Progress Photos - Stage 1

[Serpentman]

I have been asking a million questions so I figured I would give an update of my progress so far. Pretty boring actually as I am just at about phase one. I started with a 92 gallon bowfront corner tank that needed to be resealed. I realized 2 things when I filled it: 1.) I put it too close to the wall 2.) I should have rinsed the sand. So, today I emptied it, rinsed the sand and refilled it (thus the cloudy pics).

I have installed 2/3 of the lighting so far: 2 x 36" 96watt PC, 2 x 24" 65watt PC fixtures. I am expecting my 250watt MH ballast which I will install in the homemade enclosure (pictured below) on Thurs. This should give me a combined 572watts. Figuring out the lighting has been a challenge due the the shape of the tank. I anticipate adding the LR in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully everything will go smooth until then (no leaks!).

Here is a closeup of the cooling fan (a beast!) in the customer MH hood. I will post more pics when the fixture is installed.

 

[Tex]

Serpentman, all I can say is mine was cloudy for several weeks. The adivce on this board said don't worry, it will clear up, and it did. After 4 months it's crystal clear. Good luck.

And, good luck on the lighting. I pulled my freaking hair over lighting. Sounds like you made an excellent choice. My limited experience and the advice of this board tells me the lighting is one of the most important things in a reef.

 

[melosu58]

Keep up the good work.

 

[seaham358]

I like the bow tanks.... There is no need to rinse sand and I wish I knew you were filling a new tank I could have given you a tipp on how to get Crystal clear water with no sand storm..
When adding the Lr make sure the base pieces are touching some glass. If you get fish that are diggers they can dig under the sand and undermine the LR. So wiggle the base pieces when placing them.

 

[Serpentman]

I wish I knew you were filling a new tank I could have given you a tipp on how to get Crystal clear water with no sand storm..

Just curious for future reference, what is your technique?

When adding the Lr make sure the base pieces are touching some glass.

I will make sure to do so.

 

[mp3z24]

I like the bow tanks.... There is no need to rinse sand and I wish I knew you were filling a new tank I could have given you a tipp on how to get Crystal clear water with no sand storm..
When adding the Lr make sure the base pieces are touching some glass. If you get fish that are diggers they can dig under the sand and undermine the LR. So wiggle the base pieces when placing them.

one method for filling the tank without getting a sand storm is to put the sand down and then place a plate on the sand. when you pour the water into the tank, pour it slowly onto the plate. the plate will prevent the water from directly impacting the sand, and as long as you pour slowly, it will spill over the edge gently and you will have no sand storm.

as for the rock statement above, you dont necessarily need to put the rock on the bottom glass. if you dont want to bury your rock, you can build a support structure out of pvc and/or fluorescent lighting grid to support your rocks. if you build it slightly shorter than the depth of your rock, you can rest the rock on the shelf structure, and the sand will cover the pvc/grid.

although, if you dont plan on keeping a deep sand bed, you should ensure the rock is resting on the bottom glass, as seaham said above.

~mike

 

[seaham358]

I cover the SB with a large plastic bag and them place a glass bowl in the tank and fill the tank by pouring the water into that. I have done this several times and had 0 sand storm. If you have LR in the tank before filling I cover as much of the SB as possible and it worked also.
keep asking questions and post new pics when you add the LR.

 

[Serpentman]

I will keep that in mind in the future.

Also, just ordered 125lbs of fresh wild carribean uncured LR to arrive next week. Now the fun will begin (if my wife doesn't divorce me due to the $$$)