# Marks RSM 250



## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So it's a pre tank journal right now but that's OK. We are all going to be in this process together, at least that's my hope, because I'm going to need some help along the way. Just got my refractometer in the mail today and it got me kind of excited about the whole thing! Feel free to drop some helpful advice you might have before I go and make the mistakes so many have made before me and save me the embarrassment 

.....people did always tell me I'm salty, but I don't think this is what they meant.


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## Haven (Dec 26, 2012)

I'm so jealous, I want one so bad


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Mark Brown said:


> So it's a pre tank journal right now but that's OK. We are all going to be in this process together, at least that's my hope, because I'm going to need some help along the way. Just got my refractometer in the mail today and it got me kind of excited about the whole thing! Feel free to drop some helpful advice you might have before I go and make the mistakes so many have made before me and save me the embarrassment
> 
> .....people did always tell me I'm salty, but I don't think this is what they meant.


 I had a RSM 250 and they are a beautiful tank indeed, I'll talk to you more about it tomorrow and share my tips with you.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So i just came across this gem while doing some information searching, it seems to fit the bill









I know i had a good chuckle over it


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

The last pic even looks like its the white version of the RSM250. LOL.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Got the tank this weekend and successfully delivered to my house in one piece...phew!! Just in the process of getting her all cleaned up and filled, I'll post pictures after. No one wants to see my pain 

Really excited and a big shout out to Anthony for all his help and for making it all happen. 

P.S. I know we all love pictures, and I'll have lots, just right now this tank makes even me look sexy. Good thing elbow grease is in strong supply at my house!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

TANK CLEANING DAY

So lads and lassies today is the day. Getting everything all scrubbed and set up. Pictures to follow this evening!
so excited


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So, I got this beauty all cleaned up and ready to rock then I sit down on my couch and start to get the jitters....

Now I'm sitting here arguing with myself about the pros and cons of saltwater trying to convince myself to go through with it all. Pro - I have literally everything a guy could want to head down this road. Con - I'm scared!!

Still not too sure what to do about it all.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Just start with the easy stuff. Sand, simple rock formation, a couple corals, a cleaner shrimp, a couple easy fish


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Mark, buddy, you've gone too far to stop now. Once you have it set up, add & aquascape the dry rock and let it sit for a month or more to cycle. This will give you time to plan what you want to keep in it. I would recommend some easy soft corals (colt, green finer leathers, colourful mushrooms and green star polyps to start) and maybe a couple of clownfish. That should keep the wife & kids happy. Low bioload, low maintenance, easiest way to get started in reefing.

Anthony


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

You are so right! It is just that moment of weakness between cleaning one tank, moving another, realize you have to rescape your planted tank because it can't look like it does where it lives now AND THE KIDS WON'T STOP CRYING lol!

I do want it so bad and the little push is all this sexy gear I got last weekend...wink wink  BTW not a single scratch on this tanks glass anywhere. It is an absolute gem.









The methyl hydrate was for the OUTSIDE of the glass. Don't worry


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Looks superb. Glad it went to a friend and a great guy. Can't wait to see it finished & running.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Lesson number one.
You can never have too much live rock. That being said I am very happy with how phase one has turned out. On to phase two, murky water happy times. 
I'll post all the pics I have from cleaning this puppy tomorrow morning when I can transfer them from my phone to pc.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

I really like your aquascaping.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So i got this baby all filled up last night. Salted and warming as we speak. Now to start the cycle. Lucky for me, the die-off from the rock has given me a small ammonia spike to get off to the races but i will have to supplement in the coming days to boost the levels. Skimmer seems to be doing something, i am not too sure it is the something it is supposed to do, but some wet white foam is perking up, we will just have to keep tweaking it and get it right. I am not overly familiar with their operation however the knowledge is there, I just need it in my head. Starting PH with the crushed coral and Aragonite is 8.0 - 8.2 and that seems like a good place to be. Currently i have the SG at 1.018 and i am slowly working it up to 1.025 but being new i am unfamiliar with how much salt this will take so i am just taking it good and slow. Going to get the Tunze ATO installed today and work on plumbing my spare RO unit into the tank stand and look at adding a DI cartridge to it. Figure if i got one laying around i best use it 

Cannot believe i was ready to quit this before I even got started yesterday. I am super glad i didn't because even just this big box of salty water and rocks is beautiful. It all just got a little overwhelming in the middle of cleaning and moving everything. Small momentary lapse in judgement, i mean come on now we have all had those. At least anyone that is married, that split second in which you let your guard down and said i do :lol:

Here are the rest of the pictures from cleaning the thing and getting the skimmer installed. Nothing too fancy but those will come








sump chambers before the final clean








Time for the final clean








Sexy skimmer in the box








Uh.... where does all this go


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Hi Mark I see you have the Deltec MC500 skimmer that's good, the stock one that comes with the RSM don't work that well, FYI those deltec skimmers are $500 and change.
Getting it with your setup is a super bonus. Looks good so far buddy. Remember slow and easy and just breathhhhhhh. :lol:
Cheers Laurie


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

I can tell you are excited but all I can say is go slow and take a deep breath sometimes. your skimmer will need a while to break in say a week or so and please refrain from adding anything for a while and be picky when adding fish because once you have a issue its a lot harder to fix than fresh water systems.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

The Guy said:


> Hi Mark I see you have the Deltec MC500 skimmer that's good, the stock one that comes with the RSM don't work that well, FYI those deltec skimmers are $500 and change.
> Getting it with your setup is a super bonus. Looks good so far buddy. Remember slow and easy and just breathhhhhhh.
> Cheers Laurie


Believe me when I say I know how much of a gem of a deal I landed over there!! I still feel kinda like a thief in the night.

As for going slow, if I planned on going any slower on this one I would be moving backwards. I am generally an ass first and my head will follow kinda guy but for this particular project I have learned from past freshwater failures that patience is vital. It has taken me a good long while to commit to a marine tank and getting it right now is what excites me the most!


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

It'll take a while for the rock and hydroton to become seeded anyways. If its ready for livestock by the time we plan our whale watching trip, I can bring over some goodies.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Let the cycle begin!

Ammonia 1.0 ppm
Nitrite 0.25 ppm
Nitrate 0.0 ppm

Salinity measures 1.025, Temp 80, pH 8.2


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So overnight in my 48 hour old tank my ammonia dropped from 1.0 to 0.5 ppm and my nitrites shot up like a Roman candle on the 4th of July to 2-2.5 ppm

This seems strange to me because I was under the impression my rock was all dead. Clearly I was wrong because there is only one place nitrite comes from. Let it run for the rest of the day and douse it with ammonia again to see where we end up.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Special Tank Update!!!

...I'm still waiting lol


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Deltec mc500 is driving me crazy. You know when you know what the problem is but you just want it to work right anyway it gets a bit frustrating. Maturing the water and breaking in the skimmer, next to nothing for bio load other than some deep dye off from inside the dry rock and I'm just getting fuzzy white bubbles and overflow. I know why it is happening but I'm still getting frustrated by it lol! At least it gives me something to distract myself with while the tank cycles.

Speaking of cycling, the tank is processing ammonia rather healthy like, nitrites are starting to come down a bit, still not enough bacteria built up to match the pace of the ammonia introduction to nitrate processing but it is getting close. Nitrate is hovering around 80 ppm so that's on the move. Now we just sit back and wait some more. Having a lot of fun just fiddling with a whole lot of nothing on this tank right now, maintaining patience for a deep cycle before I add anything. We are going to do this one right lads and lasses!


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Hey Mark the Deltec I had drove me a bit nutty too, until your levels are reasonable and they will level out your skimmer will continue to drive you banana's. You could always sit beside your tank and play fish with your little girl while you wait and wait and wait or watch Finding Dora with her. :lol:


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

At least once a day the wee one gazes into the giant box of water and rocks (as I have aptly named my rsm 250 for the time being) and tells me that is Nemo's home. Luckily lying to three year olds comes naturally to me so I then explain that Nemo has to swim here from far far away and that it will take some time for him to get here 

Trying to explain cycling to my little one seemed like the harder choice....

As for the skimmer, like I said, I know exactly what the problem is but that doesn't mean I won't do every futile thing in my imaginary power to resolve it


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Mark Brown said:


> At least once a day the wee one gazes into the giant box of water and rocks (as I have aptly named my rsm 250 for the time being) and tells me that is Nemo's home. Luckily lying to three year olds comes naturally to me so I then explain that Nemo has to swim here from far far away and that it will take some time for him to get here
> 
> Trying to explain cycling to my little one seemed like the harder choice....
> 
> As for the skimmer, like I said, I know exactly what the problem is but that doesn't mean I won't do every futile thing in my imaginary power to resolve it


 Of course that's what we do :lol:


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## fraggalrock (Apr 21, 2010)

Its coming along very nicely! how exciting ..got to love salt water! I enjoy following this thread  loved my RSM come to think of it Anthony saved my skin on mine too! and when I took a break from salt water he found me a smokin deal on a Bio Cube fully stocked! I paid for it and loaded it up it was one of those "start the car" moments!

Sherry


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Leaving Anthony's house was entirely a start the car moment. Except for the fact that the car was an extended cargo van full of gear 

Right until this tank bankrupts me and causes a divorce I will be in his debt!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

What a ghetto install of a tunze osmolator looks like. Missing one piece....I'll show you one piece!










The test pit of despair. Got a five gallon to use in the end but this worked for testing. Now to organize my wires and make it pretty. Sure works nice!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So have you ever discovered the hard way that your heater is shorting out? This morning i woke up, laid my arm across the hood of the RSM, lifted the skimmer cover and every time i made contact with the skimmer my arm would get all tingly. Well it being 4:30 in the am i just kinda shook my head and tried it again, well same thing. After repeating this a couple more times trying to figure it out, i turned off the heater and jammed my hand in the tank. Nothing like making sure things are right by placing your life at risk!! Turns out i was right, lucky for me in the sense that i am still alive to talk about it, not so lucky seeing as now i need a new heater 

Glad this decided to happen before i had any live specimens in the tank.


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Curious what brand of heater was it.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Had the same happen to the 78g acrylic system. Heater burnt out over the weekend and it was 68F in the tank on Monday. Lost a couple of fish, but added a couple smaller heaters and everything is back to normal.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

The Guy said:


> Curious what brand of heater was it.


I'll look into it when I get home but for the time being it's the devil shockey kind 

My plan is now to get 2 100 or 150 watt for it so that it won't go down alone after it is stocked.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

so your guess is as good as mine









Better news however....we are close








so very close


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Mark Brown said:


> so your guess is as good as mine
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Marineland Stealth heaters were recalled, lots of problems with them, bad bad bad heaters . I've always trusted Eheim for heaters, the best IMO.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Thanks for the heads up!
It was in there when I cleaned everything up so I ran it. Can't say it breaks my heart to have to get a new one and now I know what I'm after. 

Anyone else think two 150's is a better idea than a single 250-300 ?


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

I like to run two and a temp controller you can buy off ebay. I also prefer titanium heaters


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

dino said:


> I like to run two and a temp controller you can buy off ebay. I also prefer titanium heaters


 I ran my heaters off a Finnex controller worked great, and yes Titanium heaters are another great choice.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

2 small heaters better than one big one.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So the hardest part of a reef tank is definitely just staring at nothing for weeks on end!

I'm gonna admit I am getting highly impatient but that's OK, I'm not moving on it till mid April at the earliest no matter what. Just wanted to let everyone know that a week and a half I I'm going bananas

On a positive note, the tank is now processing nitrite at the same rate as ammonia so in 24 hours it is dropping 1.0ppm ammonia and nitrite. That's a good thing.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Just ordered me a sexy RO/DI unit from J&L, by the time i buy a new membrane and filters and add a DI unit to the 3 stage i currently have the savings are next to none, might as well just get a new one. Seems silly that to get parts for a working unit is more expensive than a new one but what can i say, the money talks. Also they sell the gimpy little part for the tunze ATO that i am missing so i can install that thing right instead of just zip tying it to my tank lol! 

Second hardest part of a new reef tank is spending ass loads of money waiting to fill the thing with more money... i mean livestock!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So I tested my water today and after dousing her up to 1.5 ppm ammonia last night at 4:45 pm today at 7:30 pm I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 20 nitrate. I am winning!!

....now if only I could get this bloody skimmer to work right!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Best time ever!!

Had my head rammed into a closet this morning installing carpet at 7 am when my phone rang. Reef tank is making a strange sound she says, I says why, she says because all the water is missing!!

Turns out all the water was only the 2/3 full 6 gallon built in sump and 3 inches of display tank water but that is still a whole wack of water. As it happens one of the lifter pipes came off a pump sometime between 5am when I went to work and 7am when I got that phone call and did it's best to relieve my tank of water. Much love to the wife she filled it back up enough to keep the water moving and those bacteria growing!

The really strange thing is I probably lost 8-10 gallons of water and I will be damned if I know where it went. Floor was wet, but not gallons missing wet. Think we will just chalk this up to don't ask don't tell. I am extremely hopeful that my poorly constructed house with ship lap floor boards just allowed it to "escape" into my dirt crawl space. Suppose only time will tell


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So does anyone want to know how to waste 160 dollars??

Go on line early in the am. Order an ro/di unit. Along with that order get a tds meter, you know, for fun. Receive said order in the mail Monday evening. Test your water from your existing under counter ro unit with your newly received tds meter. Measure it at 2. Cry.

All that being said I'm glad I put the order in, mostly because my undercounter unit has a daily production of about 24 gallon and this one is 100. From my tap I'm getting 57 tds so that's not too too bad either.

Just think guys, only another three weeks or so listening to me rant about nonsense and we can get something in this beauty.

That's what I stare at from my couch all night. Would be nice with something in it.


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## Mick2016 (Jun 16, 2016)

RE: " . . . Anyone else think two 150's is a better idea than a single 250-300?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did you make a decision? If not, the advantage of having TWO is that if one conks out overnight - or while you are away - at least the second one will keep the temperature up until you can replace/repair the broken one.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I definitely made a decision. I am going to get 2. I'm just so lazy that it hasn't happened yet


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## Mick2016 (Jun 16, 2016)

Good. Opposite ends of the tank will also help even out the heat . . . of course, water flow usually takes care of that anyway.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So when does a person consider a tank cycled, I am currently processing 2.0 ppm ammonia a day with 0 nitrite. Dose in the am, check it the next day and zeroed out. Waiting for algae to bloom but i cannot see that happening without something living in there. Get a shrimp or snail or something or just keep on keeping on??


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

its cycled when ammonia is 0. if your adding and it goes away in a day id say the bacteria is doing its job. but Im no expert but I have cycled loads of tanks and I normally use bottled bacteria and give it 3-4 weeks and never ever had a issue. as for the rodi unit I think youll be happy with the larger daily output of the new unit. mine is 7 stages and puts out the same. I buy a big kit of filters to replace when needed and its really reasonable


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Yes, you can order a box of replacement filters for a great price from Aquasafe (that's the brand most of my friends use). I also used to use Aquasafe but now I'm straight tap water. I love the upgraded water filtration system Metro Vancouver installed for the 2010 Olympics.

Years ago, I did a huge group buy on RODI stuff ($3600) and filled the front area of my home. It was crazy.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So, question here. My tank is 100% through the typical Nitrogen cycle. The part i want to know is that in a reef tank am i not supposed to get to the point where the bacteria will remove nitrate as well?? Should i reduce my ammonia introduction to about 0.5 -1.0 PPM a day and then wait to see if nitrate will drop some on their own or am i just way out to lunch on this? At present my Nitrate is around 20-40 (we all know that color chart is confusing) which makes sense based on the amount of ammonia i have added. Just a noob here trying to stumble my way through so my fish don't have to


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

It'll take a while for the nitrate-consuming bacteria to fully populate your rock and hydroton biomedia. If everything else is at zero, then you could do a water change (what a lot of people do after they cycle the tank and before adding livestock) and slowly start adding some livestock.

Anthony


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I don't think I'm there yet LOL
I want to wait until I cannot wait anymore! I'm not quite there yet. I'm more curious to know if at some point I will notice nitrate dropping on its own compared to the level of ammonia I am introducing.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

plan is to just not add ammonia for 2 days and see where those levels on nitrate get to. If they drop I'm gonna do a 50% water change and call the ball I think. For the past week I have been adding 2ppm ammonia at about 5 am and then 24 hours later I am getting 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite. Now if I can confirm that nitrate is dropping I think that is a safe place to be. Probably do one more round of ammonia after a water change and if that zeros out then that has to be cycled right?


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So it would appear the nitrate does not drop on its own. Sad face! 

Question though. Now that I have managed to get through the initial cycle, should I turn the lights on for 8 hours a day to see if algae pops up or do I just leave this thing in the dark? someday it will be lit so I suppose it is better to see if I get algae growth without fish right??


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## Mick2016 (Jun 16, 2016)

Yes, I would start the usual routine that you plan to have for the fishes BEFORE you add them. Lights, plants, etc. Everything all settled in just waiting to welcome the new residents. (Just my instincts on that, of course.)


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Aaaaah yeah!
Let that rodi sexy party begin!










Ghetto plumbing 101...buy lots of parts and put them all together until they work!

Just managed to test the first 2 gallons she pumped out. 0 tds! Thank you vertex


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So it has been a month that this thing has been set up. Still not getting skimmate out of the deltech. Is this perhaps because there is nothing for it to skim??

I cycled with pure ammonia so there isn't really a lot of anything in my giant box of salt and water, anyone have any thoughts on this??


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Try dropping a raw fresh prawn in the tank and checl your levels after a few days. Your amonia should spike and if it doesent your bacteria level is probably pretty good. You have no skim cause you have no bio load!

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I'm plopping 2.0 ppm ammonia into it a day and in about 18 hours it is zero nitrite so I'm definitive on that part of the cycle.

Raw shrimp here I come


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Honestly you could put some blue chromis also to finish your cycle. Run lights on a normal routine! 

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I am going to do a complete water change this weekend once i get a container that can hold 60 gallons of water - Giant garbage can here i come!!
Then i think one more week of running the thing and then in goes the live stock. It has been running through the ammonia - nitrite - nitrate in under 24 hours for over 2 weeks now so i think i am safe on that front. That and nothing has gone wrong in the past little while, nothing like oh you know, lifter pipes coming off my pumps and throwing out 6 gallons of water  I said it was going to be mid April when i got this thing up and running and i think just for my own peace of mind that is when it is going to be. It is not often i am a patient man, however i think this is one time that it would be a benefit for me to follow through.


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Yup good idea Mark, stick to the plan............:bigsmile:


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Nice, smart thinking. 

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I have to admit it is getting bloody hard waiting however!

Some days are good and I ignore that it is even there and other days I think I might just jump in and go for a swim just so something is happening in there.

Happy to announce that phosphate is 0.01 or less. Hard to really tell so that is good. My rock isn't leaching anything back into the system. The tunze ATO is going through a gallon or so a week it would seem so that is amazing water retention, excellent canopy design thank you RedSea. Last piece to get connected is the chiller but foolishly I placed the tank too close to the wall to get the pipes in place so I have to wait for final water change. One week or so from now and we plunk some fishes in there and then the real work starts.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Just picked up a 55 G barrel yesterday. Use to have Vanilla Extract in it, took the lid off that puppy and it is out in my back yard getting all cleaned up. Filled it with water, stuck some ammonia in there, because i love that stuff AND i can test for trace amounts of it (thank you API) dropped a power head in the base and let it run. Once the sun comes up i am going to go empty it out and scrub 'er down. Need to be able to swap the salt water out fairly quick so my bacteria don't die on me and a 55 G barrel seemed like the best way to go. One more reason for the wife to hate me.... "Why is there a giant drum in the laundry room?" I can hear it now, can you lol 

We are getting so close!!


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Mark Brown said:


> Just picked up a 55 G barrel yesterday. Use to have Vanilla Extract in it, took the lid off that puppy and it is out in my back yard getting all cleaned up. Filled it with water, stuck some ammonia in there, because i love that stuff AND i can test for trace amounts of it (thank you API) dropped a power head in the base and let it run. Once the sun comes up i am going to go empty it out and scrub 'er down. Need to be able to swap the salt water out fairly quick so my bacteria don't die on me and a 55 G barrel seemed like the best way to go. One more reason for the wife to hate me.... "Why is there a giant drum in the laundry room?" I can hear it now, can you lol
> 
> We are getting so close!!


Hahahaha thats too funny. Im still trying to figure out the best, most efficient and tidiest way to do my watef changes. My tanks a 72g bowfront and right now i fill up a plastic water tote next to my tank with 5G pails and do my mixing there. I dont have rodi yet but we have a tapped into some exceptional well water on our property that i tested and it has no nitrates or phosphates and definitely no chlorine. Dont know if i even need rodi to be honest.

Currently when i do water changes i drain into the same size tote as my new mixed water and i match the level exactly. That way i know i will have enough and not to much with some left over. But im thinking its time to upgrade to a 50' auto suction hose that hooks to a tap and just run it outside.

i think of when we build our house on the property in the future... completely plumbed To a huge water totes in the garage where i have a rodi and salt water mix station. So when i do water changes i syphon into a drain and refill by turning on a tap above the tank.... hahaha ill keep dreaming.

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

keep on dreaming the dream. I live in a 900sqft shack in the woods. Floor space is at a premium and all eronious activity gets carried on in the laundry room. Generator transfer station, fire wood storage, now rodi salt water mixing. 

The day I finish paying this house off I am going to bulldoze it into oblivion and build something I can be proud of. For now I make do with what I can. 

Test that well water for tds, there is always a possibility that rodi is not necessary.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So to anyone wanting to pick up a used food safe drum for water storage I have a warning. Be prepared for some work!!

Mine contained vanilla extract. Ethyl alcohol and flavor (vanilla) according to the shipping contents label. This seemed to me like something I could easily clean out. WRONG!!

After soaking the thing over night in an ammonia bath, ammonia which might I add we use in my profession to remove floor polish from industrial linoleum and PVC, there was still residue all over the thing. Well....off to plan b. Scrub that sucker down. Steel wool+determination=success

I started going at the thing with reckless abandon, I could see the residue coming off the inside of the container, at last success. After about an hour of all that I decided it was time to try er out. Rodi is running into it as we speak and after sloshing it all around the inside of the barrel I'm getting 0 tds.

Mark 1 Barrel 0
If you are keeping score.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Way to persevere! I used to pick up used food service 5 gallon pails for Wc back in the day. To this day many of them still smell like the fruit products that were in them. Better smelling than fish water I guess. They were a real pain to clean out at first. Hot water seemed to speed things up with alot of elbow grease. 

Man if it took that ammonia to clean, makes me wonder what it is we eat nowadays eh? 

Awesome journal btw, I enjoy following your journey. 

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Thanks!
It was definitely a pain but I am cheap when I can be. A new one was 130 before tax and I paid 54 tax in. When I am done mixing this round I'm going to get a bag of charcoal and let that sit in the barrel till the next time I need it. Should get any latent odour out of there.

This journal is about the only way I have manged to get through all the waiting I have been doing with the cycle and what have you. The real fun is about to begin. Fish in a week or two.....huzzah.

Thanks to everyone for following along so far!


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## Mick2016 (Jun 16, 2016)

I wonder: Scrubbing plastic with steel wool will leave minute pieces of metal embedded in the plastic. Not to rain(barrel) on your parade, but should one be concerned with using water for the fishes which came in contact with (or may contain) steel wool bits?


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

it definitely does not contain any metal. this thing has been inspected by mine eyes, no sain individual would be as concerned as I was. More concerning to me was the pieces of plastic, those have been addressed. it is officially spotless.

it was a metal pot scrubby not steel wool to be on the technical side, it sheds big pieces not wee ones.










Plastic piece is from cutting the lid off, metal chunk is how the scrubber shed

Edit:Not that it proves anything at all but I just drank some of the barrel water. Tastes like water. Possibly the best water ever but maybe I am just proud of myself...does pride have a taste??


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Wow page 8 of your tank journal & that's before any livestock is added. LOL. I'm lucky if I remember to start a journal as I'm filling it up with fish.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> Wow page 8 of your tank journal & that's before any livestock is added. LOL. I'm lucky if I remember to start a journal as I'm filling it up with fish.


Buddy I'm going nanners waiting. This is my therapy! 

And page eight here is about page 80 if you ask my wife. I ramble on about this thing night and day. Let us all pray for her soul when it actually gets going. I can sometimes be a wee bit of a maniac when I get turned onto things


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Special News Builtin 
Barrel report 2017!

24 hours later (ish) still 0tds. I have defeated the vanilla extract experience and am about to go salt this baby up and do a 100% water change on the giant box of rocks and water!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Well today is the day!

I have 60 gallons of salty water in my laundry room finishing, waiting to go into my tank tonight! Plan on doing a complete drain when i get home and refilling. I cannot think of anything else at this point that is stopping me from acquiring live stock. Heater, pumps, back up pumps, mixing pump, mixing barrel, power head, skimmer, test kits, salt, RODI, chiller, ATO, cycled, lights, replacement lights, refractometer..... and that is about it.

Short of a giant pain in the arse 100% water change i think i might be on easy street from here on out. Suppose time will tell. It has been a lot of fun so far and i hope that it starts to get a lot better, at the very least it will an adventure. Thanks for following along so far, hopefully i can fill this journal with something interesting from now on


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Cant wait to see some pics with some fish! Do you plan to quarentine the fish first! Dont make the same mistake as me man!

I just posted my somewhat journal! Have a read if you have time. 

Cheers

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I always have the time. I am a form trolling all star.

Does a fellow need to quarantine fish if they are the only things going in??


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## Mick2016 (Jun 16, 2016)

Good question.

My thinking is that you would not have to quarantine IF you know ALL of the following about the fish:

1. were all housed in the same water/tank at the store/supplier;
2. have all been in that same water/tank for a couple of weeks or so (as opposed to "our fish just arrived today!");
3. no other fish housed at the same time were removed (or died) due to illness prior to you getting the fish(es).

Naturally, if you already owned the fish and were simply moving them from another one of your own tanks, there should be no problem. Normal acclimation process.

Of course, for a fish you receive new from some other supplier and/or do not know its recent history, I would quarantine - especially if you dealing with expensive species . . . and there are some pretty pricey ones out there (i.e. particularly in regards to saltwater breeds). Too rich for my blood. If you know the supplier/retailer well and how s/he handles their new stock, then perhaps quarantine would not be necessary.

The couple of places I get fish have their deliveries on Thursdays, so I make my purchases on the following Wednesday. I buy "bread and butter" fishes, so am not usually risking much money. There is little variation in finding the "prettiest one" when dealing with tetras, otos, corys, rummys, etc. Guppies offer more variety, so the pretty ones will get scooped up more quickly. It is true, you may only find the "leftovers" . . . but, at least to some extend, these ones will be the "survivors" - or conversely, will be showing some (early) signs of illness by the time Wednesday rolls around.


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

+1 to what mick says. Quarentine is definitely the safest bet for making sure nothing gets into your main tank! If you buy fish from someone that has had the fish for a while with no issues then you should be good! Just be careful! And maybe look into fresh water dipping, its a method to get any parasites to drop off. Im going to do it once i get more fish 😁

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## Mick2016 (Jun 16, 2016)

RE:  " . .. fresh water dipping."

------------------------------------------------------

I am no biologist and have never had saltwater fishes, but the "dip" makes sense to me.

After all, some folks add salt to treat some FRESHwater fish issues, so why not use freshwater to similar effect for SALTwater fish. One more thing to add to my GOOGLE SEARCH LIST.


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Haha crazy right, google is amazing. Ive done countless hours of searching random questions and studying different methods. Great information tool thats for sure.

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Drip acclimatization in action.

IT IS HAPPENING!!

So like magic I found this healthy looking bonded pair of percula clowns at my lfs tonight. Now I own them. Huzzah!

It being April 12th I didn't quite make it to the middle of April like I said I would but it's pretty darn close.


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Beauty! Now you got to get them a nice anemone! 

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Robojam said:


> Beauty! Now you got to get them a nice anemone!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


Not quite there yet unfortunately. Going to start with some easier corals and get this tank good and rocking before I take that plunge me think. Then again......


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Then again!!! If your levels are all good and stable i think you would be good to go, but thats totally your call mark. Better safe then sorry! 

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I just don't know a whole lot about keeping anything other than freshwater fish alive. I feel I have learned a lot in the past little while, that has given me the confidence to now move into saltwater fish, corals and the like still seem to intimidate me. Perhaps it isn't as hard as the volumes of information available would scare a fellow to believe. Seems like stability is the key to success, we'll that I think I can handle. As soon as I can get a trip down to Victoria in I'm going to see what I can find for corals, there is nothing locally available and from there....sky is the limit. Heaven knows my freshwater tank has spawned more life in the 3 months it has been set up than I ever expected so I must have some things right


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## lebon (Oct 8, 2012)

I was going to ask where you were going to get your stock for the tank, knowing that in our region, the choices are pretty slim.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

lebon said:


> I was going to ask where you were going to get your stock for the tank, knowing that in our region, the choices are pretty slim.


I picked those two fellows up from paws and jaws in nanaimo. Creatures in Victoria I was hopeful has some coral and such. Other than that it is going to be trips to van.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Well 24hours later and the clowns are eating and swimming. Check and check on fish keeping. Now to keep it that way. I am so itchy to get some corals but I'm just so scared and I don't know why!

Feeding mysis and brine shrimp to these fellows right now. Any husbandry tips or advice will always be appreciated.

Thanks for following along


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Well the clowns are still doing great. They have started becoming comfortable in the tank because they venture further and further from their corner all the time and swim in peace. They began actively chasing the brine shrimp and mysis I put in for them and that makes me glad. Now to start thinking about corals.....most excellent corals!

Levels are still staying good.
calcium 420
salinity 1.025
phosphate 0.01
pH 8.2 (keeps dropping off 8.4)
Alk 9/10
Nitrate 10ish
Magnesium (need test kit)

Going to do a 10% wc tomorrow, prep it tonight. Why...not too sure just seems like a good idea


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Hey mark, glad fo hear the fishies are doing well in their new home!
Thought i would share this info i acquired with you! Being a new aquarium at some point soon your going to start encountering diatoms.... and the hair algea and cyano! Super depressing to see. A local expert was telling me about red sea n03 p04 x because i am going through the cyano / hair algea stage. Its a living bacteria thats healthy for the tank and helps corals grow and produce good colors as well as eats feeds on phosphates pretty well doesent even give the algea a chance to start. Might be a good idea for your new tank! Check it out, do some reading. I started yesterday and will post pics of algea progress! Cheers


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Thanks for the heads up, I will definitely look into it. I'm not overly eager to douse anything yet.... mostly because there isn't anything going on but I am willing to bet that mentality will dissolve faster than salt mix when bad things start to happen.

On a positive note my skimmer pulled out the smallest amount of skimate yesterday. The last piece of the puzzle at long last comes together 

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Corals are on the way!
Time to get down and dirty. Ordered some Zoas a GSP frag and a Ponape Birdsnest frag. Let us see what happens. I wish me luck!
I am fairly sure that this will end well, i think i know what i am doing and from doing research on-line it would appear to me there are many people going down this road before me that ran at it eyes wide shut, their mistakes will lead to my success. Being afraid has made me cautious, caution has kept me researching and the research has given me the knowledge (i hope).

Thanks fragbox !


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Saddest journal update of my life.....fragbox won't ship to me because I live in the middle of nowhere. While I definitely do not hold them responsible for their shipping policy and actually caring about getting coral to people in a timely manner, I sure am heart broken. So much for that plan. So seeing as I don't really have a plan b, I'm going to go burry my head in my mixing barrel and cry.


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## mollyb (May 18, 2010)

there are at least three ads for various coral species on used Victoria right now, just saying...


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Learned another valuable life lesson today. Do NOT use the same eye dropper syringe thingy to do water tests as you use to feed brine shrimp with. While this might sound like common sense, and I'm sure it is, I got a scary wake up call at 6:30 am this morning. Going through my usual battery of water tests I thought gee...haven't looked at ammonia in a bit better check it. Well when I got readings around 1.0ppm my heart dropped. Thought to myself I better test that again! Come to find out the dropper I use to feed got misplaced with my testy dropper and well I still have 0.0 ammonia. PHEW. I was terrified however. Now the feedy one has black marker on it. Don't need that happening again


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## lebon (Oct 8, 2012)

Mark Brown said:


> Saddest journal update of my life.....fragbox won't ship to me because I live in the middle of nowhere. While I definitely do not hold them responsible for their shipping policy and actually caring about getting coral to people in a timely manner, I sure am heart broken. So much for that plan. So seeing as I don't really have a plan b, I'm going to go burry my head in my mixing barrel and cry.


Oh that sucks....Not even to Nanaimo or Comox? .. Westjet flies to both I believe


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

They will ship to nanaino for 20 extra dollars. That's aok with me! I have an address I can use there so I'm back on the happy train


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Mark Brown said:


> They will ship to nanaino for 20 extra dollars. That's aok with me! I have an address I can use there so I'm back on the happy train


Was just going to say there is someone doing a big order and was asking if anyone else needs anything from victoria to save shipping costs. Its on yhe facebook group " reef and saltwater aquariums of british columbia"

Might be another option if the order isnt already placed.

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Thanks for the heads up mate. For me it is all about ease of access. Group buys have never really been my thing although I appreciate the information all the same. Money is not the object in this equation just access, what did I expect anyway I can't even get a pizza delivered out here


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Mark Brown said:


> Thanks for the heads up mate. For me it is all about ease of access. Group buys have never really been my thing although I appreciate the information all the same. Money is not the object in this equation just access, what did I expect anyway I can't even get a pizza delivered out here


Hahah only crappy thing about living in the middle of no where eh.

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## Dou (Dec 4, 2015)

If I ever go back to Victoria Mark, I will be more than willing to help deliver!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Dou said:


> If I ever go back to Victoria Mark, I will be more than willing to help deliver!


Feeling the love 
If I wasn't so lazy I could just drive my butt down there and buy some pieces but for some reason I will never understand I just can't bring myself to do it. Vancouver feels close to me somehow


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So I don't know here but does that look like coralline to anyone??
Picture is terrible....and my female clown photo bombed me lol


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## lebon (Oct 8, 2012)

Those pieces listed on the Used Victoria as previously mentioned look quite nice as well Mark. Might find it worth the trip down Island. I am just FW currently, but toying with idea of doing a SW tank. Just doing my research and cost analysis (cough,cough) currently!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I took a look and there is some nice looking stuff! Problem for me is work about 60-70 hours a week and when I get the oppertuniry to not leave my house I don't 

Also do salt water. It is fun, at least I find it that way. I have my fw running that I'm looking to expand and now this fun adventure. Coral is my focus on this beauty.


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

I doubt it's coralline yet. Sorry dude but it will take a long time to get that but you will experience a lot of different algae in a new tank. Was the rock dry when added? Meaning not live or seeded?


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Sure was. I just don't like the alternatives of what it might be. Power of positive thinking and what not.....that or the power of denial


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Are u refering to the darker spots on the rock or the purple tinge? You going to probably start to get cyano soon

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

the pinky bit. Dark spots are blasted diatoms....I don't want to talk about it


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Mark Brown said:


> the pinky bit. Dark spots are blasted diatoms....I don't want to talk about it


Thinking its going to be cyano. Have you read on the red sea no3 po4 X yet? It will control all of that and it promotes color growth/color. Its a way to control your nitrates/phosphates but you need test kits that will show readings below 1ppm.

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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

so with dry rock you will get a lot of types of algae forming on it. main reason I don't use it anymore but its just part of doing business when setting up a tank


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

It does seem inevitable. My tank is solid on parameters, nitrate even reads about 2 but I am willing to bet that is because this bloody algae is eating it all. I cant get a phosphate reading on the salifert test. My freshwater tank did the same thing and I panicked and then 2ish weeks later it disappeared and was never seen again. This time around I choose not to panic, just monitor the situation and remove what I can when I can. Seems like a very common issue as you said. 

Still not ready to douse things robojam I just can't make myself do it lol. But if this doesn't calm down in a bit I bet I can be persuaded


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

NOW IT'S ON!!

So I measured my tank today and took a reading on a salifert phosphate test kit of 0.1 Grumble grumble. I then doubled the volume of water and reagent to check (we all know it's a guess anyhow) and well it came up about double. That made sense.

Two Little Fishes to the rescue. 
Seeing as I am a control freak and paranoid I promptly ordered myself a reactor. I'll show that phosphate who is boss. Spoiler alert...it's me.

Diatoms are here, I was waiting for those little bastards and they sure didn't disappoint. Mild bit of ?hair algae? and well here we go. None of this comes as a grand surprise and I am prepared for it. I remember losing my mind over my fw tank when this happened, two weeks and a small growth of dwarf hair grass that couldn't handle the hair algae and I never had a problem again. Let us hope for the same results on this project.

This is for my good man robojam, sorry buddy it isn't that I don't trust you, I just don't want to douse things every day


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Fozdown is a great product for reducing phosphates. Don't need to dose every day.


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Haha i know, i still have the worry in the back of my head about it i debated even stopping and switching to rowaphos or phos gaurd and put it in my sump. Buuut i figure im already going with the dosing. Seen good results as all hair algae and cyano are gone and im a week in, corals have perced up a bit i figure i may as well continue with dosing to atleast 1 month and make a decision then, im already dosing under the recommended amount. unfortunately there is still alot of bryopsis 😓 just when u think u got it all figured out theres something else thats strong and harder to get rid of haha. 
The reactor is the way to go! Eventually ill have one im sure, but already over my monthly tank spending fund haha 😂

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Robojam said:


> Haha i know, i still have the worry in the back of my head about it i debated even stopping and switching to rowaphos or phos gaurd and put it in my sump. Buuut i figure im already going with the dosing. Seen good results as all hair algae and cyano are gone and im a week in, corals have perced up a bit i figure i may as well continue with dosing to atleast 1 month and make a decision then, im already dosing under the recommended amount. unfortunately there is still alot of bryopsis &#55357;&#56851; just when u think u got it all figured out theres something else thats strong and harder to get rid of haha.
> The reactor is the way to go! Eventually ill have one im sure, but already over my monthly tank spending fund haha &#55357;&#56834;
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


I looked into it, and i have to say it seems like a very good product. It was debated in my little brain but the research on Rowaphos and the reactor just knocked my socks off. There were some very very informative threads i found on the thing and well it convinced me. Mine are still in the low end of getting high and i do not want this to get out of control. Ill post some pics when i get it up and running


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Humble beginnings my friends. They opened up however so I think I am winning 

For anyone wondering, the little black bits are what happens when you and your media reactor get into a fight and it wins. That's going to take some time to remove.


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Coo baby blue eyed zoas? And green star polyp?

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

and some Japanese yellow hornets?? and a ponape birds nest frag. 

Now I just want them to get healthy from transport before I go and stick em on my rock


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Ya good idea start low and work up. My frags have been in my tank for two months still on plugs. Ive movrd them around to find where they likr best then gunna glue.

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Day two is much more promising


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So for anyone that doesn't know, GSP are weeds!! After 72 hours in my tank that little guy has transfered a wee colony of purple goo onto the rock work it is sitting on. I for one am ecstatic! Go little goo go!

For anyone that already knows of this widely know fact I must apologize for being so excited. These are the first corals I have ever had and it is exciting.


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

from experience I would put it on a rock that can be removed or placed in a different location. although its a great coral when it takes over down the road your kinda hooped


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

It is on 3 little rocks at the front of the tank in a cluster. I did some homework on this little guy and am 100% in agreement with you. My hope here is it covers off those rocks (all about a fist size) and then as it attempts to escape across the sand bed I can attack it back. I do appreciate the heads up though because it does seem like this stuff can get crazy.

After many failures in the plumbing department i have finally managed to get my phosban 150 reactor on line. This thing is amazing! So yesterday when i measured my phosphate it was somewhere between 0.1 and 0.25 at least that is what it looked like to me, (these things are up for debate) my three year old figured it was closer to 3.0 but i think i might have been closer. Just took a measurement this morning and well, i'll be! There might, i say might, be the littlest bit of blue in that wee plastic container and the final piece of the puzzle is in. So now we move on to just keeping everything in check and getting these corals to shine. Get some fish to keep my clowns company and wait for the day when i feel this tank is too small and I have to try and talk the wife into a bigger one. Size matters right??


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Have you tested your calcium and Alk at all mark? Curious as to what your levels are at

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

calcium is 440 and alk is 9dkh...or 10. It is always up in the air


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Bang on the money, good stuff. Them frags will be colonized in no time

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

my GSP is growing like wildfire, I count eight new polyps since I got it and my zoas are doing whatever the hell they do. I think the hornets have one new.....well whatever you call the sec heads on them. I think it has a new one coming. The rest of them all look happy and stay open all the time so I think I am winning.


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Yee haw man good to hear! 
I learned a lesson these last couple days, i picked up a orange lipped conch and a tiger cowrie, the orange lip is awesome eating all my algea the cowrie instead ate a bunch of polyps of a random coral i had. Nothing left but skeleton..... in one night hah. Its now in the sump with some rocks.... and thats it. Lesson being make sure everything is reef friendly before inpulse buying 😂

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

OH NO!!!!
my heart breaks if my zoas don't open for a little bit and I go into panic mode, not that I do much but panic, I can't imagine how terrible it would feel to lose them. That's so unfortunate, thanks for the heads up...i will make sure to check on things before I do ANYTHINF


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Dude, you're going to give yourself a heart attack if you keep going like this. You can't get overly attached to anything in this hobby if its going to cause you this much stress, heartache, etc. A hobby is supposed to help relieve stress and give you pleasure, not lead to hair loss and an early grave.


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> Dude, you're going to give yourself a heart attack if you keep going like this. You can't get overly attached to anything in this hobby if its going to cause you this much stress, heartache, etc. A hobby is supposed to help relieve stress and give you pleasure, not lead to hair loss and an early grave.


Haha true words, i think the starting of a tank is the most focused and possibly stressed time due to all the sudden changes and learning curves to go through. At the end of each day nothing more calming then looking in the tank under the glow of the night lights and seeing all the colors pop under the blue and purple leds.... &#128077;

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> Dude, you're going to give yourself a heart attack if you keep going like this. You can't get overly attached to anything in this hobby if its going to cause you this much stress, heartache, etc. A hobby is supposed to help relieve stress and give you pleasure, not lead to hair loss and an early grave.


The stress is what i like the most!! 
I like a challenge, it keeps me interested. To be honest i really don't "stress" out about much of anything, i am going bald enough with just time and genetics. That being said i really do like the challenge that this tank brings. I enjoy the complexity of keeping my mini reef tank, learning what i can and overcoming the issues as they arise. Someday far in the future all of the problems will be behind me and i will sit back and remember the good old days of hardship and heartache 

....as for an early grave my work has made that a forgone conclusion.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So i am in the middle of some ugly algae. Diatoms are dying down a wee bit at long last but now i have some green something something and yup you guessed it CYANO!!
I am not at the stage of losing my marbles yet, removing what i can when i can and changing water about 5% 2 times a week to make sure i keep up on nutrient export. I keep hearing this happens to most people and somehow i was hopeful i wouldn't be most people, seems i was wrong. What i want to know is, typically how long does this last and is there anything else i can do to combat it?? I have been thinking of doing a blackout for 72 hours but figure if the root cause is not yet remedied then there is no point. How did all of you make out when setting up your tanks??

On a positive note, my corals seem like they are all doing well. My hornets have a new head (maybe two) and the GSP is growing faster than my children so at least i have that to be happy about. My fish seem happy, and by happy i mean they keep swimming and living, i am not too sure what else to expect from them


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Mark Brown said:


> So i am in the middle of some ugly algae. Diatoms are dying down a wee bit at long last but now i have some green something something and yup you guessed it CYANO!!
> I am not at the stage of losing my marbles yet, removing what i can when i can and changing water about 5% 2 times a week to make sure i keep up on nutrient export. I keep hearing this happens to most people and somehow i was hopeful i wouldn't be most people, seems i was wrong. What i want to know is, typically how long does this last and is there anything else i can do to combat it?? I have been thinking of doing a blackout for 72 hours but figure if the root cause is not yet remedied then there is no point. How did all of you make out when setting up your tanks??
> 
> On a positive note, my corals seem like they are all doing well. My hornets have a new head (maybe two) and the GSP is growing faster than my children so at least i have that to be happy about. My fish seem happy, and by happy i mean they keep swimming and living, i am not too sure what else to expect from them


Hey mark, let the algae battle begin!
Im sure the algae stage varies for everyone but it can never go away if its not cared for properly.... now i know your on it and thats not the case but i find alot of times it can over run a tank and discourage people. Im still fighting mine, except i have bryopsis.... nasty stuff.... i dosed a fluconazole to kill it. 
I dont recommmend you do that yet and i know you dont want to dose anything but again its another thing to read up on for the future. ( google " bryopsis and fluconazole") should be the first link " my battle with bryopisis")
The scary thing is my nitrates and phos have been pretty well 0 from the get go, but that doesent mean the algae wont grow. The algae it self is the reason why those levels show 0, they consume the nitrates and phos and grow off of it.

The best thing you can do now is keep trying to manually remove it before it spreads out of control. When you do water changes get a tooth brush and zap strap it to your suction hose and scrub away. That way any loose algae gets syphoned out, also once the algae spreads to your glass/ back glass instead of just using the magnet to wipe it off get a decent sponge and pull it from the bottom up and then ring out the sponge in your dirty water chsnge water. Again preventing it to spread in the tank.
Its a tough battle but you can do it! 
I wouldnt worry so much about the cyano as its usualy goes away on its own, as well as the diatoms. The main thing is the green algaes you need to worry about.
Just keep siphoning out as much as you can!
Also i think you should consider getting a clean up crew now. Hermits / turbo snails / emerald crabs etc all love to munch on that nasty green algae.

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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Haven't heard any up dates in a while, hows the tank going mark?


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Things they aren't going so well. I have been fighting the algae. Shame Shame Shame. Ok, so maybe it isn't all that bad but it does have the tendency to drive a fellow crazy. Seems to have stopped getting worse... so that means soon it gets better right? I expected to fight with this thing a bit on initial setup so i cant really say it comes as a surprise but it sure can be a giant pain in the butt. Corals are all doing great and the fish seem happy so other than some unsightly bits things are really on the up and up i suppose. 

Thanks for the interest. I was just hiding my shame.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So, things are moving along. Still have my two clowns, the corals I bought are still alive, minus one birdsnest which I suppose I shouldn't have gotten yet. Phosban reactor is working wonders and someday this algae will go away.

Slowly building a clean up crew. Got 5 hermits the other week and they are doing wonders on the rock covered with algae. Looking to add some peppermints to see if I am not lucky enough to get a few that eat aiptasia... here's to hope.

Protein skimmer still causes me anger but it works more often than it doesn't most days. Things are on the up and up. Gave up on things a little bit a while back and let my water changes get behind. Nitrate climbed up to over 40 ppm but for the last 2-3 weeks now I have been motoring along with 25-30% changes twice a week trying to get things back under 5ppm. I'm hovering just above 10 right now. All and all, things are goodish for now and will continue to get better I assume (or hope).

Looking to add some more fish soon but need to get everything back in order first.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So....is this what I think it is??

....for the record I think it is eggs.


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Those are eggs! Do you have an anemone also?

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I sure don't. They laid them in their den of evil. At least that is what I call the cave they call home. All I know is no crab goes in that doesn't get swooshed back out again. I have nothing I can feed this brood with when it hatches so I suppose now is the time to get on that.


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Yea if your going to try and raise them a hang on back breeder box will work i got one off ebay for like 35 bucks. You will have to get some rotifers to feed them 

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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Once they get a bit bigger move then into a 10G-20G tank so you woulf have to start cycling one of those also haha. 

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I'm on Canada copeopods as we speak! 

I would love to breed some to see if I can. I have a 10 gallon I can use for this and if I really get going my 40 gallon will be coming back into the house 

wish me luck


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

so I haven't managed to get around to getting anything to feed my clowns spawns with yet so alas there was nothing to be done. They continue to lay clutches however so someday... someday like when work calms down.

On a second note... I hate marine tanks. If it isn't this algae or that algae it is some other thing like aptasia or imbalance in something something lol. Needless to say I have discovered this is a lot of work.... maybe not even a lot of work but a lot of learning  lucky for me I am stubborn as hell and will come out on the other side someday. 

Happy reefing everyone!


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## Dou (Dec 4, 2015)

Mark Brown said:


> so I haven't managed to get around to getting anything to feed my clowns spawns with yet so alas there was nothing to be done. They continue to lay clutches however so someday... someday like when work calms down.
> 
> On a second note... I hate marine tanks. If it isn't this algae or that algae it is some other thing like aptasia or imbalance in something something lol. Needless to say I have discovered this is a lot of work.... maybe not even a lot of work but a lot of learning  lucky for me I am stubborn as hell and will come out on the other side someday.
> 
> Happy reefing everyone!


Looks like everything is going decent for you haha. Yes.. it seems like there's a learning curve for salt water as well.. But it'll be rewarding once you get the hang of it!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

I'm not so sure it is a learning curve as much as a learning cliff!! The nice thing about it though is that someday you are right when I get it all figured out it will be beautiful. I'm working on that someday.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

I love your journal man. I'm definitely going to be following this. Hopefully in the next few months I'll have a 30g nano reef tank of my own and I'll be able to struggle through all the same things you struggled through (or continue to struggle through lol). Keep up the good work and perseverance!!


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Hey mark good to see some updates, if your struggling with something let me know i might be able to help you out. Ive managed to keep my tank almost completely algae free and great growth with some 
litte tricks. I have a bit of cyano now in battling though due to switching salts when i should have just left it alone cause everything was great haha.









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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

thanks man!!

I'm winning the war for the time being (you were right with the n0304x however, amazing)

Building my cleanup crew which was terribly undersized to begin with and doing my level best to not suck. I'll post a pic tonight when I get home and come into the open with my algae tank. No need to hide in the closet, I'm among friends here


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Yea no worries maybe we can identify what the algaes are and figure out the cause and fix them up! 
Do you have a sump with filter socks?

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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

That's a nice looking setup. How big ?

Yes the crowds want more photos Mark! Enquiring minds need to see your work:lol:



Robojam said:


> Hey mark good to see some updates, if your struggling with something let me know i might be able to help you out. Ive managed to keep my tank almost completely algae free and great growth with some
> litte tricks. I have a bit of cyano now in battling though due to switching salts when i should have just left it alone cause everything was great haha.
> 
> 
> ...


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

so ladies and gentleman... here it is


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

oh no wait... that is what I want it to look like. Here is the real thing. Sometimes it is nice to pretend though 

In response I do have a skimmer deltec mc500 but no filter socks because it is all in tank. I'll get there, should have seen it a month ago.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So i tried to feed my clowns some Nori, you know change their diet up a little bit. Problem with this plan was something i never thought of..... They are terrified of the sea weed monster!!!

Took about a 1/8 sheet, folded it and elastic banded it to a rock. I then placed said rock into the tank. Clown Fish ran away in terror.

Moral of the story
Clownfish 0 Seaweed Monster 1


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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

So.... wanna know how you know you aren't the brightest crayon in the box? Let me explain.

So since I got this tank up and running (again thanks Anthony) I had been experiencing micro bubble issues coming from my right side return chamber pump. It was the original configuration from the last tank owner and other than removing it to clean it I didn't change a thing....

Fast forward 5 or so months and this is driving me crazy, I have no idea what the problem is and nothing I do (not that I had a lot of ideas) was making anything much better. At the end of my rope with this wee bubble making monster I was prepared to order another pump........ then it donned on me, seeing as I installed my own left side return pump in the BIGGER pump chamber... and the tunze pump that came with the tank was BIGGER and in the SMALLER chamber......

Well wouldn't you know, I moved that pump over and hey... no more micro bubbles. Sometimes it really is the simple things in life that keep us stumbling


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Hows things mark, hows things going with your tank? Since your last lost big things have been happening over here on my side. Ive started a business..... importing and selling corals  
Got my 8'x4' tank... built a custom stand... 2, 8 bulb t8 lights and 2 radion xr30s for lighting.
Check out tbe facebook page or website!
First order in less then a month!!! And we are shipping canada wide.
Www.marshallscrazycorals.com

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## Mark Brown (Jan 21, 2017)

Things are getting better man. Less algae, less anger. Now some hair algae of some sort but that's OK. I have learned to accept that there is nothing I can do except keep on getting better. Can't expect to change the world over night right??

On a positive note, GOOD FOR YOU!!!
You will be getting my money for sure. Much happier to order from some locals than ter-on-ah Which for anyone who doesn't know is Toronto in Canada speak. Hope you all the best in your venture.


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## Robojam (Mar 28, 2017)

Haha ya man all part of the game,
If it turns out to be bryopsis algae dont worry i got you covered i have the fix for that. I could add it to your first coral order 

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