messiah023
Reefing newb
How else could they sell you phosban, reactors, chemical cleaners, algae removers, pre-mixed water, etc. etc. etc.
nitrates are high!
- Thread starter whitney
- Start date
How else could they sell you phosban, reactors, chemical cleaners, algae removers, pre-mixed water, etc. etc. etc.
whitney
Reefing newb
http://s676.photobucket.com/albums/vv126/whitney_chris_2009/My nitrates have gone doen to 30. I am gonna do another w.c. i put some live rock in my filter and i ordered some chatoe alge... Should i put the live rock in place of the bioballs???Can i make a fuge in my filter???
My filter is in the pics..I took the fake coraL out.
My filter is in the pics..I took the fake coraL out.
Rcpilot
Reef enthusiast
Here's a pic of what you have right now:
Not good. It's essentially a wet/dry unit. Thats a big nitrate factory.
Now here is a paint drawing of what you have:
And this is what I'd do with it:
Yank the bio balls out and remove the egg crate tray the bio balls were sitting on. Put a nice skimmer in this compartment.
Now you need a baffle so you can build a refugium. The height of the baffle will sorta determine the water level in the refugium, so don't go too high. You need room for the sump to fill up in the event of a power failure, but not so full that it overflows. This is easy to determine. Simply shut off your power and watch to see how full the sump gets. Thats how much water the sump needs to hold in the event of a power failure.
Build 2 baffles for the refugium. Water will just flow over the top. You want at least 4" of sand and you want a nice softball sized hunk of cheatomorpha or other macroalgae. Maybe an 8" high baffle?
The last baffle is a bubble trap to keep your return pump from sucking in bubbles and stalling out.
The baffles are cheap plexiglass. You can have them cut to size at most any hardware store for just a few bucks. Glue them in with 100% silicone rubber. Some people would use aquarium sealent because it's 100% silicone rubber. But it's too expensive for my wallet. While you are at the hardware store get a tube of silicone. Read the label. Make sure it is 100% silicone rubber. DO NOT buy any type that has "antimicrobial" or "antibactieral" additives. It should be real easy to locate a tube of just plain old 100% silicone rubber.
You can do all this in one or two days. You have enough live rock and live sand in the tank to handle the filter needs for a couple days. Don't feed the fish while you're doing this modification. They'll just poop and create waste. Put a couple powerheads in the tank for water movement. Maybe take your big wet/dry pump and put it in the tank? You need something to create surface agitation for gas exchange while you do this. So point a powerhead at the surface of the water and let it boil the water surface for oxygen.
Get your plexiglass baffles measured and cut at the hardware store.
Shut the pump down and drain the wet/dry.
Toss the bioballs in the trash.
Clean the inside of the sump with baking soda and warm water.
Rinse it with plenty of hot water in the bathtub.
Dry it out REALLY good.
Install your baffles and glue them in with a big ole goober of silicone.
Let them dry overnight...... warm sunny room.... back patio......
It might take 2 days for the silicone to dry. It'll smell like vinegar for a day or two.
Rinse it out with more warm water.
Toss some live sand in the refugium
Set your skimmer in the sump.
Put the pump in the sump.
Fire it up!!
EDIT:
The red line shows approximately where your water levels would be:
You'll have to adjust the height of the skimmer to make it work at maximum efficiency. Just set it on top of a few shims of plexiglass or maybe even a ceramic pot. If it's too high it won't even work the bubbles up high enough to get in the collection cup. If it's too low it will skim wet all the time and just be a pain in the ass. Tuning the skimmer height is critical to efficiency...... but it's not hard to do.
This is where your baffle height on the refugium is going to be critical.
Not good. It's essentially a wet/dry unit. Thats a big nitrate factory.
Now here is a paint drawing of what you have:
And this is what I'd do with it:
Yank the bio balls out and remove the egg crate tray the bio balls were sitting on. Put a nice skimmer in this compartment.
Now you need a baffle so you can build a refugium. The height of the baffle will sorta determine the water level in the refugium, so don't go too high. You need room for the sump to fill up in the event of a power failure, but not so full that it overflows. This is easy to determine. Simply shut off your power and watch to see how full the sump gets. Thats how much water the sump needs to hold in the event of a power failure.
Build 2 baffles for the refugium. Water will just flow over the top. You want at least 4" of sand and you want a nice softball sized hunk of cheatomorpha or other macroalgae. Maybe an 8" high baffle?
The last baffle is a bubble trap to keep your return pump from sucking in bubbles and stalling out.
The baffles are cheap plexiglass. You can have them cut to size at most any hardware store for just a few bucks. Glue them in with 100% silicone rubber. Some people would use aquarium sealent because it's 100% silicone rubber. But it's too expensive for my wallet. While you are at the hardware store get a tube of silicone. Read the label. Make sure it is 100% silicone rubber. DO NOT buy any type that has "antimicrobial" or "antibactieral" additives. It should be real easy to locate a tube of just plain old 100% silicone rubber.
You can do all this in one or two days. You have enough live rock and live sand in the tank to handle the filter needs for a couple days. Don't feed the fish while you're doing this modification. They'll just poop and create waste. Put a couple powerheads in the tank for water movement. Maybe take your big wet/dry pump and put it in the tank? You need something to create surface agitation for gas exchange while you do this. So point a powerhead at the surface of the water and let it boil the water surface for oxygen.
Get your plexiglass baffles measured and cut at the hardware store.
Shut the pump down and drain the wet/dry.
Toss the bioballs in the trash.
Clean the inside of the sump with baking soda and warm water.
Rinse it with plenty of hot water in the bathtub.
Dry it out REALLY good.
Install your baffles and glue them in with a big ole goober of silicone.
Let them dry overnight...... warm sunny room.... back patio......
It might take 2 days for the silicone to dry. It'll smell like vinegar for a day or two.
Rinse it out with more warm water.
Toss some live sand in the refugium
Set your skimmer in the sump.
Put the pump in the sump.
Fire it up!!
EDIT:
The red line shows approximately where your water levels would be:
You'll have to adjust the height of the skimmer to make it work at maximum efficiency. Just set it on top of a few shims of plexiglass or maybe even a ceramic pot. If it's too high it won't even work the bubbles up high enough to get in the collection cup. If it's too low it will skim wet all the time and just be a pain in the ass. Tuning the skimmer height is critical to efficiency...... but it's not hard to do.
This is where your baffle height on the refugium is going to be critical.
Last edited:
Rcpilot
Reef enthusiast
BTW:
NICE TANK AND STAND!!! :bounce:
It's beautiful. Now we just gotta get your filtration sorted out and your home free. You'll be vegging in the chair in front of your tank in no time....... kicking back with a cold drink and enjoying your tank instead of worrying about it.
NICE TANK AND STAND!!! :bounce:
It's beautiful. Now we just gotta get your filtration sorted out and your home free. You'll be vegging in the chair in front of your tank in no time....... kicking back with a cold drink and enjoying your tank instead of worrying about it.
dcantucson
Reef pro
Excellent advice from Rc.
whitney
Reefing newb
I got my chaeto and ther is a worm in it... Should i take the worm out??
Skimmer??? Is that a protien skimmer??? Shoul ihave a light down there for the chaeto?? What kind???
Skimmer??? Is that a protien skimmer??? Shoul ihave a light down there for the chaeto?? What kind???
Rcpilot
Reef enthusiast
Unknown worm? I'd remove it and send it down the American Standard whirlpool. Maybe if you were more experienced and could identify it........ but for right now let's not take a risk on an unknown species of worm. Could be a bristle worm. :bounce: Could be a peanut worm. :frustrat:
Skimmer = protein skimmer.
The cheato is not picky about light. A cheap 10w or 20w clamp-on light from the hardware store will grow all the cheato you need. Any kind of light will work. Doesn't need to be fancy or expensive.
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sen5241b
Reef enthusiast
Its been said: remove bioballs gradually or it could start a mini-cycle.
yote
In Memoriam
Thats IS a great looking tank Whitney.
But I'm gonna disagree with Rc on the worm.Both peanut worms and bristle worms are good to have.Both feed on detritus and other waste and are excellent members of your clean up crew.
But I'm gonna disagree with Rc on the worm.Both peanut worms and bristle worms are good to have.Both feed on detritus and other waste and are excellent members of your clean up crew.
Rcpilot
Reef enthusiast
But she doesn't know what kind of worm it is.
When in doubt........ flush it.
She's got enough live bacteria in the tank........ yank the bioballs out in one shot. How else is she going to convert that sump to a refugium?
When in doubt........ flush it.
She's got enough live bacteria in the tank........ yank the bioballs out in one shot. How else is she going to convert that sump to a refugium?
yote
In Memoriam
I tend to go by,when in doubt,research it.
99.9% of the worms we encounter are beneficial to tank.Its extremely rare to get a predatory worm anymore.
99.9% of the worms we encounter are beneficial to tank.Its extremely rare to get a predatory worm anymore.
whitney
Reefing newb
I am gonna take the bio balls out when i get a skimmer to build the fuge.. Or should i take take them out now?? It will take 7 days to get a skimmer im gonna get a 50 dollar one off ebay thats all i can afford... i put the live rock in the part where the sump is. Should they be where the bio-balls are until i get all the parts for the fuge???
whitney
Reefing newb
what about this skimmer???
yote
In Memoriam
Whitney,I hate to say it,but that seaclone wont handle a tank the size of yours.Their fine on small tanks,under say 30 gallons,but their not strong enough for a 55.You'd just be wasting your money.
If you already have it,then its better than no skimmer,but dont buy a seaclone.
Do you have a link to the one your looking at on ebay?
If you already have it,then its better than no skimmer,but dont buy a seaclone.
Do you have a link to the one your looking at on ebay?
yote
In Memoriam
I dont know anything about either one of those.But if I had to choose between the 2,I'd go for the one in the second link.
Or if I could,save some more and get an even better skimmer.You can get a great skimmer for a 100 bucks or so.
Or if I could,save some more and get an even better skimmer.You can get a great skimmer for a 100 bucks or so.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Check out the Octopus brand skimmers. They are the best bang for the buck out right now.
