Restarting my sytem any questions or suggestions are welcome.

Basile

Well-Known Member
Well today was the day i restarted a 2 tank system; a 150 G reef tank and a 75 G display refugium both starfire custom made tanks. I thought i'd be easier.Sorry for the first few pictures i lost the album by mistake.

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Beside just filling up with water i had to come up with a plan. My biggest concern was my back wall which is stuck to the back and can't be removed.

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Those are ceramic plates that are 10 more porous than rocks and do an incredible filtering job. it better be at $500 a panel , bought from Germany i had the following problem.

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How do i clean these guys without taking them out. My research and the advice of most ; nothing. Aside from brushing the surface, nothing can be done with stationary rocks or sculptures,( as i have 2 removable sculptures).

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The best way , is to fill up with tap water and let the 7 month old DRY tank regain its moisture, then scoop up the let over gunk after its emptied . I've already have the sand partially cleaned in buckets.

So while the tank is being partially revive, i'm heading to the sand buckets, for a final rinsing, 4 full buckets of it. YUK!

I give myself a week to complete this endeavor while my back wall is marinating in tap water and vinegar.

After that, saltwater and the rock sculpture will be reunited for the cycling for the next 3 months.

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The rest of the plan is to figure out what worked and didn't worked in the last operation. By the way i didn't shut down because of a bad move, i lost my job and my health, end of explanation.

I found out,what i can and could do better this time. Some things like an NPS zone and the stalactite are in review.Any questions or suggestions are welcome. Sorry for the first few picture , did some spring cleaning and they got away lol.

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DaveK

Well-Known Member
Well today was the day i restarted a 2 tank system; a 150 G reef tank and a 75 G display refugium both starfire custom made tanks. I thought i'd be easier.
...

Beside just filling up with water i had to come up with a plan. My biggest concern was my back wall which is stuck to the back and can't be removed.
...
Those are ceramic plates that are 10 more porous than rocks and do an incredible filtering job. it better be at $500 a panel , bought from Germany i had the following problem.
...
How do i clean these guys without taking them out. My research and the advice of most ; nothing. Aside from brushing the surface, nothing can be done with stationary rocks or sculptures,( as i have 2 removable sculptures).
...
The best way , is to fill up with tap water and let the 7 month old DRY tank regain its moisture, then scoop up the let over gunk after its emptied . I've already have the sand partially cleaned in buckets.

So while the tank is being partially revive, i'm heading to the sand buckets, for a final rinsing, 4 full buckets of it. YUK!

I give myself a week to complete this endeavor while my back wall is marinating in tap water and vinegar.

After that, saltwater and the rock sculpture will be reunited for the cycling for the next 3 months.
...
The rest of the plan is to figure out what worked and didn't worked in the last operation. By the way i didn't shut down because of a bad move, i lost my job and my health, end of explanation.

I found out,what i can and could do better this time. Some things like an NPS zone and the stalactite are in review.Any questions or suggestions are welcome.
...

You really don't need to get it that clean. You just want to get the worst of the gunk out of there.

I'd fill the whole thing with FW, and let it sit overnight. Then drain the tank. Use a garden hose and nozzle to "pressure wash" the background. Start at the bottom and work up.

Now if the tank needs to be completely sterilized, then fill it with FW, have all the pumps and plumbing running, and add bleach at about one cup per 10 gal of water. Let this mix circulate over night. Then drain the system and refill with FW only, and circulate that over night. Repeat with FW 2 more times, or until you can no longer smell the bleach. On these later rinses you can add something like Seachem Prime to remove any remaining bleach.
 

Basile

Well-Known Member
Well its been ordered and i negotiated for a $549 price for a polyethylene sump 57"x18"x15" and all the trimmings . Its still a steep price but i no longer want things glued with silicone or glue. This thing is formed with heat and can only be damaged by chemicals. Its 1/3 inch thick too. For some it might seem an over kill but i live in a condo and a water disaster is NOT an option. So for me its peace of mind lol.

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Basile

Well-Known Member
Today i sold my stalactite sculpture. It was actually too big for my tank, because of the back wall, and i wanted to make another Tonga branch sculpture so there you have it. No more stalactite. I have to say that it didn't work as much as i thought it would.

Mainly because of its placement the amount of light was limited and not too many corals can live like that. So it was a disappointment over all. It was certainly cool looking but impractical in the end. I was sorry to let it go , it was my creation my baby lol.
 

Basile

Well-Known Member
It was your defining characteristic .
ever since your 65g I've wanted one too ;)

Ya i know but after 2 stalactite i needed a change of scenery,lol And if i miss it i can always make a new one lol, Isn't that special....lol (church lady impression)lol
 

Basile

Well-Known Member
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Well i'm almost there, i finished my sculpture, since i sold my stalactite i had to replace it the and i modified my second sculpture a bit. I've clean half the sand so i put it in the tank so it can dry properly. I'm waiting on my incredible expensive sump, but actually after looking sumps on the net, its not that much more expensive at $549 but i'll be in polyethylene, indestructible, i hope, lol I plugged the flood lights and voila!!!

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Basile

Well-Known Member
Well this week i changed my sump from a leaky bitch to a great clean polyethylene $610 new sport sump lol.


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They just can't resist.....

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Its not plastic or white acrylic its polyethylene which the heat up and join together, so their's no glue at all. So it won't dry out of get unstuck .
You can see here where they melted the 2 piece and stuck them together. only chemicals can alter its strength .



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I had to destroy on site my older one because it was impossible for me to remove it alone and even with a friend her configuration of 2 module made it difficult at best.

So armed with a hammer.......

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Its more difficult than you think, the glass was surprisingly strong.

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It fits perfectly. It needed to be 57"long because of my piping .


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Everything fits nicely and lots of room to spare for reactors and other pumps if need be.

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My 2 return pumps, sorry for the dark picture, it was evening and didn't use the flash lol.

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