I did once, then I sold about half of it to one of my friends. When I first started this 300, I had 300 lbs, and only used about 250, I ran out of room!!!!!
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- Thread starter CarlaW
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I did once, then I sold about half of it to one of my friends. When I first started this 300, I had 300 lbs, and only used about 250, I ran out of room!!!!!
Curtswearing
Mantisfreak
This particular "rule of thumb" is about as equally useful as Watts per gallon IMO. Waaaay too many variables.
I still that being used. You know what tho, that was in alot of early books, so that does mean that maybe some people still know what books are, contrary to popular belief.
Curtswearing
Mantisfreak
LOL!!!
Here's my "rule of thumb". Read varying viewpoints...compare it to what you know....ask questions about what you don't know....then decide for yourself.
Here's my "rule of thumb". Read varying viewpoints...compare it to what you know....ask questions about what you don't know....then decide for yourself.
Let me throw this out. I was talking to a buddy of mine this AM about closed loops.
What I was thinking was using an Iwaki 100 and using 3 returns, 3/4" locline in the tank. I was going to "Y" the returns and point them at the bottom. Do you all think that might be enuf to keep them back and bottom pretty spiffy?
What I was thinking was using an Iwaki 100 and using 3 returns, 3/4" locline in the tank. I was going to "Y" the returns and point them at the bottom. Do you all think that might be enuf to keep them back and bottom pretty spiffy?
Lew90
Active member
Charlie,
Here are some pictures of before and after.
View attachment 19733
I have to agree with Curtswearing about "rule of thumb".
I played around with the two newer pumps and ended up moving them and changing one to a Rio 600. After I get more of the junk out I'm move them back to the back corners. I also still need to do something with the small rubbel.
I try to find some before pictures that are small enough to send. The ones I found are to large and are half way through the moving process.
Enjoy!
Lew90
Here are some pictures of before and after.
View attachment 19733
I have to agree with Curtswearing about "rule of thumb".
I played around with the two newer pumps and ended up moving them and changing one to a Rio 600. After I get more of the junk out I'm move them back to the back corners. I also still need to do something with the small rubbel.
I try to find some before pictures that are small enough to send. The ones I found are to large and are half way through the moving process.
Enjoy!
Lew90
Thanx for the pic Lew!!!!
Hope I get a little more input here, and I will be waiting for some more of your pics.
Headed to work.
Hope I get a little more input here, and I will be waiting for some more of your pics.
Headed to work.
fishermann
Well-known member
Charlie Hey its been awhile but I well tell you my experience. I went from a dsb in my 60 and 75 to everything going into my 240. If I remember right from talking to you at Kevins your tank is glass. Mine is acrylic and much easier to drill but my system consist of the whole reef is on blk eggcrate and the eggcrate has pvc feet. There are numerous pics in my gallery. My reef is more of a level one with higher spots in it instead of being so vertical. The legs under the eggcrate are a little higher in the back and slope as it comes forward. I did not do anything to my live rock when I changed except scrube some of it under running water in the laundry sink before putting it in to get rid if some of the algae that I didn't want to add. There was some sluffing but it was easy to vac out and I didn't want to loose all the sponges and other growth I had aquired over time. Anyway I have a 1 1/2" dia spray bar running across the back of the tank behind the eggcrate with routed slots in it pointing down about 60 degrees and a seq. Dart pump running it with 2 intakes in the back wall of the tank. It blows everything forward and up the front and back towards the coast to coast overflow. the heavier stuff settles in the front corners mostly and I vac it out once a week when I do my little water change. I have a 55 gal sump underneath and it is run by another Dart pump from the overflow and returns like Kevin does through 4 3/4" sea swirls with locline with the flare nozzle and the are curved down towards the rock and helps keep the rock clean as they sweep back and forth. I have 2 tunze 6200 on a controller for flow, in fact I have to hide my LPS in the reef because they do not care for the flow in the tank, they really come out at night when the flow reduces.
One thing I have found is that softies don't do as good in a BB IMO as there is not enough food to keep them happy. Even my SPS were not growing as fast as in the dsb system, and I have since started feeding my tank and using aminos and things are back to doing great but you have to feed the corals to get good growth. The SPS do not seem to polyp out during the day like in a dsb, probably has to do with food availability. I feed my corals after lights out when the are polyped out. You might want to check out a thread on RC under the sps forum and it is the "Matured Italian reef tanks", it is the top thread in that forum and I have been doing that for about 3 weeks now and have noticed a considerable difference in my corals since doing it, the sps are growing and polyping out better and the lps are a whole lot happier and I even have a blasto the is adding heads now. Look at my gallery pics they are old but still about the same. The hardest thins was finding the right shape of rock to go around the edges with to hide the eggcrate and not sit on the bottom except on a few points. The tank has been set up for a little over 2 yrs now. PM me if you want. Last but not least I do not run a sock, I think you need all the food you can get in a bb. I do vac my sump in the area where detritus settles when I do my water change with a little rio pump because they have a flat intake bottom and make a good vac, I just vac that into my water change bucket.I siphon vac the tank into a cut down filter sock I clamp to the inside of the sump. John
One thing I have found is that softies don't do as good in a BB IMO as there is not enough food to keep them happy. Even my SPS were not growing as fast as in the dsb system, and I have since started feeding my tank and using aminos and things are back to doing great but you have to feed the corals to get good growth. The SPS do not seem to polyp out during the day like in a dsb, probably has to do with food availability. I feed my corals after lights out when the are polyped out. You might want to check out a thread on RC under the sps forum and it is the "Matured Italian reef tanks", it is the top thread in that forum and I have been doing that for about 3 weeks now and have noticed a considerable difference in my corals since doing it, the sps are growing and polyping out better and the lps are a whole lot happier and I even have a blasto the is adding heads now. Look at my gallery pics they are old but still about the same. The hardest thins was finding the right shape of rock to go around the edges with to hide the eggcrate and not sit on the bottom except on a few points. The tank has been set up for a little over 2 yrs now. PM me if you want. Last but not least I do not run a sock, I think you need all the food you can get in a bb. I do vac my sump in the area where detritus settles when I do my water change with a little rio pump because they have a flat intake bottom and make a good vac, I just vac that into my water change bucket.I siphon vac the tank into a cut down filter sock I clamp to the inside of the sump. John
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Hey John, thanx for the input!!! It has been a while my friend.
On a side note, I am gonna try to make it to Seattle for the BBQ, you guys gonna be around?
Anyways, if I do this, I like the idea of your spray bar. I do have to bring stuff over the back if I want to get this right. I am hoping for some creative aquascaping and lots of coralline growth.
Either that or I will glue frags to the pvc!!!!!
Thanx again, let me know about the BBQ.
On a side note, I am gonna try to make it to Seattle for the BBQ, you guys gonna be around?
Anyways, if I do this, I like the idea of your spray bar. I do have to bring stuff over the back if I want to get this right. I am hoping for some creative aquascaping and lots of coralline growth.
Either that or I will glue frags to the pvc!!!!!
Thanx again, let me know about the BBQ.
fishermann
Well-known member
Charlie you answerd before I could edit the post. I added somemore info. Yeah as far as I know we should be at the bbq. Yeah I have all kinds of stuff growing on the spraybar but I also kind of used big pieces of rock back there for heigth and laid them over the spraybar a little. The eggcrate is a little higher in the back then the top of the spry bar for that reason.
Katchupoy
Well-known member
Hello, I just want to chime in...
I have been BB eversince I started this hobby in 84.
And since 2000 here in Seattle....
If Im going to redo my tank... I will put maybe 2 inch high acrylic box face down below my rock work.... so that i can access the detritus better.
I have been BB eversince I started this hobby in 84.
And since 2000 here in Seattle....
If Im going to redo my tank... I will put maybe 2 inch high acrylic box face down below my rock work.... so that i can access the detritus better.
I really like your aquascape by the way!!! Where did you get your rock, and what kind is it?
How recent are those pics it is looking really good!!
How recent are those pics it is looking really good!!
Hello, I just want to chime in...
I have been BB eversince I started this hobby in 84.
And since 2000 here in Seattle....
If Im going to redo my tank... I will put maybe 2 inch high acrylic box face down below my rock work.... so that i can access the detritus better.
Cesar, thanx, do you want to expand on the "box face"???
Katchupoy
Well-known member
here is my take.... i can actually use those 4 or 3 inches dia pvc pipes cut into 3 inches sections... so i can put the rock work on top of them... the idea is to elevate them... so you can easily access underneath rocks...
Now with the box. If ican make a 6w x 6l x 2high acrylic box with cover on top and non on bottom... this would be nice....
the idea for the box is to hold the rocks too but with cap on top then there is no chance that the detritus will be trap inside the box.
And since it is elevated... the detritus will not stay on top of the box and will fall on the floor.... where you can siphon it in one place or corner.
hope this works...
Now with the box. If ican make a 6w x 6l x 2high acrylic box with cover on top and non on bottom... this would be nice....
the idea for the box is to hold the rocks too but with cap on top then there is no chance that the detritus will be trap inside the box.
And since it is elevated... the detritus will not stay on top of the box and will fall on the floor.... where you can siphon it in one place or corner.
hope this works...
I wonder if your rockscape would get wobbly, (is that actually a word?).
Katchupoy
Well-known member
this what i have in mind...
I think it might work Cesar. With them that close, you could probably use tywraps or something to secure your rockwork, don't you think?
Katchupoy
Well-known member
the tank pic was last year.
this was last month...
this was last month...
