PotomacBoater

August 14, 2012

Current Lifestock at Cycle + 30 Days

So far I've only added the cleanup crew

The tank came with a lot of algae on the rocks

and they have been dining nicely

I currently have ...

2 Astraea snails

6 Zebra Turbo Snail

20 Assorted Hermits

10 cerith snails

8 bumblebee snails

4 Nassarius snails

1 Large Banded Coral Shrimp

2 (down to 1) emerald snails

1 sand sifting sea star

1 bristle sea star

I hope to add 2 Cleaner Shrimp,

2 more emerald,

and 2 Sally Lightfoot crabs

I'm barely feeding them. Just a few pellets from time to time

they seem to be doing well

I like the variety,

they seem to be working well together

Next ...

FISH

August 2, 2012

Is the thinking that if I add the jawfish early

and he gets acclimated to the tank

and comfortable over time

that he will not be too scared by new, BIGGER tank mates?

July 31, 2012

I know (almost) nothing about Thermodynamics

but isn't the point of a heat sync to heat up quickly and release the heat slowly

if you vented the output past a bunch of heat sync's would that reduce the spike?

July 31, 2012

I've read about lots of uses for waste water (washing machine, etc)

but I live in a condo - No lawn, No plants, and no family around that I need to do a load of laundry every time I need to fill my RODI Reservoir

July 31, 2012

exactly what I need,

thanks!

July 31, 2012

I figured that out very quickly and re-did it on the cold water line

I didn't keep any of that rodi water, just hope I didn't ruin any of the filters

July 31, 2012

RODI water in my system

Everyone tells me that using RODI water in my system makes for a healthy tank.

My goal is minimum maintenance (or atleast minimum emergency maintenance)

so I borrow the first 55+ gallons from a friend with an RODI system for the inital setup

(most people only store 55 gallons, so it took two days for him to make enough

and lots of containers to hold them

mix them with salt and leave a pump to keep everything mixed.

After having the tank for a week or two, it was time to start looking for an RODI unit

Almost every used RODI unit costs $100.

I didn't think it was worth it, since you can buy a new one for $180 with brand new filters

The one I wanted was ... http://www.thefilterguys.biz/ro_di_systems.htm

The requirements (atleast for DC) is a Chlorimine filter and a 75 GPD capacity

(100 GPD units aren't very efficient, and 150 GPD is way more then I would need)

I wanted a Pressure Gauge

but they are cheap and easy to find $10 on google

AND I'm not sure if the initial pressure is good, how it would go ever good down

(clogged filter I guess)

TDS meter is a must (mine is built in, and measures before and after, but the handheld works too)

Bypass is a must to keep your media alive longer

(it gets the old water out of the system before new water is "processed")

I ended up buying a used unit from a member.

Ofcourse, I made a few mistakes ...

I didn't have him show me it in operation before I bought it

I didn't take a picture of how it was set up.

The kind of unit I bought was ...

http://www.purelyh2o.com/index.php/h2o-test-meters.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=67&category_id=80

PurelyH2O Optima Chlorimide Advanced

Nice system

6 stages (which might be overkill)

Stage 1: is a T-33 Taste and Odor removal filter

Stage 2: 1 micron poly spun sediment filter

Stage 3: 1 micron solid carbon block

Stage 4: (GAC) Catalytic carbon

Stage 5: 75 GPD Dow Membrane

Stage 6 : Refillable MBD-20 Nuclear Grade Deionization chamber

The first and second stage seem to be redundant

(which I only found out after I bought a new T33 filter)

I may remove it and see if it changes my readings

the Catalytic Carbon (GAC) is where all the Chlorimine filtering is done

(I didn't know that, so hopefully someone will learn something from this)

My plan was to install this under the bathroom sink.

(while leaving the sink functional)

The picture shows my first attempt to connect it,

I got one of these ...

http://www.amazon.com/Brass-Supply-Stop-Extender-Tees/dp/B0078S1Y0M

Two problems with this design

I LIKE the valve that I added, just to turn the on the rodi (that way the sink is always on)

BUT it should have been on the rodi end of the hose, instead of the side closer to the outlet)

And, if you look at the picture, this is on the hot water (oops)

Should have been on the Cold water

I've already replace the pressure valve

the T33 filter

and extended the output line to run into the other room for storage

The plan is to drill the pvc drain from my sink

(on the top)

and insert the waste line and use silicon to seal it

(hopefully that will hold since there is no "pressure" on a drain)

The rate I'm seeing is 1 gallon of good water every 15 minutes = 96 GPD

(which is over the 75gpd capacity - I'm not sure how I screwed up using a stopwatch)

Update:

Ofcourse, I broke the thing

I moved the tds meter enough times that one of the wires broke from the wiring harness

(too close to the bracket to sodder)

One of the sensors died (the "before" sensor)

but the other sensor is fine

I found the part ...

SP-2: Dual TDS Sensor Probes for the DM-1

http://www.tdsmeter.com/products/sensors.html

A brand new meter is $35

but the part is only $12

http://www.freshwatersystems.com/p-1390-hm-digital-sp-2-dual-tds-sensor-probe-for-dm-1-dual-inline-tds-monitor.aspx

I did consider buying a new meter and keeping the half one I had

that would give me 3 sensors.

Maybe later in life I will add two,

right now, I'm just using one on the output of the DI resin.

screw the input reading!

TDS is still reading 2,

that means I need new DI Resin

I don't want to deal with storing di resin and keeping it out of the air,

so I don't want to get a bag of resin

instead I'll get the full filter, and replace it

but only once it goes to 3 or 4

(getting every last day out of this old setup)

July 30, 2012

Jan,

I read your post about Yellow Belly's and Cyanide

Sean already ordered me one, and he is currently in QT.

I trust him to give me a healthy fish.

I bought a cover,

so jumping shouldn't be an issue.

Doesn't the hogfish eat a lot

as well as the jawfish?

I know that its the same thing, since I probably have to target feed the jawfish

The Jawfish and the dottyback were both questionable,

hence why I asked.

The other thing I've read is ... almost ALL of them should be the "last fish added to a tank"

hence why I asked what the stocking order should be.

Any favorites from the wrasse or angel list?

I want things that not everyone else is the club has

(except when there is a REASON that no one has them)

Thanks for all the help!

July 30, 2012

I'm finally ready to start putting fish into my tank.

I've done a lot of reading and these are the fish I WANT to put in the tank

I want to see if some of them are too docile (or too small)

and what order I could put them in so they can establish their own territory, etc

The tank is currently a 90G FOWLR with snails and hermits.

Any concerns with the following list?

Blue Dot Jawfish

Yellow Belly Regal Tang

Orchid Dottyback

Cuban hogfish

angel (either flame, or lemonpeel, or redstripe)

wrasse (blue head, or goldbar, or hardwicke, or lyretail, or pinkface)

flame hawkfish

July 27, 2012

PH is easy to find, its Conductivity I've had a harder time getting.

BUT

What do you do when your conductivity probe is reading low (6.0)?

2 hours of soaking the probe in vinegar, and now its back to 52

;-)

Thanks for all the help!

July 26, 2012

I have a Coralife SuperSkimmer 220 set up in my sump.

The manual states "Top of needle-wheel pump must be 3"-4" below water line"

O.k.

No Problem

But it also talks about a 5" flexible tube between the pump and the Chamber Intake.

I currently adjusted the water level in the sump to be 3" above the pump

(with the pump close to the Intake)

or should I lower the pump (is more height better for skimmate?)

I also wonder if the sponge on the output is better or worse for the skimmer.

Looking at the pictures

is the skimmer ready to go in the sump as is, or do I have to modify it.

Thanks

July 24, 2012

I want to calibrate my PH and Conductivity probes

but the shipping alone from Neptune is almost $15

do LFS's carry it

or is there a cheaper place to get it???

Thanks,

Matt

July 21, 2012

This looks like the system I have ...

http://www.purelyh2o.com/index.php/h2o-test-meters.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=67&category_id=80

First picture shows the full unit

second one shows the individual filter cartridges

and their order (right to left)

I have zero confidence that this was put together correctly before I got it

The sediment filter is 1 micron

and so is the carbon block

reading the website description is shows the Catalytic third

Do we think that is incorrect?

The RO Membrane says 75 GPD

Everything I read says the 100 gpd units are worthless

and I think 150 would be overkill for me, so I guess I'm staying with this one

Thanks for all the help!

July 21, 2012

The day of the move did have a few hiccups

Hopefully others can avoid them ...

It took almost 3 hours to pack a pick up with 90 Gallons of Water, Tank, Stand, Etc

(even longer to put it back together since I tried a vinegar bath for most of the submerged components)

I kept the existing livestock alive in the 55 G drum

if you have more valuable fish, make sure you have a plan to aerate the water

With 2 55 gallon drums in the truck, and all the live rock in there

We had to put the drums in the truck and then add the water 5 gallon bucket at a time

If we didn't have an inverter in the truck (or an outlet in the garage at the destination)

then we wouldn't have been able to get the water OUT of the drums with a pump

(siphon would still work)

A drilled tank can't sit in the bed of a truck

We used 2 x 6's under the tank to raise up the tank and not crack the bulkhead

keeping the same water reduced the cycle time to about 4 days

(It would have been a good idea to test all the water parameters BEFORE the move to know what was normal ... amonia will go up with agitation, but ph and salinity shouldn't change)

having pre-mixed saltwater at my house to top off the tank was useful and necessary

putting the sump in before the tank went on the stand was also necessary (and had to be pre planned)

the stand I have (with center braces) can fit a 28G sump, but couldn't put it in without coming thru the top

Remember to keep all your probes wet

(paper towels and a little water in a plastic bag worked for me for over a week)

I moved the sand in the tank with about an inch of water

(be careful of weight on the bottom glass, but again it did work for me)

Take a picture of the aquascaping before the move

but CHANGE IT 100 times after you get it moved

I did NOT clean any of the algae off the rocks

(but again, I didn't have coral or fish that it could harm)

I considered it natural filtration and great fish food for herbivours

By the end of the first day, I did have the return pump going

no skimmer

no heaters

no ato

no controller

no waver makers (that was day 2)

Just a filter sock (changed after a day or two)

July 20, 2012

In that case,

what is the indicator of the Resin being depleted?

Any increase in TDS

or 10% as mentioned earlier?

Does Resin "slowly deplete" or is it simply "On/Off"

July 20, 2012

I just bought a "used" RODI unit

Optima Chlorimine Advanced by PureH2O

It has a Sediment Filter

a 1 micron Carbon block

a catalytic carbon filter for Chlorimine

the RO membrane

and the DI Resin

I'm getting 176 TDS in

and 2 tds out.

I don't have a hand held meter, this is from the built in meter

Whether I test after the RO Membrane OR after the DI, I still get 2 tds

I assume this means that I need to replace the DI?

(I have no idea how old any of the filters are ... I guess I could replace them all, but if its down to 2 already, I don't want to "waste" money)

Which membrane is the one that restricts GPD?

Can I look at the mebrance and know if its rated for 75, 100 or 150?

Thanks,

Matt

July 13, 2012

I notice that the 15W one you recommend only has a 350 GPH throughput,

Did you have to add the diverter valve for the rest of the return flow?

July 12, 2012

I wondered about why that line was there,

thanks for the update Origami

July 12, 2012

Room temperature is pretty close to my tank temp

(its no like this is in a basement or a garage)

I guess the heater may be overkill.

Atleast its one less thing to worry about

Thanks for the help!

July 12, 2012

I have a 55G drum for RODI water

and I would like to keep it at the same temperature as the tank.

I have an Ebo Jager 150W heater

BUT its not submersible

Am I going to have to spring for a new one

or is the some product (or DIY solution) that I could use to float the heater in the drum?

I'm worried about mounting it in one spot because its not always full

July 4, 2012

This is my "honest" build thread

If I do stupid stuff ... its hopefully to teach everyone else what NOT to do.

I bought a new condo in March of 2011,

The first thing I noticed was the "Computer Nook",

it was an alcove between the hallway and the kitchen.

I don't know about you guys,

but I certainly don't sit at a "desk" when I use my Laptop

I used to run Tropical fish in high school

(however many years ago that was)

So I thought that this space would be GREAT SPOT for a fish tank

but not a simple tropical tank, I'm a glutton for punishment, and I figured it was time to try Saltwater.

I joined WAMAS in May of 2011, and it took a full year to find the right setup for me.

My Requirements were ...

Had to fit in a 53" wide alcove

Had to be self contained (everything fits in the stand)

and I wanted a nice (enclosed) stand and matching canopy, so this would look nice in my living room

The goal was to start with a FOWLR tank

Further requirements became

75 is too small

150 might be too heavy (I didn't want to risk it since I know I don't have concrete floors)

Since I can't get to the side, or the back - tank had to be drilled

I wanted a sump with a refugium for nutrient export and additional filtration

I wanted the live sand and live rock to come with the tank,

WHY?

because a $300 tank and stand is a great deal

until you remember that 90 lbs of sand & rock at $2/lbs (minimum) plus the skimmer, lights, all the pumps, plumbing, etc really adds up

I visited a few members tanks, and checked out a few for sale tanks in the first year

I finally found Pat_13's tank on the Wamas Forums

http://www.wamas.org/forums/topic/46738-90g-rr-tank-equipment-livestock-and-extras-harpers-ferry-wv/

He had an established 90G tank

with everything I needed

PLUS he had all the "Controller stuff"

(I had no idea what any of that stuff did, but it sounded cool)

I did the purchase in two steps,

I went to visit the tank first

(so I didn't waste my friends time to drive all the way out there and me to hate it)

then I picked it up a few weeks later

This gave me time to prep.

Things I did before the tank arrived

a) put acrylic over the hardwood floors of the alcove

b) purchased a larger sump from Muddy that was the maximum size for the stand and added baffles

c) bought salt and test kits and "borrowed" some RODI

d) read as much as a I could about tank moves, cycling an existing tank, and to find as much about the equipment I was getting as I could

Things I learned

a) I hate home depot for acrylic- Lowes is better - better selection and they will cut it for you. The floor was a thin sheet, at that was fine. Lowes doesn't carry "thick glass" so I went with acrylic baffles in a glass sump. Good idea or bad? (I'll get to that in a minute) I also used the thickest acrylic they had for baffles - OPTIX - these things won't bow, but are twice the price

Sump Design ...

The design I came up with was

Why did I do it this way?

2 reasons ... I wanted to control the flow into the fuge independantly from what goes thru the skimmer/return (which you can't do with the fuge in the middle)

Also, the stand is already plumbed for a left sided fuge.

What's going to be in my sump?

In the fuge ... Live rock, cheato, pods (not sure if there will be sand or not)

Coralife SuperSkimmer 220 skimmer in the middle

Mag 12 return pump (with a 4 ft of head pressure, I figure we would get 10x turnover)

The method I used to hold the baffles was the "removable baffle design"

with EPDM weatherstripping on each side of the acrylic

(it needed water to lube it up enough to fit in)

I got the measurements for the old sump (which had no refugium)

12.5 high each, with 12" wide for the skimmer and 7" wide for the return

I made the bubble trap baffles 13" each

with 1" raise for the 2nd trap

and a 16" baffle for the fuge to run over

I turned out nice looking ...

Did the baffles hold the water?

NO!

They didn't bow

but the weatherstripping wasn't tight enough to keep the whole sheet from sliding around when there was water on one side

I fixed it by adding spacers (This almost negates the "removable baffle" aspect)

There is a problem with the skimmer height

But I'll address that in my next post

I added the ato

sensor A was in the return

sensor B was in the plastic bin of rodi water

Using mode A

I made it work, but then it stopped

Still diagnosing why!

Next post will cover the move, and the tank itself

June 27, 2012

any idea where to get glass baffles cut?

June 7, 2012

Is PAR the only reading you need,

or does the spectrum effect it too?

June 7, 2012

Will the return pump cut them up on the way to the DT, or are they so small that it won't matter?

Is Cheato enough for them to hid in, or do they need rubble/shells too?

June 7, 2012

I want to grow both Cheato and pods in my refugium,

but I'm reading conflicting reports about lighting requirements

If I do an alternate light schedule for the cheato (10ish hours a night)

will that be too much light for the pods?

If they are nocturnal, then when is it night time for them?

Will I need to harvest the pods from time to time,

or will they natural overflow into the return and into the tank?

Thanks,

Matt

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