smoknta Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Thanks. Yeah, I considered using the conduit....but the galvanized pipe is all threaded and has tons of different fittings and pipe sizes that it is a lot easier to work with. You can buy pipe between like 1"-72"....also, if you need something custom, the pipe can be cut and threaded for free at Lowes. You could also use black iron pipe...but most of it at my Lowes was kinda rusted. Electrical conduit is galvanized and that is what you used. EMT is thin wall pipe and can not be threaded. It uses slip fittings. Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted July 11, 2008 Author Share Posted July 11, 2008 Electrical conduit is galvanized and that is what you used. EMT is thin wall pipe and can not be threaded. It uses slip fittings. Hmmm....I was not aware they were the same thing. So......electrical conduit = rigid conduit = galvanized steel pipe? I know there is EMT, which is very flexible and can be bent easily, and rigid conduit......but I didn't realize that rigid conduit is the same thing as galvanized steel pipe. Well, either way...at Lowes, the pipe I used is in a different aisle than the electrical conduit and is right next to the black iron pipe for those interested in using it. All of the fittings are also in the same aisle. Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Painted my light stand today (pics tomorrow if I get it all set-up). I ended up finding a common aluminum primer that can also be used for galvanized metal. The primer worker well and then I decided to use latex-based paint because it dries much quicker than oil-based and I could cut the painting down to one day instead of two (I am a bit tired of being at my brother's house all day working on the tank, even if I do get to see my 3 month old nephew and soon-to-be godson). This summer I have done nothing but work on getting this tank set-up. If I had studied a bit more instead of browsing this site during classes all year, I could be pulling in $2000/wk at a big law firm. Instead, I was lazy and avoided applying to jobs so that I would have time to set-up this tank before school starts in August. For some strange reason, I feel like my priorities are severely out-of-whack! This hobby will be the end of me, I swear... Link to comment
iglowce Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 wheres the anemone???? the BTA it is Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted August 2, 2008 Author Share Posted August 2, 2008 It's in the distant future....like I said....you first. Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 I finally got my sump last Monday and I spent all last week water testing and setting the tank up. I finally have everything almost completely set-up and on "autopilot." I am really tired and feel like crap, so I'll probably be heading to bed soon. Here are some pics for now and I'll respond to any questions later. The water in the display is cloudy, but the water in the sump is clear - I can't really figure that out yet (I'm hoping it is just the new sand and the rock clouding things up). Before everyone criticizes it - I realize there isn't much rock in the display, but there is a lot more in the refugium and I'll eventually probably move some of it into the display. Also, something is wrong with my camera - so I'm sorry about the poor pics. I'm waiting for closer to my honeymoon in about a year to buy a new camera with an underwater housing. Until then, I'll have to deal. Now some pics: Sump: FTS's: Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 Wow....looking at your tank in real life compared to pics is weird - I definitely need to add some more rock. I was in a hurry this week and all of my rock is fully cured, so I can just move some from the fuge to the display when I have time. I don't think I'll add much more rock though b/c I want a nice open look, and hope that sps will fill the empty spaces. I am going to buy some more of those magnetic frag mounts and glue some monti cap and birds nest frags to the back wall - those should fill up space quickly. Link to comment
hxcaquaman Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 sweet pics! your sump is SICK! Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 sweet pics! your sump is SICK! Thanks! I waited two months for that sump, so it had better be nice...lol. Actually, after receiving it I realized I screwed up the design a bit - the middle divider wasn't tall enough and some of the water from the drain was overflowing directly into the return chamber. A piece of acrylic and some silicone fixed that and the sump is working perfectly now. It is really crowded, but I managed to fit everything I needed to fit into the small amount of space I had to work with. My only regret is using a pump rated at 600+ gph. I had to use a ball valve to throttle the pump back A LOT to get the flow where I wanted it. It is my first sump/drilled tank, so I'm still learning. I know you didn't ask, but my favorite piece of equipment is BY FAR the Vortech....money well spent imo... Link to comment
drog Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Nice looking tank...I love the sand especially. Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 Nice looking tank...I love the sand especially. Funny you mention that. I was going to use 2 bags of Seachem's Grey Coast and 1 bag of AragAlive Indo Pacific Black (it has white sand mixed in) b/c I have an urchin that poops all of the time and its poop is the color of sand. Well, I poured 1/2 a bag of the grey coast in and I loved it. It was just enough to create a 1/2in sand bed, which is what I wanted. So now I have a ton of sand left over that I will probably never use. The Grey Coast is the perfect sand for a shallow sand bed, imo - its grain size is large enough that the Vortech doesn't blow it around at all. Link to comment
YeahitsK Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Looks great! Glad to hear you like the vortech as well. So I'm pretty close to water testing my 30 as well. How did you secure your fuge light? Is it clamped to the stand or to the drain tubing there? Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 Looks great! Glad to hear you like the vortech as well. So I'm pretty close to water testing my 30 as well. How did you secure your fuge light? Is it clamped to the stand or to the drain tubing there? I had to add a small shelf (around 5"x4" or something like that) to the back right wall of the stand. Basically I just bought the light and positioned it so it was as high as I could get it - then I tried to think of ways to mount it. Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted August 26, 2008 Author Share Posted August 26, 2008 The water has cleared and is no longer cloudy, so I guess I don't have to worry much about that anymore. Everything is looking good thus far. If all stays well, I will likely order some fish next week. All of the rock was curing for more than 2 months, so I doubt there will be much of a mini-cycle. Also, considering the amount of filtration I have in the sump - it is going to take a lot for the parameters to go out of whack... Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted September 11, 2008 Author Share Posted September 11, 2008 This is my first time running a sump and I was just wondering everyone's opinion about filter socks. I wasn't using once originally, but a lot of detritus was collecting in the sump so I added a sock. After less than a week, the sock is absolutely disgusting and it is a pain to take it out every week to clean it. If I don't use it, where could I put some floss to clear the water effectively? I was thinking of finding a sponge to fit into the bubble-trap baffles, but I think floss would be more effective - I just don't know where to place it. Thanks. Also, I'm having some algae problems. I think it may be dinos, but it doesn't develop into strands like i've seen. The astraeas and ceriths are eating it, but i don't have enough of them to keep it at bay. The problem appears to be the worst on the sand bed. I think the problem is the 250w halides. I have reduced the light schedule from 12-10 hours and will probably reduce it to 8 hours if the problem doesn't subside within the next few days. None of my coral appears to be effected by it, so I'm not too concerned about it yet. Hopefully it goes away gradually. Link to comment
YeahitsK Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 Where does the tank drain into your sump? Is it the smaller compartment in the corner of the sump area? Where is the detritus collecting? Link to comment
Tbone675 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 nice tank!....imo your lights are on too long. i would do 7-8 or even less, it will cut the algae. Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted September 18, 2008 Author Share Posted September 18, 2008 Where does the tank drain into your sump? Is it the smaller compartment in the corner of the sump area? Where is the detritus collecting? back left of the sump - if you look in the pics of the sump you can make out the bubble trap/inlet. i kinda wish i hadn't added the bubble trap to the sump. the detritus collects in the skimmer area and the fuge (although its kinda expected in the fuge b/c of the rock in there. nice tank!....imo your lights are on too long. i would do 7-8 or even less, it will cut the algae. i agree. now i have them on from 12-9 and will work down from there. the power was just out for about 74 hours straight. luckily i didn't have any losses - and now all of the algae is gone. i'm sure it will be back, but hopefully the snails i added will take care of it better now. Link to comment
iglowce Posted September 18, 2008 Share Posted September 18, 2008 AWESOME.... since ur tank is not crowded yet, where's the RBTA? Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted September 18, 2008 Author Share Posted September 18, 2008 AWESOME.... since ur tank is not crowded yet, where's the RBTA? haha.....don't think it is going to happen. those pics are a few weeks old. i have added some acro and monti frags, 5 chromis (hopefully they won't die like everyone else's) and a mccosker's flasher wrasse. i need to take pics, but my electricity just came back on after being out for 3 days. Link to comment
Falcon_Punch Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 I love these cubes and your's is great! I hope to get my hands on one in the near future,if not im gonna have to build one! Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted September 19, 2008 Author Share Posted September 19, 2008 I love these cubes and your's is great! I hope to get my hands on one in the near future,if not im gonna have to build one! Thanks! Unfortunately my camera is broken, otherwise I would have posted more pics. I added a few more rocks, but it still looks kinda empty. I'm hoping that sps will eventually fill in all of the empty spaces. Link to comment
WindCloudWRX Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Nice tank. I'm wondering how tha tskimmer is doing and if you got pics of the skimmate. Your bioload seems kinda nice. Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 Nice tank. I'm wondering how tha tskimmer is doing and if you got pics of the skimmate. Your bioload seems kinda nice. Thanks. I'm not too sure how I feel about the skimmer at this point. The only way I have been able to get the skimmate into the collection cup is by running the air input completely open. This allows the foam to rise high enough to collect in the collection cup. When I do this, however, the skimmate is very wet and is like tea. If I throttle the air back a bit, the neck of the skimmer collects a thick mud, but the foam doesn't rise enough to collect in the cup. The skimmer is definitely pulling stuff out, but it may be too big for my tank. No pics b/c my camera is broken - which bums me out. I don't want to buy a new camera until closer to my honeymoon in a year. Link to comment
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