Snake's Official 110g Build Thread

novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
I've never been a fan of going barebottom (regarding tanks......
) but neither do I care for lots of sand in the tank. 1 inch or so is the way to go....won't be enough to give you any denitrification, but neither will it cause many anoxic problems down the road. You get the "looks" of a natural seabed without the hassle.
I'm still thinking it over, but I'm pretty sure I'm going with Tahitian Black for mine. I'm a little nervous, though....it's a very permanent decision. Are you thinking of a coarse grain white reef sand, or something a little darker? When my friend from Palm Bay set her tank up, she was short on cash so we ran the risk and got her going with actual beach sand harvested at her local beach. Central Florida beaches are a golden brown color, which would up looking surprisingly nice in the tank. Grain size is coarser, too....more broken shell in the sand than your typical sugar sand matrix.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///t/392103/snakes-official-110g-build-thread/40#post_3481397
I've never been a fan of going barebottom (regarding tanks......
) but neither do I care for lots of sand in the tank. 1 inch or so is the way to go....won't be enough to give you any denitrification, but neither will it cause many anoxic problems down the road. You get the "looks" of a natural seabed without the hassle.
I'm still thinking it over, but I'm pretty sure I'm going with Tahitian Black for mine. I'm a little nervous, though....it's a very permanent decision. Are you thinking of a coarse grain white reef sand, or something a little darker? When my friend from Palm Bay set her tank up, she was short on cash so we ran the risk and got her going with actual beach sand harvested at her local beach. Central Florida beaches are a golden brown color, which would up looking surprisingly nice in the tank. Grain size is coarser, too....more broken shell in the sand than your typical sugar sand matrix.
Agree with going with a 1" sand bed, and the coarser grained sand over the sugar sand.....Definitely not true though about the nitrification/denitrification process not occurring in a 1" sand bed....It does and has been documented, where most of the process takes place within the top 1" of a sand bed......
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
When i think of a natural reef in my mind, i always thought of having a white sand bed. I think black sand or salt and pepper sand is not going to be my route that i want to go. Just a course grain 1" sandbed.
I Am however, debating whether or not i want a 4" dsb in the refuge part of the sump or not. Im still thinking. It would be neat to watch a blue jawfish in the sump at night. But, i am still debating.
Also, does anyone have a simple idea for siphoning out detritus in a sump? Python hose? Wet vac?
Im starting to reconsider the water change system i was thinking about. I am trying to consider the benefits and the detriments. Who knows at this point.
I looked up some diy ca reactor plans and it did look super easy to do. The only thing i dont understand is,... Where can i buy some plastic mesh screen?? I was thinkig about using some plastic mesh that i use for algae scrubbers but i would think that is too flemsy. Maybe double it? Shawn, could you shed some light on this?
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Maybe i could use a piece of acrylic or some kind of plastic and drill a million tiny holes in it? Lol. I dont know.
The silicone seams of the tank are black and they are all torn up from the previous owner scratching pieces off of it. Anyone think its worth completely resealing the tank for cleaner lines?
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/392103/snakes-official-110g-build-thread/40#post_3481419
Maybe i could use a piece of acrylic or some kind of plastic and drill a million tiny holes in it? Lol. I dont know.
The silicone seams of the tank are black and they are all torn up from the previous owner scratching pieces off of it. Anyone think its worth completely resealing the tank for cleaner lines?
Are we talking a glass tank or acrylic......If it's a glass tank I would pull apart completely and do a total reseal job.......
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/392103/snakes-official-110g-build-thread/40#post_3481417
When i think of a natural reef in my mind, i always thought of having a white sand bed. I think black sand or salt and pepper sand is not going to be my route that i want to go. Just a course grain 1" sandbed.
I Am however, debating whether or not i want a 4" dsb in the refuge part of the sump or not. Im still thinking. It would be neat to watch a blue jawfish in the sump at night. But, i am still debating.
Also, does anyone have a simple idea for siphoning out detritus in a sump? Python hose? Wet vac?
Im starting to reconsider the water change system i was thinking about. I am trying to consider the benefits and the detriments. Who knows at this point.
I looked up some diy ca reactor plans and it did look super easy to do. The only thing i dont understand is,... Where can i buy some plastic mesh screen?? I was thinkig about using some plastic mesh that i use for algae scrubbers but i would think that is too flemsy. Maybe double it? Shawn, could you shed some light on this?
Seth.......A sump can be designed to accommodate the removal of detritus......Some people actually have that in mind during their design phase and when in operation the detritus settles out in a certain area, and they just go to that area and siphon it out. I know your thinking more in line of using possibly a pump and turn a valve and it's gone.......could be done, but would need to design that feature, but personally I'd try to remove that matter before early on in my sump area, but to each it's own........
As far as reactors....I started building mine decades ago, and got side tracked along the way........I wouldn't use any type of mesh material just not sturdy enough as you stated, but my opinion as well. I want something that will hold up to the weight of the media and water....Acrylic is my choice and the choice in my plans.......I printed my plans off, but after our conversation last evening I got you the information and another link as well.........
http://jjgeisler.com/reeftank/diy_calcium_reactor.htm
http://jjgeisler.com/reeftank/diy_do_it_yourself_projects.htm
I'm building of the first links plans.....you can view the pdf files, and are very detailed........The 2nd link has tons of other things that might interest you and others as well......Enjoy.....
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
I agree with Shawn....if it's glass, you may want to reseal it. Do you know how old the tank is?
Here's a funny story. My mum-in-law had a 55g tank back in the early 80's. She broke it down eventually and it moved to her sister's place. It lived there for a few more years before being permanently stored sometime in the 90's. I found it in 2007 while cleaning out a storage bay and it became my re-entry back into the hobby. I had it for a year or so before upgrading, so it went back into storage for another year....then in 2010 I gave it to my friend in Palm Bay. Who has it to this day. So we're talking 30+ years of use, abuse, and disuse......different owners, different environments, etc.....all on the same original silicone seals. Not too shabby if you ask me!
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
My guestimate for how old the tank is would be around 20 years. Operating around 3/4 of that time.
Ill have to read up on how to do some nice and clean silicone seams.
As for the detritus, i think i am definitely going to have some mechanical filtration in the first chamber and change it out weekly. I hope this will take care of most of the detritus in the sump. The slow flow in the fuge should take care of the rest.
 
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