ZAPCOnj's ever going quest for the right tank....

[ZAPCOnj]

Well... after about a week of debating and research and just a whole lot of thought, i finally came to a decision on what i will be doing for a tank...

in case some of you haven't followed along.. in the beginning i was torn between a biocube 29 and a 46 bow front tank. after some debate the simplicity and compact nature of the biocube won out. Over the past few weeks the "little things" about the biocube have started to wear on my nerves. While I like the concept and the theory behind the biocube It just does not fit my lifestyle/schedule or any of the "gadgets" i would need to add to it in order to mod it to fit my schedule and decided that i wanted to make a move to a tank that would better fit my application. the 46 Bowfront was my choice.

I went over to the LFS today to bounce a few things off them and had every intention of walking out of there with a bunch of new goodies and a project for tonight. After sharing my week long of planning with them, they offered up some options based on what i plan to do in the future as well as what will fit my current needs. They steered me away from the 46 bow. one of the guys had a few good points on why one of which was that the 46 bow would not make a good "sump/refuge" for my future set up in our new house. Instead they recommended that i get a 40 breeder. The tank itself is roughly the same length as the 46 bow and just as deep but slightly shorter. The reasoning behind the recommendation is that the 40 breeder will provide easier scaping, more flexibility in the future for a sump/refuge for the larger system as well as the ability as a QT or hospital tank. On top of that the 40 breeder would fit nicely height wise in the current location. since the basic tank size is roughly the same as the 46 bow i went with their recommendation.

I also picked up a sump with refuge, 50 gallons of salt water, CPR skimmer, Phosban reactor, the Stand for the Tank (cost more than the tank but less than the 46 bow front stand), 2 bags of live sand, 4 maxijet PHs, CPR overflow w/aqualifter pump, versa tops, and a few other little things.

I have roughly 35lbs of LR (i forget how much sand) in my Biocube and another 20lbs of LR that has been curing in tubs for the past 3 weeks here at the house so i figure i have enough LR and sand for the tank (what do you guys think?) also should i expect another cycle with the new set up?

Catalina Aquariums will be fabricating my new light next week and as soon as Steve at Coral Dynamics gets my second LED light in I will have a Kickass light for my new set up. In the mean time I have a "loaner" coralife light that i will have over the tank.

before i transfer my Biocube content into the new tank i have to figure out how to get rid of most of the Red Slime Algae that has called my cube home so i get minimal transfer to the new system. I know the phosban will help but i just hate the red stuff now and dred skimming it off the rock.. although.. the new tank size will make it easier to maneuver in there anyone have any pointers on how to minimize the transfer to the new tank?

I guess i have my work cut out for me over the next few days. I still have a trip to the Depot to get some plumbing parts but I'm anxious to get started.

if anyone is interested in a 29 Biocube with extras keep an eye on the bst section. i will most likely be posting it up for sale next weekend!

[Snelly40]

good luck ans keep us updated

[bskinn77]

nice zapcon cant wait to see this new guy in progress

[lcstorc]

Sounds like a great plan.
As far as the cyano, I would scrub the rock in SW at the time you move it from one tank to the other. Watch carefully for signs of a cycle during the transfer as well. Keep the nutrients down and the flow up and that should help a lot as well.

[ZAPCOnj]

thanks everyone. I'm so anxious to get started.. off to the depot in a few minutes.

Originally Posted by lcstorc

Sounds like a great plan.
As far as the cyano, I would scrub the rock in SW at the time you move it from one tank to the other. Watch carefully for signs of a cycle during the transfer as well. Keep the nutrients down and the flow up and that should help a lot as well.

That was going to be my plan.... Scrub each rock separately in a mini tub of clean salt water. then rinse with clean SW. then move to another mini tub of clean SW. and scrub and rinse again then put in large tub of clean salt and run with PH for a day and see what grows....

do you think that would be too much?

I don't have much in the way of livestock. about a half dozen snails, a half dozen hermits and an emerald crab that found it's way in to my tank via a mystical transportation that my GF tried to pass off as a hitch hiker on my LR ..... i may have fell for it but he didn't appear until 3 weeks after the cube was set up... oh and the LFS asking me how the Emerald crab was that she got for me. lol...