ReefNoobie Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 New to saltwater. Just bought a 55g tall, stand and over head, metal halide, wet/dry filter (using as sump), chems, pumps, all ready to go! Finishing up plumbing tomorrow and will be getting cycle started! YAY!!! Anybody selling live/dry rock, live sand, invertebrates, etc. Please let me know. Very excited to be apart of the community!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNoobie Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 Will take pics of noobed setup and plumbing tomorrow. Not a plumber, that's for sure! Just trying to get it up and cycling!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Welcome to the addiction! Lots of great plumbing articles out there. Be sure to read about the bean animal, even if you don't have enough overflow holes the Herbie is a good second choice http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Welcome to the forum! I don't have any live rock, sand, as i just put up a 20 gallon nano. I got some nice pieces from Mr. Bret. Jeff at cuttlefish and corals sells livesand but you can also as you probably know get regular sand and just seed it. I would also highly recommend the Dr. Tim's nitrifying bacteria. It really helps speed up the cycling process. I also used live rock and live sand so I did not have much of a cycle. My tank has only been up a month and so far I have not had much of a cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltwater newbie Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Welcome to the addiction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanmike01 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Welcome. Keep us posted on your progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNoobie Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 Have read so many articles on plumbing, the only thing I cannot find anywhere are the gate valves, but I'm gonna use ball valves for now and if adding them becomes necessary then I will at a later time. The tank if reed ready so I have the drain and return drilled inside a big overflow in the back, so I'm good to go. I live in Albany and our supply of saltwater supplies is pretty much non existent! Will take pics after I get home today. Need to finish cleaning the coraline algae out, that is quite the task!!! Leak check as well, than plumb and fill! I'm so excited, and am trying not to push it but the goal is to have the water, sand, and rock in this weekend. Is it worth it to buy cured rock or will it be just as fast to buy dry? I can get a chunk of cured for cheap and fill the rest with sand and dry rock. I am thinking one chunk of cured, 40-50lbs of dry/dead rock, and trying to figure out how much substrate to put in it. I want a coral tank so high flow is a must! I order two tunze pumps and should be achieving 1750+ gph. Its a 55g tall, so I don't think I will have an issue with sand getting disturbed from water flow. I was just going to get a 20lb bag of caribsea live sand and seed it with any other (white) sand necessary. Trying to find the bigger grain sand for easier cleaning and so I don't disturb from high flow. Any reefers here in Albany or close by? Any thoughts and suggestions are very welcome and appreciated!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackice Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Go to plumbing stores like gorge morlan pluming to get gate valves. They are worth it to find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rworegon Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Try zoro.com for gate valves. They have great prices and fast shipping. I bought two recently for a 30 cube build I'm finishing up. And welcome to the zoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 It's cheaper buying dry rock and then seeding like you said. I have used the brs dry rock. I only have a nano and a fellow reefer gave me a good deal on live rock. What I don't like about dry rock is the phosphates they leach so I typically started having the dry rock in a tub with the live rock with a heater and power head while planning the actual tank build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNoobie Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 If I quarantine the rock, how long until the phosphate levels will drop, will it be safe to cure 40-50 lbs of rick in a new build? Will it cause problems while cycling tank with large amount of uncured rock, and will the one chunk of cured rock help this? Thanks so much for all the help and info, its very much appreciated!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badxgillen Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 There are a few reefers in Albany and there are a few more here in Corvallis, if you are wanting to chat some time I can yack at you one of these weekends. And on your question I personally would go with as much live rock as you can and use the base rock as a "build" or "base" rock. The alternative is using large amounts of base rock, or using all virgin base rock, and having a Lot of patience. There are many other practices to curing rocks and choosing quality rock but that is a whole other discussion...Oh and glad you found us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 There are lots of debates of the benefits of live rock versus dry rock. Neither is wrong. Another negative of live rock is you are more likely to have pests like aiptasia. When I had dry rock I got the pukani from bulk reef supply borrowed a Rubbermaid tub and had it soak in the bathtub for 2 months. Even doing that still had some issues with hair algae for several months because if the phosphates. I did have blue mushrooms that I hoped would die off but didn't and although pretty were not ideal for an sps tank as they would sting them. That was 150 gallon. I have a 2o gallon nano now so all live rock was more feasible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackice Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 It really comes down to how fast you want fish and corals. You can cycle a tank in a day or 6 months it's up to you. You tell use how impatient you are (I hate waiting) and we can tell you what you need to do ???????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNoobie Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 I would love to chat sometime, that would be great. Let me know when you are available! I go to Corvallis frequently for supplies due to the fact that Albany SUCKS and has no reefer supplies! Thanks so much for info and offer!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNoobie Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 I hate waiting and would love to cycle as fast as possible but will wait to benefit tank stability as well. Let me know what I need and I will do what is necessary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackice Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 The more live rock you buy the better Upscales and premium aquarium both have a lot of rock you can pick throw. Get some live and dry sand. Get some bacteria in a bottle I've heard of Dr. Tims with good reviews but I've used many all seem to work. Then You can ether get some ammonia and dose it till it cycles, takes lest then a week most of the time. Or get some fish and dose prime till The bacteria in your tank can catch up and filter on its own. If you do this go slow with the fish don't go buy 6 tangs and expect them to live lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNoobie Posted June 6, 2015 Author Share Posted June 6, 2015 Is there any reason to put a "T" in the return for excess water/pressure if I have a gate valve on the overflow to sump, and the return? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjwatson Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 I will chime in since I got into the hobby last year with my 55 gallon! It's a great time by the way ???? I was told to get a couple fish to help the cycling process... Problem is damsels aren't the nicest to others... (try catching fish after your tank and rock is set up, not fun) So my recommendation is to know what you want in the end (6 months from now) and buy the tank critters based on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackice Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 There won't be any pressure just gravity, it will only drain as much as the smallest hole in the pluming will allow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Is there any reason to put a "T" in the return for excess water/pressure if I have a gate valve on the overflow to sump, and the return?The only reason would be to control how much flow your return pump delivers. This is pretty unnecessary, but some people use them to restrict higher flow pumps, in order to get the desired flow rate. It's easier to just buy the right sized pump. And definitely go with gate valves over ball valves. They are not even in the same league. For an extra twenty bucks, you'll never regret the decision. I just moved from Albany last week. I'm in Salem temporarily, but let me know if you run into any questions. Also, I know the reef ready tank has two drilled holes, but I wouldn't use one for the return. Just sling the return over the back of the tank so you can use the two drilled holes to set up a Herbie style overflow. If you use one of the two holes for the return, you will not have an emergency drain....super sketchy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNoobie Posted June 6, 2015 Author Share Posted June 6, 2015 OK, so as far as the overflow, anybody plz chime in with info on this one! I have 1" going from standpipe down to wet/dry filter (using as sump) going through. Comes out with external pump pulling from sump, passes through gate valve and check valve, than back up to recirculate in tank. PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong! From what I understand and know about the system, there is no way for it to overflow even with a power outage or with return pump failing. And even if it does go back down to sump, the overdlow box can drain down to sump and will have plenty of room to hold what's there, even though there is no way for it to drain if its not being pushed up return to go down the gravity overflow. If I knew how to post pictures I would post them, I took them all along the way and plan on starting a build thread if there is a category for it. Anybody please jump in with any info! The return pump is an 1100 little giant external pump. Again, will post pics when I figure out how to, I just been plumbing it all night and just got some. Its time for a good night sleep while its all drying and getting ready for the fill tomorrow. Thanks in advance for all the info and help, plz jump in with any info and especially if I'm wrong about overflow protection!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Sent you my number. Call me when you want to work on it and I'll talk you thru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNoobie Posted June 6, 2015 Author Share Posted June 6, 2015 Here are some pics, hope this works! Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNoobie Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 Not going to be using skimmer for now I guess, can't figure out how to stop the microbubbles from getting to the display because the skimmer has to sit in the last section. I put the outake in the last compartment and its still letting far to many into display tank. If anybody has any suggestions please chime in, I really want to use skimmer! Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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