Rollermonkey's First Upgrade
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rollermonkey
Community Member
Sure, now all the local reefers pop out of the woodwork! Everett? Bothell? I'm in Bothell!
rollermonkey
Community Member
I am in the sliver of unincorporated Snohomish county between Bothell and Brier. 14th and 228th.
rollermonkey
Community Member
...and I put together my mixing station tonight.
I'm numbering the valves from #1 at the top to #4 at the bottom for brevity and these first three photos are taken with the containers pulled forward so you can see the plumbing better:
This alignment is to move water from the RODI container on top down to the salt water mixing container on the bottom:
Open: 1 and 2
Closed: 3 and 4
This alignment allows me to pump RODI water to the ATO reservoir whether the saltwater container is full or empty:
Open: 1 and 3
Closed: 2 and 4
Lastly, this alignment allows me to pump saltwater to the tank for water changes whether the RODI container is empty or full:
Open: 4
Closed: 1, 2 and 3
Finally, a shot of everything in its proper place, RODI pipe through the shelf and the MAG-5 plumbed in with the flexible hose for delivering water to the tank and sump attached:
Yay for no more buckets up and down the stairs!
I'm numbering the valves from #1 at the top to #4 at the bottom for brevity and these first three photos are taken with the containers pulled forward so you can see the plumbing better:
This alignment is to move water from the RODI container on top down to the salt water mixing container on the bottom:
Open: 1 and 2
Closed: 3 and 4
This alignment allows me to pump RODI water to the ATO reservoir whether the saltwater container is full or empty:
Open: 1 and 3
Closed: 2 and 4
Lastly, this alignment allows me to pump saltwater to the tank for water changes whether the RODI container is empty or full:
Open: 4
Closed: 1, 2 and 3
Finally, a shot of everything in its proper place, RODI pipe through the shelf and the MAG-5 plumbed in with the flexible hose for delivering water to the tank and sump attached:
Yay for no more buckets up and down the stairs!
mfinn
likes zoanthids
I recognize the containers.
What size are they?
What size are they?
rollermonkey
Community Member
20 gallons. They sell them as 80 pound containers, but the volume is 20G.
mfinn
likes zoanthids
I have the next size smaller.
About 16 gallons.
About 16 gallons.
rollermonkey
Community Member
After the recent spate of very cold weather, the person providing my seed rock held off until the temperatures weren't so brutal. Got the package today.
A tonga branch for a seed rock? Nice. Placed them and turned on the lights...
Ooh, day-glo coralline? I hope THAT really takes off!
It's only a little more than a pound, but I think I was able to work it in unobtrusively.
A tonga branch for a seed rock? Nice. Placed them and turned on the lights...
Ooh, day-glo coralline? I hope THAT really takes off!
It's only a little more than a pound, but I think I was able to work it in unobtrusively.
D_Reep1106
Active Member
cant wait for it to come along nice build
rollermonkey
Community Member
The building part is FINALLY almost finished. Every component, every piece of gear is in my possession. Once the cycle is established, I will be giving my cube's occupants short term QTs before transfer to the new tank. Sadly, no coral or CUC will be making the move, I'm just not taking any risks of transferring even a spore of that magnesium resistant bryopsis I had last summer or the turf algae and GHA that is in there now. My shrimp will move, and when I figure out how to get the maxi-minis off of their rocks, they will move too, and even those will get a bath in clean, fresh salt water before being released into the new tank.
Depending on when the cycle finishes, I'll either start with some new corals, (I'm working out the details with the same person who provided my seed rocks) or the Helfrichi and Assessor will move out of the cube and through QT first. Then, I've got an actively spawning, bonded pair of Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse being held for me. Clowns will come out of the cube next, by which point I should have hopefully caught the fire shrimp, and I'll start working on getting the maxi-minis to release. Once all four anemone are all out, and in the new tank, I'll be able to break down the cube, and hopefully I can find the Randall's pistol shrimp out during that process. I'll be moving the MP10 over to the new tank (with a brand new wet-side) and the ATO and Apex, too. (The ATO will probably move earlier, just because the volume of topoff required by the new tank is so much larger.)
At that point, I'll have some equipment to get rid of, but I suspect more than a little will end up in the trash.
After the clowns, I'll be adding an herbivorous blenny, probably a Starry, and finally a Coral Beauty Angel as the last fish.
I'd put the Blenny earlier in the stocking order, but the unless I get some algal buildup earlier than I expect, that won't be appropriate, and I don't want to have to make the guy hold my wrasse forever. I also need to get the 'Cube broken down, because I want the gear off of it that I'm moving, and because it's actually blocking part of the new tank.
Depending on when the cycle finishes, I'll either start with some new corals, (I'm working out the details with the same person who provided my seed rocks) or the Helfrichi and Assessor will move out of the cube and through QT first. Then, I've got an actively spawning, bonded pair of Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse being held for me. Clowns will come out of the cube next, by which point I should have hopefully caught the fire shrimp, and I'll start working on getting the maxi-minis to release. Once all four anemone are all out, and in the new tank, I'll be able to break down the cube, and hopefully I can find the Randall's pistol shrimp out during that process. I'll be moving the MP10 over to the new tank (with a brand new wet-side) and the ATO and Apex, too. (The ATO will probably move earlier, just because the volume of topoff required by the new tank is so much larger.)
At that point, I'll have some equipment to get rid of, but I suspect more than a little will end up in the trash.
After the clowns, I'll be adding an herbivorous blenny, probably a Starry, and finally a Coral Beauty Angel as the last fish.
I'd put the Blenny earlier in the stocking order, but the unless I get some algal buildup earlier than I expect, that won't be appropriate, and I don't want to have to make the guy hold my wrasse forever. I also need to get the 'Cube broken down, because I want the gear off of it that I'm moving, and because it's actually blocking part of the new tank.
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rollermonkey
Community Member
Really? Huh. I've ordered from this vendor a couple times before with no problems, so hopefully it's not a fib. He specializes in wrasses though, and often has uncommon species. Actually, the females in general seem to be hard to obtain... Maybe that's why spawning pair are rare?
I've got no desire to try and raise fry right now, though.
Hooked up my float valve/shutoff kit from SpectraPure last night.
very happy to finally eliminate that particular worry.
I've got no desire to try and raise fry right now, though.
Hooked up my float valve/shutoff kit from SpectraPure last night.
very happy to finally eliminate that particular worry.
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rollermonkey
Community Member
What is it with me and slow cycles? 5-weeks-plus since the seed rocks went in, and nitrites are spiking again.
Sigh.
I'm going to try some of that Prodibio stuff, because Dr. Tim got me nowhere.
Sigh.
I'm going to try some of that Prodibio stuff, because Dr. Tim got me nowhere.
roller,
I normally like the old fashioned method of letting nature do its thing, but u can try instant ocean bio spira...will cycle the tank instantly....
I normally like the old fashioned method of letting nature do its thing, but u can try instant ocean bio spira...will cycle the tank instantly....
rollermonkey
Community Member
Soon, very soon.
rollermonkey
Community Member
Surprise delivery!
My ReefCleaners order was supposed to get here tomorrow, based on USPS's service commitment, but surprise, surprise, a government agency that performed better than it was required to!
I'm not going to post pictures of the algae, but here's the snail piles:
"18" Nerites:
(Actual quantity: 51, DOAs? Probably zero, most are already upright and open within ten minutes of opening the bag.)
"26" Florida Ceriths:
(Actual quantity: 32, unless any grew legs and metamorphosed into hermits, DOAs unknown, these do tend to wake up a little slower.)
"16" Nassarius:
(Actual quantity: 20 DOAs: unknown)
"50" Dwarf Ceriths
(Actual quantity: 185-ish based on an estimate using snails per square inch in the bag, DOAs: unknown, but many are already moving and they were the last ones into the tank)
Not shown:
1 electric-blue hermit, 1 scarlet hermit and two striped leg hermits. These were the first bag I opened, and had already catapulted themselves off the rock tower I placed them on so I could ID the species as they woke up, AND run clear across the whole tank in every direction, before I was even done opening bags.
1 emerald crab. It scurried into a crack within seconds of touching down.
2 clumps of Chaeto, one clump of Red Gracilaria, about 8 Ulva rhizomes and a quart bag of pods.
My ReefCleaners order was supposed to get here tomorrow, based on USPS's service commitment, but surprise, surprise, a government agency that performed better than it was required to!
I'm not going to post pictures of the algae, but here's the snail piles:
"18" Nerites:
(Actual quantity: 51, DOAs? Probably zero, most are already upright and open within ten minutes of opening the bag.)
"26" Florida Ceriths:
(Actual quantity: 32, unless any grew legs and metamorphosed into hermits, DOAs unknown, these do tend to wake up a little slower.)
"16" Nassarius:
(Actual quantity: 20 DOAs: unknown)
"50" Dwarf Ceriths
(Actual quantity: 185-ish based on an estimate using snails per square inch in the bag, DOAs: unknown, but many are already moving and they were the last ones into the tank)
Not shown:
1 electric-blue hermit, 1 scarlet hermit and two striped leg hermits. These were the first bag I opened, and had already catapulted themselves off the rock tower I placed them on so I could ID the species as they woke up, AND run clear across the whole tank in every direction, before I was even done opening bags.
1 emerald crab. It scurried into a crack within seconds of touching down.
2 clumps of Chaeto, one clump of Red Gracilaria, about 8 Ulva rhizomes and a quart bag of pods.
