75g Rimless Build

[Qube]

So, I have 50lbs of BRS Pukani dry rock, this can be cured during the cycle correct? I'm in no hurry for the cycle to complete, but I'm new to dry rock...

 

[carey]

Yep, dry rock will be seeded with bacteria and become "live" over time. Within a few weeks for the bacteria to populate it then a few months til it's all encrusted over like regular live rock. I can't even tell the difference anymore with all my rock. LOL I have maybe 350lbs or more of live rock right now and believe it or not I started with under 50lbs.

 

[Qube]

Yep, dry rock will be seeded with bacteria and become "live" over time. Within a few weeks for the bacteria to populate it then a few months til it's all encrusted over like regular live rock. I can't even tell the difference anymore with all my rock. LOL I have maybe 350lbs or more of live rock right now and believe it or not I started with under 50lbs.

Great to hear! Thank you!

 

[Qube]

Aquascaping day!! The proposed plan:

 

[fort384]

That looks great!

 

[Qube]

Had to tweak it a bit, but here's the final product... For now...

 

[Qube]

Cycle is under way!

 

[carey]

Good luck!

 

[jose7878]

Qube nice setup and good job on the plumbing. Nice a clean.
About the vortech' s I would recommend the Mp40's instead of the Mp 10's. You will get more flow with them if you have to much you can always dial them down.
From what I have noticed everyone who gets the mp10's usually upgrades to the mp 40's .
Just my 2 cents

 

[Qube]

Qube nice setup and good job on the plumbing. Nice a clean.
About the vortech' s I would recommend the Mp40's instead of the Mp 10's. You will get more flow with them if you have to much you can always dial them down.
From what I have noticed everyone who gets the mp10's usually upgrades to the mp 40's .
Just my 2 cents

I appreciate that!! I'm still a little ways off from getting the vortechs and I'm still on the fence for that very reason...

 

[Qube]

Somewhat surprised as the tank appears to have cycled!! 14 days with just base rock and regular aragonite sand? My nitrite was maxed out for about 9 days of that and came down beginning last Friday and is at 0 today. Nitrates are off the charts, which is expected. Now, the only thing I did with this one was experimenting with I.O. Bio Spira. Could this have actually worked?? To be honest, I wasn't expecting to, and wanted to see if BRS's claims were true. Currently, there is still small pieces of the shrimp I used to kick start the ammonia, and I am zero across the board aside from the trates. . So, what do you think??

 

[spoonman]

Sounds like you are cycled to me!

 

[Qube]

Yeah, I feel that way too! I'm nowhere near ready for fish yet though! Hah! I was planning on 6-8 weeks and wasn't thinking that I.O. Stuff would never work... Good times...

 

[spoonman]

I used start smart and a ton of cured rock and the cycle was 6 days....

 

[Qube]

Guess I better get this show on the road!

 

[carey]

Grats on a quick cycle! Now it's a different kind of fun! Stocking and water changes ahoy! LOL

 

[Qube]

Indeed!! I'm nowhere near ready either!! I still have a lot more to buy, thankfully the BRS group buy just started!! How would you say I should keep the bacteria "fed" in the mean time? Pellets or flakes?

 

[carey]

I would throw some flakes in, it should be fine for a bit like that.

Last year I did an experiment with my 55g to see how long it could go without an ammonia source and still be cycled. It was weeks and weeks that the tank stayed cycled. I added ammonia and it was gone the next day after about a month month and a half. But that tank had a strong bio filter so I would think a new tank would last maybe as long.

What other gear do you need to be ready?

 

[Qube]

Ordering my skimmer and a reef keeper today, and then it's just lights and vortechs. I was planning on 6-8 weeks on the cycle and was saving the lights for last, as the temptation to light up the tank would be too much for me... At least I don't have the algae bloom I experienced with the last tank!! Hah!!

 

[Qube]

Alright, so a friend of mine up in the Philly area just upgraded his lighting to Radions and has a t-5 fixture that he said I can have. I'm thinking this will get some light in the tank until I get the Ecoxotics in the next month or two. My question is will this fixture be sufficient for a couple of months to support softies and a couple LPS I want to move over from the 28g? This is what I know about the fixture:

48" 4 X 54w T-5 HO with a bulb replacement done last month.

I'm not completely sure of the manufacturer, but he has it on a 55 with softies and LPS, so the dimensions are similar, mine is just a bit wider. Seems ideal for an interim, especially since its free!

So what are your thoughts?