My new 400 G tank

[Crusty Old Shellback]

I thought it was 1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila floor.

[Snap-on]

Originally posted by MargaritaMan
Glad to see there are still some folks that take this board REAL SERIOUSLY!!!

OK, Everyone follow my lead: 1-2-3-breath, 1-2-3- breath, 1-2-3-breath. Now drink!

MM

LMAO Really, I'll drink to that.

[bstear]

Really 3' 6... nothing wrong with liking short women

[JHReef]

Hey Ray, just wanted to add this, but you probably already know. Make sure the 20 amp circuit is minmum #12 wire, most 15 amp stuff including romex is #14. Don't want to cook da wires w/ all that draw

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Yep, everything I've run is #12, even on my 15 amp circuits.
Never know when you might want to upgrade. Also it was easier to just buy one large spool of #12 than 2 different spools.


Well I'me headed out to Corona today to pick up some more live rock, about 100 Lbs, along with a few small fish and some zoos. I'm also getting a regulator for my CO2 tank so I can hook up a calicum reactor. I picked up a small one for cheap that will work for now until I build/buy a larger one when I start stocking w/ corals. I can then move this one to the Wife's 45G tank.

[Snap-on]

Hey Marc, you’re either up early or up late. We need your irritating sign over here. The one about useless and pics.

[melev]

[Snap-on]

Originally posted by melev

LMAO

[Crusty Old Shellback]

I'm working on it.

OK an update here. The tank had been going thru a small cycle since I let things sit for a bit before getting everything back in water. I took some readings last night and everything is back in check, no amoina or nitrites. I had been showing a small trace of each but never over .5 ppm and had been dosing prime to neturlize it as well as 50G weekly water changes. All of the fish did fine as well as a few corals that were in the tank.

As for the room addition, I installed a new wall this weekend. I will get teh actual permit on Friday. Don't tell the city. I've got two more circuits to install and then I can get at least some of teh work signed off so I can start drywalling. I'm supposed to get the second french door this weekend. Once I have it and it's installed, I can pour in the self leveling floor and let it dry. Then it will be time to move the "swimming Pool" into it's permanant place.

I've been doing some reading and researching and have since unpluged the ozone and UV steralizers. My ORP reading is staying well above 300 with only water changes. I also added in a small canister filter yesterday and filled it with carbon. The water was getting a bit green as I had taken out the pool filter. It was getting cloged up and my pressure washer is broke so I can't clean it very well right now. I did put it back in though and the water cleared up quickly.

I also picked up a small calicum reactor and am just waiting to go and get a CO2 bottle so I can hook it up in the sump as well. My PH has been staying right at 8.2 and the temp flucatues between 77 and 81.
the fish are doing great and are deifnatly PIGS.

I'll try and get some pic's of the room and the work that's going on in it. I've got to figure out what to cover some glass windows with though that wil not look ugly but still block the light. There are 2 windows in the wall that will be behind the tank. I want to leave them as that will give me acces behind the tank if I ever need it.

[cweder]

Blownchevy, can I ask who you use in Corona. I live pretty close to Corona and would like to take advantage if possible, Thanks

[Snap-on]

Hey, nice update bud. We're ready for the pics whenever you are. No need rush though. Member "hawaiian style".

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Originally posted by cweder
Blownchevy, can I ask who you use in Corona. I live pretty close to Corona and would like to take advantage if possible, Thanks

Not for sure what this is in refference to but if it's about the live rock, I got it from a fellow Rcer who was taking down his tank.

[crazyboy]

PICS!!!

[Crusty Old Shellback]

I'm back! Well after my fun little trip at sea, I have returned. I checked on the tank last night when I got home and made a few good discoveries. Even with me gone for 2 1/2 weks and the only thing going on with the tank was the wife feeding it, everything looks good. Except for teh alge on the glass which is not too bad. I checkd my meters and teh PH is steady at 8.2, hasn't moved since I got the tank reestablished. I also looked at my ORP meter and it's hovering around 410 which is a good sign since I'm not running any ozone on the skimmer anymore. I think the tank has settled in for now and the fish all seem happy. I've got some zoo's growing out in the sump and I noticed that my large toadstool leather we moved into the tank was almost doubled in siz elast night. It was streached out to almost 2 feet across now. I'll post some pics when I get the chance. Later.

[melev]

And explain why you stopped using ozone when you get a chance.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

I had a little conversation with Boomer and a few others on here, read a few articles, and did a little testing on my tank. Basically, when I was setting up the tank, I was running 2 ozone generators and couldn't keep the ORP above 250. when I did a water change using NSW, the ORP jumped to over 500. I did some research and decided to unplug them and see what happens. After the tank finished it's mini cycle and stablized, the ORP is constantly above 350 so I don't need it.

If it drops to around 300, I'll do a 100 g water change. Until then, it's just 50 G about once a week or so. From what I gathered, the very basic is that the lower the ORP reading, the dirtier the water is. By using Ozone, you are sort of putting a band aid on the problem. I'm more of a minimulist when it comes to equipment. The less extra "stuff" I have to run, the better.

If youd like, I can try and find some of the post that explain ORP and what it means. One article I got came from a book by Theil that I got from Margaritti Man when I bought the tank.

[Snap-on]

ummm, grampy, what exactly does ozone do? i'm too lazy to read, so what is it and what is it supposed to do? from what i remember guys direct it in their skimmer??? i dunno

[Crusty Old Shellback]

It's O3, highly concentrated oxygen. It gets injected into the skimmer and oxidizes the protiens in the skimmer better so that they get removed. It also adds more oxygen into the water which is what the ORP reading is. Basically how much more + molocules there are in the water as compared to - ones.

ORP readings just basically tell you if you have more or less oxygen which kind of relates to is the water dirty or not. Most of the bad stuf that's in the water is negativley charged and will lower the ORP reading.

Man now you got me sounding like a scientist or something. Your ruining my reputation as a crusty ol sailor.

[Snap-on]

Yep you sound like a scientist alright, but I understood every word. That must mean I'm a scientist too. LMAO

[melev]

I finally picked up an ORP probe at MACNA, and hooked it up to my Aqua Controller. Last night the reading was 425.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Marc,
If your ORP is reading 425, then you don't need any ozone. Good luck.

[melev]

That is what I've been trying to figure out. I bought a used Ozonizer, and didn't install it until I knew what the ORP was. I was told to keep it near 375, but one thing that bothered me was that the ozonizer has these 'drying' beads that are attached before the unit. My fishroom gets very damp at night currently, and the dryer beads would simply be wasted rapidly with that much humidity.

I'm going to install a vent fan in the fishroom as soon as the weather cools a little more.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Like I said, I don't even worry about mine until it drops to 300. So if your reading 425 and have no problems keeping it there without the ozone, then I'd say sell it to someone who thinks they need it.

[melev]

Done.

[Snap-on]

Originally posted by blown63chevy
...then I'd say sell it to someone who thinks they need it.

That's a good one.

Hey Marc, did you have any time to hit on the honeys at MACNA? I've never seen a cute reef chick yet??? Maybe I don't get out much. When I hit the waves down here (surfing) they're all over the place. We have um in the millions. I just wear shades when I'm with the wife so no one knows what I'm looking at. hehe

Also did you get a close up pic of the new phosban reactor? I wanted to see what it looks like.