- Location
- Hudson Yards
Day 9
Plan 'B'...
Plan 'B'...
New Custom 120g - Pix Begnning Day 1
- Thread starter cybermeez
- Start date
- Location
- Rockland County
I actually have been following your thread here since the same thing happened to me when I filled up my tank. I had to empty all the water out and and took Russ (masterswimmer) advice and put a plastic bag over the sand and a bowl,then I poured the water into the bowl and it filled up without all the cloudiness. Just trying to help.
- Location
- Staten Island
what micron filter media are you running in their, if its like 5 micron it will clog up fast and you will have not have any circulation and burn out the pump from over heating.Day 9
Plan 'B'...
- Location
- Hudson Yards
10 micron. I'm going to go over in a couple hours on my way to work and change the filter. MaxiJet's are sturdy little work horses so I'm hoping it will have been OK overnnight.
- Location
- Hudson Yards
Yeah. I was stubborn and didn't listen to him. :smash:
- Location
- Hudson Yards
Day 10
Victory is mine!
I checked on my DIY gadget this morning and discovered that overnight it had filtered the water to crystal clear! It was still chugging away when I got there and the MaxiJet was fine (no burning out due to back pressure).
I changed the micron cartridge, gave the substrate a major stirring and with the water sufficiently milky again, I turned the contraption back on. I'll check it again tonight when I get home from work.
Victory is mine!
I checked on my DIY gadget this morning and discovered that overnight it had filtered the water to crystal clear! It was still chugging away when I got there and the MaxiJet was fine (no burning out due to back pressure).
I changed the micron cartridge, gave the substrate a major stirring and with the water sufficiently milky again, I turned the contraption back on. I'll check it again tonight when I get home from work.
- Location
- Long Island
that is a lot of sand.
clean setup you got there. good luck.
clean setup you got there. good luck.
- Location
- Hudson Yards
Yep. It's for my Blue Dot Jawfish so he can make himself a nice little home.
- Location
- Long Island
Aaah now I see. What other plans do you have this tank??
- Location
- Hudson Yards
Day 19
The tank has been set up almost 3 weeks now and I'm still trying to get it to cycle. Even though 75% of the sand I put in was live - at least that's CaribSea's claim - I'm having trouble getting it to cycle.
I've been doing fishless cycling and am adding clear ammonia as the ammonia source (yes, there's only ammonia in the mixture). It's holding at 2 ppm and nitrites haven't even begun to register. In an effort to jump start things I went through a whole (stinky) bottle of MicrobeLift with no effect. I then added two bottles of Dr. Tim's One and Only - 4 days later still no change. So, today I added 2 more bottles of Dr. Tim's and 20lbs of cured live rock. Cloudiness continues to be a minor issue, but is OK as long as I don't disturb the sand too much.
I'm going to keep testing it daily for hints of nitrite to determine if the cycle has kicked in. I'm running out of time and need to move the fish and corals in the next few weeks, so keep your fingers crossed!
In the mean time all the new PVC parts to re-plumb the tank that I couldn't find anywhere in Manhattan have been mail ordered and will be here on Wednesday.
Props to Mike for hangin' in there with me. As soon as the critters can be moved it's all yours my friend. :cheers:
The tank has been set up almost 3 weeks now and I'm still trying to get it to cycle. Even though 75% of the sand I put in was live - at least that's CaribSea's claim - I'm having trouble getting it to cycle.
I've been doing fishless cycling and am adding clear ammonia as the ammonia source (yes, there's only ammonia in the mixture). It's holding at 2 ppm and nitrites haven't even begun to register. In an effort to jump start things I went through a whole (stinky) bottle of MicrobeLift with no effect. I then added two bottles of Dr. Tim's One and Only - 4 days later still no change. So, today I added 2 more bottles of Dr. Tim's and 20lbs of cured live rock. Cloudiness continues to be a minor issue, but is OK as long as I don't disturb the sand too much.
I'm going to keep testing it daily for hints of nitrite to determine if the cycle has kicked in. I'm running out of time and need to move the fish and corals in the next few weeks, so keep your fingers crossed!
In the mean time all the new PVC parts to re-plumb the tank that I couldn't find anywhere in Manhattan have been mail ordered and will be here on Wednesday.
Props to Mike for hangin' in there with me. As soon as the critters can be moved it's all yours my friend. :cheers:
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- Location
- Howell, NJ
add live rock in there i think the live sand is a bunch of BS. it might have some bacteria when i say some im talking a minor amount if any but pack that bad boy with live rock and make sure ur ammonia is up there when you do it and you will see the ammonia drop real fast 
... just for example i started a 29 gallon as my 1st saltwater tank and i used a dead shrimp to kick start the ammonia it took about 3 weeks for it to decompose and bring up the ammonia high and waited and nothing happened so i went out and bought live rock guess what happened in a day or 2 the ammonia was gone...
... just for example i started a 29 gallon as my 1st saltwater tank and i used a dead shrimp to kick start the ammonia it took about 3 weeks for it to decompose and bring up the ammonia high and waited and nothing happened so i went out and bought live rock guess what happened in a day or 2 the ammonia was gone...
- Location
- Rockland County NY
Cool Setup. Is the whole thing acrylic? Looks like it's going to be a nice build. I'm going to start my upgrade soon. I may steal some ideas from you as you move along, so don't take it personally.
- Location
- Hudson Yards
Well, they do say immitation is the sincerest form of flattery, don't they?
I wish I could take full credit for the design, I just did some tweaking. The tank was built by Midwset Custom Aquariums. It is 100% acrylic, the sump part of the stand and plumbing is where I had to make some modifications. The plumbing was really noisy and on the sump side of the stand the door opening was too low to allow enough water without overflowing. I'll try to get some photos of it when I go over to the apartment today.
I wish I could take full credit for the design, I just did some tweaking. The tank was built by Midwset Custom Aquariums. It is 100% acrylic, the sump part of the stand and plumbing is where I had to make some modifications. The plumbing was really noisy and on the sump side of the stand the door opening was too low to allow enough water without overflowing. I'll try to get some photos of it when I go over to the apartment today.
- Location
- Hudson Yards
Day 21
It was another one of those two steps forward one step back kinda days. I thought I could see the nitrite test begin to change color yesterday but it was really subtle. Today I was able to confirm it. The live rock and Dr. Tim's did the trick and jump started the cycle. The bacteria has begun to break down the ammonia though it's still registering pretty high so I added some Prodibio.
As for the step back, my mod to the sump side of the stand must have a small hole in the acrylic joint and I didn't get it with the silicone sealant. I arrived at the new apartment today only to discover water had totally filled up the area of the mod where it should be dry. So, I need to empty the sump again, apply more slicone, wait 24 hours and then refill it and see if I finally have a water tight seal.
It was another one of those two steps forward one step back kinda days. I thought I could see the nitrite test begin to change color yesterday but it was really subtle. Today I was able to confirm it. The live rock and Dr. Tim's did the trick and jump started the cycle. The bacteria has begun to break down the ammonia though it's still registering pretty high so I added some Prodibio.
As for the step back, my mod to the sump side of the stand must have a small hole in the acrylic joint and I didn't get it with the silicone sealant. I arrived at the new apartment today only to discover water had totally filled up the area of the mod where it should be dry. So, I need to empty the sump again, apply more slicone, wait 24 hours and then refill it and see if I finally have a water tight seal.
- Location
- Bergen Cnty. New Jersey
Silicone and acrylic dont work well together.
- Location
- Kings Park, NY
Pretty setup but IMO your rushing the cycle which can result in a disaster not to far down the road. This comes from personal experience and seeing it happen WAY too often here.
Adding this, adding that, 4 bottles of this 2 of that is more a waste of money than anything else.
Leave it as it is with the only addition being a fresh jumbo shrimp or several small ones in a piece of stocking laid in the sump. After a few days you'll notice a very nice cycle starting to establish.
This is not a hobby to rush ANYTHING through. In fact, the slower you take it and the more patience you have the easier it is in the long run. You'll have a much more stable tank and a few more bucks in your pocket.
I would watch that deep sand bed ya have though. Mixed feelings on them...
Good luck! Looks Nice!
Adding this, adding that, 4 bottles of this 2 of that is more a waste of money than anything else.
Leave it as it is with the only addition being a fresh jumbo shrimp or several small ones in a piece of stocking laid in the sump. After a few days you'll notice a very nice cycle starting to establish.
This is not a hobby to rush ANYTHING through. In fact, the slower you take it and the more patience you have the easier it is in the long run. You'll have a much more stable tank and a few more bucks in your pocket.
I would watch that deep sand bed ya have though. Mixed feelings on them...
Good luck! Looks Nice!
- Location
- Forked River, New Jersey
tagging along... nice build so far.. i agree with strgzr, dont rush things.. i feel as if your pushing the system too hard.. and yourself... enjoy it..
- Location
- Bergen Cnty. New Jersey
I was going to say the same thing as strgazer but didnt want to offend anyone. The adding ammonia didnt work well 20 years ago, ive heard good things about the 2 lttle fishes but i agree waste of money the shrimp works well this was the first time i used that method and it was smooth. You need to add more rock though it looks like. As for the live sand cycling with just that would be rough and really you kinda killed it when you stirred it up and filtered it. Nice tank tank a breath sit back let it cycle a few weeks.
Robin, looks like you, and I are in need of a little more patience.
You have the upper hand at cycling the tank since you can add live rock to get it to move a little faster. Me on the other hand don't have it like that.arg I am actually cycling my old 75 fowl which has had copper in it, so I cannot put any of my lr in it. Been quite a few weeks at least 3 or 4, and mine is still at the 1ppm of ammonia. Like you I have dumped several bottles of Bacterial supplements in it. I guess we have both wasted quite a few $$$ on these so called cycle in a bottle BS.lol And yes, I also need it to hurry up cause I have to move my fish in to it while we change stands.
So like Tony said, get some lr in there.
You have the upper hand at cycling the tank since you can add live rock to get it to move a little faster. Me on the other hand don't have it like that.arg I am actually cycling my old 75 fowl which has had copper in it, so I cannot put any of my lr in it. Been quite a few weeks at least 3 or 4, and mine is still at the 1ppm of ammonia. Like you I have dumped several bottles of Bacterial supplements in it. I guess we have both wasted quite a few $$$ on these so called cycle in a bottle BS.lol And yes, I also need it to hurry up cause I have to move my fish in to it while we change stands.
So like Tony said, get some lr in there.
- Location
- Hudson Yards
Thanks for the input guys. I've done fishless cycling in a few freshwater tanks, but this is my first attempt with it for saltwater. I'd pull some live rock from my current tank, but all the pieces either have coral on them or have sunken into the deep sand bed. I don't think it's a good idea to disturb the latter since the critters have to continue to live there until the new tank has cycled and is habitable. Everything but the sand bed from the old tank will have to be transferred all at once to prevent any deaths.
Anybody have some more live rock I can borrow (or even rent) to get the tank cycled and then I can give it back when I move the rock and all the beasties over from my existing tank? That's really the only other option I can think of since buying 100 lbs of new, cured live rock isn't something I can really afford to do at $8 per pound.
The fish and corals can stay where they are until January 1st - which is when I have to be out of my old apartment. Though I'm sure Mike would like to get my old tank from me sooner than that (hence my desire to move things along). Anyway, at least I'm beginning to see some nitrite production.
As for the silicone, I've used it elsewhere on the tank (i.e. around bulkheads) and had good results in sealing small leaks. I'd already used acrylic cement to attach the piece inside the sump. I photoshopped an example of how that piece is installed into the pic below - it's the gray part:
So, if the silicone is no good, what else could I use?
Anybody have some more live rock I can borrow (or even rent) to get the tank cycled and then I can give it back when I move the rock and all the beasties over from my existing tank? That's really the only other option I can think of since buying 100 lbs of new, cured live rock isn't something I can really afford to do at $8 per pound.
The fish and corals can stay where they are until January 1st - which is when I have to be out of my old apartment. Though I'm sure Mike would like to get my old tank from me sooner than that (hence my desire to move things along). Anyway, at least I'm beginning to see some nitrite production.
As for the silicone, I've used it elsewhere on the tank (i.e. around bulkheads) and had good results in sealing small leaks. I'd already used acrylic cement to attach the piece inside the sump. I photoshopped an example of how that piece is installed into the pic below - it's the gray part:
So, if the silicone is no good, what else could I use?
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