Budget driven 75 gallon

[Kyle99]

@Juno thanks! 

Ive tried a few diffrent ways to put it in but couldnt find a way to make it look good. My two main goals where lots of space for fish to hide so lots of nooks and crannies and a wall like structure. Only problem is i wanted a small slope like a hill more than a vertical wall. So ran out of space quick 

[mcarroll]

Could be the "top" from a table-acro.

[mcarroll]

I bet if you took out 1/3 of the rock you had in there you could find a place for the nice big one you pictured earlier.  Then either leave out that 1/3 because I think you could, or work those pieces back in after the fact.

[Kyle99]

@mcarroll once again i need your help. Btw thank you so much for all your advice and help! So i hard piped the down pipe and it is quieter than before enough to be happy with for now at lest. Only problem now is that for some reason in the return pipe there is a hole spraying water back into the overflow. Its making a lot of noise. The only reason i can think of if to stop siphoning from happening (smart but noisy). Ik im asking for a lot but i want this thing to be as silent as posible. (it is in my bedroom) 

[Kyle99]

Its full!!! I fixed my noise problem sorta. I have to get some silicone mats to put down under the pumps because the skimmer hums loud. But other than that let the cycle begin. 

[mcarroll]

Your faster drains created a new (lower) normal water level mark.

 

You could block the existing siphon break and drill a new one just below the waterline. 

[Kyle99]

@mcarroll @seabass so i have a question for you guys. I went tou you guys because yall seem to have been around the block a few years. So im testing tonight out of boredom. Here are my results. 

Temp 77.5

Salinity 1.025 

Ph 8.2

Ammonia .02 was .04 monday 

NitITES +++1 

NitrATES +++50 

ALK is 10 dKh 

 

So heres the question is it a fault in my testing or am i reading correctly. My nitrates and nitrites are off the charts (red sea test kit). The tank was filled on sunday and bio-spria was added monday. Yesterday i added sand and lr rubble from my lfs to help seed the tank. 

 

Now something to note. When going through the process of the tests the nitrates and nitrites jumped off the charts before waiting out the 9 mins. I still waited for the test but it did not change. 

[seabass]

Dry rock often has enough organics on it for a pretty good ammonia spike.  Your kits are probably close to correct.  I have no reason to suspect otherwise at this time.  Although nitrate is pretty high for how long it's been wet.

 

Any possibility that your source water already contained nitrate?  Did you use RO/DI or distilled?  Tap water, and even RO water, can contain nitrate.  Any way that you can test your source water?

 

Nitrite is high, but it's nothing to worry about while your tank is establishing its cycle.  We need more data to see what's changing, and how quickly, to determine if something is unusual.  Do another series of tests (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate), and test your source water too.

[Kyle99]

@seabass im running a brs 5 stage rodi. I changed the filters out before starting the tank. I only purged the filter for 12 hours but later found out that brs wants 24 at the lest. 

 

I bleached all my rocks before i started the tank. The privious tank they came out of crashed a few years back and was sitting dry. Now one flaw i have done is thst i rinsed the rock w/ normal tap water then 2 more rinses with rodi and the a rodi soak for a week and a half then 2 weeks in the sun to dry/burn off the bleach. 

 

I am about to test both then will get back to you. Thanks for the input.

 

Edit: i failed to mention something. When added the sand and live rock rubble from my lfs (it all came out of the fish only section) i just added sand rock and water. I figured it wouldnt have mattered but now that i think about it. That may have caused it. Although it was maybe a cup of water so not likely.

[Kyle99]

Just retested nitrates on my supply and my tank. These are the results. The clear one is the rodi. 

[seabass]

Well it's good that your source water isn't the culprit.  A high nitrate level isn't anything that a water change can't fix.  Let the cycle complete, then replace all the water.

[Kyle99]

38 minutes ago, seabass said:

all the water

... it took me 6 day to fill this tank 😳 

 

 

I dont have a way to store that amount of water. To just drain and refill. Some brain stprming is gonna be needed lol. 

[seabass]

Dolly optional

[Kyle99]

@seabass thats what i was thinking about getting. Or a few of the 15 gal totes. Trashcan makes more sense though 

[seabass]

3 hours ago, Kyle99 said:

Trashcan makes more sense though

I use one Brute can to make saltwater, and another for removing old tank water during water changes.  You could do a 40 gallon water change, but that will only drop nitrate down half.  Note: I use Brute because they are food safe/reef safe.

[Kyle99]

1 hour ago, seabass said:

I use one Brute can to make saltwater, and another for removing old tank water during water changes.  You could do a 40 gallon water change, but that will only drop nitrate down half.  Note: I use Brute because they are food safe/reef safe.

Noted! I figured there was a reason for everyone using them. Also i think ill be ok woth just one. I have enough hose to just dump out the window. And its not like i have to worry about how much i dump.

[Wonderboy]

Nice work so far! The hardscape looks really good!

 

I use oversized pumps all the time. You can regulate the vertical velocity by putting a 'T' in the supply line before DT with some tube and in-line valve going back to the sump (or a reactor). If long enough, this tube can be used for water changes, too.

[Kyle99]

3 hours ago, Wonderboy said:

Nice work so far! The hardscape looks really good!

 

I use oversized pumps all the time. You can regulate the vertical velocity by putting a 'T' in the supply line before DT with some tube and in-line valve going back to the sump (or a reactor). If long enough, this tube can be used for water changes, too.

Thanks! I wasnt very big on the scape but its perfect for what i need/want so it is growing on me. I would add a t to the mix but the return portion of my sump doesnt have the capacity to do that. 

[Kyle99]

DIATOMS!!!!!! (exscuse me for my spelling if im wrong and my excitement) 

Getting close! Now just to the next step after a few weeks of the diatoms. Once those go im going to do a large water change and then boom time for some inverts (snails) 

 

Just did some testing. Still not cycled. 

Ammonia .02 

Nitrites higher than 1 

Still not cycled. Which is fine just means i can get past the urge to put something into it. 

[Kyle99]

Alright guys its getting to be that time. The tank is almost all brown.

Heres somethings i need to figure out. 

• Cuc 

Idk whats going in it probably the wwc cuc kit for the 75gal other than the crab and hermits 

What are your thought for a cuc? 

• Light schedule 

I have 3 light Channels day, blue, and night blue. Each are programable to the min. Advice would be lovely here. 

[Kyle99]

Forgot the photos but here you guys go

 

[Kyle99]

This nut case is always so interested in the water its kind funny. Wonder what hes gonna do when i have fish....

[Wonderboy]

5 hours ago, Kyle99 said:

Alright guys its getting to be that time. The tank is almost all brown.

Heres somethings i need to figure out. 

• Cuc 

Idk whats going in it probably the wwc cuc kit for the 75gal other than the crab and hermits 

What are your thought for a cuc? 

• Light schedule 

I have 3 light Channels day, blue, and night blue. Each are programable to the min. Advice would be lovely here. 

By the looks of things right now, I would add about 15 trochus snails and about 15 small nassarius snails. CUC should target specific algaes in production; cuc kits are often too generalized IMO. Don't want to add too much at once - can often compound problems. Try to add CUC members to aquariums only if it is logical per circumstance, and then if their food source is still available after several weeks/and a WC or 2, add some more - when other kinds of algaes develop, it's time to add different species to the CUC.

 

Light: Everyone's prefferance is different - On my 68, I run blue lights for 2 hours in the morning, blues and full spectrum/day lights for 6 hours, and then just blues again for 2 hours at the end of the day. This allows me to quickly view the corals at the beginning and end of each day without messing with switches/timers or disturbing things. Don't have moonlight, but I might try a couple hours before and after the just blue shifts if I could.

[seabass]

The tank is looking good.  Time to hit up John at Reef Cleaners for a cleanup crew (maybe go with a smaller package, as John is pretty generous).

[Kyle99]

@seabass i appreciate the plug but im more of a buy local guy. We dont have many around here and id like to try to help them stay lol. We only have 2 and petco.... it sucks. 

 

@Wonderboy i think i will copy your light schedule but i will add a hour of night blue and cut a hour of day. Seems like a good starting point.