55 G reef-in-progress!

hey you set up looks great! can you give me some more details on the sand? whats the type and where did you get it from. also is it live and how many lbs are in there?
Thanks!

 

Agent Jones- thanks! the sand is caribsea argonite live sand. there is a whole 40 lb bag in there that i got at my LFS for around $50....be warned though if you just dump the sand in with water already in there it will cloud up and make some nasty foam on top of the water - mine was like this for almost 3 full days so i think it may be better to put the sand in first

back to my light problem - i sort of dismantled my fixture when i got home tonight and the reflector on the brighter bulb is tilted...why its like that i dont know but if the algae growth on that side is any indication of how corals will fare it seems to be working: Im gonna take it up to the LFS tomorrow the guy said he would look at it and replace the bulb free of charge if need be. Anyway any tips would still be great

 

More heating problems...........i think i'm pretty sure that i'll have to either move my tank or get a chiller. The temp is reading out at 86F right now and summer hasnt even kicked into full gear yet...my tank is in my bedroom(poorest AC circulation in the house) by a big sunny window! Fantastic planning on my part. We had our first real hot day today it must have been in the 90s outside and that with my lights i think will be too much for most fish. I hung a little fan in my sump about an hour ago...doesnt seem to have done anything yet and i removed the glass lid on one side so some heat would disperse....that was an hour ago and its still pushing 86 so i think i might have a problem:-/ so i think i might be having to move my tank to a more AC'd area or i could say byebye to my next 2 paychecks and get a chiller. Or maybe a cieling fan? Suggestions please!!!!

 

One thing to check with that type of bulb is orientation. Make sure that both bulbs are roughly the same. Different orientations will give you different results. Some a higher PAR output, and another will give you a different color.

I will try to find the article that explains it better. Takes a while to read, but well worth it.

hehe, I kick A**

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/3/review

 

Nevermind! false alarm on the heat, when i was messing around with the wires under the stand earlier i bumped the heat up on the dial to 93 :-X...i think i'll mount that somewhere..............

 

We started out with a sump like yours, with the bioballs and stuff. We have since then ditched all sponges except for the one in the overflow box, and removed the bioballs and put in some algae and a light instead for a cheapo fuge.

We removed the bioballs a little at a time, once a week, for 4 weeks, to make it easier on the bioload. But since then we like it. You've got a nice setup. But maybe this will be your learning setup and then you'll upgrade?

 

Not sure on the lighting issue...

Nice setup though.. wicked deal on the lights if they do work out for you...
Cant wait to see new pics!

 

Progress looks and sounds good.

Jwin, could you go into a little more detail on the fuge in you system. I recently purchased the same filtration and was curious how you made the fuge work.

Thanks.

 

looks good cant wait to see whats in store for it next

 

rock =] Got some freebie rock today from my dad; he's getting new floors and decided to get rid of his tank....also inherited his damsels by default, an electic blue and a 3 stripe...would'nt have chosen them but i guess they will help the cycle along. I think there is anywhere from 25-40 lbs of rock in there now im not sure though, here are some pics: