Pickle Ricks new tank build!

[Davy Jones]

Arriving soon!

 

[chefjpaul]

Nice!

 

[Davy Jones]

Nice!

Thanks! Really looking forward to this build!

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Oooh nice!

 

[Davy Jones]

More good news this week! I am picking up a brand new Reef Synergy CL-34 from someone locally for a price i couldnt pass up! So thats exciting!

I also may be going ATI Essentials on this tank, if that is the case I will need to trade my DoS for a GHL 4 head stand alone doser or buy another Dos.

Also changing my planned stocking list. I want to get rid of my 6 line wrasse. She just isnt nice. So since i am tearing things down for this tank, it will be a good time to catch her! This also opens the ability to get more wrasses as i wont be afraid of them being bullied to death by that little demon. (anyone have a line on a good custom top maker?)

Here is what i have that will be coming to the new tank fish wise.
1 8+ year old clown.
1 Female Bellus Angel
1 Orchid dottyback

Here is what i plan on getting over time for the new build!
1 Sailfin tang
1 Yellow eyed kole-OR-tomini tang
1 Lawnmower blenny
Midas blenny pair (i really want to try this, ive seen it done but am afraid if they wont pair up)
1 Yellow wrasse Halichoeres chrysus
1 Radiant Wrasse (Halichoeres iridis)
1 Red lined Wrasse (Halichoeres biocellatus)
4-6 royal gramma OR a pair of Black Cap basslets. May go this route if the bioload is too large

This will for sure put the tank on the heavy side for bioload. I am hoping the ATS and Skimmer can keep up but if not I will make changes.

 

[KJoFan]

More good news this week! I am picking up a brand new Reef Synergy CL-34 from someone locally for a price i couldnt pass up! So thats exciting!

I also may be going ATI Essentials on this tank, if that is the case I will need to trade my DoS for a GHL 4 head stand alone doser or buy another Dos.

Also changing my planned stocking list. I want to get rid of my 6 line wrasse. She just isnt nice. So since i am tearing things down for this tank, it will be a good time to catch her! This also opens the ability to get more wrasses as i wont be afraid of them being bullied to death by that little demon. (anyone have a line on a good custom top maker?)

Here is what i have that will be coming to the new tank fish wise.
1 8+ year old clown.
1 Female Bellus Angel
1 Orchid dottyback

Here is what i plan on getting over time for the new build!
1 Sailfin tang
1 Yellow eyed kole-OR-tomini tang
1 Lawnmower blenny
Midas blenny pair (i really want to try this, ive seen it done but am afraid if they wont pair up)
1 Yellow wrasse Halichoeres chrysus
1 Radiant Wrasse (Halichoeres iridis)
1 Red lined Wrasse (Halichoeres biocellatus)
4-6 royal gramma OR a pair of Black Cap basslets. May go this route if the bioload is too large

This will for sure put the tank on the heavy side for bioload. I am hoping the ATS and Skimmer can keep up but if not I will make changes.

Are you the one picking up that Bellus locally?

 

[Davy Jones]

Are you the one picking up that Bellus locally?

Not me! I have one in my temporary tank I picked up a couple months ago from a tank shutdown thread. I don't want a pair cause I don't like the male coloration much (selfish I know)

 

[Davy Jones]

Some quick and dirty photos but it's finally here!!

 

[SneakyTortuga]

Some quick and dirty photos but it's finally here!!

These dimensions are awesome! Can’t wait to see this build unfold

 

[Davy Jones]

Sneak peek! Been wanting to dip my toes into something a little more exotic than the typical variety of anemone and then this popped up recently. This will be one of the main center pieces of this build

 

[SneakyTortuga]

Sneak peek! Been wanting to dip my toes into something a little more exotic than the typical variety of anemone and then this popped up recently. This will be one of the main center pieces of this build

Can’t wait to see what it looks like in the tank

 

[Davy Jones]

Can’t wait to see what it looks like in the tank

It will go in an anemone/shroom box in my temporary tank for a month or 2 while i wait for this tank to get going.

 

[Davy Jones]

Picking up all the plumbing parts and some other stuff from BRS this afternoon, tank and stand will make their way into the house this weekend. Tank will be plumbed this weekend and i hope to fill it with water over the next few days! I will be documenting the progress as it goes and post updates here.

I am going to dose the tank with 3 different bacteria cycling products, (Dr tims one and only, Biospira, and Prodibio bacto start)as well as add some seed live rock to the display and about 3 litres of siporax that has been in use in a very successful sps tank locally (Thanks again @Abhishek !!!) After the first week, i am going to seed the ATS and get that running, Im hoping to start moving livestock into this one on week 2 or 3. I have used DR Tims in the past so i know it works, but I want as much biodiversity as possible. I may even order pods and phyto from algae barn to dose the tank with after the first week. Ive had dinos before, and ill be dammned if i dont try everything i can to avoid having it again. This will be a heavy bioload tank within the first 6 months, and i will feed heavy. Im hoping to stay around 5-10ppm nitrates and about .04-.06 phosphate.

Yes this build will go quick, but i am confident that I will be able to read the cycle so there are no fish losses. I dont have much for coral, and even less for coral that is delicate so Im not worried about that either. The biggest concern for me will be the new sherman rose, however I will be putting ~4 Rainbow BTA's in the tank at 2 weeks from my temporary tank, and watch them for about 2 weeks before the sherman goes in. Unless the temp tank goes to **** after messing with stuff then its all going in and we are just gonna do waterchanges and dose prime if needed.

 

[Davy Jones]

First hiccup in the build, the return holes are drilled for 1/2" bulkheads. I didnt specify what size returns i needed so its not their fault. I now need to rush to find fittings to go from 1" to 1/2" so I can get the build plumbed this weekend and start filling it with water.

Is it okay to put the rock and sand in the tank, then fill with RO/di and mix salt in? or do i have to mix the salt first even though there is nothing alive in the tank?

 

[Why-Me]

You can mix in that order since there's nothing in there. I would leak test everything first before filling with sand and rock though.

 

[Davy Jones]

Progress is progress! Need more unions and I bought the reducer fittings but hey.

 

[Davy Jones]

Well. The build is post poned. SCAquariums is sending me a new display, I didn't notice this until it was under lighting in th house instead of garage but sure enough it was chipped in shipping somehow. The replacement display ships June 25th

 

[Why-Me]

Oh, no. Glad Steve was willing to send you a new one, the wait absolutely sucks though.
That makes me wanna go out in my garage and check mine, just checked it from above still in the box.

 

[Davy Jones]

Oh, no. Glad Steve was willing to send you a new one, the wait absolutely sucks though.
That makes me wanna go out in my garage and check mine, just checked it from above still in the box.

It was packed really well and the box looked good, I even unwrapped the whole thing before signing for it.

When I moved it in i noticed it and then found the sliver in the styrophoam the tank sat on.

And yeah I'm super stoked that he is sending me a new one. Great customer service from him honestly wouldn't hesitate to ever buy from him again

 

[Davy Jones]

Decided to lay out my rock and see what I liked in the tank, keep in mind there will be roughly 2 inches of sand as well.