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Howard Howard
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  • Posted on: 10/5/2007 23:05
Budget Tank Setup UPDATE !! #1
Ok, got everything set up ready for the live rock to be delivered tomorrow AM ..

I recieved my skimmer today as well , i was expecting a V2 400 and the postman brought a V2 800 :D I set it up and started it up , and i am having a massive problem with micro bubbles ... sticking to everything , loads in suspension too !! also it doesn't seem to be skimming much ! Is this because there is nothing organic actually in the tank at the moment ?

I have set the heater to 25/26 degrees , is this right ?

Seems to be a good flow in the tank , i have moved the big powerhead that you can see central in the picture, it is now under the pump for the skimmer and the two small ones are now one central and one at the end , seems like a nice flow, but not enough to move the sand around .... no doubt i will have to change them around once the rock is in ....

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Once i had set the skimmer up i realised that the hood wasn't going to fit ( Doh !! ) so some doctorin' the tardis had to take place ...

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So now it all sits straight ! stuck the blue backing on and added the sand ...

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Then filled it up with water (70 litres to leave room for the rock to go in) and started the skimmer and powerheads. Fitted the T5 into the hood and put the hood on ...

Voila !

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Any advice on the micro bubbles, there really is a lot of them , will they eventually disappear as the skimmer settles down ?

The skimmer comes with a 'bubble stop' which is basically a box with foam in that you direct the outlet from the skimmer into , it works a bit , but there is still lots of bubbles...

Will update once the rock arrives !!

Really excited now !!

H
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Swanny32 Swanny32
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  • Posted on: 11/5/2007 10:26
Re: Budget Tank Setup UPDATE !! #2
Wow, looks wicked, looks like you have everything under control. I am definitely going to do something similar with my coldwater tank.

Im assuming you are going to stack the rock in a way so you cant see the heater, pump and skimmer?
Swanny32 Swanny32
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  • Posted on: 11/5/2007 10:30
Re: Budget Tank Setup UPDATE !! #3
oh and as for the bubbles, don't worry about them, they will dissapear in a couple of weeks time once everything has started to cycle.
Howard Howard
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  • Posted on: 11/5/2007 18:53
Re: Budget Tank Setup UPDATE !! #4
Ok , the rock arrived today at 12.20 pm and i set to work ....

Stacked it all up (securely i hope :wink: ) and drove down the the LFS for some more seawater ....

Bought 50 litres , and then topped up the tank , it only took another 12/15 so i have 35 litres in stock for changes while it's cycling ....

Literally 10 minutes after i put the rock in the tank , the polyp things started opening !! and now they are fully open ! I have sorted out the micro bubble problem by buying some new pads for the bubble stop , they are clearing slowly and i expect they will be gone by morning ...

I have set the skimmer up to produce a dry foam , which it is doing nicely now !

Here are some of the polyps , i have also seen three 6 :shock: legged starfish , black ones , an inch across ! do you get six legged starfish ?

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And finally after a bit of fiddling around with the rock , it's finished.... just got to cycle it now ... will take the first readings tomorrow !! although , to be honest , i don't think it's going to take that long !!

I think to be honest , i could do with a bit more rock , but that will have to wait until payday

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taziker taziker
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  • Posted on: 11/5/2007 19:29
Re: Budget Tank Setup UPDATE !! #5
got a photo of the starfish?
TAz
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Howard Howard
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  • Posted on: 11/5/2007 20:53
Re: Budget Tank Setup UPDATE !! #6
Not great pictures i'm afraid ....

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Howard Howard
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  • Posted on: 12/5/2007 17:52
Re: Budget Tank Setup UPDATE !! #7
Another quick update ....

In between ranting at Orange on the phone about my internet , i have been tidying up the cupboard under the tank ...

Sorted out the cabinet underneath the tank today , cut the hole for the external filter to sit in ...and braced the middle of the unit ..

Hung the extensions , and the ballast for the light and pinned the wires in place ... It looks like a lot of plugs, but i worked it out and with everything on (the heater only comes on a few times an hour) it draws a max of less than 275 w ...

Interestingly , i have an old 18 x 12 x 12 tank in the garage , and the section beneath the shelf is just a bit bigger , so a possible small sump could be added i guess at a later date .... :D

Just waiting on the external to arrive now , and will pop out tomorrow and get some timers for the lights ....

Here we go ...

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And the finished article, just got to wait for it to cycle now !

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flameangel flameangel
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  • Posted on: 12/5/2007 17:59
Re: Budget Tank Setup UPDATE !! #8
It looks good. Make sure it is fully cycled before you add anything at all, ok. Can't wait to see pics of the tank with livestock. We will have to be patient won't we!
Howard Howard
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  • Posted on: 13/5/2007 11:26
Re: Budget Tank Setup UPDATE !! #9
Yes , we will !!
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Kaz980 Kaz980
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  • Posted on: 13/5/2007 17:49
Re: Budget Tank Setup UPDATE !! #10
Nice looking tank and so neat
karen