125G Reef Tank Build!
- Thread starter chris17
- Start date
chris17
Member
Ok, some updates.....
I got more plumbing parts today, should be almost all I need to finish. I am going to make the return on the snapper 2" up to the top of the tank then it's reduced to 1". I am going to run the returns to the bottom of the tank and have the returns in some rock work and such.
I would have gotten the doors on last weekend but I got the wrong hinges, they look almost the same as the ones on my 75g. So, I got the correct ones and got the front doors on today. Well, almost, 1 hinge was just a little bit dif and threw it all off so I had to go get the correct one, again!
It was also my birthday so I didn't really spend a lot of time on it... oh well. But, since it is my birthday I did get some new tools
19.2v 1/2" drill some drill bits and driver bits
For myself I got a 30lb bag of Carib sea aragonite, sugar sized for the QT tank along with a Hydor Theo 300w Heater and a little floating thermometer
I got the bulkheads in place but the silicone sealant I used just to be safe needs to cure for 48 hours before I can add water... so tuesday I will do a fresh water test then for the salt!
I can't wait! It will be next payday before I can get any test kits so it will be running for about 1 1/2 weeks before I can test it.
I got more plumbing parts today, should be almost all I need to finish. I am going to make the return on the snapper 2" up to the top of the tank then it's reduced to 1". I am going to run the returns to the bottom of the tank and have the returns in some rock work and such.
I would have gotten the doors on last weekend but I got the wrong hinges, they look almost the same as the ones on my 75g. So, I got the correct ones and got the front doors on today. Well, almost, 1 hinge was just a little bit dif and threw it all off so I had to go get the correct one, again!
I got the bulkheads in place but the silicone sealant I used just to be safe needs to cure for 48 hours before I can add water... so tuesday I will do a fresh water test then for the salt!
wattsupdoc
Active Member
Happy B-Day!
chris17
Member
Thanks Doc every little bit helps towards the tank thats for sure.
Ok, I the plumbing for the 75g done and the freshwater test is in progress!
I will be draining it in the next couple of days to fill with RO/DI water. I will get pics of it this weekend when I get the saltwater and sand in it.
Ok, I the plumbing for the 75g done and the freshwater test is in progress!
chris17
Member
Ok, I have my water mixing but just realized I now get to use my refractometer
that I have been waiting to use for oh, a few months now. What does everyone use to calibrate it, what type of " distiled water " ? Could I use any bottled water...?
I have read about them and calibrateing them before in a very informative thread, but can't remember many of the details since it was a few months ago. Help PLEASE!!
wattsupdoc
Active Member
Use your RO/DI water.
fishfreak1242
Active Member
Originally Posted by chris17
http:///forum/post/2871902
Ok, I have my water mixing but just realized I now get to use my refractometer
that I have been waiting to use for oh, a few months now. What does everyone use to calibrate it, what type of " distiled water " ? Could I use any bottled water...?
I have read about them and calibrateing them before in a very informative thread, but can't remember many of the details since it was a few months ago. Help PLEASE!!
What I used when I calibrated my refractometer was drop 2-3 drops of RO/DI water on the glass pane. Then look inside on the graph and line up the blue top part with 0 which is the bottom line by turning the little
[hr]
on the the top.
http:///forum/post/2871902
Ok, I have my water mixing but just realized I now get to use my refractometer
What I used when I calibrated my refractometer was drop 2-3 drops of RO/DI water on the glass pane. Then look inside on the graph and line up the blue top part with 0 which is the bottom line by turning the little
[hr]
on the the top.
chris17
Member
Ok, I got the 75g well on it's on now. I got the water in the tank, with the salinity at 1.022 Temp at 78 I don't have any test kits yet, I am ordering them this weekend.
I have 30#s of fine sand and 20#s of caribsea arag alive
30#s of dry base rock and 15#s of cured base rock orderd today set to arive monday or tuesday
So far so good, will be posting pics as soon as the water clears
I have 30#s of fine sand and 20#s of caribsea arag alive
30#s of dry base rock and 15#s of cured base rock orderd today set to arive monday or tuesday
veni vidi vici
Active Member
Originally Posted by chris17
http:///forum/post/2874965
Updates! Water in the 75g cleared up some so I got a couple pics. This is not the final aquascpe since I have another 15#s of rock comeing on mon or tues. Any suggestions or comments welcome!
That Holey Rock is heavy isnt it?
http:///forum/post/2874965
Updates! Water in the 75g cleared up some so I got a couple pics. This is not the final aquascpe since I have another 15#s of rock comeing on mon or tues. Any suggestions or comments welcome!
That Holey Rock is heavy isnt it?
chris17
Member
Lol They are, the one on the far right weighs the most at like 12 or 13 lbs. I like the way they look and would buy more, but the lfs raised their prices way high on base rock and live rock. 10$ a lb for LR and like 5$ a lb for BR
It's cheaper to buy it off line even with shipping!
chris17
Member
I also got some plumbing dry fitted today. I still need another 2" ball valve and union. They were out of them last friday. I also need more 1 1/2" pvc pipe to finish the return for the CL and the last overflo drain. It looks complicated, but if looked at and followed one system at a time it's not too bad. Here are the pics, enjoy if you can lol
chris17
Member
Update*** I got my 15lbs of live rock in along with 3lbs of live sand at the start of the week
got everything in and has been doing great. Starting to see a brown tint on the sand and base rock as everything is starting to settle in a little bit. I don't have the money for any test kits as of right now so I decided to take some water to 3 LFSs. Fist one said everything looked good but didn't give me any specific numbers. Second LFS said and wrote down that my
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
PH 8.2-8.3
and total alkalinity buffering capacity was 240... not sure what that means exactly.
The third LFS said I had a tiny bit of Ammonia and Nitrates around 5 - 10
So... I got 5 hermit crabs just to see what happens... I think they will be just fine and will add a tiny bit of bio load...
I will take some pics ton when I get the camera...
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
PH 8.2-8.3
and total alkalinity buffering capacity was 240... not sure what that means exactly.
The third LFS said I had a tiny bit of Ammonia and Nitrates around 5 - 10
So... I got 5 hermit crabs just to see what happens... I think they will be just fine and will add a tiny bit of bio load...
wattsupdoc
Active Member
I decided to take some water to 3 LFSs. Fist one said everything looked good but didn't give me any specific numbers. Second LFS said and wrote down that my
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
PH 8.2-8.3
and total alkalinity buffering capacity was 240... not sure what that means exactly.
The third LFS said I had a tiny bit of Ammonia and Nitrates around 5 - 10
Typical, they were all hoping to sell you something....you need to test these things yourself.....PERIOD.
You might as well not even took the water in to test it.You don't know anything better than when you left to go there. You would have been better off to have bought a test kit as opposed to guinea pigs. Not trying to bash you at all here. But beware of you LFS's apparently they aren't any better than most. At least if you had a test kit, you could tell which one was actually doing the test.
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
PH 8.2-8.3
and total alkalinity buffering capacity was 240... not sure what that means exactly.
The third LFS said I had a tiny bit of Ammonia and Nitrates around 5 - 10
Typical, they were all hoping to sell you something....you need to test these things yourself.....PERIOD.
You might as well not even took the water in to test it.You don't know anything better than when you left to go there. You would have been better off to have bought a test kit as opposed to guinea pigs. Not trying to bash you at all here. But beware of you LFS's apparently they aren't any better than most. At least if you had a test kit, you could tell which one was actually doing the test.
chris17
Member
I see where you are coming from Doc. I watched them all do the tests and saw the same things they did. I wouldn't have got the hermits if I thought that the tank wasn't ready for them. I put 23#s of live sand in with the 30#s of base sand and the 15#s of live rock with the 30#s of base rock.
chris17
Member
Hello everyone, it's been a while... I have been busy trying to rearrange my life a little. I started a new job, out of state... in South Carolina.... everything has been put on hold for the past month or so, but I managed to get the stand and canopy almost 100% done. I have one more coat of polyurethane to put on the trim boards for the top of the stand to cover the gap between the tank and stand. Here are the pics of it in my house.... Please let me know what you think!
