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Bears Build.. Again....


bearwithfish

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Some of you have been following along and are aware that I had intended to start a 2.5 gallon tank... You are also aware that i ordered a little extra rock for a future upgrade.

 

Well the 2.5 never took shape and i am planning to jump straight to the upgrade.

 

My 10 year old daughter and I really want more movement than is possible in a 2.5 gallon so we decided to go for a 20 long.

 

we are going to keep this just as simple as the other build and focus on going slow and managing everything in a simple manner.

 

we are going to have

 

20 long (cover will be glass from another tank to prevent the dark shadow in the middle and because i do not want to purchase a cover when i have glass available already ;) )

 

12 pounds of BRS reefsaver rock

undetermined amount of live rock to seed the tank

we are debating live sand right now with me leaning away and the wife and daughter combo leaning towards sand..

 

a couple pumps for water movement (i have 3 small pumps now that provide 95 GPH, these will be temporary until i purchase the larger versions i want down the road).

 

i have a large heater

 

We will be building a light fixture that will house 50/50 bulbs - we are intending on softies, snails, crabs, and perhaps a pair of clowns (perhaps one or two other fish like gobies)

 

since i need time to cure the rock (in the tank) i am not rushing for all of these things at all. we are going to start with heat, pumps, saltwater, and rock for the first 4-6 weeks.... after that we will see where this adventure takes us.

 

 

hoping to buy the tank this week before the sale ends at Petco... Updates will be posted here.

 

EDIT UPDATE 2/4/2016

 

Current statistics of this tank -

 

20 long AGA tank

Glass cover

LED 10,000k lights with Blue moon lights (Aquaneat)

2x 530gph power heads

1x heater ( i forgot the wattage but it is in the 150 range)

 

16 #'s Live sand

20 #'s Aragonite sand

12 (ish) #'s of BRS Reef Saver dry rock

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Looks like a good plan! Don't worry about live sand or not. The Aragonite special reef blend I use is live sand but I didn't bother to add the little packet. It will get seeded soon enough from the live rock one way or the other. Or you can add the packet and it won't hurt anything.

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the primary debate (as of this moment, LOL) is to stay bare bottom, or have sand (which inherently will become live regardless of start)..

 

if we do go with sand i am inclined to use the caribalive stuff i used before as i liked it.. however i am kind of liking the idea of easier cleaning with out it and one less thing to worry about.

 

oh well time will tell... Not going to stress it yet.. we have a few weeks and other things to get going before we are worried about that part.

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WOW you can loos your thread fast on this board.. I LOVE THAT!!

 

hunting around and looking for good deals on lights and better pumps and found a few that are now on my list.

 

Work and I are having a difference of opinion on some finer details of my contract (honestly its like working for Bill Clinton!!!) so i may miss the end of the tank sale this week. If we get this fixed i will buy it at the regular price.. oh well.

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Update!!!!!! We got the tank yesterday...

 

P_20160123_151557.jpg

 

Painted the back black

P_20160123_152014.jpg

 

P_20160123_152630.jpg

 

And put in my rock!!!

 

P_20160123_190553.jpg

 

 

Wooooohoooooo!!!!

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That looks great! The black back looks good, and I think the scape will work well. Nice and simple, but the arches are going to be awesome with the fish swimming in and out of them.

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AS of this morning the Salt mix (Reefcrystals), the Powerheads (2x 530gph), and the lights (99x 10,000k and 9x actinic, 30" long) have been ordered and are on the way!!

 

just need a glass top, more bottles of distilled water, and a chunk of Live Rock to seed the whole deal and we are ready to rock and roll...

 

I am SUPER excited!!

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Excellent! You might want to skip the glass top and do a screen instead. That way you get better gas exchange at the surface and it doesn't hold the heat in.

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Have to keep evaporation down due to the location and keep the cats out!!! Besides it's a requirement of the boss.. if i want to keep getting money i gotta keep the honey happy.. you know the saying "happy wife, happy life"

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forgot to take more pix but my daughter and I started messing with the rock work.. not 100% there yet but we are getting closer to a configuration that we like.. .will finish what we are doing this evening and if we like it we will snap a pic and share it here. .

 

just trying to find that balance that will work with or without sand... and of course look good while being functional for the future inhabitants.

 

got the email this morning that the pumps and light have shipped.

 

delivery is supposed to be Monday.. urrrrgggg i hate waiting!!!!! patience is not a virtue that i have.

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FlowLikeWater

whooo hoooo.. how are you FLW???

 

as i said we are messing with it until we have it "just right" LOL.. for now!!!

 

Living the dream! its good to be back, rock work really does look good but do your thing. ill be following

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While i wait (not so) patiently for my pumps and lights to come in . lets talk powerhead placement and flow for a moment please.

 

look at the image in the last post please - I am considering placing one pump on the back wall to the right side blowing towards the center of the front of the tank and having the other on the left side behind that large rock blowing on a more extreme angle towards the forward opposing corner.

 

what are your thoughts given this rock arraignment?

 

input is most welcome please let me hear your thoughts (please also do not get into a P&M session if another member does not share your particular view).

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Would still like input on the PH placement....

 

but on another note the light and PH's are arriving today!!! 3 days early.. i am now jumping out of my skin with anticipation..

 

to bad things at work cannot seem to go so well.. grrrr... .

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FlowLikeWater

PH placement sounds good, whats keeping you from filling it up and plugging them in? why not do this while its still bare bottom. this way the areas where the sediment settles is a decent indicator of dead spots.

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The only 3 things left stopping me from getting wet are -

 

- cover of some type (may be making one this weekend)

- water (need about 17 more bottles)

- and LR to seed the tank

 

I know i can start with out the LR but i rather have everything right from the start. so I am discussing, continuing research, and planning each and every step carefully.

 

I learned form going to fast in previous tanks and refuse to spend a ton of time fixing what i know i can do right the first time.

 

also its a personal lesson in patience which i desperately need just now.

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FlowLikeWater

is the top more for evaporation or fish jumping? if its the latter i suggest just a DIY screen. If it is a glass lid for evap, remember you'll be cleaning this almost daily to keep it clear of salt creep.

 

bottles of water? i hope that is coming from your LFS? at the very least distilled? ..maybe even TDS tested. Spring water will still contain heavy metals and contaminants.

 

Tell me about it, between reefing, brewing and sprouting plants nothing comes with instant gratification over here, only satisfying results.

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Distilled water never spring water!!! Searched the brand and requested a report on it. tests are all 0 TDS and no other chemicals to be concerned with.

 

also asked a reefer in the area who uses it from the same place (WalMart) and he has had no issues in the 3+ years he has been using it.

 

The lid is for evap, keeping cats out, and due to placement of the tank. as stated above it is also a requirement from the boss. Happy wife, happy life man..

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According to fedex my lights and pumps are waiting patiently outside my house for me to get home!!!!

 

 

I am so damn excited that i am leaving work early.. then its just a matter of getting them opened and check for breakage while they warm up to the house temp before i give them a test to be sure they work properly.

 

*bouncing on edge of office chair*

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What kind of rock is that and where did you buy it?

this is reef saver form Bulk Reef Supply. it is very inexpensive and the crew at BRS are great! on both orders they sent a little over the amount ordered just in case of damage while shipping. they packed it so good there was no really breakage to speak of.

 

 

ok folks the lights are in and the power heads also!!! (salt is here but obviously not in the tank yet LOL)

 

 

Blue

P_20160129_193651.jpg

 

Whites (power heads in also)

P_20160129_193723.jpg

 

here is a shot of the lights

 

P_20160129_193729.jpg

 

P_20160129_193736.jpg

 

man waiting is the HARDEST PART!!!!

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