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Kijho's Fluval Spec V - Retired (almost)


Kijho

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(1 year, 10 months, 10 days) (681 Days)

21479623154_dbfe55c4c2_c.jpgIMG_0068 by kijho6, on Flickr

 

23374862431_aff4d1d3fd_c.jpgIMG_0562 by kijho6, on Flickr

 

23555233293_264cc53407_c.jpgIMG_0750 by kijho6, on Flickr

 

(12 Months - (1 year mark!!)) (371 Days) - The Relapse

16773188259_a6813cf48f_c.jpgIMG_8073 by kijho6, on Flickr

 

(11 months) (331 Days) - Post "Crash" GSP, Blasto, & new Emerald Crab added.

16369192319_48558b27e2_c.jpgIMG_7597 by kijho6, on Flickr

 

9 Months (259 Days) - Post "Crash" - New 'zoa colony' rock swapped in. Tank cleaned.

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9 Months (258 Days) - Pre-Bubble Algae "Crash"

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8 Months (241 Days)

15762048948_a373da9f7d_c.jpgIMG_7072 by kijho6, on Flickr

 

6 Month (+ 15 days) Day 181

15277193489_24179e773e_c.jpgIMG_6070 by kijho6, on Flickr

 

(5 Months (+18 Days) - Day 154)

15008136537_09e1e4b5d6_c.jpgIMG_4382 by kijho6, on Flickr

 

(4 Months - Day 112)

14643699298_bd43c94697_c.jpgIMG_2797 by kijho6, on Flickr

 

(3 Months - Day 88)

14297870600_61c7725c1d_c.jpgIMG_1953 by kijho6, on Flickr

 

(2 Months - Day 63)

14268685123_31e68db02a_c.jpgIMG_1097 by Shpixx, on Flickr

 

(1 Month - Day 31)
14010728312_581672a6f5_c.jpgIMG_0333 by Shpixx, on Flickr

Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNwn_yvbOEs

 

Life:

 

 

Female Black Ocellaris Clownfish

Male Black Ocellaris Clownfish *Passed away due to Flukes disease (6 months old)

Orange Spotted Goby ~ *Jumped the tank

Orange Spotted Goby # 2 Passed away unexpectedly (7 months old)

Tiger Pistol Shrimp Passed away during a molt (8 months old)

Trochus Snails

Turban Snails

Zebra Dwarf Hermit Crabs

Cerith Snails

Nassarius Snails

Emerald Crab Passed away unexpectedly, I believe due to curiosity of the pistol shrimp (4 months old)

 

Green Hammer colony

Purple Frogspawn

Several Acan frags, different color variations

One large 13 Qty Green Acan Colony (Scored for $20!!)

Lime Green Birdsnest

Several Ricordia Florida & Yumas

Purple Zoanthid Frag

Green Torch

Large zoanthid colony rock

 

 

 

My Setup/ Equipment:

 

 

Fluval Spec V (5 Gallon)

Carrib-Sea Sea Marine Water (Premixed 2.5 Gallon jugs)

Carrib-Sea Fine Reef Sand

4 lbs live rock (cure when purchased)

25 Watt heater Upgraded

50 Watt heater with Thermostat

Digital temperature probe

Hydor Koralia 240ghp Powerhead

Stock Pump

 

ChemiPure Elite

Purigen

Stock Sponge Upgraded

InTank Media Basket

Filter Floss

 

Halo by Lightbox Par 38 Cree LED w/ 30cm clamped gooseneck

 

API & Elos test kits for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Calcium, Kh (Alk), Ph, Phos,

ATC Refractometer

Long 12" Tweezers

Various turkey basters, medicine droppers, syringes

TwoLittleFishies magnetic glass scraper

Mag-Float magnetic glass scraper

$5 USB Fan for hot summer days

 

 

 

My original first post:

Hey everyone, I've been lurking this forum for quite some time now and just made an account.
I have gone through and read quite a bit (so much so Google has began putting advertisements on pages I visit for reef related sites, haha!)

Anyways, after much reading I decided I wanted to do something very small. I do fully understand how challenging a smaller tank can be. I do have the time to dedicate daily, free weekends, and the patience to give this my best effort. I've made my first purchase - a Fluval Spec V.

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I still have the LED light bar to put on. I read somewhere it's good to leave the light off for the first bit. Plus, I have work to do inside the tank still so I left the light off. Right now I'm waiting for the water to clear up! Then I'll begin monitoring the levels and such before adding some rock!

I know I'll need an upgraded light set to run corals in this. Plan on doing that down the road!

Right now I have left the pump and heater off (I need to figure out the heater right now as it doesn't fit well in the tank as I have it, and the store is closed.)

Just a quick introduction! If anybody has any good pointers to someone just getting into this hobby please let me know! Or any suggestions to what I have done so far.

Thank you,

 

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Welcome to NR!

 

1st off I would save your money and stop buying that natural ocean water, its very costly in the long run but in a pinch its ok. If you are looking long term money saver I'd get a RO/DI unit, many to choose from. Or you can buy Distilled from the grocery store/walmart/target, or your LFS might have RO/DI you can buy but make sure its RO/DI and not just RO water.

 

I'm not sure what kind of pump is in there for flow but you may want to add an extra power head inside the tank for better flow.

 

Lighting will depend on the corals you will want to keep, I have a small cube tank on my desk and I use the Ecopico with 3 strips and it works great for softies and was $100 for it total with the extra 2 strips, very nice sleek design. But you can also go with a PAR30 bulb as well or a really popular light is the Nanobox LED. I kind of with I would have gotten the Nanobox.

 

Its very good you are asking questions and reading, feel free to keep doing that. And big plus to you for reading up on the hobby and taking it slow! That google search bar on the forums is great to find articles on your tank and what others have done to be successful.

 

Good luck to you! and post more pics of the tank as it comes along!

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Thank you for the resposne and the suggestions! I plan on eventually mixing my own saltwater. I'm actually keeping the empty jugs of premixed water I bought to fill with tap water and use a 3-step conditioner the LFS suggested.

 

The jugs were only $10 each for 2.3 G, and although the tank is 5G I only actually used 4.5G of the water! (I presume due to the mass of the sand/ filter etc.) I still have one jug left and 25% of the other jug! I'll have to get a second heater to heat the water prior to putting it into the tank however.

 

I've seen a few other users on here with this same tank using the pump is comes with! I may add a powerhead if required in the future!

 

One question I'm getting different answers to is in regards to the filter media. I rinsed the media that came with the tank, and placed it in the sponge.

 

Here's some pics I found on Google of what Media I have in (This is just what came with the tank)

 

A1378_Fluval-Spec-BIOMAX-60g_1w400-h400.

 

 

A1377_Fluval-Spec-Replacement-Carbon-3pa

 

Is there a specific filter Media required/ suggested for my tank?

 

I also just put the LED bar on for a second just to see what it looked like! (This is the "moonlight" LED mode.) Water has been in for about 3 or 4 hours!

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I know your LFS recommended some 3 step process but I can't stress this enough... DON"T DO IT!

There's no substitution for RODI water or Distilled water. I can not stress this enough.

 

Go to your local grocery store and purchase distilled water if you don't want to buy an RODI unit for the time being. Trust me you will thank me in the long run.

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Hmm... What's RODI water exactly? What procedure should I be doing in order to mix my own water/ salt?

The water that came out of the premixed jugs I purchased was incredibly clear! (First thing I actually noticed was how crisp it looked!)

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Hmm... What's RODI water exactly? What procedure should I be doing in order to mix my own water/ salt?

 

The water that came out of the premixed jugs I purchased was incredibly clear! (First thing I actually noticed was how crisp it looked!)

 

Those premixed jugs are fine, but too expensive and can add up. RODI is a unit that will filter tap water with Reverse Osmosis and Dionization. It is the only sure way to remove everything from tap water.

 

To mix your salt water, you can use a small bucket and fill your distilled or RODI water, use your choice of salt, throw a small power head in there or even mix by hand since it's not that much water. Then use a small heater to match the temperature to your tank temp and thats all.

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Anyone point me in the direction of what a RODI unit looks like? That makes good sense to me! Probably cheaper in the long run than buying the 3-step chemicals too! Glad I didn't buy that yet haha!

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Anyone point me in the direction of what a RODI unit looks like? That makes good sense to me! Probably cheaper in the long run than buying the 3-step chemicals too! Glad I didn't buy that yet haha!

 

Here's one of the most popular RODI unit most use http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-5-stage-ro-di-system-75gpd.html

 

Yeah good thing you didn't buy that 3 step chemical.. I can guarantee it would have caused you phosphate issues. Those chemicals are great for fresh water use to a certain extent but never acceptable for a saltwater set up. You'll end up fighting algae for a long time

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Wow, watching some videos on it now. Seems quite complex! Would last a very long time however based on the small tank I have!

Essentially this is better than distilled water? Very very clean water, then you add salt and mix?

 

What other options are there for this? (I presume the premixed water for $10 is one of them..)

Are you able to buy "RODI'd" water and add your own salt? (From places other than a LFS? Distilled water is different?) (Probably cheaper than $10 for 2.3G?)

 

Sorry for so many questions, I should be searching and reading up more on this!

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Wow, watching some videos on it now. Seems quite complex! Would last a very long time however based on the small tank I have!

Essentially this is better than distilled water? Very very clean water, then you add salt and mix?

 

What other options are there for this? (I presume the premixed water for $10 is one of them..)

Are you able to buy "RODI'd" water and add your own salt? (From places other than a LFS? Distilled water is different?) (Probably cheaper than $10 for 2.3G?)

 

Sorry for so many questions, I should be searching and reading up more on this!

 

It's not to bad, and that the difference between distilled water and RODI is the process. You're fine using distilled water, I have for over 10 years now with no issues. Just make sure it's actual distilled water and not "purified water". It should only say Distilled on the gallon. If you're unsure you can just use a test kit to make sure all levels are 0.

 

Also yes my LFS does sell RODI water, you have to bring your own gallon and fill it up, I believe he charges 50c a gallon.

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The RO/DI unit is actually VERY easy to set up in your laundry room. Youtube has some great video's on how to set them up, you'd be shocked at how easy it is. Also that Natural sea water at $10 for 2.5 gallons is a rip off. And make sure for water top offs from evaporation you use FRESH water and not saltwater! A lot of new people make the mistake of doing water top offs with saltwater.

 

Also mixing and making your own saltwater is very simple. Again lots of youtube video's on it and posts here on how to do it properly. You'll save $100's down the road making your own mix using distilled and especially if you get an RO/DI.

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Would I be able to get away with just using distilled water from the store?

 

Perhaps my LFS store sells RO/DI water. It would be cool if I could bring my own jug and pay by the gallon for this and store it in big jugs in the basement. It's probably safe to keep some on hand for any emergency based on what I'm reading about RODI's. If not though, back to my original question - Can I pull off distilled mixed with salt and heated before adding?

 

Also, for top-ups from evaporation ~ just pure RODI / distilled water?? No salt added?

 

I don't think I have the ability to setup a RODI right now unfortunately. Cost isn't a concern, so potentially down the road I could do this.

 

Thanks again for the continued help! Will post up a pic tonight of how it looks!

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Would I be able to get away with just using distilled water from the store?

 

Perhaps my LFS store sells RO/DI water. It would be cool if I could bring my own jug and pay by the gallon for this and store it in big jugs in the basement. It's probably safe to keep some on hand for any emergency based on what I'm reading about RODI's. If not though, back to my original question - Can I pull off distilled mixed with salt and heated before adding?

 

Also, for top-ups from evaporation ~ just pure RODI / distilled water?? No salt added?

 

I don't think I have the ability to setup a RODI right now unfortunately. Cost isn't a concern, so potentially down the road I could do this.

 

Thanks again for the continued help! Will post up a pic tonight of how it looks!

 

Yup like I said, many of us including myself have been using distilled water exclusively.

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Would I be able to get away with just using distilled water from the store? Yes , but I would avoid water machines. Get the bottled stuff

 

Perhaps my LFS store sells RO/DI water. It would be cool if I could bring my own jug and pay by the gallon for this and store it in big jugs in the basement. It's probably safe to keep some on hand for any emergency based on what I'm reading about RODI's. If not though, back to my original question - Can I pull off distilled mixed with salt and heated before adding? Your LFS should sell it by the gallon, and it will probably be cheaper than the bottled stuff at the store. Its always a good idea to have spare RODI on hand , just make sure the container is sealed pretty good and you will be set.

 

Also, for top-ups from evaporation ~ just pure RODI / distilled water?? No salt added? RODI , or Distilled are both fine , and YES -NO SALT ADDED

 

I don't think I have the ability to setup a RODI right now unfortunately. Cost isn't a concern, so potentially down the road I could do this.

 

Thanks again for the continued help! Will post up a pic tonight of how it looks!

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Thanks both of you! I really appreciate the help!

 

I'm going to drop by the LFS on my way home to see if they sell water by the gallon, if not I'll have to track down some bottled distilled and keep it on hand! I will use the premixed salt for the weekly tank changes until I begin mixing my own in the coming weeks. I've got over 3 gallons left of the premixed that should give me time to learn a bit about mixing.

 

I also plan to return the 25watt heater. I think it may be too small, and the 50watt was only $3 more. I'm going to pickup another heater too so I can pre-heat the water before putting it into the tank.

 

When I woke up this morning the water did not settle much at all. So I put this little packet of stuff that came with the water, it says on the outside to help clear water and promote positive bacterial growth. It was a pretty small amount, I put it infront of the pump and left the pump on. Looked a bit clearer even within the 30 mins before I left for work with having the pump running. May end up getting a small powerhead in the future.

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Some water evaporated overnight and throughout today. I could tell because the water pump was now peeking out the water line.

I put my hydrometer in. When I got home the water was very clear. I don't have any experience in the past to compare or judge this but it looks very clear to me. I was very excited.

 

Salinity: 1.024 (Does this look alright?)

 

Still nothing in the tank other than the water and live sand. Haven't added the heater yet. I returned the 25watt and got a 50watt. The room temp of the water right now is 66.7*F

 

One thing that has concerned me tonight is in regards to the distilled water. I topped up a bit of distilled water and I immediately noticed the distilled water "swirling" / "mixing" in the tank. I could visibly see the difference, it kind of reminded me of what oil and water looks like when mixed. The jug I bought from the store specifically says "Distilled Water < 2ppm."

 

This is 5:30am this morning when I woke up. The water was still very murky. I turned the pump on (I left it off over-night. Should have probably left it on...)

1956721_10152316361260309_1929686674_o.j

 

Here's the two new heater I got. I returned the 25watt and purchased these. (One for mixing, one for tank. If needed I could use both for tank in worst case scenario.)

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Here's when I came home after leaving the pump on all day!

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As you can see in the background, I added two 10x13" framed photos I took in Maui last year. I'm also into photography which ties in with this hobby perfectly!

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Hydrometer..

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Here's when I mounted the thermometer & probe. I wanted it away from the actual pump because I figure if I had the heater in with the pump the water there might not accurately reflect the entire tank.

1974394_10152316362865309_847099315_o.jp

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http://www.mediabaskets.com/

 

They offer a very nice media basket along with the mini jet606 which has a higher output for flow. I also suggest buying a refractometer to test salinity, the headache that may come from a hydrometer is something I wouldn't want to go through.

 

When topping off, I would add the top of into the back chamber to allow more time for mixing before it enters the display section where you will have corals and fish. This will reduce the amount of mixing you will see in the display section.

 

On the overflow, there is a hole below it. A recommendation that I took from other SpecV owners, is to fill in that opening with super glue gel or a marine safe epoxy. This will allow for more water to pass through the top and give the tank a better surface skimming.

 

For lighting, would recommend the nanobox as well. I finally broke and ordered one. I wish it was the first light I ordered for this tank, rather than spending money on something else first then going to the nanobox. They are custom made, so if you have anything specific you want done, you can just ask, Dave will gladly do anything he can for you to be happy with your lighting, just email him.

 

Recommendations for stocking: Softies and LPS seem to be good to start with. Soft corals seem to recover from any slight mistakes, LPS require specific calcium levels, and SPS require pristine water conditions. I took it a little faster that I should have, and if I could change anything I would have stuck with Soft corals for the first 6 months. Just an opinion!

 

I am also new to the hobby and I am always browsing the general forum and the beginners discussion to help learn everything I can. If anything I said was a mistake, I am sure others will chime in and correct me. In which case I will learn some more myself. : )

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To answer a few of your concerns, your salinity is spot on at 1.024, just make sure you keep the tank topped off since it is a small tank, evaporation can get dangerous and spike salinity.

 

2nd those swirls are normal when adding fresh water. Any fresh water that you add to salt water or vice versa will cause that affect. Completely normal.

 

So far you're on the right track!

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Thanks Steemax for the confirmation! Settled my fears haha! I woke up this morning to a crystal clear tank and the hydrometer dipped down just slightly beneath 1.024. (I presume from the fresh-water I topped up with!)

 

So right now I should have no ammonia/nitrates etc. in the water. I'm still working on getting this heater in the tank. I plan on places it in behind with the pump for good circulation of the warm water. What is a good temperature to aim for and keep balanced? I was thinking 75F for now. I'm a bit fearful of the suction cups on the heater, I'm gonna create some form of safety to prevent the heater from dropping entirely into the tank if the suction cups fail.

 

Once that's done, the next step is adding some live rock which should start the "real" cycle? I should be monitoring/ testing the levels to watch for a spike, and do water changes to bring the levels back down?

 

In terms of rock, I talked to my LFS and they didn't have any "DRY" rock? All the live rock was in tanks full submerged. The guy told me one of the tanks of rock is cured and smells scentless, and the other isn't cured and smells like crap. Which of the two should I be buying and introducing to my tank?

 

Thanks for all the help!

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If you get the cured rock, you likely won't have a cycle and the tank will be good to go. Uncured rock will have dieoff and will need to cycle before the tank is safe to use for fish or coral. Really up to you what you want to do. I would pick pieces that fit whatever scape you want to do and deal with it if they're from the uncured ones. You can also order dry rock from bulk reef or other places. It's guaranteed not to have pests and guaranteed that it didn't get mined from a real reef.

 

I just dropped the heater in my pump chamber with no suction cups. Not a big deal if it's resting on the pump unless it causes vibrations. Better than trying to fish suction cups out of the rear chamber when one ends up falling.

 

For the pump the mini jet 606 fits perfectly and as far as I know is the highest flowing pump that will fit like a stock one.

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Personally I would buy a couple pieces of the dry/dead rock and get 1 piece of good live rock to seed the rest of the dry rock. That will save you some money because rock isn't cheap.

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If you get the cured rock, you likely won't have a cycle and the tank will be good to go. Uncured rock will have dieoff and will need to cycle before the tank is safe to use for fish or coral. Really up to you what you want to do. I would pick pieces that fit whatever scape you want to do and deal with it if they're from the uncured ones. You can also order dry rock from bulk reef or other places. It's guaranteed not to have pests and guaranteed that it didn't get mined from a real reef.

 

I just dropped the heater in my pump chamber with no suction cups. Not a big deal if it's resting on the pump unless it causes vibrations. Better than trying to fish suction cups out of the rear chamber when one ends up falling.

 

For the pump the mini jet 606 fits perfectly and as far as I know is the highest flowing pump that will fit like a stock one.

 

Thanks alot for the great information. It seems like I'm cutting so many corners by purchasing pre-mixed salt water and going with cured rock. Adding cured rock would essentially skip the cycle? Would adding a snail or something then (once the rock is in) start a cycle/ spike in levels?

 

Might stop by the LFS on the way home today and pickup some cured rock. I also need to find a long tweezer because my hydrometer fell off haha. It's still reading though sitting at the bottom of the tank haha! (I don't wanna put my hand too deep into the tank and expose any skin/ oils. I read online to try to avoid this.) Might also pickup a few little tools.. any suggestions on good things to have?

 

Does rock need a specific light? Or just the corals once added onto rock?

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Thanks alot for the great information. It seems like I'm cutting so many corners by purchasing pre-mixed salt water and going with cured rock. Adding cured rock would essentially skip the cycle? Would adding a snail or something then (once the rock is in) start a cycle/ spike in levels?

 

Might stop by the LFS on the way home today and pickup some cured rock. I also need to find a long tweezer because my hydrometer fell off haha. It's still reading though sitting at the bottom of the tank haha! (I don't wanna put my hand too deep into the tank and expose any skin/ oils. I read online to try to avoid this.) Might also pickup a few little tools.. any suggestions on good things to have?

 

Does rock need a specific light? Or just the corals once added onto rock?

 

It's definitely the quicker way to do it. If it's good quality rock it can prevent a lot of problems as well. If it's cured the tank most likely won't cycle. It's possibly if the condition change causes die off, but that isn't normal.

 

If you wash with plain water and dry with paper towels you should be fine using your hand. Pretty much the only time I use gloves or tweezers is when I'm dealing with coral. Some sting, and some are poisonous, so I prefer not to use bare hands when possible. It's best practice not to have your arms in your tank, but I think 90% of hobbyists frequently use their hands. Unless you use a ton of hand lotion or work somewhere you hands would be absorbing chemicals, pesticides, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Rock doesn't need light, just coral.

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Thanks Jestep, I really like your Spec V tank aswell linked in your signature! Looks awesome!

 

Will pickup some rocks tonight and create my scape!

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Does anybody have any experience using the heater I have in my pictures?

I'm hestitant on using it because it specifically has a "water line."

 

The product is pretty misleading because its says right on the front "fully submersible."

My concern is having the heater fall into the tank to the bottom, thus well behind the "water line" potentially shock my fish?!!

 

I did a quick search and found this forum post elsewhere:

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6/marina-submersible-heater-206862.html

See post # 5..

 

What are your thoughts on this?

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