[Proud Texan]

I am finally starting my tank... all ive got right now is some of the equipment. Right now im still waiting to get my skimmer, light, and salt among a few other minor things. Im going to take more pictures when i get more stuff so right now this is all ive got:

My 3 stage RO unit. So far it works pretty good.


My 300 watt heater.


My Refractometer, works great.


100 lbs of sand


My saltwater test kit. Pretty basic.


My hydrometer/thermometer, nothing special.


My Aqua-gloves! lol safety first.


My AGA model 3 Wet/Dry filter. This thing looks really cool.


Close-Up of the Bio-Balls


Close-Up of the 700 gph pump


Well thats it for now but i will have some more very soon.

[dinor2]

Looking good! Just a note on the bio balls, I've heard/read nothing good about them, I'd replace with broken up live rock instead. Can't wait to see the tank!

[WILLIAM1]

Thats a good start.. Can you return the wet/dry sump? Becuase you should get or make a refugium its a much better eco system for the tank and in the long run you will probly change to it. The refugium will cost the same as the $200 plus dollar wet/dry. Or you can make one out of a used 25/30 gallon tank for about 50 bucks.

[Proud Texan]

Sorry guys i don't believe that Bio-Balls go bad i think it is just malarky.
Bio-Balls Don't Go Bad, They Just Get Dirty

[RyanG]

Originally Posted by Proud Texan

Sorry guys i don't believe that Bio-Balls go bad i think it is just malarky.
Bio-Balls Don't Go Bad, They Just Get Dirty

They actually do, decomposing food and waste get caught up in the bio balls and then convert to nitrates (no3).

If you clean them regularly at least every 2-3 months you'll be fine. Most people forget or don't want to do it. Then it becomes a nitrates factory.

It's not a malarky, and take "about's saltwater" advice with a grain of salt. I usually don't recommend them.

[Proud Texan]

Thats what i mean its part of maintenance to clean them.

[IceMan]

Originally Posted by RyanG

They actually do, decomposing food and waste get caught up in the bio balls and then convert to nitrates (no3).

If you clean them regularly at least every 2-3 months you'll be fine. Most people forget or don't want to do it. Then it becomes a nitrates factory.

It's not a malarky, and take "about's saltwater" advice with a grain of salt. I usually don't recommend them.

what about LR, i use LR in my sump, lots of detritus builds up in there... should i try to flush it occasionaly? NO3 staying at 0 since i added my fuge, but i don't want a creep up situation either!

[RyanG]

Originally Posted by IceMan

what about LR, i use LR in my sump, lots of detritus builds up in there... should i try to flush it occasionaly? NO3 staying at 0 since i added my fuge, but i don't want a creep up situation either!

Live rock is different as there could be numerous things that are eating all the detritus. However that being said it is always a good idea to keep your sump clean.

I clean out my every 6-8 months if not more if it does get more dirty.

[IceMan]

thx. i'll do th same, honestly i thought it was kinda like a deep sand bed LEAVE IT ALONE!!

[Proud Texan]

i just got it pics coming in a few days

[ianizaguirre]

pics should come now

[Proud Texan]

New Pics:

the tank:


stand:


aquarium with the lights on:


a look inside the stand:


k thats it for now guys! but i am getting some more equipment tomorrow and 160 lbs of live rock next thursday(26/06 i believe) so ill have some more pics very soon.

and also i Know its very cloudy but there is nothing i can do i cant get my filter running till tomorrow and it hasn't cleared up .... plus the water level is low that is because im in the process of filling it up and i can only fill it up 30 gallons every 1 1/2 days .

[ianizaguirre]

what overflow and return pump are you using

[Proud Texan]

im using a mag drive 9.5 as a return pump and a Eshopps PF-800 Overflow.

[pyromaniac398]

Looks great so far

[dinor2]

What kind of skimmer are you going to use?

[pogodzib]

Looking very nice Austin. It is tough to tell from the pics what lighting unit you have, but by using RO water, having a good amount of LR, using a refractometer, etc... you are well on your way to having a successful tank. Remember that the skimmer is usually considered the most critical piece of equipment so make sure you get a good unit. It is the only equipment that physically removed waste from your system. Wet/dry filters, LR, LS, and so forth only help to break waste down. If your lighting is sufficient and you want corals, you'll be able to turn your tank into a reef tank without any other upgrades.

BTW - There are many thoughts regarding bioballs. Most people will agree that they do a great job at breaking down ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. From there, people have varying thoughts. The key problems with bioballs is that they don't break the nitrate down into nitrogen gas and may in fact be too efficient at breaking down waste, and they become a place for waste to build up if not cleaned often. Most hobbyists have the best intention when they first start out, but then start doing maintenance less often, resulting in waste buildup in their bioballs. With the comment I posted above regarding the bioballs being too efficient, there are many very experience reef keepers that feel that bioballs are too efficient at beaking down waste into nitrate and that the LR or DSB can't convert the nitrate into nitrogen gas fast enough. By eliminating the bioballs, the skimmer, LR and sand bed becomes the primary source for breaking the waste down during all stages of the process so you can avoid having excess nitrate formation in your tank if you have enough LR and/or LS. A countless number of people on any reef keeping site will be able to tell you that they experienced a decrease in nitrates by doing nothing beside removing bioballs from their tank. I'm not saying that you can't try using your bioballs, I'm just saying that if you start running into nitrate issues, take a good look at your bioballs as being one of the primary sources, besides overfeeding.

[Proud Texan]

thx guys my skimmer is a coralife 125 gal i think

[Proud Texan]

new pics hot of the camera:

new skimmer just came today:


the tank all clear and sparkly:


my cluttered sump:

[geekdafied]

The whole thing about bio balls being nitrate factory are in regards to the old style sponge filled bio balls. The new bioballs, like Texan has, DO NOT fill up with detritus or other debrie. Cleaning the bio balls defeats the purpose of them. Liverock rubble is no where near as porous as the bio balls, and all the same critters that live in liverock, live in the bio ball habitats as well.

[Adam J]

Tanks looking good Austin!Updated pics keep the locals happy.

[Proud Texan]

New pics:
sry about the quality of the pics my camera is pretty cheap.

full tank shot:


another full tank shot


left side:


right side:


ok thats it for now and probably for a while since im cycling.

[pyromaniac398]

Nice LR. You gonna scape it?

[Proud Texan]

When i received the rock i only got 135 lbs of live rock. so i sent the Dr.'s an email long story short they gave me 125$ store credit because the where 25 lbs of target. So basically instead of just getting what they didn't put in they did that and with an extra 50$!Heres the 75$ for the missing rock and 50$ for your troubles. Really Cool!

[ianizaguirre]

what website was this???