My 46 Gallon Bowfront
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Topic: My 46 Gallon Bowfront
Posted By: smacky
Subject: My 46 Gallon Bowfront
Date Posted: July 18 2010 at 11:06pm
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The deployment I was planning on has been postponed enough that my wife has allowed me to get a tastefully sized aquarium. In other words, way smaller than I would have chosen, but it's better than nothing and it's worth having a happy wife. I picked this up along with a stand and canopy from the aquarium classified section.  It was a bit dirty, but I spent the evening cleaning it up and it looks a lot better. I'll take a picture of the clean version tomorrow. The first thing I'm going to do is replace the plumbing to make it fit the space and the circulation plan I have. I came across one small problem while I was cleaning it. There is a very small leak at the bottom of the overflow bulkhead. It was really small, probably only a few drops a second that leaked into the tank. Should I try to fix this? Should I not even worry? If I do fix it, what's the best way? Should I just try to patch the leak or take the whole thing off and seal it back on? I'll be rearranging the furniture in the house tomorrow afternoon and I'll post some photos of it in it's space then. |
Replies:
Posted By: rwccomptech
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 12:33am
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I would fix it and use the silicate that they sell at pet stores thats use to fix leaks in the sealing. A few drops a second will surely grow until its reached a few cups a day. it will be noticeable and its a pretty easy fix. ------------- Ron 20g 60x turnover 30" current pc fixture |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 12:51pm
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GE Silicone I 100% silicone will work just fine. It's about $3 at any hardware store. Put some underneath the bulkhead and then tighten it down. Then let it cure for 48hrs and you're good to go! ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: Lewy
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 1:42pm
| are you talking about the window silicone? |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 1:53pm
Here's a photo of the cleaned tank. Mostly clean anyway. I'm going to pick up some tools to scrub off the rest and then take off the overflow bulkhead. I think I'm going to install the plumbing before I reattach it though, it seems like that would be the easier way to do it. |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 2:12pm
You can also go to the plumbing section and get plumbers silicone grease, costs about the same, you rub it on and I was told there isn't a curing time on it. |
CapnMorgan wrote:Posted By: becken
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 4:47pm
------------- 75g with 40g breeder, Dion stand and canopy, G4 skimmer, mag 12 return with seaswirl, 2 AI Vega LEDs |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 5:33pm
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That's correct. It has to be 100% silicone w/ no additives. GE Silicone 1 is the right stuff, not II or the "rain ready". ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 5:40pm
Just to make further clarification, I think it is labeled as GE #1 100% Silicone for Windows and Doors, the bathroom stuff has the mildew inhibiting agent, from what I was told. I can give you the item number when I get home off the tube I was told to buy |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 1:00am
I took a photo of the tank in its space.  Everybody seems to say this about their tank photos, but it really does look a lot bigger in the room. Maybe that's because it's a pretty small room. I've got the silicone and am looking forward to a long weekend I get to put together all the plumbing and replace the overflow. The 18 gallon rubbermaid that will house the RDP refugium and the return pump sticks out of the back of the stand just a bit, that's why I have it at the slight angle. I figure I will put the return pump at the back of the sump and it will be a straight shot up to the 90 degree elbow at the return. Next to the fuge will be a smaller sump that the tank will drain into that will have room for a filter sock (should I choose to use it), and the skimmer. Then I'll connect the two sumps with a couple PVC pipes. There's not a lot of space down there, but I want to try to get as much volume as I can in the stand. I'm looking at 4 feet of head with only one elbow and am thinking about getting a Mag Drive 3 or 5 for my return pump. With that head, they'll give me 270 or 310 gph respectively, with the rest of the flow provided by some Koralias on a switching timer to create alternating currents. What does everybody think of Mag Drive? Is there something more reliable or quieter? |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 1:39am
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Mag drive's are ok, but they draw a lot of electricity compared to similarly sized pumps. I'm personally a fan of the Rio Hyperflow series pumps. ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 1:55am
| I like the price, and the flow of the 8HF looks about right. Are they pretty quiet? Mag Drive is the only one I have used before. |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 11:03pm
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I went to The Aquarium today to pick up a return pump and some bulkheads. They were out of the bulkhead size I needed but I did end up getting the Rio 8HF. I also found an ASM G-1X skimmer on their inventory reduction table. It was marked down 100 dollars and I got it for 189.00, which I didn't think was too bad. I've read that some people have problems with the pump, so we'll see what happens. Anybody have any experience using larger pumps with this skimmer? Tonight I'm going to install the overflow and hopefully I can pick up the bulkheads and other plumbing tomorrow. |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: July 29 2010 at 12:20am
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Not much has changed since my last post. I am having a custom sump made and also ordered a 36" ATI 4 bulb Sunpower T5 fixture. I'm going to need to build a new canopy to fit it, but I have a week off from work in about a week and a half so I should be able to get that done. My Marco Rock also arrived over the weekend, then this week I got an email from them about a sale on the very rock package that I had just purchased from them. Oh well. |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: July 29 2010 at 1:16am
| i have a question how did you get all of the crud off with out scratching the glass? |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: July 29 2010 at 8:19am
| I used water and a soft cloth to get a lot off, then I used a plastic algae scraper to get the rest. It took a while. |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 10 2010 at 12:13am
I brought my sump home over the weekend. My stand is very narrow front to back and couldn't get any standard tank to fit in and have very much volume. So I had tcfab make a custom sump that fit perfectly. The intake chamber barely fits my ASM G1X skimmer, but it works. I had to cut out the back of the stand and replace it to get the sump in, and then I finished up all the pluming this afternoon. I started mixing up saltwater as well, but it is going slow as I have no RO filter and am making runs to Good Earth to fill up my two 5 gallon jugs. I've put in about 3 inches of oolitic sand and then will seed it with some LS that bugzme was kind enough to offer me. Then I think I'm going to finish off the four inches with some larger grain sand on top. Aquascaping starts tomorrow too. I'll post some photos tomorrow when the light is better. |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 10 2010 at 10:20pm
It's filled and the skimmer and pumps are running and the water just cleared up enough for me to see that I'm not really happy with the aquascaping. I don't think I like it, but I also don't know what I will like. I took the photo in the evening and the reflection is terrible, but there it is. It's cleared up quite a bit since then and actually looks like it might eventually polish up. It's been seeded with some LR, LS, LW and macroalgae from bugzme's amasing tank. Maybe someday mine will have SPS that amazing too. Thanks for the good start Jeff, and Semper Fi. |
Posted By: ksmart
Date Posted: August 10 2010 at 10:33pm
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Looks awesome! cant wait to see more progress. Aquascaping is such a pain but just keep moving things around till you are satisfied. I do like your aquascape though.. Thanks for posting the pics. ------------- |
Posted By: tcfab
Date Posted: August 10 2010 at 11:18pm
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Lets see how everything fit in that sump lol. ------------- Need custom acrylic work? give me a call, www.Elite-Aquatics.net (801)645-6386 |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: August 10 2010 at 11:35pm
| how deep is the sandbed? |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 11 2010 at 12:48am
| It's four inches. It does kind of look like a lot, doesn't it. |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: August 11 2010 at 1:34am
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Looks good also it would be a good denitrification system. I have a shallow bed just covering the bottom. Nice rockscaping
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Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 11 2010 at 7:03am
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You're welcome! Nice to meet you. ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 11 2010 at 12:12pm
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The tank has been running for about a day and I tested my water to see where I was at. I ran all the tests I have to get familiar with them and this is what I got. Temp: 78 Salinity: 1.024 Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 0 pH: 8.0 Alkalinity: 12 Calcium: 580 Phosphate: 0 I used a mixture of Instant Ocean and Oceanic. I was a little surprised by how high the calcium was. Do I need to worry about it or can I just wait for it to lower by itself. The alkalinity was just a bit more than I wanted it to be too. Is this a concern? My ATI Sunpower T5 isn't arriving until this weekend, so I don't want do any corals until I get more light, but do you think it's too early for a fish? |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: August 11 2010 at 12:20pm
| Everythin looks fine. alkalinity is good. i keep it at 11 some people like their calcium high. Now let the cycling begin!!! |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 11 2010 at 12:23pm
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It will lower by itself. Oceanic salt is high in calcium. I run my alk at 11 or 12. Donit forget to feed the bacteria with a shrimp or light feeding. ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Lewy
Date Posted: August 11 2010 at 12:54pm
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Let your tank cycle for a while before adding fish. Allow Jeff's LS and LR to really seed the rest of the sand and rock in the tank. ------------- 40 gal w/ 20 sump |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 11 2010 at 8:32pm
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The only problem with cycling a tank during a week I've taken off of work is that I get a little impatient when I have so few other distractions. I changed a bit of the rocks, but I'm not convinced it can't get better. I broke a piece in half so there would be a little more room in front and in back and then added a few smaller pieces.  And here are some photos of the sump: I am still amazed how little room there is to spare in the chamber with the sock and the skimmer.  Here's the refugium with the macroalgae that Jeff gave me.  And the return pump that also feeds the fuge.  I had to take the cover/screen off of the pump because the little brackets that slid the pump onto the mounting plate were just a tiny bit too long. If I closed the cover/screen, the back would come open and vice versa. I could probably make it work with a razor blade and some sandpaper. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I'll be building my new canopy this weekend and if I can get it done in time maybe I'll pick up a softie. Unless I decide I need to change the rockwork some more. I'll be adding my first fish in a week. Will a tank raised bangai cardinal that's eating frozen do ok in a new tank? Or should I wait on that one? What's a good fish to start with? I'm also thinking about a blennie, but I hear they're very good at finding their way to the floor. |
Posted By: tcfab
Date Posted: August 11 2010 at 9:33pm
Looks good.  I wish we had a little more room to play with on the size of the sump but bowfronts are hard to work with sump wise  ------------- Need custom acrylic work? give me a call, www.Elite-Aquatics.net (801)645-6386 |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 11 2010 at 10:12pm
| I'm really happy that we were able to squeeze so much into such a small stand. |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 12 2010 at 2:36pm
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There is life!! I was looking at the tank today and found a few things. First was a tiny starfish that was missing two legs was crawling on the glass. He's tiny, only about 3mm across.  Then there was what I'd guess is a tube worm of some kind. It's just as small as the star.  It's not exactly earth shattering news, but it's a start. And I promise not to post photos of every copepod and snail. |
Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: August 12 2010 at 3:23pm
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I don't mind seeing pictures of new tanks. I wish you had more! Seeing a bit of life is a good sign! Curing everything can be frustrating, but it's worth the wait. ------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 12 2010 at 4:16pm
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Looks great Mack! You should start seeing some tiny serpent stars in the next couple of days! Rock work looks great also ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Spbeyond
Date Posted: August 12 2010 at 4:22pm
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Nice, a red feather duster. I have tons of them. They are very pretty in my tank. ------------- 90 Gallon Reef w/4 bulb 54W t5 I buy, sell and restore pinball machines. Got one in the basement? ;) |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 12 2010 at 4:33pm
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Guess my rock, sand and macro are working. Those stars only have 4 legs but they will eat algae off the glass. I have lots of them. ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 13 2010 at 12:23pm
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My tank is off to a good start, thanks Jeff. It's only been two days and the macroalgae has doubled in size. I'm loving it. I've also noticed a few more of those red feather dusters on Jeff's rocks. I started noticing a tiny bit of hair algae in a few places so I went to Aquatica and got ten of their 40 cent astreas (what a deal) and a peppermint shrimp. I drip acclimated everything for about an hour, got temp right, and then put them all in the tank. They all seem to be doing well, the shrimp gobbled up the food I gave him last night. He's out again this morning and seems to be doing fine.  I tested for nitrate, nitrite and ammonia again this morning. Everything is still zero. Though I'm not sure a 3/4" shrimp and a few snails counts as much of a bioload. Tomorrow I put my mediocre carpentry skills to the test and make my new canopy, something like this one. http://www.reefland.com/forum/lighting/12503-bow-front-cap-w-mh-lighting.html - http://www.reefland.com/forum/lighting/12503-bow-front-cap-w-mh-lighting.html I've got a buddy with all the tools I'll need, I just need to pull it off. |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 13 2010 at 12:27pm
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Did you add some food so the tank will cycle? ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 13 2010 at 12:54pm
| I have. Not a lot though, but the shrimp sure likes it. |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 13 2010 at 12:56pm
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A little extra food will help the bacteria grow. Some people us 1/2 of a raw green shrimp to feed the bacteria ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Deluxe247
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 3:56am
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Glad to see you have a peppie. After the tank cycles I would get a few more of those guys just in case there are any aptasia "spores" anywhere in the tank - they'll keep them from growing. ------------- 90G Mixed Reef |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 18 2010 at 9:57pm
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I've been adding quite a bit food daily to feed the bacteria and keep the cycling going. But Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates have never even been close to the lowest measurable amounts for my tests. Not much of a cycle, thanks to bugzme's LR, LS and macro. So last night I went out and picked up a tank raised yellow tang from Reef Runners. He ate really well at the store and at home in the tank so I have high hopes for it. I also got a pulsing xenia frag over the weekend, and it's starting to perk up and pulse and hopefully it will attach itself to its rubble soon too. Photos will be coming soon. |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 22 2010 at 11:20pm
The xenia has started attaching itself to a rock and so I moved that rock to the display tank. The stalk is still kind of droopy, but the polyps are out and pulsing. I hope I didn't bring home the xenia too early though. I was expecting my ATI T5 light to arrive within days, but there have been some issues and I still don't have the light. Hopefully the coral makes it until the light gets to me. As for the tang, it's still pretty shy around me, but is eating everything I give to it and seems very healthy and active. I wasn't able to get any good photos of him. |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: August 22 2010 at 11:45pm
| hmm cool. i have xenia but they never seem to grow like weed and thats my fav coral. My birdnest is growing more faster than my xenia to grow a polyp |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: August 23 2010 at 7:29am
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Many people have good luck dosing iodine. Have you tried that? How is water flow and light where your xenia is? The guy who gave me this frag had it in a low-moderate flow/high light spot and he said he could barely prune it fast enough. |
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: August 26 2010 at 12:37am
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I would say that most conditions and spots in most tanks will grow xenia at a fast rate thats why many start with it tank looks really good your off to a good start cant wait for you to get your t5s in I love mine I will give it some time but I am thinking I will never go back to MH ------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: September 05 2010 at 10:53am
| Speaking of xenia doing well anywhere, I found a small stalk growing in my sump yesterday. I haven't posted a lot lately but not a lot has been going on either. I'm still waiting on my light, if it weren't coming from a reputable guy I'd start to worry, but I am getting a little impatient. I've added a few more snails and a couple hermit crabs, and they seem to be keeping on top of the small amount of diatoms that have been in the tank for the last week or so. I've started feeding less and reducing the light cycle. |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: October 09 2010 at 8:55pm
It's been a while and my tank has made some progress. I had a lot of
trouble getting a light but eventually got a retrofit T5 fixture from
reefgeeks and the tank looks great. The xenia doesn't seem terribly thrilled about the new lights (it's looking kind of droopy today), but I'm slowly acclimating and it will probably be ok. I picked up a couple frags at the meeting on Thursday and I got another at reefrunners today. The smaller one is the one that came from reefrunners.  And the bigger one came from the meeting.  I've always liked zoas, and most of the soft corals will end up being different zoas. I also got a fungia at the meeting, you can probably see it in the front of the tank, but the pizza wedge isn't all that impressive right now. We'll see how it looks in a year or so. I got a Bangai Cardinal as well today  Which brings me up to a total of three fish so far. I'll post photos of the yellow tang and the false percula clown soon. Before I get any more corals to put on the main rock, I'm going to get a GBTA for the clown. Then once it's settled down to a spot (hopefully it does find a spot to call home) I'll get a chalice or two. |
Posted By: Chris Scott
Date Posted: October 09 2010 at 9:10pm
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those are the zoa's that were being fragged at the meeting? Dang i wish I would have gotten some of them!! ------------- 55g Bowfront Corner Reef |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: October 09 2010 at 9:22pm
| I'm really glad I did, I was very pleasantly surprised to see they weren't the common brown ones. |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: October 15 2010 at 2:02pm
I had a few days off of work and picked up a few more corals. I got some GSP and digitata from bugzme, I got some more zoas from badfinger, and 6 heads of candycane from bobc63.   Also, the fungia I got at the meeting has finally gotten over me cutting it up with a tile saw and is extending its polyps.  I took all the photos under just the moon lights, so it looks pretty blue, but it does make the colors pop a bit more. And as you can probably tell, I have a little problem with air getting into my return. I thought I had it nailed down, but it looks like I'll be needing a bit more silicone. |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 9:40pm
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I had a fantastic time at the Reef Fest. I won some 2 part calcium/alkalinity that was almost enough for me to break even on my raffle ticket purchase. I also came home with a brittle star and a small maxima. Here's a photo I took of the clam tonight.  Looking at the photo now, I am wishing I used an ISO lower than 800. Oh well, it's still a beautiful clam. |
Posted By: smacky
Date Posted: July 27 2011 at 9:03pm
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Wow, so much has changed in the tank since the last post. I've been really lazy. I'll start with the most recent additions and changes and then will try to document most of what's happened since November. I got two new fish a couple days ago. First there's this guy:  and then there's this one:  I've been waiting a long time to get an ORA Green Spotted Mandarin. I wanted to make sure the tank and fuge had a very healthy amount of amphipods to supplement the food I give the tank. I'm hoping the lawnmower blenny (along with the CUC I ordered from arthuriv) will help keep the hair algae down after I manually remove it. This hot weather is killing me. |