Jump to content
Coral Vue Hydros

Bears salty return.....


bearwithfish

Recommended Posts

12/1/11 the build officially began !!! this will be my log of events as i go and pix will come in time.. for now here is :

 

The Plan:

30 Breeder

AIO concept (overflow box with filter floss and a return pump built in and be the source of flow)

285PGH pump for return /flow

 

Lights are

2x 2 bulb T5 fixtures running 10k and true blue actinics (bulbs may change later)

 

looking at about 20-25 pound of dry rock and 5-8 pounds of live to seed tank

debating on CC or Aragonite for sand .... it will be seeded from rock....

 

Projected stock ideas

 

~10 crabs (red and blue hermits)

~10-20 snails

 

Zoa's

Hammer or frog spawn not sure which yet

Mushrooms

 

Macros of various types

 

still debating fish at this time considering onyx clowns...

 

Lights are

2x 2 bulb T5 fixtures running 10k and true blue actinics (bulbs may change later)

 

________________________________________________________________________________

______________________

 

as of this post the hard ware is all most all set up (just need the pump hoping this week end)

last night (actually 12/1/11) a gentleman gave me a bucket of saltwater and between 5-8 pounds of live rubble to start me off. it is now in a 5 gallon tank with a power head and heater...

got looking at everything in there and there is quite a bit of life in there already and even a coral i am not sur if the guy knew was on the rock!

 

since this is the case i am treating the rock tank like i would an actual tank and running my lights over it for 6-8 hours per day.

 

the rest of this build is pending either the sale of my 55 gallon tank (hopefully today) or a bonus i am anticipating in the next 2 weeks..

Link to comment

brief update all is well lots of copepods, feather dusters and other life in the little tank .. just got a great deal on Crushed coral and more rubble .. going to glue rubble up into larger formations... and will have a lot of CC left over so may take an trade that out for a frag once everything is cycled..

Link to comment

Update and thanks for the ID in the other thread! i really appreciate it (no i am not being sarcastic some one actually answered in another thread :P)

 

ok so the 55 wont sell for some reason and that puts me back on the original target plan of starting up the big tank after the first of the year ... however i just got the deal of deals on more rubble and 70 pounds of crushed coral for $20!!!! i am super excited... i know crushed coral can be troublesome but this is what i wanted since the last tank and as the bio load will be light it wont be as big a deal to contend with...

 

in other news i was reading up on my Tunicate friend and when they are about to grow they get covered with a white film to indicate it.. last night my dude was starting to get a film on him and it looks like it mat have the buds of a few new heads...

 

man small tank big tank its all very exciting!!

Link to comment

thank you Animalmaster!! i told you i would be back in time LOL... so glad you stopped in ....

 

coincidentally i am heading out your way on monday to pick up the CC for my tank... hope i can get this 55 to go by then so i can get my salt and water if not a little bit of base rock to get me going..

Link to comment

picking up from a member of another board... got a really reeeeaallly good deal ..... i will be up in littleton then i may stop back at Leominster to see whats up there (again dependent on the tank going)

Link to comment

so Monday 12/12 i picked up the Crushed coral 70 pounds for $20.. well worth the trip and a great day out wit the better half in the deal as well...

 

updates coming as things move along..

Link to comment

55 SOLD!! tomorrow salt and water!! can not wait to get it all mixed up and in the tank... going to pick up and get it mixing while i put in the CC and pump for my return then pump it into the tank and get the little rocks and such moved in .... pix to come as things happen !!! woooohhhooooo

Link to comment

good news / bad news... good news got some work done on tank, got my salt, and one nice piece of dry rock..

 

bad news my man ran out of RO and i can not get it until tomorrow... i know he was not lying because i put 7 gallons in my pal and it went dry on me LOL... oh well whats another day right for now some pix

 

 

Crushed coral

1218011019.jpg

 

modified and rebuild return / filter

 

1218011019a.jpg

 

 

top view of it

 

1218011019b.jpg

 

all ready for water

 

1218011020.jpg

Link to comment

a few of them actually 1st was i really like the look of it, 2nd was to help buffer the water some, and 3rd it was SUPER cheap i got around 70 pounds for $20.....

 

this is going to be mostly crabs and snails with some macro .. eventually a few softies and zoas perhaps .. light load .. not really sure on fish as of yet but if the ones i have thought about (percs) i have recently found a breeder that is not to far away and will sell cheep...

 

can not wait to get my water!!!

Link to comment

so as of last night 12/19/11

 

we have WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

water2.jpg

 

WATER.jpg

 

Top View

 

topview.jpg

 

Nice piece of dry rock!!

 

dry%2520rock.jpg

 

cloudy but clearing

 

angle.jpg

Link to comment

cleared up and i forgot to post new pix

 

pix as of 12-21

 

front view

front%2520view.jpg

 

Left

 

left%2520side%252012-21.jpg

 

right

 

right%2520side%252012-21.jpg

 

Feather Duster

 

FD%252012-21.jpg

 

Another

 

rock%252012-21.jpg

Link to comment

ok so here is an update.... full on Diatom bloom and as predicted a little GHA as well (i used an uncooked shrimp to start the cycle). so things are moving along well (hopefully pix tonight)... i have a question though - considering that i have very little rock right now i have set up to pick up more to add to the tank .. the issue being that i can not get to it for a few more weeks (but a deposit on it to hold until i get to it).. since this is dry rock will i be basically starting my cycle over again? or would i be able to add my CUC at the same time i add the rock and just hold off for anything else after the CUC? i dont mind waiting for the CUC and i dont mind waiting for any other stock but i thought i would ask ... thanks in advance..

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
bearwithfish

update ...

 

lots of diatoms and unfortunatly some GHA (all part of the cycle i understand) so i am working on an in tank phosphate reactor to work on the issue .. got my water tested for the 2nd time and my numbers are coming into range (i forget the exact numbers) .. so i started the CUC i got 7 little hermits and the snails are on order (6 coming next week)

here is a pic of one of the crabs...

 

crab%2520pic.jpg

 

moving right along..

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

Update

 

yesterday i pushed up a meeting with a gentleman to get some dry rock he had on hold.. he was nice enough to let me get my rock early and after the $25 for the rock, total 6 hour trip, and a $40 parking ticket (grrrrrr) here is the new look

 

new%2520rock.jpg

Link to comment

could not cook the rock so figured i re started the cycle but that is ok because after talking with the better half we have decided that the little bit of rubble just may not be enough to seed all of this rock unless i want a 5 month cycle LOL... so in light of this we are considering adding a new larger piece of LR to the tank and hopefully gain a bunch more hitchhikers.

 

we now have 45 +/- pound of dead/dry rock

one pound(ish) of live rubble...(ugly needs to go and most of it is kind of dense..

 

question is would 5 pounds do the trick as long as its really porous? if you look at the pick above i am going to re work the rock so it would be no big deal to add one more nice chunk in there... thoughts?

Link to comment

moved the rock a bit and added a few snails after a water test that showed my numbers heading further down and almost to 0!!!! very excited .. i thought the addition of this rock would have reset the whole process but it has not at all... also added some Cheato and now things sit for a few weeks while i research and plan my next steps....

 

here are some updated pix as well

 

FTS 1/20/2012

 

FTS%25201-20.jpg

 

Left side

 

left%2520end%25201-20.jpg

 

Right side

 

right%2520side%25201-20.jpg

Link to comment

TODAY!!! got the water tested and everything is good!! the cycle is over so i got my first 2 corals today

 

frag of Paly

paly%25201-25.jpg

 

and a nice littel toad stool

toad%2520stool%25201-25.jpg

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...