SouthWestSalt
Community Member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2022
- Messages
- 42
- Reaction score
- 120
- Location
- Las Cruces
- What state or country do you live in
- New Mexico
Hello everyone! I hope all is well on your side of the reef, I have just begun to create mine!
I have been very busy since my first post it has been a blast! I am almost finished up installing my 7 stage rodi unit (just need to get wall mount clips for my tubing) I have a brute storage container with a float valve for source water and a smaller 20 gal bin for mixing. (I might change my source plumbing to have a “T” fitting so I can fill either container independently or together. For now I am using a cheap fountain pump from Lowes which has adjustable flow rate to transfer water. I found it very helpful while I was trying to measure how much water was being added to the salt mixing bin, then adding a mark to the bin for future reference. The water station is located in the closet of the room my tanks will be in eventually. I drilled a whole through the wall to gain access to my bathroom sink for source and waste lines. As for the Biocube I have removed the false bottom on chamber 1 for the heater using a flat head to grab between the teeth of the the false bottom and pulling up. I cut the tab separating chamber 1 and chamber 2 using a utility knife and some wire cutters. Many people have recommended it to help increase flow and reduce noise. I mixed 6 cups of Red Sea (blue bucket) salt in 12 gallons of RODI water using a cheap power head from petco. The saltwater was clear in about an hour so I tested using the icecap pocket tester and I had 1.024 specific gravity. I added my rockscape “Marco nsa” and sand “Aragalive” (wayyy too much sand I need to take some out) and lastly a bottle of biospira. I have a bottle of MicroBacter7 I will be dosing next week but now the waiting game!! I have a starter test kit and I will be monitoring closely but I’m hoping to have some clowns in a week or two! I am planning to use the bottom of compartment 2 for a fuge at some point. I want to add some type of temp controller/monitor, and a upgraded quieter return pump. I am super excited to be cycling the tank and I will update anytime I make changes or new additions! Thank you for reading my build post and have a wonderful time reefing!
-Southwest Salty
Update-
I have been having ups and downs as most do, I am currently battling some orange rust colored cyano. I just started dosing micro bacter clean, and reduced my light schedule. Other than that I have added a few corals, My LFS got me a great deal on a Duncan, short GSP, and a Zoa plug “still trying to ID exactly what it is” I also received a batch from Riptide Aquaculture. I got a neon green branching hammer, Mac and cheese hammer, Florida ricordia mushroom, and some long GSP. First off I have to say they are amazing. From the great deals they run, to packaging, the follow up with shipping, and how they quickly handled the aftermath of hurricane ian I was truly impressed. They called my the day it was being packaged to go over the climate in my area ensure my corals got here safe and healthy. Great folks I highly recommend and I will be ordering a lot more from them! I should be getting a filter for my phone soon i apologize for the poor quality but if anyone as any suggestions or comments I would truly appreciate it! Thank you for reading happy reefing!
-SouthWestSalty
I have been very busy since my first post it has been a blast! I am almost finished up installing my 7 stage rodi unit (just need to get wall mount clips for my tubing) I have a brute storage container with a float valve for source water and a smaller 20 gal bin for mixing. (I might change my source plumbing to have a “T” fitting so I can fill either container independently or together. For now I am using a cheap fountain pump from Lowes which has adjustable flow rate to transfer water. I found it very helpful while I was trying to measure how much water was being added to the salt mixing bin, then adding a mark to the bin for future reference. The water station is located in the closet of the room my tanks will be in eventually. I drilled a whole through the wall to gain access to my bathroom sink for source and waste lines. As for the Biocube I have removed the false bottom on chamber 1 for the heater using a flat head to grab between the teeth of the the false bottom and pulling up. I cut the tab separating chamber 1 and chamber 2 using a utility knife and some wire cutters. Many people have recommended it to help increase flow and reduce noise. I mixed 6 cups of Red Sea (blue bucket) salt in 12 gallons of RODI water using a cheap power head from petco. The saltwater was clear in about an hour so I tested using the icecap pocket tester and I had 1.024 specific gravity. I added my rockscape “Marco nsa” and sand “Aragalive” (wayyy too much sand I need to take some out) and lastly a bottle of biospira. I have a bottle of MicroBacter7 I will be dosing next week but now the waiting game!! I have a starter test kit and I will be monitoring closely but I’m hoping to have some clowns in a week or two! I am planning to use the bottom of compartment 2 for a fuge at some point. I want to add some type of temp controller/monitor, and a upgraded quieter return pump. I am super excited to be cycling the tank and I will update anytime I make changes or new additions! Thank you for reading my build post and have a wonderful time reefing!
-Southwest Salty
Update-
I have been having ups and downs as most do, I am currently battling some orange rust colored cyano. I just started dosing micro bacter clean, and reduced my light schedule. Other than that I have added a few corals, My LFS got me a great deal on a Duncan, short GSP, and a Zoa plug “still trying to ID exactly what it is” I also received a batch from Riptide Aquaculture. I got a neon green branching hammer, Mac and cheese hammer, Florida ricordia mushroom, and some long GSP. First off I have to say they are amazing. From the great deals they run, to packaging, the follow up with shipping, and how they quickly handled the aftermath of hurricane ian I was truly impressed. They called my the day it was being packaged to go over the climate in my area ensure my corals got here safe and healthy. Great folks I highly recommend and I will be ordering a lot more from them! I should be getting a filter for my phone soon i apologize for the poor quality but if anyone as any suggestions or comments I would truly appreciate it! Thank you for reading happy reefing!
-SouthWestSalty
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