Third Time’s A Charm? WB Frag 55.2 Build

[AndrewRyan]

Starting a new thread to document my Waterbed Frag 55.2 build.

It's been a long, winding road to get here and to be honest I haven't experienced much success in keeping a reef tank. The first time I set this tank up it went well for a few months, with minimal distress other than working through various nuisance algae. Unfortunately my work travel picked up and increased to such an intensity that I had to shut it down. After my work finally settled down to the point that I could consistently be home, I decided to set up this tank again and give it another go. I was making what I felt was good progress until unexpected fish death overnight. I was moving too fast making rapid, successive changes and it made it hard to determine what the cause was. It didn't appear to be fish disease and in fact I lost an emerald crab and cleaner shrimp that same night. Anyway, I decided the best course of action was to break down the tank and begin again with all new rock and sand. While breaking it down I discovered a small divot in the heater I was using (looked almost like someone had taken a screw driver and tried to punch a hole in metal. I'm now thinking that metal was leaching into the tank? In any case, I cleaned out the system and waited for the supplies to come in to begin this, my third, attempt at successful reef keeping.

On the last attempt I used MARCOS Rock and dry sand, but on this journey I decided to go with CaribSea Liferock and Ocean Direct sand. I ordered 40lbs of rock and a 40lbs bag of sand. The rock turned out to be way more than I needed with three arches and a base rock not utilized. I imagine it will be the same story with the sand, but I am aiming for an inch and half or so.
 

 
 

 

 

 

I have the following equipment for use:

Two filter cups (preference over filter socks)
AI Hydra 32HD
AI Nero 3
Duetto ATO
BRS 200 watt titanium heaters w/ Inkbird controller (changed out for last heater which may have been the issue)
Sicce Syncra 2.0 pump (568 gph)
Bubble Magus Curve 5 protein skimmer (still eyeing this suspiciously since I installed it in the system the evening before the overnight deaths)
Skimmer stand
Hanna test kits (Alk, Calcium, Magnesium, HR Nitrate, LR Phosphate)
Salifert Test Kits (Ammonia, Nitrite)

I have a 40 gallon brute in the basement I am using for mixing salt water and several 5 gallon IBC totes for hauling water. The water station is in the basement (unfortunate but necessary bc wife) and the tank is in the living room in a great location to be viewed from living area, dining room and kitchen. Hauling 5 gallon buckets up a flight of stairs isn't the best but definitely doable given that 5 gallons is a 10% water change weekly.

I have always used Tropic Marin Pro in the past but I have ordered some Fritz RPM for this build. My thought is that the higher alkalinity might be nice and the lower price certainly doesn't hurt.

My plan is to wait until I have a full stock of saltwater mixed, then add the live sand and water. I have Fritz Turbostart 900 and Fritz Fishless Fuel for a fishless cycle. I have been told that to succeed in this hobby you need patience and persistence. I have not been great in the patience department, so my hope is that I have learned to go slower on this, my third attempt, to get this tank up and running (at least that's persistence).

I am very grateful for any suggestions or guidance from the experienced reefers who are willing to take the time.

Thanks!

-Andrew

[AndrewRyan]

Quarantine tank is up and running. I don’t have a lid do it though.  Wondering if I keep the waterline about where it is in the picture (~4-5 inches from top of tank) do I need one? Also, if I get a piece of live rock from an established tank do you think it’d be alright to get a couple of clowns to start the 6 week QT process?
 

[howaboutme]

Welcome back!

 

Is this the exact same tank as before? The lessons learned will only make this journey more successful. It looks like you're on the right track.

 

The live rock will work for the QT and will be enough for the clowns but you won't be able to use it later for DT as it'll have the meds associated with it. That said, a lot of people put the fish right into QT w/o any surface area for beneficial bacteria and just monitor NH3 and do water changes often You can also use a sponge or similar that has been sitting in the sump but this won't be that situation.

 

Good luck!

[AndrewRyan]

9 minutes ago, howaboutme said:

Welcome back!

 

Is this the exact same tank as before? The lessons learned will only make this journey more successful. It looks like you're on the right track.

 

The live rock will work for the QT and will be enough for the clowns but you won't be able to use it later for DT as it'll have the meds associated with it. That said, a lot of people put the fish right into QT w/o any surface area for beneficial bacteria and just monitor NH3 and do water changes often You can also use a sponge or similar that has been sitting in the sump but this won't be that situation.

 

Good luck!

Yep, same tank as before. My plan (open to suggestion) is to utilize the live rock exclusively in the QT and always keep fish in QT until I’m done with the stocking list I have in mind.  For instance clowns stay in until they 1) clear the QT process and 2) there are 1-2 fish ready to replace them. I have meds (Gen. Cure, Prazi Pro and Copper Power) but wasn’t planning on using them unless needed, so observation tank basically. I thought about not using live rock at all but I’m guessing I’ll need to do frequent large water changes throughout the QT process if I go that route.  If that works out to several large water changes a week, I’d like to avoid it. This whole process is new to me (though I should have been doing it from the start) so any suggestions, tips, or tricks are gladly welcomed.

Edited January 21, 2023 by AndrewRyan

[AndrewRyan]

 

Tank is wet! Tomorrow I’ll start the fishless cycle using Fritz Turbostart and Fishless Fuel.  Plenty of time to establish BB while the first two occupants are in QT. I have to say I really like the Ocean Direct sand.  First time I’m using it and it’s not nearly as coarse as special grade, but doesn’t blow all over the tank either.

[cpeguero]

For your QT, I’d recommend no rock. When you dose meds, some will/may seep into the rock and leach out later. Some meds interact with each other negatively and could kill your fish. Plus some meds drop dissolved oxygen levels, and you don’t want that happening unexpectedly.

For fish QT, I just use polyfilter when not using meds. I personally do modified TTM, so I don’t really have to worry about waste buildup, and my observation tank gets automatic water changes.


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[AndrewRyan]

For your QT, I’d recommend no rock. When you dose meds, some will/may seep into the rock and leach out later. Some meds interact with each other negatively and could kill your fish. Plus some meds drop dissolved oxygen levels, and you don’t want that happening unexpectedly.

For fish QT, I just use polyfilter when not using meds. I personally do modified TTM, so I don’t really have to worry about waste buildup, and my observation tank gets automatic water changes.


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I have two bare tanks (29gal for hospital and 10gal for observation) downstairs. They both use sponge filters, heater, and a PVC hide. This will be my DT, which be going through fishless cycle for the next few weeks.

[cpeguero]

I have two bare tanks (29gal for hospital and 10gal for observation) downstairs. They both use sponge filters, heater, and a PVC hide. This will be my DT, which be going through fishless cycle for the next few weeks.

I understand this thread is your DT, however in an earlier post on this thread, you mention you plan to use live rock in your QT, thus my recommendation to not do so.


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[AndrewRyan]

I understand this thread is your DT, however in an earlier post on this thread, you mention you plan to use live rock in your QT, thus my recommendation to not do so.


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Oh, my mistake. Yeah I waved off on the live rock and went with the sponge filter and dosing BB. Research pointed to live rock/sand not being a good idea for the reasons you describe. Thanks!


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[howaboutme]

Regarding the 5G buckets up and down stairs...that's a common issue, including myself.  It's always hard on the back (I'm getting old) and you're just one trip or slip away from spilling the water. What I do now is to have a strong pump that connects my saltwater container to a flexible tube that is 50' long. The pump is connected to a Kasa strip so once I am at the tank (1 floor up), I turn the pump on and off as needed. It's a game changer and really allows much more flexibility in the amount of water you can change. 

[AndrewRyan]

Regarding the 5G buckets up and down stairs...that's a common issue, including myself.  It's always hard on the back (I'm getting old) and you're just one trip or slip away from spilling the water. What I do now is to have a strong pump that connects my saltwater container to a flexible tube that is 50' long. The pump is connected to a Kasa strip so once I am at the tank (1 floor up), I turn the pump on and off as needed. It's a game changer and really allows much more flexibility in the amount of water you can change. 

That’s a great idea, I’ll have to look into something like that. I will say that a 10% water change is one bucket for me so as long as I’m diligent about doing so weekly it *should* be rare that I’m going back and forth. As far as sloshing water, I know I’m clumsy; I picked up some IBC totes with a very secure cap.

Early on, my wife caught me looking at the ceiling from my water mixing area in the basement and shut that down real quick. I would love to run a auto water change otherwise.


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[howaboutme]

10 hours ago, AndrewRyan said:

That’s a great idea, I’ll have to look into something like that. I will say that a 10% water change is one bucket for me so as long as I’m diligent about doing so weekly it *should* be rare that I’m going back and forth. As far as sloshing water, I know I’m clumsy; I picked up some IBC totes with a very secure cap.

Early on, my wife caught me looking at the ceiling from my water mixing area in the basement and shut that down real quick. I would love to run a auto water change otherwise.


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I should have said that I just run the tube up my staircase, so I never had to think about anything through wall.

[AndrewRyan]

 
I should have said that I just run the tube up my staircase, so I never had to think about anything through wall.

Yep, understood. I was looking at my walls thinking about the most direct route. If I run it up my stairs I’m going to need well over 50 feet of hose. In the short term, I’ll just keep moving water the good old fashioned way.


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[cpeguero]

If you do an AWC, you just need 2x 1/4” holes. ALOT lower chance of spilling water. Just saying…. Try that argument.

Alternatively, you could run 1/4” lines behind crown molding or some other decorative cover


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