"Shamus' RSM130D Tank Thread"

Reefmack

Reefmack

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

I ran a Koralia #1 in the back right side for almost 2 years, and it's a good, reliable pump, and low cost. You'll find that you can almost always save a lot of money on equipment by buying online - often about 1/2 the price of an LFS (Foster & Smith, Marine Depot, etc.), and better selection too. First things first though - get the tank, take your time and get it set up correctly, and then consider other equipment purchases. The first things you'll probably want are a refractometer to accurately measure salinity, maybe the Koralia, a mag scraper, and a thermometer. And a cheap pump and heater to mix SW, if you'll be making your own. An an RO/DI is preferred over using tap water. Geesh - this hobby requires a lot of things! :)
 
Shamus

Shamus

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

Tell me about it for the amount of stuff to get!

I will be making my own SW (thanks for answering the double distilled question for me - I think I'm going to give that a shot). I did order a SW kit from Foster and Smith (what a great website!) - that comes with a digital thermometer and refractometer and a heater and powerhead for mixing. The starter kit also comes with the dual hydrometer/thermometer for use in the tank. I've heard great things about the mag scraper as well - that's a must get!

I think Sapphire's signature about creating a small fortune by having a large fortune and a reef tank is spot on! :eek:lsmile: Thank goodness the wife has been so supportive to this point (although I haven't even begun thinking about life in the tank...).

I've been both excited and nervous about starting - this forum has been an incredible resource and has helped put my nerves at ease! It's been incredible to have such a knowledgeable resource for questions that come up. And the quick responses to questions are awesome!
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

Patience is the key - hard to practice but it does help! Followed in importance by money LOL! Take it slow - only bad things happen quickly in this hobby. first on the agenda - take your time putting the tank and stand together & get it right the first time. I'd suggest mixing the initial SW in the bare tank - fill the tank, turn on the pumps & heater (skimmer not needed on yet) fill with water & slowly add salt (roughly 1/2 cup/gallon), till you get the right salinity. Much easier to do this in a bare tank. When you get to adding substrate & rock, siphon some water out to make up for water being displaced by the substrate & rock. (I learned the hard way putting my rock in and having water slosh over the side). Read & ask alot of questions - no such thing as a dumb question - we've all been where you are at one time. :)
 
Shamus

Shamus

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

Terry - Thanks for the tips...I know they'll come in handy! I'm sure there will be many questions to come - I'm trying to minimize questions that I'm sure you have answered many, many times before just by being patient and doing my research, but I can't guarantee that there won't be some questions that you've heard before LOL.

Glenn - Thanks for the reading material - it's a huge help to know what's coming and prepare for the aquarium before it's even here!

Got the call and it's coming today! Then I can take my time and get it together over the next couple of evenings before I begin the cycling process.
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

Woohoo !!! I remember the excitement... mine was delivered at 4:00 PM in the afternoon, by 7:00 PM I had everything assembled & was adding my water & salt :)

next was obtaining my live rock, I used (and wanted) uncured live rock & a deli shrimp... wanted to get my cycle started ... then I could be patient :)
 
Mavjoy

Mavjoy

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

:welcomera and take your time plus patience is key to this hobby. Now that's out of the way, what kind of SPS are you getting?....LOL...JK. Never hesitate to ask any questions here 'cause everyone here is very helpful and knowledgeable. Have fun and keep us posted here of your progress..pics please.
 
Shamus

Shamus

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

Thanks for the welcome! Pics will be coming - hoping to have the thread show the progress.

It's here! Glenn, you were pretty much right on about size (haven't officially measured, but since I asked the question earlier in the thread I figured I would so if anyone else has the question it'll be 'documented'). Luckily the semi driver knows how to drive a semi and had no problems getting into the neighborhood - didn't think there would be a problem but after that dispatcher chat yesterday I had my concerns...

Once it's all up (hopefully in the next couple of days), I'll take pics of the system and then the aquascaping once it's all in (most likely to be worked on Saturday, as without LR there's no aquascaping, and I won't get LR until Saturday - that's pretty easy logic! :eek:lsmile:
 
R

redsea reefer

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

Shamus said:
Thanks for the welcome! Pics will be coming - hoping to have the thread show the progress.

It's here! Glenn, you were pretty much right on about size (haven't officially measured, but since I asked the question earlier in the thread I figured I would so if anyone else has the question it'll be 'documented'). Luckily the semi driver knows how to drive a semi and had no problems getting into the neighborhood - didn't think there would be a problem but after that dispatcher chat yesterday I had my concerns...

Once it's all up (hopefully in the next couple of days), I'll take pics of the system and then the aquascaping once it's all in (most likely to be worked on Saturday, as without LR there's no aquascaping, and I won't get LR until Saturday - that's pretty easy logic! :eek:lsmile:
Click to expand...

and now the FUN begins...PICS PICS PICS
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

Good news! Be sure you get that SW in the tank and try to get it aged a day before adding the rock. In any event, get the rock in the tank as soon as possible to keep it alive. Looking forward to tracking your RSM saga!
 
Shamus

Shamus

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

Thanks for the tip Terry. I was thinking about purchasing premade SW from the LFS for the first fill so I didn't have to worry about allowing it to age and only had to worry about heating it up before I add the LR. Do you foresee switching water sources (as I begin to do water changes after the cycling has completed) being an issue? I figured as long as the salinity and temp were right on and there were no dissolved additives, there wouldn't be an issue, especially since I would be doing 10% water changes.

Mavjoy - as for SPS for the tank I'm thinking of...haha - I think I'll have to do a bunch of research on this one still. Since I'm a beginner, I'll likely be looking into the hardy corals first. Thanks for the welcome!

Redsea reefer - sit back and enjoy that popcorn - those pics will be coming soon!
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

As long as the salinity and temperature are close I don't see any problems. The tank will still be young when you switch water sources so there really won't be much, if anything, to be upset with the switch. I've changed salt mixes a few times and have never seen any negative effect, so switching from premade to make your own SW should be a no-brainer. Just be sure to try to age any SW you make yourself at least a day if possible. It increases the stability and ensure that no undissolved salt particles will be falling on corals. Mine ages a week or more in lidded buckets, and I mix it up with a pump and heater before using it - to aerate it and get the temperature close to tank temperature. Once you get the hang of it SW makeup is pretty easy, and you'll get a good feel as to how much salt to add to your makeup water container before you need to start measuring the salinity and fine tuning the final salt adds to get the salinity adjusted.
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

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RS STAFF
Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

a tip... get some plain RO water too... so you can top-off & rinse the sand & carbon before putting in tank... one 5 gal jug of plain ro/di water should do nicely...
 
Shamus

Shamus

Active Member
Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

Thanks for the tips everyone!

The stand is together (although I have to tweak the door a bit...but a couple of shims and it should be nice and level).

Tonight the tank goes up!

Glenn, you were close on the dimensions of the aquarium - actual dimensions are 20"x25"x27". The stand box was small - 25"x26"x7".

I'll post some pics this weekend at the latest!
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

Yep - the doors can be tricky, but I didn't need any shims on the 130 stand.
 
Shamus

Shamus

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Re: New RSM 130D Owner and Marine Aquarist

I checked the level of the top and it's close to perfect, so I was contemplating whether I should do shims or not. I'm still in debating mode (not a good thing to be debating with yourself, especially early in the morning LOL).
 
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