Building my 56 gallon Column reef tank

monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Water test for this evening
 
80 degrees F
SG 1.024 (barely to 1.025. Probably need 1 maybe 2 top offs to get it there.)
pH 8
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
 
So the water change helped with teh SG but not teh ammonia. I havent told my daughter yet and I am dreading the moment i have to tomorrow. Is everyone certain that the hermit crab couldnt have made the ammonia go up? That is the only change between the test at 0 and now the tests at .25.
 
The aiptasia that I killed, I couldnt see them to remove them. Could their death's be what is making the ammonia go up? Like sparty, I want to get some form of CUC in the tank, but I am not in a rush to do so. I do not mind the brown sand nor the greenness of the rock in the tank. I know that when the CUC get in there, it will be like eating at a buffet that doesnt ever close.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
API is very easy to read for the saltwater ammonia test.
 
I would have the LFS double test, and have your wife run the test once as well. For whatever reason, I get more accurate results than my husband does.
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/160#post_3313776
API is very easy to read for the saltwater ammonia test.
 
I would have the LFS double test, and have your wife run the test once as well. For whatever reason, I get more accurate results than my husband does.
no way the wife does the test. She wont reach into the tank or the sump. something has her spooked about getting poked by a creepy crawly. I could get the water, but I am not sure she would do the water test. I will be taking a sample to the LFS tomorrow for a test. Is there another brand name test that is around $30 that I can get to compare?
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
She doesn't have to put her hand in the tank to do the test, lol
 
Anyways, I prefer Salifert and SeaChem test kits. My only complaint is Salifert nitrate kits, they suck.
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Question :
 
Could the high ammonia be caused by the hundreds and hundreds of amphipods I have in the tank? I knoew these guys eat and poop, so maybe? I have a f%#kton of these things in the tank and they "wrestle" with one and other. Sometimes it looks like mating, some times it looks like eating.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/160#post_3313784
Question :
 
Could the high ammonia be caused by the hundreds and hundreds of amphipods I have in the tank? I knoew these guys eat and poop, so maybe? I have a f%#kton of these things in the tank and they "wrestle" with one and other. Sometimes it looks like mating, some times it looks like eating.
It could be, but it's unlikely. They very well could be eating each other. If there is no food source, many types of pods become canibals.
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Well, if that is what they eat, should i remove the filter sock from the drain line when I go to put them into my tank for preperation for the mandarin? I would imagine that detritus wont make it to the sump with the filter sock on.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/160#post_3313792
Well, if that is what they eat, should i remove the filter sock from the drain line when I go to put them into my tank for preperation for the mandarin? I would imagine that detritus wont make it to the sump with the filter sock on.
I know many people who shake out their filter sock to catch all the pods. I don't use a filter sock, so I couldn't really tell you. I do shake out my chaeto from the refugium into the DT's from time to time, because the pods use that as a breeding ground as well.
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/160#post_3313804
I know many people who shake out their filter sock to catch all the pods. I don't use a filter sock, so I couldn't really tell you. I do shake out my chaeto from the refugium into the DT's from time to time, because the pods use that as a breeding ground as well.
I have no idea how many are in the fuge now, but there has to be atleast 100 in the DT right now. I dont see them floating upwards towards the overflow, but that is an idea to shake the sock, if I could. I think the sock that is on my overflow is not a standard one as it has been sewn to a plastic ring and that ring has another piece of plastic that runs through the PVC to hold the sock in place.
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Well, I got my skimmer today. Yippie! After installing it I noticed I had a leak in the drain hose from the overflow. BOOOO! I went to Lowes to get a new hose to correct the problem. Yippie! After connecting the new hose I realized i purchased a hose that is 2 feet longer than I needed and wasted $6. BOOOO! The drain hose is not leaking any more and I do not forsee any other problems. Yippie!
So the skimmer installation was a breeze, once I got it into the sump. I had measured before I purchased the unit and I knew I had plenty of room to sit the skimmer in the sump. I only forgot to think about manuvering the damn thing into the sump. With great effort, and wet arms, I got the skimmer into the sump. Once it was in there, all I had to do was plug in the pump and walk away. Since it is new, its not skimming yet, but in about a day or 2 I will have to adjust the collection cup up. The adjustment consists of moving an O ring up or down on the collection cup. I have to say that the Urchin delivered as promised. This is as "set and forget" as skimmers come. I have seen videos and read instruction manuals for other skimmers and they all required more work than this one. The longest part of the installation was finagling it into the sump. The more and more i play with the sump, the more and more I want to get rid of the current filter sock and get a different one. This one is sewn to a plastic ring making it take up more room. Most other filter socks have like a drawstring to hold them onto the pipe. This one uses a plastic band wedged into a notch cut on the return pipe to hold it into place. Combine that with the large plastic ring the sock is sewn to and it takes up too much room than what it really should. Not to sound like a comercial for Aquac, but the Urchin was right for me and If I get another tank, I will be getting the urchin again.
I also forgot to post this mornings water test:
80 degrees F
SG 1.024 ( wont need to top off today with the addition of the skimmer )
pH 7.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Along with the skimmer came my Chemi-pure Elite. I think i asked before and didnt get an answer. This stuff needs to be placed in a high flow area correct? I was thinking about placing it between the baffles between the intake/skimmer section and the refugium. If this will not work, then where to place it in a high flow area?
I think i have all i need to get up and going with purchased inhabitants in the tank. I have purchased all the equipment that i need, I have the filtration all set now, and the tank is displaying signs of life with the brown algae making a strong comback from the magnet cleaning on friday. All i need to do now is wait for the ammonia to stay at 0 for a while before I make any purchases. Anticipation and impatience go hand in hand for this for me. Both are good and bad. Waiting sucks, Having larger shrimp and snails to watch will be great. AARRGGHH!
 
levinjac

levinjac

Active Member
Shrimp are great i had a skunk cleaner every time i put my hand in the tank he would clean it RIP little guy
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
YIPPPPPEEEEEE......glad everything worked out....I think I am gonna go ahead and order the Aqua C
As far as the chemi pure...YES...it needs good flow thru it...Besides the flow bar, this is why I also keep my canister....
Just put it somewhere where you are sure the water is flowing thru it...
HEY...can we get a pic of the new skimmer
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/160#post_3313976
YIPPPPPEEEEEE......glad everything worked out....I think I am gonna go ahead and order the Aqua C
As far as the chemi pure...YES...it needs good flow thru it...Besides the flow bar, this is why I also keep my canister....
Just put it somewhere where you are sure the water is flowing thru it...
HEY...can we get a pic of the new skimmer

I will do what I can with pics of the skimmer. I will be sure to get a pic of the collection cup as that is the only moving part on the skimmer. Give me about 10 mins. BRB...............
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Pics of the skimmer
collection cup

Skimmer cup

foot print size

Bubbles in action

I will be uploading a short video of this thing in action in a few moments. Since yours will be a HOB, you wont be able to have that view above. this is shot through the "exhaust" of the skimmer. Yours will have a tube here for returning the water into the tank. In the video, there is a circlular tubing wedged onto the skimmer. This is to hold it away from the sump wall because the filter sock's plastic ring is pressing it into the wall. Once the sock is gone, that wedge piece will be gone. uploading the video.....
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Here is the video.
http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j230/tomjonessinger/?action=view&current=skimmer012.mp4
again, you probably wont be able to see into it to see the bubbles as that is where your return hose will be. I havent noticed any micro bubbles appearing in the sump so you should be all good. I could write instructions for setting this thing up:
1. unpackage the maxijet pump and attach the preintake screen onto pump
2. attach pump to intake tube and tighten clamp (it came with the clamps)
3. Place skimmer into sump
4. plug in pump
edit: sorry for the out of focusness, but inorder to show the bubbles in action, the rest was going to be like that. Its an awesome unit.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
You probably only want the bottom of the skimmer cup to touch the very top of the water in the skimmer (man I SUCK at explaining)
otherwise it will skim too wet
 
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