Brian Ward

Finished adding water yesterday morning. Everything is running great, no leaks. I added some dead base rock I picked up over the weekend, and I'm filtering. Everything was running for about 20 hours when I left for work this morning and the water was still VERY cloudy. I can see about 4" into the tank, but no deeper. I'm not seeing the sand being stirred up, but I would have expected the water to be at least clearing by now. The skimmer pulled a little bit of stuff out, but after about 8 hrs of running, the bubble column had moved much lower in the neck than it was initially (and nowhere near the collection cup now). Anyone have any ideas? Do I just need to be more patient, or is something wrong?

def join WAMAS - I have a build thread in the Members Section going right now. I bought a lot of parts that weren't quite appropriate for the reef setup I wanted to have - reading a ton of info over the last year has taught me a ton. I have since reappropriated those parts into a fish-only aggressive tank, and acquired many parts that are much better suited for the reef tank build in progress. Oh, and as for savings buing from club members - my first purchase was a $800 chiller for $300, next was a 120gal AGA RR setup with stand, sump, lights, and mag12, I'd value it around $1000 for $475. You will save a TON of money - not to mention the advice, and when you go to buy stuff, most people on here don't want to just sell it, they want to make sure it's the right thing for you and that you get it installed and running properly. Go slow, read a lot before you buy anything and WELCOME! As far as your tank - look into the differences in AGA, Oceanic, Starphire glass, and Acrylic. Once you decide which of those you're interested in, that will narrow down your selection. For tanks, I recommend ordering in a local shop - I know Scales will deliver and set up, so if transporting is your issue, you may want to give them a call. Andrew is who I usually deal with, and he has always been great. ~Brian

Angels and Tangs both have a tendancy to be aggressive and territorial and should be some of the last fish added. I'd do either the clown pair or a blennie. Def want to wait on the anemone - they need strong light and very high water quality.

Not really. You can look at the wire coming out of the breaker and see if it's 12 or 14, 12 is rated for 20A, 14 for 15A (roughly). You never know what was done in other places in the house where they branched the circuit - whether the builder did it, or a previous owner, you just never know. Your best bet is to just run a new circuit since you're risking a fire otherwise. Do you have access above the ceiling of the finished section from the unfinished section? Depending on which way the joists run, you may be able to fish a wire with minimal disruption.

Yea, don't just swap the 15 for a 20 if you don't know what you're doing. The electric infrastructre in the house likely cannot handle 20A on the wire. Adding another breaker would be your best option. It would involve buying a breaker and some 12-2 Romex, a connector for the panel if there isn't room in one of the existing ones, and running the wire from the panel to where you want the outlet(s). It's not hard depending on how much finished vs unfinished space you have. ~Brian

Completed the plumbing last night. Just working on adding water now. I do have a question though - I found that both the drain and return were dripping when I leak-tested. The drip was not through the bulkhead, it was inside the pipe. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal since water would be moving through there anyway. Is this a bad assumption? Tunze 6101 pumps for the reef are supposed to arrive Friday - so I can break them in circulating water in the aggressive tank while it cycles Hopefully I'll have the tank filled by then - 120 is a lot of gallons carrying them up from the basement 5 at a time. ~Brian

I'm assuming you mean the one on the floor - I'm going to trim it to the size of the stand so it's barely noticeable, just haven't gotten to it yet. I didn't want to take any chances of moisure ruining the wood floors, so I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to have another layer of protection.

And now the aggressive tank setup: The Otey panliner: Tank: Pan liner under the stand: Pan liner in the stand: Pics of the sump area:

OK, this post is pic heavy. Here is where I'm at with the basement reef tank: Pics of the frame for my reef tank before epoxy coating: Pics of the frame after epoxy back in the basement: Sub-Panel: RO System: Equipment:

Thanks for the comments. That is basically what I had in mind for my ACIII - but I can only afford the 1 DC8 at the moment. I have to see how everything connects to the AquaSurf - as well as the power situation - I may be able to run the 6101s on their own power outside the DC8. Still waiting on that and the tunze pumps to arrive - but I'm not in need of them yet. I still have a long way to go. I know the electric bill will be wonderful ... Well I acquired the 120 from BeltwayBandit over the weekend and got that moved into the house. I used Otey shower pan liner both inside the stand and under the stand to protect against spills, leaks, and miscellaneous moisture (there was already some obvious water damage to the stand just from moisture over time). In the process of trying to set the tank up, I determined one of the bulkheads was leaking :( This is probably from where we had to pull it off to retrieve a snail stuck in the drain - the setup is a few years old, and there was a lot of silicone around the bulkhead seals. So after some wrestling and the purchase of a couple pipe wrenches (the bulkhead nuts were completely stripped, and the threads were pretty messed up as well) I was able to get the bulkheads off. I decided to replace the drain bulkheads as well as all the piping in the overflow with the MegaFlow kits I have for my other 120. I'm not sure if it really makes a difference, but the dursos and the dual output jets for the return seemed like it was worth the upgrade. Unfortunately, the drain bulkhead that wasn't leaking was the hardest of all to get off. So I finally got all the bulkheads off, used a razor to scrape the glass to be sure it was nice and clean, used new O rings and bulkhead nuts on the returns, and used the complete bulkhead set up for the drains. I tested the seals and no leaks! I left the water in the overflows last night and all day today for test purposes - I'd rather have 5 gal of water leak out now than much more than that later. The sump I purchased a while back is much better suited to a FO tank instead of a reef (bioballs, no fuge space, lack of baffles, but I didn't know any better at the time), and I think the skimmer was probably a little undersized for SPS (EuroReef RS180). So I'm using both of these on this tank instead of the reef tank downstairs I've been working on. The sump that I got with the tank from Craig is nice and will work great on the reef. I added a fair amount of the sand Craig was nice enough to include, and hopefully I'll be acquiring some rock before too much longer. I should be adding saltwater over the next couple days (I need to acquire a large container for RO water instead of the 6.5 gal containers I have so I can leave the RO system running) Just need to clean up the canopy, and I'll be changing the retrofit/DIY VHO/MH setup he was using for the VHO retro kit I have since I don't need the MH on this tank, but can probably use it somewhere else. Hopefully I'll be cycling by the weekend, and fish at the end of the month with any luck (though Halloween is more realistic). Pictures will follow - I know I've been promising for a while, but I really will try to do that tonight. ~Brian

DE isn't bad, and the luminarc pendants/reflectors come with the UV glass that you need. It only takes a 250W bulb, and you probably want to consider a 400W as Wasga said. If you only want to keep SPS high in the tank, or no SPS, you'll probably be fine with the 250W. For flexibility, I would recommend going with the Luminarc III Mini Stealth SE (should be available again in a month or so) or go with the Lumenarc A3 Mini Stealth: http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/p...12ab15ef02824e8 That fixtue will work with bulbs up to 400W, so if you went 250 for now, you could upgrade with only changing out the bulb and ballast. For color, as everyone recommended to me, try to look at as many different bulb types as you can and figure out which color you like best. Your other option is to go for one of the pendants that has PC bulbs built-in and run actinics as your PCs. A third option - not the best as far as reflecting light into the aquarium, but a great budget solution is the lighting setup I just purchased from BeltwayBandit - it is a single 48"x9" reflector with 2 VHO bulbs on the outside edge, and 2 mogul-base SE MH sockets wired to the middle. If you're interested in this one, I can send you some pics or you can come by and look. I may even be interested in selling off that part of the setup since I have an identical 4-VHO setup I'm not using and I don't need the MH. Not sure on selling it yet, but if you're interested I'll definitely think about it. You can also go with the large pendants that have everything integrated: http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/p...9df86b1e129828c ~Brian

Depends on exactly when you need it done. I have a 120 I got from BB almost set up - bulkhead is leaking so I have to fix that before I can finish filling it. Cycle time could be an issue, but you're welcome to the space for a bit. It's going to be fish-only, so some additional tangs and an angel are the only things I'm planning to add near-term. (triggers in a few months, after everything else is well-established). If you're interested, certainly come take a look and see if it's something you'd be comfortable with. ~Brian

Exactly what I had in mind, actually. I have a 4-light VHO that was for my original setup idea that isn't being used right now. I'll probably trade it out for what you have in the canopy. I also have a sump that is better suited to FOWLR as opposed to the reef I was trying to use it on, so I think I'm going to trade that around as well. I'm excited about this tank though! This hobby is certainly addicting ....

So it seems that I'm acquiring an additional 120 this weekend. I'm going to try and get this set up right away, so that will slow progress on the other tank. This one is going in the living room as a FOWLR - my big debate with the first 120 was whether I wanted a reef or fish that aren't reef-safe. This answers that question as I'll have both. The stocking list for the new tank (bought from BeltwayBandit) is looking something like this: 3 Yellow Tang 1 Blue Hippo Tang 1 Angelfish (not sure of species) 1 Butterfly Fish (not sure of species) 1 Foxface 1 Six-Line Wrasse 1 Picasso Trigger 1 Niger Trigger This may be entirely too many fish for a 120, I need to keep researching. The triggers are the focus for this tank as I definitely cannot have them in my reef tank. Since this tank comes with a stand, lighting, and plumbing, I'm hoping setup will be fairly easy and I can begin cycling by the end of the weekend. I do have to work a couple baseball games in there (I'm an umpire) so it's going to be pretty busy. Maybe I can put the girlfriend to work on it? Well since she's been my "girlfriend" for about 4 days, that may be pushing things ...

Rob, If no one else chimes in, I can definitely look in on them. My girlfriend isn't far from there, so I end up being down there anyway. ~Brian

If you need the main line run and buried that will definitely be more. It's really not terribly hard but if you've never messed around in an electric panel before it can be a bit daunting. I've installed the subpanel for my tank and I've changed a whole house panel so if you need some help I can at least provide some pointers if you're interested. ~Brian

OK, I think I've recovered from that horrific loss to LSU. But at least Tyrod Taylor was impressive! He is going to be fun to watch - hopefully he'll stay out of trouble unlike his predecessors (Michael Vick, Marcus Vick, and Allen Iverson is actually from the same area). But hey, Redskins won their opener so it's not all bad. On to fish update. I got the whole stand coated in the epoxy - excellent stuff - and have it set up with the tank on the stand. I filled the tank partially with tap water to get some extra weight to have the stand settle out and help me level it. The concrete floor is horribly uneven, so many shims were required. I now have the water level varying less than 1/16" across the 4' run of the tank, so I figure that's not too bad. I've decided to go with individual 15A GFCI breakers to avoid all the power being cut with a single ground-fault. Luckily I found a guy that might be able to get them for me for much cheaper than the $60/ea Home Depot wants for them. I'm working on the electrical work - hanging a general strip light for maintenance lighting in the enclosure, and working on where to position additional outlets and switches. I'm pretty sure I want a set of switch-controlled outlets on the front of the stand (hidden by the doors, of course) for water change pump control - much easier than plugging and unplugging the pump as the water is moved. I'm heading over to Dan's tonight to take a look at his ACIII, outlet integration with override switches and to talk about plumbing. I know I'm going to put in a closed loop in addition to the normal filtration flow, but I'm not sure whether to drill the back of the tank to do it, or do an over-the-top configuration. I'm also planning to include my chiller in this loop - it seems like the best place to get the high flow the chiller needs, and I don't think it will disrupt the closed loop any. My big concern right now is cooling and a moisture barrier to keep the humidity from entering the walls and ceiling. I think I'm going to plumb some air duct to carry the heat and humidity out of the space and use some of the attic fans with built-in thermostats/humidistats to move the air. They provide a lot of movement, noise would be my only concern. Next step is to install the rubber membrane to contain any spills, using nails and silicone to hold it in place, install the RO system that came in yesterday, and continue the electrical work. Pictures forthcomng. I will update and include link when I get them posted. Please feel free to comment. I'm always looking to learn more. ~Brian

Yes. Yes it is. I was shocked. Especially since the receipt even showed a 40% discount! But it is a VERY solid coating. For those that are curious: it's only available at the industrial supply Sherwin-Williams, oil-based high-solids base w/ high gloss hardener. Mixes 1-1. Approx $50/gal, with a 2 gal minimum (1 gal base, 1 gal hardener). I think I may win the overbuildng award this year ....

Give him as much attention as you can. I also do not have one, though i do have a scooter blenny (that accepts frozen). As tim recommended, shoot some PE mysis at him with a turkey baster - if he doesn't respond initially, try some of the garlic treatments that are designed to entice picky eaters. support him as best you can, as long as you can - hopefully you'll get yours trained as tim has his and he can live a long, healthy life. ~Brian

Mandarin's are beautiful fish, and that causes many people buy them without knowing their requirements - you're not the first. Just a warning for the future, as we have all made this mistake, research your fish choices very carefully before you buy. If you don't already have the fish, I would try to cancel the order. If you do, then you may want to see about trading him away - maybe for a frag or a different fish. Even if you're lucky enough to get one that accepts frozen, he will need to be fed 3-5 times per day. Good luck. ~Brian

which type of dragonet did you buy? some can be trained to accept frozen mysis, others are extremely difficult. microfauna are pods. you typically cultivate pods in your fuge as that provides them a safe place to multiply and then they are eventually pumped into your display. 7 mos can be a bit young for the tank. if you bought a mandarin, 55 is entirely too small and it will slowly starve to death over a few months. i believe the 6-line will also compete with it for food. I don't think a dragonet is a good choice for your tank right now. ~Brian

I coated the wood in an industrial-grade 2-part epoxy from Sherwin Williams (recommended by one of the owners of Scales), then I will be laying down some of the rubber membrane used as a waterproofing base in tiled showers (available at Home Depot or Lowes, just like pond liner but you can buy it by the foot), and I'm planning to silicone any seams. ~Brian

If you can help me out with my electrical schemes, I'm certainly willing to run it out there. Any chance you're good at plumbing? That's what I'm really struggling with right now. ~Brian

I'm interested. I'll need sand for my 120 - since I have about 30# in my 29, I'm guessing 100# in the 120? Tack on some more for the fuge, and sounds like I'm in for about 3 bags. ~Brian

Dan, Definitely want to talk about this with you when you come get your RO equipment (or maybe I'll make a trip to your house so I can figure this out). I'm trying to figure out where the ACIII integrates. Does this eliminate the need for the DC8? I want to do a similar thing, just using standard rocker switches instead of DJ switches - I thought the ACIII might hamstring me a little on my desire to control everything, but I'm very curious as to how all this works. ~Brian