Wen’s 280 Build

[Wen]

I’m feeling pretty good about the cycling process...75lbs LR from KP Aquatics, Gulf of Mexico water, dirty water from the 150, 25 lbs LR from 150 and 2” of live sand.
Alk 7
Cal 400
1.026
T5s going 8 hours a day for 5 days now.
Threw in some palys, they are all open, canal guppy was canary fish, and now high hat in.

I know there were at least 5 pistol shrimp that went in from KP rock, which I’m ok with.
however, there is a particularly loud occasional snap that I’m afraid of. Need to set a bottle trap ASAP!

 

[Wen]

Set some bottle traps tonight. Let’s see what is in them tomorrow. Hahaha

 

[Gablami]

Nice! Cool design. I’ve only done the straw style traps. I’m eager to see what you catch in the morning as well. Something to look at while I drink my coffee.

 

[Wen]

Nice! Cool design. I’ve only done the straw style traps. I’m eager to see what you catch in the morning as well. Something to look at while I drink my coffee.

Sorry to disappoint. Bottles empty this morning. What’s a straw style trap?

 

[Gablami]

Sorry to disappoint. Bottles empty this morning. What’s a straw style trap?

You use a bottle with the cap on and make a few holes in it and stick straws or thin tubing in them. The outside ends of the tube are on the substrate so the worms can climb in to follow the scent of the food, but once they drop into the bottle to eat, they can’t get out. I used it for bristleworms back when I cared.

Don’t give up yet. Keep baiting.

 

[Wen]

Spent yesterday aquascaping...and accomplished very little.

 

[Gablami]

Ugh I feel your pain. Trying to drill that limestone rock is really a pain. I would suggest you try nyos reef cement. It dries really fast so mix small amounts at a time, but it allows you to cement wet rock together quickly so it’s only out of the water for maybe 20 minutes before you get it wet again. Maybe move it into a Rubbermaid to cure the cement and keep the rock alive before moving it into your tank for good. After curing, the cement is super solid.

If you feel you must drill and use posts, try 1/2” acrylic rods instead of PVC. The holes you’ll need to drill will be much smaller. Still a pain, but not as bad as what you’re doing.

Good luck!

 

[rds85]

I recently did this as well, but used 1/4" acrylic rods similar to what @Gablami is saying. I found the secret sauce to drilling these.

What worked best ( I am not sure how many tools you have) for me was:
1) Hammer Drill
2) Brand new masonry bit
3) Drilled wet when I had to go a long ways to get the bit cool and rock cool to prevent cracking.
4) Drill speed is not everything if your hammer drill has adjustable speeds and torques.
5) Go slow

 

[Gablami]

I recently did this as well, but used 1/4" acrylic rods similar to what @Gablami is saying. I found the secret sauce to drilling these.

What worked best ( I am not sure how many tools you have) for me was:
1) Hammer Drill
2) Brand new masonry bit
3) Drilled wet when I had to go a long ways to get the bit cool and rock cool to prevent cracking.
4) Drill speed is not everything if your hammer drill has adjustable speeds and torques.
5) Go slow

1/4” would be much easier than 1/2”. If it worked for @rds85, I’d go that route (and the reef cement).

 

[rds85]

I did use reef cement and super glue as well!

 

[Wen]

I read this article.
https://reefs.com/magazine/aesthetics-of-aquascaping-iii-building-the-backbone-of-an-aquascape/

Craig was looking for an excuse to break out a new hole saw from the man cave, so I asked him to use a 1.25" diamond bit and drill about 8 rocks. I used a turkey baster to dribble saltwater on the rock as he slowly drilled. The rock was bungie corded down, drilled, chiseled, then rinsed debris off in saltwater and placed back in the tank. It was a messy job, and the neighbors must think we are crazy for drilling rocks, in the driveway, in the rain. Yes, I am crazy and has a hubby who loves me.

I wondered about the acrylic rods, but worried about the weight/height of the rocks used for main support.
Planning 3 different height supporting structures and then will add coral encrusted large tonga rocks to the supports. Now thinking about those acrylic rods and nyos cement to secure the tonga.

 

[Gablami]

I read this article.
https://reefs.com/magazine/aesthetics-of-aquascaping-iii-building-the-backbone-of-an-aquascape/

Craig was looking for an excuse to break out a new hole saw from the man cave, so I asked him to use a 1.25" diamond bit and drill about 8 rocks. I used a turkey baster to dribble saltwater on the rock as he slowly drilled. The rock was bungie corded down, drilled, chiseled, then rinsed debris off in saltwater and placed back in the tank. It was a messy job, and the neighbors must think we are crazy for drilling rocks, in the driveway, in the rain. Yes, I am crazy and has a hubby who loves me.

I wondered about the acrylic rods, but worried about the weight/height of the rocks used for main support.
Planning 3 different height supporting structures and then will add coral encrusted large tonga rocks to the supports. Now thinking about those acrylic rods and nyos cement to secure the tonga.

One more tip. Don’t forget to use zip ties, especially with Tonga. Then cement the pieces, and then take off the zip ties later.

Ive never used 1/4” acrylic. I know that 1/2” can handle plenty of weight.

 

[Wen]

8 hours on step ladder, bent over 2 tanks...destruction, reconstruction x 3!

it looks odd now, but has pretty good bones.

side view of de-rocked 150

 

[Wen]

Big question: some of the rocks I moved had sps on them. Pretty sure nitrates and phosphates are 0. Alk, cal and specific gravity good.

Do I dare dose a wee bit?

 

[Wen]

Was working on the ATK yesterday and the fun continues today. Can’t get the pmup to run. Sensors working, fusion says pmup on when it should be, but no juice even when manually switched on. @SuncrestReef has been very kind helping me get the ATK this far, thank you.

Added pearly jawfish, they are adorable. Letting them settle into their burrows and fatten up before more fish move in.

(Sorry dirty glass pic)

 

[SuncrestReef]

Was working on the ATK yesterday and the fun continues today. Can’t get the pmup to run. Sensors working, fusion says pmup on when it should be, but no juice even when manually switched on. @SuncrestReef has been very kind helping me get the ATK this far, thank you.

Do you have the FMM’s 24v power adapter connected, and does it have power? Some people make the mistake of plugging it into an EnergyBar outlet but not setting that outlet to Always On. It’s best to plug it into a regular wall outlet or power strip rather than wasting a controllable outlet since it needs to remain powered at all times.

 

[Wen]

Do you have the FMM’s 24v power adapter connected, and does it have power? Some people make the mistake of plugging it into an EnergyBar outlet but not setting that outlet to Always On. It’s best to plug it into a regular wall outlet or power strip rather than wasting a controllable outlet since it needs to remain powered at all times.

Plugged FMM power into wall and PMUP worked perfect.

Have lots of space on my EB, the outlet FMM was plugged into was Off.

Would still like to use this outlet, so in its configuration:
Fallback ON
Set ON
anything else?
Should I leave this on AUTO or ON? probably ON?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Plugged FMM power into wall and PMUP worked perfect.

Have lots of space on my EB, the outlet FMM was plugged into was Off.

Would still like to use this outlet, so in its configuration:
Fallback ON
Set ON
anything else?
Should I leave this on AUTO or ON? probably ON?

With that programming, there’s no difference between AUTO and ON. Personally I like leaving all outputs in AUTO so I can see at a glance if I accidentally left an output in manual ON or OFF.

Glad to hear you sorted it out.

 

[Wen]

Had my first fatality of the transfer, my fav sps, a Cornbred Atomic Fireball that finally began encrusting.

I do have a tiny tip still alive and a little of the encrusted part still living.

 

[Gablami]

I wasn’t sure which photos were from your new tank and which were from your old. So you moved over all your SPS into your new tank already? That’s very brave . Rooting for the rest of the acros.