My 100 Gallon Marine Journal.

[1234-fishy-freind]

Well there is no turning back now, i have finally stared to fill up the tank after me and my dad spent 2 days building the new stand and chucked the scratty one that came with it.

So here goes an order of what has gone on so far :
- Day one we built stand, drilled holes and put in sheet of polystireen ( exuse the spelling ) down and placed the tank on top.

- Day two we gave skimmer, powerhead, sump ect a good clean in RO water and put what we could in place. We also fitted the metal halide lights and marine blue tubes above the tank using chane, might not sound attractive but it looks good and its easy to swing back for when i want oto get in.

The tank was then left for 2 days because i glued an extra piece of glass in the sump so the sand wont clog the return pump. We also bought a small light to go over the sump.

-Today we bought a bag of calcium based sand and a bag of coral sand fora bit of decoration, we also bought two 5gal jugs and put in 30 gallons of RO water and put in a few power heads to help surculate the water.

Here are a few pics of what it looks like, i need to improve my picture taking skills lol.







The wires wont be visible for lang as my dad is going to build cabinets all around the tank so nothing but the tank will be visible.
Tomorrow we will be getting more RO water so the tank withh be nearly full.
I will also give a more detailed description of what equipment i have.

So wish me well as i take the plunge into the marine world!!!!!!!!

 

[shibby]

good luck !

is the building cabinets from floor to ceiling? like a false wall? if so that would be cool.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

We was thinking about doing a false wall type thing but we have decided not too because it will be easier if we keep it like it is.
The light will have some form of wooden frame built around it though so the light is mostly directed into the tank and not the room.

 

[chrissaysyes]

keep us posted man, that looks like an awesome setup!

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Hi guys.
Well all is going well so far. The tank has 45 gallons of RO water in it now, coral sand and 5 power head, 3 of which are in use now. Thanks to my grandad the metal halides are working great, blinding everyone who looks at them lol. We have also attached the 2 marine blue tubes the the metal halides.
So as promised i have a list of the things i have.
- 5 power heads
- UV Steriliser
- Ehiem return pump
- Metal halide lighting
- 2 Marine blue tube lights
- Protien skimmer.
- Heater for new purchase or sick fish tank
- Ehiem external filter for new purchase or sick fish tank
- Spare small internal filter
And thats all, i still need to get a heater for the display tank.

So the plans for tomorrow, more RO water, heater, carbon, salt and 1kg of live rock just to stat cycle before tank is full.

Here are some mroe pics of the progress.

View attachment 48238
View attachment 48239
View attachment 48240
The sand on the left is caribsea argonite sand whihc will go in the sump and the bag on the left is caribsea live sand which i will mix in with the existing coral sand in the tank.
I just have one question, does the tank water need to be at the correct sg before i add the live sand or can i add it now?
If i can add it now, it will save me the job of doing it tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Pics didnt work
I will try again.




The sand on the left is caribsea argonite sand which will go in the sump and the bag on the left is caribsea live sand which i will mix in with the existing coral sand in the tank.
I just have one question, does the tank water need to be at the correct sg before i add the live sand or can i add it now?

 

[SkiFletch]

Yes, reasonably correct sg is required before adding LS. Anywhere from 1.020-1.027 should prolly be fine, but RO water, not a good idea

 

[chrissaysyes]

Im not 100% clear on the plumbing of that tank. Does the water overflow down those two big pipes in the center, then down to the sump?

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

chrissaysyes... yes the water flows down the 2 pipes and into the sump.

SkiFletch... whats wrong with using RO water ?

 

[littleme1969]

chrissaysyes... yes the water flows down the 2 pipes and into the sump.

SkiFletch... whats wrong with using RO water ?

I think Ski means dont add to plain RO, there needs to be salt already in there even if it isnt at your required level or at a stable s.g. as no salt will result in any bacteria being killed off instantly

 

[chrissaysyes]

is there anything covering those pipes going to the sump? Maybe fit some milk crate over them or something?

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

There isnt anything covering the pipes but i dont think i will put anything over them as the water line will only be 1-2cm above them, if i do, i will use something like egg crate to be safe.

skifletch... is what littleme1969 said right about what you said about RO water ?

Just a little updat too. I have just spent 1 hour cleaning the bag of aragonite sand for the sump using water from the tank and it took loads out, water level is about 20cm lower. But at least i have that job done.

I also didnt manage to get salt and more water today becuase the store was closed, grrrr.

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, that's what I meant. Dipping live sand in pure RO water will kill any bacteria living in it. Gotta be pre-mixed with a reasonable sg before you add it.

I'd look into turning those pipes into durso standpipes, cause if you don't, the sucking noise will be really annoying.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Well Skifletch im glad that you didnt mean i couldt use RO water at all. The water is already at the correct sg and the guy who i got the water from added some chemicals to replace important things lost in the RO process. The live sand wont be added untill the tank is in full working order though. I decided that today,it makes it easier for me.

Anyway... today i got more RO water, yesterday i got salt and heaters so the water is in the right condition so...i bought... MY FIRST PIECE OF LIVE ROCK TODAY !.
I know I probably sound a bit over the top but im so pleased i have some. Its coverd in life and so far i have seen tubeworms, copeopods, a little feather duster, starfish and there is some sprouts of purple claurpa growing on it. It is a 7lb peice and i paid £30 for it, i think that was a great price. I will upload pictures of the tank and the new live rock tomorrow, the water is a bit cloudy at the moment.

 

[chrissaysyes]

it seems like you would only need a couple of pieces to convert those overflows to durso.