davjbeas May 7, 2015 Share May 7, 2015 Hello, I have gotten back in the hobby after selling my old tank. The new tank is an Innovative marine Sr-80 all in one 80 gallon tank. Things are going slow but still going. I got the sand and rock in the tank last week. The rock is Bulk Reef Supply reef saver rock. The rock is harvested from old reefs on land so there is no life to them at all. I plan to cycle with prodibio reef digest and Brightwell aquatics product. I will want to introduce a live rock with coraline later. I will be cycling with a dead shrimp Making water is going slow because my auto shut of valve does not work on my Typhoon 3 Extreme so I only make water when I am at home to watch the production. Got the electrical done Top off set up done Supplys More is coming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas May 7, 2015 Author Share May 7, 2015 I washed the sand well before putting in the tank, also spray washed the dry rock. The 2 over flows have a filter sock so I will probably switch those out after the first couple of days of running. The problems I encountered with the old tank which was a mixed reef were 1) AEFW 2) GHA 3) Redbugs 4) Too much heat from the metal halides (2x250 watt DE) 5) Bubble algae 6) some aptasia I want to keep the following 1 clam toadstool leather hammer frogspawn xenia (maybe) Trumpet Galaxia Brain coral fungia Fishes Flame hawk fish Blue spotted jawfish some type of pygmy angelfish Tang (yellow or Scopas) Midas blenny Wrasse (maybe melanarus or mystery) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas May 7, 2015 Author Share May 7, 2015 I want to share this info - this product works great on all suction cups. It will not mess with your water quality as it is used in labs to form vacuum seals http://www.amazon.com/Vacuum-Pump-Accessories-vacuum-grease/dp/B003LY0MWI/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1431042018&sr=8-6&keywords=vacuum+grease Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf May 8, 2015 Share May 8, 2015 Very nice!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfishgirl May 8, 2015 Share May 8, 2015 It looks great! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas May 10, 2015 Author Share May 10, 2015 Thank you. I want to add it is very important to me to have a bubble coral. I think they are amazing. Just ordered the heater today. I am trying to partially fill up the tank on Tuesday. I probably won't have enough to fill the tank completely so am going to need to make a lot more water. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas May 10, 2015 Share May 10, 2015 Off to a great start. When I was a kid, maybe around 1994 or so, Congressional Aquarium had a small 15 gallon reef tank built into their wall. I was really impressed because the only other small tank I had heard of was Julian Sprung's. In any case it had a great bubble coral and that was what really brought me into this hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef May 11, 2015 Share May 11, 2015 What a strong beginning to your reef! Seems like you did a lot of research and planning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas May 13, 2015 Author Share May 13, 2015 (edited) Got about 9" of water in the tank. I will need to make a lot more water. That will be postponed though. I have to do a water change on a 40 breeder tank that Is going to be a priority. I did get the skimmer out of the box and installed. Also put labels on all the plugs so I can know what plug goes to what. I could probably start the cycle with the water that's in the tank but I'm deciding to wait until it is completely filled and all pumps are on. The Radions will be put in closer to the end of the cycle. I have the Ecotech xr15s and the reeflink but really have no idea of how to program them. I will probably reach out to the community for help for that. It might be hard to find a niced size bubble coral in good condition but there will be a space for it. My Fiancee says we must have a clam so there is going to be a clam for sure. I am undecided on whether to get a clam that goes in the rocks or on the sand bed. I have never kept a clam before. Will update as things progress. David Edited May 13, 2015 by davjbeas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas May 27, 2015 Author Share May 27, 2015 Yesterday I got all the water in that was needed. I had some help from a friend. I was a little nervous when walking by the tank made small ripples on the surface but got over it. I added Dr. Tims Ammonia and some Prodibio Bio digest. I will probably throw in a shrimp to help the cycle but have not done that so far. I was able to turn on the main pumps and the water flows through 2 filter socks in the back before going to the return area in the back where I have put a 200 watt ehiem jager heater. I ordered the Avast Built Auto top off today. If my ATO pump does not work(which I will test tonight or tomorrow) I might order the Tunze osmolater which has a pump and controller and sensor. Other wise my plans are just to go through the cycle process. There is no need to rush and put the lights and skimmer up right now. This will be a reef tank so I am only using RODI with Reef Crystals David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy May 27, 2015 Share May 27, 2015 hi david, thanks for the update. if you added dr. tims per the recommended dosage their is no need for the additional effort with the shrimp to decay. it is typically suggested to avoid any type of filtration for the first few days after introduction of any bacteria in a bottle product. these bacteria in a bottle products are best used over a porous surface with sufficient time to penetrate and settle in/colonize for a few hours then add to flow of the aquarium. I would remove the filter socks for the first two or three days after use for optimal results and add the product to rock or marinepure block/spheres then introduce to your tank. you'll be quite pleased with how quick a nitrate cycle you see as you then work through the algal cycle. look forward to photos and more updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas May 28, 2015 Author Share May 28, 2015 I will remove the filter socks tonight. All the dust from the sand should be in the filter socks by now. I need to change the position of one of the return pumps. The inlet to the pump is right where the water over flows from the 2nd chamber. I have lots of micro bubbles. I just need to take it out and turn it 180 degrees. I hope that fixes the problem. Happy Reefing, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas June 3, 2015 Author Share June 3, 2015 How much dosing of the Dr. Tims Ammonia source should I be adding daily or weekly? The directions on the bottle is not clear. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas June 8, 2015 Author Share June 8, 2015 I found the directions on line. I did not use Dr. tims in a bottle bacteria. I only used the Dr. Tims ammonia source. and Brightwell Aquatics micro bacter and prodibio Bio digest. I tested the last few days with the API test kits. Both nights ammonia is at .5ppm and Nitrite < 5.0ppm. I will continue testing and see what happens. Per Dr. tims instructions when both ammonia and nitrite are 0 then add another drop per gallon of the ammonia source , then test again and when both are at 0 then it is safe for fish. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas July 5, 2015 Author Share July 5, 2015 An update - The tank cycle did not go as planed. The nitrites were not coming down. I went to the marine scene and got some live rock. Put the rock straight in the tank. 3 days later my ammonia and nitrite were 0. I ran into a problem with the innovative marine top off pump. The tubing supplied had kinks in it. the tubing was folded in the package box. When the pump tried to pull the water through the kinks blocked any flow. I called the company and they told me to run hot water through the tubing. I did. It did not help. I went to home depot, got some new vinyl tubing and now the problem is over. Next problem - I set up the radions xr15 led lighting over the tank, connected all the cords and one of the power supplies was broken. I tried switching everything around and was able to deduce that the lights were fine. So I will contact eco tech Monday. I have heard that the customer service is good there. I hope they will provide a replacement quick. I added a Kole tang, female lyretail anthias, and a blue spotted jawfish on Friday. They have been eating rods reef blend frozen food. I will need to pick up a lettuce clamp and some freeze dried algae for the tang. I will post pics once both lights are working. I plan to run them 1/2 power from 2-9:30pm. I will just be doing the lights in basic mode for now. They are on a timer from home depot. I will tackle the reeflink programming later. I already have the reeflink unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef July 6, 2015 Share July 6, 2015 Wow... Well when you get that last light fixed... Put up some pics! glad you have gotte. The 'kinks' worked out so far, I know how easy it is to get hung up on stuff that isn't working properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas July 6, 2015 Author Share July 6, 2015 I talked to eco tech about the bad power supply. They would ship one out. They just want the serial number for the light. So I will have to take down the light and find the serial #. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas July 10, 2015 Author Share July 10, 2015 It turns out that one of the RadionXR15W pro light fixtures of the 2 I ordered was in fact a XR15FW for fresh water tanks packaged in a Radion XR15W pro box. I purchased these lights around Christmas time and never even took them out of the box until I was ready to install them last week. Because I gave them the serial number on the light they were able to see it was the freshwater version of the light. I did not keep any receipts or even the boxes. I ordered a new one yesterday since without the receipts Ecotech was unable to help me. Now I guess I have a light made for a freshwater tank should I need it. The 3 fishes I added are happy and eating. It doesn't bother them that only half of the tank is lit. The auto top off is doing great. I am happy with the rock layout. The light is due to come on Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime July 11, 2015 Share July 11, 2015 Dave, who did you buy the light from? You should be able to get a receipt no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas July 11, 2015 Author Share July 11, 2015 I can't remember exactly, I usually order from marine depot or BRS but I checked my account for both and could not see the purchase. I will be keeping all my receipts from now on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime July 11, 2015 Share July 11, 2015 I can't remember exactly, I usually order from marine depot or BRS but I checked my account for both and could not see the purchase. I will be keeping all my receipts from now on. Well that poses a different problem Glad to hear you are getting back on the right track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas July 11, 2015 Author Share July 11, 2015 Pics are coming Wednesday or Thursday after I have the new light up. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas July 16, 2015 Author Share July 16, 2015 Here are some pics Thanks for looking David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08can-am July 16, 2015 Share July 16, 2015 What are your thoughts on this tank. Im looking at ordering one and curious of others thoughts who have them Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas July 16, 2015 Author Share July 16, 2015 I got a very good deal on the tank. I like it. If you run both return pumps it moves a lot of water through the system. The back panel is black acrylic and all the pumps, heater, top off is behind that. I am running it berlin style right now. I have the ghost skimmer full size. It is not pulling anything out yet but I think it may need a few more days to break in. I don't recommend the topoff that is made by innovative marine. I am using the avast system with the hydro fill unit. I can always put filter socks where the tank drains into the back side, or I can put carbon there as well with the caddy accessory. I have the back of the tank 5-1/2" from the back wall. That gives me enough space to run wires and tubing and general work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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