Cleaned the back of the tank and added sand.

Still need to setup my room/di unit I got on the weekend then I can start filling the tank.

I have 2 hydor koralia 1150gph power heads will that be enough flow or will I need some bigger ones?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...724cd94f43.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...44e7971121.jpg

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Once you fill the tank you may want to pickup some pieces of LR to help seed your tank and speed up the cycle. The power heads and return pump will provide your total flow and it all depends on what kind of corals you will be keeping.

I am planning on cycling the tank the slow way with just some shrimp and wait a few months. Gives me time to save up for a protein skimmer!

Went to setup my RO/DI unit last night... turns out it's more complicated than I thought and I will have to make a trip to the hardware store on the weekend.

I have a Vertex Omega 130 that is approx 4 years old. Retails for approx $330 (on sale) at J&L. I would want $150.00

AquaAddict

Thanks for the offer. I am a bit short on cash right now, but if it's still available in a month or so I would take you up on that.

So yesterday I got the tank filled and everything running. Added my salt and now I am just waiting for it all to dissolve and for the cloudiness to go away.

In my excitement of setting everything up I may have forgot to rinse the live rock... oops! So a bit cloudier than it needed to be.

Everything seems to be running fine, no leaks and it's pretty quiet. I have been having trouble with one of my power heads running loud. I took it apart and cleaned it and it was good for a few hours, but slowly has been getting louder.

When I get home from work I will see if the tank has got up to temperature and then make sure the salinity is correct. Then I can start cycling!

Usually for cycling the tank I use fish food, but since I'm out of fish food I was thinking of trying the pure ammonia method.

Anyone tried that does it work better, worse, the same?

Got the tank filled and started cycling. Turns out I had some frozen mysis shrimp left over in the freezer so I threw some of that in the tank.

What is a normal amount of evaporation I should be seeing in the sump?

I'm adding about a cup or so of water a day to the sump. Is that normal? I have checked everywhere and I see no signs of a leak. Water level in the display tank stays the same.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d7b02966b6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...25e8e9157e.jpg

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Only 1 cup? You can expect up to 1 gallon evaporation per day for a 75 gal system. Give or take, results may vary, closed course, professional driver, do not attempt.

Well then I guess my evaporation is pretty good. I am nowhere near a gallon of evaporation... yet. It will probably get worse in the summer when it gets warmer.

Going to need a ATO ASAP!

Wife didn't make me go to the gym tonight, yay rest day! So I got to do some parameter testing tonight.

Prepare for day 4 boring update!

Phosphate - 0
pH - 8.0
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
Salinity - 1.025
Temp - 81F

I think the temp was a bit on the high side so I moved the heater down to 79 to see how that goes. Also added some more of the frozen mysis shrimp. Hopefully I will see some ammonia soon.

Is there anything else I should be testing for at this point?

So far, even with the evaporation keeping salinity stable has been way easier than the 10 gallon. Definitely need a ATO though.

Anyone have any good recommendations for one?

I am thinking of going with the Neptune ATK system. I like that I can get probes in the future for leak sensors and having 2 optical sensors and the float valve seem like a good idea.

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