FarmerTy Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I was aiming for 2", didn't factor in for my overflows though using their calculator and it came out just a tad deeper. I had some old metal window screen laying around the house so I cut it to fit. I'm sure a walk around Home Depot should find you what you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 I was aiming for 2", didn't factor in for my overflows though using their calculator and it came out just a tad deeper. I had some old metal window screen laying around the house so I cut it to fit. I'm sure a walk around Home Depot should find you what you need.Thanks Ty Wondering if I might have some sort of bacterial bloom making the water cloudy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Holy crap I must have missed your tank size. Never mind. I'd just add it and deal with the cloudiness lol. Rinsing that amount would take days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 Holy crap I must have missed your tank size. Never mind. I'd just add it and deal with the cloudiness lol. Rinsing that amount would take daysLOL already a little nervous about aquascaping this weekend :x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I would rinse as best as you can but don't kill yourself. Either way you'll be cycling the tank. Between the skimmer running and the long time before it finishes cycling, it'll be a non-issue when you are ready to slowly add stock. Go to my build thread and on the second or third page, you'll see my chocolate milk tank. It's currently holding fish and corals right now with no real issue. No water change either. The skimmer did pull out a bunch of gunk and the rest settled into the sand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 I would rinse as best as you can but don't kill yourself. Either way you'll be cycling the tank. Between the skimmer running and the long time before it finishes cycling, it'll be a non-issue when you are ready to slowly add stock. Go to my build thread and on the second or third page, you'll see my chocolate milk tank. It's currently holding fish and corals right now with no real issue. No water change either. The skimmer did pull out a bunch of gunk and the rest settled into the sand. Yeah looking at 1-2 months before I even think of adding anything. I'm not sure how much time I shaved off by Patrick helping me out and letting my rock cure for months at his place. The rock already has pods and some color on it. I wish I could fire the system up, but can't really until I add rock and sand to see how much water it displaces. Think things will look a lot nicer with the overflows and skimmer running. Might start setting up a 40 gallon QT in about a month to get a few Cardinals in... just good first fish to test the system out with. Don't want to lose any existing livestock or expensive fish if the tank isn't ready. Will look into a CUC as well if I start seeing more and more algae... thinking a bunch of nassarius, turbos, few stars, conch, cucumber and porcelain crabs. Just don't want to starve out the CUC. Might get a reef cleaners pack of nassarius first since they're cheap and we'll see what lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I would add sand now, ghost feed your tank (basically feed like you have fish but obviously don't... you can buy plastic fish if it makes you feel less crazy), run all your equipment (skimmer, heater, etc), then add the rock once the water clears (clarity-wise, not cycle-wise), and leave it alone for a month other than topping off water. No lights, unless you want to grow algae. For cleanup crew, add them as you need them or else they will die. Nassarius snails eat dead carrion or fish food only, not detritus. I would wait until you have fish in there before adding nassarius snails. I guess your ghost feeding will take care of them but they really serve no purpose until you have fish in there. They could help stir the sand at least if that is a goal of yours during the cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Otherwise, once ammonia and nitrite hit zero, slowly increase the bioload and give the system time to adjust to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 Yeah really not in too big of a rush... been chasing a big tank for like 3 years now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I added a bag of unrinsed aragonite and just put some filter foam in one of the sump baffles and it was clear overnight. No skimmer, here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+brian.srock Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 When I added a bag of CaribSea Live sand after pouring in all my 80lbs of dry sand it contained a little packet that was for cloudyness and within an hour it settled. I was amazed. "Clarifier will reposition free-floating bacteria to bio-filtration surfaces and rapidly clear any remaining cloudiness. When water is clear, most invertebrates may be placed in the aquarium." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Looking better Going to fire up the returns tonight, maybe add the skimmer this week some time. Ignore the powerhead placement and dry side paper towel magnet placeholder... also the random stacks of rock Oh yeah, just ordered 6 bags of special grade reef sand. Hopefully enough to get around 1.5" of sand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Water looks pretty much completely clear now after turning the system on last night. Going to also put in my skimmer and some filter padding to really clear it up. Looks like the only cloudiness left now is a little film on the acrylic. Going to wipe it down tonight with a magic eraser. Then it's off to whatever snow store I get adding sand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 That snowstorm from the sand will make the first bit of cloudiness look like nothing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 That snowstorm from the sand will make the first bit of cloudiness look like nothing!LOL yeah... I mean hopefully some filter pads will help out. Also probably 4-6 weeks out from anything going in the tank anyway... My wife is actually pressuring me to start looking at getting some 1st fish into QT. I said I would when I had my ATO and controller installed, rock done and sand in. She's normally the non-interested one... probably nearly 3 years of talking about big tanks, getting various ones and they deciding I wanted a bigger tank probably got to her... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Peter, I would make the wife happy, if I were you. Cycle your tank with mollies. They are very tame and easy to remove. I have caught them with my hands. Laissez la. Bonne temps roulee, Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Peter, I would make the wife happy, if I were you. Cycle your tank with mollies. They are very tame and easy to remove. I have caught them with my hands. Laissez la. Bonne temps roulee, Patrick Yeah I did take up a huge section of her house with the tank She wants me to get some Pajama Cardinals... they are pretty boring to me, but I guess I'm going to be picking 99% of what goes in. She's already upset she can't have a Clown Trigger lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 The only time that I have been seriously bitten by a fish was a trigger. They are vicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 The only time that I have been seriously bitten by a fish was a trigger. They are vicious.How bad was the bite? I was even worried about some large tangs trying to swipe me... Yeah also the Clown just seems to be far too aggressive to be a reef safe fish. I do think I'll end up trying a pair of Crosshatches toward the end of my stocking through. Such pretty fish and are supposed to be a bit more laid back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 It drew blood, when I jerked my hand, it tore meat in my thumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 What kind of Trigger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Seems really clear now after the rock and sand have gone in Haven't skimmed or run an pads yet either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 How long has the sand been in now? You add it last weekend? I put the same sand in and currently have the nasty sand storm. I'm trying to decide if I should keep the flow off to allow it to settle, or run it. Seems with the powerhead it'll never settle. Right now the full cycle running through the sump isn't set up. Another day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuxx Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 How long has the sand been in now? You add it last weekend? I put the same sand in and currently have the nasty sand storm. I'm trying to decide if I should keep the flow off to allow it to settle, or run it. Seems with the powerhead it'll never settle. Right now the full cycle running through the sump isn't set up. Another day. Hey Eric, We added the sand Sunday night around 8pm, then added about 80 lbs we didn't use back in on Monday morning. So realistically 2-3 days. We spend 7-8 hours outside on Sunday with a fine strainer and a garden hose and went through all 240 lbs one strainer full at a time until the water coming out was clear. Of course there was still a sand cloud, but it wasn't too bad. Have two WP60s and two 2400 gph return pumps in the sump running. Adding the skimmer and two WP25s in the sump today. Then the other 4 WP40s in a week or two. I also cleaned off all the pumps and powerheads yesterday from the fine gunk all over them. This is what it looked like late Monday and then Wednesday morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+brian.srock Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 The back of the chair threw me off for a second there. Thought you had a ladder installed to get into the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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