My Long Term Reef Build Diary!

markw

Member
Thanks. Will do. Ive seen people get a little mad about splitting posts, so I didnt know if it was appropriate.

Mark
 

markw

Member
Problem almost solved. Thanks to my friend here:

I got the nut off of two of them. The other two will have to wait. The inlet pipes into the tank have an extra wide piece (coupling?) that allows tubing to be put in. This is too large to allow the nut off and is screwed on. It wouldnt fit through the overflow hole anyway. So, I will have to cut through the peice of PVC between the bulkhead and this, what Im calling it, coupling. No big deal there. After that is done, out will come the last two bulkheads, new will go in, I will find a sump, and the tank will be operational.
Thanks everyone for putting up with me. :)
Mark
 

markw

Member
Not yet. (I like the new avatar btw) Ive been having some trouble finding my bulkhead at any of my LFSs. One of them ordered four of them in for me ($20) and they should be in either tomorrow or the next day. After that, I still have to decide what skimmer I want, then get a sump that will hold it. I was looking into the octopus line. I cant seem to find any information, almost anywhere, that says how deep these skimmers must be in the water to work, however.

If anyone would like to suggest any more skimmers that will hold a 150g reef, Id be glad to hear them.
Mark
 

markw

Member
That brings me to another question. I will be getting the rock and sand soon, I think too. I am thinking I will go with mostly base rock and aragonite sand seeded with LR and some LS. I was thinking about getting about 150lbs Marco rock and 200lbs aragonite sand to start and go from there. My question is, if I were to get the rock and sand now, after getting the plumbing and such done, could I fill up the sump and get the tank cycling with the rock and sand, then put in the skimmer once I get that (before any livestock), or would it be better to get the skimmer in the same time as I put the water in?
Mark
 
I'm pretty sure the asm can run externally of the sump? So it wouldn't matter if the footprint was to big. You would have to drill your sump which isn't to hard but alot of people are scared of. This would also move some heat from your skimmer pump out of the water. Just an idea.
 

markw

Member
Hmm..after a look around, looking into the octopus NWB-200. Does anyone know the minimum water height for this skimmer?
Mark
 

markw

Member
I take that back. After looking at some reviews and doing some more researching, I really like the Coralife Super Skimmer 220. Ill have to measure as I dont know if it will fit, height-wise, in my stand after the sump is in there.
Mark
 

rlablan

Active Member
I would not get a coralife skimmer or any of the red sea ones or anything like that. I had a coralife something... can't remember but it was loud, made bubbles and would overflow. It was awful.
I hear that ASMgs are good and also I have heard really really awesome things about the SWC skimmers. When I needed a skimmer, this was recommended to me by like 10 people and had I not gotten rid of that 200 gallon system, that is what I was definitely getting.
Google Salt Water Connection and take a look at their stuff. I found the prices pretty far and I also liked that they came with sicce pumps.
Also, I would recommend that you get a skimmer rated for atleast 50 gallons more than your setup, if you can fit it. It just seems like the bigger load they can handle, the cleaner the water, the happier the reef, and the less water changes.
lemme know what you think,
Rae
 

moondog

Member
I beleive the octopus is about the same as the MSX line of skimmers, but the MSX line is much cheaper. Just be weary of that Sicce pump. I bought the MSX skimmer in August, the pump is now on it's way back for the second time. I am not sure what the deal with the pump is, it works great no matter what, but that thing will wake up the whole house when it starts rattling out of nowhere, just my experience. If you go with the MSX line, I would upgrade the pump.
Mark,
You ready for some more snow?
 

markw

Member
Alright, well..long story short, the tank was busted. My house was robbed while I was on vacation. All 150g of water and all the glass was strewn all over the floor of my living room. It was a terrible sight. Completely devistated me. Thats why Ive been gone for so long again. They left the lights and all the equipment, but thought it was needed to bust the tank for some reason. Stand and canopy still left in tact.
Long story short, this has set things down the wrong path for a while. Everything is straightened out now and I am financially ready again to start down this path. I have a few things in the works locally, which I will tell if they work out. Until then, I just wanted to let everyone know that Im back and what happened to my beautiful tank. Thank you for all your time and efforts helping me.
For now, Im starting a smaller tank which can be seen here: https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/vb/s...ild!&p=3287339, and, like I said, I have some things in the works locally. I will be back.
Mark
 

rlablan

Active Member
Very sad story indeed. I am very sorry to hear about this. :( It makes me sad that people feel the need to take and destroy things that other people have worked hard, just because they themselves cannot afford such things. People are pigs.
On a brighter note, I am happy to hear that you did not give up and you are still pursuing saltwater. I myself have not been around lately but I am lurking. I am still keeping an eye on your progress.
Cheers,
Rae
 
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