Officially joined the hobby today!!!

gcgrad

gcgrad

Member
Ok... more questions ofcourse. I'm going to paint the back of my QT and DT tank. Went to Lowes and guy in paint department recommended Vaspar gloss spraypaint for the glass. The paint isn't specifically for glass but he said it should work. I was going to purchase the "pacific blue" color. Also while I was there I checked out the plumbing department. The overflow box I plan to use states that 1 1/2" plumbing is necessary. Checked out the pvc piping and noticed a 1 1/2" pvc hose. Has anyone used pvc hose for their plumbing? I plan to simply run pvc from the overflow to the sump, using a valve to control flow to skimmer and fuge compartment. Then pump water up to DT using wye instead of using a 90 degree elbow. Lastly, I've been shopping around for rock and found a site which has "Reef Saver" eco dry live rock. The site says you can seed the rock simply by placing it in the tank, adding heated saltwater with circulation, leaving the lights off for 2-3 weeks to let a biofilm form. Then the tank is ready to cycle. The site also says that you can obtain a piece of coralline to seed the dry rock. Has anyone ever heard of these methods before? I love how the rock looks!
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Enamel paint should work just fine......I've painted quite a few tanks, and have sprayed them as well, but prefer to roll the paint on.....I feel I just have more control, and no over spray as well.
As far as your plumbing I would use spa flex tubing vs regular tubing you'll find at HD or Lowes.....Their vinyl tubing is to easy to kink IMHO......I would either go spa flex or hard PVC my plumbing......There are other options available as far as hoses, but you said you wanted to put a valve in, so I won't bring the other hoses into play.....
Yes you can seed base/dry rock with a good piece of LR.....Done all the time....
Ok... more questions ofcourse. I'm going to paint the back of my QT and DT tank. Went to Lowes and guy in paint department recommended Vaspar gloss spraypaint for the glass. The paint isn't specifically for glass but he said it should work. I was going to purchase the "pacific blue" color. Also while I was there I checked out the plumbing department. The overflow box I plan to use states that 1 1/2" plumbing is necessary. Checked out the pvc piping and noticed a 1 1/2" pvc hose. Has anyone used pvc hose for their plumbing? I plan to simply run pvc from the overflow to the sump, using a valve to control flow to skimmer and fuge compartment. Then pump water up to DT using wye instead of using a 90 degree elbow. Lastly, I've been shopping around for rock and found a site which has "Reef Saver" eco dry live rock. The site says you can seed the rock simply by placing it in the tank, adding heated saltwater with circulation, leaving the lights off for 2-3 weeks to let a biofilm form. Then the tank is ready to cycle. The site also says that you can obtain a piece of coralline to seed the dry rock. Has anyone ever heard of these methods before? I love how the rock looks!
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
When you put your live rock (good coralline growth) in your tank. Use a tooth brush on the live rock to add in the release of spores to colonize the other rocks
 
gcgrad

gcgrad

Member

Octopus Skimmer and mag 5 pump sitting in sump tank.

2 x Koralia 1050 powerheads and 1 koralia 550.

API saltwater test kit.

20 gallon QT.
Just got the skimmer, powerheads, pump, and test kit today! Everything looks awesome! Makes me want to purchase more equipment immediately.lol
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Just FYI, in my view, the black back really makes what is in the tank stand out more-so then any other backing. Most hobbyist agree. There's a temptation to go blue because its a fish tank, but blue does not stand out like the black background. However, if you allow the back wall to grow in, then it won't be long before you can't even see that back glass.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
what i would do if you have the time is to pant the lower section of the back black and then transition to a dark blue as you get to the top. you will get a nice feeling of depth that way.
BTW what is that monster valve in the tank
 
gcgrad

gcgrad

Member
Thanks for the tips! Joe, I have navy blue and black paint to paint the back of the tank with. Using the back for the bottom 1/3, combination of black and blue for middle 1/3 for cool transition, then blue for the top 1/3. I would have painted today but it's too cold and windy.
 
gcgrad

gcgrad

Member
Well I finally got my baffles today. I put in the order almost 3 weeks ago and today I picked them up. Come to find out that only 1 of the pieces actually fits. The rest of them were 1/16" too long. Which may not seem like much, but when you are putting them in the tank that makes the difference between fitting and not. Also noticed that the edges weren't even cut straight, they were angled. Needless to say I am pretty furious and called the place and to tell them the deal. It took them 1 week longer to cut them then when they originally said, then they didn't even do it right.
Sorry I'm venting but it's very frustrating. On a different note I have painted the back of the QT and I think it looks pretty good. Will post a pic asap.
 
sapper577

sapper577

New Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth http:///forum/thread/383014/officially-joined-the-hobby-today/100#post_3354063
Just FYI, in my view, the black back really makes what is in the tank stand out more-so then any other backing. Most hobbyist agree. There's a temptation to go blue because its a fish tank, but blue does not stand out like the black background. However, if you allow the back wall to grow in, then it won't be long before you can't even see that back glass.
I think you will be happy with the darker colors too. It just seems to make the more colorful things in the tank stand out more.I plan on painting mine black.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by gcgrad http:///forum/thread/383014/officially-joined-the-hobby-today/100#post_3356509
Well I finally got my baffles today. I put in the order almost 3 weeks ago and today I picked them up. Come to find out that only 1 of the pieces actually fits. The rest of them were 1/16" too long. Which may not seem like much, but when you are putting them in the tank that makes the difference between fitting and not. Also noticed that the edges weren't even cut straight, they were angled. Needless to say I am pretty furious and called the place and to tell them the deal. It took them 1 week longer to cut them then when they originally said, then they didn't even do it right.
Sorry I'm venting but it's very frustrating. On a different note I have painted the back of the QT and I think it looks pretty good. Will post a pic asap.

I'm horrible at measures. I took card stock paper and made a template to the exact size and height I wanted the baffles. I wrote on the sump template "make 3Xs" then on the refugium template I wrote "make 2Xs". I took them to a local glass cutter and he cut them right then and there for 37.00 for the 5 pieces. They fit exact. he rounded the one edge I wanted, it took him 15 minutes altogether and I was on my way back home to complete my sump/refugium
 
gcgrad

gcgrad

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/383014/officially-joined-the-hobby-today/100#post_3356548
Quote:
Originally Posted by gcgrad http:///forum/thread/383014/officially-joined-the-hobby-today/100#post_3356509
Well I finally got my baffles today. I put in the order almost 3 weeks ago and today I picked them up. Come to find out that only 1 of the pieces actually fits. The rest of them were 1/16" too long. Which may not seem like much, but when you are putting them in the tank that makes the difference between fitting and not. Also noticed that the edges weren't even cut straight, they were angled. Needless to say I am pretty furious and called the place and to tell them the deal. It took them 1 week longer to cut them then when they originally said, then they didn't even do it right.
Sorry I'm venting but it's very frustrating. On a different note I have painted the back of the QT and I think it looks pretty good. Will post a pic asap.

I'm horrible at measures. I took card stock paper and made a template to the exact size and height I wanted the baffles. I wrote on the sump template "make 3Xs" then on the refugium template I wrote "make 2Xs". I took them to a local glass cutter and he cut them right then and there for 37.00 for the 5 pieces. They fit exact. he rounded the one edge I wanted, it took him 15 minutes altogether and I was on my way back home to complete my sump/refugium
Well I would hope the guy cutting the pieces would know the difference between 11 3/4" and 11 13/16". Apparently he didn't really care that much, or he was working too fast. Needless to say he's going to have to re-cut them. I was going to suggest bringing the pieces back and trimming them. But they just said they would cut them again. I'll take my tank with me next time and I won't leave until all of them fit. I didn't pay $37 for a shotty glass cutting job.
 
gcgrad

gcgrad

Member
Alright, got my dry "reef saver" rock today!



Also got my RO/DI system and my Finnex heaters!


So pumped to turn all this into something special. Still have some more purchases to be made. Need salt mix, substrate, and refractometer. Any suggestions? Keep in mind that I plan on having the system be a reef one day, and plan to use dry sand which will be seeded by the rock. Thoughts welcomed!!!
 
gcgrad

gcgrad

Member
Equipment update folks. This is what I have as of now.
29 Gallon Tank (sump/fuge)
Glass Baffles (yet to be installed)
20 Gallon QT (back painted black/blue)
Reef Octopus Skimmer
2x Koralia Evolution 1050gph Powerhead
Koralia Evolution 550gph Powerhead
API Saltwater Test Kit
Mag Drive 500 Water Pump
8" Fish Net
65 lbs "Reef Saver" Dry Rock
Finnex 200W Heater
Finnex 150W Heater
75GPD RO/DI 5 Stage System
Still waiting to get the 55 gallon DT from my sis, as well as canopy, possibly light fixture and canister filter. Not exactly sure what all she has. Building a stand, drilling the tank, and fixing the plumbing are on the horizon.
Next to be purchased, salt mix, substrate, refractometer, thermometer. Any suggestions for these? System will be a reef tank in the future.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Looks like you have a pretty good handle on equipment. One thing I would recommend is a good mixing container for your water. Anytime you get ready to do a water change it's good practice to mix your water for approximately 24 hours ahead of time before adding it to your tank. It takes about 24 hours for all of the chemical changes to take place between the water and the salt. Many of the hobbiests here use brute trash cans (virgin cans) for mixing their water. And a power head or pump for mixing the water. Here's a shot of mine.

Typically on my 50G system I find it easier to use a 5g bucket and just do 2.5g water changes every week. But if you go longer between water changes and need to do larger ones than I bigger mixing container is a good idea to have around. I keep an extra heater handy incase I need to warm the water up to tank temp. But generally if I'm mixing it for a full 24 hours than it's already room temperature and the small amount of water added doesn't have much effect on the tank temp when I add it so I don't bother heating it.
 
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