First time reef build -75g w/45g sump
- Thread starter Molli
- Start date
I've been gone a month visiting family in Arkansas. I left my tanks in the care of my husband. I left detailed instructions with him for various situations. A few things occurred while I was gone that weren't covered in my instructions... The first phone call I got was that the auto top off wasn't working anymore after switching the power cords to the new circuit that the electrician installed. Ok, no big deal, just turn the pump on manually when it dips below the mark on the sump.
The second call, the float valve on the RO/DI reservoir had gotten stuck somehow, and overflowed onto the carpet under the stand. With fans blowing on the carpet to dry it, he noticed the tank temp was 70. Or rather he thought he did. After some going back and forth we decided he was merely misreading the temp on the tiny cheapo thermometers. Related to the overflowing of the reservoir, I was concerned with the salinity. So I walked him through using the refractometer.
Through these issues he maintained that the coral and the single fish were 'fine'. I had doubts. I really wasn't surprised to come home after a month away and find...
Cheato growing in my display! So much in fact that it was shading all the little zoa plugs I'd been so very hopeful for. I'm quite sure they're all dead. No little nubs or anything, just coraline covered plugs now. So, I scooped out the mass of cheato.
Yup, lot of it. I cleaned the glass, disposed of the mop bucket of green spaghetti and counted myself lucky as I watched hermits scuttle after bits of debris dislodged from the mass. And then.. wth is that? zomg. AN URCHIN?
Where did I get that? It's a little bigger than a quarter. Any chance it's been eating my zoas? I mean, I'm sure the shading didn't help, but I have to wonder. Anyway, I'm back and paying attention to the tank again. Let's see what else turns up
The second call, the float valve on the RO/DI reservoir had gotten stuck somehow, and overflowed onto the carpet under the stand. With fans blowing on the carpet to dry it, he noticed the tank temp was 70. Or rather he thought he did. After some going back and forth we decided he was merely misreading the temp on the tiny cheapo thermometers. Related to the overflowing of the reservoir, I was concerned with the salinity. So I walked him through using the refractometer.
Through these issues he maintained that the coral and the single fish were 'fine'. I had doubts. I really wasn't surprised to come home after a month away and find...
Cheato growing in my display! So much in fact that it was shading all the little zoa plugs I'd been so very hopeful for. I'm quite sure they're all dead. No little nubs or anything, just coraline covered plugs now. So, I scooped out the mass of cheato.
Yup, lot of it. I cleaned the glass, disposed of the mop bucket of green spaghetti and counted myself lucky as I watched hermits scuttle after bits of debris dislodged from the mass. And then.. wth is that? zomg. AN URCHIN?
Where did I get that? It's a little bigger than a quarter. Any chance it's been eating my zoas? I mean, I'm sure the shading didn't help, but I have to wonder. Anyway, I'm back and paying attention to the tank again. Let's see what else turns up
A lot has happened since my last update, including a complete tear down and re set up of the whole system. My husband decided we needed a better stand, he didn't like the look of the one we had and once he gets an idea in his head there is no talking him out of it. I desperately didn't want to go through a tear down, but he insisted and eventually convinced me of how much better it would be.
We drained the water into large trash cans lined with trash bags and put all the rock inside. We used 1 45 gallon and 5 32 gallon trash cans. I kept out the nicest pieces and the ones with coral attached and put them into the tank I use to mix saltwater, along with the fish. The hardest fish to catch was the yellow watchman goby. He can be fast when he wants to. They helped me handle and remove a lot of the rocks, as some of them are pretty heavy. I made everyone wear heavy rubber gloves, in case they might get stung by something. Like the urchin.
I didn't take any pictures of the tanks being emptied, as I was too busy directing my help (husband and his cousin) and working. I did get a few though as they did the heavy lifting
Removing the refugium.
Moving the new stand into place.
The lurking urchin that helped convince everyone to wear their gloves
Everything in place, days later with both refugium lights and reef lights on (which never happens at the same time)
Shot from the reef side with the lights on their proper cycle.
On the right, reservoir and auto top off pump.
On the left, mixing station.
And the sump, with brand new skimmer and simplified plumbing. Hooray for simplified plumbing! Also, fun note, when we pulled the mass of cheato from the sump during tear down, I couldn't convince either of them that it was safe to handle without gloves.. I think I scared them about the tank being potentially full of stinging things.
Tonight when I cleaned the tank glass for pictures I found this guy lurking in the overflow. I think I will call him lurker. He seems to lurk alot.
Next post, coral!
We drained the water into large trash cans lined with trash bags and put all the rock inside. We used 1 45 gallon and 5 32 gallon trash cans. I kept out the nicest pieces and the ones with coral attached and put them into the tank I use to mix saltwater, along with the fish. The hardest fish to catch was the yellow watchman goby. He can be fast when he wants to. They helped me handle and remove a lot of the rocks, as some of them are pretty heavy. I made everyone wear heavy rubber gloves, in case they might get stung by something. Like the urchin.
I didn't take any pictures of the tanks being emptied, as I was too busy directing my help (husband and his cousin) and working. I did get a few though as they did the heavy lifting
Removing the refugium.
Moving the new stand into place.
The lurking urchin that helped convince everyone to wear their gloves
Everything in place, days later with both refugium lights and reef lights on (which never happens at the same time)
Shot from the reef side with the lights on their proper cycle.
On the right, reservoir and auto top off pump.
On the left, mixing station.
And the sump, with brand new skimmer and simplified plumbing. Hooray for simplified plumbing! Also, fun note, when we pulled the mass of cheato from the sump during tear down, I couldn't convince either of them that it was safe to handle without gloves.. I think I scared them about the tank being potentially full of stinging things.
Tonight when I cleaned the tank glass for pictures I found this guy lurking in the overflow. I think I will call him lurker. He seems to lurk alot.
Next post, coral!
And now, coral additions! Aren't you excited for me?
I picked this up at a frags for food event where you got a free frag for donating some canned food. I won't tell you how long ago that was since it's only grown a tiny bump since then and I'm ashamed of that. But, it is alive and that's a nice milestone, right?
Technically I didn't add this guy, he just showed up. He lived in the back of the tank, nicely visible through the rocks until tear down, when I carefully relocated him to the front. The flow is too strong there, but I'm scared to disturb him again. He seems ok so far.
Again, technically not an addition, they came in on the rock. One of them is much bigger than the others because I've been feeding it. They all have hard bases that they've been growing. Still not really sure what they are.
This is the last thing that came with the rock, not sure what it is either. But it's alive and growing.
An sps that I bought at Rap! It makes me nervous.
Zoas I bought at Rap.
Lobo and bubble coral I won at Rap.
Zoas I was given as the Las Vegas reefers next to our booth were draining their tank. They found it rolling around in the bottom and asked me if I wanted it. Of course I did.
That's all for now, thanks for reading
I picked this up at a frags for food event where you got a free frag for donating some canned food. I won't tell you how long ago that was since it's only grown a tiny bump since then and I'm ashamed of that. But, it is alive and that's a nice milestone, right?
Technically I didn't add this guy, he just showed up. He lived in the back of the tank, nicely visible through the rocks until tear down, when I carefully relocated him to the front. The flow is too strong there, but I'm scared to disturb him again. He seems ok so far.
Again, technically not an addition, they came in on the rock. One of them is much bigger than the others because I've been feeding it. They all have hard bases that they've been growing. Still not really sure what they are.
This is the last thing that came with the rock, not sure what it is either. But it's alive and growing.
An sps that I bought at Rap! It makes me nervous.
Zoas I bought at Rap.
Lobo and bubble coral I won at Rap.
Zoas I was given as the Las Vegas reefers next to our booth were draining their tank. They found it rolling around in the bottom and asked me if I wanted it. Of course I did.
That's all for now, thanks for reading
