My New Tank Build

[strout2]

You do, so kudos with the reactor placement. another thing to take note of, they say its best to put 1/3rd of the recommended bio pellets in the reactor when you first start it and slowly build it up adding more each month until you achieve the recommended amount. If not, you can starve your corals as they reactor will feed off of all available nutrients in the water. I found out the hard way and had to restart my reactor. The probe i believe come with a suction cup to attach it to the sump and the other end plug into the wall ground.

http://www.marinedepot.com/Titanium_Gro ... GF-vi.html

Thanks for the link on the ground probe, will get one ordered. I have heard of stry voltage in tanks before, just never heard on what you could do about it. I have heard about only using a small amount of Bio Pellets at the start of using the reactor. Talked to a man at the LFS the other day that used a small bag of pellets and he had put the whole bag in his reactor and now is having a large algae break out in his tank. Again Thanks for the advice.

[strout2]

Great news ,Good news , and Not so good news . Starting with the not so good news and working my way up, the tank was supposed to have been shipped yesterday, haven't heard anything on that, so that can't be a good sign and that's the not so good news. The good news, I finished up everything that I can do to get ready. I have 120g of RO water made, know its not enough but its all the containers I have, may go buy another 32g Brute container tomorrow, that would at least get me enough water to fill the tank, but not the sump. I am planning on putting the salt in the sump and letting it mix that way instead of trying to mix the salt in all of the containers. I cut out the stand top for the drain and return line had to guesstamate that, but can't be far off, cut a hole in the back of the stand to run the power plug for the power strip to the wall, cut a hole in the back of the stand to get the MP40s to the top of the stand from the sump area, have the controls for the MP40 mounted. Touched up the white paint on the stand where it had gotten scuffed up with all the work I was doing. Made the screen top for the quarantine tank, will wait on the top for the display tank till it gets here. No rush on that, only takes about 15 min. to make, the one for the quarantine turned out well, had to cut a hole in part of it for the HOB filter. I really have nothing else to do to get ready for the tank, kinda wish I had a smart person to take a look at what I have done to see where I might have messed up and what needs to be fixed, Andy if you are over this way in the next day or two, stop by. Ok enough stalling on to the GREAT News The Electrician is coming in the morning to hook up the dedicated 20 amp wall plug. Took two months of waiting but it should be done tomorrow.

[strout2]

Good News We have a 20amp wall outlet and a compleated light rack with three AI LED lights hanging over the stand.

[strout2]

Let there be light

[Buddy08]

looks good!

[jt3069]

looking good
what optics are you using on the ai sols

[strout2]

We have a tank, they messed up something, its no big deal, but it will delay me getting water into the tank by about a week. I ordered the tank with a black vinyl paint on the outside of the back panel, they forgot to do this. What I found out is, the black vinyl isn't sprayed onto the tank, its a sheet, sort of like the stuff they tint car windows with, just thicker. They are sending some out and I will get it next week, just can't put water in the tank because the tank will have to be moved on the stand to put the vinyl on the tank. onto the pics

[strout2]

Copy of the email I sent DSA Aquariums

Just received my DSA Aquarium ordered from your company thru my local fish store a 48x30x25 tank. To say I am very upset with your company and your quality control is an understatement. You were in competition for my business with Miracles Aquariums, a Canadian based company. Their price for my aquarium of choice was only $300 more than your price, what got me to buy your tank was the quality of the service I would receive from my local fish store owner, the $300 price difference had no bearing in my decision. I had told my local vendor that MOST important to me, told him this several times, was that the tank had a black vinyl coating on the outside back panel of the tank when it came in, I wanted to receive the tank ready to be put on the stand, not outside on my picnic table during the middle of winter having to spray paint the back of the tank black. Its the only thing that your company could mess up, and your company didn't disappoint, you messed it up. Now I have to wait for your company to send the black vinyl sheet next week, wait for the local fish store owner to fit me into his schedule to come over and apply it to my tank, or get some help over to the house, take the tank outside in the middle of winter and spray paint the back of the tank with several coats of black paint, then get the help back over to the house to bring the tank back into the house, delaying my setting up the tank by two weeks, after I have been getting ready for this tank for the last 4 months already. I would almost guarantee you that Derik, from Mircales Aquariums wouldn't have let this happen. I am a member on more than a few online saltwater forums, be sure that I am going to let all of my forum members from the several forums that I am in, know of your quality control or lack there of, and that I am going to recommend that they buy their new tanks from any company other than DSA Aquariums. Ya'll have a nice day, I on the other hand will not.

[strout2]

Today's progress, decided to go to Lowe's this morning and pick up some black Latex paint and paint the back of the stand. So, got the tank painted, got the Durso overflow box drain pipe made and installed. Hooked up the drain and return lines in the sump. The return line will have to be redone at a later date, had to use some 90 elbows that I didn't really want to use, but the 45s wouldn't work at this time. Also got the tank filled with RO water, still need about 25g or so to fill the overflow box and the sump, have that water making and should be ready in the morning. Also got the sand put in the tank, just have to make sure I get the live rock down into the base the sand bed when it comes time to put the rock into the tank. I will put the salt into the sump tomarrow morning and let that mix and then the rock will be ready to go into the tank..

[AddictedToReefs]

Did you use egg crate below your sand bed? I always try to use egg crate or starboard as a base for my rock to rest on underneath the sand bed. Not to mention it helps displacing weight of the rock, and helps absorb impact if something shifts or falls.

[strout2]

Made RO water all nite, this morning filled the sump, put in some extra to fill the return line, put some in the skimmer to weight that down a bit. Still didn't have quite enough water to fill the overflow box and that making right now. As soon as that is done, two years in the making and we will be cranking it up. On the down side, the one fish we kept out of the old tank, Wilma, a Midas Blenny died last nite, so close to getting her into the new tank. Guess we will be starting from scratch with new fish for the tank.

[strout2]

Did you use egg crate below your sand bed? I always try to use egg crate or starboard as a base for my rock to rest on underneath the sand bed. Not to mention it helps displacing weight of the rock, and helps absorb impact if something shifts or falls.

I didn't, hope I didn't mess up here. The tank dosn't have a glass bottom, it has a PVC composite or something like that, figured that and the 2 1/2 to 3 inch sand bed will keep things in place.

[AddictedToReefs]

Oh that's awesome then! No need for the egg crate!

[strout2]

The Big Let Down,,,,,, Everything that I can think of is done, recheck everything, take a break come back and recheck everything again. Its time to turn the return pump on, will I have leaks everywhere, did I do everything right, kinda afraid a bit, will be ready to yank the return pump plug if things go wrong, OK its time don't be afraid, just do it. Plug in the return pump, wait for it, wait for it, here its comes Nothing, Nada, Squat what the @#$% Unplug the pump. Plug in the manifold pump into the same outlet, works fine, plug in the skimmer, everything's good. Take the return pump out of the sump, get the old pump from the old 125g, plug it in and everything's good. Guess I got a bad pump, tapped on it a bit and got it to Hummm a bit, but it won't pump water. Anyway putting salt into the sump now.

[AddictedToReefs]

If its a used pump just unscrew the impeller housing and clean the impeller, always works for me!