[lethalshine]

I have been searching the web over and I have found the most useful information from you guys. This seems to be a very active forum. So I think I found myself a new home.

I am new to reef keeping and I am starting over with my tank. I am wanting to be able to keep pretty much anything in my tank. All types of corals, etc. I am currently waiting on my new equipment to be built and shipped to me. Here is what I have.
My tank is a 6' 125 gallon tank with a CPR over flow with the dual 1" lines rated at 1200 GPH

The following is from www.lifereef.com
LF1-150 Berlin Filter system with VS2-24 protein skimmer
LCR2 calcium reactor with guages, solenoid, 5lb tank, needle valve

My sump set up is in my basement so I have a Dolphin Ampmaster 3000 pump which is currently 14' from the top of my tank giving my around 720 GPH. I may build a stand to move it up 2' to give me 1200 GPH if I need this much flow.

I have the Captive Purity 75 GPD RO/DI filter system with float valves to act as a top off unit.

As for lighting is where I have some questions. I have 2 250W Metal Halides with 10K bulbs. I also have 2 Ice cap 660 ballast. One is still new in the box and I was going to keep this as a back up for the other Ice Cap. I was going to go with 2-72" acentic VHO bulbs. Is this what you will reccomend?

Now to my sand and live rock. I currently have 4-40 lb bags of Caribsea Seaflor special grade reef sand for a total of 160 lbs. Is this going to be enough? I am planning on adding live sand so I need to know how much and when(at start up, after cycle)?

Live rock, well I use to have 90 lbs but my first system failed because I suck, lol. Anyway all of that rock I was planning on useing as a base rock. It was Fiji live rock, now it is sitting out on my picnic table. Can I clean this and then use it as base rock or do I need to chunk it. I am planning on adding live rock to the system. I was thinking of around 50 lbs of Tonga and 50 lbs of Tonga branch along with the 90 lbs of base. If that is OK, when do I add it? I have read somewhere, that I can add uncured live rock at start up and use that to help cycle my tank.

I am planning on a refugium. I am going to put a submersible pump in my sump and pump it through a wall to a 30 gallon tank and then have it drain back to the sump. This will give me a tank in my basement to look at while playing pool. Will this work and if so, what do you reccomend that I put in it(sand, rock, plants, etc, and lighting?) Also, do I need to add this at start up or down the road.

Last one, Do I need a chiller? or will I have to wait and see how hot the tank runs after I get it up and going.

I have to get all my stuff from the net. There is no one local that will give me time to answer questions. So if you guys have any links to good places for rock and live sand please let me know. If any of the questions above can be answered in other post and you have the link handy that would be great also. I can't wait to get started. I want this to be my last time starting over.

Thanks for any and all help in advance,
David

[Ninong]

Hi David,

My tank is a 6' 125 gallon tank with a CPR over flow with the dual 1" lines rated at 1200 GPH

The following is from www.lifereef.com
LF1-150 Berlin Filter system with VS2-24 protein skimmer

That's the exact same Lifereef sump and protein skimmer that I had. Order extra blue/white filter pads while you're at it. They have to be replaced every three or four months or so. The foam block stuff that goes in the front part of the sump will last a very long time but not the blue/white stuff that you place just over the return chamber. You can buy it in bulk online (it comes in 2'x20' rolls) but with shipping and everything, it's easier to just buy it in 2'x2' pieces from Jeff.

My sump set up is in my basement so I have a Dolphin Ampmaster 3000 pump

This is a good pump (very quiet and doesn't add much heat to the water) but it's not a good choice for your situation. It doesn't have a high enough head, as you already have come to realize.

...which is currently 14' from the top of my tank giving my around 720 GPH. I may build a stand to move it up 2' to give me 1200 GPH if I need this much flow.

You need at least 1200 gph flow but you can get more flow by adding strong powerheads (e.g., Tunze streams) or a closed loop. I know someone in Asheville who used an Ampmaster 3000 in his basement as his return pump and he ended up building a platform that raised his pump a good 4-ft above the basement floor.

As for lighting is where I have some questions. I have 2 250W Metal Halides with 10K bulbs. I also have 2 Ice cap 660 ballast. One is still new in the box and I was going to keep this as a back up for the other Ice Cap. I was going to go with 2-72" acentic VHO bulbs. Is this what you will reccomend?

Two 250w 10,000K metal halides with two 160w VHO actinics for supplementation sounds like a winner to me. Even better would be three 250w 10,000K metal halides since your tank is 6-ft long.

Now to my sand and live rock. I currently have 4-40 lb bags of Caribsea Seaflor special grade reef sand for a total of 160 lbs. Is this going to be enough?

That depends on exactly how deep you want your sandbed to be. I used 260-lbs of sand in a 120-gal tank but that gave me a 6" DSB. The 160-lbs should be enough to give you a sandbed more than 3" deep.

I am planning on adding live sand so I need to know how much and when(at start up, after cycle)?

A lot depends on just what you put into your tank. In other words, if you put very raw, uncured live rock, you will get fairly strong ammonia and nitrite spikes and in this sort of situation it would be better to add the live sand after the nitrite spike has fallen. I'm assuming that by "live sand," you mean real live sand with critters and such.

If you intend using fully cured live rock, then go ahead and add the live sand with the dead sand and the live rock all at the same time.

Adding live sand after the live rock is in and the tank is up and running is messy. I know! You end up with live sand all over your live rock. Then you have to wait for things to settle down before you get out the turkey baster to blast the sand off the live rock.

Live rock, well I use to have 90 lbs but my first system failed because I suck, lol. Anyway all of that rock I was planning on useing as a base rock. It was Fiji live rock, now it is sitting out on my picnic table. Can I clean this and then use it as base rock or do I need to chunk it.

You can reuse this rock. I would put it in a separate container with saltwater and strong water circulation (and, if possible, a skimmer) and let it recure itself for a couple weeks first just to see where you are with it. Or, you can stick it in the new tank with the sand and the rest of the live rock and cure everything all at once. But at least you should rinse/soak the old rock in saltwater first before putting it in your tank.

I am planning on adding live rock to the system. I was thinking of around 50 lbs of Tonga and 50 lbs of Tonga branch along with the 90 lbs of base. If that is OK, when do I add it?

You can add it all at once since this is a new setup.

I have read somewhere, that I can add uncured live rock at start up and use that to help cycle my tank.

Yes, you can add uncured live rock into the tank and cure it there. You just can't add uncured live rock to an established tank with livestock already in it.

I am planning on a refugium. I am going to put a submersible pump in my sump and pump it through a wall to a 30 gallon tank and then have it drain back to the sump. This will give me a tank in my basement to look at while playing pool. Will this work and if so, what do you reccomend that I put in it(sand, rock, plants, etc, and lighting?) Also, do I need to add this at start up or down the road.

Now you're getting too tricky for me to comment. Two separate tanks on two different floors of the house both plumbed to the same sump seems really tricky to me.

Last one, Do I need a chiller? or will I have to wait and see how hot the tank runs after I get it up and going.

Maybe, maybe not. Having the sump in the basement should help keep the water cooler than it would otherwise be. You may be able to get by with just fans in your hood to get rid of the hot air from the lights.

Good luck!

[lethalshine]

Thanks for the great reply. That is going to be a lot of help. I wish I would have found this place and taken the time to do research before I first started. I found the lifereef systems through these forums. I haven't gotten my equipment yet butihave been impressed with him. I emailed him late Saturday night about 1:30 AM actually Sunday morning, he emailed me back a 3:30 am with what equipment he reccomends, history of his compnay and that he does not want to sale me anything via internet but wants to take the time to call me and go over everything to make sure it is right. I told him I would be available on Monday afternoon around 3:30 and guess what, he calls. Answers all my questions, doesn't try to take my money and rush me off the phone. I liked that he took the time to talk.

On your lifereef sump, did you have any sand, rock or plants in it, or just left it as it is?

As for the refugium, i am still reading up on that. I just thought that it may be similar to a hang on refugium and except more difficult, lol

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by lethalshine

On your lifereef sump, did you have any sand, rock or plants in it, or just left it as it is?

It isn't really designed for holding sand, etc. It's just a regular 22-gal sump. It runs half full, so that means it holds 11 gallons when running and has the capacity to accept another 11 gallons from the tank when the power goes out, etc. I kept a 200w Ebo Jaeger heater lying flat on the bottom of the center compartment. It fits like that.

As for the refugium, i am still reading up on that. I just thought that it may be similar to a hang on refugium and except more difficult, lol

Jeff makes some nice refugiums. He also makes custom sumps with refugium compartments. Check out the custom section of his website for examples.

Assuming you're still getting the standard LF1-150 Berlin Filter System, you may want to consider adding the optional filter cylinders. That sump can accept as many as three of those. I always wished I had gotten at least a couple of those because they would come in handy for running carbon, Poly-Filter discs or phosphate sponge media. I ran my carbon in a mesh bag that I placed on top of the foam block in the first compartment in the sump.

He also offers an optional electronic float valve option, too.

[lethalshine]

With the sand. I currently have 160 lbs of the CaribSea Seaflor Special grade reef sand. It is 1- 1.7mm in grain size. Before I put this in my tank, should I go smaller? or is this fine?

I am looking to buy some true live sand(with the critters and everything) to put in my tank on start up. Where online is a good place to get some?

I have thought about getting a couple of bags of CaribSea Live Aragonite Substrate and useing this during start up and then adding a detrivore kit after cycle. Will this work? or just a waste of money?

If I add the Arag-Alive should I get the 1-2 mm size or use a smaller grain on the top of my bed and get the Oolite sand which is smaller.

I found a sponser up top of the site for live rock. I am thinking of getting 2 boxes of Fiji to go with my base rock. Or a box of Fiji and a box of Tonga. What is the fifference in the 2. Here is the link to the rock they sale. It seems to be a good price http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.co...?CategoryId=15

Thanks again.

Hopefully after all this and I get my system up and running I can start helping out and answering questions

Thanks,

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by lethalshine

With the sand. I currently have 160 lbs of the CaribSea Seaflor Special grade reef sand. It is 1- 1.7mm in grain size. Before I put this in my tank, should I go smaller? or is this fine?

There is no easy, one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

Let me explain why. The particle size you have now is considered much too large by some of the proponents of the deep sandbed method. The reason has to do with the fact that smaller particle sizes are more conducive to a wider array of sandbed infauna.

I used a fine particle aragonite sand (Southdown) for a 6" DSB in my 120-gal tank. I had to take that tank down after three years due to a move. The DSB was still functioning perfectly when I took it down and I never had problems with it.

However, other hobbyists have had success with larger particle size sandbeds. Wayne Shang used Carib-Sea Seaflor Select for the 3" DSB in his 718-gal reef aquarium. He's been keeping reef tanks for two decades now with spectacular success.

There are trade-offs that you have to consider. A really fine particle sandbed will harbor more infauna (more diversity) but you may not be able to run water current as high as you would with a larger particle sandbed. The fine particle sandbed, especially if it is deep (>4"), may require more attention. I don't mean "more maintenance," just more attention. My 6" DSB in my 120-gal tank never caused me any problems at all and it was still functioning perfectly when I took the tank down after three years. However, I did pay attention! And I did spend a small fortune on the so-called detritivore kits. And I did have a flourishing population of nice bristleworms, so-called spaghetti worms, mini brittle stars, micro stars, assorted miscellaneous polychaetes, amphipods and copepods galore, etc.

I am looking to buy some true live sand(with the critters and everything) to put in my tank on start up. Where online is a good place to get some?

Some online vendors cure their own live rock in vats that have sandbeds. They will usually sell small quantities of this sand as "live sand." It is better to get two or three pounds from each of two or three different sources than to get 10 pounds from the same place. However, shipping costs may limit your options. It is always better, whenever possible, to avoid shipping live sand altogether as much of the macrofauna (stuff that is visible to the naked eye) may perish in transit due to handling. I purchased small quantities of live sand from four or five different sources but only one of those was local. Here's a tip: Whenever you place an order for any livestock down the road, always ask if they have any true live sand available and order just two pounds of it to be included with your order.

I have thought about getting a couple of bags of CaribSea Live Aragonite Substrate and useing this during start up and then adding a detrivore kit after cycle. Will this work? or just a waste of money?

Totally unnecessary! It won't hurt and it will speed up the cycling process a tiny bit but it's not something you really need. This is not what I consider "live sand."

If I add the Arag-Alive should I get the 1-2 mm size or use a smaller grain on the top of my bed and get the Oolite sand which is smaller.

The Carib-Sea Seaflor Select sand that you already have is a large particle sand. About the only thing larger would be the smaller sizes of crushed coral, which I'm not fond of myself. Any real live sand that you purchase will be a smaller grain size and it should be added on top of the sandbed so as not to kill off the life that you hope is still alive. Just be aware of the fact that eventually the larger size particles will rise to the top over time.

If you choose to purchase some of the make-believe live sand, you could get the smaller particle size and blend it in with your Seaflor Select before putting it all in the tank but any true live sand should be added to the top and not mixed in with the Seaflor Select. You don't want to smother any macrofauna that is still alive.

I found a sponser up top of the site for live rock. I am thinking of getting 2 boxes of Fiji to go with my base rock. Or a box of Fiji and a box of Tonga. What is the fifference in the 2. Here is the link to the rock they sale. It seems to be a good price http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.co...?CategoryId=15

Thanks again.

That would be an excellent source. I have done business with Dr. Mac and recommend him. Be sure to ask him for two or three pounds of his live sand. (P.S. -- This won't work if you're ordering transshipped live rock. However, if you ever order any fully-cured live rock or anything else live from Dr. Mac, get him to include a couple pounds of live sand from his live rock curing vats.) As far as the choice of live rock is concerned, my favorites are Kaelini and Tonga branch but that's a personal preference thing.

I just checked to see what you are considering as far as live rock goes and of those two choices, I would go with the 55-lb box of Tonga. The difference should be that the pieces of Tonga are going to be larger, on average, than the Fiji. Both of those choices are regular uncured live rock. That's fine. Just cure it in your tank. That's what's known as transshipped live rock. It's boxed in the South Pacific and shipped through L.A. to you.

If you already have 90-lbs of base rock, you may be able to get by with just one 55-lb box of Tonga.

[lethalshine]

I am thinking of buying smaller grained sand then before I open up these bags. I have tried in the past to find South Down sand locally with no luck. Is regular white play sand from Home Depot bad. I have read that it contains a lot of harmful silicates.

With all of your help and great answer, When are you going to start charging me,

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by lethalshine

I am thinking of buying smaller grained sand then before I open up these bags.

You may be able to swap these bags with the vendor who sold them to you for Carib-Sea's Aragamax sugar-sized sand.

I have tried in the past to find South Down sand locally with no luck.

It's not called Southdown anymore. The new name is Oldcastle. It's carried by most Home Depot stores along the East Coast from Northern Virginia to Boston. However, it's a seasonal item that is stocked in early spring and cleared out by mid-summer. Some stores will price it at $3.99/50-lb bag in early spring and then discount it to $1.99/50-lb bag in August.

Is regular white play sand from Home Depot bad. I have read that it contains a lot of harmful silicates.

I don't know what you mean by "regular WHITE play sand from Home Depot." Play sand can be either regular quartz sand or it can be aragonite sand. It's still play sand either way but usually the aragonite sand is only carried at Home Depots within reasonable trucking distance from Easton, PA, where it comes in by barge from Ft. Pierce, FL (where it arrives from the Bahamas).

You can always take a small amount of vinegar with you to the store and test the "white sand." If it fizzles (releases carbon dioxide), then it's aragonite sand. If it doesn't, it's not aragonite sand. Aragonite will dissolve in vinegar, quartz will not.

You can use regular quartz sand if you like. I wouldn't but that's just me. Considering the total cost of setting up a reef tank, I can't imagine using regular quartz sand. Some people do and good for them. I prefer aragonite.



P.S. -- You can always order a bucket or two of really fine particle aragonite sand from ESV in Brooklyn to blend in with your Carib-Sea Aragamax sugar-sized sand if you want. This is an excellent very fine particle aragonite sand. It's is much finer than any Carib-Sea product. Using this stuff in a 50-50 ratio with sugar-sized aragonite would be a good choice. However, even one bucket of it added to 160-lbs of sugar-sized sand would help.

I don't think you're going to find cheapy aragonite sand at any of the home improvement stores in your area but if you do, let us know.

[lethalshine]

Just my luck. I tried the link for the ESV sand and called them up. They are out of stock on the oolithic sand. They said it will be several weeks before they will have any more sand. They said they have a newer, whiter sand on the way and right now they are working on the labels and things like that. I also tried another place and they are out of the ESV sand also. I guess I will go with the Caribsead Argamaz sugar size .2-1.2mm

The sand at Home Depot around here is from Charlotte,NC. I forget the brand name but I think it is probably silica based. The reason i think this is about an hour drive from where I live is a place where they get sand and it is still 2 more hours to the beach so I know it didn't come from the ocean. Plus the sand is a yellowish-orange color and I do not want that.

About a month ago a new fish store opend up in town and I finally just found out about it through the paper. I went in today and it is ran by a man and his wife. I asked the wife for live sand and she shows me arg-alive. i said no I want to know if you sale real live sand. She referred me to her husband and when I asked him he said the same thing but when I told him no I want the real thing he said he would be more than happy to sale me a pound or two from his reef tank. So I know have a local soure for a little live sand which is good. It has been a while since I have been in a LFS and now I remeber why I shop online. They like charge double for everything. i can get it online and shipped to my door and still save money.

While at the store I noticed his reef tank. I had used 4" dia PVC pipe to hold egg crate about 1/2" off the sand and his reef is sitting on this. He has some rock up front touching the sand hiding the eggcrate so you can't tell unless you were looking for it. It looked good. He said he gets better water flow under the rock like that. I may try this. What do you think?

Ninong, I was looking one day and found another post you had with picks of your tank at start up. Is there a link that you have stashed somewhere that give tips on useing PVC to help support a reef? Di d you just randomly put your supports or was there a lot of planing behind it?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by lethalshine

...when I told him no I want the real thing he said he would be more than happy to sale me a pound or two from his reef tank.

That's a great idea provided you get to see the reef tank in person when you're buying the live sand. You want to make sure there are no flatworms in the tank and none of the fish have ich (C. irritans).

i can get it online and shipped to my door and still save money.

It is always better to buy livestock locally whenever possible. I only buy livestock online if it is impossible to get locally.

While at the store I noticed his reef tank. I had used 4" dia PVC pipe to hold egg crate about 1/2" off the sand and his reef is sitting on this. He has some rock up front touching the sand hiding the eggcrate so you can't tell unless you were looking for it. It looked good. He said he gets better water flow under the rock like that. I may try this. What do you think?

That's one approach. I have even seen tanks where the live rock structure was elevated two or three inches above the sandbed.

My personal preference is to have at least some of the live rock in contact with the surface of the sandbed, while at the same time trying to get as much open sandbed as possible. My live rock support structures were about 1/2" below the surface of the sandbed. However, because of the shape and above average size of the foundation pieces of live rock that I used, I was able to get a good ratio of contact and open space.

Ninong, I was looking one day and found another post you had with picks of your tank at start up. Is there a link that you have stashed somewhere that give tips on useing PVC to help support a reef? Di d you just randomly put your supports or was there a lot of planing behind it?

There was little, if any, planning behind it. This post explains my live rock support efforts at the time. I used 3/4" diameter cast acrylic rods and 1/2" PVC fittings. In retrospect, I wish I had used 1" diameter cast acrylic rods and 3/4" PVC fittings. I used epoxy putty to hold the acrylic rods in the PVC fittings. In retrospect, I wish I had used the Weld-On #16 instead. I did use the Weld-On #16 for one last support structure because I ran out of the messy epoxy stick stuff. The reason I say that 1" cast acrylic rods with 3/4" PVC fittings would be better is because they would be a tighter fit and more conducive to using the Weld-On #16.

That's NOT a cheap way to go. I did it just because I felt like it at the time. I had seen a picture of a gorgeous reef tank where the guy used acrylic rods for his live rock supports. In his case, he constructed a full tank support system with 1/2" acrylic rods as pilings and 1/4" clear acrylic sheet (perforated) as the platform. His live rock was elevated a good 2" above the sandbed. I thought it looked cool because it looked like the live rock was floating above the sandbed. You couldn't really see the acrylic pilings. However, he must have taken that picture very soon after completing the project because the acrylic rods will get covered with coralline algae within a few months. And I didn't want my live rock floating above the sandbed, I wanted it in partial contact with the sandbed.

In retrospect, the supports that I constructed worked out just fine except for the uprights on the right side of the tank. The weight of the live rock collapsed those against the side glass of the tank. I would definitely do the base supports again (using 1" diameter cast acrylic rods and 3/4" PVC fittings with Weld-On #16) but if I ever do any uprights again, I would make sure that they were few and well braced. Upright acrylic rods are great if you want to drill holes through your live rock and then thread the live rock on the rods. Just make sure the upright rods are well braced so that they don't lean on you.

Obviously you can accomplish the same thing using all PVC pipe, which is what most normal people do. You can even use 4" diameter PVC pipe pieces all by themselves as live rock supports. Just be sure to drill them with lots of 1" diameter holes first. If you go that route, make the PVC pieces about 1/2" shorter than the planned height of your sandbed. Then place them in such an arrangement that you have three (or more) PVC sections under each large piece of foundation rock. This is the way most people who want to use rock supports do it. It's also the cheapest. A 10' section of 4" PVC pipe will give you more than enough supports. As long as you have a power saw to make neats cuts and a power drill to drill zillions of holes, you're in good shape. I didn't have the proper tools to go that route.

Of course, you don't have to do this at all. You can set the live rock on the bottom of the tank and then add the sand around it. That requires more live rock and you end up with less sandbed. I don't like that approach myself. Or you can place all of the sand in the tank and then set the live rock on top of the sand. That approach is OK is some situations. I don't care for that approach because I feel safer with the live rock on solid supports so that I don't have to worry about fish digging caves under the live rock like my fairy wrasses sometimes did.

[lethalshine]

I know I am driving you crazy wih all my questions but I have already waswted a lot of time and money. Now I am trying to do the right thing and buy top quality stuff and set the system up right. i really appreciate all the help. My name is up on Lifereef's website which means they are building my stuff this week and it ships on Tuesday so the time is getting near and I want to do everything right.

Jeff is out of filter canisters, so I have 3 backordered through him. What do I need to do until I get them, Carbon bags,etc.?

What kind of trace elements do I need? I am getting a calcium reactor with Co2 unit through Jeff so what else will I need?

From what I read, I do not need to stir up my susbtrate from time to time since I will have live sand. Is this true? I also assume I never vacuum it since all the critters suppose to keep it clean?

When I get the live rock. Do i scrub everything off the rock and then put it in the tank to cure as the tanks cycles? Will all the dead stuff come off the rock and dirty up the tank?

When the tank cycles and I get my algea bloom all over everything. What do I do then, just let it go, try to clean it? or is this when I order my crabs and snails?

Last question for this go around How often on water changes. I have read where most with a tank around my size is doing a 25 gallon water change every other week. Will this be good?

With 13,000 plus post, I hope the sponsers to this site gives you a check every month for keeping this site moving along

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by lethalshine

Jeff is out of filter canisters, so I have 3 backordered through him. What do I need to do until I get them, Carbon bags,etc.?

Maybe nothing; it all depends. You might want to run some carbon in a mesh bag but it's not all that necessary in a newly set up tank unless you have a reason for it. Maybe if you're starting with uncured live rock you might want to run carbon 24/7 for the first few weeks at least.

If you're getting three cylinders, you could run carbon in one, ferric oxide hydroxide based phosphate sponge in one and maybe Poly-filter discs in the third. You can run the carbon 24/7 or you can run it just two or three days a month. You don't need to run the Poly-filters unless there is a reason. The phosphate sponge media can be run 24/7 or it can be run occasionally.

What kind of trace elements do I need?

Probably none at all if you're setting up a calcium reactor. In any case, never add anything unless you test for it and know that it is deficient.

I am getting a calcium reactor with Co2 unit through Jeff so what else will I need?

I'm sure Jeff is selling you the complete package to set up your calcium reactor.

From what I read, I do not need to stir up my susbtrate from time to time since I will have live sand. Is this true? I also assume I never vacuum it since all the critters suppose to keep it clean?

I am a firm believer in never disturbing the sandbed. Never stir it up and never vacuum it or anything like that. Bioturbation is all you need and that's taken care of by the sandbed infauna.

When I get the live rock. Do i scrub everything off the rock and then put it in the tank to cure as the tanks cycles? Will all the dead stuff come off the rock and dirty up the tank?

I used fully-cured live rock, so there was nothing to scrub off. If you order uncured live rock, it will still be cleaned at the collection station before shipping. In fact, they call it "pre-cured," but it's not the same as fully-cured. It shouldn't need to be scrubbed of anything unless you notice something stinky that seems to be decaying.

The only live rock that really needs to be cleaned up is what they call "raw" live rock. It's kind of hard to even find that anymore. It has by far the most life but it's also messy to deal with.

When the tank cycles and I get my algea bloom all over everything. What do I do then, just let it go, try to clean it? or is this when I order my crabs and snails?

I didn't really get any algae bloom. All I got was a diatom bloom around the third week that lasted for about 10 days. It went away on it's own. I didn't even get any cyanobacteria. Well, maybe a tiny bit but it was hardly noticeable and it was gone on its own in no time at all. I never did get any green turf algae. Much later on I got some nasty red turf algae that I struggled with for several months. It finally went away completely.

Add your clean-up crew (snails, etc.) after your tank has completed its initial cycle. Wait until after ammonia and nitrite have spiked and then fallen and nitrate has spiked and fallen somewhat. As long as ammonia is undectable, nitrite is no more than 0.1 ppm and nitrate is no more than 50 ppm, it's OK to add your clean-up crew.

Last question for this go around How often on water changes. I have read where most with a tank around my size is doing a 25 gallon water change every other week. Will this be good?

There are so many answers to this question. Some people do a 10% water change every month, other people do a 20% water change every two or three months. Not many people do water changes every other week on reef tanks. That sounds more like planted freshwater tanks.

I suggest a 15-20% water change every four to six weeks, but other options are just as valid. In fact, some folks might do a water change of 15-20% every three weeks while others might do the same every three months. And then there are those who like to do small water changes (like maybe 5%) every week or two.

Just go with 15-20% every four to six weeks until you can make up your own mind on what you like.



P.S. -- If you're curing live rock in your tank, then you will need to do more frequent water changes in the beginning. Don't do your first water change until after ammonia and nitrite have both spiked and fallen down. Then do a water change of about 20%. Wait about two more weeks and then do another water change. After that, go with whatever your regular schedule will be.

[lethalshine]

I am running out of questions,

Can I use PVC cement to glue the pvc pipe together for the supports?

Thanks again

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by lethalshine

Can I use PVC cement to glue the pvc pipe together for the supports?

Yes.

[lethalshine]

while I am waiting on my life reef system to arrive, I have been thinking. Which is scary

I moved my Ampmaster 3000 up off the floor of my basement and according to there flow rate chart I should meet the max. of 1200 gph my over flow can handle. Now for the part I was thinking about. The more and more i thought, I do not really want powerheads in my tank because if they fall off the glass, there goes my live sand all over the place. I have an extra ampmaster 3000, I thought about using it to run a closed loop system. I am just now reading up on them and thought I would use one similar to this http://www.melevsreef.com/closedloop.html. Do you have any suggestions? If I place the pump under the tank I woulg get around 2400 GPH or I can place it down in the basement also and get a little over 1200 gph.

[Ninong]

I didn't realize your total overflow capacity was only 1200 gph. If that's the case, moving your Ampmaster 3000 return pump higher may not be warranted. You would have to be careful not to exceed your overflow's capacity.

As far as a closed loop is concerned, they are nice to have if set up properly. However, you will want to make sure your 125-gal tank can handle whatever volume of flow you want to go with.

Another alternative to regular powerheads would be Tunze streams or similar high-flow powerheads.

[lethalshine]

I can turn the flow down with a ball valve on the main pump. I could also get another overflow but the one I have is rated at 1200 gph, it has 2 1" drain lines.

I wouldn't think adding the loop system would cause my system to overflow since it is not introducing any new water to the system, or would it?

what is the proper setup of a loop system?

I have 8 maxi jet 1200. I do not plan on putting them all in my tank but was planning on at least 4

I was thinking of the loop system trying to use somethings I already have instead of spending a couple hundred more onTunze.

Thanks,

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by lethalshine

I wouldn't think adding the loop system would cause my system to overflow since it is not introducing any new water to the system, or would it?

what is the proper setup of a loop system?

A closed loop system has no effect on the water level in the tank. It can't possibly cause your tank to overflow.

Water is drawn from the tank and returned to the tank without going through a sump or anything like that. Usually you drill a couple of holes in the back of the tank below the water line and plumb screened inlets to your closed-loop pump, which pumps the water back into the tank via Sea-Swirls or something similar.

Closed loops are more popular on larger tanks.

[lethalshine]

With the Tunze Strea, would Ineed one or two?

WOuld they blow my sand around to much?

Thanks