Titus's In-Wall 110 build

[Titus]

About a week ago, my wife greenlighted an in-wall marine aquarium. Things are moving pretty fast. The build will involve dividing our current oversized living room into a cozy living room and a home office with the tank wall separating them. I have settled on a custom 96" x 12" x 25" tank and I am getting several estimates for it. I should be making a deposit within the next week. The contractor is coming by tomorrow to work through the details of the 12" thick wall. I created a 3d model to aid in explaining the changes to him. (pics below). The tank will be plumber through the new wall to an under-stairs closet where a refugium sump, skimmer, and pump will live. I will post more details and pictures as it progresses.

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/2050/0013dmodel.jpg
http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=4617&stc=1&d=1332381820
4617

[AJ :)]

About a week ago, my wife greenlighted an in-wall marine aquarium. Things are moving pretty fast. The build will involve dividing our current oversized living room into a cozy living room and a home office with the tank wall separating them. I have settled on a custom 96" x 12" x 25" tank and I am getting several estimates for it. I should be making a deposit within the next week. The contractor is coming by tomorrow to work through the details of the 12" thick wall. I created a 3d model to aid in explaining the changes to him. (pics below). The tank will be plumber through the new wall to an under-stairs closet where a refugium sump, skimmer, and pump will live. I will post more details and pictures as it progresses.

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/2050/0013dmodel.jpg
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/9926/0023dmodel.jpg
Nice mock up,

Seems a bit narrow for a tank that long. But if that suits you, Go for it!

Will this be a glass tank?

How will you add contents, feed and do cleaning?

[Titus]

Nice mock up,

Seems a bit narrow for a tank that long. But if that suits you, Go for it!

Will this be a glass tank?

How will you add contents, feed and do cleaning?

Thanks...I did the mock-up in less than an hour with free software that I had never used before... it was incredibly easy... The application is called "Sweet home 3D".

The tank width was dictated by the amount of room that I was given permission to encroach upon. It isn't ideal, but the tank will be fish only, so I don't have to worry about trying to build a reef in it. On the plus side, the 8' length should give some Tangs as lot of room to swim.

I am still working on the specs of the tank with the builder, but I do know it will be glass with a PVC bottom and an overflow at one end that will be hidden by large molding that will frame the tank.

The wall will be built so it ends about 7 inches above the tank on one side. The top piece of the framing on that side will cover this gap, but be on hidden hinges so it can be swung up for access to the tank.

[jimsflies]

How wide is it going to be?

[Titus]

How wide is it going to be?

96" long, 12" wide, 25" tall. Originally, I was planning the even narrower 8" wide tank from Bizarre Aquariums (http://www.bizarreaquariums.com/products.php?id=jumbo). As I did more research I realized I could go a little wider and longer with a custom tank for just a little more money.

[AJ :)]

Sounds like a good plan.

I like it when people think outside normal, to get what they want.

Keep us posted on how this takes shape.

[Titus]

Sounds like a good plan.

I like it when people think outside normal, to get what they want.

Keep us posted on how this takes shape.

Thanks AJ!

[Titus]

The contractor just left. I should have an estimate for building the wall by the weekend. The flooring guy is coming out tomorrow. I can't believe it has been less than a week since I decided to do this project.

[Titus]

The tank has been ordered and should be completed in about 2 weeks. I also ordered a Mag12, a Reef Octopus 150, a Typhoon RODI, and two 48" AquaticLife T5 HO 2x54 lights today. I have started building my Sump, and the wall construction is scheduled to begin in about 3 weeks.

[spartyblaze]

Wow, pretty sweet build. Can't wait to see some real pics!

I think it's going to be pretty ridiculous.

[Titus]

I picked up a used Mag9.5 to use for a closed loop. Also spent some more time on the sump.


Final sump design:

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/4168/sumpsetupv103p1.jpg

Sump work progress... 20g long tanks purchased, upper tank drilled with bullhead, tall stand built, short stand under construction:

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/1227/sump01.jpg

[Titus]

Filter Room was painted and tiled this week.

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/553/20120412082548.jpg

[Titus]

I got to see the partially built tank yesterday. :)

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/3517/20120413100717.jpg

[AJ :)]

You are moving right along!

Nice sump setup, I like the space saving design.

[Titus]

You are moving right along!

Nice sump setup, I like the space saving design.

Thanks.. it is starting to take shape....

The sump stands are done:

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/1111/20120414113524.jpg

And I have the center baffle in place and curing:
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5704/20120420092958.jpg

[Titus]

And the display tank was delivered today...

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/5109/20120420150435.jpg

[Titus]

I finished installing the bubble trap baffles in the sump last night. Once the wall is framed, the tank will be put in place and I will have a few days to plump things before it gets sheet-rocked, textured, and painted. I have been working on plumbing the closed loop as well... its almost done.

DT stand was finished about an hour ago. The construction crew will get started tomorrow morning. I will be having them secure the stand I built to the concrete, and then attach the wall to it as they build, so the stand will essentially become a part of the wall.
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/6475/20120422211143.jpg

[Titus]

Wall work coming along.

http://img857.imageshack.us/img857/1548/20120424120219.jpg

[Titus]

Headers are in place.

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/5623/20120424133028.jpg

[Titus]

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/3844/20120424155238.jpg

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/1101/20120424155425.jpg

[Titus]

More progress...


http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/1091/20120424232900.jpg
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/3278/20120424232837.jpg
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/1365/20120424232657.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1135/20120424232451.jpg

[Titus]

Texturing all done.

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/3489/20120426142809.jpg

[adalius]

Progress is good!

[Titus]

Crown molding and baseboards added to new wall.

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/9876/20120426154727.jpg

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/4269/20120426154654.jpg

[Mr. Microscope]

Awesome! I'd have the couch facing the tank though.

[Titus]

Awesome! I'd have the couch facing the tank though.

We have already been talking about changing out the furniture in the room to provide better viewing. Unfortunately the different fixed room features on every wall limit the choices.

As for updates... The new wall now has paint!

http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/9299/20120427103614.jpg
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4842/20120427103643.jpg

[Mr. Microscope]

Beautiful!

[Titus]

The tank in the wall to stay:
http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/1284/20120427173734.jpg

An idea of what it will look like trimmed out:
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/7531/20120427173835.jpg

[Titus]

Typhoon RODI system installed and running, filling a 21g tub with float shutoff valve and tap made with a bulkhead and ball valve.


http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/1860/20120428130546.jpg

[thepanfish]

Speed build, I like.

[Titus]

Speed build, I like.

LOL... I try and get at least on thing done on it every day, although they are not all picture worthy. Things will slow down after the construction crews are done and it is just me. At this point I am hoping to have the tank filled with saltwater, sand and pukani rock and the cycle beginning in about 2 weeks.

[Titus]

Today's progress: Completed under tank plumbing, installed access panel, installed Durso stand pipe, installed return stand pipe (need to pick up a loc-line Y to complete return), and completed Closed loop. The closed loop has one intake and 2 returns. There was going to be a SCWD Wave Maker in there put the stupid thing cracked as I tried to screw in the fillings. Rather than try and get a replacement, I took this as a sign that they were low quality and decided to plumb the closed loop without it.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/1880/20120429133848.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/7537/20120429134051.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8184/20120429203550.jpg

[Tankster]

what about some sort of drip tray or plastic under the pump for when you undo the unions?




http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8184/20120429203550.jpg

[Titus]

what about some sort of drip tray or plastic under the pump for when you undo the unions?

There is a drain pipe with ball valve on for draining the closed loop before removal. I will also be adding a tray though. At some point I will probably put a water sensor alarm in the tray as well.

[Titus]

The living room side trim is taking shape...

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/9956/20120430113326.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/8634/20120430122521.jpg

[tonysearsjr]

sounds great images are the ticket had to download that myself, doing a similar proget of my own except i ate up the kitchen..lol...cant wait for pics,

[Titus]

So we ran into an interesting issue with GFCI outlets. I had them install one in the filter closet, and another above the tank. They worked fine when we tested them Friday. Over the weekend, I tried to plug my T5 HO lights into them and they both would pop the outlet as soon as you turn them on. A little research showed other have had this problem, and often were able to fix it by changing to another brand of GFCI. The belief is that some brands are too sensitive to the charge up that takes place with the ballasts. Based on this info, I tried the lights on 3 other GFCIs around the house and sure enough the lights worked fine on them. I had the guy swap outlets so that the ones from the kitchen are now by the tank and the new ones I had bought for the tank are now in the kitchen. All is good now.

[adalius]

A little research showed other have had this problem, and often were able to fix it by changing to another brand of GFCI. The belief is that some brands are too sensitive to the charge up that takes place with the ballasts.

This is actually really common with pond and fountain pump motors. They get a tiny little spike while they're running even if they ran fine for days and *click*. Changing it out is the only way around it, as you found out.

[Titus]

This is actually really common with pond and fountain pump motors. They get a tiny little spike while they're running even if they ran fine for days and *click*. Changing it out is the only way around it, as you found out.
I was pretty shocked but relieved at how common it was once I googled it. I was even more surprised that the electrician thought I was crazy when I explained it to him and asked him to swap the outlets. He kept telling me that it had to be bad lights... 2 brand new lights, both bad? Swapping the outlets worked and he walked away shaking his head in disbelief! LOL

And for an update, there is more progress on the molding...

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/9210/20120430150922.jpg

[Titus]

Trim done!

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3829/20120430160157.jpg

[Titus]

Today's updates- The new flooring has been installed in the home office and the office furniture has been moved in. I ordered a bunch of Pukani rock, some loc-line parts, and a powerhead for mixing through a BRS group buy.

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/7662/20120501134111.jpg

[Titus]

I ordered 63 lbs of Pukani in the BRS group buy and it arrived last night. I had requested long pieces and ohh my did they come through. There is 1 softball sized chunk and 5 giant pieces. 2 measure 19", 2 17" and one 16". I also have 3 smaller pieces that came when I ordered a sample a few weeks ago. It will be interesting to see what I can come up with.

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/2935/20120505131933.jpg

[Titus]

Half of the rock getting a bleach bath.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/6879/20120506095021.jpg

[Titus]

OK... Time for some much needed updates!

After swapping out a few bulkheads that had cracked from over-tightening, the closed loop is leak-free and working.
http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/628/20120530110808.jpg

[Titus]

The T5s are suspended and some moon light LEDs are also installed and working.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2513/20120530110832.jpg

[Titus]

The Pump room is coming along. Although not attractive, the sump is plumbed in and doing it's job. A little more plumbing and the installation on another light is needed to complete the fuge. I also need to do some work on the wire routing to get it looking better.

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/2285/20120530110906.jpg

---------- Post added at 11:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:28 AM ----------

So up next is finishing the fuge, aquascaping the rock, cleaning and adding sand, and making some salt water. Hopefully it will be cycling by this time next week.

Here is a shot of it a few minutes ago.
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2602/20120530111019.jpg

[Titus]

I made more progress tonight... Fuge is now plumbed in to the system. Long term I may give it it's own pump that just takes water from the sump and pumps it to the fuge, as I am not happy with having to reduce flow to the DT. I was hoping I could add the second fuge light tonight, but it turned out that it needs a 1.5" spacer to allow it to clear the plumbing. I cut a puck out of a 2x6 and painted it to match, but will give the paint a day to dry before installing it.

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/1839/20120530202455.jpg

[AJ :)]

Wow! It's really coming along now! The trim really sets it off. Looking forward to the future of this setup.

[Titus]

Wow! It's really coming along now! The trim really sets it off. Looking forward to the future of this setup.
Thanks!


Tonight's progress- RO water drained from the tank now that plumbing is done and leak free. Blue mixing drums are filled with vinegar water to clean out Dr pepper syrup residue. Picked up a Quietone 2200 from the classifieds for mixing and got the rest of the plumbing parts I need to plumb the mixing station. I plan on doing aquascaping and mixing station assembly Saturday. Sand will go in Sunday followed by water. I figure it will take me several days to mix up enough water to fill the entire system.

[Titus]

Late night in the garage. I built and tested my mixing station tonight. I am very happy with how it turned out, with the exception of a small drip coming from the threaded output from the pump. After having issues breaking things from over tightening, I think I went too far in the other direction and didn't tighten it enough. I am going to pick up a union tomorrow to add to that pipe so I can tighten that fitting as needed.
Budget:
Used Drums- $15/ea (2)
Used QuietOne 2200- $20
Uniseals- $2/ea (3)
Ball Valves- $1.89 (4)
Tees- $0.79 (3)
Elbows- $0.59 (4)
Threaded adapters- $0.64 (2)
PVC Pipe- $1.95
Vinegar- $2.34 (3)
Total Cost: $78.54 (The union should take it up over $80 by a hair!)

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5251/20120601232856.jpg

[slapshot]

Looks great! Now you just need to add a feed to your display and you will never carry another bucket.

[Titus]

Looks great! Now you just need to add a feed to your display and you will never carry another bucket.

Sadly that will likely never happen. The mixing station is in the garage about 40' from the tank. It is a 2 story house, so going through the ceiling would be a major effort even for the most seasoned plumber. The house is on a slab foundation so going under is out of the question too.

Now a drain from the tank to outside is more of a possibility, with the closed loop plumbing sitting 4' from an exterior wall. I have a ball valved drain on the closed loop plumbing and I currently can just run a short hose from this out the window and can empty about 1/3 the DT with it.

[slapshot]

Oh sorry, but good plan on the drain!

[woods4542000]

Looking good! Where do you access the tank?

[rosebud161616]

Nice build! Can you tell us more about the moonlights? They look kind of like something I have used in the past. Are they automotive under-car lights that you stick in there?

[Titus]

Looking good! Where do you access the tank?
On my office side of the tank, there is about 8 inches between the top of the tank and the header. Once the tank is cycled , I will work on finishing it off... it will have 12" wide stained board framing the tank (like on the finished side but not as fancy looking). The board on top will be hinged for access. This is my insperation:
http://www.walltanks.com/picture_library/fram_mov1lrgw.gif



Nice build! Can you tell us more about the moonlights? They look kind of like something I have used in the past. Are they automotive under-car lights that you stick in there?

These are the lunar lights I used:

Current USA TrueLumen 3-LED Linking Module (http://www.marinedepot.com/Current_USA_TrueLumen_3_LED_Linking_Module_Moon_Li ght_Fixtures_for_Aquariums-Current_USA-CU01664-FILTFIML-vi.html)

Each module has 3 LEDs and I got 3 modules from my LFS. They can be connected end to end, and then they come with a terminator that is plugged in at the end of the line. They require a 12v wall-wart that is a little pricey, but I didn't get it. I keep a box of old power cords and wall warts and managed to find a 12v one of adequate amperage.

[Titus]

Well I am exhausted and sore from a long weekend of working on the tank. I got all the rocks in first. Several large pieces were cut to give them a flat edge to stand on, then a couple holes were drilled into them. I got some small pieces of acrylic, drilled and tapped holes in them, and screwed in nylon threaded rods. The rods then where slid into the holes drilled in the rocks. I got the idea off of the Marco Rocks site and it worked very well.

Once the rocks were in place, I began the process of washing my Macro sand. This took me a good 6 hours today. Once washed, it went in to the tank. It very occurred to me that putting sand in to a tank could be so hard. Having a tall narrow tank with rock in it and little access made for a difficult time getting sand coverage.

With Rocks and Sand it, I started adding saltwater. my mixing station is set up for making about 16 gallons at a time... perfect for weekly water changes but not so great for filling a new system. I already had 16 gallons mixed and in jugs from saturday, and I made another 16 today, making for 32 gallons that are in the tank now. There is another 16 mixing that will go in in the morning. At this rate, the whole system should be filled and running by Wed night. :cryin:

I won't bother with pictures of it right now, partially full and still hazy, but here is a picture of it when about 1/3 of the sand was in.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/3931/aquascaping.jpg

[AJ :)]

Nice aquascaping!

[Titus]

Nice aquascaping!

Thanks... I've made enough water to fill the display tank. I need another 30+ gallons to get the sump and fuge filled so I can start running it. hopefully the cloudiness will go away pretty quick then. Here is a cloudy pic.

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/4945/201206041905031.jpg

[Titus]

Well I added the remaining water needed to get the system running at lunch time. I added all the saltwater 1 gallon at a time, keeping notes along the way. The DT took 95g, the Fuge 13g, and the sump 15g. So 123g total for the system. Once running, about 10 gallons leave the sump. It is clearing up really quickly. I will take a picture when my wife gets home, as her phone has a better camera.

With the system running, I moved on to learning how to use the water tests I have accumulated so far. First, I got the temperature probe working. Then I added and calibrated the PH probe. After that, I moved on to the ORP probe. This was used and came with my AC3, with disclosure that he didn't know if it worked. It didn't... it has read 000 since hooking it up a few hours ago. Oh well, I'll add that to my list. I then calibrated my new refractometer and tested salinity. From there, I moved on to the Seachem Marine Basic Multitest that I bought, running through all the tests. As expected, many of these returned values of zero, but today was more about learning how to use them.

Results:
Temp: 79.2 (It was actually a hair over 80 a few hours earlier, triggering my controller to turn off the lights. I added a fan over the sump and it has slowly cooled down.)
PH: 8.08
Salinity: 1.023
Alkalinity: 3.5
Free ammonia: 0
Total ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0

Eventually I will be adding Calcium, Phos, and Magnesium test kits to my arsenal, but I had to prioritize my purchases and I haven't gotten to them on the list yet.

Next step- Go to the grocery store and buy a shrimp to through in.

[MizTanks]

:congratswave::bananas::cheer2:

[Titus]

:congratswave::bananas::cheer2:

Thanks Miz!

[Titus]

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/7324/tank1v.jpg
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/5662/tank2e.jpg

[Titus]

I took a few pics of the Lunar lights in action last night...

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/9467/20120605214432.jpg

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5409/20120605214414.jpg

[Titus]

24 hrs with a shrimp in the tank and no sign of any ammonia yet. Sigh...

I installed the second fuge light tonight:

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/1050/20120606185236.jpg

[Titus]

So I have abandoned the shrimp method. I gave it 4 full days, and never had a sign of ammonia. I ended up going to Ace Hardware for some pure ammonia and began dosing it.

While that tank waits to be ready, I moved on to the QT setup I am working on. It is a used Biocube 14 that has had the lights gutted from the hood. Today I gave it a good vinegar bath, built a media rack for it, added a filter pad, tossed in a couple PVC Tees, filled with salt water, and gave it 1ml of ammonia. I will be testing it as it cycles along side the DT. I will probably add the little Oceanic UV filter to it as well at some point.

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/5823/20120609104938.jpg

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1949/20120609112837.jpg

[Titus]

7 days since adding the salty water. 4 of those days with a shrimp, 3 since dosing pure ammonia. The stupid nitrate test has yet to show any of it's colors for me. Back to twiddling my thumbs and trying to convince the wife how great a tank would look in various rooms of the house. She just smiles at me and walks away. She walked up to the tank today and said, "You said these rocks would all turn purple. When is that going to happen???"

[Titus]

8.5 days. Still no nitrate, but the skimmer seems to have been busy overnight (but isn't now) and a good deal of diatoms have appeared on the sand in the fuge.

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/4289/20120614074507.jpg

[Titus]

13 Days in to the cycle... 4 with the shrimp and 9 since dosing ammonia. I think I see a vague hint of pale lavender tint in the Nitrite test but it is likely just a mirage. I am pretty sure that I am going insane with testing. In the mean time, I am going crazy over-analyzing decisions I made. I realized that the Biocube 14 I bought for QT actually holds about 11 gallons of water, not the 14 that the name implies. :cryin: The more I thought about it, the more I felt it was just too small. It would just take me way to long to get the DT populated if I can only run a tiny amount of fish through QT at a time. Should have bought a bigger QT.

Saturday morning the wife wanted to go garage sale shopping and being the good husband I am, I forced a smile and said sure... lets go. Wouldn't you know it, there is a 20g tall at one of the garage sales. I think to my self, now that is what I should have gotten for the QT. As I get closer, I see the price... $10. Its in the back of our SUV 30 seconds later. I now own 3 tanks and no fish. Can anyone recommend a good 12-step program?

So now I have this bare 20g tank that I want to use as a QT, but nothing else. I need a sponge filter for it. After a few minutes on EBAY, I find a large bio sponge filter that can attach to a power head for $8.50 shipped. That should do thew trick.
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Bio-Sponge-Filter-Breeding-Fry-Betta-Shrimp-Nano-Fish-tank-Aquarium-Up-20-Gal-/00/s/MTIwMFgxMjAw/$(KGrHqR,!jgE95PIkZT)BPvbCp!90Q~~60_12.JPG


Sunday, the wife and I cruise over to the LFS, and I go dumpster diving in their used section. I find a Maxi-jet 900 for $5. That should pair nicely with my sponge filter.
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg151/scaled.php?server=151&filename=20120618224316.jpg&res=landing

So the budget on the QT tank is looking really good so far. $10 tank, $8.50 sponge filter, $5 power head. I need a stand for it. I have been wanting to try and build a nice stand, and I figure this would be a good test subject, as it will be tucked away in the spare bedroom anyway. Off to home depot for wood. WOW... this nice stuff isn't cheap like the 2x4s I played with for the sump stand. At $96 in wood and hardware so far, I think I just blew the budget build. I figure I will have to spend another $40 for wood and hardware for a door and a canopy, plus whatever stain and varnish costs. Never played with that stuff... should be interesting. Stupid idle hands. :hypnotized:

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg13/scaled.php?server=13&filename=20120618215339.jpg&res=landing

[AJ :)]

Love the aquascaping on the display tank!

The quarantine is looking very spiff as well.

You must be dying to get livestock.

[woods4542000]

We need an update!

[Titus]

We need an update!

Sorry... Been spending a lot of time on my local club's forum and have forgotten to come here in a while. The tank took 65 excruciating days to finish cycling. The fuge is filled with chaeto and dragons breath that is going crazy, along with some pods that I got from reefs2go. I also had some other stuff from there on the same order but 8 of 14 inverts were doa and a lawnmower blenny died about 12 hrs after acclimatition to qt. 2 hermits and 4 nerites made it and are in the Dt doing well.

Feeling leery about online livestock now, I added 2 zebra turbos from a LFS to the DT that are doing great, and I picked up a great looking twospot bristletooth (aka blue eye tang) from the LFS that has been doing great in QT for 10 days now. The goal is to get him in to the DT about a week before MACNA and hope the family can keep him alive while I am gone.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S 4g using Tapatalk.

[Titus]

OK... time to catch this thread up to date...

6/28- Took a little break from waiting for the tank to cycle and went fishing with my Dad:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/6990/pict00142m.jpg

7/4- I got home and found that one of the stock 420/460 AquaticLife bulbs was out on the tank. The bulbs had a 60 day warranty and I had them for about 70. I went ahead and ordered a pair of ATI Blue Plus bulbs from BRS. I also emailed AquaticLife for the heck of it. They ended up sending me 2 replacement bulbs free of charge. So now I am running the 2 ATI bulbs and have 2 new and 1 slightly used AquaticLife as backups. Props to AquaticLife for great customer service.


7/8- I finished the canopy for the 20g QT and stained everything. The wife thought it looked so good, she asked me if I would set it up as a clown tank in her office. So... now I have a nano build going on with that and I need another QT.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/8439/20120708104827.jpg

7/9- Thinking that the DT could finish cycling any day, I was now in a hurry to find a replacement QT. My wife subscribes to a bunch of facebook garage sale sights so I told her to keep her eye out. An hour later she finds a stand for a 26g bowfront 10 minutes away for $20. I quickly remember that I had seen the tank for this stand on my local forums for $30. So... by the next evening the 2 were re-united and I had my final QT.
http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/1725/20120708202220.jpg

[Titus]

7/10- The QT didn't have a lid, and I didn't want its future residents jumping out on me. I made an egg crate cover for it.
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/761/20120710103606.jpg

7/13- Reef Octopus is creating some foam, there are diatoms growing, I added some Chaeto and Dragons Breath to the fuge, and it still hasn't finished cycling.
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/1549/20120713155139.jpg
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/9360/20120712085856.jpg
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/5918/20120712085919.jpg

7/14- A shot with the ATI bulbs and a fake Jellyfish the daughter picked out.
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8117/20120713160018.jpg

7/16- BRS PH Probe died. A few emails and they sent me a free replacement. Two thumbs up for BRS. My daily Nitrite testing has depleated by reagent so I had to order some more. Tank still hasn't cycled.

[Titus]

7/24- Got some interesting algae growth... Maybe turf algae? Not sure but tank hasn't cycled.

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/7430/20120724152621.jpg

7/25- Ready to give up. Tank will never cycle. Started an 8 day Seachem stability treatment. It is supposed to have marine bacterial spores and kick start a cycle. Don't expect much as it is just a hail mary pass.

8/2- Seachem Stability treatment complete. Tank hasn't cycled. Starting to see some Cyano.

8/3- Cyano went from a little to "I swear there are rocks and sand under all that dark red slime" in just 1 day. Vacuumed it all out and turned the lights out for 2 days.

8/6- Lights on for a day and so is Cyano. I do 10% water changes every other day, vacuuming out the new growth.

8/12- Still no completion to the cycle, but my daughter talks me in to buying a pair of zebra turbos for the tank.

[MizTanks]

Wow! Busy lil reefer or what? LOL sadly there is no cure for what ails you, highly contagious and pretty much fatal. My only suggestion for success is.....KISS KISS!!

Seriously I would check your test kit. Could be a bad one, or possibly reading it wrong.
Are you using RO/DI water?

You've done a wonderful job so far!! Your stand turned out awesome looking :) Good luck and keep us posted!!

[Titus]

8/13- Day 66. Tank cycle completes!!! Ammonia- 0, Nitrite- 0, Nitrate- .2

8/14- Got in on a Reef2go buy with a friend and ordered 8 snails, 6 hermits, and a lawnmower blenny.

8/16- Purchased a Twospot Bristletooth (AKA Blue Eye Tang) from a LFS. and added to the 26g QT. She had already completed a copper treatment at the store and i got to see her eat before I brought her home.
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5171/20120817081234.jpg

8/17- R2G order arrives. 4 of 8 snails and 4 of 6 hermits are DOA. Blenny comes in so little water, I use a red solo cup to acclimate him to the Biocube. The ordered also included a free 250 pod pack that i added to the fuge.

8/18- Blenny didn't make it through the night. the 4 snails and 2 hermits that arrived alive are doing well in the DT and the Tang is looking good and eating in the 26g QT.

8/22- Dragons breath and Chaeto are going crazy. Here are side by side pics showing 36 days of DB growth.
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3313/36daydb.jpg

8/27- Pods are muliplying like crazy, If I were to guess, I would say that 250 turned into 4000 in just 10 days. I am sure the population will go way down once there are fish in the tank, but for now they are having the time of thier lives. I have even spotting them actively eating cyano.
http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/5697/20120827131157.jpg

8/28- Tang is still looking good and eating well in QT. Since she has already gone through a copper treatment, I decided to start her on a Prazipro prophylactic treatment. While many of my local fish friends think I am crazy to even QT the fish, I have read a bunch of articles by the pros that recommend a stay in QT with copper and prazipro for every new fish and I have decided to follow this (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/quarantining-marine-fish-made-simple) course with all my fish.

8/30- While I am siphoning out cyano less often, it is still growing. I bit the bullet and combined group buy pricing and a $10 off coupon with BRS to order a BRS Dual reactor with MJ1200, 1/2 gallon of GFO, and a gallon of carbon. Death to red slime!!! I also added some ATI Aquablue Specials to get to free shipping and so I can get the stock Aquaticlife 10k bulbs moved to backup duty.

It is also Day 14 for the Tang in QT. She is very friendly and eats like a pig!

[Titus]

Wow! Busy lil reefer or what? LOL sadly there is no cure for what ails you, highly contagious and pretty much fatal. My only suggestion for success is.....KISS KISS!!

Seriously I would check your test kit. Could be a bad one, or possibly reading it wrong.
Are you using RO/DI water?

You've done a wonderful job so far!! Your stand turned out awesome looking :) Good luck and keep us posted!!
Thanks!

I was alternating between a Seachem nitrite test and an API multi-test strip for much of the time. They both showed nitrite at over 40 for 6 weeks. It then dropped to zero in about 4 days:
8/9- 40
8/10- 20
8/11- 10
8/12- 2.5
8/13- 0

Just CRAZY

[dputt88]

that is one good looking tank. i cant wait to see it full of fish!

[Titus]

that is one good looking tank. i cant wait to see it full of fish!

Thanks! The Bristletooth should move in in about 2 weeks. Fish 2 will likely be another 6-7 weeks after that, as I don't want to have a fish in QT for my wife to deal with while I am at MACNA. After that I hope to slip in to a 1 fish a month pattern. With my goal of 7-8 fish, it will be late spring before it is "full".

[Titus]

GFO and Carbon on-line.

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/9337/201209051804541.jpg

[Titus]

Tonight I replaced the stock AquaticLife 10k bulbs with the new ATI Aquablue Specials to go along with the Blue+ bulbs I installed last month. First I should note that prior to the bulb change, the tank looked more blue tonight than it ever has before. I attribute this to the addition of the carbon and GFO last night that has removed the slight yellow tinge from the water. Now that the 10k AquaticLife bulbs are gone and the Aquablue Specials are in, the tank appears a tad more purple than before to my eye. I am not sure If I like it... it may take a bit to get used to. I am curious if my wife will notice the change when she gets home.

[Titus]

After way too long of a wait, the tank's first finned resident has moved it.

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8611/20120918120605.jpg

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/8832/20120918120714.jpg

[chazde3]

Beautiful first addition. Your tank has come along nicely.

[Titus]

Beautiful first addition. Your tank has come along nicely.

Thanks... I am very happy with the Bristletooth. I am really amazed with the coloring that the lights have brought out in her, and I am shocked at how quickly she adjusted to the tank. In QT, she was very jumpy and would hide in her PVC pipe at the slightest movement in the room. Sticking the hose in the tank for a water change would lead to complete loss of color, and remaining in the PVC for hours. I expected a similar reaction from her when she went into the display, but instead she was exploring the entire 8' of tank and picking at rocks for algae less than a minute after going into the tank. Walking right up to the tank does not affect her behavior at all, and she showed no reaction to the lights coming on.

[Titus]

Tunze osmolator installed. Now that I have ATO, I think I will pick up some Lime.

[Titus]

Small update that i forgot to post... Last weekend I installed my ventilation fan for the sump closet. With door closed and vent fan on the low setting, the sump fan cools the tank quicker than having the door open before, so it works great. It blows fresh air into the closet, and I can feel the air escaping under the door as well as in the access pipes above the tank. It is no longer warm and humid in the Sump closet, so I am calling it a success. I am toying with the idea of running it off of the APEX so I can cycle it on and off, but it is quiet and only draws 55w. According to my math, that means it costs me $3.68/mo to have it on full time. I'm not sure it is worth it to save $2 a month by running it part time.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/5118/20121020140802.jpg