G-funk's 55g reef journal

garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
Originally Posted by reefkprZ
that was johncat not me.
My mistake. Do you have one? If you don't it will be the best $3.03 you will ever spend on your aquarium. Oh, Thanks for the kind words on the stand, it has taken a little longer than we first thought, but it is well worth it. I hope I can keep people's attention with this reef tank project. I have a feeling most people want to see the actual tank and not the stand,
.
 
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nemo_66

Guest
looks awesome! the best stain i have ever seen some one do! you say cheap moon lights at walmart. what section?? what color? thanks
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
Originally Posted by Nemo_66
looks awesome! the best stain i have ever seen some one do! you say cheap moon lights at walmart. what section?? what color? thanks
Thanks you very much for your kind words. It took a whole lot longer than expected, but as I said, it was WELL worth it.
They are in the light bulb section. The one I got is a blue LED bulb. It is adequate for a 30g, but I recommend at least 1 light every 2 feet you have assuming you have something larger. It lights very well and does not disturb the fish. I am planning on installing mine tonight! I'll post pics once I figure out where to hang it.
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
Finally, the stand is done and the tank is on. I just got a chance to rest for a minute after filling it up and mixing all the salt. I added 3 1/2" of base sand and I will add the final layer of live sand in the morning. I think I may add a few hermits tonight just to help settle some of the sediment. Tell me what you guys think!
Sorry for the fuzzyness, I took it with no flash.

Maddie, my obese cat, had to approve of the tank before she went to sleep....again.

The flip top storage area (I don't have enough stuff to fill it :scared: )

Hmmmm, possibly enough room for a 29g sump/fuge (wonder where I have one of those?)

We turned these into usable space intead of making panels fopr them.

...More pictures later tonight when the water clears or in the morning. We'll see.
 
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nemo_66

Guest
looks awesome!!! maybe you should start a business. you'd be rich with stands that look that good!
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
I thought about it. My family owns a custom cabinet shop and have been building kitchens and other things of that nature for years. This is just one more thing that we can add to the list of things we can build. Thanks again for the compliments. Hearing that makes it worth the effort put into the stand.
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
When should I introduce the live sand I have? Should I wait until the tank has cycled for a while? So far all the parameters are good except for temp which is about 68-70 degrees. The salinity is 1.021. What do you guys think?
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
Originally Posted by joncat24
AWESOME STAND!!!
I would wait to add the live sand till the temp gets up and get the salinity up to about 1.024-1.026
If you dont have a refractometer---get one and throw that swingarm in the trash. They are so inaccurate it is not funny. It is probably the best $40 you will ever spend in this hobby.


Ok, but in ol' bessy's defense, I clean it with scalding water after every use to prevent salt build-up. I've heard if salt builds up ut can drastically throw of readings.
BTW, I have apicture you may like, I will post it here in a minute.
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
Just put this baby on. Thanks to Joncat24, I now have a moon light on my tank. If anyone wants a cheap and easy to install moon light, look on the DIY section of these forums to get all the deatils. Thanks Joncat!!!
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
Got the salinity up to 1.025. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to get my pH up a little bit. It's at 7.8 right now.
 
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nemo_66

Guest
all you have to do is get some surface agitation(sp). buy a power head and face it kinda up so you get some flow in and above your tank. and also you can(but is not needed) get some B-Ionic. gives you some good ph and gives you nice coralline growth.
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
Originally Posted by Nemo_66
all you have to do is get some surface agitation(sp). buy a power head and face it kinda up so you get some flow in and above your tank. and also you can(but is not needed) get some B-Ionic. gives you some good ph and gives you nice coralline growth.

Ok, thanks. I'll give it a try. The temp is up to 70.
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
A few pictures to keep some interest. Sorry if it is boring, I will add the lr sometime in the next day or so.
The left fixture has a 50/50 reef sun, the right has a stock "Daylight Eclipse" bulb. I will get the other reef bulb in a few weeks. I am experimenting....muahahaha


Close up of the tiny LR pieces to give the Hermit something to do.

This is a picture of it with the moon light on. It is not as bright as it looks in the picture.

Just for fun, my Colt coral is growing like a weed in the 29g, I hope it does good in the new one.
 
sign guy

sign guy

Active Member
Originally Posted by Garfunkle
Unfortunately, Under the Wave closed a few months back. I got the tank from a store called Pet Supermarket on the corner of Sugarloaf Pkwy and Five Forks Trikum Rd. I saved $25 over the same tank at the Petsmart near my house. ***** didn't offer anything other than a full freshwater setup. I only needed the tank and light hood, so it didn't make sense to pay $200 for unwanted stuff.
THANK YOU you triggerd my memorie I forgot all about that place. last time I was there I remember they had some 55's cheap I need to pick 1 up for a QT
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
Originally Posted by sign guy
THANK YOU you triggerd my memorie I forgot all about that place. last time I was there I remember they had some 55's cheap I need to pick 1 up for a QT
No problem, I need to go there and get some more lr.
 
garfunkle

garfunkle

Member
Originally Posted by sign guy
how much is there LR?
not sure, i think $6/# give or take. I really just need base rock. I am ordering my lr online.
 
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