davidrod8 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Background: Believe it or not, I got hooked in Saltwater aquarium through my love of turtles. It all started maybe 10-12 years ago when I was living in Florida (Hollywood) next to the Seminole Casinos. Right there on the side of the road was a guy selling all kinds of turtles and what start with a 10 gallon single turtle tank quickly grew to a 75 tank with maybe 12-14 baby turtles, but I always knew I wanted more... I started adding fishes to the turtle tank, but I kept seeing that the nicer looking fishes where saltwater, and by the time I started looking into saltwater fish stores I saw corals and was done! Pretty soon I was setting up a 55 gallon saltwater reef which I kept for about 3-4 years. Had a sump with protein skimmer, a UV filter and was semi successful at keeping things alive. I loved my blue tang, yellow tang, horse shoe crabs and diamond watchman goby. After 8 decent years in South Florida and I had a come to Jesus moment and decided to move back to Texas (Houston) where I had lived for 5 years before. At that point there wasn't much room for my hobby and decided to quit and sell everything. Fast forward 5 years and I got the bug again. At this point I'm married with 2 very young kids and not a whole lot of time, so I decide to go for a 29G BioCube. I didn't have a whole lot of time (or money) and with a third kid on the way, not much time for the tank it failed to the point that the wife decided if I wasn't going to keep it clean I had to take it down, which I did Fast forward to the last few months, there's been a lot of changes in my life. Kids are getting older and I find myself without a job for the first time in many years. Lots of time in my hands which has allowed me to start a small business from home and also I have been doing a lot of reading and catching up in all of the advances in the hobby. About a month ago we were driving down the road from the house and wouldn't you know, a baby turtle was crossing the road. Tiny thing, maybe the size of a quarter, not even sure how did I see it. Anyways, long story short, turned around, picked it up, went to the store, got a tank, got some fish, got more turtles... same story again... Back in the day you would go to the store and pick up a "tank" now I'm finding that the tanks themselves are as beautiful as the corals and fish inside. After a lot of debate with the wife as to where to put it, and my commitment that this time I'll stay on top of it, I narrowed my choices down and finally pulled the trigger this week. Tank will be here next Monday, which gives me enough time for preparation. Equipment List: Tank: Nuvo Fusion 30 Gallon Aquarium Starter Tank Kit from Bulk Reef Supply Includes: 30 lbs of Reef Saver Rock 40 lbs of Special Grade Arag-Alive Sand Hikari Marine S Pellet Fish Food HW-Marinemix Reefer Salt mix 250ml bottle of Instant Ocean Bio-Spira 500mL Brightwell Erase Dechlorinator Finnex HMA-s 150w Digital Heater Finnex HPS-100 Digital Heater Hydor Koralia Evo 600 Tunze Care magnet Nano Stand: For now I'll be using the stand of my previous turtle tank which is the right size, however, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold off before I buy the Nuvo Long Black Aquarium Stand. Light: Radion XR30W G4 LED Light Fixture - EcoTech Marine RMS XR 30 Tank Mount Kit - Ecotech Marine Pump: MaxSpect Gyre XF130 2 InTank Media Caddies Carbon & GFO for filtering Dr. Tim's aquatic one and only live nitrifying bacteria Tests for Alk, Calcium, Mag, Nitrite, Nitrate and Phosphate Still to purchase: Osmolator Skimmer Controller Tank will be here Monday, plan on doing a leak test during the first part of the week and hope to be wet by the weekend. I'll be posting pictures of the unboxing as I start getting everything next week. Link to comment
al_flood Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Welcome DavidRod8 and nice introduction. Following along, this is going to be a great built. What skimmer are you planning on getting? Link to comment
davidrod8 Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 I'm still trying to figure that one out. I think I would rather have one inside the chamber that hanging on back, but it's hard to make that decision now without the tank. One thing is for sure, I need to go ahead and order the stand, I don't want to have to move everything in a couple of weeks. that'll be a pain! Welcome DavidRod8 and nice introduction. Following along, this is going to be a great built. What skimmer are you planning on getting? Link to comment
al_flood Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 I'm still trying to figure that one out. I think I would rather have one inside the chamber that hanging on back, but it's hard to make that decision now without the tank. One thing is for sure, I need to go ahead and order the stand, I don't want to have to move everything in a couple of weeks. that'll be a pain! I had the same struggle when it came to protein skimmers. I wanted one that would fit in the tank so I purchased the Tunze 9001 skimmer. While it fit in the tank it was a hassle getting the skimmate lid off due to my light and I didn't want hassles. I went with the AquaMaxx HOB-1, didn't want a HOB skimmer but I couldn't find anything else. If you happen find a skimmer that fits in the tank and works well let me know.............. Link to comment
RIP Sebastian Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 I had the same struggle when it came to protein skimmers. I wanted one that would fit in the tank so I purchased the Tunze 9001 skimmer. While it fit in the tank it was a hassle getting the skimmate lid off due to my light and I didn't want hassles. I went with the AquaMaxx HOB-1, didn't want a HOB skimmer but I couldn't find anything else. If you happen find a skimmer that fits in the tank and works well let me know.............. Hydor Slim Skim Nano. I'm still trying to figure that one out. I think I would rather have one inside the chamber that hanging on back, but it's hard to make that decision now without the tank. One thing is for sure, I need to go ahead and order the stand, I don't want to have to move everything in a couple of weeks. that'll be a pain! Welcome to the 30L Club! Nick Link to comment
al_flood Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Hydor Slim Skim Nano. Welcome to the 30L Club! Nick How long has the skimmer been running on your tank? Does it fit in the skimmer chamber of the tank? Link to comment
RIP Sebastian Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 How long has the skimmer been running on your tank? Does it fit in the skimmer chamber of the tank? Several months. I have it in the second chamber from the right, inserted sideways. Link to comment
davidrod8 Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 Thanks Nick! I will keep it in mind when I do my research for a skimmer. From what I read, I don't need to run it during cycling, so I'll leave that for later. In the meantime, I decided to go ahead and order the stand from BRS. I'm also adding the Osmolator and a few other small items to take advantage of the faster shipping. Tomorrow I'm scheduled to get the tank and I'm static. Planning on doing the leak tests on Tuesday / Wednesday while the stand gets here (should be here Thursday) I have a question regarding the controller. I have never had one, and was wondering if for this set up the Apex Jr is enough or if should look into the regular version, which is almost 3 times the price. Link to comment
al_flood Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Thanks Nick! I will keep it in mind when I do my research for a skimmer. From what I read, I don't need to run it during cycling, so I'll leave that for later. In the meantime, I decided to go ahead and order the stand from BRS. I'm also adding the Osmolator and a few other small items to take advantage of the faster shipping. Tomorrow I'm scheduled to get the tank and I'm static. Planning on doing the leak tests on Tuesday / Wednesday while the stand gets here (should be here Thursday) I have a question regarding the controller. I have never had one, and was wondering if for this set up the Apex Jr is enough or if should look into the regular version, which is almost 3 times the price. IMO, I believe it depends on how automated you are trying to make your tank and if you plan on upgrading to a bigger tank in the future. With the Apex Jr I believe you are limited to connecting about 7 different modules and it comes with only 4 outlets. I plugged my skimmer, heater, lights, and something else that I cannot remember. If you feel that you will need more outlets you can purchase an EB8 or a simple surge protector it all depends on your needs. For me after a year the Apex Jr was not enough and the amount of money I spent on the modules I should have bought the now Apex Classic. Link to comment
davidrod8 Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 Yeah, that's my fear, that after 6 months I want to add more to it and end up having to buy the classic on top of the junior... I guess I need to give this more thought.... Yesterday I received the first shipment, starter tank kit, from BRS. Everything looked fine until I took the tank out of the box. Left back corner was damaged. Not sure if UPS dropped the tank or what. I took pictures, put it back in the box and emailed BRS. Haven't heard back from them yet, but needless to say I'm extremely dissapointed, specially at UPS, they normally come before 11 and this time didn't show up until almost 5. Then the guy kept complaining about how big and heavy my packages were. I'll have to wait and see what BRS says, but at this point I don't even want to do a leak test as I'm afraid the tank will crack under pressure. Later last night, as I was going through the rest of the stuff, I found one of the heaters included in the package was shattered as well. Not impressed by their packaging, specifically the box with the sand where the heaters were. I still need to go through the box with the rock, I know they said they don't guarantee the pieces will stay together, I just hope it isn't crushed... patience, patience... Link to comment
al_flood Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Yeah, that's my fear, that after 6 months I want to add more to it and end up having to buy the classic on top of the junior... I guess I need to give this more thought.... Yesterday I received the first shipment, starter tank kit, from BRS. Everything looked fine until I took the tank out of the box. Left back corner was damaged. Not sure if UPS dropped the tank or what. I took pictures, put it back in the box and emailed BRS. Haven't heard back from them yet, but needless to say I'm extremely dissapointed, specially at UPS, they normally come before 11 and this time didn't show up until almost 5. Then the guy kept complaining about how big and heavy my packages were. I'll have to wait and see what BRS says, but at this point I don't even want to do a leak test as I'm afraid the tank will crack under pressure. Later last night, as I was going through the rest of the stuff, I found one of the heaters included in the package was shattered as well. Not impressed by their packaging, specifically the box with the sand where the heaters were. I still need to go through the box with the rock, I know they said they don't guarantee the pieces will stay together, I just hope it isn't crushed... patience, patience... That sucks....... BRS is pretty good about taking care of their customers. I can almost guarantee that they will take care of you by making things right. Normally their packaging is spot on, sometimes over packaged. Link to comment
davidrod8 Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 I spoke with them first thing this morning and they are shipping another tank today, awesome! On the other hand, I bought the stand from SaltwaterAquarium.com and paid $30 for expedited shipping. 24 hours have gone by and I haven't gotten a notification of shipment, so I called them and was told the fee is for the faster shipping but it still takes them time to get the stuff out. Why on earth am I paying an expedited shipping fee if you are going to take your sweet time to get it out.... First and last order from them.... I guess I'm not in a rush anymore to get the stand but clearly there is a difference who you buy from... I'll let my dollars do the talking on the next order... Link to comment
davidrod8 Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 Update on the tank: BRS did not ship a tank yesterday. I had to call them back and be on the phone for over 30 minutes. No real explanation as to why they didn't ship yesterday. They are shipping today, which means no tank until Monday... Needless to say, very dissapointed.... Regarding the stand, I sent Saltwater Aquarium a note last night to cancel the order, they replied this morning, stand was shipped on Monday, however they did not send me tracking info or updated their website.... ugggrrrrhhhhh... Sorry, it's been a long day and it's only noon... Hopefully these are the only setbacks... On a lighter note, today I received my pump and lights... too bad I don't have a place to put them! Link to comment
spectra Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 Sorry to hear about the issues with shipping. Hopefully round two treat you better. Hopefully the XR30 will cover the tank. I had a Corona over the 30 I have and did not like the coverage. I ended up going with a nanobox quad and it works perfectly. Link to comment
davidrod8 Posted September 28, 2016 Author Share Posted September 28, 2016 Thanks Spectra, that is a concern but I think I'll be fine. We'll see once I set it up. Stand came in last Thursday and I build it over the weekend. It came double box, very well protected, however, the sheets of Styrofoam inside were so thin, not sure why they even waste. Also, the bag with all the screws was broken and they were literally scattered all over the box. I saw a couple of scratches on the stand from them, but figure I can live with them. Second tank showed up on Monday. This one had considerably less packing material inside but somehow it was in great shape. I did the leak test for 24 hours and added some vinegar. I'm very surprised that IM just throws the pump in tank without a box or a bag. Box pumps came damaged. I literally had to pick parts out of each other to get it going... Does anyone keep that one or do you upgrade? Yesterday I spend most of the time installing the RO/DI unit. Ran into a few problems so had to hit home depot 3 times Unit is working fine but it so slowwww... Finally today in the afternoon I was able to get enough water to mix the salt, love the new refractometer, so much easier than what I was using a few years ago. Installed the Gyre pump in there and I'm speechless, I can't believe how much the hobby has advanced! This thing is pretty cool! Added the sand and now I'm waiting for things to clear so that I can add the rock. I have 3 little girls, and they have come into my office where the stand sits and have told me several times today how they don't like saltwater because how cloudy it looks! I keep on telling them to have patience.... Been taking a ton of pictures, just need to figure out how to post them in here! That's all for now... Link to comment
davidrod8 Posted October 11, 2016 Author Share Posted October 11, 2016 Sorry for the lack of updates, I have literally been stuck with my nitrates reading at 25 for 2 weeks now and haven't been able to do anything. I have tried to do everything, I did small water changes, big water changes, nothing,,, I started with dr tims one and only.... after a few days of my nitrates being "stuck" I poured the bottle of biosphere that came with the starter set I bought from BRS. Last Friday I went to the LFS and bought live rock as I wasn't crazy about the dead white rock I initially got... I'm running a skimmer, bio pellets on a reactor, plus carbon and gfo in bags along with floss. Also have the sand in there. I'm not sure what else I can do other than wait for the tank to cycle. The whole idea of buying the bacteria was not to wait. Link to comment
davidrod8 Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 So...a little update... After buying my 4th fish and having it die within a few hours, I took my water to the LFS... My salinity was off the charts, apparently when I calibrated the refractometer, I didn't read the instructions correctly and was running a dead sea for several weeks. I have since lowered my salinity levels down and have been able to get things started. Tank is looking good, will be posting pictures later. Link to comment
RotaryReef Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Any updates on your tank davidrod8? Link to comment
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