My 52x28x28" 176 gallon (re) build thread

[Len]

Tank is totally empty. No rocks (still in curing tub), no sand (will be cleaned this weekend, added after mix is clear). It got filled with RO/DI water and now the salt is mixing.

 

[Len]

Morning after, the salt is mixed but the water is a bit cloudy. I think some Ca precipitated from adding the mix too fast. I'm waiting for it to clear before I add sand, then rock.

No leaks, no problems, except ...

I've realized my 100PX-X is too big. My overflow can handle it, but it just moves too much water through it, causing a lot of gushing sound (not gurgling ... that's controlled by my downpipe valve). I also don't feel comfortable with that much flow through the sump. And lastly, the 100PX-X is significantly more noisy then the 50PX-X. So, I've decided to change pumps. I think I'm either going with another Eheim 1262 (may not be enough flow ... we'll see) or pony up and get the smallest Red Dragon pump. 8O

 

[Anonymous]

Red Dragon? Blimey. It'll be so quiet, it won't keep reminding you how much you paid for it.

 

[hitmanhoos]

FYI Premium Aquatics has a few Red Dragons in the clearance section. near the bottom of the page.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant ... =Clearance

 

[Anonymous]

8O wow...expensive!

 

[Len]

FYI Premium Aquatics has a few Red Dragons in the clearance section. near the bottom of the page.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant ... =Clearance

Thanks. Alas, they don't have the right (popular) sizes, which I doubt goes on clearance I can't use the small one they have listed, and the next size up is WAY too powerful

 

[Len]

Water is finally clearing. There's a little bit of precipitate on the bottom of the glass which I'll siphon out tomorrow and then add sand. The cured rock goes in Monday. I'm on schedule

 

[Anonymous]

IMO the Eheim should be plenty, I already forgot about your build specs I'm ashamed to say (and too lazy to go looking through the back pages), but you don't need a terribly large turn over from the sump to the tank, especially if you're not running any sort of closed loop. I think I do about as much as the 1262 on my 180g

 

[Len]

My tank yesterday, after the salt mix cleared.

 

[Len]

And today, after I put the Caribsea sugar-sized sand in (and this is after A LOT of rinsing). I only ended up using 90 lbs instead of the full 120 lbs I planned.

 

[Hyolee]

Don't mean to hijack but that's a nice tv in the background. What kind is it?

 

[Anonymous]

Got Milk?

 

[Anonymous]

And today, after I put the Caribsea sugar-sized sand in (and this is after A LOT of rinsing).

Fail.

 

[Anonymous]

And today, after I put the Caribsea sugar-sized sand in (and this is after A LOT of rinsing).

Fail.

You're so doctrinaire.

 

[Len]

And today, after I put the Caribsea sugar-sized sand in (and this is after A LOT of rinsing).

Fail.

It is clearing today, but it looks like it's going to take one more day to settle. i probably won't be able to aquascape today after all.

It looks a lot more white in the tank then when I was rinsing it, and it also has a lot more silt that I might siphon out.

 

[Len]

Don't mean to hijack but that's a nice tv in the background. What kind is it?

It's a fake "staging" tv for my photos.

 

[Len]

Tank with dust storm all cleared (took about 48 hours)

 

[Len]

Rocks in 8)

 

[Len]

A bigger/closer pic of my aquascaping. The left side is comprised of 6 rocks, with only three points touching the sand and one point (rear rock) touching the glass). The right side is comprised of 7 rocks, all free-standing away from the glass. I actually ended up not drilling and using acrylic rods (which now will make really good poking devices). I was blessed with large, long pieces of rock I could lock together very securely. I wasn't able to do a curved pillar (on the right side) like I envisioned, but I can accomplish that with sps growth. The open aquascaping makes the tank look a lot bigger.

 

[Anonymous]

Hot damn Len!