With Headaches and Lessons Learned a New Tank Build

[WWIII]

Let the cycle begin,

I am doing Dr Tim’s fishless cycle.

Day 1:
Yesterday I added first defense, one and only and the ammonia drops.

Day 2:
I am going with:
Ammonia: 1.0ppm
Nitrate: between 2-5 but not 100% sure
Nitrate: 80ppm

PH is At fluxates between 7.9 and 8.0 (monitored by the ghl)

You agree?

Looking good! Yeah I agree, ammomia maybe closer to 1.5. You gonna add bacteria as well? Congrats man!

 

[rockstarta78]

Nice build. Following!

 

[Ditto]

@WWIII - Yes I added the bacteria yesterday also per the instructions.

@rockstarta78 - thanks for following and welcome

At least I can finish the installation of the rest of the GHL equipment while it cycles.

I am doing this with the lights off for two weeks and then will bring on the light schedule.

No phosphate either at this time, but all the rock was in tubs for 6+weeks before being put into the tank.

I am surprised that the water is still cloudy even thou I washed the sand but figure it will clear up in time.

 

[Ditto]

Took a bit longer then I expected today:

What I have left to put in;
GHL expansion box
GHL light simulator controller
GHL lightbar2 connection
GHL Leak detector
GHL Pl-Adim card for the avast ato

What I need to plumb in:
Waste water for the KH, AWC from tank. They are in a bucket in the cellar.

I also need to finish connecting the two avast spyglass reactors.

With room to spare it all fits

KH installed and Doser

ATO Maxi and AquaDriver helix to
Clean skimmer cup on bottom on top AWC Maxi

Another 400 drops of ammonia and day 3 of the cycle is complete .

 

[Ditto]

PropellerBreeze II – 4

One of the things I wanted to try on my new tank was a way to cool the tank without the use of a chiller which this tank is using. I coudl have bought clip on fans, but saw that GHL had a fan cooling system and thought I would give it a try.

I purchased both the PropellerBreeze II and the PropellerControl-2.1 module for the Breeze. The PropellerControl-2.1 allows for variable speed control of the Breeze, which is not required if you wish to run the fans off an outlet and have them just switch on and off on the outlet at 100% fan speed. I did not want to do this, I wanted the fans to adjust speed based on the tank temp.

Observations, very easy to setup, dead silent operations.

Below is the PropellerBreeze 4 fan system (They do make larger and smaller ones then this one)

External Module to control the Speed of the Fan

When the unit comes you need to install the feet. A long bolt is slid into bottom of the unit and you install 4 feet two per size, with washers between them and on the end is a threaded knob allowing you to tighten and loosen the feet.

Installed on tank

Configuring the PropellerBreeze
* the PropellerConrol 2.1 was plugged into the back of my P4 utilizing one the Yellow Ports (Very Important) to plug it into the YELLOW Port

First Configure the L1 Port

Within myGHL or GHL Control Center (Could not Configure this from the GCC App, or the P4 Web Interface)
Click Systems
Click on the 1-10V Interfaces
Choose L1 and click Edit
In the Function chose the Temperature Probe you want the Fan to be controlled by (For me it was Temperature Probe 1)
Place a Description: in the Description Field
Leave the Output Signal as is

Second Configure your Temperature Variation 1-10V on Temperature 1

Since I was already inside the GCC Desktop App I already did it their, but you can also do that setting from the P4 Device, or the GCC APP.

Click Probe/sensor controls
click Temperature 1
Adjust your 1-10v is max deviation setting (So in the example above the fans are going to run at 100% when the Temperature is above 81.6 degrees, and variable down when the temperature is 78.00 degrees)

Screen Shot of the Configuration within the P4 Interface (Adjusted mine down to 77 and left it to 3.6)

Since this is the first time using them, I will need to monitor and adjust.

Overall very easy to setup and use.

 

[Ditto]

@chefjpaul - The Humidity/Air works out great.

I have it installed now and setup
I tied them to my internal cabinet fans. If the Air Temperature gets above a specific degree they switch on the outlets for a cooling effect inside the cabinet.

I set my Nominal Value inside my Cabinet to 78 Degrees
I Also gave it a wide swing over 1 Degree

From the P4 Interface, also can do in the GCC App or GCC Desktop Software (I configured my Nominal Value and Hysteresis of the Probe/Sensor ** Found A bug in Interface)

As You Can see the Hysteresis nor the Nominal Value match what in the GCC Desktop app.

Then All I did was go to my switch channel outlets and configure them for cooling using the Air Temperature probe.

I was able to pretty much do this all from the GCC App and the P4 Web Interface or the Cloud Interface

As you can see I did find one bug and will post it on the GHL Forums, the Web Interface and the GCC Interface show the Nominal Value in C even though it should been F.

Overall easy to setup and works great!!

 

[najer]

Looking very nice.

 

[Ditto]

@najer - Thank you!

Just finished installing the Avast Barrel Tender V2 on my ATO Container. The instructions were quite simple, I have not yet tied it to the GHL. But wanted to get it installed while I was tieing in the ATO Line from the GHL maxi, and the AquaDriver Helix Wash-Ring for my skimmer.

Came from Avast Well Packaged

Installation took about 15 Minutes. I needed to drill a few holes based on the cardboard guide they provided inside the box for the Barrel Tender. This was installed on a Rubbermaid Lid The Additional two Quick connect White connectors are not from Avast, those are where my two GHL Maxi from upstairs will draw water from. I used 1/4" Acrylic tubing and ran in into the Container, leaving about 1" above the low level tube of the Tender so that the Tender will refill before the water gets to low.

Now my ATO will fill when it is closer to empty allowing my cartridges to last longer.

 

[Ditto]

Today is day 4 on the tank cycle, below are the results:

PH has dropped, on average 7.90
Ammonia is between 1.0 and 2.0
Nitrite is between 2.0 and 5.0 looks to be more towards the 2.0
Nitrate is at 80ppm.

You agree? Always good to have multiple eyes look.

 

[WWIII]

Today is day 4 on the tank cycle, below are the results:

PH has dropped, on average 7.90
Ammonia is between 1.0 and 2.0
Nitrite is between 2.0 and 5.0 looks to be more towards the 2.0
Nitrate is at 80ppm.

You agree? Always good to have multiple eyes look.

Looks about right to me. How many times are you planning on dosing ammonia? I dosed like 5 times on my newest tank setup and figured out afterwards I probably should have only dosed a couple times. Nitrates took forever to get rid of afterwards. Some say keep dosing till it can be processed in less than 24 hours, I think next time I will only dose 2x. Once to get it going and then another time a few weeks later just to check on it. Just wondering what your plan was and if you're following some specific directions? Maybe dr Tim's?

Can't wait to see this tank with some life in it! The GHL equipment looks awesome! I'm contemplating getting some of their fans for my setup as well (I don't use a chiller).

 

[Ditto]

@WWIII I plan to dose one more time of ammonia per Dr. Tims schedule and stop after that. I reallt thought it would have spiked above 2, but we will see what happens on the 3rd dosage.

It seems to be following what I have read and saw by others doing it. Even thou it says fishless and says add a fish in the 9 day I was going to put a few drops of ammonia to simulate the fish.

My tank was at 80 degree today to start and it now down to 77.5 I do like how the keep adjusting throughout the day and again no noise. I am hoping to get out not using chiller and think this may actually work for this tank. I am shooting for 77 would like 76 which if the AC is on I can easily get to but 77 constant would be great with a 1 degree swing at night.

 

[Jamie4321]

I bought and picked up a 240 glass tank from glasscages years ago. It was a nice tank for the price. Had plans for a teacup stingray tank. Unfortunately after doing more research I decided they needed a much bigger tank.

I’m in the middle of switching over from apex to ghl. I really like ghl build and quality. It does have more of a learning curve than apex though.

This weekend I went over to a craigslist post that was selling corals. When I arrived I was quite impressed. A 125 stock full of large thriving sps. As I was bagging the coral I chose up I asked him a little bit about his husbandry. He dose not dose anything! How is that possible I replied. He claimed he does a 10 gallon water change once a week with reef crystals. He does have a fuge and skimmer but that’s it. How is this possible? I’m right along with you guys I dose and I have the most expensive equipment. This guy didn’t even test anything besides salinity!!! That’s crazy.

 

[Jamie4321]

Oh and by the way what are you dosing that you need a stirrer? I ask because I’m having a little problem with my alk sometimes gumming up

 

[Ditto]

On my larger tank the 160 I could not get away with just a water change. I tried and it was just not possible I was consuming to much that a water change could not keep up with. My Aklinity just keep dropping, then went with water changes with kalk in the ato, still not enough. I even tried AWC every day but then ran into algea issue so went to dosing and have not turned back.

I am going to start with weekly water changes but know as the tank matures more that water changes will not be enough and will lead to dosing I am just preparing for it

I placed the stirrers underneath because when I was dosing triton it sometimes crystallized and this makes sure I stir the dosing container to mix the crystals out.

 

[mmw64]

My tank is expected to ship next week per glasscages. In the mean time equipment is rolling in for the new tank build:



My red dragon return pump has also arrived, it going to be a bit of an overkill for this tank but wanted to feed everything off one pump that I could control. I have a second one also already as a spare as it also the same type of pump that is used on my 150. I have had great success with the red dragon pumps and the one on my main display has been a workhorse and dead silent.

following along

 

[Ditto]

@mmw64 - thank you for the follow

Day 5 Cycle results are in, tell me what you think am I reading this wrong let me know

PH has dropped, on average 7.83
Ammonia is looking to be 1.0.
Nitrite is between 2.0 and 1.0 it not as light as 2.0 but not as dark as 1.0.
Nitrate is between less then 80 close to the color but not a match. But not towards 80-160 range more the 40-80 range.

 

[najer]

This weekend I went over to a craigslist post that was selling corals. When I arrived I was quite impressed. A 125 stock full of large thriving sps. As I was bagging the coral I chose up I asked him a little bit about his husbandry. He dose not dose anything! How is that possible I replied. He claimed he does a 10 gallon water change once a week with reef crystals. He does have a fuge and skimmer but that’s it. How is this possible? I’m right along with you guys I dose and I have the most expensive equipment. This guy didn’t even test anything besides salinity!!! That’s crazy.

Now that is a very interesting question, bare with me!
I run a 550 litre water volume system, 2 refugiums ( it's complicated to explain), there is a 300 litre "display".
I dose a 2 part manually for the big 3.
No waterchanges.
I do run a skimmer.
Don't doubt that some people keep it more simple!?

DSC_0001 by sshipuk, on Flickr

DSC_0003 by sshipuk, on Flickr

 

[Ditto]

@najer - I do agree some people have some great looking tanks with minimal electronics or automation.

Day 6- added more ammonia drops last time

Day 7
PH has risen on average 7.92
Ammonia is up to 2.0
Nitrite is between 2.0 and 5.0
Nitrate is 80

What do you think?

 

[WWIII]

@najer - I do agree some people have some great looking tanks with minimal electronics or automation.

Day 6- added more ammonia drops last time

Day 7
PH has risen on average 7.92
Ammonia is up to 2.0
Nitrite is between 2.0 and 5.0
Nitrate is 80

What do you think?

Looks good man! Get ready for a waterchange! Are you running macro? I forget

 

[Ditto]

Not yet was going to put it in on the 14 day with the water change per thier instructions.

Dr Tim says after tomorrow reading you put fish and based on the reading just do not think that the case.