My 80 Gallon Reef

[TimH07]

if you drunk up your return drunk, it should drunk the proper drunk through your drunk, if not then drink back your drunk so that it drunks the drunk. after that all you have to do is drink the drunk and your drunk.

~Dr. Unk

[cdearing]

Yes but the return pump works off of a different plug on the opposite side of the tank and I am a newbie after all. Aren't I? How long can I claim that?

[charlie]

if you drunk up your return drunk, it should drunk the proper drunk through your drunk, if not then drink back your drunk so that it drunks the drunk. after that all you have to do is drink the drunk and your drunk.

~Dr. Unk

You want the defintion of scary? I understood that.:eek3::eek3::eek3:

Yes but the return pump works off of a different plug on the opposite side of the tank and I am a newbie after all. Aren't I? How long can I claim that?

I think until next Sunday at midnight, depending!!!!;)

[Parrothead]

I don't believe she should have another week, I saw the 29 at the start of this thread, I'm sooooooooooooooooo jealous.

Again, can't wait to see the 80 in action, I just know you'll do a great job if the 29 looks that good


Tanks,
Robert

P.S Charlie somehow I just knew you'd understand what Tim was talking about, I sorta figured it out, I think

[Ramer]

Hey Cyn that 80 is looking great.. Nice job on the plumbing. I'll have to make more time to jump on here so Im not so out dated.

Charlie, that is scary. I understood Tim also.

[Jayne]

May I say I love your tank good luck with your new project Ill share a picky of my tank with you

[charlie]

Hey Jayne, you are getting good at this posting pics thing!!!

[Predators & Prey]

hey Cyn the tank looks really good .you look proud as a new parent. well i will come over that sunday and help charlie and you put in your new live rock in. if that is ok with you.

[cdearing]

Hi Jayne,
Thanks for sharing pic of your tank. Vera nice! High five!!!
Vaughn, if you are available to come by, that would be great. We'll wait to see how Charlies trip West goes and when he plans on being back in CFalls.
I'm attaching more photos of the tank and set up below.

These are the PVC pieces that Charlie cut for me to attach to the egg crate to keep the LR off the sand. PVC is 2 1/4 inches and egg crate is about 1/4" so my 5 bags of Aragonite just covers the egg crate. May have to add more sand later? Charlie laughed when I showed the pix cuz he brought a bag full of pvc pieces over and I added all of them. What can I say? I want stability!


I was going to add a photo of the finished product placed in the tank before I added sand but I got so excited that I just started dumping!
I left 2 inches on either side away from the glass and 4 inches in front.

Someone said this looked more like the inside of a washing machine. I scooped a lot of it out with a net and once I turned on the overflow, the foam mainly disappeared.

This is how it looked 2 days ago with sand and water.

Here's a couple photos of the sump. Everything is a little white. The tank water is starting to clear but I had to take the Koralias out and wipe them down. Is this normal? Right side of sump with Mag 9 (I think) and return. YOu can see the line of white scum on the top of the water.

Left side of sump plumbed to overflow:


Yesterday I added a cup of sand from the 29G and today pulled a piece of tonga branch out of the bottom of the 29G and added to the 80. Can't really see it. Maybe I should have waited until the white had dissipated?
You can barely see it on the bottom in the middle:

I'm hoping when I get home tonight around 9:00 PM after the Farmer's Market that it will be clear!!! Will keep you posted.

[charlie]

It will clear up, it took my 300 4 days to totally clear when I did mine. I think I will be back in town by lunchtime on Sunday, which also means the sun is over the yardarm somewhere, make sure the adult beverages are cold.

[Parrothead]

Charlie, I'm afraid you and I have become obsessed with adult beverages:

Looking awesome, "marvelous darling" as Billy Cystal would say.

Looks good, keep at it, it's gonna be a mind blower, I can feel it in my bones, or maybe it just the getting old feeling

Tanks,
Robert

[Doodaa]

Is it NOT advisable to rinse sand before putting it in a tank?

[TimH07]

no doodaa, in fact i've read its a good thing to do, i personally never did because i find the logistics of it a headache (sugar sized sand in a 5 gal bucket and a garden hose sounds like an empty bucket surrounded by sand on the ground to me!)

the question would be why do you feel you should rinse it? is it contaminated? if you cycle the tank with dead sand thats ok too i believe, it should help cycle the tank...

[charlie]

Is it NOT advisable to rinse sand before putting it in a tank?

Can someone tell me where the words rinse sand were ever used in this thread?????? Were you reading a different thread???

Why can't you rinse the sand? I have rinsed and not rinsed, saw no difference!!!!!!

[Doodaa]

the question would be why do you feel you should rinse it? is it contaminated? if you cycle the tank with dead sand thats ok too i believe, it should help cycle the tank...

Only reason I ask is because nobody I've read said they have rinsed it first. I was thinking it would get the super fine sediments out and not cloud the water so much. Do you want those super fine sediments in your tank? Or doesn't it matter either way?

Can someone tell me where the words rinse sand were ever used in this thread?????? Were you reading a different thread???

Why can't you rinse the sand? I have rinsed and not rinsed, saw no difference!!!!!!

Nope, I can't tell you where "rinse sand" was used. I was just asking a question because I haven't heard either way whether rinsing or not rinsing is better.

[charlie]

Some do, some don't, either way is good if you are in a new tank. If I was dumping sand in an established tank, I am gonna rinse it twice!!!!!!

[cdearing]

My understanding is that it just takes a little longer for the water to clear up if you don't rinse the sand. I didn't want the hassle and the mess and I'm not in a hurry so I just poured the sand straight in. This is a photo of my tank 48 hours after I poured in the sand. (The directions on the bag of sand say that it will take 24-48 hrs for the water to clear if you do not rinse). Also poured another cup of live sand from the 29 today.

Charlie and Vaughn, just to let you know, I have to leave the house Sunday at about 3:30 PM. I hope we'll be done with rock by then???
Looks like one of the actinic bulbs in burned out on my fixture. Where do you recommend that I purchase a new one?

[charlie]

Call me on the actinics Cyn, I have 2 spare 4' bulbs, both Geisemann actinic+, you will like them!!!
We should be done with the rock as soon as you get done putting in the tank!!!

[cdearing]

45 degree elbows slow the water down a LOT less than a 90. I'm of the opinion that your drain line should be able to handle a LOT more than your return pump can handle and throttle it back if need be.



It does...but you should have an anti-siphon hole in it...you do don't you Charlie? ;) Yea, I know you do.



That's why I know you have an anti-siphon hole...or a check valve. Plus...really? a lot more money? Is it worth it? You plumb nice, clean, saltwater tanks...do you really want to deal with the other side of it? Like a plugged sewage line? I'd much rather play with the contents of my skimmer cup than unplug some stranger's stopped up toilet

YES the return line has a siphon hole. I really don't want a flood in my basement! Do I need to show a picture of it?

[charlie]

YES the return line has a siphon hole. I really don't want a flood in my basement! Do I need to show a picture of it?

Maybe for Mr. Doodaa, just to prove we ain't no dummies.;););)
But no, I think we are OK with you saying there is one, it seems to work pretty darn good too.