3" drain out to the garage sump. The sump in the garage has a skimmer and physical filter and 2 return pumps - chiller on closed loop to main tank will also be in the garage. I am thinking of feeding my closet tanks to the tub to reduce the flow in the sump. The tubs are also handy for temporary holding when doing tank reorganization or cleaning tank out. I love the tubs, got them used for $45 each, very handy.

Interesting link. Regal plastics sold me an adhesive that also bonds plastic to glass which I didn't use(called E6100). I met a guy in Houston that had a small business building skimmers, fuges and an occasional tank (sapphire aquatics). I went with his recommendations on how to glue to the pvc bottom joint (he was quite certain the plastic to glass adhesives will fail). So far no regrets, but I still have to move the tank.

Great video Mark, how about doing a video for acro eating flatworms (preferably not your tank). Far less info on this topic. Clint can tell you what not to do!