G&D's Foray Into a 90G Tank (Take One)

gridley · #1 08-14-2012, 04:18 PM

One step at a time things are getting done! We have completed our mixing station.

I built a stand for the 20g Brute Cans to sit on - there is room under the stand for two buckets of salt. The right Brute is insulated and is for the SW - I have added a spout to make it easier to fill buckets to take upstairs. In the SW can is a heater and used Hydor Koralia powerhead. The left can is for fresh RO/DI water. I do not yet have the spout added to that can - but it will come eventually. Each can has an auto shut off float valve. Our RO/DI unit is a Puratek. I have plumbed the lines so that I can fill both at the same time or switch between them. On the right of the panel I have a power bar that everything plugs into including an overhead floresent light. If you look carefully, you will see an electrical box just under the panel - that is for a light in the adjoining room. Though it can't be seen I added vapor barrior over the electrical box just to make sure water and electricity don't meet. (I figured that would be a good idea

)

Thanks to Nate for the idea of insulating the SW can!

Our next step is to install the Radion lights over the tank - maybe there will be fishies by the weekend!

Coralgurl · #2 08-14-2012, 05:51 PM

Are you sure this is your first set up??? LOL, again, nicely done.

gridley · #3 08-14-2012, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coralgurl

Are you sure this is your first set up??? LOL, again, nicely done.

Ya, first set up - maybe it is my perfectionism that has caused me to take 6 months from tank purchase to "ready for fish" . . . well, that and my failure at being a plumber!

gridley · #4 08-17-2012, 11:56 PM

At the start of the week - after all the water parameters had been stable for about a week, we added the substrate and had the expected sandstorm - a little over a day later everything settled and was looking good.

Once the sand settled we checked the water again and with everything good we installed the two radions and we now have light!

This afternoon I hooked the lights up to my computer and programmed then - not exactly simple

as the software really isn't very intuitive - but I got it figured out.

For better or worse we have started to add livestock! We put in 5 turbo snails this afternoon and have picked out a Royal Gramma and a Percula to be our first inhabitants. They are staying at the LFS to ensure they are healthy then sometime next week I imagine that we will bring them home!

gridley · #5 08-22-2012, 02:50 AM

I was looking at the tank the other afternon and saw something small and white floating through the tank - pod - maybe a copepod? Upon closer look it was mostly translucient - once it landed on the substrate it quickly zipped behind a rock. I haven't seen another since.

I also noticed that there has been quite a bit of brown algae growing on the formerly "dry rock" over the past few days.

The few snai;ls I have in their seem to be doing well and we have one royal gramma in the QT - looks to be doing fine.

Coralgurl · #6 08-22-2012, 02:58 AM

Wait till the dry rock turns fluorescent green, mine did, then the coralline started to appear! Goes through a bit of an ugly stage for a bit.

Great news on the pod, bet there's lots more in there if you've seen one. Great job!

gridley · #7 08-22-2012, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coralgurl

Wait till the dry rock turns fluorescent green, mine did, then the coralline started to appear! Goes through a bit of an ugly stage for a bit.

Great news on the pod, bet there's lots more in there if you've seen one. Great job!

Thanks - so how long does it typically take for the brwon algae to begin to turn the fluorescent green?