Mateo’s Seapora 50 build

[NY_Sea]

Great looking set up !

 

[19Mateo83]

Great looking set up !

You ain’t seen nothing yet Now on to the fun part!

 

[19Mateo83]

Now that paint is dry I spent the evening figuring out my ADJ power strip and how to illuminate underneath and hide wires. I think I got it figured out now I was hoping the @IOAOI skimmer would glow under the blacklight a little more but I’m still very pleased with it.

 

[19Mateo83]

I got it moved to its permanent home today. This one is in my bedroom. I also did a little decorating. I added some of the stickers from the aquatic expo and some stuff from local fish stores.

 

[19Mateo83]

Last night my got my RO/DI unit set up and properly broken in. The mission for today was to get the tank filled, salted and cycling. I’d say that mission was a success. I did end up going the sand route even though I had siliconed a piece of white acrylic into the bottom for a bare bottom setup. I just couldn't live with having to limit my options when it comes to fish. So, here we go. I filled 62 gallons knowing I would be having to take some out once rock, salt and sand went in. I found a happy balance of flow and silence with the pump running at about 60%, I’m figuring I’m getting about 250-300gph through the sump and I think I can live with that.

Got the rock in and went ahead and put some extra in the sump, what’s in there will be used for islands and any type of odds and ends I may need. It will ultimately be replaced with the rock from my 14 gallon.

I took what was left of my bag of Caribsea sand and rinsed it one colander full at a time in RO water to minimize the milky tank Syndrom.

And here we are. All sanded and ready to cycle. I had to take out 3 gallons to get to a good maximum water level in the sump. The total water volume is 59 gallons.

The next thing on my list of DIY is the stand shell, which is too easy, the canopy, light mounts and the canopy ventilation system. I figured i can do all that while Its cycling. I still want to order a little bit of gulf live rock and some pods and phytoplankton. Bio diversity is the name of the game here.

 

[19Mateo83]

I’ve added a little sand from my tanks and some rocks to the sump that have been curing in a bucket for months. I’ve been dosing microbacter 7 and I just added enough ammonium chloride (fritz fishless cycle) to bring it up to a detectable level. Let the cycle begin! I know the ammonium chloride is probably unnecessary but it does give me a reference point to see how the bacteria is doing and gives them fuel to power their colonization.

 

[19Mateo83]

My next question is how long until I can add pods and phyto and get them colonizing…

 

[Reef Psychology]

If you’re going the traditional way of cycling over weeks, then after ammonia/nitrite are zero and an algae/bacteria film has formed on the glass. If you’re going the instant method then whenever the tank is stabilized for fish. Without a refugium or real rubble zone however it isn’t likely they will last more than 3-6 months in any great numbers. Just long enough to help establish and stabilize a budding new tank however. Phyto in a full tank seems like a waste since the majority will die or be skimmed out. Unless you’re going to try and raise them in a separate container.

 

[19Mateo83]

Update time! I made a new rock to replace the one in the center. I felt like it didn’t fit in with the other two pillars.

Here it is in the tank

 

[19Mateo83]

Also…. Here’s the water parameters.
Temp 78
Sg 1.026
Nitrate 5
Phosphate .03
Ammonia 1.5? I tested twice…
Alk 8
Cal 450
Mag 1320

I dosed alk and mag to get them to my target which is
Alk 9
Cal 450
Mag 1350

 

[19Mateo83]

Also…. PODS!!! I see pods for the first time tonight. I had seeded this a week ago with a tiny bit of sand and some bio media from my 5 gallon tank. I’ve had cardboard covering the glass just kinda letting it do it’s thing in the dark. Tonight had a small light on to look at the new rock addition so I got out the microscope to see if there’s life in the sand and there is… and there’s pods on the glass too. Yay! I also ordered some pods and phyto from jays reef bugs that will go in here as well. I a good healthy and reproducing pod population is a must.

 

[19Mateo83]

Two 16oz bottles of the 7 species pod blend and first dose of 8 species phytoplankton blend added today, both from Jays reef bugs. I’m hoping this gives my micro biology a head start. The plan is to give them at least a week to get established before any livestock is added.

 

[19Mateo83]

Let there be light! I took inspiration from @UkiahTheTurtle ’s shelf/light mount and came up with this. I still have to figure out where I want to mount my ballast but I now have a mounted light.

 

[Adam Houston]

Let there be light! I took inspiration from @UkiahTheTurtle ’s shelf/light mount and came up with this. I still have to figure out where I want to mount my ballast but I now have a mounted light.

Looks great man!!

 

[UkiahTheTurtle]

Let there be light! I took inspiration from @UkiahTheTurtle ’s shelf/light mount and came up with this. I still have to figure out where I want to mount my ballast but I now have a mounted light.

Nice it looks really nice

 

[19Mateo83]

Looks great man!!

Nice it looks really nice

Thank y’all! It’s still a work in progress

 

[19Mateo83]

I made a pair of DIY acrylic lids this morning. These will work until I can either get pieces of glass cut to this pattern or get mesh lids custom made.

 

[19Mateo83]

New youtube video update!

 

[19Mateo83]

Sunday update! I finally have fish! I went and on a mission today to The Fish Room in south Charlotte. They always have the healthiest fish so I got a trio of green chromis today and I’m calling them the three stooges.

While I was there I also saw a tiny neon green toadstool growing on their frag rack and when I asked about it the manager gave it to me so yay! Free neon green toadstool! The chromis are doing well and checking out their new home and the toadstool is in a half solo cup rubber banded to a piece of rock in the corner of the tank. It’s already extending polyps so I must be doing something right.

I also added some zoanthids I got at the aquatic expo last month. I took 3” frag Discs and glued rubble to them and made zoa islands that double as pod sanctuarys.

 

[bakbay]

Congrats -- keep up the great work! You're way more handy than me when it comes to carpentry & plumbing. Looking forward to see those frags mature into colonies in due time!