# MiamiLeos first ever reef tank build!



## MiamiLeos

Just got the setup, 57 gallon rimless with all the bells and whistles. I was hesitant at first but I'm happy to have it now. It was hell to move by myself but so worth it! It's got 50 lbs of live sand (I think I'm going to have to get more, seems a bit shallow) and two large live rocks along with a bunch of baby hermits and some turbo snails. One of the rocks is submerged in a tub because it's got a little red mushroom on it that I hope makes it until tomorrow afternoon when I fill the tank. I'm really happy to see that it's got some coralline growing on the bottom and the rocks have a bit as well. I can't wait to get this baby up and running tomorrow. I'll post some more pics when I add the dry rock (from the incredible Marco Rocks). Should I add the rock first, then fill or fill first? I'm a little worried that without the water to support it, the rock will tumble.. Anyways, here's an empty pic :-D


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## Reefing Madness

Fill it half way to 2/3rds then add Rock, then fill in around with the sand. This ensures that the rock is on the bottom and can't be tunneled under and thus toppled by critters.

And also. CONGRADULATIONS!!!
:greenyay::redyay::blueyay::greenyay::redyay:


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## MiamiLeos

THANKS!!!!! I'm happy with it  Should I buy live sand or dead sand to fill it a bit more?


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## Reefing Madness

1-2" Sand bed will do ya, no need get anymore.


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## MiamiLeos

Really? It doesnt even come over the bottom black border in some places


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## wake49

I personally go with either less than an inch or or 4" of sand. Denitrification takes place in the depths of the sand bed; anaerobic bacteria complete the nitrogen process with an end result being nitrogen gas leaving the aquarium naturally. It is a good method of keeping Nirates in check.

The problem with a sand bed between 1" and 4" is that detritus gets caught up in sand and without the anaerobic layer of bacteria, results in a Nitrate spike over time.


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## sidluckman

ZACKLY!

With no burrowing fish, a deeper than one inch sand bed is a lot of needless maintenance. Worst advice I ever got as a novice was to buy two big ol bags of crushed coral as substrate for my first large FOWLR sustem. Boy was that tank a nitrate infected, algae-covered mess for the duration of its short life.

Thanks, fish dude who's no longer in business, wherever you are!


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## MiamiLeos

So in a reef system, would you guys agree that it's better to have a deep sand bed or the shallow 1" sand bed? Some places in the tank arent even 1" I would still prob buy a 10lb bag to get the whole floor up to an inch. That sure does sound easier on the wallet than another 5 bags lolol


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## MiamiLeos

BUT! I do plan to have a watchman goby, possibly another goby, and hopefully once the tank is established a manderin. Would these guys require the deep sand bed?


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## sidluckman

Mandarins need well established live rock with lots of 'pods.especially until they take to captive food. If they do. Deep substrate is not as essential to them. Research any fish like jawfish or wrasses you may want at some point. Not all wrasses bury themselves, but some do. Shrimp gobies burrow, I think. Gotta check them out species by species. They have very different lifestyles, so generalizations will get us all in trouble.


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## wake49

MiamiLeos said:


> BUT! I do plan to have a watchman goby, possibly another goby, and hopefully once the tank is established a manderin. Would these guys require the deep sand bed?


While I agree with what sid said, I do think that a deep sand bed is beneficial to Mandarin, as pods have a tendency to reproduce in the sand as well as the rock. The watchman definitely needs a deep sand bed.


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## Bacon Is Good

Warning the wrasses and manderin might fight because of the copepods


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## Reefing Madness

Might be better if you had a sump for the PODS to grow in to get an abundance of them before adding a Mandarin. Unless yoiu get one that has been weened off of them and will eat prepared foods.


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## sidluckman

I would love to have a mandarin, but that sounds like butterfly heart-ache all over again! If I do try it, I would set up a tank with this guy in mind, big refugium, and prayer.


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## MiamiLeos

The mandarin isnt going to be in the picture until at least 6 months from now. I do plan to add pods to the sump with some chaeto for them to reproduce. Wrasses are not on my stocking list as of now, but you never know. my LFS has manderins that are weaned tofish food but I want to have the pods too. 

On a side note, as I walked into the room just now, I think my tank was making a clicking/tapping sort of sound. I'm not positive it was the tank, but it's the only thing new in the room and I've never heard this sound before. Is my tank going to explode? @[email protected]


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## Reefing Madness

Mantis Shrimp ??


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## sidluckman

How much live rock and from where? Should a Mantis Shrimp be present, it is better this happens now than later.


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## Pearl2011

Mantis shrimp? Like the ones that can hit with 100+ pound of force in less then a quarter of a second? 
Those things are cool.


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## Reefing Madness

LOL. Yea they are cool, but 10g tanks can be broken by them.


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## Pearl2011

Reefing Madness said:


> LOL. Yea they are cool, but 10g tanks can be broken by them.


Usually you don't have to worry about you tanks being shattered by a shrimp:shock:


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## Reefing Madness

ROFL. These guys can crack em up but good.


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## Pearl2011

Thats insane! What size tank would they need? Or what thickness of glass?


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## Reefing Madness

Acrylic tanks are recommended for that size tank. And thicker glass bottoms for the larger tanks. But I believe the 220g and larger are thick enough not to break. Not entirely sure on that one, yet.


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## Pearl2011

So I need a 220g tank . . . for a shrimp?? I'll just turn him into dinner, thank you very much. (pass the sauce, please)


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## Reefing Madness

No. You can put him in an Acrylic tank. Those are alot tougher for them to break.


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## MiamiLeos

There is a tiny shrimp in there. It's kind of brownish grey and slightly over an inch long...


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## MiamiLeos

he's got blue leg and reddish/brown pincer claws


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## Pearl2011

What is the difference between acrylis and glass? Acrylic scatches more easily, but is stronger, and glass is weaker but doesn't scratch much. Too bad they cant combine the 2.
What do you prefer reef? I have only had glass and plastic.


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## Reefing Madness

Don't know what he is. Is he out in the open?
Mantis shrimp, Odontodactylus scyallarus


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## Reefing Madness

I prefer Starphire Glass over them all.
Normal Glass has a green hue to it, I don't care for that, but thats what you get with it.
Acrylic, yoiu have to worry about how many years down the road before you have to tear the tank down to buff out the scratches.
Starphire Glass, is low iron glass, and its much clearer than normal glass, it doesn't have that green hue to it. The stuff may be heavieer than acrylic, but you don't have to worry about taking it down to buff out scratches.


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## Pearl2011

https://www.google.ca/search?q=mantis+shrimp&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=MXtCUN1CxNuKApvCgLAE&biw=1280&bih=861&sei=NXtCULjHKa3MigKk3YGwCQ#um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=mantis+shrimp+juneville&oq=mantis+shrimp+juneville&gs_l=img.3...15839.20100.0.20232.10.10.0.0.0.0.70.581.10.10.0...0.0...1c.riYj20m1zR8&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=85bf63e32e352daa&biw=1280&bih=861

Does it look like that? Thats a juneville, they color up as they get older.


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## MiamiLeos

Here is the shrimp in question..


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## Reefing Madness

Very cool. No Mantis Shrimp though.


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## Reefing Madness

Can't really tell, but is probably a Pistol Shrimp, or Tiger Shrimp.
Tiger Snapping Shrimp


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## Pearl2011

Looks like a lobster almost.


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## Pearl2011

Saltwater Aquarium Inverts for Marine Reef Aquariums: Spiny Lobster, Blue

Like that? That one has the blue. I'm just comparing it to pictures.


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## Reefing Madness

Now those are VERY COOL!!!


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## Pearl2011

I know!! Saw something like that in my freinds river when we were snorkelling. 
She named him goergie.


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## MiamiLeos

I dont really care if he is or is not in there, I just hope it was him making that noise not the tank. It's nearly filled and nothing out of the ordinary so thats good. Do you think this shrimp will pick on corals? ...wondering if I should get rid of it. Should I get rid of all the tiny crabs? They're in shells so I guess they're a kind of hermit crab.


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## MiamiLeos

The tank has a few scratches on the inside with some algae growth in them, so theres green lines on the front of the tank. Anyway I can get rid of these scratches?


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## Pearl2011

If the is what reef suggested, then its fine, if it is the lobster LA says with caution.


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## Reefing Madness

If its a Pistol or Tiger Shrimp, your safe. The Pistol Shrimp can make an aweful loud bang.
You can't get rid of the scratches inside the tank now. You have had buffed them out prior to adding water.


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## MiamiLeos

It's not fully full yet, the scratches are not submerged. How do I buff them??


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## wake49

Can your fingernail catch them? I had a 135 with scratches that I brought to a glass shop. They said that if my fingernail can catch them, they cannot be ground out without distorting the glass.


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## Reefing Madness

Here ya go:


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## MiamiLeos

Yea, my fingernail catches them :/ I'm hoping once the scratches are submerged you wont be able to see them. On the bright side, I've seen at least 3 types of teeny tiny creatures. Not sure if they're pods, baby shrimp, or what but I'm sure they will be eaten when the first fish come lol. I'm decently happy with the aquascape. For some reason I feel like there's too much rock. Once it clears up I'll take a pic to see what you guys think


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## Pearl2011

For the scartches you could just try and make them less noticable with that or turn the tank around.


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## MiamiLeos

The tank is reef ready, it's only got one back and one front lol. I'm hoping they wont be noticeable once cleaned and the tank filled.


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## Reefing Madness

Those scratches won't be seen once its filled. They will however be seen when algae fills them in. I get that problem.


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## Pearl2011

Reefing Madness said:


> Those scratches won't be seen once its filled. They will however be seen when algae fills them in. I get that problem.


I had that problem in my two gallon betta tank. Paper towels and tooth brushes are your friend.


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## MiamiLeos

Tooth brush! I didnt think of that!

Do you guys think I have too much rock? The two live rocks that came with the tank were way bigger than I thought they'd be


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## Reefing Madness

Pearl2011 said:


> I had that problem in my two gallon betta tank. Paper towels and tooth brushes are your friend.


 Tooth Brush won't take out Coralline Algae unfortunetly.


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## Reefing Madness

How many pound do you have in there?


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## MiamiLeos

It's 50lbs of dead rock from Marco Rocks plus the two live which are probably about 5-7lbs each. It's a 57gal tank.


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## MiamiLeos

There will be another 4" of water once it's full and running


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## Reefing Madness

:thumbsup:


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## MiamiLeos

So not too much? It doesnt seem too crowded? I see that a lot of reef tanks have several inches between the rocks and the tank wall, mine are about one inch from the wall on the sides, nearly touching in the back, and anywhere from one to three inches away in the front.


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## wake49

The more Live Rock the better! Live Rock harbors denitrifying bacteria deep within their structures, so the more live rock, the better your natural filtration.


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## Pearl2011

I loveeee the rock!! The arches are so neat without looking artificial!! *looks and my tank* Stupid fake plants.


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## MiamiLeos

Thanks guys, I like the rock a lot too. Just wanted to be sure there was enough room for fish! lol

Pearl - The rock is all from Marco Rocks. They are fantastic!!! Great prices, free shipping, and it was at my door in literally 24 hours!


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## Reefing Madness

You can always break the rock up, and make smaller pieces to fit where ever.


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## Pearl2011

MiamiLeos said:


> Pearl - The rock is all from Marco Rocks. They are fantastic!!! Great prices, free shipping, and it was at my door in literally 24 hours!


Seriously?! Do you know if they ship to Canada? They would be soo cool if they did! 
The _free _shipping and _great_ price are my fav, by a long shot 

EDIT: They dont, that sucks. Although I did learn that no states start with the letter B. YOu never know when this fact may come in handy  Although I'm guessing you guys are American and know that already . . .


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## MiamiLeos

It says they do ship to Canada, doesnt say if shipping is free to Canada but deff check it out! The rocks I got were all huge, super porous, and interesting shapes. They wrap them good with bubble wrap so there wasnt nearly as much breakage as I thought there would be. A+ for Marco Rocks!


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## Pearl2011

Hmm, I didnt have to option to chhose my prov. I'll look again though. I prob missed the thing to change it to Canada>.<


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## MiamiLeos

Ok guys, have to report some bad news. When we unloaded the tank and equipment we forgot to unload the skimmer, filter, and plumbing. The guy said he would come back with it but now he's not answering his phone, email, or text messages. I'm really upset right now. I have no idea how to plumb an aquarium like this and dont even know where to start. I'm super upset about this :'(


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## Pearl2011

So in theorie he stole the stuff? Keep calling him. If in a couple days if he still doesn't get back to you could report him. You have his name and stuff, right?


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## MiamiLeos

I forgot his name, all I have is his phone number and email. He seemed really nice and offered to drop it off but last night either his phone died or he's blocking my calls. If his phone died thats fine, but I would think it would be back on by now :/


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## Reefing Madness

I can help you plumb the tank, thats not a problem. All the stuff he still has, is the problem. That pretty much sucks.


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## MiamiLeos

Yea, really what I'm upset about is that he has the skimmer. I was going to redo the filter and and somehow incorporate it into a sump/refugium using a spare empty aquarium I have. It was just a bio ball filter so nothing I needed really, BUT THE SKIMMER!!!!! THAT I need... and all the hoses and what not to connect everything to the tank.


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## Reefing Madness

Yea, that crap happens all the time with buys like that.


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## MiamiLeos

:''''''(((((


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## MiamiLeos

Still no answer. I tried calling from a friends phone and got the same result, so maybe he lost his phone or something. Idk, I'm just glad I was able to knock him down to $425. Now hopefully I can find a skimmer for under $100 somewhere. But I still have to figure out how to plumb the whole damn thing! I know I could figure it out if I had all the pieces in front of me, but I dont! UGH!!!

Anyways, I rescaped the left side. I didnt think the mushroom would like that much light and flow so I moved that rock to the bottom. It seems to be doing okay. Prob would be doing better if I had a FILTER


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## MiamiLeos

p.s.

sorry about the dirty glass


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## Tazman

Marco rocks do ship to Canada but it is not free and you have to email them your details to be able to get an accurate quote.

I ordered off them and it was slapped with an import duty fee at customs. This may not happen to everyone but beware that you are liable for it.


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## MiamiLeos

Theres a new, in box, Coralife 65gal skimmer for sale for $75 on craigslist. Can I get this one or will it make a really big difference if I get a 125 gal skimmer?


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## Reefing Madness

Protein Skimmer Filer Power Pump Large Aquarium Fish Tank Sal Water New | eBay


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## MiamiLeos

Reefing how do you DO THAT!??!? I spent like an hour on Ebay! lmfao! Thanks again for coming to the rescue. The price is great, evens out my purchase to the original $500 it was supposed to be so I dont feel so bad. Now, to get the refugium set up and figure out what I need for plumbing.. o.0


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## Reefing Madness

:-D. Can give references on that Skimmer also, from a guy who just set it up. Recently from here.
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/saltwater-aquariums/protein-skimmer-setup-112325/

As far as the plumbing goes, you'll need 1" pvc for your flow to sump, and 3/4"-1" return pvc to the tank. 1" pvc using 1 pipe and your looking at getting a pump that will accomodate 600gph return after head loss.
So the Quiet One 4000 is 991gph to start and 621gph at 5' of head loss. Or we go with the 3000 model at 4' head loss for 611gph.


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## MiamiLeos

I do have the return pump it came with.. let me see if I can figure out how many gallons it pushes out


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## Reefing Madness

MiamiLeos said:


> I do have the return pump it came with.. let me see if I can figure out how many gallons it pushes out


 :thumbsup:


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## MiamiLeos

It says:

FR 600 Submersable Pump
Impedence Protected
115V. 60Hz 0.75A
Enclosure Type 3


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## MiamiLeos

After looking online, I believe it pumps 600 gph.. do I need to get another one?


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## MiamiLeos

If I put the 10gal refugium on a stand or something I can bring the headloss down to 3 feet


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## Reefing Madness

That should do ya.


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## MiamiLeos

Oh sweet. Thought I was gonna have to drop another $80. Cant wait for the skimmer to arrive so I can start on the sump! 

Something else I also have is supposedly a UV sterilizer. I would like to use this, but I dont see anything resembling a light bulb or anywhere light would come from. It's basically a long tube with a small box with suction cups connected to it. What is this?? LOL


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## Reefing Madness

I don't know what it is exactly but if its a UV, don't worry about it.


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## MiamiLeos

I thinks it's a "Green Killing Machine." It says UV sterilizer on it. I will use it if it's beneficial, but I'm worried it will take out beneficial bacteria and small organisms like pods and such.

I'm looking at how to plumb the aquarium. I keep seeing this purple glue stuff that people use to seal pvc joints and such. Is this just silicone?


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## wake49

MiamiLeos said:


> I thinks it's a "Green Killing Machine." It says UV sterilizer on it. I will use it if it's beneficial, but I'm worried it will take out beneficial bacteria and small organisms like pods and such.
> 
> I'm looking at how to plumb the aquarium. I keep seeing this purple glue stuff that people use to seal pvc joints and such. Is this just silicone?


I have a small version of this UV that I throw on a tank every once in a while if I have cyano or ich or maybe just green water. I use it primarily on smaller tanks (the 16 I am currently setting up used to be my QT and this ran on it whenever I bought a fish...). If you do run it in the sump, then you will kill pods, though not necessarily all of them. This type of UV is freestanding, as opposed to other UVs that are hard plumbed into the return which will kill all the pods and anything else entering the display.

The purple stuff around PVC joints is primer for the glue. It is not 100% neccesary, but a lot of people like to use to ensure the glue fitting.


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## Reefing Madness

The glue you don' treally have to use on the intake side of things, water going to the sump. But you might want to use it on the return, as yoiu will have some pressure there from the pump itself.


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## MiamiLeos

Oh this waiting is killing me! I cant wait for the skimmer to get here so I can plumb the tank. (I cant start on the sump yet until I know how much space the skimmer is gonna need. It's a 10 gallon, so I want as big of a fuge section as I can afford.) I'm a bit more confident about my pvc pipe skills after watching a few videos and reading some more stuff. I'm ready to get started!!! In the mean time, Ill have to be entertained by the 10+ blue leg hermits and one lonely turbo snail that currently inhabit my aquarium. I just hope the levels dont get too high and kill them all off, I'm rather fond of them, and the red mushroom too.

I'm going back and forth on weather or not to get a heater. Over the past few days the water temp has been from 78.5 to 74.6, usually hitting about 76.5*F. I live in south FL so it's warm here except for maybe a few weeks of winter if we're lucky.


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## MiamiLeos

Skimmer came, looks good from what I can tell. I'm in bed sick today though so I didnt get to set it up or anything. As soon as I'm feeling better I'm going to set up the sump and get this thing going! The skimmer is much bigger than I expected. I will prob not be able to lift the sump up off the floor, so the head loss stays at 4'. Please tell me I'll be okay with the 600gph pump with 3/4" pipe


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## wake49

MiamiLeos said:


> Skimmer came, looks good from what I can tell. I'm in bed sick today though so I didnt get to set it up or anything. As soon as I'm feeling better I'm going to set up the sump and get this thing going! The skimmer is much bigger than I expected. I will prob not be able to lift the sump up off the floor, so the head loss stays at 4'. Please tell me I'll be okay with the 600gph pump with 3/4" pipe


This is a reef-ready tank, correct? If that is the case, then a 600 gph pump with 4' of head will be fine if you don't care about the slower movement of water. Its not like it will stop pumping because of the 4', and it will only drain what is pumped into the tank. Just add another powerhead to increase flow within the DT.


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## MiamiLeos

Yes, it's reef ready 57 gallon with a 600 and a 700 gph powerheads. Some of the corals I want to eventually get prefer low/moderate flow. If I get another powerhead, will it be too much for them?


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## wake49

MiamiLeos said:


> Yes, it's reef ready 57 gallon with a 600 and a 700 gph powerheads. Some of the corals I want to eventually get prefer low/moderate flow. If I get another powerhead, will it be too much for them?


Well, you can create areas of low flow by positioning powerheads in different ways, and also using a low-flow powerhead, like a Koralia nano.


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## MiamiLeos

Ok cool, I'll get another one that has a lower flow rate. I really wish I wasnt so sick right now. I was able to put the skimmer together but I'm beat


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## MiamiLeos

Finally, I'll be on my way to Lowes tomorrow to get all the plumbing and the glass baffles to complete the sump. One question about the PVC pipe.. Do I want to use 1" for everything? Or 1" from tank to sump and 3/4" from sump to tank? The return pump is rated for 600gph and it's a reef ready tank.


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## Reefing Madness

1" for everything. Less restrictions, especially for the return, you want the most out of the pump you use.


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## MiamiLeos

Thanks! Good thing I asked. Going to the store tomorrow


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## bigehugedome

Parking myself here so I can watch your progress! Looks good so far.


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## MiamiLeos

Haha welcome! We can be spies of eachothers threads lmao


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## MiamiLeos

Just put the 20gal in the under cabinet and hooooly cow talk about a tight fit! I am not kidding when I say there is ZERO wiggle room. If it would have been 1ml longer it wouldnt have fit. I'm just glad it's in!!!


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## MiamiLeos

Went to Lowes and got everything except the glass. Their cutting machine was broken and they only carry 1/8" glass anyways. I called the guy who takes care of my cousins aquarium and he told me where I can get glass cut. He also tried to sell me some stuff and told me how I should change my setup. Lol. He's a nice guy though. Anyways, no sump for me tonight


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## Reefing Madness

:-(


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## MiamiLeos

:sob::sob::sob:


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## wake49

MiamiLeos said:


> Went to Lowes and got everything except the glass. Their cutting machine was broken and they only carry 1/8" glass anyways. I called the guy who takes care of my cousins aquarium and he told me where I can get glass cut. He also tried to sell me some stuff and told me how I should change my setup. Lol. He's a nice guy though. Anyways, no sump for me tonight


I always use 1/4" Plexiglass for my baffles, as they are a lot less likely to shatter and are easier to cut (like on a table saw). Most lumberyards and hardware stores will cut it to size for you.

Take a read of this article: Understanding Sumps. One of our members wrote it and it is very thorough. Good information.


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## MiamiLeos

The plexiglass was almost $60!


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## wake49

MiamiLeos said:


> The plexiglass was almost $60!


How much were you buying?! We sell it at my hardware store for $4 a square foot, tops!


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## MiamiLeos

I need four pieces that are 8 1/2" x 11 3/4". They had a sheet that was like 18" x 36" or something and yea, $60!!!


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## wake49

We sell it for $9 a square foot here, my bad. But that still would only be $40! What a rip off!

I know that glass is cheap, like $10 for that same size. I just hate working with it...


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## MiamiLeos

It looks like I'm gonna have to use 3/4" pvc for the return instead of 1". The two pre drilled holes are two different sizes. The guy at the LFS said that the 3/4" one should be for the return and the 1" should be for the drain. Sigh. Back to Home Depot for some new pvc fittings. On the bright side, I did get the glass baffles from a local glass shop.


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## MiamiLeos

Will the 3/4" pvc restrict the pump too much? The guy at the LFS said it would be better because it would create pressure since the pump is only 600gph in a 57gal tank. But I thought the point of 1" pvc was to not restrict the pump?


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## Reefing Madness

MiamiLeos said:


> Will the 3/4" pvc restrict the pump too much? The guy at the LFS said it would be better because it would create pressure since the pump is only 600gph in a 57gal tank.* But I thought the point of 1" pvc was to not restrict the pump*?


 Bingo, 100% correct. On a return from a sump, yoiu don't want any restrictions, you want true flow.


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## MiamiLeos

So how do I get around this?? Do I make the intake 3/4"? One of them has to be, because that's what size bulkhead will fit.


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## Reefing Madness

Ah rats. You'll have to go with the return as 3/4. Don't do it to the intake. You will be ok, your return will just be alittle under gph of what you were planning.


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## MiamiLeos

Darn. If I add another power head will it compensate for the loss of the return?


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## Reefing Madness

Returns from a Sump are not usually calculated as flow.


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## MiamiLeos

Oh ok. So my tank will be okay with this then?


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## Reefing Madness

Yup.


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## MiamiLeos

I dont think the universe wants me to have this tank. I just now FINALLY got everything together and was sitting down to silicone the baffles and plumb the tank. So I go to start the silicone and the whole top half of the tube is dried. The damn thing explodes out the backside. I was just at Lowes again today and thought about picking up a second tube for a back up.


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## Reefing Madness




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## MiamiLeos

I'm feeling really discouraged  Like I'll never get this tank running!


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## Reefing Madness

Na, no worries. Patience. You will have it in no time.


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## MiamiLeos

:frustrated::frustrated::frustrated:

I sure hope so


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## Reefing Madness

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## MiamiLeos

Of course, my cousin took the saw and has it in his car, which is not at the house. Nothing to cut the pvc with. Beyond frustration right now.


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## Reefing Madness

PVC cutter, I don't like using saws for that.
Ratcheting PVC Cutter-T012 X at The Home Depot


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## MiamiLeos

I gotta go out and buy something else again?? lolol I seriously underestimated the learning curve on this one lmao. It seemed so simple!!!


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## Reefing Madness

Well, no not really. This thing is much easier and faster on pvc than a saw. Just an idea.


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## MiamiLeos

Yea I'm gonna get it, have a lot of pvc to cut lol. Thanks again, your name should be on this tank hahahaha


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## Reefing Madness

I'm not doing any of the work, just givin a hand.


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## MiamiLeos

A big hand! I'd be so lost man... like when I drive without my gps..


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## Reefing Madness




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## MiamiLeos

is it possible to get high on silicone? :demented:

Just glued the first baffle and holy smokes does that stuff have an odor!


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## Reefing Madness

Yea, thats good stuff aint' it.


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## MiamiLeos

I'm serious man! I was light headed after the first one! lol. Held my breath and opened a window after that


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## Reefing Madness

Oh well yea, on a serious note, you should do it outside, in a well ventilated garage.


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## MiamiLeos

I would have rather done it outside for sure, just for ease of access, but the dang tank fits so tightly under my stand that it would be a mission to get it out. And then I worried about the baffles coming undone when having to squeeze it back under.. so I'm kind of stuck with doing everything while it's still in the tank stand, which is not exactly easy. I've got 2 out of 4 glued so far and they look good so I'll get the other two in today. The first two were the hard ones. Hopefully I'll be able to plumb it today too


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## Reefing Madness




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## MiamiLeos

Baffles are glued and plumbing is cut and in place! The refugium turned out being a bit smaller than I would have liked but I would rather have a good size return section so I dont have to worry about the pump running dry if too much water evaporates. All that's left to do is prime and glue the pipes and wait 24 hours for everything to cure!!!


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## Reefing Madness

Right on!!


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## MiamiLeos

Holy cow!!! And I thought the silocone was strong!!! Geez! Glad I did the primer and glue outside! But I have to do parts of it inside, to glue everything to the bulkhead. I'm sure my whole house is gonna stank after this


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## Reefing Madness

Umm, yea pretty much stanky. You waiting 24hrs for the silicone to set up?


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## MiamiLeos

Yea, theres no water in the sump until tomorrow evening. Everything will have been drying for more than 24 hours by then. I'm really not looking forward to having my room smell like this lol. I already have a bit of a headache from it outside


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## MiamiLeos

Alrighty, everythings glued and in place. I took some pics to see what you guys think. My only real concern is with the drain pipes. I've seen people use no elbows, one elbow, and two elbows (like I have here). I really just want the quietest set up possible. The drain pipes arent glued so things can be changed if needed. What do ya'll think?

return on left, drain on right


















return on left, drain on right









sump, left


















sump right









It's not the prettiest sump, but cut me some slack, I had to glue all the baffles without taking the tank out from under the stand lol. All I care is that it works and I think it will. ANY suggestions welcome! If I'm gonna change anything it's going to be now, so all comments and opinions welcome!


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## Reefing Madness

LOOKS GREAT !!


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## MiamiLeos

Yea?? Do you think I should glue the drain pipe into the bulkhead? If the power goes out, I know the sump can handle the excess water from the pipes and such, but I'm not sure if it could take everything from the overflow too. So I'm wondering if the pipe may slowly leak it into the sump because it's not glued... However.. it would be nearly impossible to disassemble this then. Would have to cut something.


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## Reefing Madness

Sure, you could glue the drain line in place. You could use a PVC Union just a fwe inches form the bottom there, this will allow you to remove the pipe from the sump if yoiu had an issues.
Shop pvc union at Lowes.com: Search Results


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## MiamiLeos

Awesome thanks! For now I siliconed it. Makes me feel better about it not leaking and I know I can detach the pipe if I need to. 

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!! I WANT TO RUN IT NOOOWWWWW!!!!!!!!

Should I go get the live sand and chaeto for the fuge now or should I wait, run it empty to see how everything works, then add the sand and chaeto?


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## bigehugedome

MiamiLeos said:


> Awesome thanks! For now I siliconed it. Makes me feel better about it not leaking and I know I can detach the pipe if I need to.
> 
> I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!! I WANT TO RUN IT NOOOWWWWW!!!!!!!!
> 
> Should I go get the live sand and chaeto for the fuge now or should I wait, run it empty to see how everything works, then add the sand and chaeto?


 
ugh so jealous.... looks great:-D

Im not an expert, but my though would be ro run it empty incase you have an issue........ IMHO......i just wouldnt want you to spot an issue after the fuge is setup....i may be wrong since you know...i never ever did this before....haha:-D


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## MiamiLeos

Yea, I'm thinking I should hold my anxiousness and run it empty as well. I dont have any fish even so a fuge isnt going to be any great benefit right now anyways. I cant wait till the skimmer cleans up the water though! It's been sitting in the DT for about 2 weeks with just powerheads for movement. Theres def a nice "skin" on top of it lolol


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## Reefing Madness

Leave it dry. You've got plenty of time. See, me.....I woulda waited for the siliceon to dry. Pushing it in, you can tell if its dried on the inside. I woulda run the thing myself. I'm like you guys, I get impatient. Never had any trouble with it though, or else I woulda probably stopped doing it. But, thats me. Make up the water that will go into the tank, that will take a 24hour to mix up.


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## MiamiLeos

I know I can't wait to put water in it and turn it on!!!! I'm dying!!!! lolol The waters ready and waiting too. Just watching the glue and silicone dry now.. tick... tock...


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## Reefing Madness




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## MiamiLeos

AHHHH can I fill it up yet!?!?!? lol


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## Reefing Madness




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## MiamiLeos

I had a nightmare last night that the sump couldnt hold the excess water from the overflow D= AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!


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## Reefing Madness

Welp, its alittle tough to explain but, you can adjust how much water goes back into the sump, via the reutrn line and the intake line. The intake line should not be glued, this way yoiu can remove it and put in either a longer line or a shorter line. This will allow yoiu to control how much water goes back to the sump by how far into the water the head goes. Next, there should be a hole drilled into the return line, so that when the water goes below that line it break the syphon, or point the return head just at the water surface, so that its just under the water line. Utilizing both of these options will keep the water in the Sump during a blackout.


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## MiamiLeos

The Stupid bulk head is LEAKING!!! WHY???


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## Reefing Madness

Did you overtighten? Most try to tighten the crap out of them and pinch off the gasket. I use silicone on both sides of mine.


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## MiamiLeos

I think they werent tight enough. I made three trips to Home Depot trying to find a wrench that fit with no luck! I twisted the pipes enough to where it's not leaking now, but the overflow is only 1/4 full. Do you put the silicone on the glass then screw in the bulkhead? Or screw the bulkheads, then put silicone over them?


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## Reefing Madness

I put the silicone down then screw the bulkheads in. The silicone creates its own seal.


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## MiamiLeos

Killin me smalls. lol. Draining the water out of the overflow now. Oye. My head is killin me. I was about ready to sell the whole flippin thing. And on top of that, the jerk bag at the LFS sold me a bulkhead with only one rubber disc, which is part of the reason it was leaking in the first place. Luckily I had the bulkhead that came with the tank and took a rubber disc from that one. Ugh. Hopefully I can get this done tonight. I ended up having to cut the drain pipe as well in order to screw the bulkhead in tight enough, so had to go to Home Depot for a coupling. BLAH


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## MiamiLeos

I was able to unscrew one and put silicone under it, but the other one I'm not able to unscrew so I put silicone over the top of it. UGH >.< I feel like this is never going to be finished.


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## Reefing Madness

ALMOST DONE!!!! Should be ready tomorrow!!! Be READY FOR THE WATER!!!


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## MiamiLeos

I'm debating whether or not I should try again to unscrew the other bulk head and put silicone under it.. The silicone on top looks pretty good, but looks can be deceiving. Once I put the second rubber disc on it, it wasnt leaking so idk.. I'm on the fence. If it's good now I dont want to screw it up, but, I don't want a leak later on :/


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## Reefing Madness

Silicone will keep it from leaking later on.


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## MiamiLeos

It's on top though, smeared on. Not under like the other one. I guess if theres a problem later I could just do what I did today and drain the overflow to make modifications. PITA though..


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## Reefing Madness

Good stuff though. At least you know you can if you had to.


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## MiamiLeos

Well, it holds water. I glued the pipe back together. Do I have to wait another 24 hours to turn everything on?


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## Reefing Madness

If your worried about the pvc pipe glue, then no waiting, that stuff sets up immediately.


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## MiamiLeos

Omg.. Could it really be?? Is it time??? mg::greenyay::blueyay::welldone::redyay:


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## Reefing Madness




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## MiamiLeos

Somethings wrong! The return pump is working, but the water isnt draining into the sump


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## Reefing Madness

Do you have the air line from your overflow box hooked up to a powerhead in the sump?


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## MiamiLeos

What's an air line and I never knew the sump needed a powerhead


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## Reefing Madness

Did you finally get it ironed out?

This is the best Pic I could find of the water level ver the pvc pipe. (intake pipe)
Durso Standpipes


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## MiamiLeos

That's what it looked like before when it wasnt working. Taz got it working by removing the U and just having a straight piece of pvc. Now the skimmers not working tho


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## MiamiLeos

I'm ready to give up for the night


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## Reefing Madness

MiamiLeos said:


> That's what it looked like before when it wasnt working. Taz got it working by removing the U and just having a straight piece of pvc. Now the skimmers not working tho


 Yea, they just run alittle nosy that way. But thats how they are meant to run. But, they do work with the Durso installed.


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## MiamiLeos

I think it's finally running... Pray for no floods tonight.. I'm so tired lol


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## MiamiLeos

Well, no floods! Whew! Everything is still running good. However, in the middle of the night I woke up to a loud gurgling/slurping noise (freaked me out to say the least). It's the drain pipe. Idk why it does it, but every so often, sometimes every 5 mins, sometimes every hour, it makes this loud noise as it sucks in the water. Sort of sounds like when you're at the bottom of a soft drink slurping through a straw. Anyways, Idk why it's doing this. It will go on from anywhere from 5 seconds, to 5 mins... and it's rather annoying. Is the top of the pipe too close to the surface of the water? How can I fix this?


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## Reefing Madness

Yea, figured it was going to be noisy. Get just a small piece of pvc stick a 90 elbow on it and put the on the intake side. That will quiet it down. That's why the big Durso Pioe is used, the one you took off, it quiets the gurgling down but yiu don't need it that big. The 90 degree elbow will work just fine. And I'm only talking like usig a 4" piece of pvc.


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## MiamiLeos

Ok, for that to work I'm pretty sure I have to shorten the vertical pipe then.


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## wseidl515

If I may ask a question here, looking at the top view of the overflow should there not be a small hole in the top of the 90 that's on the drain to allow it to siphon? That's the way my overflow is set up and you can't hear it at all. Just a question though.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Reefing Madness

Your only going to use a 4" vertical pipe, if that. Yiu want thus thing on the bottom of yiur overflow. No reason to give it any height.


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## MiamiLeos

The reason I want to give it height is because my sump can not handle the entire volume of the overflow


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## Reefing Madness

Huh? Whats the height go to do with the overflow? Its still going to flow, wether its 4" or 12". I don't get it. ? Put a vlalve on the intake side going into the sump. ?? This will slow it down, but is your return pump going to pump more than whats being drained?


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## MiamiLeos

The overflow fills up with water. If I shorten the pipe, more water from the overflow will go into my sump in the event of a power outage. I can't have all of it going in.


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## Reefing Madness

No it won't. When the pump shuts off, no more water goes into that overflow. If the overflow is macthed up, then only a few inches would go into the sump, thats how they work. You have to have a low and a high on the sump, the high would be the greatest point at which if you had an outage the water returning from both lines and the overflow would not fill the sump totally.


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## MiamiLeos

So you're telling me, that when the overflow is full, and if there is no pipe in the drain bulkhead, that the entire overflow will not drain into the sump? That can't be.


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## Reefing Madness

Your overflow fills all the way up? Then you are correct, you want it higher. Didn't think it filled up, if the pvc is big enough to handle the flow, it wouldn't. So then you would need it to be higher. Right on.


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## MiamiLeos

:frustrated::frustrated::frustrated:


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## Reefing Madness

No, No. Never mind me, i'm just being technical. It will work the way you were thinking about it. But now we are just going back to the Durso Standpipe that I was referring to before.


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## MiamiLeos

cut the pipe down an inch, which was a mission in such a tight space, and tried the durso again. same thing happened that happened before, so I put a 90* elbow on it and it's a bit quieter. oye.


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## MiamiLeos

and i think i may be losing my mushroom


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## MiamiLeos

These scratches in the front of my tank are really bothering me.. you can see them so much more when the lights are on. Didnt there used to be an infomercial for a liquid you rubbed on eye glasses to remove scratches? Theres gotta be something to fix this!!!!


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## Reefing Madness

Your U in the Durso must be below the intake strainer lines. So its constantly under water, unless of a poweroutage.
Durso & Stockman Standpipe




Durso Standpipes

See in the last link, the Durso is under the water, lines up 1/2 way on the T PVC piece.


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## Reefing Madness

MiamiLeos said:


> These scratches in the front of my tank are really bothering me.. you can see them so much more when the lights are on. Didnt there used to be an infomercial for a liquid you rubbed on eye glasses to remove scratches? Theres gotta be something to fix this!!!!


 I would only buff, remove the scratches with the tank empty. You can't use that liquid stuff in the tank.


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## MiamiLeos

I'm gonna see if theres a glass shop that can send someone out to buff these out. They look really bad  On a good note, I wasnt woken up by a horrible gurgling noise last night. I'm pretty satisfied, at least for now, with the overflow set up.


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## Reefing Madness

MiamiLeos said:


> I'm gonna see if theres a glass shop that can send someone out to buff these out. They look really bad  On a good note, I wasnt woken up by a horrible gurgling noise last night. I'm pretty satisfied, at least for now, with the overflow set up.


 :greenyay::redyay::greenyay::redyay:


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## MiamiLeos

Called several glass shops, no one buffs out scratches. I called the aquarium guy and he said theres nothing that can be done :'(


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## MiamiLeos

:sob::sob:THEY LOOK HORRIBLE:sob:


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## wseidl515

Research pocket polisher and 3000 grit diamond powder.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MiamiLeos

It wont distort the view through the glass?


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## wake49

MiamiLeos said:


> Called several glass shops, no one buffs out scratches. I called the aquarium guy and he said theres nothing that can be done :'(


 I had this problem. The glass guys said that grinding the scratches out would distort the glass and compromise the integrity of the glass. I bought a used 135 with scratches in the front that beamed when the light hit them. I ended up trading it for a brand new 150 (it cost me about $500 when all was said and done).


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## wseidl515

These procedures work very well on old classic automobile glass with no issues. This is not something that will only take an hour or two to complete. It could take multiple attempts and several hours. I've personally used products of this nature in restoring old classic car glass with success
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Reefing Madness

You can buff the scratches out yourself, ill supply the link tonight. Its a how to, step by step. Aquarium Glass Buff out.


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## Reefing Madness

As I stated before though, your not going to be able to do it with water in it.


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## MiamiLeos

That looks promising, I will keep looking for someone who can do this in my area!


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## MiamiLeos

I dont think I sealed the baffles correctly. Microbubbles are invaiding my tank! I'll prob have to drain and dry the whole sump and add more silicone


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## Reefing Madness

No, don't. That's not it. Put a sponge around the return of the skimmer.


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## MiamiLeos

The waters not even filling one of the baffles all the way, it's leaking through the silicone. Do I use like a normal kitchen sponge? It goes where the water exits the skimmer right?


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## Reefing Madness

Yes that's where you put it. No, can't use a kitchen sponge. Gotta use a filter sponger. Can you see the intake on your return pump? Do you see a lot of bubbles being drawn through the intake?


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## MiamiLeos

Yea theres a bunch going into the intake because theres a bunch coming out of it and the exit tube is pointed in the general direction of the intake


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## MiamiLeos

Now I'm really pissed off that I cut the drain pipe shorter. I liked the water level better when it was higher >.<


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## Reefing Madness

miamileos said:


> now i'm really pissed off that i cut the drain pipe shorter. I liked the water level better when it was higher >.<


doh.


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## MiamiLeos

Got the scratches out and everything's running great, but I may need to sell the set up  I'm so friggin busy with school this semester and I'm not sure if I have the money to get it stocked and keep it going. Oye. Feel like I got myself in a mess


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## Reefing Madness

:blink::shock2::blink::shock2:


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## MiamiLeos

I know, just as it seemed it was going well. But I had no idea how busy I'd be when I started the Bachelors program. It's like another job, no joke


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## bigehugedome

MiamiLeos said:


> I know, just as it seemed it was going well. But I had no idea how busy I'd be when I started the Bachelors program. It's like another job, no joke


 

:-( Gotta do what you gotta do.

Did you take the scratches out yourself or find someone?


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## MiamiLeos

Just found the first spot of coralline on a piece of the dry rock... got me pretty excited... perhaps... I can make this work.


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## Reefing Madness

LOL, your killin me man.


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## MiamiLeos

Dude, I'm dying with this tank man!!! It's so much more effort than I thought it would be! I'm having a hard time deciding if it's worth it! lol


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## Reefing Madness

Once you've gotten it on the road and rolling, the maintenance ain't much different than a FW tank.


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## MiamiLeos

My calcium levels must be good. I'm looking around and I've had a coralline explosion! I swear it wasnt there yesterday lol. It's not so much the maintenance I'm worried about, it's if I can afford to stock it and keep it looking nice and what not.


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## Reefing Madness

AH. One piece at a time. Thats how its done


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## Reefing Madness

MiamiLeos said:


> My calcium levels must be good. I'm looking around and I've had a coralline explosion! I swear it wasnt there yesterday lol. It's not so much the maintenance I'm worried about, it's if I can afford to stock it and keep it looking nice and what not.


 Your ALK and MAG are in line also, or it wouldn't grow.


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## MiamiLeos

Yay! Sweet. I have all the tests except phosphate, but I havent tested anything because theres nothing in there yet except for the mushroom, blue legs, and turbo that came with the live rock. So I figured instead of wasting tests I'd just let it settle on it's own for the first month or two, then start testing and see where it's at.

sigh. well I guess I'll keep the listing up on CL to see if anyone bites (havent gotten anything promising as of yet) and if nothing I suppose I'll be keeping it


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## MiamiLeos

Theres something on my red mushroom. I think they're the same thing just one is bigger and looks almost like a teeny worm, the other just looks like a little dot. Both are white and moving around. I think I see a few dot sized ones on the glass. Are these something that are going to harm my corals?


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## Reefing Madness

Sound like PODS to me. Don't think you have anything to worry about.


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## MiamiLeos

Awesome, I didnt think they were pods because they are sooo tiny and the other ones I've seen are big enough to see some legs and what not. The more pods the better as far as I'm concerned


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