Fishbutt's 20L Reeforium

[Fishbutt]

More coming soon!

1-23-2011 ... The Beginning of the 20L

As of this morning , I had my 20 gallon tall display tank set up with various low-end corals and a true perc (info and maint. schedule: skimmer, 150watt MH, HOB filter, no sump/refugium, coarse aragonite substrate, bi-monthly water changes). I've had big plans for this poor tank for quite some time, and today I finally got some time to follow through!

Before teardown (notice all the CRAP in the tank- skimmer, heater, filter... YUCK!):

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During teardown:

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Right now, all tank inhabitants are in a large Rubbermaid tub with HOB filter, powerhead, and heater:

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I had help...

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Now the new set-up: 20L display, 20 gallon tall sump/refugium containing ALL the tank uglies (skimmer, HOB filter, heater), 150 watt MH Sunpod HQI...

Here's what I have as of this evening (1-23-2011):
Assembled a new shelf- "Gorilla Shelf"- holds like 800# per level...

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I cleaned this thing really well and took the legs off- it's going to be suspended above the tank so I can adjust its height off the water. My last tank seemed to be a little "sunburnt" with MH lighting... but because the light was sitting on the tank with the legs, I couldn't adjust it!

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And one of my orchids finally re-bloomed!! Even after a battle with mealybugs...

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SO... now I just need to drill my display tank, plumb it, and re-transfer everything back to it. Yikes! I'm sure I'm going to have some sort of cycle, but I will be doing partial water changes along the way so as to not shock anything.

I've been seriously considering ordering the 700gph complete overflow kit and 2 3/4" loc-line return kits from glass-holes.com... but I really don't want to drill my tank myself... for fear of destroying it!
If anyone knows of any places near SE Michigan who drills tanks and/or has tank-plumbing equipment, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
I've been browsing the For Sale/Trade thread for a while now, but no one seems to have a 20-30gallon drilled/plumbed tank. If you know of anyone selling one please let me know that too!!! I won't get to mess with my tank again until next weekend- but I'm sure everything will be fine in that Rubbermaid with heat, flow, light, etc... until then.

Awesome.
Thanks for reading. :)

Christy

More to come soon...

2-5-2011 ... Melting Mushrooms and Tank Plumbing

OK! So, since my last update I've had my 20 gallon long tank drilled and now I'm working on plumbing it to my 20 gallon tall sump (which does not yet have baffles). Another exciting thing: a fellow reefer gave me some sweet hairy mushrooms, some of which ended up melting for no obvious reason. I've taken some pics along the way:

Here's a pic of the tank after drilling but prior to painting. I had to do some indoor spray painting (Krylon Fusion, glossy black) because it is flippin cold outside and I had no other options. So I taped and papered the whole tank and surrounding area (bath tub). Needless to say, the fan was running and I stumbled out of the room a little light-headed.

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Ken at Pet Connection drilled a 1" overflow and 3/4" return hole in my tank. I went home with appropriate bulkheads for each hole and a split Loc-Line return so as to spread the flow in a couple different directions in my tank.

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In the summer my tank temp can climb dangerously so I'm hoping the 258GPH pump that a fellow reefer gave to me will provide sufficient water movement through the split Loc-Line so I don't have to add powerheads (additional heat).

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I plan to run to Lowes and/or Home Depot in the morning and get some things... included in that list-o-things is a 1/2" threaded pvc piece that can be used to connect my return pump with the 3/4" line (via pvc size adapter) which will go to my 3/4" return bulkhead/Loc-Line complex. Lol... this is my first time doing any of this. Wish me luck... I've got lots of pvc cement and primer.... so I can't imagine things going too wrong...

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OK. Now for the hairy mushroom melt-fest.
So these mushrooms were freshly removed from a well-established reef (the rock was gingerly chipped away from under their feet). They went straight from a sump to clean Ziploc bags and stayed in a temp-controlled environment the whole time (except when going to and from my car). Finally when I got home (about 2 hours after they were taken from their old owner's sump) the water in two of the three bags with these shrooms in them was cloudy and had a terrible smell. It was obvious that something was going very wrong... I think the combined stress of being removed from one tank, then transported in a chilly environment, caused some of them to melt.
I did not add the smelly bag water to my current temporary tank (rubbermaid), but I did acclimate the shrooms to my tank by adding water then finally transferring the shrooms to a plastic dish so they could get fresh flow.

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The mushrooms looked really rough- some had gaping mouths and some had already began melting/disintegrating. It was so weird... I was worried it was going to pollute everything else I had so I threw some new carbon in my filter and did partial water changes after they were in my tank for a few hours.

After a day, a few of the mushrooms had melted away (I changed out the carbon a few times) and the rest began to look a little bit better.

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Right after lights came on, Day 2 after bringing them home:
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One last mushroom melted on day 3:
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The whole time these things were disintegrating, I was reading about doing a quick iodine/betadine dip... which could have helped treat whatever bacterium that was causing them to melt. Because the mushrooms were showing improvement, I opted to do some water changes and keep fresh activated charcoal in the filter.

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Things finally started looking "good" for the remaining shrooms:
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No more melting... yet they were still pretty tore up from harvesting from their previous tank:
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Hopefully by the next time I post, I'll have a successfully-plumbed and cycled tank, healthy healed mushrooms, and about $20 million from winning the lotto.
Fingers are crossed.

[Seph]

Keep an eye on your helper - he or she might just be looking for a snack. LOL!:silly: Looking good though. Keep up the good work.

[MizTanks]

It's a monsterly bad crab oh my! Similar to the Gorilla crab. Lol-def keep an eye on your corals though.
I feel for ya on the tear down what a pain but can't wait to see what ya gonna do with it :)

[creefer]

Pet Connection in Livonia will drill for you. They are a sponsor here as well.

GL

[vittleking]

coming along nicely. Should look great when it's done. Check with fish doctors in Trenton, there is a guy at the Ypsi store that drills tanks, and I'm sure they can get that done for you also and it's a little closer for ya. Can't wait to see it when its done. The orchid looks cool also, I had one for a long time and would keep coming back like that

[jimsflies]

Looks great...If you're interested, you could join the nano contest with your remade reef. You'd just need to go with a 10 gallon sump...

[Sir Patrick]

Looking forward to pics after the transfer is complete!

[Fishbutt]

Thanks for the comments everyone. I look forward to getting some time this coming weekend to whip my new system into shape. I intend to contact Reefsolutions concerning their drilling and plumbing of my 20L. I've heard they do a good job and will drill the tank and plumb it for a reasonable price. Does anyone have any experience with them?? I figure it'd be a lot easier than having to order stuff from Glass-holes, having it shipped, then attempting to drill and plumb my tank myself.


It's a monsterly bad crab oh my! Similar to the Gorilla crab. Lol-def keep an eye on your corals though.
I feel for ya on the tear down what a pain but can't wait to see what ya gonna do with it :)

OMG! Isn't the crab an emerald crab?????? I SWEAR TO GOD I THOUGHT IT WAS EATING MY MUSHROOMS AND ZOAS!!!! Like... my PPE's DISAPPEARED and a couple other small zoa frags VANISHED... omg... So is it not an emerald crab??
I will banish it to my sump when its up and running.... arghhhh.

[Fishbutt]

Looks great...If you're interested, you could join the nano contest with your remade reef. You'd just need to go with a 10 gallon sump...

Hi Jim. I would join the nano contest... but I want to stick with my 20gallon tall sump so I can submerge my skimmer. Thanks for the idea though!

Christy

[Sir Patrick]

Looks like an emerald crab to me. If ya catch it swipping polyps, banish it to the sump. They can be hit or miss on the reef safness. They can develop a taste cor coral, but dont always.

Keep an eye on it.

[MizTanks]

Thanks for the comments everyone. I look forward to getting some time this coming weekend to whip my new system into shape. I intend to contact Reefsolutions concerning their drilling and plumbing of my 20L. I've heard they do a good job and will drill the tank and plumb it for a reasonable price. Does anyone have any experience with them?? I figure it'd be a lot easier than having to order stuff from Glass-holes, having it shipped, then attempting to drill and plumb my tank myself.



OMG! Isn't the crab an emerald crab?????? I SWEAR TO GOD I THOUGHT IT WAS EATING MY MUSHROOMS AND ZOAS!!!! Like... my PPE's DISAPPEARED and a couple other small zoa frags VANISHED... omg... So is it not an emerald crab??
I will banish it to my sump when its up and running.... arghhhh.

www.wetwebmedia.com Great sight for critter I.D. From looking at the pinchers it may very well be an emerald. White tips and flat used more for scraping. Black tipped and pointed are more predatory.

[Fishbutt]

lol well I've definitely seen that little turd crab ripping chunks off of various mushrooms in the tank... as soon as I plumb my sump, he's going into it.
Thanks again for the info reefers.
Christy

[iyachtuxivm]

I like where you are going with this! Its an emerald crab. Are you sure he wasnt eating some algae from around the corals?

[Fishbutt]

Ha yes iyachtuxivm, I've actually seen him ripping pieces from the edge of my shrooms! I saw him do it at least twice... He'll be fine in the sump. I'm sure he'll benefit from the macro algae and everything that will be in there too (once its plumbed that is... lol).

[BriGuy31+]

Things are looking great. I can't wait to see this new set-up running. Keep up the good work.

[Fishbutt]

:) Thanks Brian!
Doesn't my light look familiar?? That thing is great... I love the Sunpod. Thanks again for the great deal. I am VERY SAD to say, however, that the hairy mushrooms you gave me long ago were NUKED, along with 99% of the rest of my tank when I left my mom in charge of it for 6 weeks while I was in California. Ugh. She topped off with saltwater and didn't touch the RODI water the whole time I was gone... and she still said things looked "fine" until I returned home and had a coronary... Things definitely weren't fine. Lessons learned I suppose!
Thanks again!

[Fishbutt]

My reef thread has been updated!
Thanks for reading!
Christy

[Sir Patrick]

Just read the updates....sorry to hear about the nuked tank!!!!

One good thing- your mom will top off with RO next time, I am sure!!!

[Fishbutt]

Just read the updates....sorry to hear about the nuked tank!!!!

One good thing- your mom will top off with RO next time, I am sure!!!

Yes! I think she'll be a little more careful next time... lol. It's always fun setting up a new system anyhow. Too bad I lost so much in the first disaster... yuck. Crashes suck, big time.

[jolson10450]

let me know when you get up and running kristy i can throw ya a few frags.

[Fishbutt]

let me know when you get up and running kristy i can throw ya a few frags.

Saweeeeeet!
Thanks Justin. I'll let you know. I have some plumbing and sump-making to do, so it might be another good week or so before the new tank is up and running. I have pretty much everything for it. I just need to find enough black acrylic to make a little overflow box... Lowes doesn't carry it but I heard Home Depot does. Do you know?

[jolson10450]

Saweeeeeet!
Thanks Justin. I'll let you know. I have some plumbing and sump-making to do, so it might be another good week or so before the new tank is up and running. I have pretty much everything for it. I just need to find enough black acrylic to make a little overflow box... Lowes doesn't carry it but I heard Home Depot does. Do you know?

cant say, i use a hang on back overflow. but alright just let me know, "take your time with it and do it right the first time" is the best advice you will ever hear in this hobby.

by the way what camera do you use for your pictures? i like the one of the emerald crab

[Fishbutt]

lol yes... I am taking my time. That's one lesson I've learned all too well. I could just imagine my tank leak at every seam on its maiden voyage... so I'm getting everything ready and taking my time in re-sealing it and adjusting the bulkheads and PVC.
The camera I use is just an old Sony Cybershot- my favorite camera ever. The 5.25 megapixel one was the best... but now I have the 12.2 megapixel one (actually I have two of them... gotta have a back-up) which seems slower than the old versions. They switched to a Sony lens too... instead of the Carl Zeiss lens... which was a downgrade in my opinion. Anywho, happy reefing! Talk to you soon.
Christy

[Fishbutt]

2-13-2011, Krylon Fusion, 100% Silicone, and lots of painter's tape...

So this weekend was it. I finally got around to re-sealing my 20L which was already drilled and had one coat of Krylon Fusion glossy black on the back wall (on the outside).
I had never silicone'd anything before... so I did some reading and decided that re-sealing my tank's 4 vertical corners would be safer than crossing my fingers and hoping the old seals hold. Mind you, the old seals have been agitated over the years with razors, so they were wearing quite thin. I hope this doesn't end up being one of those "it it ain't broke, don't fix it" projects. That would be disheartening.
Anywho.

So, I began by gathering my equipment:

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Then I scraped my tank's 4 vertical corners clean of silicone, and degreased them with rubbing alcohol. I was cautious to remove every bit of silicone possible, as I've read that silicone doesn't adhere very well to old silicone.

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Again, I had an audience:

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I used WIDE blue painter's tape (Scotch) to tape my corners for nice clean lines. I made sure to get the wide version so I could be extra messy...

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Heck yes those will be clean(ish) lines! Taping was an awesome idea- not my own might I add- I read about it somewhere. I guess masking tape would work equally as well as painter's tape.

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Then I got messy...

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I didn't know that in addition to the tip of the silicone tube needing to be cut off, a hole also needed to be punched. So before I knew it, I cut too much off and ended up using my hands to apply the silicone. Thanks gawd for wide tape and vinyl gloves!

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The finished product wasn't as bad as I was expecting!

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I also put a layer of silicone on the underside of the top rim, with hopes of preventing salt creep up and under the rim. Only time will tell how it works out. I'm waiting a few days for the silicone to cure, then I'll be filling her up! Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading.
Christy

[Sir Patrick]

Looks great! Nice reseal job!

[vittleking]

well done, should have water in it soon. If those watermelons don't make it let me know, I will get you some more. Your blenny is still doing great. He's a trip.

[Fishbutt]

Looks great! Nice reseal job!
Thanks! Let's hope that it holds water... ;)


well done, should have water in it soon. If those watermelons don't make it let me know, I will get you some more. Your blenny is still doing great. He's a trip.
Hi Joe! I'm glad the blenny is doing well for you! The watermelons are really booming- they are so pretty and seem to be growing really well! The green digita has also grown at least 3X what it was! I can't wait to get everything back into the display tank... I'll keep you updated! Thanks again!