s76rick's 75 gal Rimless Build

Hanna Phosphate Checker

This was also super easy to use. It came with 2 vials, a battery and 6 packets of powdered reagent. The powder packets were fairly easy to dump in but a small funnel would probably be helpful. It took all of about four minutes and the test result was .04 ppm phosphates.

I'm going to log all of my results on a spreadsheet I'm keeping and off to bed as I have to work in the morning. Tomorrow I'll be setting up the BRS media reactor with ROX as well as returning the skimmer which I removed to clean out some sand dust that it picked up after adding the DSB to the fuge.

 

I really like those alot from what I've been hearing/seeing.. I plan on purchasing some of those Hanna testers soon. Actual numbers beat trying to match colors any day.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yeah, I wish they made one for every test. I especially have trouble with the pinks- nitrate, nitrite- very difficult for me to discern differences.

Hey, by the way, how's the CPR overflow you bought from me working out?

 

Yea, those colors are a pain.. I give it 5 more years... Those color charts will probably be obsolete. As technology gets better and cheaper they're bound to be replaced...Hanna is on the right track.

The overflow works great! My next tank will definitely be drilled, but for this one, it was just what I needed. It's been running solid since the day I installed it. Thanks again..







Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Today ammonia remains at 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 7, phosphates .10 and pH 8.1. Temp swings from a low of 77.5 at night to a high of 80.5 in the day time and that's with 2 Mag 9's and a Maxijet 1200 running 24/7 in the sump.

It's been about 18 days now. I was wondering if I could get a fish yet. I would like to start with a false percula. Too soon?

 

You should be ok. I would think a clown would be great for the first fish. After you add him, just check your water daily for any signs of ammonia.

As far as the temp swing, that's within an acceptable temp range, but if your high temp is 80, I personally would put a heater set to around 79 to minimize the swing, but that's my personal preference. Some people don't mind the swings. Lots of different opinions on that..

Anyway, can't wait to see some more pics..

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for the reply Don_V.

I've got a few days off starting tomorrow so I plan on cleaning up the tubes and cables a bit as well as add 50 lbs of Reefcleaner base rock which I hope arrives by Friday. I'll post some pics once I get all that done.

My son (7) is dying to put some fish in the tank so I plan on taking him to the LFS tomorrow and pick up a clown. He'll be stoked about that.

Will adding all of that base rock around the same time as the first fish cause any harmful conditions for the fish?

 

I added reef cleaner base rock to my established tank a couple months ago actually.. I filled up a brute can with ro/ di and dumped the rock from the box straight into the brute. Then reached in and grabbed each rock one by one and shook it around in the water, pulled it out and let the water and dust drain off, then dunked it again and drained one last time. A lot of dust and dirt came off, but its really nice rock. Then I put it straight into my tank. None of my water parameters changed and it shouldn't if it's truly base rock, there is nothing to die off.

So, you shouldn't have any problem adding it, just rinse all the dust out.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Good to know. Thanks.

 

50 lbs of Reefcleaners base rock arrived last Friday. It's really nice rock. The customer service was exceptional and it was delivered very quickly. At $80 for 50 lbs I think it's the best deal around.

Seeing as how my parameters were pretty stable for the last two weeks I also added my first fish, a False Percula. It's acclimated to the tank well and has been eating well since. It ate within the first hour of being in the tank. I'm feeding it both pellet and frozen food.

I also added a Fluval E200 heater and a BRS Carbon reactor. The carbon has been running about 2 weeks. It's BRS ROX- 8 tbs. It's really cleared the water up- not that it was cloudy but the difference was noticeable.

The tank has maintained a solid 80.5 degrees for the last few weeks. The house temp stays pretty solid and we don't really get winter here in Miami so I went with what might be considered an underpowered heater at 200 watts for this size system. The Fluval is solid and has worked well so far.

I've added about half of the RC base rock but I haven't really done any scaping yet. I think I'm going to need some type of rock adhesive to get the look I want eventually.

Today the parameters were:
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- .1
Nitrate- 5
Phosphates- .09
pH- 8.2