Hi All,
I am very happy to report that my switch to BB from a DSB has been a HUGE success. My corals look better now than they did in the DSB tank and I can't be happier. I won't knock the whole DSB approach but for me I am glad I switched. It works better for me. I think the major contributer to the success is that I am able to have more flow without the DSB. I can't believe the difference the change has made!.
Anyway, When I set up the tank I decided to try something different that I had never heard of before because when I went looking for starboard I couldn't find it locally and the price for the stuff seemed high for ordering it. I looked for a viable alternative and think I have found a great substitution that not only costs less but is thinner (just under 1/8 inch) easy to get locally at Home Depot / Lowes or most any Home Center, cuts easily with a jig saw and Comes in 4x8 sheets!
The Product I purchase is from a company named Sequentia Incorporated. But the material is simply tub and shower surround material. :lol:
It comes in Bone White which looks real white under water and has a pebble texture to it which adds demension.
I checked about the possibilities of mildew preventative chemicals and the material doesn't actually contain any. The manufacture states the material is mildew resistant which is due to the material itself, not chemical compounds applied to resist it.
I decided to risk being a guinee pig and bought a sheet to give it a go. Price was 14 bucks and change on sale!
I cut the sheet to size and used GE 100% clear Silicone 1 sealant for windows and doors to secure the sheet to the bottom of the tank by running a bead around the edges. after letting the silicone cure for 48 hours, I filled the tank with tap water and threw in a powerhead to circulate the water and let it go about 3 days just to flush off any residue from the silicone and what ever else I managed to get my hands into while working on the tank. This also flushed off any dust that coated the material from cutting it.
Day 4 I emptied the tank and wiped it down with a clean cloth then filled the tank with RO/DI and mixed in the salt. 48 Hours later with the temp up to set point I tore down the 55g and switched everything over to the tank. This was on Feberuary 1, 2006
As of today, tested parameters are still good:
PH 8.3
OPR 320
Ca 400
ALK 8 DKH
Temp 81.9 - 82.0
Po4 - 0
No3 - .5
Coralline algae is already spreading over the material and glass and there have been 0 adverse reactions to the use of the material.
Here is a shot of my new reef.
Hope this info is found usefull.
I am very happy to report that my switch to BB from a DSB has been a HUGE success. My corals look better now than they did in the DSB tank and I can't be happier. I won't knock the whole DSB approach but for me I am glad I switched. It works better for me. I think the major contributer to the success is that I am able to have more flow without the DSB. I can't believe the difference the change has made!.
Anyway, When I set up the tank I decided to try something different that I had never heard of before because when I went looking for starboard I couldn't find it locally and the price for the stuff seemed high for ordering it. I looked for a viable alternative and think I have found a great substitution that not only costs less but is thinner (just under 1/8 inch) easy to get locally at Home Depot / Lowes or most any Home Center, cuts easily with a jig saw and Comes in 4x8 sheets!
The Product I purchase is from a company named Sequentia Incorporated. But the material is simply tub and shower surround material. :lol:
It comes in Bone White which looks real white under water and has a pebble texture to it which adds demension.
I checked about the possibilities of mildew preventative chemicals and the material doesn't actually contain any. The manufacture states the material is mildew resistant which is due to the material itself, not chemical compounds applied to resist it.
I decided to risk being a guinee pig and bought a sheet to give it a go. Price was 14 bucks and change on sale!
I cut the sheet to size and used GE 100% clear Silicone 1 sealant for windows and doors to secure the sheet to the bottom of the tank by running a bead around the edges. after letting the silicone cure for 48 hours, I filled the tank with tap water and threw in a powerhead to circulate the water and let it go about 3 days just to flush off any residue from the silicone and what ever else I managed to get my hands into while working on the tank. This also flushed off any dust that coated the material from cutting it.
Day 4 I emptied the tank and wiped it down with a clean cloth then filled the tank with RO/DI and mixed in the salt. 48 Hours later with the temp up to set point I tore down the 55g and switched everything over to the tank. This was on Feberuary 1, 2006
As of today, tested parameters are still good:
PH 8.3
OPR 320
Ca 400
ALK 8 DKH
Temp 81.9 - 82.0
Po4 - 0
No3 - .5
Coralline algae is already spreading over the material and glass and there have been 0 adverse reactions to the use of the material.
Here is a shot of my new reef.
Hope this info is found usefull.
