Steve's 110 tall rebuild/upgrade

[SteveParkinson]

Hello to all, I found out about SD Reefs 8 months ago from a friend and wish I had known about it sooner. I am getting ready to rebuild/upgrade my 110 tall and thought it would be cool to create a thread so I can gain advice and ideas while sharing my rebuild with others.

I have had tanks all my life, but my current one is a 110 gallon tall I bought about a year ago. I picked up the tank, stand, canopy, sump and lights for about $300. They were used but in very good shape. Here are a couple of pictures of the tank when it was first set up and running with the livestock I moved over from my Nano.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0462.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0460.jpg

I also added a used refugium that I picked up for $20 from another guy parting out his tank and plumbed it into my sump.

Late last year I went on an 8 month deployment and my tank went through some changes while I was gone. My son did his best to take care of it but between a few power outages and some other uneventful events in the tank I lost a good portion of my livestock and corals. I figured this would be a great time to tear the tank down and incorporate some much needed upgrades and just redesign some stuff from lessons learned etc.

Here are the photos of the tank today:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0516.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0517.jpg

My Sump and fuge:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0518.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0519.jpg

Spending 8 months deployed looking at forums and other tanks really motivated me to change some things with my tank and just make some things better that I learned from others.

Some things I plan to change on my tank:
- change to LED lighting
- more circulation needed in the display tank
- redesign plumbing to tank, refugium and sump
- redesign sump setup and refugium
- build a rock/foam wall (with built in plumbed circulation) that runs up most of the back glass for corals to grow on
- and many more little fixes I have been making notes of and will post as I progress

Thanks for looking and feel free to share any advice or comments.

Steve

[bradreef]

very good base to start with.

Sump- you have a decent skimmer,
I would just get rid of the bio balls I think I see in there. Not what you want for a reef, those are for FO systems.
what bulb do you have for the fuge? looks like hair algae is growing in there and that's if . should be able to get some cheato for free.

Led lights- If your tank is 30 inches deep like a standard 110 tall then you need to have 90 or 60 degree optics. otherwise you wont get much light on the bottom. I do like led's though. I setup my tank a month and a half ago and Love metal halide lights but the heat and having to replace the bulb every year just made the led's make sense.

flow- what are you looking at for flow and what type of corals are you going to keep?

Any other filtration methods you are planning on adding.

[naso tang]

Welcome to sdreefs! Good to see another far north county reefer! Agree that tall tank will need some power and optics on the leds to get to the bottom, same with any other lighting though.ai sols could do it with three watt crees and 40 degree optics but ther might be some spotlighting. Theres a reefer up here who uses kessil like cannons on his big tank setup, let me dig up his name since i forget...

Sniper 5431 is the guy i'm thinking of you could see if he has a build thread

[SteveParkinson]

Brad,

- The skimmer I have is pretty good, but when I redesign the sump I will move the skimmer so that is on a side with a fixed water level. I currently have it on the return side and I am pretty sure the changing water level effects the skimmer.
- Bio balls do need to go, that was one of the mistakes I realized I made while deployed and reading up on sumps. I do have have that chamber split in half and the other side is live rock too.
- The bulb on the fuge is a 24 in T5 which I plan to replace with a grow light sized just for the fuge. The current one is obviously too long! There is cheato in there but I have the red algae going too.
- I will have to do some research on the LED lighting, thanks for the heads up on the 90/60 degree optics.
- For the flow I have already purchased two Koralina powerheads - one 1050 gph and one 1400 gph.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0525.jpg

- I am also planning on adding a chiller so the chiller return line will add more circulation. That and the rockscape with a built in closed loop system should help out much better.

I havent really decided on the corals yet, I am pretty easy when it comes to them. Simple is good and I like the zoa's, mushrooms and other soft corals.

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

Welcome to sdreefs! Good to see another far north county reefer! Agree that tall tank will need some power and optics on the leds to get to the bottom, same with any other lighting though.ai sols could do it with three watt crees and 40 degree optics but ther might be some spotlighting. Theres a reefer up here who uses kessil like cannons on his big tank setup, let me dig up his name since i forget...

Sniper 5431 is the guy i'm thinking of you could see if he has a build thread

Naso,

Thanks for the info, I will check out his build thread if he has one! Glad to be a part of the forums and know there are others in here from the IE.

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

So I am now planning the best way to tear down the display tank to do some of the other fixes I need to do without losing everything established in the sandbed, fuge and water. I want to keep as much as I can because I have read it's better to keep as much water as possible so it's not a complete restart on the system. I am hoping that once the display comes down, it will be back up and running in about two weeks at the most. I plan to set up and use my Red Sea 34 gallon Nano as a temporary tank to hold the remaining fish I have - Javanese Damsel, Scooter Blenny and Yellow Watchman Goby. I plan to set up some large tubs with water out of the 110 and keep the live rock in them with powerheads. Should I do the same for my sandbed?

Also my fuge is thriving with copepods, stars, bristleworms and all sorts of other bugs so I dont want to lose them. Is there a recommended way for keeping the fuge going while I redo the display tank? Should I just move the fuge out and then just keep a powerhead going or do I need any other type of filtration temporarily?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0523.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0521.jpg

Sorry for the crummy picture quality, they were taken with my iphone. Another thing I plan on doing during this build is learning to work the wife's nice camera to get some better tank and fish shots.

Steve

[bradreef]

the powerheads you have are good and will provide plenty of flow for what you are trying to do. they have a similar setup at the bigger reef display at aquatic warehouse with the $50 wavemaker.

For LED's I would recomend two of these for the price. http://www.aliexpress.com/product-gs/544640134-Free-shipping-D120-with-26B-4Violet-and-25W-Dimmable-120W-LED-aquarium-lights-wholesalers.html. but add the 90 degree optics. maybe some 60's on the outside if you want. But these lights would handle sps towards the bottom just fine with 60 degree optics. dimmable will make it so you can get whatever color you want.


You can suck out the water and just being careful to not disturb the sand to much. after you have 90% of the water out you can remove the sand and then rinse it out . you can reuse it. you just need to get out as much detritus as you can.

[SteveParkinson]

the powerheads you have are good and will provide plenty of flow for what you are trying to do. they have a similar setup at the bigger reef display at aquatic warehouse with the $50 wavemaker.

For LED's I would recomend two of these for the price. http://www.aliexpress.com/product-gs/544640134-Free-shipping-D120-with-26B-4Violet-and-25W-Dimmable-120W-LED-aquarium-lights-wholesalers.html. but add the 90 degree optics. maybe some 60's on the outside if you want. But these lights would handle sps towards the bottom just fine with 60 degree optics. dimmable will make it so you can get whatever color you want.

You can suck out the water and just being careful to not disturb the sand to much. after you have 90% of the water out you can remove the sand and then rinse it out . you can reuse it. you just need to get out as much detritus as you can.

Brad,

Thanks for the feedback on the powerheads and the LED's. I had been looking at these LED's from Aqua-Traders originally
http://www.aquatraders.com/EVO-Quad-48-LED-Reef-Bright-p/56237.htm

The ones you recommended would be about $100 more for both fixtures but give me 110 3W LED's whereas the other one at Aqua-traders only 64. I think that would be a fair trade off for $100 more. Do you use these LED's or know of anyone who has them in their tank, just wondering how they would rate them. What do you mean 60's on the outside? On the outer rows on those fixtures if I were modify the layout of lights within the fixture. Sorry - new to the whole LED thing!

Good to know info on the sandbed, I will follow those steps when I bring the tank down.

Thanks again
Steve

[bradreef]

see replies


Brad,

Thanks for the feedback on the powerheads and the LED's. I had been looking at these LED's from Aqua-Traders originally
http://www.aquatraders.com/EVO-Quad-48-LED-Reef-Bright-p/56237.htm there are many threads on aquatraders some times they work. some times they start fires. Read for yourself i would say http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2124368&highlight=aquatrader

The ones you recommended would be about $100 more for both fixtures but give me 110 3W LED's whereas the other one at Aqua-traders only 64. I think that would be a fair trade off for $100 more. Do you use these LED's or know of anyone who has them in their tank, just wondering how they would rate them. What do you mean 60's on the outside? On the outer rows on those fixtures if I were modify the layout of lights within the fixture. Sorry - new to the whole LED thing! optics are basically magnifying lenses on the outside of the bulb with no optics the spread on the light is 120 degree's . adding optics will make the light more focused and stronger.
this is the thread on the leds from china. read part of it if you can. maybe 1000 -1200 or so. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2110092&page=100

Good to know info on the sandbed, I will follow those steps when I bring the tank down.

Thanks again
Steve

[SteveParkinson]

I hadn't heard or read of the issues others were having with them. Guess I got lucky with my T5's though, I never had any issues with them.

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

Here is a little update on what's been going on with my build. I have been pretty busy with work this past week so I haven't had much time to mess with this project. I did manage to do a couple of things though.

Bought a new chiller - 1/4HP Oceanic! Thanks again Mike and Jenn!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0534.jpg

I also went ahead and set up a tank for the remaining fish I have and started letting it cycle. I used live rock and water straight from the display tank and sand from my old Nano so I am hoping it will be okay to move the fish next week. I believe it is just an old Eclipse but it work great in my office a few years ago when I was moving my tank from San Diego to Murrieta. I figured I didn't need to set up my Red Sea 34 gallon for 3 fish and most of the LR is going to go in tubs anyway.

Front
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0536.jpg

Back
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0537.jpg

I also picked up a 4 inch piece of PVC as shown in the DIY video below. I figured it would save me about $20 on a filter sock hangar and give me something else to do while I am waiting to move the fish over to their new home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqCfvz7ByHo

I have also been doing a bit of research on the LR/foam wall I want to put in the back of the tank. I am going to try and build it with a closed loop system plumbed into it so there is a lot of smaller jets circulating down in those hard to reach rock formations. I got the idea from RC and have been following some of their threads on building these. Pretty amazing that this formation in the back of this tank was built with pond foam and LR.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1437901&highlight=diy+rock+wall&page=6

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

Time for an update, today was a pretty good day. I finally got some time to dedicate to the tank and taking it down. I knew today was going to be a long day when it came so I wanted to make sure I had enough time to spend doing the tear down without interruptions or anything else that would force me to have to stop in the middle of this project today.

So I started about 11 am this morning which was probably later than what I actually wanted to start but it was better than not at all......

I removed the canopy and lights first, shut everything else off and started to drain the water into tubs for the live rock. I took out all of the live rock and put it in tubs with a powerhead running in each and saved as much water as I could. I probably saved about 50 percent of my water total but I don't mind letting the tank do another cycle if needed. My water was pretty nasty and the sandbed was bad too. I did take out all of the sand once I got down to no water left in the display tank. I also took out all of my plumbing - skimmer, return pumps, heater, and the other misc plumbing and attaching drainage pipes!

Two tubs full of live rock

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0539.jpg

The tank in the process of draining

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0538.jpg

Almost there - I forgot how long it takes to drain a 110! Especially using small hose to avoid draining the sand too....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0540.jpg

Draining the sump, those Bio-balls are history. If anyone needs any, let me know I have a Von's bag full of them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0541.jpg

So I also needed to try and keep everything in the refugium in tact and running while I did my rebuild. My fuge is really populated with all sorts of bugs everywhere and I really enjoy watching it. Sometimes I enjoyed watching the stuff in there more than the fish in the display tank. I drained about 1/3 of my fuge just to safely keep the water below the fuge's drain line and to avoid any spillage while sliding the tank/stand away from the wall. The fuge is now going with a powerhead and a grow light only. I hope it doesn't have too much impact on the life in my fuge.

Fuge running once again with just a powerhead and grow light.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0542.jpg

Once I had my fuge back on and running, I proceeded to get the sump out. Too bad on a 4 ft stand I cant get a 20 gallon tank out with another 20 gallon tank still under there without making a modification or two. I had to remove the center brace to get the 20 gallon sump out without disturbing the 20 gallon fuge. This was a challenge because when I added the fuge it was empty and I didn't have to worry about spills or the fuge being tipped up etc. Once the center brace was out the sump finally came out nice and easy!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0544.jpg

I also slid the tank out from the wall about 2-3 feet to give myself some room to work. This is one thing I will change when I put it back, I will give myself a little more room to work behind a tank and stand. Before I had maybe 2-3 inches between the wall and my stand, this time I am leaving about 6 inches minimum - enough to at least stick my hands back there easily.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0545.jpg

Got the sump out and I found some pretty good salt creep and maybe even some possible water damage to the wood. I will need to treat this before putting the sump back under. Does anyone know a good way to control the salt creep on your sump so I can avoid this in the future?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0546.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0547.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0548.jpg

Well I took a break from the tank since I had all my tubs set up and running, my fish in their temp tank, and my fuge back online. During this break I went to Lowe's and Home Depot to get some clear silicone to add a baffle to my sump. I also picked up all of my plumbing supplies for my drainage to the sump/fuge, and my return items. I am not messing with those tonight but I did add the extra baffle to my sump so it could go ahead and dry.

Baffle to the left is new - adhesive drying. I scored and cut the glass myself, pretty easy actually. A lot easier than I thought it would be! I will have the drainage and skimmer on the left side of the sump now unlike before and the return pump now on the right side. I will keep the skimmer on the side with a fixed height to keep the skimmer working more efficiently. I also have my new filter sock holder hanging on the tank - thanks youtube/fellow reefers for a DIY project that saved me about $20!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0549.jpg

Last but not least, the damsel, goby and urchin are all doing well in their temp tank. It is a bit smaller but they have adjusted okay so far!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0551.jpg

That's all for tonight, it's almost 11pm and I am beat! I will post more updates tomorrow or the following day as I make progress on getting my tank up and running again. Thanks for following and feedback or suggestions are always welcome.

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

Another productive day today. Today I cleaned up the underneath of the stand and treated/painted it to protect it from any future salt creep or spills. I also took all of my pumps, skimmer and powerheads apart and cleaned them all thoroughly. Finally I hooked up all of the plumbing coming from the tank to the sump and the fuge.

I forgot to take pictures of the stand being cleaned up and painted, while I was waiting for the stand to dry I went ahead and cleaned all of the pumps and so on. Here is the stand with the sump back in, it went in a lot smoother than it came out. Center brace reinstalled too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0553.jpg

Here are the plumbing parts laid out ready to go, I still had to go back to Lowe's for a few items I forgot or found out I needed after all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0552.jpg

Sump and fuge supply from the main tank (as seen from the back). Both will have quick disconnect couplings and ball valves incorporated to each line.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0556.jpg

Fuge supply and return, the supply is the closer of the two and the return is the further one (as seen from the back).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0557.jpg

More shots from the back of each....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0558.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0559.jpg

Here is the fuge's return line. I didn't want to drain my fuge into the sump before the skimmer so I ran this flexible hose into the 1st baffle (past the skimmer). It's not permanent so I can always redo it if it doesn't work out like that.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0560.jpg

All done with the plumbing for tonight, a few shots looking underneath from the front.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0561.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0562.jpg

This was the drainage I used to have underneath draining from the display and to the right side of the sump and then the other line going to the fuge. This was another thing I really wanted to modify, making the plumbing more practical and easier to work underneath. Can't believe I used to have to work under there with that pile of PVC over the sump, looked like a snake coiled up waiting to strike!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0563.jpg

Steve

[bradreef]

looks good. can't wait to see the tank running

[SteveParkinson]

looks good. can't wait to see the tank running

Thanks Brad, hopefully it will be up and running soon!

Steve

[Brian_reefragr]

Great job on everything Steve! I'm looking forward to seeing updates on this bad boy in the near future. Hopefully it will be back up and fully stocked soon.

[sniper5431]

Looking very nice! The cannons I use will probably work. They are pricey. I am still trying to figure out if they are really good for SPS. My sps is not growing like I wanted. Maybe some calcium issues I am having. They look wonderful and the softies love them. I am close to you and your always welcome to come look at the tank. I just sold my 110 tall. I was going to do a fish only system in it. Just lost a bit of drive to have more than 1 big tank. Send me a pm anytime for my number
http://www.ecoxotic.com/100-watt-elliptical-cannon-led.html

Rich

[SteveParkinson]

Great job on everything Steve! I'm looking forward to seeing updates on this bad boy in the near future. Hopefully it will be back up and fully stocked soon.

Brian, thanks for the feedback! I hope to have it up and running soon enough.

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

Looking very nice! The cannons I use will probably work. They are pricey. I am still trying to figure out if they are really good for SPS. My sps is not growing like I wanted. Maybe some calcium issues I am having. They look wonderful and the softies love them. I am close to you and your always welcome to come look at the tank. I just sold my 110 tall. I was going to do a fish only system in it. Just lost a bit of drive to have more than 1 big tank. Send me a pm anytime for my number
http://www.ecoxotic.com/100-watt-elliptical-cannon-led.html

Rich

Rich,

Thanks for the feedback - pm sent. I will have to check them out to at least compare to the ones others have suggested so far.

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

So yesterday I was able to get the last of my "to-do" items done on the tank before filling it up. I still have some things I want to change but I can do those as the tank is cycling or down the road when it's up and running. The lights are still a concern for me and I am still doing a bit of research to find the best LED's for my tank and budget. Thanks again to all who have given me feedback and suggestions on the LED's.

Items accomplished yesterday:
- Installed powerstrips and timers for now, eventually I am going to upgrade to a controller - I heard that is the way to go.
- Leak tested plumbing and new baffle on sumps. Leak tests all good!
- Installed return lines from sump through chiller back to tank.
- Installed skimmer and filter sock.
- Cleaned sandbed and added sandbed and liverock back into tank.

Sump filling up for a leak test, baffle held good and no water was getting by until it reached the top.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0567.jpg

Live rock and sandbed in, here is my rockscape for now. I think it came out pretty good, I will also add some more LR on the right side to blend in with the overflow box and a bit more in the center to form a peak. I have to wait to get the rest out of my other tank.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0572.jpg

Full shot with all lights on, this will look great when covered with corals.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0570.jpg

Full shot blue only.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0569.jpg

Here's a shot from the top of the stairs looking down, just thought I would share since normally there is a canopy on there. Again these are just my T5's for now, I plan to replace with LED's and mount in the canopy. I left the glass panes off the top of the tank because I read they trap heat and reduce light. I think I am going to buy some light diffusers that look light egg crate from Lowe's to replace the glass panels on my tank. I hope the holes on those are not too big that fish can escape. I did install a glass square over my overflow box to reduce the splashing effect - you can sort of see it in the bottom left corner of this shot.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0573.jpg

Full shot of tank, stand and chiller. Chiller came on a few times last night but it is doing a good job keeping the tank at 78-79.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0575.jpg

Here is one of my next fixes - install a durso overflow.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0574.jpg

That's it for now, let the cycle begin.

Steve

[bradreef]

i think as long as you have optics on 3 watt bulbs you will be fine with lights. What options are you looking at? Diy, or buying a pre-built unit?

[SteveParkinson]

i think as long as you have optics on 3 watt bulbs you will be fine with lights. What options are you looking at? Diy, or buying a pre-built unit?

I am leaning towards two of the ones you originally sent me the link for. I have look around elsewhere at others similar and they are a lot more expensive. I even looked at DIY but they end up being almost as much minus the labor.

I am going to check out Snipers cannons on his 180 to see how those compare. Either way, I need to wait a payday or two to purchase them.

Steve

[bradreef]

this is a good thread to show how optics are important.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1761942

Shows par #'s ect.

[SteveParkinson]

this is a good thread to show how optics are important.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1761942

Shows par #'s ect.

Brad, thanks I will check out the link and do some reading up on them.

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

I didn't do much to the tank today just because I took the day off. I do have some questions about the fuge though before moving on.

- Right now the tank is cycling and the supply to the fuge is bypassing it and only going through the sump. At what point in the cycle should I start to allow the water to trickle through the fuge?

- Should I leave a small powerhead in the fuge once the fuge has tank water trickling through again or is this too much current for the fuge and life within?

- What are some good items to keep in a fuge that will survive without taking out all of the beneficial life of the fuge? I have read some will put a peppermint shrimp, a hermit crab, a snail and maybe a small fish in them. Any recommendations just so I can keep it in mind for down the road?

- How long should I leave the lights on the fuge, right now they come on from 10pm and go off at 8am. They are on the same timer as the moonlights on the display tank. Too much or too little?

Thanks
Steve

[bradreef]

people run the lights on there fuge anywhere from 8-24 hours

[SteveParkinson]

Time for a bit of an update since it's been a while. I am still allowing the tank to go through a cycle even though all of the live rock, sand and a quarter of the water was used from the previous breakdown. I will test the water again tonight! I also took these photos with a better camera than the iphone camera. Hopefully they turn out a little better.

Tank looks good and I haven't got the red algae bloom yet, I am hoping it is very minor if and when it happens.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7610.jpg

Here is a picture of the rockscape looking from the left side, the wall is kind of curved throughout the tank so it gives the fish a lot of room to swim in and out of the rock and from behind etc.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7623.jpg

Skimmer is putting out some good waste, I have cleaned this cup out twice since being hooked up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7632.jpg

I did do a couple minor upgrades while the tank has been cycling. The first one I added a diffuser and cut it to fit the top of my tank. I added this to replace the glass covers that came with the tank. This makes a huge difference in cooling and light distribution to the tank. Before the inside of the canopy used to be so hot and the light didn't seem to be as strong once you had water stains and calcium buildup on the glass covers. I like the diffuser so far, I just hope none of the fish later on try to jump out. I also cut two sections of the diffuser panel so I can pull them out and work in the tank as needed.

Diffuser inside of the canopy.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7628.jpg

Diffuser with section removed to work in tank, there is another section on the opposite side that pops out too. They pop right back into place and rest on the center brace and lip around the tank.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7629.jpg

I also added a couple of saline/IV bags with the drip regulator and hung them from the back of the tank. These are filled with part A and part B of Two Little Fishes Calcium balance and drip into the sump return side. Sorry for the poor picture quality, it was dark and this shot wasn't coming out good against the black background.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7630.jpg

Couple shots of my fish..... really just playing around with the camera! I think these came out pretty good for a beginner.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7614.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7640.jpg

Couple more from the fuge...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7548.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7544.jpg

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

Tank has been going strong for about two weeks now. I added 4 Sgt Major Damsels about a week ago to help cycle the tank and so far everything is still alive. I am starting to get some of the brown algae on the rocks, glass and sandbed so I think I may be nearing the end of the cycle. Please correct me if I am wrong!

Took some tests of the water today. Does anyone see anything alarming with the readings or see anything that would contradict the end of the cycle being near?

- Ammonia - between 0 and 0.25 ppm
- Nitrite - 0 ppm
- Nitrate - 5.0 ppm
- Copper - 0 ppm
- Phosphates - 1.0 ppm
- High Range pH - 8.0

Thanks
Steve

[Mrgunz1]

Time for an update, today was a pretty good day. I finally got some time to dedicate to the tank and taking it down. I knew today was going to be a long day when it came so I wanted to make sure I had enough time to spend doing the tear down without interruptions or anything else that would force me to have to stop in the middle of this project today.

So I started about 11 am this morning which was probably later than what I actually wanted to start but it was better than not at all......

I removed the canopy and lights first, shut everything else off and started to drain the water into tubs for the live rock. I took out all of the live rock and put it in tubs with a powerhead running in each and saved as much water as I could. I probably saved about 50 percent of my water total but I don't mind letting the tank do another cycle if needed. My water was pretty nasty and the sandbed was bad too. I did take out all of the sand once I got down to no water left in the display tank. I also took out all of my plumbing - skimmer, return pumps, heater, and the other misc plumbing and attaching drainage pipes!

Two tubs full of live rock

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0539.jpg

The tank in the process of draining

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0538.jpg

Almost there - I forgot how long it takes to drain a 110! Especially using small hose to avoid draining the sand too....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0540.jpg

Draining the sump, those Bio-balls are history. If anyone needs any, let me know I have a Von's bag full of them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0541.jpg

So I also needed to try and keep everything in the refugium in tact and running while I did my rebuild. My fuge is really populated with all sorts of bugs everywhere and I really enjoy watching it. Sometimes I enjoyed watching the stuff in there more than the fish in the display tank. I drained about 1/3 of my fuge just to safely keep the water below the fuge's drain line and to avoid any spillage while sliding the tank/stand away from the wall. The fuge is now going with a powerhead and a grow light only. I hope it doesn't have too much impact on the life in my fuge.

Fuge running once again with just a powerhead and grow light.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0542.jpg

Once I had my fuge back on and running, I proceeded to get the sump out. Too bad on a 4 ft stand I cant get a 20 gallon tank out with another 20 gallon tank still under there without making a modification or two. I had to remove the center brace to get the 20 gallon sump out without disturbing the 20 gallon fuge. This was a challenge because when I added the fuge it was empty and I didn't have to worry about spills or the fuge being tipped up etc. Once the center brace was out the sump finally came out nice and easy!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0544.jpg

I also slid the tank out from the wall about 2-3 feet to give myself some room to work. This is one thing I will change when I put it back, I will give myself a little more room to work behind a tank and stand. Before I had maybe 2-3 inches between the wall and my stand, this time I am leaving about 6 inches minimum - enough to at least stick my hands back there easily.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0545.jpg

Got the sump out and I found some pretty good salt creep and maybe even some possible water damage to the wood. I will need to treat this before putting the sump back under. Does anyone know a good way to control the salt creep on your sump so I can avoid this in the future?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0546.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0547.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0548.jpg

Well I took a break from the tank since I had all my tubs set up and running, my fish in their temp tank, and my fuge back online. During this break I went to Lowe's and Home Depot to get some clear silicone to add a baffle to my sump. I also picked up all of my plumbing supplies for my drainage to the sump/fuge, and my return items. I am not messing with those tonight but I did add the extra baffle to my sump so it could go ahead and dry.

Baffle to the left is new - adhesive drying. I scored and cut the glass myself, pretty easy actually. A lot easier than I thought it would be! I will have the drainage and skimmer on the left side of the sump now unlike before and the return pump now on the right side. I will keep the skimmer on the side with a fixed height to keep the skimmer working more efficiently. I also have my new filter sock holder hanging on the tank - thanks youtube/fellow reefers for a DIY project that saved me about $20!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0549.jpg

Last but not least, the damsel, goby and urchin are all doing well in their temp tank. It is a bit smaller but they have adjusted okay so far!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_0551.jpg

That's all for tonight, it's almost 11pm and I am beat! I will post more updates tomorrow or the following day as I make progress on getting my tank up and running again. Thanks for following and feedback or suggestions are always welcome.

Steve

that damsel you have in that small tank is evil. i hope you have no zoas in that tank i just took mine out and flushed him he ate two huge zoa covered rocks out of my tank

[DaveMorris]

All looks good. See, a brand new tank (almost). Same feeling though. I am about to get there as well with my 300g. If you still end up doing the foam wall, keep in mind that the foam is extremely bouyant. Way more so, than I thought. :)

By the way...there is nothing wrong with bio balls in your sump. They will act the same as live rock as a place for beneficial bacteria to colonize. The "bad" part of bio balls is how we used to use them in trickle filters.

[bradreef]

Bio balls are wonderful at converting nitrites to nitrates, But it stops there. Live rock can further convert nitrates.
article on nitrates
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/8/chemistry
Your phosphates are super high so I wouldn't go adding coral now but it's coming along well.

[SteveParkinson]

that damsel you have in that small tank is evil. i hope you have no zoas in that tank i just took mine out and flushed him he ate two huge zoa covered rocks out of my tank

Thanks for the heads up on the damsel, I will definitely watch him closely. So far I have not had any problems with him.



All looks good. See, a brand new tank (almost). Same feeling though. I am about to get there as well with my 300g. If you still end up doing the foam wall, keep in mind that the foam is extremely bouyant. Way more so, than I thought. :)

By the way...there is nothing wrong with bio balls in your sump. They will act the same as live rock as a place for beneficial bacteria to colonize. The "bad" part of bio balls is how we used to use them in trickle filters.

Thanks Dave, it does feel like a new tank again. I decided against doing the foam wall. It seemed like it could have more problems than benefits in the long run. They look really nice but I imagine they can be a pain if and when they start to break down. I had some other reasons to go against the rock wall too. Good to know info on the bio balls but they are already gone! I had them in three tanks but decided it was time for them to go this time, I read more and more about getting rid of them over keeping them.


Bio balls are wonderful at converting nitrites to nitrates, But it stops there. Live rock can further convert nitrates.
article on nitrates
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/8/chemistry
Your phosphates are super high so I wouldn't go adding coral now but it's coming along well.

Thanks Brad, nice link - that is good to know info! I will get the phosphates down before adding anything else.

Thanks all for the feedback/comments!
Steve

[SteveParkinson]

I have been doing some reading on phosphates and figured I would see what others are doing to keep their levels down to zero.

I know there are some chemicals you can just add to remove phosphates as a one time cure but I would imagine they can eventually creep back up again. Is it worth adding a phosban reactor running it 24/7 or just adding chemi-pure bags every 4-6 months? Any recommendations or experiences that make one better than the other? Are there benefits to one over the other?

My phosphates are down to .50 ppm now, but I am still trying to get them down to zero.

Thanks
Steve

[bradreef]

I love the reactor and GFO, A refugium does an ok job at removing them but nothing is better than a gfo reactor. not too much money either. $70 or less to startup.

[SteveParkinson]

I love the reactor and GFO, A refugium does an ok job at removing them but nothing is better than a gfo reactor. not too much money either. $70 or less to startup.

Just ordered a phosban reactor with pump and the media online - only $65 out the door! Good call - looking forward to installing it this weekend. Hopefully then I can get this phosphate reading down to zero and continue adding corals etc.

Thanks
Steve

[bradreef]

do half of what is recomended at first becuase it works fast and can shock your system. they swap out after a week or so.

here is a calculator for gfo.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/reef-calculator#GFOCalculator

[bradreef]

Also you can add carbon is the same reactor...

[SteveParkinson]

Time for an update, work has kept me pretty busy the past few weeks but I still found time to make some changes and add some items to the tank.

I added a reactor with phosphate remover media and I noticed a difference 24 hours after being hooked up. The red algae that was on the top layer of my sand bed was gone within 24 hours and a lot on the live rock was also disappearing. In fact looking at the pictures I took today I can't even find any red algae on the display tank. The refugium still has some but I would rather have some there than in the display.

Added some livestock and picked up some frags from local reefers the past two weekends. Great meeting all of you and talking shop, all of you have very nice looking tanks and I can only hope that mine will be up there with them one day. Thanks again, Naso, 50 cube, and Korl.

Some FTS pictures, (sorry about the angles, I have to try to position myself so I don't get the glare off the windows in the living room).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7726.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7725.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7694.jpg

Various frag pictures...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7728.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7727.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7717.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7719.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7712.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7697.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7696.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7695.jpg

Some live stock pictures.....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7702.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7665.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7703.jpg

My Yellow Watchman Goby who doesn't look so yellow anymore, any ideas why he may have lightened up so much?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7730.jpg

There are some other small frags I couldn't either get pictures of (too blurry) or they just wouldn't show up in the pictures. Hoping all my frags will start taking off now and get some good growth. I am still going to be adding frags as I come across them but I think I am going to add some more fish next.

Steve

[50 cube]

Steve, it was very nice to finally meet you today Wow, when you told me your YMG had lightened up I didn't think it was that drastic. Sorry but I'm not enough of an expert to postulate as to why the color change. Your tank & aquascaping looks awesome.

[SteveParkinson]

Thanks and likewise, your tank was very impressive. I am definitely going to look into investing in one of those power-heads. The YWG seems to be his normal self, doesn't seem to be bothered by the change in color. Appetite and personality are unchanged!

Thanks again,
Steve


Steve, it was very nice to finally meet you today Wow, when you told me your YMG had lightened up I didn't think it was that drastic. Sorry but I'm not enough of an expert to postulate as to why the color change. Your tank & aquascaping looks awesome.

[bradreef]

looking good. I like that the reactor worked well for you. I replace the media when I have to clean the glass within 3 days. What powerheads did you like?

[SteveParkinson]

50 cube has a Vortech MP10 and showed me all of the different settings...... They are pretty sweet, only thing is I think I would have to go bigger due to the thickness of my glass.

Thanks again on the reactor recommendation, it was $65 well spent!

Steve

[bradreef]

to me they are just like a skimmer. you can do ok without one but why would you want to? also the fact that gfo doesn't release phosphates once it's used is awesome. what types of corals are you wanting to do. looks like lps and zoa's.

fyi the tunze powerheads are pretty awesome also. another option for high quality controlled powerheads.

[KorL]

Nice progress. Thanks for sharing

[SteveParkinson]

Thanks, let me know when you have some rics available.

Steve


Nice progress. Thanks for sharing

[SteveParkinson]

Few pictures of my tank and livestock as of today....

I added new livestock and some more frags, some more live rock - bonus many came covered with GSP and mushrooms from another generous reefer breaking down his tank. I also added two more Koralia's and a wavemaker and I am really pleased with the currents in the tank so far. I don't think they match the Vortech's or the Tunze but for now they do the job!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7752.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7762.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7765.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7766.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7791.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7774.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7777.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7788.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7785.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7786.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7783.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7782.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7780.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7770.jpg

FTS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7769.jpg

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

Anyone have an ID on this, it was on one of the rocks I got this weekend.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7781.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7784.jpg

Thanks
Steve

[50 cube]

Nice, love the deep dark cave!

[SteveParkinson]

Nice, love the deep dark cave!

So do the tangs, they love to swim through it and up and out through the back! It's also where my fire shrimp sets up his cleaning station, haven't seen him for a day or two now. I hope he's molting and not gone MIA!

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

Here are a few new shots since I redid my aqua scape, I started to work with acrylic rods in the new scape - not much yet but I figure the next time I redo my rocks will be more. There is a long row of rocks that are all connected together going from the bottom left corner to the middle of the tank (thanks again for the acrylic KorL). I also wanted to get more rock off the sandbed and away from the glass.....

Before:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7769.jpg

After:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7834.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7842.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7845.jpg

Steve

[SteveParkinson]

Couple random shots of livestock....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7838.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7839.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7855.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7847.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7853.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7863.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7864.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/texspark/IMG_7865.jpg

Steve