New 30 Gal. Tank Build!

[carey]

I know right? That is awesome in the most awesome way! I love the lights and the whole tank is just well, awesome. LOL

[MKFMedic]

Ah thanks you guys! I really do like the style of the rimless tank. It has a tempered glass top that sets on four supplied brackets that fit over the top edge of the glass and I am so tempted to ditch the top and the brackets! But I suppose, better safe than sorry! I don't want anyone to jump ship.

I'm really excited with the upgrade over my nano and could totally see myself getting a 60 gallon or bigger tank down the line, just don't tell my wife. I'm still in awe of how much more room this tank has over the 12 gallon. I know it should be obvious....

The LED light has two moonlights, which are quite powerful, and they are set to come on anytime now, and then the white LED's will shut down, leaving just the two blues on for the evening. Would you guys keep the two blue LED's on all night, or program them for a few hours after the white's turn off? Out of the box, I have it set for 12 hours of the white 14k, with the blue's being programmed for 14 hours overlapping an hour with the white at both ends of the cycle.

Oh, and Carey, didn't you use a protein skimmer in your 20 gal build? Would you recommend one for this tank? There is space for a Nano Slim Skin to fit in the rear compartment, but I just don't know how much difference it might make?

Anyway, thanks again for the support!

Mike

[Gboy66]

Originally Posted by carey

I know right? That is awesome in the most awesome way! I love the lights and the whole tank is just well, awesome. LOL

Couldnt have said it any better myself

[carey]

I tried a biocube skimmer in my cube and it didn't do anything really so I sold it off. I tried running a remora on the back of my 20g but it was just too much and too many micro bubbles. I would wait it out without a skimmer and see if you can keep up with water changes before i went ahead with the skimmer. It would be nice to have one but I don't feel it's 100% necessary just yet.

[MKFMedic]

A picture with only the two blue LEDs.

[MKFMedic]

So after a 4 - 5 gal water change 2 days ago, I went ahead and tested the water this morning. I'm still struggling to get the nitrates down.

The tank has two racks of filter media, I'm running filter floss, purigen and 1 unit of chempure in one rack and the included sponges in the other (top sponge, charcoal, and phosphate sponge).

pH 8.0
nitrite 0
am 0
nitrate 20?

I'll do another water change in the A.M., with the LFS water and I'll also be taking a sample with me to get a second opinion. My tank is clear, there is absolutely no hint of algae, I found a dead Nassarius snail and removed him from the tank, but other than that, I am stumped. Everything looks healthy and actually looks great since the installation of the LED lighting!

I'm feeding once a day, and on appearances, everything looks fine.

I have a Percula, Royal Gamma and Firefish all of whom seem to be happy. Although on another side note, I saw my Fire Shrimp sprint out of his hole and try to "Grab" the Gamma? I'm assuming he was just being territorial?

Anyway, I appreciate any input or additional ideas to get my Nitrates down.

Thanks again,

Mike

[MKFMedic]

I finally found the time to pull out my camera to take some real photo's of my new 30 gal rimless tank. I did another water change today and all the parameters are perfect, except my nitrates which remain a little high 20ppm. Everything seems happy and healthy, so I'm baffled! I'd love to get those down below 5ppm, but will remain patient and keep working. I did a lot of research on controllers today and am considering purchasing. With my work schedule, I'm regularly away from home and think this would be a great way to keep track of my tank! Plus, I'm a techno geek and think it would be awesome!

[classklown90]

this tank looks fabolous