No Going Back Now.

Thanks very much for your comments guys

The hood is still not finished yet but i have solved a small problem with the overflow from the skimmer, i took some measurements and gave then to my dad, who took them into work and made this ideal little piece of plastic, its much better than the one i brought, should work really well.



Going to cut a 3cm piece of birch ply to go around the bottom of the tank to cover the poly tiles, i have placed a piece of wood there and i think it looks really nice, i might finish staining the hood tonight if i can motivate myself, its boring stuff this staining lark

Thanks

VM

Looking really good V,M
Yep got to agree putting a trim around the bottom of the tank to hide the poly tiles is defiantly the way to go it will finish it off nicely.

going to look fantastic when its done thats for sure.
did you decide on any stocking?

Hi all

As far as stocking goes i still have no real plans, going to need a lot of help with that part, all the fish i want turn out to be not reef safe or seem to be a pain to keep. Here is a pic of the tank now, with blue backing, sand and a nearly finished hood.



Thanks

VM

one thing i mite be tempted to do mate, just to finnish it off. You know the trim that goes round laminate and wood flooring. I would be tempted to mitre a few bits and make something to hide that polystyrene. Other than that it looks great!

No worries Ben the trim is being done over the next couple of days, i am picking my lights up tomorrow along with some salt, i do not have an RO unit yet but i am onto that, is it ok to do the first fill with tap water and if it is, am i ready to go with this, have i forgotten anything?

Thanks VM

At the end of the day it depends on what you’re keeping really Fish Only WLR treated tap water or RO or Fish & Corals WLR RO water ONLY!! IMO
Just a note
Most water utility companies treat their water with chlorine and/or add chloramine to prevent potential bacteria outbreaks. The problem here is that a lot of dechlorinating products on the market will remove basic chlorine elements, but may not break the chloramine. Therefore you need to make sure you are using a dechlorinate that "specifically" states it will remove chloramines. Also it is not unusual for some tap water to contain high concentrations of Phosphates, nitrates and silicates, and If these are not removed from the water before using it, you are just adding unwanted elements that give rise to all types of algae blooms in saltwater systems, and it can also often contribute to persistent problems with higher than normal readings of these chemicals when testing the aquarium water.
So If It was me I would fill the tank up with RO, switch every thing on {pumps skimmer heater ect} and leave it to get up to temp, once its up to temp add my salt leave it another 24hrs to mix ect. Re check the S.G and if it was ok then I would be ready for my live rock
p.s you mite want to take the sand out to begin with, add the water first then put some egg crate at the back of the tank where the live rock is going to be {this will allow the water to flow round the rock} then add the sand around the front and sides of the tank {the sand will hold the rock in place, stop it sliding}

Gawd! That tank has soooo much potential. I'll say it again, it looks stunning. I sure hope you can do it justice. Take your time and plan well
Regards
BigC

HEY LOOKING GOOD!!!!

been away on holiday and come back to a nice lid haha cant wait to see more updates!

Hi all

There have been major developments since my last post, I have fitted all the lighting which was a lot easier than I anticipated so now I have 3 white tubes and 1 blue tube, I have to mention, that Gary was right on this one, I really like the blue light now, its perfect in the evening when the white light is a little to bright. I did take pictures of the light installation but they did not come out for some reason. I have also filled the tank with water and added the salt, I turned on all the equipment and left it for 24hrs, I tested the water a couple of times for specific gravity and high range Ph, my salinity is 1.020 and ph is 8.2. I have also changed the filter media.

I then picked up the live rock, 40 kilos in total, it looked loads when it was all in boxes, but not so much in the tank.

Here are a few pics




I have loads more pictures of the tank with the blue light on, and of possible hitchhikers, i have found a clam type thing and a worm type thing so far will post them soon.

Thanks

VictorMeldrew

Geeez
What did I tell Ya'all, This tank is gonna ROCK!
Great work so far, I'd head on up the SG scale to around 1.024-6
Whats your temperature.
Great start.
Regards
BigC

P.S. I bet the T.V's going on Ebay.

Wow that is going to be some tank, I'm so jealous.

I like the 'scaping and it's nice to see some bare sand for a change. That's the thing about a nano tank, by the time you have the live rock and coral etc there is very little sand space left.

Oh, I saw your pic on Rogues gallery as well! where was it taken, and were you just visiting or did you get to drive?

Keep up the good work!

Hello

My temp is at about 78 at the moment, is this right?, Yes BigC my TV is now redundent Whats this then, poor quality pic but i sure someone knows, good or bad?



Thanks

VM

VictorMeldrew said:

Hello

My temp is at about 78 at the moment, is this right?, Yes BigC my TV is now redundent Whats this then, poor quality pic but i sure someone knows, good or bad?

View attachment 53686

Thanks

VM

Click to expand...

Hey Good on ya mate!!! very please with the pics!!!

Not sure on the pic but i have a few too!!! carefull on the worm thingy (cant think of its name) some people like them and some dont!!!

Try get a red light at night and have a peek can you see lods of the worm thingy?

So next thing on the list is clean up crew maybe??? keep testing the water

The bi-valve mollusc looks like some kind of cockle or something. I think though in general these kind of critters are the good guys and pretty much harmless. It all adds to the interest in my opinion.