System Setup on Saturday

[BigRedNole]

OK, I am picking up an entire reef system on Saturday morning (90g with all the parts). Originally, the plan was easy: pick it up and stick it in the garage until XMas break. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I am getting ~100Lbs of live rock with it thrown in. I did not anticipate having to set this up on Saturday, but this is now the case. As such, I have been scrambling to plan this install. I have some serious questions because I have short windows to be prepared.


1. LFS said I need to "clean" the substrate before putting it in. They said to cut the two top corners off, turn the hose on, push it to the bottom of the bag, and the the water naturally filter the junk from the other top corner. Does this sound right? It seems logical to me.

2. I will not have an RO/DI in time to make my own water. For the first fill, I am going to have to get the water from the LFS. I prefer not having to pay that much for it, but everyone tells me not to use tap water. I am tending to agree.

3. LFS said to put the live rock base against the glass bottom and then add the substrate. Does this sound right? I'd be worried about a sharp edge shattering it. Glass is a liquid in all forms and the lightest of touches can shatter glass if done in the right place.

4. I plan on getting a refractometer around Xmas. I still need a test kit for all the other "stuff". What is a good test kit to get?

More questions as my anxiety circles between now and Saturday to be ready.

 

[Curehead]

1. If it's prepared reef substrate you shouldn't need to wash it. if it's live sand definitely don't wash it.
2. depends where you live. In Turkey the tap water is fine.
3. Your LFSG probably is just worried about burrowing stuff getting under the sand and your rock collapsing. I tend to agree with you. There are lots of different ways of aquascaping your rock that don;t put pressure onto the glass. (Rock is uneven and you could end up putting 100bs of pressure onto the glass via a tiny surface of rock...not good)
- Some people use a piece of egg crate to sit the rock on.
- Some people drill holes in the rock and thread it onto plastic plumbing tubes.
- Some people put a blob of plumbing putty onto the glass and sit the rock it.

I personally used a big blob of marine sealant on the bass of the tank and then once it started to cure I pushed the base rocks into it. Then i used marine acrylic glue to bond them all together.
Then I added the sand/substrate
Then I added the water
Then I added the power heads and heaters
Then left it to warm up for a few hours
Then I added the salt.

 

[glampka]

If the substrate is sand (not live sand), then yes, definitely wash it thoroughly before using it. You'll be amazed at the amount of junk in there.
It is best to stack your rock on the glass first & then add the sand. Most tank bottoms are tempered glass. If you put the sand down 1st & then the rock you run the risk of total stack collapse should you have fish that burrow. As Cure stated, you could put eggcrate on the bottom if you're worried about stacking directly on the glass. I've set up better than a 1/2 dozen tanks of all sizes with the rock first & have never had a problem.

 

[Jeremy0322]

1) Wash the sand, better safe than sorry.

2) I would use the LFS water, or get a bucket of sand and go by RO/DI water at walmart or a grocery store and mix it yourself, this one just depends on whichever one is cheaper.

3) I would use the eggcrate idea, I have done that with my last 2 tanks and not only does it add a little bit of stability depending on the depth of the sand bed but it saves the bottom of the tank from some nasty scratches, its a win win for something that cheap.


Have you considered not setting the tank up until after christmas when you are ready. I have done this multiple times, buy a tank and then wait to set it up until I have everything I need and am fully prepared. Its not hard to keep live rock live, put it in some saltwater with a heater and powerhead and call it a day, you just have to have a food source for the bacteria. I always just threw some fish food in the "rock bucket" like once a week and it worked fine. However, I have always been fond of killing the rock before I used it because you never really know whats in the rock. When I picked up my 90 gallon it came with a ton of LR and I threw it all in buckets with freshwater minus a few pieces that I kept "live". I emptied the buckets out about 2 weeks later and there was, and I am not kidding, a worm on the bottom that was about 14 inches long, it was the scariest thing I have ever seen come out of an aquarium.

All im trying to say with that is just because you are getting LR doesnt mean you need to start the system instantly. Its not hard to keep the bacteria live, and as long as you keep a few pieces of it "live" you can seed it when you actually start the system up

 

[BigRedNole]

Went by the LFS yesterday to get the substrate. This is what he said...

1. Definitely wash the substrate
2. Definitely use his water because it is actually cheaper than making it. I would have to do calculations, but he may be right.
3. You may be right about the egg crates. I need to do some looking into that today.
4. He said to not waste money on a test kit. If I am that close to his store, they test for free. It is on my way home from work and less than 1 mile out of the way.

As for rushing, he told me something similar. Instead of setting up, get the live rock covered with salt water and heated. He said if the water in the tank now is good, try to bring 30-40 gallons home with it. This will get the cycle going and finishing sooner. He wants to see the equipment I am getting to see what is fine to keep, what is good for now, and what should be upgraded as soon as possible. If it is not too much of a rush and the equipment is alright, he said to get the powerheads, sump, and pump going. He said he would have bought it too instead of buying new. He says it is saving me about $1000 going this route. He laughed and said I now have more money for livestock

LFS observations based on the info in the ad:
1. The heater is too small at 200W. However, the 2x250 MH in the canopy may be making up the difference. He wants me to monitor it.
2. The powerheads may not be sufficient for flow. There was not enough information to verify.
3. Skimmer is extremely good if it is in working order.
4. Sump may be small and I should look into getting a refugium. Not needed right away.
5. Mag pump may not be enough. If it was operating as a reef before, it is probably fine.

 

[seabass]

Hi!I have a 90 gallon also but mine is 3x2x2 And im running 2 korila 3's and a korila 4 for circulation and it works fine.The 2 250w halides will raise your temp but it won't help when the lights go out.I'm using 200's for heaters but im running 2 of them.You could always get another 200 or even 300 and run 2.None of what im telling you is the standard just what is working on my tank.If you have the 4ft 90 you can probably just put a korila 4 or a equal on either side of the tank and it should be fine.If your tank is reef ready and you dont have time to get everything set perfect before you rock shows up you can always just fill the tank and just don't go all the way up to where it overflows and just add a pump and heater.That will get your rock in the water and give you alittle more time to get the sump the way you want it.As far as the 250w halides they would raise my temp by like 4 degrees so i add a azoo 4 blade fan and now my tank is 76 without halides and 77 when they are on.You kinda want your temp to be as stable as possible.Hope some of this info helps you and good luck with the new tank!!HAPPY REEFING!!

 

[BigRedNole]

All info helps. I am on a crash course to get ready for tomorrow. The consensus of the information is to get the live rock completely submerged in water, heater on it, and some flow. I never thought about just getting it in a big bucket and having it there while I get setup. My whole setup worry was getting stand in, sump in, tank filled, substrate in, and all the other stuff just to keep the live rock "alive". Now, that is a much easier task than I was worrying about.

Current Plan (all subject to change):
1. Get the setup at about 10AM.
2. Get back home about 11:30AM.
3. Get the live rock in a giant tub, covered with water and heated.
4. Get the stand set where I need.
5. Get tank on stand
6. Get tank filled about half way
7. Get live rock into the tank and start aquascaping
8. Add substrate
9. Finish filling tank
10. Get sump, powerheads, heater, and pump going
11. Test lights
12. Get the canopy and lights on the tank

 

[Reefmack]

Sounds like a good plan - plan for a long day of work!

 

[DBrinson]

All info helps. I am on a crash course to get ready for tomorrow. The consensus of the information is to get the live rock completely submerged in water, heater on it, and some flow. I never thought about just getting it in a big bucket and having it there while I get setup. My whole setup worry was getting stand in, sump in, tank filled, substrate in, and all the other stuff just to keep the live rock "alive". Now, that is a much easier task than I was worrying about.

Current Plan (all subject to change):
1. Get the setup at about 10AM.
2. Get back home about 11:30AM.
3. Get the live rock in a giant tub, covered with water and heated.
4. Get the stand set where I need.
5. Get tank on stand
6. Get tank filled about half way
7. Get live rock into the tank and start aquascaping
8. Add substrate
9. Finish filling tank
10. Get sump, powerheads, heater, and pump going
11. Test lights
12. Get the canopy and lights on the tank

Ambitious.

I hope you have some help, if I lived nearby I would show up and help myself, even just to get that tank on the stand.

It is going to be heavy. That is the part I most fear you hitting a roadblock. I myself have boxed myself into situations where only feats of superhuman strength and sheer willpower stood between me and total failure. (And ultimately a chiropractor)

Please, seriously, wear a weightlifting belt if you have one, and pull it tight when you are heavy lifting. $20 at Sports Authority, it will give you the freedom to at least give 100% when you have to lift something and are on a deadline.

Wish you luck!

 

[BigRedNole]

Thanks for the info. There is no deadline for getting the tank up Saturday. I have been given good advice to get the LR in a trashcan (new cleaned out Brute), throw a powerhead and heater in it. That will give me time in getting this set up.

How heavy is a 90g tank? I may need to get some extra help planned.

 

[Eric]

Two average size guys should have no problems carrying a 90 gallon, I would say around 200lbs give or take.

 

[Gfoot2000]

Hi!I have a 90 gallon also but mine is 3x2x2 And im running 2 korila 3's and a korila 4 for circulation and it works fine.The 2 250w halides will raise your temp but it won't help when the lights go out.I'm using 200's for heaters but im running 2 of them.You could always get another 200 or even 300 and run 2.None of what im telling you is the standard just what is working on my tank.If you have the 4ft 90 you can probably just put a korila 4 or a equal on either side of the tank and it should be fine.If your tank is reef ready and you dont have time to get everything set perfect before you rock shows up you can always just fill the tank and just don't go all the way up to where it overflows and just add a pump and heater.That will get your rock in the water and give you alittle more time to get the sump the way you want it.As far as the 250w halides they would raise my temp by like 4 degrees so i add a azoo 4 blade fan and now my tank is 76 without halides and 77 when they are on.You kinda want your temp to be as stable as possible.Hope some of this info helps you and good luck with the new tank!!HAPPY REEFING!!

do you aim the fan at the light? or the water? or does it just run in your canopy? i have a pendant so i dunno how i would work a fan into this unless its a regular house fan or a clip on

 

[Eric]

Directing the fan so it blows across the water is a good way to remove the warm air and keep a tank cool.

 

[seabass]

i actually have mine blowing the heat out from under the canopy just because i have a euro braced tank and the fan only clipped on one way,but it is working great.Yes like eric says you can just blow a fan across the water also.You can see the pendants and the fan is blowing out.Before I got this fan i was usung a house fan blowing towards the pendant which also worked great.

 

[Curehead]

LOL having the opposite problem right now.
had to knock my heater up a few notches to maintain temp.
I live in istanbul and during the summer when i set up my tank had the heaters off most of the time.
The cold weather has just kicked in and I have a golden retriever puppy who needs to get out of the balcony for toilet training so need to leave the door open for her to get out when I'm not there.

Will be investing in a small cooler before next summer and in the new year a dog flap haha.

 

[BigRedNole]

Picked up the setup. Here is a high level breakdown of the equipment I received. I have categorized based on my opinion and no professional knowledge.

Good:
90g Aqueon aquarium. 4 months old, may have Low Iron glass on the front
Euroreef RC 135 skimmer. Great condition
Hydro Korilia Evolution 1400 powerheads (x2)
Mag pump

OK, but needs upgrading or help:
Light: 2x 250w MH with moonlight LEDs. Great condition, but I think I want all LED down the road.
Sump: It is all mucky. I may have to clean it. It is designed with a refugium.
Live Rock: It is very basic and not too much color. May sell some off and get more in. This is sitting in a 50g bucket with about 30g of water on top, heater, and two powerheads.
RO/DI: Looks very good, but I have not knowledge of this thing.

Bad:
Stand and canopy: the pictures gave it too much justice. I do not trust it, so I am not setting the tank up. Because I need it at a height of 36", the LFS has a guy that does it. I didn't want to pay that much, but there are no other options for the quality.

Things that need to be done:
1. Clean the tank and other components a bit. What can I use for a general cleaning of parts that will eventually have water in them?
2. Replace tubing and some of the PVC pipes
3. Look at the loads of test kits
4. Make decision on Live Rock

 

[DBrinson]

Euroreef RC 135 skimmer. Great condition

Wow, nice!!!

You never mentioned what kind of skimmer it was in the other thread, that's as good a skimmer as you can get for a 90 Gallon system, seriously. Worth the $600 just for the skimmer, easily.

 

[Reefmack]

Wow is right - Euro-Reef has a reputation for making some awesome skimmers

Euro-Reef RC135 Recirculating Protein Skimmer w/ pump* - AquaCave

 

[DBrinson]

OK, but needs upgrading or help:
Light: 2x 250w MH with moonlight LEDs. Great condition, but I think I want all LED down the road.

Don't knock it ... I have no plans to use anything but MH/moonlight LED's until I die, and even then, I want to be buried with MH and moonlight LED's installed overhead in my coffin.

(Of course I am sure there will be plenty of LED people who disagree with me, who will happily toss dirt over my outdated coffin setup. Especially the ones who have to pay for Cali power. NC isn't too bad on your power bill, or is it?)

Bad:
Stand and canopy: the pictures gave it too much justice. I do not trust it, so I am not setting the tank up. Because I need it at a height of 36", the LFS has a guy that does it. I didn't want to pay that much, but there are no other options for the quality.

My bet is this guy who sold you your tank is like I used to be, he had his stand made with untreated wood and without varnish, all I used on my old stand was sealer. Overly cautious approach with no chance of paint chips or leeching from the paint. It may be structurally sound, but if you (or more importantly, your wife) aren't comfortable with it, go for a nonwood stand.

This time around, I went ahead and unleashed oil based varnish on the stand ... granted I don't have a hood at all, or a sump underneath the tank either :apimp:

 

[BigRedNole]

The stand is even worse than I thought. It is not even balanced. There were wash clothes used to shim it to get it roughly to level. The stand is definitely barely better than junk IMO.

Everything else is definitely worth keeping. None of it needs to be upgraded any time soon. I will be going through the LR to see coloration. Right now, the colors just look like that greenish brown color.