--75g Barebottom/Starboard Reef Project--

[arconom]

--75g Barebottom/Starboard Reef Project--


Well it's time. I will be taking you along on the total overhaul of my new 75gal Barebottom,Starboard,High Flow,Cooked Rock, SPS tank. That has been in the works since Dec 11, 2004. Formally algae infested with a 2" sand bed.

After having my previous tank setup for about 1 1/2 years I had many problems. The following were the worst.

PROBLEM 1-

Flatworms

The first to encounter was the dreaded Flatworm. After many applications with FW Exit I took care of the problem. The product worked great at very high doses. The one thing I learned was I should have tried to kill them all in the beginning,they seemed to build up a immunity to the chemicals. I took care of the problem in a time frame of about 3 weeks. Towards the end using the WHOLE bottle at a time. Finally they all died.

PROBLEM 2-

Algae

Asparagopsis taxiformis- Cotton Algae. This was the one problem that made me almost quit the hobby altogether. I read alot about this troublesome nasty Algae. The best temporary fix was the Mexican Turbo Snail. I have to say they did there job. But not fast enough. Also this wasn't a cure. I knew on the surface of the rock, the rock would look good,but I knew this was just the beginning. It seemed no matter how many turbos I had it was still there. No matter how much Pruning I did it would come back with a vengence!


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I forgot at what point it was but I basically did give up to some degree.

Then I was reading alot. I mean I was on RC alot! talking to people and asking a lot of questions basically "What should I do now" The many things I read was you need to have Proper Husbandry,Lower your nitrates,Lower your phosphates,You need a better skimmer, Setup a fuge,Change your lighting schedule,Feed less,Increase your flow, Get a DSB/Deepsand Bed. The list goes on.

The solution presented itself to me in December 04.I was up at around 1am in the morning. I saw the topic Live Rock Cooking. What was this? Well I read a lot then more. Then I sent a PM to SeanT. Then after talking Via PM, we exchanged numbers, I talked to him on the phone. He explained everything to me in great detail. Not only on the topic of Liverock cooking but much more.

He also mentioned the name "Bomber"I wonder who that wasWho was this great man he kept referring to in our conversation? SeanT said" try to search the name of this person "Bomber" on RC". I soon found out who he was. The rest was history.

The liverock has been cooking ever since. Yes 9 months and counting.

Dec 26-04





No rock



Since I have taken these photos I have moved into a bigger house and have my basement all to myself. Not wifes space Also my rock is still cooking. My Corals are all being babysat in my friend WAGERJA's tank. A member of the Hudson Valley Reef Club. He has and is still helping me with this transition.

[arconom]

The past Weekend.

I plan on having a Closed Loop system. I will be using a Reeflo DART as the primary pump.

Me and my brother practicing on a little tank. That is me drilling. Umm Yeah that little tank broke



Me drilling main 75 gallon tank



Almost done



After drilling all of the holes for the 1" bulkheads over the weekend. I decided it might be best to take the tank to a local glass store to drill the last 2 holes. I got cold feet So yesterday I mad 1 call and off I was to the local glass store with my Hole saw with me.

Here it is the final 2 holes needed.

[Deadmullet]

cant wait to follow along

[Lunchbucket]

good lord cooking for 9months???

anything left on the LR???

Lunchbucket

[arconom]

Originally this setup was to be 120gal tank with a sump in the basement. This still is my ultimate goal.

Also the 75gal in progress will not have fish for many months,maybe no fish at all. I want this to be fishless for maintaince and I would like the least work as possible right now.

This is basically going to be my baby dream tank for 1- 1/1/2 years until I get my custom 120gal. Why didn't I get my 120 yet? I have a new baby boy in my family. Rather then not setting up a tank at all I have down sized my dreams for the time being

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Lunchbucket

I can't believe the amount of sponges that are growing on this rock. Also I still see small asternia snails(spelling)? on the walls of my 45 gallon tub. How they are living I don't know.

I will show pictures don't worry.

[arconom]

Well today is another day of getting ready. Most of my equipment I had from my previous setup.

I will be cleaning all the pumps. Pictured is my old sump that was used with my Reef Devil. The Skimmer I will be using is a CS6-2 Recirc Beta pump. Here is a link to my personal Beta testing of the unit.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...t=ER+Beta+test



I had a 20amp and a 15 amp line run just for my tank. I had a problem in my old house with tripping breakers. Both lines might not even be needed,but like I said my future goal is to have a 120 in our family room and the sump in the basement.





I also moved in the house knowing that with basements there almost always is a issue with humidity. So I bought a digital humidity meter. The humidity varied from 50-69. Maybe at the time there was no need for a De humidifier but eventually there would be. SO I decided to buy one. I heard great things about the De Humidifier at Sears. So I bought a great De Humidifier from Sears,I have to say I love it. Since installing the De humidifer the humidity has been staying at around 48-52.





I finally have a room all to my own









Here are the Trash Bins I use for Liverock Cooking the one on the far left has all of my rock in it atm.



My lighting is a DIY project I bought from RC. It consists of 2-250watt XMs and 2 96watt VHO actinics. It works great but it is so heavy. I want to make some kind of pulley system so I can lift it by myself. I hate having to ask others for help everytime I have to major cleaning on my tank and need it removed. Eventually I want to buy the 2 Reef Optix III pendents and 2 110VHOS. Why don't they have a Diy kit to hang them in a encloser?

[webpolk]

Looks like you really took your time on this. I sure wish I had when I got the reef bug a few years ago. As you know, I am about to undergo a similar process, so reading along with you on this thread will be incredibly helpful and insightful. I look forward to your progress.

I sure am jealous of your very own room. I have my own "room" too, but it is used for writing code all day, no room for any tanks with my huge desk and bookshelves.

Best of luck,
Steve

[arconom]

This is the Reeflo Dart pump I will be using for my CL/CLosed Loop system.

I ended up finding this 2" True Union Ball Valve at Lowes. I can't believe I found it there. They never have anything I need. I actually thought it would be more then 23.00$ but that was all it was. After looking at the Marine Depot book I saw them for 60$ and up. Then I priced it at Savko it was 33.00$. So when I saw it at lowes I was amazed.

I am still not sure on the location for the pump will be. I might make a small table behind the tank to mount the pump to.

Pictured is the Reeflo Dart 1 1/2" Bulkheads and 1" bulkheads. The 2 pieces of PVC you see on the Intake and the return side are NOT the reducing fittings that come with the pump. I won't be reducing my intake diam or Return diam. I just put them on so I don't lose them. Right behind the PVC on the intake behind it you see the reducers that did come with the pump.

Also you will notice the housing case is black and not blue. This is how the new ones will be shipped out to my knowledge. I guess there was a problem with this end of the housing cracking. I read this in the Sponsor Forums section "ReeFlo by Sequence"



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webpolk

Are you definite on starting to cook your rock? You will see many pictures of the rock when I take it out. If you ask Bomber and most that have cooked there rock 1.019 is all that you need. Believe me I have spent alot of money on salt for the cooking process.


Also you will have your own room soon enough. Your a coder!! You have the money and the girls

[webpolk]

Originally posted by arconom
webpolk

Are you definite on starting to cook your rock? You will see many pictures of the rock when I take it out. If you ask Bomber and most that have cooked there rock 1.019 is all that you need. Believe me I have spent a lot of money on salt for the cooking process.

Hell Yeah!!! I can't wait. Just looking at that dirty rock it is easy to tell what a benefit it will be. I am cool on the salinity issues, I just need to know about the temp right now. Hopefully Bomber or SeanT will chime in at some point and tell me their opinions on the matter.

Also you will have your own room soon enough. Your a coder!! You have the money and the girls

Hahaha, maybe someday my friend. At least the room, I already have the girls! (my wife and daughter!) I don't think they would like me cruising the strip for chicks.

Steve

[arconom]

Todays updates

Well I'm getting ready for the tomorrow my bro-inlaw will be helping me on the actual plumbing.

I decided to give my Mag 9.5 a bath. I used this as my return pump in my old setup. I had to replace the impeller 1 time. All the mags I have owned need to be cleaned often when using a kalk reactor and a calcium reactor. I would come home a lot to a full sump because of this. In the near future I will be upgrading this but for now it stays.

Main reasons for wanting to upgrade are:

1. Added heat to system
2. maintance due to high calcium levels




Here a shot of my lighting system. It weighs a ton. In the future I want to make a fixture that Melev has on his tank. It looks like it's light weight. It takes 2 people to put this on my tank. This really bothers me. I might make a pulley system or a rail system so I can lift it. I want to be able to get in the tank easier and not have to call someone to help me.





I will be cleaning out my Calcium Reactor since the small amount of water that was in there has been sitting for 9 months Do you think the media is still good? With this stale water? I will be rinsing it off. I love this MRC reactor,But when changing the media it is a little hastle since you have to tighten the thumbscrew just right for it to seal and not leak. O-ring lube helps but still leaks sometimes. I find myself redoing it for hours at a time to get it just right. I hope this will be changed if it hasn't already.



Heres the Starboard. Thanks to http://www.cuttingboardcompany.com--- very nice people awesome service and packaging. I thought I needed to have it cut in half for it to fit but I think I was wrong. No big deal, 2 pieces is not a issue.



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Thanks to:

My bro-inlaw for everything!

Thanks to SeanT,and Bomber for all the help in the past and continued help.

Thanks to a Fellow Reefer WAGERJA
for his continued help on my Closed loop questions and explanations. Also alot more!

Thanks Travis
I also had the chance to Chat with "Travis"Via PM about my plumbing situation last week. I figured whoever has a awesome Closed Loop system and Reef Tank must know a thing or to about plumbing and he does. He explained a lot to me. Thanks Travis for your help.


More thanks to come in the future. I didn't forget you

[arconom]

Current Plan

I will be getting up early tomorrow To start the plumbing of my Reef Tank. My Bro-inlaw likes to work early, what can I say

I want to try to get all of the CL/Closed Loop done tomorrow.
I also want to find the right placement for the sump. I will try to plumb the return pump. I will then fill it with water and check for leaks.

I am still not sure if I will go with Vinyl tubing. I remember the main drawback was the algae buildup on the interior walls of the tube itself. Yes, it was because it was clear. Maybe I will try black.

Some people use PVC for there return. I heard that it makes the system more noisy? but my system is in the basement so it's not a big deal. Yeah there will be more angles that will create head pressure but,this is not my main means of flow.

I have to say the only worry is the amount of holes I put in the tank, and the effect it has on the strength of the tank. I think I went to drill happy.

Many pictures to come.

[SERVO]

You are going to LOVE that Dart. It is extremly quite and powerful. You may consider cauking the HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) to the bottom of the tank before you put water into it.

Why don''t you just buy some spa flex hose and save time assembling PVC.

9 months! that's awesome. Your not going to have any phosphates! You'll be amazed at what still is alive on your rocks once you add lights.

[arconom]

I hope I love the Dart also. The fact that the Dart is quite and powerful is what I was looking for. ATM the quite isn't that important since the system will be in the basement. But I will love that and it will be a PLUS in the 120 in the future.

Yeah 9 months to cook the rock is a long time but it worked out great since I was in the process of buying the bigger house that I am in now. Also I wasn't in a rush.

I can't wait for the day it's finished

[Lunchbucket]

i would plumb w/ either flex PVC or regular PVC vinyl is crap IMO. hope everything goes great

so your MRC reactor ****es you off too?? i messed w/ mine for 2hrs or so to get it not to leak. i couldn't get it to seal down right. then when i did i had some seapage for a day or so....what a PITA. mine is quite old so i hope his design changed and is better now.

Lunchbucket

[arconom]

Lunchbucket

It's so funny your totally right! Even after you think you get it right it leaks a little. Then after a day or so I guess the salt fills in the open areas. I hope they changed it.

Yeah Vinyl is crap, but I figured when I have to clean the sump I can just move it out of the way or out of the sump. I guess you can do the same with regular PVC I would just have to use a union.

[Lunchbucket]

arconom - i take it your reactor is pretty old??? i hope his new ones don't do that PITA...i about had a ficken breakdown trying to get it to seal a couple weeks ago after the move and switching ot schuran type media

just do flex or regular pvc w/ lots of unions. you'll thank yourself. oh don't forget the ball valves to hold the water above or below a section you need to remove

6:15AM...you starting already? wow early one. what should i talk about i'm up getting ready for the state softball tourny

Lunchbucket

[arconom]

Lunchbucket

Good luck to you in the tourny!!! It's raining here in Upstate NY.

Yes, My reactor is about 2 years old. In general the unit is great. But this I think is a real issue. I wonder how other reactors work? I always see a similar setup,flange and thumbscrews.

How does that schuran type media work for you ?

I will be buying 7 other true unions, so I guess this is one more. Do I need to bother with a true union or do you think a union on one side will be ok for the return pump?

[SERVO]

When you plumb your system, plan in an extra Y off of either your closed loop or pump. Add a ball valve to it with an extension of hose and it makes your water changes a piece of cake!

I began to set up my 400 gallon tank on April 13th. Last weekend, I finally got some rock into it. I'm dying to add my SPS colonies to it, but as you know, nothing comes quick in this hobby. I cant wait to see your tank when it is finished.

[arconom]

In your gallery your setup looks like it's going to be a monster! Your house is Beautiful. Nice skimmer.

[Lunchbucket]

thanks..but we lost our first game at 8am....so im sitting around waiting for our 3pm game

my reactor is prolly 3 years old. it is a HUGE problem...i've been thinking of buying a new reactor but can't justify spending that much money.

the schuran "knock off" media from PA ROCKS. it is way better than ARM IMO since i have been using it. doesn't turn to much and gives me a LOT of alk/ca i can run my reactor slower. only draw back in that i have to run my 1st chamber at about 6.2-6.4 i run at 6.3

Lunchbucket

[arconom]

It has started

Final resting spot


Shim City




My brother in-law in this picture decided to start construction on the table that the CL pump will be mounted to in the back of the tank.




I am dry leveling now. I will fill it later to re check and relevel if need be.

Its in between the black lines should I try to level better then that?

[arconom]

Originally posted by Lunchbucket
the schuran "knock off" media from PA ROCKS. it is way better than ARM IMO since i have been using it. doesn't turn to much and gives me a LOT of alk/ca i can run my reactor slower. only draw back in that i have to run my 1st chamber at about 6.2-6.4 i run at 6.3

In my old setup I ran the Arm at 6.9 it went in to the other chamber/second chamber I bought, the PH went up to 7.2. Over all my tank PH would be 7.9 or lower So I then started dosing kalk.

[arconom]

Do people use Regular PVC glue, to glue PCV to the Bulkhead? Because I did.

[arconom]

Next Half of the day


Well maybe next time SpaFlex There is a lot of 90s. We stayed 1 1/2 at the main junction.

Do you guys think a 1" true union ball valve is needed at every 1" feed to the tank??

Well here you see I put my skills to the test.



This is the table by Bro-inlaw made for me in what seemed 5 minutes. Also roughing out the position of the plumbing.



This is a nice blade he bought at Loews. It made cutting PVC a snap. It's better then a sawzaw or a lever action pliers. He loves his toys. We both have the identical saw. Except he was able to change the blade on his and I wasn't. Do you want to know why? The way to unscrew it was to turn it "right" so after I got the attachment for my Dewalt Drill we tried to keep unscrewing it by turning it to the left. Well,Umm It's kind of stripped.



I call this the main HUB



Theres my Bro-inlaw. He loves to smell the PVC glue.



Right side



Left side



Forward picture

[arconom]

This is the Example: is it a must have to have a 1" true union ball valve at every feed? I Know it will also restrict the flow even more if I add them later. But I always see CL/Closed Loops with them.