Fresh start ( 133gal tank build remix 1.5) (1 Viewer)

[flexrac]

I emptied the tank, removed the overflow box, cleaned up the silicone.
next i placed the overflow box back in the tank however, I shifted it over to the left, so now my hand can fully get inside the box.
placed a bead of silicone along the edge of the box so it could seal on both sides. then added lots of silicone to seal it.
pictures below:
silicone work

Pvc to support rocks and prevent my engineer goby from causing a landslide.

excuse the sandy hands, can place hand inside to do maintenance.

also placed a piece of eggcrate over the opening of the overflow to prevent my livestock from jumping in.

I decided to remove the skimmer, going to purchase a in sump needle wheel unit, or a upgraded unit from the current one.

check signature for old thread on build.

 

[flexrac]

Tank is filled, and i did some test today.
ph: 8.2
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
amonia 0
will continue to monitor. I think it cycled only after one week. although i did not smell it, wife would come home and complain about smells. (die off)
Just to update everyone. i added sand from my existing tank (55gal) into the sump to seed the display tank. I took almost all of the sand out.
the display has 150lbs of LS in it.
and i have texas holey rock/base rock in there as well. after testing the parameters i added two pieces of LR from my 55 into the tank.

Question. should i move the LR over to this tank now, and leave my Live stock in the 55? and wait for the mini cycle to finnish. i know i can't move all the rocks as some have corals attached to them. mostly softies and a few SPS.
(monticaps, birdsnest,Milli,favia,monticaps)
LPS:
yellow polyps,GSP,Button polyps,xenia,candycane,green zoas,toadstool,ricordia,hammers,frogspawn.

 

[flexrac]

updated images

Have 6 blue/green chromis in the tank, which i intend on keeping.
also have a GSP in the tank to see how they would do, so far so good.
about to tank my anemone to my LFS for a trade-in.

 

[flexrac]

hung out with hong and fishstick today, had a great time guys, love the tank mike!
can't wait to see hong's tank fully established with corals.

 

[flexrac]

This tank is drinking water like crazy, added water twice today, Wow! that's a lot of evaporation.

 

[HongT713]

your tank lookin good keep it up!

 

[FISHSTICK]

Thanks...look your tank is coming along now!

 

[flexrac]

connected the MH to give it a try, reflector too big, and i'm not sure if i did not let it run long enough, but it was not as bright as my VHO's, but i love the twinkle in the water. placed it in the middle of the hood, and had to bend the reflector flat to fit under the vho's, wonder if that was the issue with the light. going to buy a smaller reflector and light soon.

 

[flexrac]

formossa wrasse

 

[flexrac]

dinner

 

[flexrac]

corals:
2 head hammer
3 head frogspawn, 3 stalk xenia, rock full with brown polys,star polyps
frag of favia, 2 green mushrooms, one toadstool, gsp, green bali slimer, one frag digi, green monticap,green with orange tip monti cap, large birdsnest, 3 diff candycanes,one pink ric and one orange ric, one large colt coral (wife favorite)

inverts:
one cleaner shrimp, one peppermint shrimp, 3 nausarius snails, 1 mexican turbo snail. planning on adding more nausarius and one tiger snail.

Fish:
as of now, 3 green chromis
1 blue hippo juvi
2 false percs
1 formossa wrasse(i know he is not reef safe, but he is not interested in the shrimps right now, monitoring)
1 engineer goby

Lighting:
4 48inch t12 vho's on 2 workhorse 7 ballast.

Flow
2 koralia 4's only one running, getting good flow from the returns, so i am using one to keep the substrate clean.

 

[HongT713]

wow looking even better!!

 

[paraletho]

What sand are you using? That stuff is bright. It looks real fine though I probably couldn't use it. A really beautiful tank. Good work!

 

[flexrac]

What sand are you using? That stuff is bright. It looks real fine though I probably couldn't use it. A really beautiful tank. Good work!

Thanks! I'm using oolite sand. not live though.
for new tank builds i would recommend live, as it wil speed up the cycle process.

 

[flexrac]

my engineer loves his new home, he has made a tunnel behind the rock work where he can come out from three diff locations, the left side the middle and the right side, all without being noticed.
Thank god i made that support with the pvc for the rocks. working like a champ, both the engineer and the wrasse move around the sand and nothing has shifted. the wrasse keeps knocking over some of my sps frags though. and he killed a monti cap i had.

 

[Raymond]

Just wait till that Formosa wrasse gets bigger. It wil eat your inverts and juggle your corals around. I've seen engineer goby eat small fish and make a hill on the other side of the tank.

 

[flexrac]

by then i will trade him in to my LFS.
my engineer and i have an understaning, he moves sand, makes a pile, and i fix it, he does it again and i fix it. good exercise for him, plus he helps stir the sand. I'm going to video tape the tank and him at work one day, as i type he is moving sand around.