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Dark Side of the Lagoon


Clown79

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Time to upgrade!

 

I have wanted the 25g Lagoon since I set up my 15g Reef. 

The Lagoon wasn't in my budget at the time so I had to wait. My wait is over:D

 

I am going to document this transfer from the planning stage to the actual transfer

 

LIST of New Supplies:

IM 25g lagoon

Custom Stand

IM Custom Caddy

30lbs Caribsea Aragamax Select

7lbs Caribsea Life Rock

75W Eheim Jager Heater

Ink Bird Heater Controller

Tower Inline GFCI 

Buckets

Seachem Ammonia Alert

Reef Welder Epoxy

 

STAND

 

I decided to have a custom stand built for my tank. I am lucky to have a friend who does wood working. He builds a lot of custom pieces and also does home improvements. Thanks to Jason for building me a very solid custom stand!

 

I will be doing the wood filling, sanding, and then painting the stand myself. 

I wanted solid black to match my home furniture.

I chose Satin Interior paint in Black Caviar. The paint is waterproof. Still debating if I need to clear coat it. I haven't with my other 2 stands and after 2.5yrs they are in great condition.

 

SAND

 

I chose Caribsea Aragamax Select because dry sand is budget friendly and Caribsea is really the only sand available here. I got 30lbs but only plan on 20-25lbs. I want a very minimal sand bed just enough for aesthetic purposes.

 

 

ROCKS

 

I will be using my existing rock except one small one with paly's on it and I am also adding 7lbs of Caribsea Life Rock

 

I chose the life rock because it's clean and injected with bacteria, therefore needs no curing. I've used it before in my tanks with no issues.

I will be soaking it a few days before to remove any dust that may be on it from sitting in the store.

 

EPOXY

 

I decided to try the Reef Welder epoxy because it's less waste. If you make a mistake you can just add it to hot water and reuse. You can't do that with the epoxy sticks and you get less too.

 

HEATER CONTROLLER

 

I have never used one on any of my tanks but decided to add them as a precaution.

I chose the Ink Bird. It has great reviews and is reasonably priced.

The probe is stainless steel and although various vendors have stated it's safe to use, I am concerned about that. So I coated the probe with a coat of aquarium sealer. Other hobbiest's have done this as well as a precaution.

 

HEATER

 

I chose the Eheim Jager 75watt. It's about the only heater I could find that will fit in the back chamber and these heaters have never disappointed me before.

 

GFCI

I can't change the sockets in my apartment so I decided to go with a portable option. I got the Tower Inline GFCI and I will be plugging my powerbar into it. 

 

 

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

 

buckets 

seachem ammonia alert - i tested it to ensure it is working. I simply placed it over windex and it immediately changed colour. I then cleaned it before any use as it was exposed to ammonia.

 

DAY BEFORE TRANSFER(PLAN)

- Rinse sand in tap water until it runs clear and final rinse with distilled water. I will then store the sand in a sealed bucket

 

- Make saltwater and store it in more buckets

 

DAY OF TRANSFER (PLAN)

 

- siphon water into a bucket, remove all coral and place in bucket with a small powerhead. May need to put some in tupperware since I want to keep the sps separate from the lps

- siphon some water into another bucket and place rocks from my tank into this bucket

- Siphon additional water into a large tupperware and place my clownfish with their frogspawn and the blenny in this with an airstone. The fish are all friends so they will be fine together

- siphon any extra water into another bucket

 

- remove all equipment from the tank.

 

- remove a cup of sand from the tank to add to new sand later.

 

- remove old tank and stand

 

- place new stand in with the 25g lagoon. Ensure stand is level.

 

- Add eggrate to the new tank for rock stability and prevention of pressure points from the rock : I don't use a full sheet under the sand, I use pieces under the rock so there is still open areas without the eggcrate.

 

- Add rocks to the tank. During aquascaping I will be misting my rocks with a new spray bottle filled with saltwater. This is just to prevent any die off.

- add new sand, add the cup of old sand

- add new saltwater, add saved water from the 15g

 

- add media from my hob into the custom caddy, add all equipment, start up the tank

- wait a bit to ensure water is clear and at correct temp. Test Alk, CA, and SG to match my existing parameters.

 

- start adding corals to the tank, then add the fish and inverts

 

- Monitor tank for any spikes in ammonia. I have Prime on hand if I need to use it.

 

Then comes the clean up of the mess I will make!

 

 

My plan is to take pics during the transfer and will post them and any hurdles I encounter along the way

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Like 11
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Thrassian Atoll

Looks like a good start.  Is that shelf in the stand removable?  I know my ato reservoir takes up a ton of room vertically on one side.  

 

What equipment is being transferred over?

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No the shelf isn't removable. I do manual top up, always have, even on my 55g. 

 

With the money spent on upgrade and next ro/di unit, I have no plans for ato. 

 

I like my systems very simple. 

 

The only equipment transfer is my sw2. 

 

 

  • Like 2
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Thrassian Atoll
4 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

No the shelf isn't removable. I do manual top up, always have, even on my 55g. 

 

With the money spent on upgrade and next ro/di unit, I have no plans for ato. 

 

I like my systems very simple. 

 

The only equipment transfer is my sw2. 

 

 

That would be hard keep stable with mine.  .5-1 gallon a day in evaporation.  

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11 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Nice!  Following along. :) Will you be moving both the 10 and the 15 into this, or just upgrading the 15?

Just the 15g is being upgraded...gives me more room to add more ?

  • Like 1
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  • 2 weeks later...

I really like how that stand came out, as mine doesnt have the shelf or facades. have you painted it yet? I did mine with a cheap minmax black espresso matte paint and primer and I liked how it looked overall. I think my problem was I painted on a gusty day and had accidentally painted some debris from the wind into the paint. afaik if you intend to keep the stand for a extended amount of time long term, I dont see the harm in using the clear coat.

hope the big transfer goes without a hitch for you

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I will be painting this week. Decided against the clear coat, I have never done it on other stand with no issue.

 

I'm going to have to paint in my apartment. I live in a windy city off a very busy street with construction, so the chances of dirt getting stuck to the paint is high.

 

I haven't used the welder yet but read really great reviews.

 

  • Like 1
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oof I hear you on the dirt part, I thought I was safe since I did it on the second floor. I got nervous when I brought mine in to dry though since the smell is pretty powerful, but good luck. I think black will be a great choice in color for a stand,

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Just now, sapling said:

oof I hear you on the dirt part, I thought I was safe since I did it on the second floor. I got nervous when I brought mine in to dry though since the smell is pretty powerful, but good luck. I think black will be a great choice in color for a stand,

That's why I'm not doing clear coat. I can't handle the strong smells. 

I'm about 12 floors high and the dirt/dust on my balcony is surprising.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Clown79 said:

I will be painting this week. Decided against the clear coat, I have never done it on other stand with no issue.

 

I'm going to have to paint in my apartment. I live in a windy city off a very busy street with construction, so the chances of dirt getting stuck to the paint is high.

 

I haven't used the welder yet but read really great reviews.

 

I heard good reviews also but I found it quite unforgiving.  It may be best used outside of the tank. @teenyreef used it recently also. 

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14 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

What do you mean by unforgiving?

You have a few seconds before it gets hard again......and if you are working in the water it gets hard again immediately. 

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13 hours ago, WV Reefer said:

You have a few seconds before it gets hard again......and if you are working in the water it gets hard again immediately. 

I've yet to find an epoxy that's  not a b$%#h to work with.

I will be doing the rocks out of water and will use crazy glue for corals.

 

10 hours ago, SelectedByNature said:

End of September?? That's now! Good luck with the transfer and cheers on the well-deserved upgrade! :happydance:

I know! I had to wait for the tank. It just arrived. gotta leak test it. So it actually being set up on cda thanksgiving weekend. Oct 8th....

  • Like 5
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  • Clown79 changed the title to Dark Side of the Lagoon

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