lattehiatus
Past President
Welcome to my first tank journal! While the setup is not as fancy as most of what you guys have, I spent some time planning this one out before finally setting it up.
The tank is a 33.6g Mr. Aqua rimless, measuring 24.8 x 17.7 x 17.7 inches. It was originally used for a freshwater planted setup that had to be relocated into another tank before I could begin drilling.
Overflow is a Glass-Holes 700gph kit, with two 3/4" returns that will provide all the circulation in the tank.
Touch n' Foam Landscape foam used to create a backdrop on two sides, directly onto the glass (no eggcrate or rocks were used). I went through 5 cans of the stuff. At one point the structure began to collapse and my gloves stuck to the foam when I tried to prop it up, so I used my bare hands. It took about 10 days before my hands were no longer waterproof. Black sand was pressed into the foam while it was drying.
The sump is a 20 gallon high tank, with acrylic partitions. Return pump is a Panworld 50PXX rated for 1100gph. I figured that after accounting for head and plumbing off the return to power a sulfur denitrator and GFO reactor, it would be just about right and leave some room just in case. The first chamber houses a SWC 160 skimmer - perhaps overkill, but juvenile clowns eat like little piglets. I estimate the sump holds about 12.5 gallons bringing the total water volume to 46 gallons.
Considering that I hadn't plumbed anything in a decade, I was surprised that there were no leaks.
Added 184 ocellaris clownfish. They were getting cramped in their old homes. Lighting is a 12-LED PAR38 bulb sold by RapidLED, drawing 19W. I originally wanted to move my Kessil A150W over to this tank, but it is still lighting the frag tank. If it turns out that it's insufficient light for anemones I'll need to make some changes.
Currently I still need to plumb in the Midwest Aquatics sulfur denitrator, I stupidly snapped a couple of the plumbing connections by walking into it while it was on the floor and had to use some adhesives to patch it up. After a week of operation nitrates are already hovering at 40ppm, and that includes 3 days of not feeding during vacation.
The SWC 160 skimmer is producing a ton of microbubbles that are escaping into the DT. I neglected to consider that the flow rate through the sump (which provides all the circulation in the DT) would be a problem. So much for the grand plans.
Also still need to set up the ATO. So far that isn't an issue since I am raising the salinity from 27ppt to 35ppt by topping off with saltwater. I have a TLF Kalkreactor that I might use in conjunction with the ATO to maintain alkalinity.
The tank is a 33.6g Mr. Aqua rimless, measuring 24.8 x 17.7 x 17.7 inches. It was originally used for a freshwater planted setup that had to be relocated into another tank before I could begin drilling.
Overflow is a Glass-Holes 700gph kit, with two 3/4" returns that will provide all the circulation in the tank.
Touch n' Foam Landscape foam used to create a backdrop on two sides, directly onto the glass (no eggcrate or rocks were used). I went through 5 cans of the stuff. At one point the structure began to collapse and my gloves stuck to the foam when I tried to prop it up, so I used my bare hands. It took about 10 days before my hands were no longer waterproof. Black sand was pressed into the foam while it was drying.
The sump is a 20 gallon high tank, with acrylic partitions. Return pump is a Panworld 50PXX rated for 1100gph. I figured that after accounting for head and plumbing off the return to power a sulfur denitrator and GFO reactor, it would be just about right and leave some room just in case. The first chamber houses a SWC 160 skimmer - perhaps overkill, but juvenile clowns eat like little piglets. I estimate the sump holds about 12.5 gallons bringing the total water volume to 46 gallons.
Considering that I hadn't plumbed anything in a decade, I was surprised that there were no leaks.
Added 184 ocellaris clownfish. They were getting cramped in their old homes. Lighting is a 12-LED PAR38 bulb sold by RapidLED, drawing 19W. I originally wanted to move my Kessil A150W over to this tank, but it is still lighting the frag tank. If it turns out that it's insufficient light for anemones I'll need to make some changes.
Currently I still need to plumb in the Midwest Aquatics sulfur denitrator, I stupidly snapped a couple of the plumbing connections by walking into it while it was on the floor and had to use some adhesives to patch it up. After a week of operation nitrates are already hovering at 40ppm, and that includes 3 days of not feeding during vacation.
The SWC 160 skimmer is producing a ton of microbubbles that are escaping into the DT. I neglected to consider that the flow rate through the sump (which provides all the circulation in the DT) would be a problem. So much for the grand plans.
Also still need to set up the ATO. So far that isn't an issue since I am raising the salinity from 27ppt to 35ppt by topping off with saltwater. I have a TLF Kalkreactor that I might use in conjunction with the ATO to maintain alkalinity.
