First Time Salty ~370L

[drsquirrel]

Thanks.

I forgot last night to solvent the return pump valve/hose tail into the bulkhead so have done it this morning and will probably have to wait until tomorrow now.


RE: LEDs
I'm not looking for red, the ones pictured are for a rear bike light group I am building, the controller is just to give me the flashing modes and wouldn't one just to power LEDs outright for the tank.
That strip tends to be lower powered LEDs like the usual shaped LEDs most people would associate with. The LEDs I am on about are much more powerful, and get pretty hot so need heatsinking (usually a block/bar of ally will suffice).




Received...
-1x T5 Acintic
-3x T5 14000k

They made a mistake and sent me 3x14000k rather than 2x10000k and 1x14000k returning 2x14000k today.




Above - Weir / Bulkhead


Below - Weir / Bulkhead - PowerHead controller visible, can turn it up the other way if I want but it will be tidier with the cables going up, and the dials rotate the same direction regardless. I will have to take the cables across inside the cabinet (cable port going to be on the right) but should still work out better.



Return - End isn't glued on as the pressure shouldn't pop it off (hopefully, and if it does it wont matter initially), allows me to turn it to point where I want or even split it as I see fit.



2x 300w Heaters - I've posted this to show the huge size difference, the site did mention the jagers are big but I never noticed it - as I've said above, will replace with a smaller sized 200w for in the sump and use the jager for salt mixing.
Notice though... how the expensive rena says 300l for 300w but the jager says 600-1000 for 300w - surely these should be almost the same? (Sounds to me more like Rena are trying to get more sales etc).



T5 14000k + Actinic

 

[drsquirrel]

Leak tested the tank yesterday, and checked out the power heads. Haven't sorted the height of the durso yet but was pretty okay... although the drain pipe was a little noisy and drawing a lot of air (suggestions on to lower this?).

Found someone near by with 30kg 25kg so will pick it up later this evening.

I have nowhere "suitable" to store it yet, so will use some heavy duty bags inside an oldish bin (with a pump of course) - this should be okay? Although I am ready to start filling the main tank so will start that after I've flushed the RO

One pain with these cheaper power heads is the bracket doesn't give you much movement so will need to mod them or mount the pumps (at least for now) much lower.

 

[drsquirrel]

Received...
-25kg Live Rock
-RO Pressure Gauge (130PSI+ water pressure!)
-TDS Meter Dual Inline
-200w Eco-Therm Heater
-Salifert Phosphate Test Kit

On Order...
-Water Level Gauge I've forgotten why I decided I wanted 2...
-RO T-Peices + Valve + Pipework
-2x T5s


Got my live rock in now, just enough water ready and salted to cover virtually all of it, salinity around 1.025 although as I am filling directly into the main area currently because I want to cover the LR that will slowly drop.

Will be filling the sump tomorrow instead, waiting for it to mix/warm before pumping into the main display and repeating until full. This process should be fine? Or just keep filling the main display adding salt bit by bit?



Pictures tomorrow.

 

[APG78]

That water pressure on the RO will help a lot!
I'm not 100% on the order of adding - rock could be a bit early, but as no fish yet... I guess it's fine as you're currently doing it. But don't take a newbie's word for it!

 

[drsquirrel]

I realise the best is rock afterwards, but I have to balance it with leaving the rock out of water, I now have enough to cover the rock plus a bit extra, salted it a little at a time so the salt wouldn't settle on the rock, and manually used one of the powerheads to clear any that did.

Now I'm going to fill the sump during the day, salt, heat and circulate overnight, pump it to the display tank and repeat.

 

[seffieuk]

Exciting isn't it

Seffie x

 

[drsquirrel]

Watching RO fill is only slightly more exciting than paint dry


30kg of LR for £135 about 85 miles away, bit far really, and loads more than what I want. Monmouth Marine is closer than I thought and sell for around £7.50/kg (via ebay, maybe less cash in hand without ebay/paypal fees) and I can pick and choose bits I want, might pay them a visit, anyone have experience with them? They sell LR on ebay and link to fraggies although that has now combined with saltybox.



Display tank is only a few inches off, one more full sump should be enough, will be done tonight.
Mixing salt in the sump is a bit of a pain, using the skimmer pump to mix the solids up in the one chamber and then pumping it with the return pump from right to left.




Few more parts, and RO unit just running on the ground for now.




Had an accident yesterday with the skimmer, I kind of sat on it
I wasn't intending to use the extension collar, just left it on whilst out of the sump.




Cheapo Ozone unit, previously I have seen people complaining that they only have a control for the airpump speed and not the CD unit, that was an older batch and now they are both controlled. All the wires seem to go into the air pump, because one pole is used as common. I only want the CD unit out of this anyway, can just put it on the skimmer line and let it flow through, no air pump needed (this one isn't quiet), not sure if I will use ozone yet though.

 

[drsquirrel]

Tank is full, durso is tuned, most of the noise was the air going into the sump, filled up the sump chamber (roughly for now) with general filter floss and a stocking as a filter sock over the end.

Does anyone control the flow (on a single stand pipe) so it's only slightly more than the return pump to reduce the air pulled?

I will arrange the rock a bit better tomorrow and add sand, not decided if I want the fine or coarse, if I use coarse sand then I will put the fine sand in the sump, although i'm considering mixing.

I pulled the pipe out of the top of the bulkhead in the weir today, to change it for one I prepared at the correct length, air rushing into the pipe some how spurted water all up the wall, and down on some sockets, to which I ended up with a 240v AC shock... nice (wasn't too bad).

Done some tank tests to see where we stand.

30th May 2010 22:40

Temperature 28.2c
Salinity 1.026
ORP/Reddox 67 195@23c (mmm, going to recalibrate the probe).

PH 8.0
PO4/Phosphate 0
NH4/Ammonia <0.25
NO2/Nitrite 0.025
NO3/Nitrate 2

ORP Probe tested in 230mv solution returned around 222mv so I'm happy enough with that, because it wasn't exactly 25c I haven't adjusted it.
Done a further test in tank water 210 at first(so 28c), and settled at 195(23c). Weird 67, maybe I didn't rinse it properly last time.

 

[seffieuk]

to which I ended up with a 240v AC shock... nice (wasn't too bad).

Think we have all been there - i shorted most the house too
make sure you clean the salt off really well, or next time you touch the plug you will get another shock

Seffie x

 

[drsquirrel]

I have to reroute some wiring, so will sort out the wall then.

Sump...



Durso is being good, but a lot of air is being pulled into the sump, because the pipe is quite far below the sump surface (although I need to drain some out now too), the bubbles were making a lot of noise, for now I have just packed the end with filter floss, so only small bubbles are rising... although every so often there is a burst of bubbles so it fizzes.
It's a pain to shorten it now so I'm going to put a ball valve in the line so I can cut it higher up and then I will sort it so I can easily adjust the depth, also I can restrict the flow down (obviously allowing more flow than the pump can push) to reduce the amount of air needing to be pulled in.


Compartments (Left to Right)...
1 - Prefilter (koi filter floss)
2 - Skimmer/Pump + Phosphate Remover (+ Carbon, specially when I have ozone running)
3 - Leftover Sand, LR and Algaes + 300w Heater
4 - Return Pump + 200w Heater



Tank...


Mounted 1x Acintic 1x 10000k, I mounted the 14000k and was putting the 10000k on and noticed the pins were bent stupid pins
Cables will come out of the right when I am sorted, I want to remove the hood/glass to sort the sand+more rock.
The hole is on the left as the weir was initially built on the left as I didn't specify a side



Photos now are just quick ones for a build log, will take better pictures with the SLR once it's tidier.


LR has a little life on there, sea squirts, Asterina stars, something that looked like a barnacle, various worms, and something that looks like a small white fuzzy ball... no idea yet (will get picture for ID, tried and ID picture site with no luck).

 

[drsquirrel]

Taihen da! Power cut!

Not that they happen that much (in house) any more, or outside... our small group of houses are on the same as the industrial units nearish by and usually never get tampered with.

Sump siphoned a bit via the return pump as the nozzle is around 1cm under the water, it's a 45deg bend. Enough space in the sump for it, even though the sump is over full. Of course I have already tested this manually.

If there is a blockage in the weir drain the display tank will currently overflow, I'm hoping when emptying the sump as low as possible, just above the bubble trap for the return pump, then it should only put in the volume of the last chamber down to the return nozzle and possibly the volume of the return pipe work (if it was blocked at the top). Then I'll be immune from overflows... hopefully


Just been cleaning sand, I've decided to use the fine coral sand, although the 18kg I have left (used 2kg of it) isn't really enough so mixed in 10kg of the coarse coral sand, takes ages to clean

 

[drsquirrel]

Added 18kg more rock today, and put the sand in.

LR looks good, small coral and sponge, plus loads of filter thingies (I will learn the names, eventually).


Few quick pictures...

Rear view...


Front view...



Coral...



Can someone ID this? It was on my first set of rock, round and fuzzy looking.

 

[drsquirrel]

A few shots of life on the rock for now... maybe this can be a good excuse for me to buy a macro lens after all!

 

[drsquirrel]

I've posted my skimmer issue separate so it can be resolved without bloating this thread.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/331507-new-skimmer-problem/

 

[seffieuk]

You have soem nice freebies there on the rock

Seffie x