Foodshape's 1st Time SW Build
- Thread starter foodshape
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foodshape
Member
It's a unit my LFS has custom made in China. I bought it at a post-Christmas sale, though they did warn me it would be 'a few months' before they had them in-stock again. I've been after them about it and they assure me it will be here in a month or so. They offered me a Coralife unit at par instead. The Coralife is normally about $100 more (and $160 more than the sale price I paid for the no-name unit), but lacks many of the features (eg:TDS meter, booster pump, auto-backwash) so I said I'd wait.
foodshape
Member
Yes, that's another reason I said no to the Coralife offer - too many dissapointments/problems with their stuff over the years. Imho they're a textbook example of how you can be successful mass-marketing mediocre products.
In retrospect getting online may indeed have been a better option. No big deal though - I wasn't going to be ready to use it until now anyhow so another month is not the end of the world. No nitrates in my tapwater, but phosphates = 0.25. The lights won't be on that much over the next month and there certainly won't be any corals in that timeframe so hopefully it won't be an issue.
tthemadd1, thanks for the tip; at the moment I'm satisfied with how I have it set up, but I'll keep that in mind.
In retrospect getting online may indeed have been a better option. No big deal though - I wasn't going to be ready to use it until now anyhow so another month is not the end of the world. No nitrates in my tapwater, but phosphates = 0.25. The lights won't be on that much over the next month and there certainly won't be any corals in that timeframe so hopefully it won't be an issue.
tthemadd1, thanks for the tip; at the moment I'm satisfied with how I have it set up, but I'll keep that in mind.
foodshape
Member
Well, we're into the cycling (and pretty much through it already I believe)...
- I added 73 lbs of cured LR on Apr-17, along with 1 raw shrimp (I typed ' raw chimp' initially
; good thing I re-read - my typing sucks).
- After 3-4 days the shrimp was completely decomposed, but I had not at any point registered an ammonia or nitrite reading, and only modest (<5ppm) nitrates, so I did an experiment (separately) to determine how much household ammonia (no additives) to add to raise 2 gallons of water from 0 to 1.0 ammonia, then added 45 times that quantity to my dt/sump system (which I estimate contains approx. 85-90 gallons.) That worked to raise the ammonia to around 1.0.
- After a few more days the ammonia was gone and the nitrite reading was up there, with nitrates also climbing to 15 ppm or so.
- Now, a few more days later I am at a point where I can add 0.25 to 0.5 ppm ammonia once daily to the system and 24 hrs later ammonia and nitrite are at 0, and nitrates are only at 5ppm. There is also a thin coating of what appears to be green algae (not brown diatoms) coating all glass surfaces.
I do believe I am ready for some snails at this point? Thinking Astraea if I can find some locally; open to other reef-safe suggestions though. My main LFS has some Turbo and Trochus but I've read those can be like bulls in a china shop in a reef tank. What about crabs at this point also (saw some emerald crabs at the LFS)? Shrimp? (cleaner shrimp? or would "fire-red" be ok & of any benefit?)
I've got a 10g cycling for fish quarantine (AC50 power filter with 2 sponge blocks and a sack of bio-media); It's not ready yet. I moved a bit of the LR over to it yesterday to step up the cycling process and if need be will leave the LR in for eventual QT duty. I also picked up 70 lbs of base rock to complete the aquascaping of the DT, which I will probably do tonight before adding any livestock.
- I added 73 lbs of cured LR on Apr-17, along with 1 raw shrimp (I typed ' raw chimp' initially
- After 3-4 days the shrimp was completely decomposed, but I had not at any point registered an ammonia or nitrite reading, and only modest (<5ppm) nitrates, so I did an experiment (separately) to determine how much household ammonia (no additives) to add to raise 2 gallons of water from 0 to 1.0 ammonia, then added 45 times that quantity to my dt/sump system (which I estimate contains approx. 85-90 gallons.) That worked to raise the ammonia to around 1.0.
- After a few more days the ammonia was gone and the nitrite reading was up there, with nitrates also climbing to 15 ppm or so.
- Now, a few more days later I am at a point where I can add 0.25 to 0.5 ppm ammonia once daily to the system and 24 hrs later ammonia and nitrite are at 0, and nitrates are only at 5ppm. There is also a thin coating of what appears to be green algae (not brown diatoms) coating all glass surfaces.
I do believe I am ready for some snails at this point? Thinking Astraea if I can find some locally; open to other reef-safe suggestions though. My main LFS has some Turbo and Trochus but I've read those can be like bulls in a china shop in a reef tank. What about crabs at this point also (saw some emerald crabs at the LFS)? Shrimp? (cleaner shrimp? or would "fire-red" be ok & of any benefit?)
I've got a 10g cycling for fish quarantine (AC50 power filter with 2 sponge blocks and a sack of bio-media); It's not ready yet. I moved a bit of the LR over to it yesterday to step up the cycling process and if need be will leave the LR in for eventual QT duty. I also picked up 70 lbs of base rock to complete the aquascaping of the DT, which I will probably do tonight before adding any livestock.
foodshape
Member
...plodding along very slowly as I promised (in part due to "life gets in the way" things I won't get into). I made no effort at high quality photography here - there were quick snaps. Please bear in mind also that this is basically my "cycling aquascape" (from 3 months ago) - I am going to reorganize things before adding any more livestock.
I did want to raise my LED unit off the water some to get a more even dispersal and eliminate the spotlighting effect (even the LED manufacturer recommends it). I also wanted to do something that would cut down on evaporation a bit, keep jumpers in, AND complement the overall look of the setup. I came up with this trapezoidal canopy idea... it's far from being airtight (on purpose) but does seem to help with evaporation. There is no glass cover between the LEDs and the water. I also like that the shape is less blocky looking than a rectangular canopy - makes the display area feel a bit more open.
Very pleased with how it turned out functionality-wise. The light looks great now, whereas just resting on the rim of the tank... well I suppose if you were going for the 70's Genesis concert look it was kind of cool, but not long term.
Because the tank is in the basement I used pieces of acrylic as windows on the backside of the canopy to allow some indirect daylight in. During the day when the room and tank lights are off this creates a very soothing effect (not shown here - wouldn't have been able to do it justice). The reflection you see here is the lights reflecting off the water then the acrylic back at the camera.
All surfaces of the canopy, inside and out, have 2 layers of clear 2-part epoxy as a final coat for moisture proofing (except for the acrylic windows, although the epoxy was also used to glue those in place).
As for stocking the tank, as mentioned I have been pre-occupied so that is going very slow... Started off with a handful of inverts after the cycle: A cleaner shrimp, a fire red shrimp, three peppermint shrimp, two emerald crabs and 10 snails (mix of turbo and trochus). One peppermint shrimp and several of the snails did not survive too long. Everything else is alive, well and eating. A couple of weeks after adding those inverts I added a fire goby (after a 2+ week quanrantine period). It seemed to be eating and exploring in the QT tank but once added to the DT it spent all its time swimming against the current (even though it could have chosen calmer spots) and was not to be seen again after 2 days of being introduced to the DT. There were no signs of ick or other parasites during the time I observed it. Water params in the DT and QT were very similar...
Fast forward several weeks, I added (2 weeks ago) a Gramma Loreto, that has behaved much more as I would hope using the rockwork for cover but otherwise exploring the whole tank and eating with gusto. This essentially being the 'first fish' (part deux) I acclimated and added this one directly to the DT. Its belly was a bit sunken when I got it (which concerned me) but it quickly adapted to eating crushed NLS 1 mm pellets, raw shrimp and flakes. Its belly has visibly filled out some already so hopefully the sunkenness was just due to lack of food and not internal parasites. The next fish I add (whenever that will be) will go through a more proper QT period, so by the time it gets into the DT the gramma should present no risk.
A couple of token inhabitant shots:
Today I picked up a 30Br I am going to configure into a proper sump, then start working on getting that skimmer running - what is down there now is just a plain 40Br, no partitions, with just a sock, heater and return pump in it. I've decided I prefer a 30 to the 40 anyhow - it is plenty for the amount of water that drains into the sump when the power is off and the extra 4 inches of clearance will make servicing it much easier. The 40 will then serve as utility tank (QT, water mixing, etc).
I did want to raise my LED unit off the water some to get a more even dispersal and eliminate the spotlighting effect (even the LED manufacturer recommends it). I also wanted to do something that would cut down on evaporation a bit, keep jumpers in, AND complement the overall look of the setup. I came up with this trapezoidal canopy idea... it's far from being airtight (on purpose) but does seem to help with evaporation. There is no glass cover between the LEDs and the water. I also like that the shape is less blocky looking than a rectangular canopy - makes the display area feel a bit more open.
Very pleased with how it turned out functionality-wise. The light looks great now, whereas just resting on the rim of the tank... well I suppose if you were going for the 70's Genesis concert look it was kind of cool, but not long term.
Because the tank is in the basement I used pieces of acrylic as windows on the backside of the canopy to allow some indirect daylight in. During the day when the room and tank lights are off this creates a very soothing effect (not shown here - wouldn't have been able to do it justice). The reflection you see here is the lights reflecting off the water then the acrylic back at the camera.
All surfaces of the canopy, inside and out, have 2 layers of clear 2-part epoxy as a final coat for moisture proofing (except for the acrylic windows, although the epoxy was also used to glue those in place).
As for stocking the tank, as mentioned I have been pre-occupied so that is going very slow... Started off with a handful of inverts after the cycle: A cleaner shrimp, a fire red shrimp, three peppermint shrimp, two emerald crabs and 10 snails (mix of turbo and trochus). One peppermint shrimp and several of the snails did not survive too long. Everything else is alive, well and eating. A couple of weeks after adding those inverts I added a fire goby (after a 2+ week quanrantine period). It seemed to be eating and exploring in the QT tank but once added to the DT it spent all its time swimming against the current (even though it could have chosen calmer spots) and was not to be seen again after 2 days of being introduced to the DT. There were no signs of ick or other parasites during the time I observed it. Water params in the DT and QT were very similar...
Fast forward several weeks, I added (2 weeks ago) a Gramma Loreto, that has behaved much more as I would hope using the rockwork for cover but otherwise exploring the whole tank and eating with gusto. This essentially being the 'first fish' (part deux) I acclimated and added this one directly to the DT. Its belly was a bit sunken when I got it (which concerned me) but it quickly adapted to eating crushed NLS 1 mm pellets, raw shrimp and flakes. Its belly has visibly filled out some already so hopefully the sunkenness was just due to lack of food and not internal parasites. The next fish I add (whenever that will be) will go through a more proper QT period, so by the time it gets into the DT the gramma should present no risk.
A couple of token inhabitant shots:
Today I picked up a 30Br I am going to configure into a proper sump, then start working on getting that skimmer running - what is down there now is just a plain 40Br, no partitions, with just a sock, heater and return pump in it. I've decided I prefer a 30 to the 40 anyhow - it is plenty for the amount of water that drains into the sump when the power is off and the extra 4 inches of clearance will make servicing it much easier. The 40 will then serve as utility tank (QT, water mixing, etc).
foodshape
Member
Sump is configured and swapped in. I dithered a bit over whether to go to the trouble of getting some glass cut for the partitions or go with acrylic. In the end I went with acrylic, and don't regret it. Silicone may not bond to acrylic well, but if the acrylic is thick enough not to flex much and is cut to fit snugly, then a clean bead of silicone on both sides will hold it firmly in place. Scuffing the edges of the acrylic pieces with sand paper doesn't hurt either, as you at least get an improved mechanical bond that way.
As a first-timer I decided to stick with what I figure is a simple but adaptable layout:
Sock and skimmer go on the right, return pump on the left, fuge (eventually) in the middle. The bubble trap is wide enough that should I decide to I could use it to force the water through sponge or other filter media, or live rock rubble with some eggcrate at the bottom to keep it in place. The 2-piece partition to the return pump chamber is intended to help keep both sinking and floating stuff out. I will also be putting eggcrate over this opening. I figure I also have the option of closing off either end of the bubble trap exit or return chamber entrance in order to direct the water flow (eg: in case I should want less flow on one side of the fuge area). I did not plan on a sand bed but this setup could be modified easily enough to accommodate one should I decide to.
Now that I have an actual skimmer chamber with a stable water level I can finally get the skimmer going, woohoo!
As a first-timer I decided to stick with what I figure is a simple but adaptable layout:
Sock and skimmer go on the right, return pump on the left, fuge (eventually) in the middle. The bubble trap is wide enough that should I decide to I could use it to force the water through sponge or other filter media, or live rock rubble with some eggcrate at the bottom to keep it in place. The 2-piece partition to the return pump chamber is intended to help keep both sinking and floating stuff out. I will also be putting eggcrate over this opening. I figure I also have the option of closing off either end of the bubble trap exit or return chamber entrance in order to direct the water flow (eg: in case I should want less flow on one side of the fuge area). I did not plan on a sand bed but this setup could be modified easily enough to accommodate one should I decide to.
Now that I have an actual skimmer chamber with a stable water level I can finally get the skimmer going, woohoo!
sweatervest13
Active Member
Foodshape. Nice work. The tank looks good. It is ready for some fish!!!!
The sump plan seems good. Make sure you research the the best running height of your skimmer so you know what height to cut the baffles. Also don't make the return pump chamber too small unless you plan on running an ATO. Topping off every day can be a pain.
Keep up the good work!!
The sump plan seems good. Make sure you research the the best running height of your skimmer so you know what height to cut the baffles. Also don't make the return pump chamber too small unless you plan on running an ATO. Topping off every day can be a pain.
Keep up the good work!!
foodshape
Member
Thank you sweatervest!
The manufacturer recommends the water depth be 7"-9" for the skimmer, with an ideal depth of 7.5". I've set the baffle to 8", which leaves a little flexibility to raise the skimmer a bit if need be. As for how much of the sump will be subject to decreasing water levels due to evaporation, that'd be everything outside the skimmer area, or roughly 2' x 2'. After 2 days of running the water level in that area has dropped less than 1/2", so it's more the salinity changes I'd worry about than the pump running dry. I do plan to look into an ATO of some sort eventually, I'll certainly need one if I ever plan to go on vacation again, lol.
I agree, some more fish needed now... my gramma looks a bit lonely in there. I'm open to suggestions for colorful, relatively peaceful reef safe fish. A six-line wrasse or one of the fairy wrasses perhaps, except that I've chosen to keep this tank bare-bottom. There is a lot of cover in the live rock - are there any wrasses that wouldn't suffer from lack of sand?
My penchant for other choices keeps changing... I do want this to be a reef tank eventually and am trying to keep that in mind with respect to fish choices. Might have to take a few risks there though in order to accommodate a centerpiece fish (or two). I know dwarf angels would be hit-miss with corals and one to a tank. I had my mind set on a flame angel for a long time; But then I saw an Eibli angel at the LFS that looked awfully nice in a slightly less gaudy way. It was a bit larger than I understand one should get them at though (this one was 3"+, and I keep hearing that a tank needs to be more mature before adding dwarf angels anyway). I gather a yellow tang might be possible but frankly I've got so much bright yellow in my African cichlid tanks the yellow tangs just don't excite me that much. How about a Heniochus diphreutes or two (would be tempted to pounce on them if I found them)? Clowns, maybe, maybe not... I understand percula or ocellaris might work well - I guess it would just bug me though to have visitors say "hmm, Nemo fish - how tacky". So many choices... but not so many 'just right' ones it seems.
Not sure there are even any copepods in there - maybe I need to look closer but there doesn't seem to be anything like microfauna I can see in the water. What do copepods look like, how big are they and how does one get them established?
The manufacturer recommends the water depth be 7"-9" for the skimmer, with an ideal depth of 7.5". I've set the baffle to 8", which leaves a little flexibility to raise the skimmer a bit if need be. As for how much of the sump will be subject to decreasing water levels due to evaporation, that'd be everything outside the skimmer area, or roughly 2' x 2'. After 2 days of running the water level in that area has dropped less than 1/2", so it's more the salinity changes I'd worry about than the pump running dry. I do plan to look into an ATO of some sort eventually, I'll certainly need one if I ever plan to go on vacation again, lol.
I agree, some more fish needed now... my gramma looks a bit lonely in there. I'm open to suggestions for colorful, relatively peaceful reef safe fish. A six-line wrasse or one of the fairy wrasses perhaps, except that I've chosen to keep this tank bare-bottom. There is a lot of cover in the live rock - are there any wrasses that wouldn't suffer from lack of sand?
My penchant for other choices keeps changing... I do want this to be a reef tank eventually and am trying to keep that in mind with respect to fish choices. Might have to take a few risks there though in order to accommodate a centerpiece fish (or two). I know dwarf angels would be hit-miss with corals and one to a tank. I had my mind set on a flame angel for a long time; But then I saw an Eibli angel at the LFS that looked awfully nice in a slightly less gaudy way. It was a bit larger than I understand one should get them at though (this one was 3"+, and I keep hearing that a tank needs to be more mature before adding dwarf angels anyway). I gather a yellow tang might be possible but frankly I've got so much bright yellow in my African cichlid tanks the yellow tangs just don't excite me that much. How about a Heniochus diphreutes or two (would be tempted to pounce on them if I found them)? Clowns, maybe, maybe not... I understand percula or ocellaris might work well - I guess it would just bug me though to have visitors say "hmm, Nemo fish - how tacky". So many choices... but not so many 'just right' ones it seems.
Not sure there are even any copepods in there - maybe I need to look closer but there doesn't seem to be anything like microfauna I can see in the water. What do copepods look like, how big are they and how does one get them established?
foodshape
Member
Thanks tthemadd1, one more good reason to get that fuge going in the sump.
As for another fish I ended up going with a one spot foxface. Been on my candidate list for awhile for its many good traits (hardy, reef-safe, peaceful, algae eater, interesting body shape and sharp colour contrast...). The majority of accounts that I've read suggest 1 Siganus unimaculatus would be ok in a 75g reef tank. I hope that is true because I quite like this fish. This will undoubtedly ultimately be the largest fish in there. The fish is in QT since yesterday; fed little bit of HBH Veggie 8 flakes and algae wafers, both of which were sampled at first then eaten. This AM I offered a few 1mm pellets of garlic soaked New Life Spectrum, which he/she seemed to relish. The fish often puts on its camo pattern when I'm anywhere nearby but happily puts on its daytime colours on those occasions when I make food appear.
So the actual potential fish stock list still has a few openings...
1 royal gramma (in DT)
1 one spot foxface (in QT)
Future possibilities:
1 reef safe wrasse of some sort
1 dwarf angel (undecided on that one due to reef-safe concerns and potential aggression issues)
pair of clownfish (would need to be ocellaris due to aggression concerns with other species; undecided on whether I want these yet)
...open to alternate suggestions.
As for another fish I ended up going with a one spot foxface. Been on my candidate list for awhile for its many good traits (hardy, reef-safe, peaceful, algae eater, interesting body shape and sharp colour contrast...). The majority of accounts that I've read suggest 1 Siganus unimaculatus would be ok in a 75g reef tank. I hope that is true because I quite like this fish. This will undoubtedly ultimately be the largest fish in there. The fish is in QT since yesterday; fed little bit of HBH Veggie 8 flakes and algae wafers, both of which were sampled at first then eaten. This AM I offered a few 1mm pellets of garlic soaked New Life Spectrum, which he/she seemed to relish. The fish often puts on its camo pattern when I'm anywhere nearby but happily puts on its daytime colours on those occasions when I make food appear.
So the actual potential fish stock list still has a few openings...
1 royal gramma (in DT)
1 one spot foxface (in QT)
Future possibilities:
1 reef safe wrasse of some sort
1 dwarf angel (undecided on that one due to reef-safe concerns and potential aggression issues)
pair of clownfish (would need to be ocellaris due to aggression concerns with other species; undecided on whether I want these yet)
...open to alternate suggestions.
sweatervest13
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by foodshape http:///t/394612/foodshapes-1st-time-sw-build/20#post_3525598
Thanks tthemadd1, one more good reason to get that fuge going in the sump.
As for another fish I ended up going with a one spot foxface. Been on my candidate list for awhile for its many good traits (hardy, reef-safe, peaceful, algae eater, interesting body shape and sharp colour contrast...). The majority of accounts that I've read suggest 1 Siganus unimaculatus would be ok in a 75g reef tank. I hope that is true because I quite like this fish. This will undoubtedly ultimately be the largest fish in there. The fish is in QT since yesterday; fed little bit of HBH Veggie 8 flakes and algae wafers, both of which were sampled at first then eaten. This AM I offered a few 1mm pellets of garlic soaked New Life Spectrum, which he/she seemed to relish. The fish often puts on its camo pattern when I'm anywhere nearby but happily puts on its daytime colours on those occasions when I make food appear.
So the actual potential fish stock list still has a few openings...
1 royal gramma (in DT)
1 one spot foxface (in QT)
Future possibilities:
1 reef safe wrasse of some sort
1 dwarf angel (undecided on that one due to reef-safe concerns and potential aggression issues)
pair of clownfish (would need to be ocellaris due to aggression concerns with other species; undecided on whether I want these yet)
...open to alternate suggestions.
For dwarf angels, you can test their reef safe(ness) while you have them in QT. Just take a small frag and add it to the QT. See if the Angel bothers it at all. If it leaves the frag alone you have a lot better chance. I have a coral beauty in QT right now. I am going to add some yellow polyps to see if he nips at them.
Now for clams... You kind of have to chance it and see.
Do you like Cardinal fish?? A Kole tang or Tomini Tang would be cool.
It sounds like you did the research for the skimmer (
). Your baffle height should work well!!! I like the two compartment sumps for water evaporation (this gives you a lot of wiggle room). Plus, that's how I have mine set up!!
Originally Posted by foodshape http:///t/394612/foodshapes-1st-time-sw-build/20#post_3525598
Thanks tthemadd1, one more good reason to get that fuge going in the sump.
As for another fish I ended up going with a one spot foxface. Been on my candidate list for awhile for its many good traits (hardy, reef-safe, peaceful, algae eater, interesting body shape and sharp colour contrast...). The majority of accounts that I've read suggest 1 Siganus unimaculatus would be ok in a 75g reef tank. I hope that is true because I quite like this fish. This will undoubtedly ultimately be the largest fish in there. The fish is in QT since yesterday; fed little bit of HBH Veggie 8 flakes and algae wafers, both of which were sampled at first then eaten. This AM I offered a few 1mm pellets of garlic soaked New Life Spectrum, which he/she seemed to relish. The fish often puts on its camo pattern when I'm anywhere nearby but happily puts on its daytime colours on those occasions when I make food appear.
So the actual potential fish stock list still has a few openings...
1 royal gramma (in DT)
1 one spot foxface (in QT)
Future possibilities:
1 reef safe wrasse of some sort
1 dwarf angel (undecided on that one due to reef-safe concerns and potential aggression issues)
pair of clownfish (would need to be ocellaris due to aggression concerns with other species; undecided on whether I want these yet)
...open to alternate suggestions.
For dwarf angels, you can test their reef safe(ness) while you have them in QT. Just take a small frag and add it to the QT. See if the Angel bothers it at all. If it leaves the frag alone you have a lot better chance. I have a coral beauty in QT right now. I am going to add some yellow polyps to see if he nips at them.
Now for clams... You kind of have to chance it and see.
Do you like Cardinal fish?? A Kole tang or Tomini Tang would be cool.
It sounds like you did the research for the skimmer (
foodshape
Member
Finally got around to re-doing the aquascape to something that feels more solid and looks (to me) more aesthetically appealing. I'm letting the algae go a bit for now; My one-spot foxface absolutely loved that for the couple of days he was in there (more on that below). While I've never placed a coral in my life I am hoping I have left plenty of good locations here for eventual coral placement.
I can see a clear difference in the algae within days just by cutting down or increasing the lighting hours so that shouldn't be difficult to get rid of when I decide to. Haven't even fired up the skimmer yet - haven't needed to as the bio-load is still quite low (1 royal gramma, a couple of emerald crabs, 3 small red-leg hermits, 1 cleaner and 1 fire red shrimp, and a dozen or so turbo, trochus and astrea snails). I'll probably start the skimmer very soon though.
wrt the one-spot foxface, I am guilty of having rushed the QT. He was in QT for 1 week, active, eating well and showing no signs of parasites - I let impatience get the best of me and moved him to the DT (water params between QT and DT were virtually identical). Within 2 days both his eyes were cloudy and appeared to have something hanging from them (assuming parasites). I have removed him to a 10g hospital tank for treatment. I had Clout on hand and have had excellent success with that medicine for FW parasite issues, so I am trying that. It does state that it is also for marine use, except for scale-less fish, invertebrates, lionfish and live rock (there are none of those in the hospital tank).
The QT tank now contains 2 small ocellaris clowns. I'll leave them in there longer than I did with the foxface, and will treat them preventatively as well, either with Clout or Prazi-pro. I am hoping to avoid having to treat the DT (I would not anyway with Clout). The royal gramma has been in the DT about 5 weeks now with no signs of any issues.
I can see a clear difference in the algae within days just by cutting down or increasing the lighting hours so that shouldn't be difficult to get rid of when I decide to. Haven't even fired up the skimmer yet - haven't needed to as the bio-load is still quite low (1 royal gramma, a couple of emerald crabs, 3 small red-leg hermits, 1 cleaner and 1 fire red shrimp, and a dozen or so turbo, trochus and astrea snails). I'll probably start the skimmer very soon though.
wrt the one-spot foxface, I am guilty of having rushed the QT. He was in QT for 1 week, active, eating well and showing no signs of parasites - I let impatience get the best of me and moved him to the DT (water params between QT and DT were virtually identical). Within 2 days both his eyes were cloudy and appeared to have something hanging from them (assuming parasites). I have removed him to a 10g hospital tank for treatment. I had Clout on hand and have had excellent success with that medicine for FW parasite issues, so I am trying that. It does state that it is also for marine use, except for scale-less fish, invertebrates, lionfish and live rock (there are none of those in the hospital tank).
The QT tank now contains 2 small ocellaris clowns. I'll leave them in there longer than I did with the foxface, and will treat them preventatively as well, either with Clout or Prazi-pro. I am hoping to avoid having to treat the DT (I would not anyway with Clout). The royal gramma has been in the DT about 5 weeks now with no signs of any issues.
foodshape
Member
Well, ran into a 'bump in the road' today, my 30Br sump is leaking!
I swapped it back out and put the bare 40Br back under there for now to keep running the pump, sock and heater. Tomorrow I'll have to take the sump outside and see if I can figure out where it is leaking from and what went wrong. When I removed it from the stand I checked to see if the support was not holding up well. All still seemed to be level and solid but now I'm wondering if it might be flexing when the sump is in there with water. Could be a support issue, or the 30Br (new) could be a defective tank (that would be the first time I've encountered such an issue in 25+ yrs), or perhaps in fitting the acrylic partitions in I somehow compressed, cut or damaged the silicone seal of the 30Br. I did sand the corners of the acrylic pieces to round them somewhat where they would be meeting a silicone joint, to avoid doing just that...
I swapped it back out and put the bare 40Br back under there for now to keep running the pump, sock and heater. Tomorrow I'll have to take the sump outside and see if I can figure out where it is leaking from and what went wrong. When I removed it from the stand I checked to see if the support was not holding up well. All still seemed to be level and solid but now I'm wondering if it might be flexing when the sump is in there with water. Could be a support issue, or the 30Br (new) could be a defective tank (that would be the first time I've encountered such an issue in 25+ yrs), or perhaps in fitting the acrylic partitions in I somehow compressed, cut or damaged the silicone seal of the 30Br. I did sand the corners of the acrylic pieces to round them somewhat where they would be meeting a silicone joint, to avoid doing just that...
2quills
Well-Known Member
Yep, depending on the size of your chambers and the thickness of the acrylic baffles they can bow/flex pretty significantly. Silicone doesn't form a strong bond with plastic like it does with glass it could open up gaps in the joints if it's flexing too much. You should be using 1/4" thick acrylic as a minimum for those size tanks as a sump. Though, 3/8" would be preferred.
foodshape
Member
I think the acrylic I used is 5/16" in thickness (thickest the mega-hardware store had). While it does flex a little bit it's the glass tank that is leaking (the acrylic leaking a bit from one chamber to another would be somewhat less of a concern..). So are you saying the acrylic flexing may be damaging the silicone seals of the glass tank? I suppose I could see that happening. If that is what's happening then I'll know exactly where to look as there is only one piece of acrylic in contact with the glass' joints that would be subject to flexing (none of the other pieces are subject to stress from different water heights).
2quills
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by foodshape http:///t/394612/foodshapes-1st-time-sw-build/20#post_3528037
I think the acrylic I used is 5/16" in thickness (thickest the mega-hardware store had). While it does flex a little bit it's the glass tank that is leaking (the acrylic leaking a bit from one chamber to another would be somewhat less of a concern..). So are you saying the acrylic flexing may be damaging the silicone seals of the glass tank? I suppose I could see that happening. If that is what's happening then I'll know exactly where to look as there is only one piece of acrylic in contact with the glass' joints that would be subject to flexing (none of the other pieces are subject to stress from different water heights).
Yes, the acrylic does expand when submerged to a small but measurable degree. I've read a few cases where guys have fit their baffles a bit too tight and it has led to tanks cracking.so it can flex the glass. The general rule is to cut the baffles approximately 1/8" - 1/4" of an inch shy to allow for the expansion. Sorry, I got confuzzled at first.
Originally Posted by foodshape http:///t/394612/foodshapes-1st-time-sw-build/20#post_3528037
I think the acrylic I used is 5/16" in thickness (thickest the mega-hardware store had). While it does flex a little bit it's the glass tank that is leaking (the acrylic leaking a bit from one chamber to another would be somewhat less of a concern..). So are you saying the acrylic flexing may be damaging the silicone seals of the glass tank? I suppose I could see that happening. If that is what's happening then I'll know exactly where to look as there is only one piece of acrylic in contact with the glass' joints that would be subject to flexing (none of the other pieces are subject to stress from different water heights).
Yes, the acrylic does expand when submerged to a small but measurable degree. I've read a few cases where guys have fit their baffles a bit too tight and it has led to tanks cracking.so it can flex the glass. The general rule is to cut the baffles approximately 1/8" - 1/4" of an inch shy to allow for the expansion. Sorry, I got confuzzled at first.
foodshape
Member
Ah, thanks for clarifying. Did not consider the acrylic would expand... Yes, I did try to fit'em in pretty snug to prevent them 'escaping' the surrounding silicone bead through flexing. I guess I should have made them a bit looser and just used more silicone... Oh well, now to see if I can fix it.