FishLuver

Steve, I am the owner of the 40gal breeder, your old one... I can assist if needed and if it helps I have a full size pickup... PM me for the details date/time/adddress/etc... Tom

Thanks for sharing... I having been following your other string, and am glad that no serious damage occurred to your family and home. You have brought up some valuable points that I will incorporate in my system. Thanks... Tom

Thanks for the info... I believe I will follow the "Why risk it?" theme for now... I do want to have corals one day...

Shown in the attachment is a small 1/2 inch (width) that appears to be of the starfish family. I mostly need to know if it is harmful or not. I started cycling this tank on 9 Feb and added live rock on/about 12 Feb... I am thinking that it hitchhiked in with the Live Rock. Just saw him/her on the tank water return pipe yesterday. Cute little bugger, sorta, just have no idea what it really is.... Tom

Marc, Thanks for the pics of your RO overflow solution... I'm sure I saw this photo previously (don't recall where). I have recieved a similar float valve system and will install it as shown. I have since installed my RO/DI system in the stand, but still need to hook-up a water source and return line to it... Hopefully this week. I did buy a 100ft of the tubing to hook up a continuous supply line to it. My laundry room is about 40+ feet away from the current location of the tank set-up. I am still deciding on the hook-up of the UV system... Thanks for your insight.. I am planning on putting RO water in a 32 gal drum as shown and use this to mix new saltwater, wait 24 hours and then do water change.... This will provide me a 20% water change when needed... or top off as required. I am still finding out how quickly evaporation occurs in my tank.. I have not gotten real light/LED sets yet so don't know how those will affect evaporation. Part of my learning process and will find out soon, I suppose. Thanks... Tom

Good points... I made a single closed loop, however I did put in true union connections to remove the pump. My thinking was that if I had an issue with the filters, I could just remove them and let water flow thru the cannisters unobstructed. Using or not using the heater and UV sterilizer would be to turn them off/on.. Does this seem logical? Brings up two questions for me. 1). How long would a pair of filters normally last? 2) I am cycling the tank now and was told that I should keep the UV sterilizer off until it is cycled. It will kill good and bad bacteria so this does make sense. Will I ever have a need to use it? This plumbing system was designed to be stand-alone, however I am installing a sump with overflows and a separate pump for a return. This keeps this system up as a backup for the filter system. With the sump/refugium I can put the heaters inside the sump, but I don't think I can do that with the UV Sterilizer. I guess I could plump it in line with the new return pump if needed. Grateful for your thoughts. Tom

Already Nix'ed... My research indicated that UGF do not work well for reef tanks... I did load two 5 gal buckets of the old gravel (after washing it in RO water). I went to a local LFS and they also convinced me to go with Sand versus gravel... Also lesson learned.. I still have three of these filters (23 Inch X 16 inch) along with the six tubes and air stones... if anyone needs them.... Does anyone know of an alternitive use for them??

Part 2 - Stand build and plumbing.... The stand seemed to be a rather straightforward process. I am somewhat of a DIY'er and luckily have the tools to do most tasks. What worried me (and still does) is making sure that the stand can support the wieght of the tank and contents (water). At 150 gals at 8.34 lbs per gallon, this meant that with the tank (300lbs estimated) and water (1252 lbs) I would need to support in excess of 1500 pounds at 42inches above the basement floor. Too easy... I liked the look of the tank at the height that it was located (on the bar) and decided early on that the bottom of the tank would be near 42 inches. The other issue was trying to decide on a layout that would accomadate the filters, heater and UV sterilizer... I went with a pair of filters on each side placed upright. This also allowed me the room to put the heater on one side and the UV sterilizer on the other. I decided to place the filters upright versus horizontal, leaving space under the main tank for storage and misc stuff. This was well before I knew what a sump was and the benefits that it provides to a reef system. I started with the base and the supports for the casters. With the tank already 6ft long, I added an additional 14 inches on each end for the upright filter assemblies. . Trying to mirror the exact dimensions for the top, I built the top of the stand. This is where it got really heavy.. Looking back and seeing the posts of other builds, i realize now that I may have put just a little to much lumber in this..... but you can never be too safe.... As I had concieved the opening under the main tank being an open space, I wanted to provide support for the tank in areas where no supports were located (i.e., middle front). For this reason, I used three 2X4's placed sideways to support this area. These were wood glued/screwed to make one solid 2X6 beam across the front. So now, I have the top and bottom completed, and need to decide where to put the supports. Of course, I have a single 2X4 beam on each exterior corner. I also built 5 supports for the tank itself. These were three 2 X 4's glued/screwed. I put three of these beams across the back. One on each tank corner and one in the center of the tank. On the front, I put the remaining two supports on the front right and left corners. By this time, I had a shell of approx 10+ 2X4's (8ft) and 4 2 X 4's (10 ft). There was still slight lateral movement but had planned on 3/4 ply preventing any sway of the stand. I also realized that the casters were moving (rocking) as I shook the stand. As there was a little over an inch clearance from the floor, I used 6 2X4 blocks (approx 8 inches long) to raise the stand off of the casters. Now it was time to see if all the goodies would fit. I placed all of the pieces that required plumbing in there locations... Finally decided on where to place the filters and the pumps. My thought process for the plumbing was that I need to go from the tank > pump > Filter set one > Filter set two > heater > UV Sterilizer > to the tank. So that was how I it was located. Now had to figure out the ins/outs to make that happen... The fun just started.... Luckily I was able to download some tech specs from Lifegard to determine which direction that waterflow was supposed to occur. Sure I knew it had to go in and out, but did it matter in what direction... Apparently it does... I had minimal experience with using PVC piping previously. My first stop was at Lowe's (Sorry Home Depot fans) and got some tips from one of the floor guys there. Bought a PVC cutter, and the PVC cleaner and glue. I decided that I would stay with 1" PVC because that was the inlet/outlet of the pump. Picked up 2 ten foot sections (much cheaper than the 4 ft sections) and some joints, tees, etc... With this ongoing, my internet searches, also revealed that ball valves were going to be needed... So I take a pile of PVC stuff hhome and start to lay it out... What a confusing mess that was. Anyways, started at the pump and kept measuring, joining etc... After about another two weeks and 10 trips to Lowe's I finally had version 1 of the PVC plumbing experience completed. Keep in mind that I had dismantled the previous installation. All of the PVC joints were glued with the exception of a very few. I went in with a sawsall and cut it apart. The tank was setup inside a display enclosure with all the plumbing and misc in another adjacent case that was not for sale... I did ask... In retrospect, I should have done a better job of seeing how that plumbing was setup and how all the compenents went together (ins/outs). So after about a month or more, finally got the plumbing together with all the major components. Does it leak??? I decided to run an air test to determine if it did. I took an PVC endcap, tapped it and put a air coupler on it. With the coupler installed off of a unused T, I pumped the entire system full of air. At 10 PSI, I was leaking in about 4-5 places. The parts that were leaking luckily were the caps for the filters. This was fixed by cleaning them and reassmbling. At 10 PSI there were no other perceptible leaks. I pumped the pressure up to 40 PSI. The only issue at this point was that the heater came up out of the housing 4-5 inches, but no leaks.... Time to add water..... By now it was the middle of January... I had no knowledge of WAMAS, but had seen other forums on the net. I am still a fan of google searches and did quite a bit of homework... Gradually became more aware that this was not going to be a simple process.. certainly not as easy as a few goldfish or guppies. Words like alkalinity, skimmers, sumps, tangs, acans, were everywhere and up to know meant nothing to me. My concept was to have a lot of clean water with piping and pumps that did not leak. Clean Water - This is an issue... Apparently, I can not just fill the tank with a garden hose and walk away. I finally found out about RO (reverse osmosis) systems and DI (De-Ionized). I thought my water was pretty good but I guess fish are less tolerant of chlorine and other TDS's. So I pushed out the cash for a RO/DI system and two 32 gallon trash cans... Ordered from BulkReefSupply and arrived about a week later. Great device and also useful for other purposes (i.e., wife's drinking water). I had it connected to a sink in my basement. It does create some good looking/tasting water. From experience, I will also attest that if you are filling a 32 gal drum, it will overflow in the a.m. and leave a significant amount of water on the floor. That was sure fun, cleaning up..... Lately, I started it late at night and leave a note on my PC.... (CHECK THE Water) to remind me to check it in the morning. End of Part 2 - The stand and Plumbing... Coming soon... Undergravel filters, gravel, sand and live rock..... Have tried to attach a few photos.. Hope they work... Still learning how the posts on here work... Tom

Thanks.. Plan on it being one... Fish (unknown type and soft corals).

Hello to all the great people on WAMAS. I am trying to do a small bit to contribute what I have learned over the last few months, In the hope that others learn from those mistakes. I joined this group in late Jan 2012 and have since spent many hours on the site reading and learning. Thought it is time to tell this story. Part 1 - The start - Pre-Wamas. I bought my current tank in November at an office auction. Luckily I went there and saw the tank and all the accessories and had a small idea what it was worth. I typically buy stuff for resale and projects that I have ongoing at the house. This purchase was meant to be a home purchase from the beginning... I won the bid and am now the owner of a new aquarium. All 1/2 inch glass, (72L X 18W X 28H), with 4 new powerheads (RIO 2500+), Lifegard M-2 filter and charcoal canisters (4ea) with extra filters, Iwaki WD-55 pump, and a lot of accessories that I knew nothing of. Well I get the tank home (without breaking it)... darn thing weighs a couple of hundred pounds and with some day labor got it on the bar in my basement. It was used and needed some TLC (cleaning). This started my internet search... Seems that vinegar is best for cleaning a tank. I had a white crust on the inside glass... Just washing it with vinegar seemed to do the trick, until it dried and the white film returned. I also used a concoction of lemon juice, baking soda and the vinegar... Lot of fizzing and marginal success at getting the film removed... To this day, if the tank is drained and allowed to dry completely, I expect the film to be there to some extent.... That annoying film is undetectable with water in the tank so I decided to live with it. Somewhere during this initial time, I filled the tank with water... garden hose from outside. I needed to be sure that it was not leaking. I filled it approx 2/3rds full while keeping an eye out for leaks. There were none, so I breathed a sigh of relief and continued. Did experience how to siphon the water back out of the tank, into a sink at the bar. Did not realize that all I had to do was to drop one of the powerheads in with some hose attached to the pump outlet and let it pump out to the sink. Lesson # ??. During the tank soak timeframe, I started building a stand for the tank. I wanted to replicate the system similar to how it had been connected previously. So I designed a tank stand that had room for the filters, and all the plumbing, etc... I wa mainly concerned with the weight of the stand with water. I decided early on that I would leave the tank downstairs basement concrete floor. I would have minimal issues with having to build support beams for the floors etc.. I did however decide to get large casters so at least I would have some flexibility in moving it from one side of the basement to the other. I was told early on that the tank was 200 gallons... well not completely true it seems. Again did a google search for "aquarium tank volume" and found this link.... http://www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php Found that I was the proud owner of a 150gal vs a 200 gallon tank... This calculator has been also helpful in looking for other tanks (sumps, breeders, refugiums, etc). Seems the Craiglist people seem to not know the actual capacity of the tanks they are trying to sell. I do not care to drive a hundred miles for a 55 gallon tank and find out that it may only be a 20 gal tank. Now I ask for the dimensions. My experience in aquariums has been extremely limited over the years. I lived in Florida during the late 70's and my upstairs neighber had a salt water tank.. I still recall him leaving about once a month to go get sea water... off of Clearwater Beach. I had a small tank while I was stationed/living in Korea.. My first attempt.. Nothing special but really easy to take care of... Feed the fish and use tap water to refill the tank when it evaporated enough. Once in a while would find a fish on the floor, and put him/her back in. I don't recall what they were but they survived as a general rule... During ten years in Egypt, never attempted to set up a tank. I did however get very involved with snorkeling and deep sea fishing in the Red Sea. The corals/fish there were simply beautiful. Turned my attention more to fishing versus snorkeling but still recall the times hovering above the reefs. Returned to America in early 2010. Worked in Pa for about six months and took a job near Quantico, Va. Seemed like a great place as my son was living in Va Beach with my daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Finally get to spend some quality time with them. They had several saltwater tanks set up. They were extremely impressive to me the novice. So I move, and my son and his family take a job in Oceanside, Ca. Bad timing. Helped them pack the house up. They left all fish/corals with friends and LFS stores in the area while they were getting resettled. Matt (my son) returned about three months later and we took a trip south to retrieve what was left of his collection... Did not seem that much survived.. about 5-6 small colonies.. Anyway, I helped him pack them and get them to Ca. Seems that they did not make the FEDEX trip and perished a few days after getting there. Part 1 - the end... Next will be more info on building the stand and plumbing.

Read this thread and was really impressed by the rockwork and the advice that was included. I am building a 150 from scratch (no experience) and will be picking up Live Rock this weekend. Your tips on choosing pieces and setting it up will certainly help. Thanks Tom