New tank.. got some questions for ye

[Zechirian]

New tank.. got some questions for ye (updated pics)

I just setup my new tank, got the LR, sand, skimmer, heater, lights, powerheads going.. but i've noticed a few things and need some advice. First my tank spec's

Type:
Oceanic 58gal
Lighting:
1x 175 Ushio 10k MH
2x 55w Atinic PC
Skimmer:
CPR BakPak1 w/mj1200
Heater:
WON Titanium 200w
Movement:
2x Rio1700
2x ????smaller power heads.. smaller than the mj1200.
Substrate:
40lb Livesand 50/50 mix
20lb sugar sized sand
LR:
50lb Marshal Island
30lb Different mix from... Coral Beauty.. again nice place.. too bad they had to shut down
Salt:
Ocean Pure

Now my concerns
#1 heat.. i noticed today my heat got up to 84.4 degrees.. thats way to high for me.. and probably whatever i'll decide to keep.. i've got an open back on the canopy but no fans yet for an exhaust kinda thing

#2 concern for lack of flow.. i've got the two rio1700's pushin full power along the bottom but detrius is still building up.. i can't seem to kick it all up.. should i got with an in tank system of a rio1700 and some PVC piping? I do not have a sump so i'm kinda limited there. Was thinkin of mounting a 1700 on the top back corner and just extend pvc pipe along the top with some holes.. kinda like a spray bar.. but i dunno..

Thats about it for my concerns.. just need some advice.. i've got the rock mainly huddled in one corner now but am thinking of breaking it down and doing the basic line the back wall with rock.

Thanks again all for any advice
Zech

 

[Zechirian]

Just some more pics of my tank pre setup

 

[mojoreef]

Nice tank Zech!! Fans in the canopy would help but you might want to concider a sump, this way you can put all that equipment in it and then add a fan or two blowing on the water, that should help you drop a degree or two.


Mike

 

[LakeEd]

Installing a fan, on each end of your hood... both blowing inwards. There is enough open space out the back for the air to escape... and by having your fans blow inwards, it helps keep the salt-creep out of them. If you have your MH on a timer, you could add the fans to that... because that is probably building up most of your heat in the hood.

 

[NaH2O]

If you're having trouble getting the detritus swept up into the water column, maybe try and get it so what remains on the bottom collects in one or two areas that can easily be siphoned out with regular maintenance. *edit - I just realized you have substrate. Stir up the sand to free the detritus into the water column when you perform your maintenance. I don't know if a spray bar will create more of a sandstorm than help.

Fans in the canopy will help, but I'm with Mike....if there is a chance for you to add a sump, that will be a great help sticking a fan there. Another thought I had about your heat issues. I have the WON PRO heaters, and have found mine are incorrect. If the temperature of the tank water is high, check to make sure your heater isn't running. I have mine dialed all the way down, and they turn on when the tank hits about 78ºF. It seemed like they were turning on when the tank was warm, so I played with them until they were about right.

 

[Zechirian]

Ok small update.. got my package from premium aquatics.. man what a place Anyways.. added a MJ1200 for flow.. took out one rio1700, had to do the aquascaping all over.. this time mostly a normal line of liverock.. but with lots of caves and the marshal island rock makes form some kick booty rock.. tons of cracks and such. Anyways I'm really kicking myself for not buying a digi cam and takin pics.. I also took out the WON heater and added my brand new 250w Ebo-Jager.. this should solve any over heating issues.

After redoing the rockwork i noticed the placement of my power heads is now much more efficient.. to top it off all but 1 PH are hidden behind the rocks.. which is nice especially the RIO.. my wife hates how they look.. Also picked up my first tank habitant.. Sally Lightfoot crab.. son picked him out.. well it was a planned addition so i'm glad i could get him to pick it hehe..

Tank has been up for oh.. about 4 days now.. Ammonia still shows 0, Nitrite still 0, Nitrate has been hangin around 20ppm Is this ok? I used about 34gallons of water from another tank the rest was Well water and my tap water, all the live rock came from already established tanks.. Could it be possible that I will not even experience a cycle? I'm praying that this is true.. Thanks again all!

I will post pic's as soon as I can get ahold of a decen camera.

 

[LakeEd]

Since the rock came from pre-established tanks... its possible you won't see any Ammonia or Nitrite spikes. (keep my finger's crossed for you) I would add life SLOWLY, monitor for any Ammonia spikes (hopefully, quick small ones, if at all)... and enjoy your new tank!

 

[Zechirian]

Thats good to know.. i'll be keeping an eye on the lvls and pray i don't spike. Anyways, I need to figure out whats going on with my temp. I put in my Ebo-Jager last night, set it to 79, when I woke up(no lights over night) the tank was at 85.5... well thats what the coralife digi thermometer said. I am begining to thing the digitherm is malfunctioning? Anyone have any experience with that particular therm?

 

[LakeEd]

Its possible your thermometer isn't accurate (sorry, I have no experience with the Coralife Digi Therm's....) or its also a possibililty that you're tank is picking up heat from your powerheads.

I as using my MAG18, to push 2 SQWD's for changing current in my system. When I installed this setup, I just dropped the MAG directly into my sump. All seemed to be going good, until I checked my Temp... and found out that I was at 81.6. Before that addition, my tank max temp was 79.2... so this was a definate change for me. I ended up raising my MAG on a platform in my sump, so its out of the water, with a short PVC input line... and now my temp is back to 79.4.

Just another thang to look at for your temp problem.

 

[Zechirian]

Ok I followed your actions by taking my two smaller powerheads out during lunch time. The temp in the tank was about 84.2, I've got the heater set to 77 and it frequently turns on.. so i'm begining to thiink the thermometer is flippin out.

Do sally lightfoots show stress under really high temps? So far he's been rockin around the tank doing his biz.

 

[LakeEd]

Zechirian,

Its possible your powerheads have nothing at all to do with this heat problem, just something I found, and another possible source is all.

I know there are several good people down there in your area, and its possible you might talk someone into stopping by this upcomming weekend with another Thermometer to double check things out... and give another set of eyes to help figure this out. Never hurts to ask, at least. *Grinz*

As for Sally Lightfoots... I've never owned any, sorry.

 

[k9crawford]

a fairly easy was to check your thermometers calibration is to make up a glass of ice water. as much ice as you can fit in a glass, top off with cold water. put your temp prob in and wait a few. the temp should be right around 32 deg. F. Hope this helps.

 

[fishermann]

I would go and get a plain ole glass thermometer, they are cheap and check the temp again, if you set your heater on 77 deg. and you see the lite coming on, either the digi is no good or the heater is bad or not calibrated right. As far as running the MH you well need fans in the canopy.

 

[Zechirian]

This thing is crazy.. I get home.. after the powerheads were takin out and it was down .3 degrees.. so i said hmm.. and unpluged my rio1700 in the tnak.. leaving just 2 mj1200's going.. the rank reached about 85.6 degrees.. i turn the pump on and the tank came down to 84.. this happened over a period of about 4 hours so i dunno what to think... I'm really leaning towards just buying a clip on fan and clip it onto the hood in the back and have it blowing across the water. I'm not to up on making holes in my canopy heh.

 

[tdksound2005]

hi guys i just bought a 150 gallon6x2x2 tank and plan on having a fowlr setup.
i also bought a lot of items could you guys tell me if i bought the right things and about the make and models of these items.
iam not setting up a sump in this one,i really dont have the space for it.
well heres the list.


aqua medic turbofloter1000 multi sl skimmer.
2 x ehime 2028 external filters
2xmaxijets 1200s
1xtunze6060
2x 300 watt therms
2x marine white 58 watts flouersent
1x actintic blue 58 watts floursent
3 x reflecters
efhie subtrate filter media for ehime 2028 lots of it.lol
salt water master test kit
i plan on having 60 lbs of coral sand.
i also ordered 100kg of live rock.i should get that by next month after i cycle the tank.

so guys if theres anything i missed out plzz let me know.

thanks leon.

 

[LakeEd]

Leon (tdksound),

I bet if you start your own thread, you'll get a better response.

 

[NaH2O]

Leon - go ahead and start a thread dedicated to your question that way we don't get this one off track. Let me know if you need any help with this!

 

[Zechirian]

Ok so I get home and test my Digi Therm.. .stick it in my freezer and it says its -12 degrees in there.. sound about right? Anyways.. I think whats going on is that I have a power head blowing directly onto the heater.. maybe speeding up the water and making it seem cooler to the heater than it actualy is? I dunno.. just a thought. So I pointed the poweread from the back to blow on the front glass.. breaks up the surface water a little better that way. I'm really hoping this helps atleast... We'll see.

 

[Zechirian]

Ok guys new idea here... How much would it cost.. LOCAL only.. to have the tank drilled. One Hole to the sump, and one for a return line. How big do they have to be and where can I get the overflow grating from, acrylic or plastic it doesn't matter but it has to be fairly inexpensive. I was thinking about it, and I think it may be the best choice right now since I only have two hermits and a sally crab in there right now... they can live in a 25gal heated rubbermaid tub right now. Please send me any ideas on where and how to do this stuff... I live really close to D.K. Boos glass.. just fyi

 

[Zechirian]

Ok.. got a perm 7" fan runnin on the tank.. so far today.. a STEADY 80 degrees!!! YES YES YES with all 5 pumps going, metal halide and pc's... oh what a glorious day lol.. anyways here's some pics..

My son's Sally

Profile shot with the lights on

Full shot

Left Side

Right Side

If you'll notice the full shot pics.. how full it looks.. then the side pics... thats about 10 full inches of space there.. its flippin crazy how deep this tank is..