kriswaters Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Here is the original thread. http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3742 Thanks, Kris(fingers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 3, 2007 Author Share Posted April 3, 2007 Another step closer. I got my mag7 today, a second bulk head and some locline. My four days off are coming up and I will look forward to work on it in depth. Until then, I will doddle on it for the next few days. Pictures will follow, and thanks for everyone's KIND advice. Kris;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted April 3, 2007 Share Posted April 3, 2007 Good deal! Have fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 4, 2007 Author Share Posted April 4, 2007 Built my overflow boxes today. Nice shinney black acrylic. All my fingers are still intact! Also got my wave timer and my Hydor's today. Went with the Koriala #1 x two. It was like Christmas when I saw the boxes today. I will work on a few things tomorrow and take some pictures. By the way, the LR is looking fab. It has a lot of red growing in. One of the tonga looking branches has red buds on it??? Anyhow. More to come. Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 4, 2007 Author Share Posted April 4, 2007 I did some rough plumbing today. Nothing is glued as of yet, I wanted to make sure things were positioned correctly and the length was good. Bad thing...I cracked a bulkhead. Probably due to overtightening. I guess I don't know my own strength. I wasn't even using tools. Oh well...was $13 compared to everything else. The skimmer and sump fit very nicely. Thank god for "measure twice, cut once". Here are a few pictures. Back view-I will shore in some 2 X 4 's when complete with the plumbing. A view of one overflow and the return-I will shorten the return down during the final gluing. Top view of one overflow and the return (3/4" locline Y). The boxes for the overflow will go in tomorrow. Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 Looking good! Cracked a bulkhead though? Lucky you did the dry run, if it cracked that easily it was probably defective and better to find out before the water is in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 Hey great job! Is that how you are going to run the sump? How does the skimmer process any new water? IMO you should swap the skimmer and return pump positions. Actually i would make the skimmer in the first compartment on the left, the fuge (if you plan to have one) in the middle, return pump on the right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbrownies Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 I agree with you impur, but it does look good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 Wait, even better would be flipping the sump around so the skimmer is in section you currently have it, but the water would also drain into that section. Middle for fuge, then final tall baffle and return pump. This should eliminate any microbubbles for sure!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 5, 2007 Author Share Posted April 5, 2007 Well, the pic didn't show that I will have an overflow into the area with the skimmer. That was the bulkhead I cracked! The far left will be the fuge with the overflow throttled down a bit. The middle will remain the return. I wanted a big area to limit evaporation, and also to accomodate another return if I decided to upgrade. I will also put a "lip" around the entire sump as well as a box in the corner of the skimmer section with rock. This will be where the overflow enters. Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 That sounds like a great plan! I didn't know about the other overflow, sounds like you are on top of things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 6, 2007 Author Share Posted April 6, 2007 OH....it's been a busy fish tank day today. I got quite a bit done....all of the plumbing cut, fitted and glued and painted. Supports on my sump. Box in sump to accept overflow. Overflow boxes in tank. Modification on the mag 7 bracket. I siliconed 4 suction cups to the bottom. We will see how that works. Wow...I am tired. Thought I'd share a few pics before bed. The sump The plumbing: Have a good one. Kris Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 It's 1:30 am....I am sure everyone here has been at this point before. I am sitting here listening to the sweet sounds of my tank. It is up! The aquascape turned out great. I will need some more rock, but for now it is awesome. My LFS guy gave me some of his LS from his display tank. I added it to the fuge with a few rocks. Had a few "98 % scared" moments, but in all, things look great. Will send some pics tomorrow when the sand cloud dissapates. Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 Great news! Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 Well, I am alot more "awake" then the last post. The sand cloud cleared up nicely. The Octopus is kick'n it really well. I have sat here in front of this tank, that contains only rock, most of the day just marvelling at it's apperance. Also, amazed at my husband and my handy work. Everything is holding up great. No leaks, temp 79, SG 1.020. I haven't tested anything else, but will do that later today. I am really happy with the aquascape. Thanks again Brandon for some great rock. I tossed a few pieces in the fuge and into the overflow chamber of the sump. Here are a few pics for you. Enjoy and thanks for a ton of inspiration! Kris The "monster" Full view-just 2 plain flourescents right now. A little close up-I love the rock that looks like a girraffe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 SG 1.020? Is that a typo, it should be around 1.026 (35ppt)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 8, 2007 Author Share Posted April 8, 2007 No typo, remember... I just mixed it. Trying to wait for a little stabilization before I add more salt. At this point, it is just the rock. Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 9, 2007 Author Share Posted April 9, 2007 The tank has cleared up beautifully. My mom, who gave me the tank came by for dinner tonight. She asked "Is that the same tank?". She also wanted to know if she could have it back. I have a few "micro-bubbles" but my philosophy....oh well. The mag 7 has a 1/2" output. I went to 3/4", which I am sure helped, but not fully. One day I will upgrade and throw the mag 7 in the pond. It is a little loud, but has plenty of volume. I tested yesterday: SG: Still low at 1.021-higher in the fuge than the skimmer portion ???? Alk: 4.0 mEq/L. PH: 8.1 ish NH3- (Free): 0.1 mEq/L NH4+ (Total) 0.17 to 0.20 mEq/L I will test again in a few days. I don't plan on adding any fish or such until June. I will be out of town for my oldest daughter's graduation and didn't want to leave anything. It will give plenty of time for the tank to mature. If I start getting algae, I will consider some snails. Anyway...TTFN. Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 15, 2007 Author Share Posted April 15, 2007 Oh....the joys of cycling a tank. Everything looks so pretty then bam...a week later you have diatom skeletons laying all over your sand and rock! Okay, okay....I am skimming the heck out of my tank (about a gallon per day of evap) to pull out any phosphates (still present even with RO/DI) to limit the algae. I am also working on a balance of light to help the coraline grow and the other not. I still haven't gotten any ammonia spike, but I am sure it will come (and I refuse to add a dead shrimp). If the junk gets to bad...I guess a few snails and hermits will be in order. Anxious but patient. Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 Coming along as it should! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 17, 2007 Author Share Posted April 17, 2007 Thanks Impur...did a little DIY rock today. Will be interested in how it turns out. I refuse to let anyone see the tank. My husband and daughter say it looks gross! Still struggling a little with the SG. I have both a swing arm and a glass hydrometer, but am wating for the refractometer before I make any big changes. For now it is holding at 1.022 to 1.024. Still no NH spike, and nitrite and nitrates are low. PH still in the 8.1 range. I plan on investing in a Ph probe as I don't like to guess what "color" it is. I wish I could figure out a way to prevent evap. But for now, I add about 1/3 gallon per day. This is fun!!! Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 Just thought I'd chime in and give a little update. The diatoms are still inhabiting my tank, but after I rearrange the flow a little, the white sand is starting to show through again. My rock I made turned out better than I expected! It is soaking in a big trash can for now. Question: Will a snail eat the brown crud left over from the diatoms? Will it eventually clear itself out? My skimmer is working great, and I am emptying yuck every 3-4 days. I ordered my T5 lighting system and hope that using the actincs only will help with the algae. Anyway, thanks for all of your imput. Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Yah the snails will eat diatoms. I found asterina snails are the best. Algae is just a cycle, and it sounds like your tank is progressing normally. You have any pics of your DIY LR? I'm making some right now myself, but the few i've made didn't come out very porous and are VERY heavy. What ratio of sand, cement, salt, etc did you use? Miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Maybe I didn't catch it, Was the LR LR? The skimmer you have is very easy to mod into a rec. If in the future you need to. I like the rock you got. Some snails and hermits will help clean it up. Don't put both in together just yet, and only a couple to be sure they live. You an cut down on some of the evaporation by covering what you can in the skimmer. Would you please update the fuge picture now that it is runnng... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 Impur, the rock was extremely light weight! I pick up a piece today and though wow!!! I actually used Quickrete. I ran it through a sceen first and pick out most of the bigger stones. I then mixed in some water until it was "a little" wet. I then added a some water softener salt. I didn't measure exactly, but maybe a 1:2 ratio (cement/salt). I added a little more water as needed to get it to a pudding consistency. I then ploped it ontop of some piles of salt on a little piece of plexi-glass. This helped limit the "flat bottom" plus the salt brushed right off after drying. I also made a mold in a cardboard box with some plain ol' dirt and plopped some in there. After it set up (30 minutes or so), I ran a stabbed it all over with a thin piece of wire. This made tons of tiny holes. I was able to pull the rock out of the mold the next day. I through them in a bucket of water about 3 days later, but then pulled them out to let them cure a bit more. It turned out really cool. I will try to get you some pics. As for the cycling...I agree that it is normal, and I am not stressing at all at the ugliness LOL. CCR: The rock in the tank is LR. Bought from one of our local members. I wanted more, but didn't want to pay the premium price. It cost me less then $10 for a bag of quickrete and salt. It takes about 30 days to fully mature before it can go into the tank, but I am in no hurry. I would love for you to send me plans on the recirc mod for the Octopus...may be a future upgrade! As for the sump...here are some pics in action. Skimmer section Return Fuge in process And (I may regret this) the ugliness Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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