New Member - New Project

[nemo31]

Well that is my set up.
You can see I have two inlets. The short one near the top of the tank is for the top filter. The longer one is for the UV filter, which is high enough off the bottom for the sand. You can also see the rail which is the outlet for the UV filter. On the other side of the tank you can see the outlet from the top tank and also the jebo skimmer and powerhead, also the thermometer. The heater will go in the middle which the powerhead will blow on. I have another powerhead on order. which i will aim the other way around the curve of the tank.
I have an air pump which will go into the media from the top tank.
A few more parts to arrive but almost there, well as far as i can get with it, the tank has been washed and everything is bolted down ready !

So what do you think ???

[nemo31]

IMO, those skimmers are a piece of chit, just like the Odyssea skimmers. Some ppl have made some mods to it and its working(so they say). I had the Odyssea PS160 and it didnt work for me. Good luck

I'm in the desert !!! I can only use what i can get !!! If it is really bad then i'll have to order one from the states

[GuitarMan89]

When filling a salt water tank with water and adding the sand, do I then add live rock or just leave it running with the sand and water in ? Will this kick start the filter ?? If someone could give me a guide about what to add when, in what order – that would help me get my head around things.

First, if you are using uncured lr, and plan on curing it in the tank, I would add the water, salt at temperature, then add the uncured lr to a bare bottom so that it will be easy to siphon out any detritus or debris. Even if it is cured, I would add the lr first, then the substrate so as not to create many anaerobic spots. After the live rock has cured, then add the substrate around it. This will also make for a more stable aquascape b/c the live rock is resting on the bottom, not the sand which can shift.
- the lr should start the cycle, you can start a cycle w/o lr, but you will need to add some sort of biological element, such as raw shrimp to give the bacteria something to feed off of. Hope this helps

[nemo31]

Guys HELP !!!
I have brought some live rock and some other bits i needed from a pet shop way out of town, but again they only have a limited amount of stock. I have e-mailed a shop in the USA to see if they will send me some more kit, waiting on a reply.
The problem is SAND ! all of the pet shops here just took it from the beach ! We do have Gainy sand, not powderd sand, would this be ok ? Can i use it ?

[nemo31]

All of the shops here sell crushed coral !! but you guys told me to stay away...

[omard]

Originally Posted by nemo31

Guys HELP !!!
I have brought some live rock and some other bits i needed from a pet shop way out of town, but again they only have a limited amount of stock. I have e-mailed a shop in the USA to see if they will send me some more kit, waiting on a reply.
The problem is SAND ! all of the pet shops here just took it from the beach ! We do have Gainy sand, not powderd sand, would this be ok ? Can i use it ?

Risky where you live.

Any sand near you on water is going to be pretty well contaminated from those big oil puddles that wash up on beach.

You may not see it, but it is going to be there.

Would only use as last resort.

"Grainy" works great.

[nemo31]

Originally Posted by omard

Risky where you live.

Any sand near you on water is going to be pretty well contaminated from those big oil puddles that wash up on beach.

You may not see it, but it is going to be there.

Would only use as last resort.

"Grainy" works great.

I live right near the palm island, the beaches there do not get the oil slicks, it the other side of the UAE which is on the gulf to Iraq which does get spills.
The wife is trying one more pet shop - i'll let you klnow if i find any, good thing is the wife now knows where all the fish shop's in Dubai are !!!

[nemo31]

Well now after a visit to a very good pet shop here, I got all of my much needed equipment.
We filled the tank and got it up to temp. To be honest I don’t think I need my heater at all !!!
After a bit of “faffing” around with the external filter we got it working correctly and now everything is running ok.
Added the marine salt and after stirring around until dissolved done a check, added some more until the correct level was obtained.
When to the beach right next to the 7* hotel and got some sand from the beach. Brought it home washed is with some water from my tank drained it all out and let it dry on the balcony, then added this to my tank. Also two small bits of live rock were added. PH and all other checks are ok.
I also got another powerhead which is up and running, but I think I’ll order a better one from the states so it will be here for in time when I add my first fish, 3-4 weeks. Also at the same time get a refraction meter. Some pictures of the tank now.

[Iraf]

Need a lot more rock, you'll want at least 1lbs per gallon of water, this is not only to provide places to put your corals and for them to attach & grow onto but also for an additional filtration element

[nemo31]

Noted, more live rock will be in the tank tonight !
Thanks for the reply.