Finally got my LR

th3third

th3third

Member
What a journey it has been so far....and yet the journey has only begun.
Worked on aquascaping from 1pm to about 8pm yesterday which included scraping and scrubbing all of the dead matter on the LR. Here is the finished product on my 120. I believe I have 110 lbs of LR.
Here is my little slice of tranquility...

little peek at the QT tank

The left side looks a little clutttered but the picture doesnt show it well. There is alot of caves in there and spaces for some new tenants to hide.

A better look

QT tank.....and yes those decorations are SW safe.

The sump.

Ive been having a little problem with microbubbles. In the first compartment you see the mass of bubbles so I had to combat this with some foam in some places. Even though I have foam in 3 places (the third place being on the mag pump) I can still see bubbles in the DT but you almost cant see them...very very small. Can or will this be a problem? Maybe something better I can do?
In case anyone is wondering...My Skimmer is a ASM G-2 and its not in the sump because the pump that came with the skimmer didnt turn on so Im waiting for a new pump sometime this week.
 
th3third

th3third

Member
Originally Posted by aquaguy24
http:///forum/post/2628110
lookn good..is that a DIY stand and canopy, its looks great..wat r ur plans for the tank.
It not a DIY.....I wish I had the skills to do something like that. So far I plan on a peaceful fish community and in the future Ill go into softie corals. Zoanthinds and Ricordeas (sp)? have also peaked my interest.
 
th3third

th3third

Member
Im gonna wait on the sand until the cycle completes. I might have to wait a little more when I add the sand but thats ok. This hobby takes patience.....and I have plenty of it.
 
th3third

th3third

Member
Originally Posted by shackaholic
http:///forum/post/2628377
looking nice!
i'd add the sand now. why wait until the cycle is over? do it all at once, you know?
There is alot of dead or dying stuff falling off the rock. Stuff that I do not want on my sand. I bought it uncured so Im taking care of the messy part. Maybe halfway during the cycle I will add the sand. I dont think theres a wrong way to do it so if its just to have a neater sandbed....then thats what Im going for.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
IMO you are going to be killing yourself trying to spread a substraight sand bed in a tank that size with all that rock in it and filled with water
 
th3third

th3third

Member
Adding it now or later will be a hassle Im sure but Im going to be using the PVC method to get the sand in. I really want to add it now but theres so much crap falling off of it. Im going to wait until things stop falling off of it.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by Third
http:///forum/post/2628747
Adding it now or later will be a hassle Im sure but Im going to be using the PVC method to get the sand in. I really want to add it now but theres so much crap falling off of it. Im going to wait until things stop falling off of it.
Are you following the advice in the other thread about not adding the sand until later? You can do it however you would like, but if you add it later then it will take time for the sand to even get biological bacteria on it. Most people on here have added the sand before the cycle. It has worked out great for all of us. The bacteria colonizes on porous surfaces. You will have to wait many weeks after the rock has finished curing, for the sand to get bacteria colonized on it, if you wait.
 
th3third

th3third

Member
Well I was going to add it right away but there is so much crap falling off of it that I dont want it on the sand...for appearance purposes. I was going to wait until things stop falling off of it but if it is that important then I will do it. I was pointing out that I have time and I am patient. Maybe Im trying to be too perfect....Like the Patriots in the Superbowl
. Sorry I had to throw that out there....GO GIANTS!!!! I will get some sand in the morning. Its late and I just came back from a night out in town with the wife
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by Th3ThirD
http:///forum/post/2629080
Well I was going to add it right away but there is so much crap falling off of it that I dont want it on the sand...for appearance purposes. I was going to wait until things stop falling off of it but if it is that important then I will do it. I was pointing out that I have time and I am patient. Maybe Im trying to be too perfect....Like the Patriots in the Superbowl
. Sorry I had to throw that out there....GO GIANTS!!!! I will get some sand in the morning. Its late and I just came back from a night out in town with the wife

Your sand will get much more than debris from the rock on it. After the cycle it will be coated in nasty brownness. Those are diatoms. There are many stages of algae and ugliness. Your sand will not stay white. You will disrupt the natural cycle of life if you try to keep it white. Let it do what it does. It will do it anyway. No need to stress about it. The ugliness goes away new discoveries are made. You just have to wait for it.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
My friend forget the cycling for a min. you are going to have a hell of a time getting the sand where you want it with the water in your tank not to mention getting it out of suspension. It’s going to clog up your filters if you’re running them. So they will have to stay off until it all settles then you are going to have to clean it off your rockwork. IMO just not a practical way to go if I were you and I could get the water out and store it I would then add the sand put a large plastic bag over the sand slowly add the water trying not to disturb the sand to much when you get your tank one half full carefully remove the plastic add the rock and top off. But again this is what I would do, and well I have been called crazy before
 
th3third

th3third

Member
Sep....duly noted.
Joe I have heard of a method of using PVC pipe and a funnel which I am going to try. If need be Ill pull half the rock out and get it in using that method. Im going to have some help today also...Ill be back later and tell you how it goes. Wish me luck!!
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Th3ThirD
http:///forum/post/2629188
Sep....duly noted.
Joe I have heard of a method of using PVC pipe and a funnel which I am going to try. If need be Ill pull half the rock out and get it in using that method. Im going to have some help today also...Ill be back later and tell you how it goes. Wish me luck!!
GOOD LUCK
(My friend I have hear of the PVC method but only in adding a small amount to an existing sand bed IMO if you use that method for a complete substrate you’re in for a long day. I am sorry if I sound so negative but believe me I am trying to save you time and aggravation consider removing the water and adding the sand dry)
 
th3third

th3third

Member
Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/2629279
GOOD LUCK
(My friend I have hear of the PVC method but only in adding a small amount to an existing sand bed IMO if you use that method for a complete substrate you’re in for a long day. I am sorry if I sound so negative but believe me I am trying to save you time and aggravation consider removing the water and adding the sand dry)
Ive been at it about 40 mins so far....I was out all day but so far so good (about half way done). I took out about half the rock and about 1/3 of the water and I have to say the PVC method isnt bad at all. A bit cloudy but still manageable. It looks great so far. The sand is very neat. It had pieces of shells and small shells as well. It is live sand but I still want to top off with some of the sand from this site. Thanks everyone for your advise. Been a great day!!
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Th3ThirD
http:///forum/post/2629578
Ive been at it about 40 mins so far....I was out all day but so far so good (about half way done). I took out about half the rock and about 1/3 of the water and I have to say the PVC method isnt bad at all. A bit cloudy but still manageable. It looks great so far. The sand is very neat. It had pieces of shells and small shells as well. It is live sand but I still want to top off with some of the sand from this site. Thanks everyone for your advise. Been a great day!!
post some pics if you can i am sure your Endeavor will be of help to others
 
th3third

th3third

Member
I was looking for this thread!!
Turns out my sand was a mix with crushed coral. I kinda knew it was a bit chunky but when the dust finally settled I was shocked to see how choppy it was. It really didnt show through the bag...the sand looked fine. so I took whatever I had back to the LFS and got the right sand I was looking for. I took the opportunity to take your advice Joe and put the rock in buckets.....put half the water in my large buckets and removed the sand and replaced it with the new sand. It looks great so far but Im still in the process of making new saltwater to fill the rest of the water which is about 70% full. Its been a rough few days
 
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