Rick's 15 gal Ricordea Dominated Tank

[whitetiger61]

This is my birthday present to myself..

Tank Size: 15 gal drilled 1 1/4" drain ..2- 3/4" returns
Sump Size: 20 gal

This tank will be a florida ricordea dominate tank. 11/4" drain drilled in the center of the tank and 2 3/4" returns located on each side of the tank. Not sure if im going to put an overflow box in yet.

Sump is a 20gal regular tank with wet/dry system.Im planning on running a filter sock loaded with carbon, protien skimmer, and phosban reactor on this tank..With the flow i have from the return i do not anticapate running any powerheads in the tank.

Pics will be posted as i do things to the tank. Going out of town tomorrow so no work will be done on the tank but will get something done on Monday after work..

Rick

[Sir Patrick]

Sounds sweet! happy birthday man!

[whitetiger61]

yeah i was going to do a all sun coral tank..but couldn't find enough healthy specimens for the price i wanted to pay..so its ricordea time..wish i didnt have to go out of town today..really would like to work on it today but oh well, theres always tomorrow after work..

SP..its a early B-Day present..B-Day isnt until the end of the month..was hoping to have it cycled by then but thats not going to happen as im already 2 weeks behind the scheduled start date of this build.

Rick

[MizTanks]

Looking forward to some pix~going to be a sweet lil tank for sure :)

[whitetiger61]

ok got home a little early so i got some work done on the tank..tank is drilled , back is painted, and bulkheads installed. here are some pics.

drilled tank

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank002.jpg

painted back with bulkheads installed

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank003.jpg

back of the tank with the bulkheads

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank005.jpg

i need to clean the inside of the tank still..i also got a marineland 12 bulb LED fixture 9 whites, 3 blues

plans for tomorrow..clean the inside of the tank, set the tank, set the sump..

plans for tuesday...plumb the system..

hope you enjoy

Rick

[Sir Patrick]

Pretty cool look for a background.

[MizTanks]

This is going to be pretty cool to watch! Can't wait to see the plumbing. :)

[whitetiger61]

well ran into a few snags..

snag number 1 - skimmer wont fit under the stand

snag number 2 - 1 1/2" pipe is a bear to cut with a hacksaw blade..

I got a little of the drain plumbed but going to pick up a larger pvc cutter after work to finish it..so thats about it for the progress today..

Rick

[Heidi]

Pretty cool look for a background.

Yeah I second that! Is that something you bought of just a cool paint job? Following this build Rick! Don't worry we all have those snags ;) its what makes this hobby so enjoyable . .. problem solving! :big_grin: You will figure stuff out I'm sure.
Heidi

[whitetiger61]

Yeah I second that! Is that something you bought of just a cool paint job? Following this build Rick! Don't worry we all have those snags ;) its what makes this hobby so enjoyable . .. problem solving! :big_grin: You will figure stuff out I'm sure.
Heidi

No that is paint with an airbrush... thanks for the compliments..

Rick

[2pairs]

This should be a cool little project.
I will be following along.

Happy almost B-day

[whitetiger61]

Thanks Jim

Ok got the drain plumbing done..almost got the return plumbing done..shorted myself 1 elbow so i will finish that tomorrow then pics will be coming

Rick

[whitetiger61]

i put a poll at the top of this thread..vote on what everyone thinks.

thanks

Rick

[Heidi]

Black cause I think it would look cool with your background. looks neat in little tanks IMO.
:)

[2pairs]

I am old school so white.

[redemer123]

black gets all kinds of debris in it and its really sticks out and looks dirty so white :)

[whitetiger61]

ok finally got the tank plumbed..still need to put pvc glue on a coupleof joints but you get the picture.

Speaking of which here are some pics

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank001.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank003-1.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank004.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank005-1.jpg

Tomorrow..cut the pieces for the overflow box which will be painted the same as the background

Rick

[2pairs]

Cool little build so far.

[MizTanks]

Damn Rick that plumbing looks good. What size pump are you going to be using?

[Heidi]

BLack sand black sand!!

[MizTanks]

BLack sand black sand!!

Yuck!!

[whitetiger61]

Damn Rick that plumbing looks good. What size pump are you going to be using?

quiet One 2200..poll is saying white sand..but its not over yet..lol..

Rick

[MizTanks]

quiet One 2200..poll is saying white sand..but its not over yet..lol..

Rick

Woot Woot!! I win! White it is. LOL

[whitetiger61]

so far your winning..;)

Rick

[whitetiger61]

Im going to try and get the rest of the tank done today..i have acrylic to make the overflow box, but im not sure i want to go with that or use 8" pvc cut in half for the box..square or half circle...hmmmmmmm..i hate decisions..lol..pics to come when i figure this out..

Rick

[2pairs]

Just keep in mind with that big drain you need enough room to get in and clean it out. This is something that is easily over looked and can be a place for build up.
Still following along.

[whitetiger61]

yeah i thought about that..got some counter measures for that..good thing is after the T-fiting its almost a straight shot down to to sump..

Rick

[whitetiger61]

got the overflow box cut and notched..tomorrow i will stop on my way home a get the paint, sand and paint it, let it dry and silicone it in place..then i should be ready for water...wohooooo

Rick

[whitetiger61]

ok here is the overflow box..its not installed because i thought i had silicone and found out i didnt..so i will pick that up tomorrow after work..im not sure on the height of the box..it looks a little tall to me..take a look at the first 2 pics and let me know if i should cut it down some more..

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank001-1.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank002-1.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank003-2.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank004-1.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank005-2.jpg

tomorrow paint the inside and let it dry then silicon it in place and let it dry for 3 days.. giving pleanty of time for the silicone to cure and the paint to cure before i add water..

Rick

[Heidi]

Dude you are pretty clever! I would have never thought to make an overflow box out of pvc! I think it looks a little tall to me but I guess it all depends on where you want your water level. Take a paper and hold it even w/ the bottom of the teeth and if that looks like where you want your water then you are good to go :) I still vote for black sand, it will match the overflow :)
Heidi

[whitetiger61]

Have to give credit where credit is due..this was SirPatrick's idea..he even donated the pvc..Thanks Chris..it's apperciated buddy..

Rick

[Sir Patrick]

Glad to see it put to good use!!! Looks great!

[Sir Patrick]

I voted black sand also, as long as you dont mind vacuming your sand bed periodically. The sediment/detrius that collects stands out like a sore thumb. I recomend it for all but sps tanks, as the light reflection is almost nothing with black sand, and can cause the undersides of the sps pieces a bit dull/odd looking.

Will look awsome w/ rics though!!!

[Corvette Reefer]

sounds like its gona be cool! cant wait to see the finished product.

[MizTanks]

Now that is freaking cool!! Awesome job Rick~I'm learning a lot from your build...hmmmm. :)

[2pairs]

Looking good Rick, I don't think the PVC is to tall. But the slots are to thin and to short it will over flow the tank. Mine on my 20 are 1 inch long and 1/4 inch wide and my return is only 150 gph and that is cutting it close. It is just a thought but look at a HOB over flow and check the slots. It is easier to change now, I had to make mine wider and longer with water in the tank (not fun).

[whitetiger61]

looks like im going to have to do that also..it is siliconed in already and i did such a nice job i dont want to tear it apart..pics coming in a few minutes.

Rick

[whitetiger61]

here are a couple pics with the overflow box siliconed in place..

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank001-2.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank002-2.jpg

this is going to stink having to cut them notches while in the tank.. oh well just another set back that has to be fixed..


Rick

[2pairs]

It shouldn't be that hard to do, I used a dremel tool to do it to mine.

[whitetiger61]

well the poll says white sand...

Rick

[Heidi]

Rick that looks SWEET! Oh and if the poll said jump off a cliff would you? just sayin...
;)
Heidi

[MizTanks]

Rick that looks SWEET! Oh and if the poll said jump off a cliff would you? just sayin...
;)
Heidi

Hey now. Not all people jump off cliffs! Some do get pushed every once in a while-hint hint lol You go Tigger white it is! I win I win!!

[Sir Patrick]

I would jump off a cliff....if it were for black sand.......:big_grin:

If you have never tried it, go for it!

[whitetiger61]

well i went to put the sand in and found out i didnt have enough..so i had pleanty of black so thats whats in there.. sorry Jamie..gotta use what i have..pics to come when the tank is full..ran out of water also so it will be tomorrow before i cant get it filled..

Rick

[Heidi]

HEY Chris did I every tell you you have phenomenal taste :) Can't wait to see this tank wet!

[whitetiger61]

well its partially wet..about 4 gallons to keep the sand wet

Rick

[MizTanks]

<<<<<<<has gone to jump off a very high hill....

[whitetiger61]

tank is wet everyone..pics after it clears up..this is gonna be sweet..got pleanty of flow..no need for any powerheads in the tank..just what i was hoping for..

Rick

[MizTanks]

tank is wet everyone..pics after it clears up..this is gonna be sweet..got pleanty of flow..no need for any powerheads in the tank..just what i was hoping for..

Rick

:thumbsup::highfive3:

[whitetiger61]

hmmmmmm..wonder whats going on with all the micro bubbles in the tank..never had that problem with a sump system before..

Rick

[MizTanks]

hmmmmmm..wonder whats going on with all the micro bubbles in the tank..never had that problem with a sump system before..

Rick

Something's sucking air :duh:

[2pairs]

Check your return pump it might be sucking air from the water level being to low.

[whitetiger61]

i did check that..added one more gallon of water..will check water clarity in the morning..
Had to cut the notches deeper and wider like u said Jim..and your right..its not fun in the tank..

Rick

[whitetiger61]

I woke up this morning, the tank is a little clearer, but still have tons of air bubbles, so this is what im going to do today..I think i have to much pump for this tank but its the only one i have, so im shutting the system down and going to put a T- valve with a ball valve off the pump and direct some of the flow back over to the drain in the sump..

Also going to put a acrylic box in the sump underneath the drain with some batting in there to help decrease the air bubbles getting into the sump..I think i have to much and the return pump is sucking them back up.. Hopefully that will do it and i have a clear tank to take pics of this afternoon..

Rick

[MizTanks]

<<<<will be waiting patiently-not!

[2pairs]

Their art three places you can get bubbles from, drain, skimmer, return.
Check all three and you will find it and then you will know what to do.

[whitetiger61]

i think i got it..will take pics of the sump and plumbing and of the tank when it clears up..still need to make a few adjustments to the ball valve that goes back to the drain section of the sump..

Rick

[whitetiger61]

here are some pics of the sump and plumbing

here you can see where i T'd into the return and installed a ball valve so i can open both ball valves on the returns on the display tank and i dont have to worry about burning a pump up..Thanks to EMUReef for that idea..thanks Russ..

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank001-3.jpg

and here is the acrylic box i put in the tank to try and slow the drain water down for less bubbles for the return pump to suck back up.

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank002-3.jpg

Rick

[EMUreef]

did anything help with your microbubbles?

[whitetiger61]

i still have a few, but im going to let it run for a couple of days..should clear up..(I Hope)..lol

[whitetiger61]

Here are some pics of the tank full..still not the clearest but its getting there..i also thought i had more live rock than i did , but thankfully i got some more coming soon..so i can bulid the right side up..so the scape is going to change..now i have 1 more obsticle to overcome..heat..lol..cant keep the tank under 81 degrees..so far it hasnt been over 81 yet but it hasnt been under either..

FTS

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank004-2.jpg

left side

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank005-3.jpg

right side

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/ricordeatank006.jpg

Rick

[whitetiger61]

ok i got the diatoms going on right now so that means the cycle is going good..i have more rock( thanks Andrew) and as soon as the diatoms clear up i will be re- scaping the tank.

Rick

[whitetiger61]

I also think that i have 98% sure that this is also going to be a ricordia and acan dominated tank..the other 2 % is still not in the works yet..lol

Rick

[whitetiger61]

diatoms are going away..yahhhhhhhhhhhhh..still have micro bubbles though.

Rick

[MizTanks]

I feel your joy!!! :)

[2pairs]

So ware are the micro bubbles coming from?

[whitetiger61]

Jim

Still havent figured out the micro bubbles yet..think it might be to small of a sump and to big of a pump

Chris

Yes new rock is in and scaped ..no pics yet..again im having problems keeping the temp down below 84 degrees so i cant put anything in there until i figure that out..

Rick

[bluwc]

With the past few days, it was pretty hot. My 60g got up to 84 and I floated bags of ice in 3 ziploc bags. I did this three times and removed one of the glass tops. It cooled it down to 78. With the cube, I floated a huge ziploc bag of ice in there and it kept it cool. Too bad I don't have a chiller, but that will be next on my list because I sure don't want to do that every time it gets warm out.

I haven't had to float ice yesterday or today though...only when it was in the 90's. I have central air but didn't feel like turning it on just yet.

[whitetiger61]

i cant float ice bags if im not here..i work 6 days a week..

Rick

[bluwc]

I work 6-7 days a week too. I did it when I got home in the evening, but it brought the temp down

[jimsflies]

Do you already have a fan on your tank RIck?

[whitetiger61]

i put one on there yesterday..but i noticed that evaporation is really fast with the fan

Rick

[MizTanks]

i put one on there yesterday..but i noticed that evaporation is really fast with the fan

Rick

I had a fan and turned my lights off 3hrs early and still my temp was 83 plus today I had to top off with 2g's. Summers gonna be a bummer for our tanks, ya think?

[jimsflies]

Yeah....the fan will definitely increase evaporation. But you should get 2-3 degrees cooling with it.

[whitetiger61]

well if i can get it down to 80 i can start putting corals in there..i dont want to fry ric's

Rick

[whitetiger61]

tank is out in the polebarn..im not having issues with the tanks in the house..i have the heater unpluuged....i just checked it and now its 70..i just need to find a happy place for the temp..

Rick

[whitetiger61]

i'll find a happy medium..been busy trying to get the car back on the road..i hit a road comission sign going down the freeway..

Rick

[whitetiger61]

the wind was blowing and it blew it down right in front of me..hit it at 65 mph..wasnt to much fun

Rick

[whitetiger61]

yeah im fine..i will get the temp figured out a get some pics posted in the next day or 2

Rick

[whitetiger61]

well finally got the temp stabilized out..i have a test coral in there and so far its doing fine..just waiting for the last of the diatoms to go away then its testing time 1 more time..do a water change..clean the glass of all my finger prints and picture taking time.. look for them sometime this weekend.

Rick

[2pairs]

Looking forward to seeing it done and running.

[MizTanks]

I can't stand the suspense!!! Geeezzz Tigger come on already lol

[whitetiger61]

not the best pictures i have ever taken..dang micro bublles..but here they are..

FTS

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/003.jpg

Acans..yeah i know its supposed to be ric's but im getting to them..lol

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/001.jpg

Ric's

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/002.jpg

Different shot of Acans

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/whitetiger61/004.jpg

Rick

[bluwc]

Very nice, they look happy. I thought you were taking the 15g down?

[Captain]

Off to a great start!

[MizTanks]

I love the acan in da middle :) That tank is looking sweet Rick!! Is it going to be totally ric or ric/acan :)

[whitetiger61]

havent decided yet..i put the acans in there as a filler..but the more i look at it the more i like them in there..

Rick

[MizTanks]

havent decided yet..i put the acans in there as a filler..but the more i look at it the more i like them in there..

Rick

Me too!!! Your Rics are always beautiful :)

[whitetiger61]

ok im changing the pump out this morning..it may have a bad seal..it has to be sucking air from somewhere and every joint in the plumbing is tightly sealed. also going to pull the filter sock off as it might be trapping air underneath it..

Rick

[whitetiger61]

ok heres what was done today..

changed return pump out
installed GFO reactor
installed Red Sea Prism skimmer.

the new pump all but eliminated all the micro bubbles..still have a few but i think they are still trapped in the sump and slowly working their way out..hope to have a nice clean tank by this time tomorrow..Also removed the filter sock.

Rick

[MizTanks]

Yahooo! Glad to here that the bubbles are on their way out. Now let the decorating begin :)

[whitetiger61]

ohhhhhhhhh yessssssssss..and i forgot to mention..igot myself a nice 7 head sun coral today..i think its going to be happy..

Rick

[Sir Patrick]

Hey Rick- lets see some more rics!!!!

Very nice progress man!!

[whitetiger61]

i have 4 more im getting ready to put in this tank..probably tomorrow

Rick

[whitetiger61]

i got the rest of the ric's put in..as soon as i can get out there to take pics i will post them..My po4 is down to 0 since i put the gfo reactor on there..so im happy with that..

tank parameters

ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 5 ppm
ph 8.4
kh 9 dkh
ca 400
po4 0

Rick

[2pairs]

I think it is time for more pic's

[Sir Patrick]

^ I agree with Jim!

[whitetiger61]

sorry everyone but due to the heat ..i couldn't control it i took this tank down until a later date when i can have it in the house..but i have a much bigger one in the works that i can control the temp on.. wish i could have figured something out that wouldn't have cost a fortune to keep the heat down as i really liked this tank.

Rick

[jasper]

sorry everyone but due to the heat ..i couldn't control it i took this tank down until a later date when i can have it in the house..but i have a much bigger one in the works that i can control the temp on.. wish i could have figured something out that wouldn't have cost a fortune to keep the heat down as i really liked this tank.

Rick
Are your corals ok?



Sent from my Eris using Tapatalk

[2pairs]

Sorry to here that, I always wondered why it was in the pole barn.
I guess we will just have to watch for the next one.

[whitetiger61]

no room in the house for it

Rick