oceanic110
Member
That was coooooool. Nice!!!!
Discovery Channel builds my 250 FOWLR Monday night!
- Thread starter malibupam
- Start date
lesleybird
Active Member
Originally posted by waterfaller1
Some just HAVE to flame.. That was not a flame...It is a very valid issue as to why a lot of her fish died in the uncycled tank. Lesley
malibupam
Member
But a lot of my fish did not die from lack of cycling. The little blue guys disappeared without a trace. We suspect they were eaten. Other than that, we lost a lyretail wrasse very suddenly, with no sign of disease, about 2 weeks in. The fish guy was there that day and all tested ok. He took out several other fish at my request in the first few days. The rest are OK.
malibupam
Member
This is my fish guy's website. He has a whole series of photos of the building process that is not shown on the episode, plus he mentions some specifics of the equipment. Just scroll down past the brochure shots and you will come to the shots of my house:
http://www.seaviewaquariums.com/cust...view_all.nhtml
I'm sorry I don't know how to make that a real link. Copy and paste if it doesn't work!
http://www.seaviewaquariums.com/cust...view_all.nhtml
I'm sorry I don't know how to make that a real link. Copy and paste if it doesn't work!
lovethesea
Active Member
That was cool. You held yourself well under pressure. I told my husband that to have 4 kids in a place the size of my family room, somebody would be gettin' hurt. And I would have been in the woods screaming at a tree!! Were those school days? What on earth did the kids do to keep busy?
I wish they would have focused more on the tank. that poor welding lady got the short end of the stick. The parascope is pretty cool, does it work pretty well? Exactly what kind of water did they bring in that truck. We didn't understand what he said. We thought he said real sea water?? Post more pic's when you can, of the new contruction too.
oops, you were posting as I was typing, I will look at the link
And I would have been in the woods screaming at a tree!! Were those school days? What on earth did the kids do to keep busy? I wish they would have focused more on the tank. that poor welding lady got the short end of the stick. The parascope is pretty cool, does it work pretty well? Exactly what kind of water did they bring in that truck. We didn't understand what he said. We thought he said real sea water?? Post more pic's when you can, of the new contruction too.
oops, you were posting as I was typing, I will look at the link
dugan
Member
OK just watched the whole thing on TiVo...
1) I was having a heart attack watching them saw through your floor!!!
2) Wow, beautiful house!
3) Wow, beautiful kids!
4) It came out really cool... you had a lot of guts to let them come in and do that, I'm so glad it paid off for you!!
Katie
1) I was having a heart attack watching them saw through your floor!!!
2) Wow, beautiful house!
3) Wow, beautiful kids!
4) It came out really cool... you had a lot of guts to let them come in and do that, I'm so glad it paid off for you!!
Katie
malibupam
Member
That was the second week of school, Sept 15 to 21. The complicated part was keeping everybodies' school uniforms and homework in order. Also it wasn't easy packing 4 lunch boxes in an RV with no counter top!
The water was from the Catalina Water Company. They collect water off Catalina Island, sterilize it, and deliver it to aquariums around the southwest. My fish guy uses them for his deep-pocket clients who have huge tanks and huge water changes to match.
The water was from the Catalina Water Company. They collect water off Catalina Island, sterilize it, and deliver it to aquariums around the southwest. My fish guy uses them for his deep-pocket clients who have huge tanks and huge water changes to match.
sammystingray
Active Member
MalibuPam, wow, congratulations on everything. I haven't had a chance to see the show yet, and it's killing me. If your favorite fish are the aggressive ones, perhaps have an aggressive tank and remove the more docile fish. Why doesn't someone give me a 250 gallon tank?
I haven't had a chance to see the show yet, and it's killing me. If your favorite fish are the aggressive ones, perhaps have an aggressive tank and remove the more docile fish. Why doesn't someone give me a 250 gallon tank?
malibupam
Member
Being a newby, I may not know all the details, but I will tell you what I can. First, he used the natural seawater, if that makes a difference. Then he used all sorts of extra filters above and beyond the norm. He also seeded it with bio balls from a client's established tank. Down in the sump, he added bags of charcoal, and big rolled up pieces of stuff that had also spent time in client's sumps. Then for the first two weeks, he came about 5 times to test the water, and he did several water changes. He also used a bottle of Cycle to help things along, and had me adding Kent pH buffer for a while. We also have a big protein skimmer.
I did get brown algae eventually, but never an explosive bloom. I have no green or red algae that I've noticed, and he is very happy with the colors on my live rock and the health of the fish. They are evidently growing at a very speedy rate.
I did get brown algae eventually, but never an explosive bloom. I have no green or red algae that I've noticed, and he is very happy with the colors on my live rock and the health of the fish. They are evidently growing at a very speedy rate.
M
mrsandman
Guest
Thought i would join the board and just congratulate you on an awesome looking house. I thought the location looked strangely familiar. If you ever have the chance, you should join one of the local reefing clubs. MASLAC (Marine Aquarium Society of Los Angeles County) meets in LA (the Hollywood area) once a month. You should join, hang out, and meet everyone. Maybe even participate in the tank tours!
Any plans to add live corals?
Any plans to add live corals?
diverdown
New Member
Pam,
I really enjoyed the show, and like everyone else, I wish they spent more time on the tank.
With regards to some of the previous posts regarding the cycle, from what I can tell from watching the show, there would be no need to cycle this tank. For all intents and purposes, it is precycled.
1. Fresh sea water was used. We all work hard to make sure our water is as close to sea water as possible. Fresh sea water is obviously perfect in every way.
2. Uncured rock. That looked to me to be uncured live rock. Most of us don't use a professional service, and instead order our live rock cured, either online or from an LFS. Cured rock has a lot of die-off on it, and that die-off on the rock is what causes the nitrogen cycle to kick off.
The rock and coral they put in your tanks looked like it was taken out of a holding tank of some sort. I can speak from experience on this. If you take rock straight from one source (eg. the ocean) to another (eg and aquarium) and don't allow it undue exposure to the air, there will be no die-off, hence, no cycle. (assuming, of course, proper chemistry etc)
I have set up my tank using this method.
Started with a 75G, filled it with fresh sea water
5 inches of sand I harvested from below a reef head in about 8 feet of water
50 lbs rock harvested from several locations around the island
30G sump with in-sump protien skimmer
set it up, added a couple beaugregory damsels, and waited for the cycle. Never came (waited three weeks). Started adding cleaners, then more fish.
I never had a cycle in this tank.
Anyway, good luck with your tank. Not sure what the Cali laws are like, but if you can, try going out and catching a few fish for your tank since you live so close to the water. My tank is stocked completely with fish I caught myself. I highly recommend it
Regards
DiverDown
I really enjoyed the show, and like everyone else, I wish they spent more time on the tank.
With regards to some of the previous posts regarding the cycle, from what I can tell from watching the show, there would be no need to cycle this tank. For all intents and purposes, it is precycled.
1. Fresh sea water was used. We all work hard to make sure our water is as close to sea water as possible. Fresh sea water is obviously perfect in every way.
2. Uncured rock. That looked to me to be uncured live rock. Most of us don't use a professional service, and instead order our live rock cured, either online or from an LFS. Cured rock has a lot of die-off on it, and that die-off on the rock is what causes the nitrogen cycle to kick off.
The rock and coral they put in your tanks looked like it was taken out of a holding tank of some sort. I can speak from experience on this. If you take rock straight from one source (eg. the ocean) to another (eg and aquarium) and don't allow it undue exposure to the air, there will be no die-off, hence, no cycle. (assuming, of course, proper chemistry etc)
I have set up my tank using this method.
Started with a 75G, filled it with fresh sea water
5 inches of sand I harvested from below a reef head in about 8 feet of water
50 lbs rock harvested from several locations around the island
30G sump with in-sump protien skimmer
set it up, added a couple beaugregory damsels, and waited for the cycle. Never came (waited three weeks). Started adding cleaners, then more fish.
I never had a cycle in this tank.
Anyway, good luck with your tank. Not sure what the Cali laws are like, but if you can, try going out and catching a few fish for your tank since you live so close to the water. My tank is stocked completely with fish I caught myself. I highly recommend it
Regards
DiverDown
fshhub
Active Member
beautiful tank and wish i could have seen the show
WELCOME to the board and an this delightful hobby. IF you need any help, just ask and we will be glad to help.
as for the cycling issues, well, it sounds like it did not cycle and he tried to kep it in line(whcih is still stressful on fish)
the bio balls would not hinder it at all, not being used
however diver, i am affraid you have it back wards. Cured rok will have less die off, and uncrued will CERTAINLY have plenty of it.
Sea water will have no affect on your cycle, NONE. ESPECIALLY, if it has been sterilized. The reason to cycle is to colonize with bacteria, and sterilization, well it kinda kills bacterias. But the water itself has littel or no affect on the cycle unless it has a high ammonia content when adding it.
now with thte rock and sand, taking it directly out of the ocean and putting it directly into a tank, would reduce the cycle time to evena possible couple of hours or less. Using "CYCLE" the product shows that he is trying to compensate for hurrying things along. This is a product aht many of us here not only dont like but also pretty much despise its usage.
NOW< the fish, well to make a long story short, it has pretty much been said. All reccomendations thus far are good ones. Especially sammys suggestion about doing an aggressive tank, the 250 with a wet/dry and skimming would be nice for that. Minus the extra filters, of course.
best thing to do now, is research and see what you want to get out of this tank, and go with it. get your water and biofilter in line and run with it.
WELCOME to the board and an this delightful hobby. IF you need any help, just ask and we will be glad to help.
as for the cycling issues, well, it sounds like it did not cycle and he tried to kep it in line(whcih is still stressful on fish)
the bio balls would not hinder it at all, not being used
however diver, i am affraid you have it back wards. Cured rok will have less die off, and uncrued will CERTAINLY have plenty of it.
Sea water will have no affect on your cycle, NONE. ESPECIALLY, if it has been sterilized. The reason to cycle is to colonize with bacteria, and sterilization, well it kinda kills bacterias. But the water itself has littel or no affect on the cycle unless it has a high ammonia content when adding it.
now with thte rock and sand, taking it directly out of the ocean and putting it directly into a tank, would reduce the cycle time to evena possible couple of hours or less. Using "CYCLE" the product shows that he is trying to compensate for hurrying things along. This is a product aht many of us here not only dont like but also pretty much despise its usage.
NOW< the fish, well to make a long story short, it has pretty much been said. All reccomendations thus far are good ones. Especially sammys suggestion about doing an aggressive tank, the 250 with a wet/dry and skimming would be nice for that. Minus the extra filters, of course.
best thing to do now, is research and see what you want to get out of this tank, and go with it. get your water and biofilter in line and run with it.
katara
Member
Originally posted by Lesleybird
That was not a flame...It is a very valid issue as to why a lot of her fish died in the uncycled tank. Lesley
Lesleybird's cup is always half-empty..while everyone was telling me how nice my .75 gallon nano was,she was busy accusing me of abusing sea life
Congrats MalibuPam..You're kids are gonna be bragging about this to your grandkids one day!!You lucky duck,you