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cabj1970's old 55G is my new 55G

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sur4die

So last week i saw cabj1970's old 55G tank on craigslist and decided to treat myself to an early Christmas present.

I couldn't have found a nicer or more helpful reefer to purchase a tank from. Thanks again! and good luck with that beautiful 155 bow front!

The move was a little taxing at times between the cold and the snow, but only having to get 2 miles down the road is a definite plus.

Setup didn't get any easier either with some old parts give up the ghost. I broke and had to replace a Nylon bolt and the overflow hose.

But everything worked out. The tank is up and running! Now, the nitrates are up also, but I'm sure things will settle down.

here are a few pics of the tank.
 
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CABJ1970

Nick, I am glade that everything went well. I got as much joy from watching your face from start to finish. You look just like me when I got my first tank. It looks great and it could not have gone to a better person that appreciate the hobby.
 
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sur4die

It is the old sand :-\ and I continue to do daily water changes in an attempt to control the NO3.

which is sky high at about 80ppm.
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

ouch....the sand bed is releasing a lot of crud - keep up with the water changes!

OR - do the extreme and move all your corals/fish into a separate holding tank. Then take OUT all the sand - and dump it. Re-load the tank with new sand and water (not to the top since you don't want to put corals/fish into brand new saltwater).

Anyone else want to chime in? I'm loathe to do 100% water changes - but at 80ppm...that is bad.
 
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Rbu1

OK never do anything that drastic just because you have high nitrates. You are doing more harm with stress then it is worth. Nitrates will not harm fish at a level of 80ppm and may only start to bother corals. I have been running wih nitrates at 40-60 on my 300 gallon tank for 4 months now. I added a sulfur denitrator and am trying the vodka routine. I am currently around 40ppm and have no ill effects. Any change you make to your system should be done slow. Performing a 100% water change is not slow. I would do smaller weekly water changes and consider a sulfur denitrator. Good Luck and don't worry about it. Have fun.....
 
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sur4die

i don't have any fish yet, and the only corals in the tank are some mushrooms, cabbage, and 2 small kenya trees. so i have some hearty corals, they should be OK.

things that i have done in an attempt to help alleviate the nitrates are daily 4G (<10%) water changes and i removed the bio-balls from the wet/dry and replaced with LR (both submerged and trickled). i plan to replace the w/d with a baffled 20G sump/DSB fuge eventually.

I do have one question though. i have been looking for signs of a clean up crew in the tank and i am just not seeing anything. i haven't even seen 1 snail... so i am planning on purchasing a complete new crew. should i wait until the nitrates begin to subside before i add these critters to the tank? a cuc can't really help a nitrate problem, only plants/bacteria/water changes can do that, but are the nitrates that bad for the inverts? my common sense and my wallet are telling me that the cuc can probably wait... (this is probably the perfect example of what i have come to learn is the aquarists motto: when in doubt, wait a little)

also, any ideas for the clean up crew? what works best? what looks kinda neat/different? all reef safe, i don't mind limiting fish options, but i do eventually want anemones.
 
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Rbu1

In my opinion variety is the best for a clean up crew. Look for as many different types of snails as you can. I would focus on the nitrates first. I would continue with the 10% weekly and see if you can get a sulfur de-nitrator.
 
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calaxa

The corals you mentioned all can tolerate high nitrate. I believe the kenya tree and cabbage might consume some (I know xenia definitely does and you are welcome to any of mine if you want). I don't even think you really need the daily water changes if you have nohing in the tank. let it stabilize and see where things are going. If nitrates do not rise, then you can work to reduce it with larger water changes.

Variety in a CUC is an excellent idea. Each species will have pros and cons and it really depends on what your particular problem will be. Get different snails (ceriths, nassarius, margaritas, etc.) Add crabs if you don't mind them knocking things over and eating snails. Maybe add some cleaner clams if you can find some (live ones from supermarket work well I hear but never tried it personally) since it sounds like the nitrate is coming from the sandbed.
 
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sur4die

weekend update:

lets see,
i cleaned out each pump, power head, and the skimmer
i found a limpet in the rio on my skimmer so i actually do have cleaner, and i'm sure there are about 20 or so that i'm not seeing.
nitrates are still high
and i built a Stockman standpipe for my overflow box
 
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sur4die

i had a long car ride today, so what else would i be contemplating but sump plumbing.

my stand is 10 years old and i really don't want to take it apart to squeeze in a 20 long, but i think i have come up with a viable alternative.

see attached.

comments?

i have 2 questions that i'll throw out there. what's the best critter containment for the U pipe? egg crate? and are there any restrictions on the type of glass that i should use for the baffles? or can i just grab those 10x12 panes from home depot and silicone them in place?
 
qwik

qwik

Hi, Congrats on the new setup . I went to Lowes with the dimensions I needed and had them cut it for me . Make sure you plan it out on how to get as many pieces from a single piece of glass .If not they will cut each one on a separate sheet,separate price, and toss out the leftover . This can get expensive real fast.
The edges will be sharp but if you look around they sell a 1/8 th inch plastic edging that fits right over the glass . Its usually in the building supply area or near the tile section . I used this and just used some silicone to hold it there . You can also split airline hose in half and use it to cover the sharp edge .
Make sure you use 100% silicone,for a few dollars more I purchased the aquarium specific silicone . You can also use the GE brand but I had used the wrong one first,had to rip it all apart and was not taking any chances . If you end up using the wrong one it can have a negative affect on SPS's . Good luck and have fun in the hobby .
 
redfishbluefish

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
sur4die said:
i have 2 questions that i'll throw out there.  what's the best critter containment for the U pipe? egg crate?  and are there any restrictions on the type of glass that i should use for the baffles?  or can i just grab those 10x12 panes from home depot and silicone them in place?
Click to expand...


Sur4, here’s my two cents:

I’m not crazy about two tanks for you sump/refugium.  The U siphon will be a problem***.  If you insist on two tanks, I’d pop a bulkhead in each one and tie them together that way.  This way you minimize the likelihood of loss of flow between the two tanks.  Again, my first choice is one tank for the sump/refugium.    *** If you loose u-tube siphon, what's to stop your overflow?

As far as your baffles, glass works just fine if it’s cut to the right size.  I’ve always used acrylic or polycarbonate because of the ease of cutting it on my radial arm saw.  As a DIY’er, glass is a pain in the butt.  And if you need to only take off a smidge, it’s tough.  But if HD will cut it exact, and at a good cost, go for it.
 
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REEFLECTIONS

i'm going with the 2 tank sump for my own design purposes, and here's my solution... 1) 1/2" bulkhead attached to small pond pump, tosend water to the 2nd tank. and 1) 1" bulk head, high on the second tank to return the water to the first tank, (if you can follow all that.) the reason for the larger return pipe is because it won't have the pump creating pressure like the 1/2" line
 
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