cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
Heat rises. Place the heater as far down as you can. My heaters are in my sump.
Rummy's 65g Reef Build
- Thread starter NickRummy
- Start date
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I don't really have room in my sump..... It's only 11.75" wide and the refugium is about 12.5" long. That really limits what I can use. My 250w stealth ALMOST fit the 12.5" length of the refugium. I know a 150w should. I'm tempted to take out the 150w Jager and replace it with (2) 100w or (2) 150w stealths and then keep the 250w in the DT for a safety.
Well I added 60lbs of sand a few days ago. Just enough to get the sand up to the frame on the bottom of the tank. Also added what's left to the refugium. Added when all the power was off and let it sit for a couple hours and fired everything back up. Took a couple days but it seems to have settled nicely. Still a lot of fine sand stuck to things like the power heads and the glass of the display tank. I'll have to clean that off.
The live sand I was going to get from my friend isn't working out. They had about 4" of sand in their tank and when they started pulling it up (cleaning out their tank completely) they said the smell was horrific and lots of black colored sand. They didn't want to give me anything bad.
should I get one bag of "live" sand to seed the tank form the LFS or is that a complete waste and the live rock I'm getting will do that?
Tank is staying steady between 78-80 right now and I have SG at 1.0255 with the tank completely full and around 1.026 when the return chamber is low from evaporation.
From the sound of it I'll have my live rock in tomorrow!
Still having issues with my overflow making noise (as seen in my DIY plumbing thread) but it still functions.
The live sand I was going to get from my friend isn't working out. They had about 4" of sand in their tank and when they started pulling it up (cleaning out their tank completely) they said the smell was horrific and lots of black colored sand. They didn't want to give me anything bad.
should I get one bag of "live" sand to seed the tank form the LFS or is that a complete waste and the live rock I'm getting will do that?
Tank is staying steady between 78-80 right now and I have SG at 1.0255 with the tank completely full and around 1.026 when the return chamber is low from evaporation.
From the sound of it I'll have my live rock in tomorrow!
Still having issues with my overflow making noise (as seen in my DIY plumbing thread) but it still functions.
Added 18lbs or CaribSea Direct Ocean live sand to the tank last night and about 2lbs to the fuge. Water temp is stable as is salinity. Got the overflow pretty quiet which was good.
Since I have the test kits I decided to test the water before adding anything "live" to the tank so these tests are before adding the live sand.
SG = 1.0255
Temp - 78
PH - 8.2
Ammonia - 0 questionably between 0-.25ppm (Didn't look like an absolute 0 but not close to .25ppm either)
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
Calcium - 480ppm
Kh - 214.8ppm
Phosphate - 0
Should be getting live rock in tonight
Since I have the test kits I decided to test the water before adding anything "live" to the tank so these tests are before adding the live sand.
SG = 1.0255
Temp - 78
PH - 8.2
Ammonia - 0 questionably between 0-.25ppm (Didn't look like an absolute 0 but not close to .25ppm either)
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
Calcium - 480ppm
Kh - 214.8ppm
Phosphate - 0
Should be getting live rock in tonight
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
The LS you bought was a waste. There's nothing in the bag to keep bacteria alive that long.
The LR you are getting is all you need to seed the sand.
One the LR is in the tank you can cycle it. At that point all you need to test for is ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Don't worry about anything else till the cycle is complete.
The LR you are getting is all you need to seed the sand.
One the LR is in the tank you can cycle it. At that point all you need to test for is ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Don't worry about anything else till the cycle is complete.
Yeh I read that the LS was hit or miss for people. A friend of mine suggested it and since I already had a bag of aragamax to return I figured I'd throw it in for the heck of it.
What's a good testing schedule after the LR is added?
What's a good testing schedule after the LR is added?
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would test ammonia daily to look for an increase.
Where is the LR coming from?
Is being shipped overnight or will it be in transit longer than that?
Was it sold as fully cured?
All of that plays into whether or not you need to add a raw shrimp for kick-starting the cycle. If you get fresh uncured LR, you won't need to add anything. The die off on the rock will start your cycle.
Where is the LR coming from?
Is being shipped overnight or will it be in transit longer than that?
Was it sold as fully cured?
All of that plays into whether or not you need to add a raw shrimp for kick-starting the cycle. If you get fresh uncured LR, you won't need to add anything. The die off on the rock will start your cycle.
Live rock is from a friend and is currently in a tote with heater and power head. I'll be picking it up in 5g buckets and keeping it all submerged in water. It was taken out of a tank and had hair algea on it 1-2 months ago and has been sitting in the tote it's in now ever since.
How soon should I see die off from the LR? I checked it last night after it had been in the tank for a day and ammonia is still 0.
Looks like I had some hitch hikers. Found 2 snails, a mushroom and some type of coral. Still need to ID it....
Do you guys run any type of filtration in the sump besides a skimmer? My tank takes forever to clear up and even then it's not totally clear. I've been reading about people using activated carbon in a reactor and people using filter socks over returns. The socks produce nitrates after a while?
I am thinking about getting some of the blue filter pad material and placing it in the bubble trap of my sump so that the water being pulled through from the return will be filtered. Is this is a bad idea if I keep it rinsed? I will most likely take it out after the tank has cleared up.
Looks like I had some hitch hikers. Found 2 snails, a mushroom and some type of coral. Still need to ID it....
Do you guys run any type of filtration in the sump besides a skimmer? My tank takes forever to clear up and even then it's not totally clear. I've been reading about people using activated carbon in a reactor and people using filter socks over returns. The socks produce nitrates after a while?
I am thinking about getting some of the blue filter pad material and placing it in the bubble trap of my sump so that the water being pulled through from the return will be filtered. Is this is a bad idea if I keep it rinsed? I will most likely take it out after the tank has cleared up.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
you would never use a filter sock over a return. if anything, use one at the drain, inside the sump.
it's not a bad idea to use filter floss if you clean it regularly. the problem i see using filter pads is that you capture and kill a lot of tiny life when you remove those pads for cleaning, and that life is meant to head up to the display.
that rock might not produce any ammonia. it might be cycled/cured and ready to go. i would give it 2 weeks before i assumed that.
it's not a bad idea to use filter floss if you clean it regularly. the problem i see using filter pads is that you capture and kill a lot of tiny life when you remove those pads for cleaning, and that life is meant to head up to the display.
that rock might not produce any ammonia. it might be cycled/cured and ready to go. i would give it 2 weeks before i assumed that.
I guess I got my terminology mixed up. I didn't mean on the return for the filter sock. I meant on the return from the overflow so like you said, the drain into the sump.
Great point on the filter floss. Will it trap tiny life in it or will it just keep it from passing to the return pump? My trap is after the fuge so if it just keeps them from passing to the main tank while it's being used I'm ok with that. If it's trapping life inside then that kind of sucks..... It's probably best to do filtering before the fuge I'm thinking?
The live rock that I used was in the tank for about a year. Then placed into 5g buckets and transported to my house immediately. At that point it went right into the tank. There was also some rock that went into the tank that was just cured. Had been in a tote for a month or two with a powerhead and heater.
If there is no ammonia spike, just let it go a couple weeks then do a PWC and start with a few live stock?
Great point on the filter floss. Will it trap tiny life in it or will it just keep it from passing to the return pump? My trap is after the fuge so if it just keeps them from passing to the main tank while it's being used I'm ok with that. If it's trapping life inside then that kind of sucks..... It's probably best to do filtering before the fuge I'm thinking?
The live rock that I used was in the tank for about a year. Then placed into 5g buckets and transported to my house immediately. At that point it went right into the tank. There was also some rock that went into the tank that was just cured. Had been in a tote for a month or two with a powerhead and heater.
If there is no ammonia spike, just let it go a couple weeks then do a PWC and start with a few live stock?
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
yeah, if you can put the floss before the refugium, (a filter sock might be better for this) that would be good.
the tiny life i referred to will want to live in the filter floss. i always hated cleaning out cannisters and HOb filters after running them for a while...they were always loaded with starfish, pods, worms....
i found myself sitting there with tweezers trying to save every single one...
the tiny life i referred to will want to live in the filter floss. i always hated cleaning out cannisters and HOb filters after running them for a while...they were always loaded with starfish, pods, worms....
i found myself sitting there with tweezers trying to save every single one...
Thanks yet again Doug for the help. Filter sock sounds like a good plan. Are those something Petsmart and major places will stock? I need to pull the skimmer out to get it cleaned up from all the sand that was in the tank so that'll be a good time to put the sock on.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
yes, you should be able to find them pretty easily. btw, try to get a large one, like 8". they last longer before needing cleaning and they are much easier to clean. i found the little 4"ers are hard to turn inside out.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
na..you're probably going to have to rig something up to hold the sock in place...
Well I don't think I got what I should have
I think I can make it work though. I'm just going to cut the filter to size and put it into the media bag and attach that to the end of the drain tube. Should work about the same right? Just keep it rinsed well.
The media bag isn't a filter right? It just holds media? I looked everywhere for an actual filter sock and nothing.....
I think I can make it work though. I'm just going to cut the filter to size and put it into the media bag and attach that to the end of the drain tube. Should work about the same right? Just keep it rinsed well.
The media bag isn't a filter right? It just holds media? I looked everywhere for an actual filter sock and nothing.....
Attachments
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
i don't know how that's going to work for ya. why not just order a few filter socks online?
Filter Sock Mechanical Filter Media
Filter Sock Mechanical Filter Media
I'll chalk my idea up to a learning experience
I called the LFS and they actually just got a 200 micron sock in the same day so I buzzed over to pick it up. It's this style. Put it on last night and seems to be working well. Would getting a 100 micron sock be better?
Filter Sock 100 micron With Drawstring 7in x 16 inch
Day 2 of the LR in place seems to be doing great. Ammonia was up to around .25ppm. I found some type of Xenia still on one rock and have some type of mushroom as well. I also noticed these really small red looking spots of "hair". Maybe 6-7 of them which were not there when the rock was added to the tank. They're pretty small, look like maybe 2-3 strands of hair only about 1/8" in length and bright right.
