Just want to say hi :)

[CJJon]

Tank update I went ahead and filler her up but noticed an ever so slight sag in the wood on top of my dresser. My dad will be building a custom stand for me on sunday I'm hoping it won't give while he builds it lol. Anyhow here is how she looks I'm really happy with the scape.

 

Scary! I would be concerned about it. Especially for bent-glass seamless tanks. I would want it to be dead on level with no sags. I have seen these types of tanks crack and being not level might contribute to the cracking. All tanks with water should be dead nuts level and plumb.

 

Current Predicaments

- Without a heater my water is at 80 - 83 degrees F ( Thinking of getting a chiller ) what other recommendations do you guys have It seems impossible for me to run it without one I'm not running any lights or heater and its still reading 80 - 83 degrees crosschecked with other thermometers and I'm getting the same error.

 

Turn the power head up to the surface more to break up the water on the surface. Also, get a fan and blow it across the top of the tank. Turn down your AC in the house.

 

- Im thinking of getting a controller and an ATO unit

 

Yes, good idea.

 

- Also i want one of those glass protein skimmers from Japan since i have a japanese tank i figure it will be good buy

 

Good idea too specially since you are having heat problems.

 

-Finally i would like to replace my return pump it is a 15 gallon tank so what do you guys recommend.

 

Sicce, Ehiem are both good. Find something that fits!

 

- Also i have LEDtric light bulbs that are brand new and never used should i use only one or use both they are 20k 18w lamps?

 

Not familiar with them, but I like a lot of light. Both.

 

- Finally I'm doing a live sand dry rock combo i heard people add food to the aquarium to get the cycle going should i or should I Wait?

 

You said you were going to go with pure ammonia to dose. Get the ammonia without any cleaners, scent, anti-foaming, etc. It should be clear liquid. Ace Hardware carries it. Most grocery stores do not. Dose the tank up to 2ppm ammonia and you are all set. http://www.fishforums.net/aquarium-calculator.htm

 

Here is a pic of the tank. Also thank you guys for all your input this is one of those hobbies that requires you to learn regardless of how experienced you are I'm still a beginner and though I've had many successful fish tanks in the past including salt water I am always humbled by the amount of information and dedication that goes into the tanks.

 

Good god man, what is that in the background? Curtain? Wall paper? Wow, you need to do something there. Way too busy a background for me!

 

[johnnyvega252]

Alright you guys so tank update. I have since moved my tank from my dresser to a brand new stand/ table i made for it over the weekend i installed my LEDTric lightbulbs on some balasts I made but during filling the tank back up i noticed that the back wall that houses the chamber was leaking can this be bad? its flowing into the back chambers so it doesn't really bother me should i be worried is my question?

[seabass]

Ideally, it would be water tight. However, I don't think it's that unusual for glass tanks with acrylic filter chambers (as silicone doesn't bond well to acrylic). As a slow leak, I doubt that it will affect the function of the filtration chambers.

[johnnyvega252]

Thank you seabass any ideas as to how to stop my pump from rattling?

[seabass]

Is it rattling internally, against the side of the chamber, or against the bottom of the chamber?

 

You have a borderline heat issue too. Maybe replacing the pump with a more efficient one that has suction cups on the bottom would help both problems.

[johnnyvega252]

Yeah its just the chamber is so small i dont know what pump would fit.

[seabass]

Any idea what size tubing it is? How about the dimensions of the return chamber? How many gph it the current pump rated at?

Maybe a Eheim 600 Compact Pump (11W) would work: http://www.marinedepot.com/Eheim_Compact_Pump_Aquarium_Powerheads_Compact_Pumps-Eheim-EH1000-FIPHCP-vi.html

[johnnyvega252]

So over the weekend I worked on a table with my dad and we made some custom lightbulb balast to hang the lights up. Im still having an issue with the temperature being to hot I'm standing at 86 degrees Fahrenheit and i honestly don't think a fan is going to do the trick. So I'm going to begin to save money and by a chiller. Im also going to work on finding tinting the garage door windows soon.

[jack1978]

So over the weekend I worked on a table with my dad and we made some custom lightbulb balast to hang the lights up. Im still having an issue with the temperature being to hot I'm standing at 86 degrees Fahrenheit and i honestly don't think a fan is going to do the trick. So I'm going to begin to save money and by a chiller. Im also going to work on finding tinting the garage door windows soon.

That garage door is radiating heat right to your tank......if that's the final resting place of the rank, I'd look into some rigid insulation. ...looks like foam sheet. ...Home Depot has it. Cheap. I'd cut some strips to fit and put them on that door behind your tank....might help a little.

[johnnyvega252]

Alright you guys so update time!!! Thank you for all those that have been following me on my nano reef endeavors.

 

I have since added a walmart fan that is doing an awesome job at cooling the tank. my tank went from 87- 89 degrees to a stable 78.5 degree temperature with the lights on. I have ordered a reef keeper light with an added power strip to control my lights fan and heater. Also i ordered a Tunze Auto Top Off i think its called an osmolator nano to help replenish the water that evaporates due to the fans operation. Im growing super eager to add livestock but I'm holding back i want to be successful and will keep you guys posted.