MJ's 75 Gallons of Schnozberries

[Militant Jurist]

opy spits on algae!

 

oops, right in the tank. Sorry guys.

 

opy does a quick wc to remove spit.

 

Not on the good algae! NOOOOO.....

 

Way to go, Hawkeye.

 

Today's the second day with the lights back on, so I'm hoping to not come home to a mess in about an hour.

 

If opy spit gets rid of algae...bottle it up and send to me prz

 

 

Opy, the next great snake oil salesman.

[opy01]

I have already started bottling it. I am selling the sealed bottle for $19.99 each. Ignore the Ozarka label on them, I am recycling bottles .

[Militant Jurist]

Update:

 

I ordered the bulkheads, so when they arrive, the sump system will be ready to go.

 

 

The algae still isn't gone, but it seems to be contained. I'm going to do a large WC when my new sump system is ready. Well, the installation of the new sump system will be the WC. It will have a total of about 25 to 30 gallons between the two.

 

 

I haven't seen the Fairy Wrasse in a few days.

[jiriki76]

They sometimes hide out pretty well.

[Militant Jurist]

They sometimes hide out pretty well.

 

That's what I'm hoping. There's a lot of places in the tank for him to hide, and I've had the lights on weird schedules as I combat the evil algae. He's probably rather confused and thinks the world is ending.

[jiriki76]

What is your tank temp at?

 

If you can lower it to 77 degrees or less.. it helps a lot.

 

Use some phosphate removing solution like the one I have.

 

Feed less

 

I would monitor nitrates once the algae gets under control as that has been exporting nutrients.

 

Having a tang also helps. Too bad they like big tanks....Bristletooth tangs such as Kole tangs are the best.. constantly grazing..

[Militant Jurist]

What is your tank temp at?

 

80-81

 

If you can lower it to 77 degrees or less.. it helps a lot.

 

I'll give that a shot! I'll start slowly decreasing the temp tonight.

 

Use some phosphate removing solution like the one I have.

 

I forgot to test the phosphate last night. I'll give it a shot tonight.

 

Feed less

 

Out of a concern for excess, I've basically been target feeding my fish. I feed only a little bit of Rod's or mysis every other day right now.

 

I would monitor nitrates once the algae gets under control as that has been exporting nutrients.

 

Since the initial outbreak, I've added a small sump, which includes several types of macros. I'm hoping they can pick up the slack. I know shrimp are sensitive to 'trates, so I'm keeping an especially close eye on him. Once my bulkheads arrive, I'm hoping the large WC that will result from its addition will also help.

 

Having a tang also helps. Too bad they like big tanks....Bristletooth tangs such as Kole tangs are the best.. constantly grazing..

 

I've been thinking about a Kole tang for a while now. However, I was going to wait until later this summer to get one, along with some other fish, so as to not put too much strain on the bioload (or my wallet ). I guess that if I see another LA GB on CORA before then, I'll snag one up at that time.

[jiriki76]

80-81

 

 

 

I'll give that a shot! I'll start slowly decreasing the temp tonight.

 

 

 

I forgot to test the phosphate last night. I'll give it a shot tonight.

 

I'm willing to bet you will have 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates... they get absorbed pretty quickly by hair algae.

 

I keep my system at around 77.

[Militant Jurist]

I'm willing to bet you will have 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates... they get absorbed pretty quickly by hair algae.

 

Well, I'm not sure what kind of algae I have. At first, I thought I had dinos, but upon closer examination, it wasn't stringy enough. I thought a late bloom of diatoms, but it was a bit too heavy. I'm still leaning toward thinking it's just a really bad strain of diatoms, considering that they came after adding a total of 4 fish in a relatively short period (a month or so). I may have also been over-doing it on the Rod's food.

 

 

I keep my system at around 77.

 

I think that would require a chiller for my tanks. I keep my house around 75 or so in the summer, and I rarely see the heaters running, even with the tanks being at 80*. I think the Sedra return and the T5's must be providing more than a couple degrees, especially since both tanks (29 and 75) are keeping the same temperature and are using the same model pump.

[Militant Jurist]

Slight snag in the two tote sump plan:

 

As it is, I've got about a 1" gap or so between the sides of the totes. However, the bulkheads that arrived in the mail today require much more space than that, and by the time I put some kind of connector in, it's going to be needing something like a 3" gap. I haven't measured it out yet, but would there be any problem with using only one bulkhead to seal both holes? The idea would be to have the bulkhead go through the first tote, with the nut put on behind it, and then run the skinny side of the bulkhead also through the second tote, with another seal and a nut on that side.

 

I'm attaching a concept drawing. The red is the bulkhead body, the green are the nuts. The far left nut would also use a rubber seal between the nut and the tote. Am I crazy, or would this work? The left tote would be the one that was less-full, so I could put the nut up high enough that it would rarely be under water.

[spanko]

Um, how about one different size tote?

[jiriki76]

Try it and let me know how it goes

You would another nut on the left sump...

or.. if you can just put them together and just sandwich both sumps together with one full bulkhead set..

if that makes sense.. no gap at all between sumps.

[fewskillz]

You figure out a sump solution yet?

 

The only thing I can think of still using two tubs and one bulkhead is to find someway to elevate one of the tubs and let it gravity drain to the lower one. That is how my fuge works since a 20 high and a 30 long are the same height. I built a little stand for the 20H so it sits 5 or 6" higher than the 30. The drain on the 20H fuge is what's holding up the operation of the 180 right now.

[Militant Jurist]

You figure out a sump solution yet?

 

The only thing I can think of still using two tubs and one bulkhead is to find someway to elevate one of the tubs and let it gravity drain to the lower one. That is how my fuge works since a 20 high and a 30 long are the same height. I built a little stand for the 20H so it sits 5 or 6" higher than the 30. The drain on the 20H fuge is what's holding up the operation of the 180 right now.

 

Not yet, but I just had an idea come to me after reading your post. I have a smaller tote I've used for mixing SW. I could prop that tank up a bit higher fairly easily, and it is still the right size for holding the skimmer, etc. I'm not sure of the size of the smaller tote right now, but I have a feeling that I'll still need to go with the one bulkhead plan. I think that I'll put the bulkhead up rather high on the totes, so that it works as more of an overflow. That way, it won't need to hold water back on the back end of the bulkhead. I'm going to try both ideas (sandwiching or using a second nut) to see which is the most secure. Tonight's going to be a work-around-the-house night, and since it's supposed to rain tonight, it looks like the tank is moving toward the top of the list of things to do.

[fewskillz]

I could prop that tank up a bit higher fairly easily, and it is still the right size for holding the skimmer, etc.

I would definitely go this route then. Having the skimmer chamber gravity drain will keep the water level constant. That'll really help the consistency of your skimmer. Put the bulkhead a litte lower than where the skimmer will need, then use an elbow with PVC pointed up to pinpoint the perfect height for the water level.

 

I built my fuge stand out of a few feet worth of 2x2s. Very cheap.

[Militant Jurist]

I would definitely go this route then. Having the skimmer chamber gravity drain will keep the water level constant. That'll really help the consistency of your skimmer. Put the bulkhead a litte lower than where the skimmer will need, then use an elbow with PVC pointed up to pinpoint the perfect height for the water level.

 

I built my fuge stand out of a few feet worth of 2x2s. Very cheap.

 

I have some thin 2" boards left over from another project that I'll probably use. I tore out the old floor of the stand, but I still have the original support boards to use to support the 2" pieces. I'll probably need to get some eggcrate so that I can proper the skimmer. To do a gravity transfer, the first tote will have to be pretty full, with the second tote absorbing the water when the pump is off.

[fewskillz]

To do a gravity transfer, the first tote will have to be pretty full, with the second tote absorbing the water when the pump is off.

That's exactly how mine is. The 20H is full, with the 30 sump only about half full. When the pump shuts off that 15 gallons of cushion is enough to absorb all of the overflow from both tank overflows, one of which runs through the 20h fuge.

[Militant Jurist]

All of this talk has me finally getting truly comfortable with the two sump plan. The bulkhead issue got my a bit nervous about the situation, but this waterfall-esque plan seems like it's the ticket. The lower water level of the larger tote should do the trick for the fuge, while the constantly high water level of the first tote should be good for the equipment.

 

Next thing on the concept list is to either design something to hold the chemipure and rowaphos ... or finally break down and buy some kind of reactor.

 

Oh, and I should probably rig up some kind of better skimmate collection system. The current cup seems to fill pretty fast. It's got a drain built into the cup, I just need to figure out how to best use it with the space I have.

[fewskillz]

All of this talk has me finally getting truly comfortable with the two sump plan. The lower water level of the larger tote should do the trick for the fuge, while the constantly high water level of the first tote should be good for the equipment.

 

Mine is the other way around, but that's only because I'm height limited by the skimmer, but the two sump thing definitely works. I drew a diagram during lunch showing all of my piping and stuff, photobucket won't work from my office computer, so I'll get it online somewhere...

 

edit: Check the last post of my 180 thread for diagram.

[Militant Jurist]

Will do. Thanks!

[Militant Jurist]

I checked my other tote, and it looks like a perfect fit! It is the right length, width, and height for the job. Possibly tonight will see the boards being placed for the tote, and I'll install the bulkhead. I need to run to HD for a few fittings, to make an elbow and downspout for the drain between the sumps. I was going to go out last night, but we had a tornado warning here, and it was rather nasty outside.

 

I'm also trying to think of what to do about GFO. I've got two options right now: A bag of it, or my crappy DIY gatorade bottle. If I use the bottle, I'll need to T off the return line, and find some kind of ball valve to use on it (not sure if HD carries them). If I use the bag, I might make a little eggcrate rack to place directly in line with the between-sump drain, and put some plexi around it to channel the water through it. I'm not sure which method would be better.

[Militant Jurist]

Update time on this tank:

 

I have the sump pretty much set up, less the PVC I want to incorporate. I'm not too terribly worried about the noise, since it's in an enclosed area, but I do eventually want to put in the proper PVC to reduce the sound of the water transferring between the totes. I mixed up water for the 29 last night, so tonight I'll mix the water needed to get the second tote ready to be used. I also want to build some kind of eggcrate and acrylic barrier in the return pump tote, to help keep the macro algae from getting in.

 

Oh, and here's a question. Since I'm planning on having the one tote be a pod factory, should I remove the mesh cover that sits around the intake on the return pump? Or will the pods find a way to get through on their own?

[opy01]

that depends on how fine the mesh is. If its like wedding veil material then I would remove it. On my sump that nothing from the DT can really make it to the return pump I dont have anything around my return pump.

[Militant Jurist]

It's actually more like the mesh covering of a vortech. It's rather porous, but it's also very think. The block is pretty much the full height and width of the pump, and also extends about an inch or so in front of the intake. I don't have it on the pump in my 29, so I probably would be safe taking it off so long as I build the eggcrate/acrylic guard.

[Militant Jurist]

Bye-bye Miss American Pie......

 

 

 

 

So, here's the tale:

 

I wake up this morning around 8PM, and go downstairs to get a breakfast. In the process, I walk passed each of my tanks for the morning inspection. All seems well. After grabbing something from the kitchen, I walk passed each tank again... everyone seems happy.

 

 

About 5 minutes later, I hear what sounds like the return pump on the 75 running low on water. It was that nasty dry gulping noise. So I decide to do something about it. I walk into the dining room (the location of my 75), and see water on the ground and a bit of steam coming from the surge protector. Immediately, I go into damage control, thinking one of my new sumps sprung a leak. However, they are full of water (not overflowing). So I start looking for a loose connection, and find nothing. Then, I notice that the water is coming from the bottom trim, and instantly I think the glass broke. However, I could find nothing. The only conclusion is that the seal somehow gave out along the bottom of the tank. This wasn't in the area where there previously was silicon, FWIW.

 

So, I go into damage control. I fill several totes with water, remove all of the rock, and use buckets to dump the rest. All of the fish (except for the fairy wrasse... he must have been a goner a long time ago) have been removed, and are currently acclimating into the 20 for now. Thankfully I only had a couple of rics and the gorg in the tank, so I don't need to salvage much rock. I'm thinking I'm going to let the rest dry out.

 

After all of the problems I've had with this tank, I'm starting to think that it's a sign that I'm just not meant to have a large tank right now. The algae issues, etc, I could combat. But a failure like this is just one too much. Thankfully, only one of my fish will outgrow the tanks I have (the engineer) but he's young and small enough, that I should be able to house him for quite some time. I still might sell him to a better home though, because he'd "engineer" the crap out of my 29, which could cause quite a bit of damage given the scape.

 

It was a good dream, but the dream has died I'm afraid. It wont deter me from the other tanks though. The shenanigans will live on.

 

 

So bye-bye Miss American Pie....

Drove my chevy to the levee,

But the levee was dry.