makai531

Welcome from another MD'er! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Nice stand! I'm working on a 45 gallon cube also. Probably jumping ahead, but do you have your sump yet? If you do, could you post pictures? The sump that came with mine is small (10g) and I'm looking at options to increase its size while still fitting into the stand.

Here's a before pic. What's not readily apparent from the before picture is the cheap 1/4 ply with tons a weepy knots it was clad in and a horrible stain job. The casters on the bottom will of course be removed. They just made it so much easier to paint and store will working on it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here are the pictures of the stand. Still need to do some caulking. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can help on the Crofton side as long as it's AM. I would need to be done by 11. LMK

Welcome to the group Wayne! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In the same boat as dread240. I'm local to Crofton and may be able to help with loading only, depending on time.

Welcome to WAMAS!

Just for clarification, the stand no longer ugly. Painted and clad with PVC Beadboard. It matches my kitchen cabinets now. It was über ugly when I got it

So I picked up a sump last week from DCReefer, and he offered me some advice. He said to work on my 75 gallon set up instead of tweaking my 29 gallon, knowing I want to upgrade. I thought about it and that made a lot of sense. I have a vision of what I want to end up with and am trying to come up with a plan to get there. So if you can share any insight, I'd appreciate it. Here it goes: What I want to end up with: 75 gallon tank with lots of color and movement I.e. Fish, anemones and corals 45 gallon cube - pretty coral garden with lots of vibrant color What I have: 29 gal FOWLER tank (2 damsels, 2 maroon clowns, 1 cleaner skunk shrimp, and a med/lrg green LTA). Have HOB filter, HOB skimmer, and Aqueon modular LED light (weak 10 watt total). Tank and inhabitants are doing great and are healthy. Clown is hosting anemone and it's been awesome watching the relationship happen. My only desire is that it needs more color and something that moves on the other side of tank (RBtA and frog spawn come to mind) 75 gallon non-drilled tank and stand, Eschopps sump. Catalina HO T5 until budget will allow LED upgrade. All used, but I re sealed the tank and cleaned up a very ugly stand. Plan to drill it, once I figure it out what I need to do for the whole set up. (Will be separate thread). 45 gallon cube complete set up with MH light. Previous owner had a few suggestions - get larger sump (currently 10g), get new bulb for MH, and put light in hood/shroud if it's in a living room. I know where I want to place the 45 and 75 in the living room and both spots are different than the current location of the 29. I know with every project I always have something that would have done differently/better. Hoping to avoid some errors if possible. So instead of forging ahead willy nilly, if you were me, how would you move forward?

1. Are you able to run the components from a single tank off of one GFI-protected circuit -two plug outlet? I understand that too much draw will cause a circuit to flip, however is it okay and feasible/possible to plug it all into one outlet? What are most people doing? I'm trying to plan where to best place is to put my 75. 2. Anyone put up a smoke detector, in addition to the regular smoke detectors, near their aquarium because of a specific concern about a fire caused by the equipment? 3. Are you folks with multiple tanks using controllers on each of your tanks?

I have the reef octopus BH1000 and it has been doing great. Very happy with it Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1. I need to buy some heaters. All of mine are in use and want to have some as back up. Looking for suggestions on quality heaters that won't break the bank if not necessary. 2. Have live rock that I won't be using in the near future. Have kept it in a heated bucket with flow which now is unnecessary. Should I just put it outside to dry out and die, then clean it up when I need it next? I seen many threads on the process of cleaning/curing dry, "previously live" rock.

Thank you Marco!

I looked for it briefly and couldn't find it. He has a lot of posts. I'll keep looking and PM him if I can't find it. I'd like to read it. I'll look into the brine shrimp. No experience with them, but sounds like a great idea! I really like Mr. Saltwater's videos. I'll put the book on my WTB list. Thanks for the kind offer on the visit. I will take you up on it this Spring. I really need to see some real tanks in order to plan my upgrade. Nothing worse than buying something that doesn't work for you or the system or is a piece of crap, especially when you are on a budget. You are on my side of the beltway too. I have bought into the QT tank after reading some of the build forums, and reading the horror stories of a tank wrecking diseases and parasites. Although I have a minimal amount of money invested in livestock compared to your investments, I love my tank and want to keep it healthy. Thank you WAMAS members for helping me out!

Thanks for providing so much good information and taking the time to reply. I'm not sure. I thought I'd just observe. Differing opinions about this on the web. Suggestion on sterilization? I've only washed items in vinegar with a clean unused sponge in the past. I'm going to throw a new Aquaclear sponge into the media basket of my display tank (Penquin 330) to get populated then I will transfer it to the QT. Once QT is done, I'll chuck it and repeat process with new sponge for future QT.

I am considering getting a goby and a pistol shrimp for my tank and plan to quarantine them prior to adding them to the tank. I've never set up a QT tank and had a few questions. Plan -10 gal, standard light hood that came with it, aquaclear HOB filter, heater, and an air stone. Plan to fill with water from my tank. Questions- How long would you wait after setting up QT TANK until adding fish to QT tank? I have an established live rock that I pulled from my tank 5 days ago, kept in SW bucket with heat and flow. Lots of life on it. Good idea to place it QT tank? Should I put substrate in the tank for the potential goby? After I QT and then add fish to DT, can I keep the QT tank ready to go without any fishes in it and only the LR? If so, how do I maintain? Is that a good idea?

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Disregard both questions. I found my answers to both my questions. Biofilm/air exchange and sycon sponges. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Okay thanks for the info. If the centers the streams would cross, the cross point would be about 6/10th high from the bottom and halfway from front and back. I don't think the powerheads are causing any surface agitation, however I am using a Penquin 330 which the output pours onto the surface as well as the reef octopus HOB 1000 which skims from the surface. Again, no problems so far. And a question because I'm trying to understand the whys of this hobby, why do you need surface agitation? Unrelated question(will send different post if necessary) - I just noticed whitish, clearish growths, most round, smaller than a Q-Tip head, with protruding short hairs on my purchased live rock. It's been there for awhile, but I thought it was anemone slime from when he was under this rock. I now see that it's something else that is living. Something I should be concerned about? Will try to post picture. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have 29 gallon FOWLER with an anemone. I have 2 Koralia 425 PH placed center sides, ~3inches from water line. They are pointed down 15-20 degrees. I just arbitrarily placed them that way. Is that right, wrong, or is there better way to do it? Everyone seems happy. Anemone is tucked into a corner under short rock with his foot protected from flow, but tentacles are moving gently in open area. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Tagging along with this thread. Only know one person that has established tanks. Would love to see more in person. LFS only has three which I've looked at for cumulative hours and they have unlimited resources to set up and maintain. If be interested to see other tanks and learn anything I can. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk