Not My First Tank but My First Build Thread

[esquare]

I posted the Wrasse pick in the Fish forum with a request for ID and it appears my Wrasse is a Transitioning Male Ruby Longfin.

 

[esquare]

After researching additives, it seems like dosing Tropic Marin Original Balling Component - Part C may be a good idea to keep my elements in line over time. According to some posted information from BRS,

Trace elements for your BRS Bulk 2-Part : The BRS / Tropic Marin Hybrid Balling

Learn how to mix and dose the BRS Bulk 2-Part / Tropic Marin Hybrid Balling Method

www.bulkreefsupply.com

just dosing 2 part will get the elements out of line so I will be starting the BRS Hybrid Balling Method whick, as I understand it, is just dosing Tropic Marin Part C in addition to the BRS 2 Part I am alreading dosing. I have the 2 part dosing with a Neptune DOS and tracking the results with a Neptune Trident. I will start dosing the Part C manually and eventually add another DOS to do it for me. I have 1 more slot in the DOS board I made using Adaptive Reef's DOS Faceplates and a DIY box so that's where the DOS will go when I get it.

 

[esquare]

I have used many different tools to check salinity/specific gravity over the years. Currently, I am using a D-D The Aquarium Solution Ltd, True Seawater Refractometer calibrating with r/o water as recommended by the manufacturer. I recently learned about the Tropic Marin High Precision Hydrometer which, supposedly, doesn't need calibration so I decided to try it. It was very easy to use, though I think I will stick with my Refractometer for routine checks, and showed my water to be at 1.026 when it thought it was 1.025 using the Refractometer.

I think I will calibrate my Refractometer using tank water moving forward after after using the Hydrometer to determine it's actual salinity.

Interestingly, my Neptune salinity probe was closer to being accurate at 34.4ppt and it has remained relatively stable. I attribute it's stability to the use of Vivid Creative Aquatics Salinity Probe Stability Kit. Prior to using the stability kit it was very erratic.

 

[esquare]

Here are a couple of pics of how I used the Hydrometer

At first I tried turning off the pumps to settle the water in the sump but the water depth was still to shallow for the Hydrometer so I used a 500ml graduated cylinder and it worked great. I just had to read it quickly because my basement fishroom is on the cool side and the water in the cylinder cooled off quickly which changes the reading.

For an OCD person like me, that gets hung up on numbers too much, (I know you should look at trends and not individual readings but tell that to my OCD) this is a great tool that makes me feel more confident in my salinity.

Here is an excerpt from BRS site

The Tropic Marin High Precision Hydrometer provides an exact and reliable measurement of specific gravity, and it never needs to be re-calibrated, so it's a perfect reference device for calibrating other equipment.

 

[esquare]

Wow, just reread the last couple of posts and they sound like commercials. Did not intend that, just trying to pass along things/equipment I do and use and how they all work. Sorry if it sounds like an ad.

 

[esquare]

After adding the 2 coral frags, Duncan and Blasto, I realized I didn't drill my rock work to accept frag plugs. I add the 2 frags by drilling some rubble I had and putting the rubble in the DT. I could have just glued the frags to the rubble and probably should have but I didn't think about it at the time. I don't want to glue frags directly to the existing rock structures as I want to be be able to move them, if need be, and remove them to frag as they grow out.

I came up with another alternative I am trying, I added some MarcoRocks Reef Saver Nano Shelf Dry Live Rock

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/nano-shelf-rock-marcorocks.html

They are the 4 white pieces in the pic below

I do not intend to add anymore frags for a while as I am in a fallow period after a fish die off but figured I would put a few pieces of the shelf rock in to get it seeded with bacteria and see how it looks. If this method of mounting frags (gluing directly to the shelf rock) works out it will be a nice option as the one 8lb bag has enough pieces to do my whole tank and more.

 

[jmarina]

Here is my Basement Fish Room

That is sick! Beautiful work.

 

[esquare]

That is sick! Beautiful work.

Thank you!

 

[esquare]

I know I said I'm not going to add anymore frags and I'm not but I went to a Frag Swap last weekend in Joliet IL, Mermaids Delight Frag Swap, and picked up 3 frags, An Acan and a Rainbow Acan from Indo Flexi Aquatics and a Torch from D's Corals. The guy from D's Corals wasn't sure what kind of Torch it was but said it was like a Indo Gold or NY Knicks Torch. I'll keep them in QT for 40 to 76 days depending on what I can find out researching QT'ing coral.

I got home and setup a 10-gallon quarantine tank for the frags with a Tetra Whisper IQ Power Aquarium Filter (45-gallon size), a Eheim JAGER TruTemp heater and a Maxi-Jet 400 powerhead, and Tunze Osmolator Nano 3152 Auto Top Off. Then I ordered a AquaMaxx Prism CC II LED Light Fixture - Marine light and put that on when it came in.

I dipped the frags in Coral RX and Bayer BioAdvanced and am glad I did because a bunch of stuff came off.

The frags have been in QT almost a week and appear to be getting a little of their color back. I still have the light on Acclimation mode and may try to move them to the LPS setting tomorrow but I will check the PAR first.

This is what they looked like when I first put them in the QT tank

Here is what they look like today

We'll see how they do in QT.

 

[esquare]

My Neptune Trident went a bit haywire making an odd grinding noise and putting out numbers that were all over the place. I submitted a ticket to Neptune and they are sending me a replacement. The process was easy enough but took longer than I thought necessary but not too long. Hopefully the replacement will get here quickly.

 

[esquare]

I decided to add a 2nd MP40 to the DT. I did a lot of reading on placement and decided to try putting the 2 on the back wall in opposite top corners. I know this isn't the traditional placement but I really like how they fade into the background.

I really can't get them above 50% without blowing water out of the tank but that seems to do a good job. I'm still playing around with settings but have been running them both at these settings.

I'm using the Lagoon program as I plan on having mostly LPS with maybe a couple of lower light SPS and Lagoon seem to be more gentle. When I have them on Nutrient Export it really stirs things up.

Here is a video of them both at constant 20%. I had to scrape some of the hair algae off the back wall to place the MP40's so you can see the flow with all the free floating algae.

Here is a video of them both at Constant 50%

 

[esquare]

I forgot to add a video of them both at 40% Nutrient Export

 

[esquare]

It's tough to maintain a good cleanup crew when I am Fishless for a Fallow Period and only have 2 corals in the DT but I just ordered a Rimless Snail Only Crew (50 Gallon) from Reef Cleaners. I put this same package in the DT back in August and it seems like I need another. This package contains 50 Dwarf Ceriths, 19 Nassarius, 20 Florida Ceriths, and 17 Astraea Snails. I also added a bag of Reef Pods Tisbe to my order. I plan on adding the snails to my coral QT tank to wait out any ICH or other issues. I'm not sure if I will go with 45 days or the full 76 days as I have read differing opinions.

I have really liked dealing with John Maloney at Reef Cleaners, he has been extremely helpful.

 

[esquare]

As luck would have it, I was in the tank doing some cleaning and bumped the right rock structure pretty good and broke off a pretty good size branch. Fortunately, I only have 2 corals and the incident didn't affect them so I pulled the pieces out and put them in a plastic bin. I reattached the pieces with BRS Super Glue to hold it and mixed up some E-Marco-400 Mortar I had left over and put a bunch on the break and a couple of other supporting points. Unfortunately, while applying the mortar I broke loose the Super Glue bond (must not have let it set long enough) so I am supporting the structure with a spray bottle (amazing how you use what comes to hand) while it dries. From what I've read, I need to wait 2 hours before it goes back in the tank and the mortar will be fully cured in 24 hours.

 

[esquare]

Well, Rock is repaired and back in the tank. I ended up keeping it out of the tank for about 4 hours to be safe so I hope I don't have any issues with bacteria die off.

 

[esquare]

I've Been dosing Calcium and Alkalinity with BRS Pharma additives using a Neptune DOS and 2 BRS jugs. This worked well but I decided to start dosing Tropic Marin Part C to help make up other trace elements lost. I did the Part C manually for a bit but I'm lazy so decided to add another DOS (when they are back in stock) and replace the gallon jugs with something nicer.

I had a Neptune DDR years ago and normally like most of Neptune products. However, after reading the reviews of the DDR and the problems they have had with the Optical Sensors (may have been fixed with the V2 sensors) and the unsealed circuit boards under the top I decided to go a different direction. I got 3 of the Simplicity 2L Modular Dosing Containers for about half the price of the DDR and plan on adding cheap optical sensors and making my own DOS connection cable as described in this thread, Apex DOS DIY level switch . This should give me the same functionality of the DDR at about half the price and have 3 containers as opposed to the 2 of the DDR.

I ordered the 3 containers and have them sitting with water in them as a leak test because I remember reading at least one review that said one came in leaking.

I also ordered this cable, MOLEX 245132-0650 , that I plan on cutting in half to make 2 DOS cables which will give me 4 optical connections and DOS Volume Tiles in Fusion. All I should have to do is following the wiring diagram in the above thread and connect these 2.54mm connectors to the 6 pin cables and plug right into the optical sensors .

I don't plan on using the float switch mount in the containers as I am afraid the cheap optical sensors will leak like the V1 DDR sensors did. Once I confirm the cables and sensors work I will drill the back of the containers around the 4 ounce level (not positive that is the height I will use) and attach the sensors there so that the back end of the sensor where the wire comes out will remain dry.

Now I just have to wait for all the orders to come in and get soldering.

 

[esquare]

Well, the cable I originally ordered has been placed on back order so I canceled that one and ordered this cable instead.

I drilled the containers and installed the optical sensors while I am waiting on the cable.

They have passed the leak test so now I'm just waiting on the cable.

 

[esquare]

I'm a little gun shy from the fish die off I had so I just ordered a lifegard aquatics pro-max 55 watt uv sterilizer. I normally order from BRS to support their educational content but they were out of stock and Fish Tanks Direct had it for $85 less.

I plan on installing it vertically in the circled area

which should be a challenge to get the flow meter and check valve to fit above it. I am going to start with a 325 gph (2.5 turnover) flow rate and see how that does. I came to that flow rate after reading this thread which explains it very well.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Well, Rock is repaired and back in the tank. I ended up keeping it out of the tank for about 4 hours to be safe so I hope I don't have any issues with bacteria die off.

Glad you got the rock repaired!

 

[esquare]

Glad you got the rock repaired!

Thanks, fortunately there wasn't much in the tank.