[Biocube 29 hqi] GravyReef's Build Thread

[tinkerer]

Couple silly questions for anyone following along:

 

1. When doing a water change, you'll mix up a quantity of saltwater (2-3 gallons for me) 24 hours prior to the change. When done, all the equipment you used for mixing: heater, powerhead, bucket, has a thin layer of salt "scum" on it. What does everyone do to clean this stuff up? First time, I actually cleaned/wiped/rinsed the gear off in the sink. Messy, took too long. I though maybe filling the bucket back up with hot water and running it for a while might do the trick. Looking for other ideas...

 

2. Do you keep a small amount of mixed salt water around to replace the amounts lost when you empty your skimmer cup, remove water for testing, etc.?

 

 

-Gravy

 

i usually do 4-5gal for my 29 and i probably do things wrong by consensus. i use a 6gal brewing bucket, a heater strap for brewing, and a drill wine degasser. i set up the heat belt several hours ahead of time on the full bucket, then when i want to mix i add salt and kill the whole thing with the degasser for 10 minutes or so. from there my water is crystal clear so i check salinity and add water or salt as needed then let it sit for another 3-4 hours. just before i do my WC i hit it with the degasser again for a minute or two. so, the long answer to question one is i wash the degasser and bucket after i use them and it isn't too bad. as far as #2 goes, no i just adjust when i do my WC. other than that i just top off with fresh.

 

for reference.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/winemaking-...l-mix-stir.html

 

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/homebrewing...rew-belt-1.html

[solefald]

From left (100w jager headed out on Wed. 2x 50w hydors going in Chamber 3. This jager going to QT)

 

Holy crap! Eheim heater that THAT big? Crap. I just ordered 2 yesterday. Going to contact MarineDepot to see if i can change the order to get Hydors instead....

[GravyReef]

Holy crap! Eheim heater that THAT big? Crap. I just ordered 2 yesterday. Going to contact MarineDepot to see if i can change the order to get Hydors instead....

 

Yep, they're pretty tall. The 50w Hydor's are several inches shorter.

 

-Gravy

[RedStang]

Couple silly questions for anyone following along:

 

1. When doing a water change, you'll mix up a quantity of saltwater (2-3 gallons for me) 24 hours prior to the change. When done, all the equipment you used for mixing: heater, powerhead, bucket, has a thin layer of salt "scum" on it. What does everyone do to clean this stuff up? First time, I actually cleaned/wiped/rinsed the gear off in the sink. Messy, took too long. I though maybe filling the bucket back up with hot water and running it for a while might do the trick. Looking for other ideas...

 

2. Do you keep a small amount of mixed salt water around to replace the amounts lost when you empty your skimmer cup, remove water for testing, etc.?

 

 

-Gravy

 

I start another batch of SW right after the WC. This keeps those pumps running. I've found that it doesn't matter how much I clean my koralia nano it has trouble starting after being dry. So, two birds, one stone. Just start another batch so I don't worry about the pumps and I have 4-5 gallons on hand in an ermegency.

[cberglof]

Couple silly questions for anyone following along:

 

1. When doing a water change, you'll mix up a quantity of saltwater (2-3 gallons for me) 24 hours prior to the change. When done, all the equipment you used for mixing: heater, powerhead, bucket, has a thin layer of salt "scum" on it. What does everyone do to clean this stuff up? First time, I actually cleaned/wiped/rinsed the gear off in the sink. Messy, took too long. I though maybe filling the bucket back up with hot water and running it for a while might do the trick. Looking for other ideas...

 

2. Do you keep a small amount of mixed salt water around to replace the amounts lost when you empty your skimmer cup, remove water for testing, etc.?

 

 

-Gravy

 

I keep about 20 gallons of rodi ready at all times but don't mix salt until the night before. I was keeping some mixed all the time but it was getting diatoms in it. At least it looked like diatoms, brown on the bucket sides and on the pump and heater. I am just switching to Seachem salinity salt so may test it again to see if I still get the diatoms. I just wipe the bucket out with a paper towel when I am done. I have designated buckets for old water, and new water.

 

I don't replace the skimmer, or test water. I just let my auto-topoff do its thing. It is such a small amount that it has no effect on the salinity. I did have an emergency once and had to get premixed water from a pet store. I still didn't have enough and I ended up just mixing and bringing to temperature. It was fine...or at least I didn't loose anything.

[GravyReef]

Thanks for the feedback everybody.

 

Think I'll try to keep some mixing and on hand at all times unless bacteria becomes a problem. I've got the space, and it would be nice to have for emergencies.

 

I keep 25 gallons of ro/di....I'll keep about 5 gallons of salt as well and see how it goes.

 

-Gravy

[n2tanks]

Thanks for the feedback everybody.

 

Think I'll try to keep some mixing and on hand at all times unless bacteria becomes a problem. I've got the space, and it would be nice to have for emergencies.

 

I keep 25 gallons of ro/di....I'll keep about 5 gallons of salt as well and see how it goes.

 

-Gravy

hey gravy ive been reading your thread and just about to start a bc29 build when you cycled you only ran filter floss,raw shrimp,and live rock?your thread has helped me alot and your tank looks great!

[GravyReef]

hey gravy ive been reading your thread and just about to start a bc29 build when you cycled you only ran filter floss,raw shrimp,and live rock?your thread has helped me alot and your tank looks great!

Hi n2tanks,

 

I had floss and live rock rubble in chamber 2 for my cycle. I had about 3 pounds of LR total (1 in display, 2 in back). I added one tiny piece of raw shrimp at the same time I added the live rock.

 

I used MicroBacter7 each day as well.

 

Good luck with your tank & cycle...start a build thread if you haven't already. You'll get good suggestions and comments along the way.

 

-Gravy

[16bio]

Hey Gravy,

 

I am just setting up my bc hqi this evening going to be transferring all my stuff from my bc14 over. What are you plans for stalking? I am planning on just having my clown pair, tail spot blenny and most likely a golden dwarf moray. I am going to be turning the bc 14 into a seahorse tank and I am also planning on putting a creaso (pardon my spelling) clam or two int the hqi.

Cheers and happy scaping,

16bio

[GravyReef]

Hey Gravy,

 

I am just setting up my bc hqi this evening going to be transferring all my stuff from my bc14 over. What are you plans for stalking? I am planning on just having my clown pair, tail spot blenny and most likely a golden dwarf moray. I am going to be turning the bc 14 into a seahorse tank and I am also planning on putting a creaso (pardon my spelling) clam or two int the hqi.

Cheers and happy scaping,

16bio

 

I'm still whittling down the list of possible fish. As of right now, I think the only thing I'm 100% sure of is a pair of clowns. I'm also looking at a couple different wrasses (white banded, tanaka's) from which I'll choose one. Finally, depending on how things go, I really like the swissguard basslets...but they're a bit pricy....so we'll see.

 

For coral, I'm looking at going "small". The tank itself is small, and I'd like the coral I choose to be the right scale for the tank....as well as slow growing, colorful, etc. Still doing some research.

 

Good luck with your tank! Do you have a build thread?

 

-Gravy

[andrewguilfoy]

I used to live in Brewer for college. I had a 17 gallon (pictures on my thread! page 3) Where do you live?

[GravyReef]

I used to live in Brewer for college. I had a 17 gallon (pictures on my thread! page 3) Where do you live?

 

Scarborough.

 

At some point I'm going to head up towards that part of the state and check out CultivatedReef. I think it's in Orono. Bit of a drive though!

 

-Gravy

[andrewguilfoy]

I didn't even know that existed! Where was I?! lol. Oh well. Orono is a little drive, like 2 hours I think.. But should be worth it. I love maine, and I really miss the snow.. Weird I know, but I just love that white stuff.

 

I used to go to Vance's in Bucksport.. That or Pet Pro, it was over by the airport mall in Bangor. Not super glamorous.. I think the guy at Vance's "Vance" might have been a professor at Umaine. He was very nerdy/knew what he was talking about. Plus I think he bred clowns at the college.

[GravyReef]

I didn't even know that existed! Where was I?! lol. Oh well. Orono is a little drive, like 2 hours I think.. But should be worth it. I love maine, and I really miss the snow.. Weird I know, but I just love that white stuff.

 

I used to go to Vance's in Bucksport.. That or Pet Pro, it was over by the airport mall in Bangor. Not super glamorous.. I think the guy at Vance's "Vance" might have been a professor at Umaine. He was very nerdy/knew what he was talking about. Plus I think he bred clowns at the college.

 

It's been a slow year for snow. Had a storm in October, but then we were bare ground until about a week ago. Much of that melted on Tuesday when it hit 50!

 

 

Might have to see if Vance's is still there. There's not much around here. I'm about 80 miles from Jay's in Salem, NH, which everyone tells me is worth the drive.

 

-Gravy

[GravyReef]

Update:

 

Couple pictures of my diatom bloom! Is it obvious I can't wait to have something more interesting in the tank?!

 

 

Next time I take pictures...there will be something other than single-cell life!

 

-Gravy

[GravyReef]

Second update of the day.

 

Snails came from Reefcleaners.org.

 

Lots of snails. 100's of snails. Probably too..many..snails..

 

Here's a pic of the bags as they temp acclimate:

 

 

Couple pictures similar to the ones above, this time with SNAILS...

 

I assumed many of the dwarf cerith shells were empty. Figured I'd dump the lot in, and pick out the corpses after I could determine which were which. I couldn't have been more wrong. I have 200+ living, crawling, eating snails in the tank.

 

Not sure if I should thin out the herd, or just let them do their thing. I can't imagine there's enough algae growth to keep them fed for long...

 

-Gravy

[16bio]

Second update of the day.

 

Snails came from Reefcleaners.org.

 

Lots of snails. 100's of snails. Probably too..many..snails..

 

Here's a pic of the bags as they temp acclimate:

 

 

Couple pictures similar to the ones above, this time with SNAILS...

 

I assumed many of the dwarf cerith shells were empty. Figured I'd dump the lot in, and pick out the corpses after I could determine which were which. I couldn't have been more wrong. I have 200+ living, crawling, eating snails in the tank.

 

Not sure if I should thin out the herd, or just let them do their thing. I can't imagine there's enough algae growth to keep them fed for long...

 

-Gravy

See if your lfs would take 50-100 of them and get a credit towards future frags!

[RedStang]

See if your lfs would take 50-100 of them and get a credit towards future frags!

 

Excellent idea....

[GravyReef]

Update on water parameters:

 

Ammonia: 0

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: <5 (yay for water changes and purigen)

 

Phosphate: 0.06ppm (rowaphos)

 

Calcium: 481

Alk: 161ppm / 9 dkH

 

pH: 8.0

Temp: 78

Salinity: 1.024

 

 

Snails have dispersed quite a bit. Might still take some out, but now that they're crawling off to different parts of the tank to do their own thing, it doesn't look like there are quite so many. The large ones are all huddled together on the glass for some reason.

 

-Gravy

[tinkerer]

CUC looks awesome.

[Feepz]

I just ordered from reefcleaners for my BC29 also. WAY to many snails haha. And believe it or not all my bigger snails huddled up together in same spot. Def get your moneys worth with reef cleaners.

[JDK]

Great build love the aquascape. Glad you went with two hydor 50W instead of the jager. It really is a nice way to have a little peace of mind in case of a fail. A couple weeks back I ditched the aquaticlife and bought a Hydor Slim Skim. I have to say it is wonderful. Much more quiet than the aquaticlife and seems to skim better as well. Once you get a bioload going I would consider picking one up. It will fit in chamber 1.

[GravyReef]

CUC looks awesome.

 

Thanks Tink. They are everywhere....and they seem to be growing

 

I just ordered from reefcleaners for my BC29 also. WAY to many snails haha. And believe it or not all my bigger snails huddled up together in same spot. Def get your moneys worth with reef cleaners.

 

Mine were still huddled together as of this morning. One was missing and I looked everywhere for him....he crawled over the top of the fish saver guard, and was in chamber 3...

 

Great build love the aquascape. Glad you went with two hydor 50W instead of the jager. It really is a nice way to have a little peace of mind in case of a fail. A couple weeks back I ditched the aquaticlife and bought a Hydor Slim Skim. I have to say it is wonderful. Much more quiet than the aquaticlife and seems to skim better as well. Once you get a bioload going I would consider picking one up. It will fit in chamber 1.

 

Thanks JDK. I wish I'd seen your thread before I started. I really like the way your rimless tank looks. I'd have never thought to even try that! Thanks for the advice on the Hydor. My Aquaticlife isn't particularly noisy (yet), but I have no way to know how well it works until it actually has something to do! I'll see how things go.

 

-Gravy

[GravyReef]

Update:

 

LED's: All parts except the led's themselves are either here, or have shipped. Looking like a weekend project for early-mid February.

 

Snails: I bought 2 nassarius along with the other snails...and they are hilarious. I have some tiny pellet food, and if I throw a couple pieces into the tank in the front right corner, they both come flying out of the sand and race over to grab it.

 

Water quality: Seems to have really shaped up since the addition of the media. (purigen, cpe, etc.) I'm struggling with trying to stay patient...and being concerned that if I don't add something soon I'll "lose" the cycle. I'm not sure if the snails, and a couple crumbs of food here and there, are enough to keep the bacteria populations alive...but I don't want to rush out and buy livestock either.

 

This pair of fish has been out on LA for a week now, and are tempting...pricy though.

 

I'll probably wait until this weekend's water change, test again on Saturday, and decide what to do from there...

 

 

-Gravy

[bokaholic]

This is amazing. Someday I will upgrade to the 29 cube. Inspiration like this is all it takes! lol