Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread

[jimmyPx]

Originally posted by jimmyPx
Thanks everyone for the advice. I figured that I would need to brace it if I used 1/4 inch acrylic --- was just hoping that i could get away without doing it.

Hi Spleen, The Trigger sump is very nice (that's why I bought it originally). I have the original Berlin Refugium sump. The new design is here: http://www.triggersys.com/more_info_..._refugium.html

In the original and the one that I have, the refugium is not lengthwise, but on on end and then the rest is divided in half with one side having a floss drawer and the other the area for the skimmer and return.

I personally dont like the design because the drawer is a pain to use (and I dont) and I have large hands and it is really hard for me to clean the sump areas out when doing a water change. In addition, I dont like the 3 bulkheads because I had to split the feed line in 3 and use ball valves to adjust the flow. I would also like a larger refugium and area for the skimmer (I maybe upgrading my Euroreef RS80 to an Octopus Extreme 150 soon).

Finally, I have a 60 gallon cube tank (24in x 24in x 24in) and I have the sump and gear in a converted tv cabinet next to the tank. For some reason it is 35 inches wide and my current sump is only 30 inches long and I want the 4 more inches


Anyway, I won't hijack Marc's thread any further and thanks everyone for the advice ( I really need to update my web page)

[melev]

No worries Jimmy.

David makes beautiful sumps - they really are a piece of art. I like the new layout with that tube in the refugium section.

[spleen93]

Thanks Jimmy!

Getting back on the thread topic - Marc, are you only using ReVive now for your coral dip? Any concerns regarding RB or AEFW pretreatment?

Spleen

[melev]

I treat all incoming corals with Interceptor first. Then ReVive is used as a dip before being placed in the tank. Plus a thorough study of the coral.

ReVive has been able to make the acro-eating flatworms peel right off the coral.

[wabio]

Marc! Got a question about your flow. I've been spending the last two days reading the BB vs. DSB arguments. All I've been able to conclude is that......I've wasted two days.

I noticed you have a sandbed using Vortechs for flow in a large tank. I'm looking to do something similar since I'm not a major proponent on drilling bulkheads everywhere. One major advantage with the Vortechs is that you can mount them lower on the glass to increase bottom flow.

Anyways, how is the detritus buildup? How often do you siphon, if at all? I'd like to go DSB, but the "ticking timebomb" theory scares the bejesus out of me despite suggestions by Calfo and Borneman that it's overrated.

[melev]

I never siphon the sandbed. Detritus seems to gather behind my rockwork some, but I've never done anything about that. I find a lot of detritus in the overflows, in my sump and in the propagation/return section.

Once a sandbed is established, it tends to stay on the bottom where it belongs, because bacteria makes the grains 'heavier'. Or maybe they help it be cohesive.

The only time I put tubing in my tank is if I want to siphon out some cyano bacteria, or maybe a small annoying fish.

There are some beautiful tanks that have been up for 5-8 years using the same sandbed, so I wouldn't be too scared.

[not_sponsored]

Originally posted by melev

Looks like an aiptasia hiding in back of the frag NUKE IT!

[melev]

I've got quite a few of those to nuke. That's an easy one.

[mokeyz]

better still put them in the overflow, or the part of the sump where the water enters from the tank...

why do so many people kill so many creatures???

[melev]

I don't want any aiptasia in my system. Wherever they are, it doesn't matter because they can easily travel by floating on the current.

[Kentanner11]

Originally posted by mokeyz
better still put them in the overflow, or the part of the sump where the water enters from the tank...

why do so many people kill so many creatures???

I have seen what you are talking about, it is interesting but like marc said all it takes is one little part to go floating off and into the display tank and poof---- outbreak.

[jnarowe]

My overflow is filled with them, but none left in my tank (that I can see anyway) and all of my overflow water is filtered through large floss sheets.

[spleen93]

Originally posted by melev
ReVive has been able to make the acro-eating flatworms peel right off the coral.

Really?? Wow! How long do you run the Interceptor for in QT? 6 hours or do you let it run for a few days? Thanks, BTW, for updating your webpage with your full tank treatment for RB with Interceptor. Are you going to add your experiences with ReVive to your web page at some point too?

Spleen

[Alaska_Phil]

Originally posted by mokeyz
better still put them in the overflow, or the part of the sump where the water enters from the tank...

why do so many people kill so many creatures???

One book I read suggested using an aiptasia filled section between the tank and sump for filtration. I always wondered how the author prevented them from spreading to the main tank.

Phil

[melev]

Yes I will. It was a LFS owner in Florida that pointed out that ReVive works against AEFW. What she didn't mention was that it smells exactly like Pine-Sol.

I treat corals with Interceptor for at least 12 hours in my quarantine tank.

[Alaska_Phil]

Originally posted by jnarowe
My overflow is filled with them, but none left in my tank (that I can see anyway) and all of my overflow water is filtered through large floss sheets.

The HOB filters on both my tanks are filled with little scypha sponges, a much safer alternative for natural filtration

Phil

[jnarowe]

That's interesting Marc. I just do a dip with Interceptor.

[Kentanner11]

Marc YGPM

[spleen93]

It smells like Pine-sol? I would have never had the guts to dip a coral in it. It'd be like dipping something in Lemon Pledge (which, BTW, is the new cure for the Acro-infecting Vibrio bacteria species)

Spleen

[mokeyz]

I think the only way to keep them from getting back in the system is with UV.

[flyguy7150]

Originally posted by melev
Yes I will. It was a LFS owner in Florida that pointed out that ReVive works against AEFW. What she didn't mention was that it smells exactly like Pine-Sol.

I treat corals with Interceptor for at least 12 hours in my quarantine tank.

picked up a bottle of this not too long ago, still have yet to use it, no new corals . How long do you dip with Revive?? i think people recommended no more than 5min, since the newer bottles seem stronger.

[melev]

The new coral I just dipped was easily in the water 20 mins or longer. I got distracted a little bit and had to stop in the middle of something to move the coral out of the dip and into the reef.

I took about 2g of tank water in a bucket and added 5 capfuls of the product. It was mixed up for a few seconds, then the coral was put in. After about 3 or 4 minutes, I carefully stirred the water again to make it swirl around the coral, and set a timer. I would really not recommend going past the time TLF's states as the coral may not tolerate it.

[Micki]

Originally posted by mokeyz
I think the only way to keep them from getting back in the system is with UV.

If you are talking about aptasia not getting back into the system unless you use UV I would disagree. I run a UV 24/7 and have a TON of aptasia in my tank/fuge/sump...

[melev]

The ongoing saga of home repairs...

On Sunday, while I was working in the garage, I saw water on the floor around the water heater. I quickly ran into the fishroom fearing something had sprung a leak, like the new denitrifier. Everything was dry.

Back to the garage, I see the water pretty much around the water heater only, so I assumed it was rusting out of the base. It came with the house, so it is at least 8 years old. I call good ol' American Home Shield. The recorded message informs me that a plumber will contact me the next day (Monday). That didn't happen, but it was the day before a holiday, and I didn't sweat it. The water wasn't a flood yet.

Wednesday morning, the plumber called to let me know they would be able to come out Thursday. When I went outside to get the paper, I saw water running down my driveway! In the garage, water was squirting out from under one of the access panels on the water heater, down to the ground and traveled out the garage door. First thing I did was turn off the water to the water heater, then flipped off the breaker. The plumber still couldn't come until today. Fine. We could get by with cold water only for a day.

He arrived, parked in front of my mailbox so the mailman skipped my house again, and quickly agreed I needed a new water heater. Yes, AHS would cover its replacement, but I'd need to pay for a few upgrades, plus the $55 service call fee.

Permit - $125
Water heater pan - $95
Water detector - $55
Disposal fee - $75

So much for free warranty replacement.

On top of that, he wouldn't install it until Saturday - best case scenario. I'm just going to run up to Home Depot and buy a new one now and install it myself. After all, I'm the one that moved it from where my 280g is currently located, including all the plumbing and rerouting the electricity.

And after paying AHS $3500 since 1999, I canceled my policy. It really hasn't saved me much in that time, when I needed repairs (and that number doesn't even count the payment for each service call). It was nice to get someone out here quickly, but since they tend to not cover items as one would expect, it was a losing endeavor.

[jnarowe]

permit? I don't think so. There's no reason to get a permit to replace an existing fixture. Total scam if you ask me. $75 disposal? Costs $15 to take it to the dump right? And those pans are made out of plastic or aluminum. The aluminum one is $18 @ Lowes.

Sounds like an unethical plumber to me.