120 gallon slow build

[Brandon42]

well hopefully the other one makes it. too bad about the other ;/ those ones arent cheap either. i just had my first big issue -.- im gonna do a small water change today and somehow pinched my air intake to my skimmer and walked away. about 2 gallons on my floor within a very short time

 

[Lonny]

Oh no! Good thing you caught it at 2gls. Didn't know they could do that, is it in your sump?

 

[Brandon42]

Oh no! Good thing you caught it at 2gls. Didn't know they could do that, is it in your sump?

yeah its in my sump. and yeah most let you restrict airflow so you can control the level and amount of bubbles. it wouldn't have been a big deal but my skimmer has a port to hook a line from the collection cup to another container. so i hooked it up today and put a milk jug down there to catch the skimmate but when the water level raised it filled the gallon jug quickly and then was quietly seeping across my floor. all is good now though and my wife didnt even find out lol

 

[Brandon42]

Getting the new water ready.

 

[Lonny]

Mums the word

 

[Lonny]

Ok it's rolling. First time with one of these hope it works right. And the shrimp survived the day not sure I like how hard it is to get the collection cup off. It's pretty cramped in there now!

 

[Lonny]

 

[Lonny]

Getting the new water ready.

Haha I just looked at your first post. You said in a couple of months you'd be up and running. It's been 1 month since that post and you have life in your tank! You are way ahead of schedule!

 

[Brandon42]

see you have that drain line i was talking about. that little nossle on the collection cup. but be careful lol. and your sump looks awesome. doesn't seem so roomy any more does it lol. i like that skimmer!i got a hand me down for now. will be investing into one eventually. and yes it has been moving quick! slow build almost doesnt fit anymore but it has in fact been about 8 to 9 months sense i purchased the tank.

 

[Brandon42]

what kind of reactor is that?

 

[Brandon42]

Damsels are still doing great. Well the blue ones anyway. The black and white one is fine but hardly ever comes out from the cave its declared home in the back where you can barely see him. Not sure if he's eating or not back there. The other two and the crab are all doing awesome so I know it's not the water. Maybe just stressed out. Also the live rocks with coraline that I thought wasn't doing so hot is coming to life now! It must have just been the aid exposer bringing it home that it had to heal up but it's looking good now.

 

[Brandon Chi]

In your sump is that white light always on and do you have a refuge light for the chaeto?

 

[Brandon42]

Got the black and white one to come out. They all seem a lot more curios about the rest of the tank today. They've all been hanging out in the same corner lol

 

[Lonny]

what kind of reactor is that?

Thanks. It's A BRS reactor. The cheaper one. They have a deluxe model but it didn't impress. I got gfo and carbon in it. Really does a good job! Fish look great!

 

[Lonny]

In your sump is that white light always on and do you have a refuge light for the chaeto?

It's a single bulb t5. I turn it on after the tank lights go off and vise versa in the morning.

 

[Brandon42]

 

[Brandon42]

Coraline is starting to do awesome!

 

[Lonny]

Well the mystery continues. Lfs tested all my parameters and tested for copper. Everything is spot on and no copper. He gave me two red hermit crabs for free! Told if they live we'll try a peppermint shrimp next. They definitely have my loyalty. He said he seen a customer's tank that could keep shrimp but every time he tried to keep a crab who's name I can't remember it would die. Every time. If the hermits die he said we have a problem.
Can't wait for the RO/DI! Be nice to illuminate that variable. Who knows maybe skunk shrimp are my cryptonite.
Your tank is looking great man! So what is your next animal???? A year from now we'll have to start a then and now thread!

 

[Brandon42]

Wow that's crazy well at least you know it wasn't the water that could have been a lot of extra work. But on a plus you got a water system out of it. Your wallet might not be happy but your taste buds will and then no worries about what's in the water. You've got me nervous to get a cleaner lol. Next Friday I am planning on getting a anemone and clown. My nitrites are now completely gone, nitrates aren't too bad they may have even lowered a bit so I would say my cycle is complete and everything is doing great so far and iv only started one small flood in the house and may or may not have blasted my wife with the return pump by accident but so far so good.
Also yes we will have to start a thread like that, a tank can change so much in a year.

 

[Brian Kim]

I was just quickly browsing the pictures and it was really confusing but now I see these are photos of 2 different systems lol.