First Tank - Project (First Fish! Pics Tomorrow)

Ill get some more picture up later, but here is my progress.

Florescent lights - Totally set up and working, need to do some wire management

LED "Mood Lighting" - I cut apart some cheap LED flash lights, drilled sockets in the sides of the canopy, and I am in the process of wiring them with an old laptop charger I had. It will be 18 - .1watt LED's running at 6 volts.

PowerHeads - Picked up two 800L/H power heads second-hand

Protein Skimmer - Picked up a 3W, 4L/m, 0.012 MPa air pump for $6 (crosses fingers and hopes it is strong enough). I also cut the bottom of a tall, skinny wine bottle and glued it together with an acrylic collection cup. Haven't gotten a wood air-stone or tubing yet.. And I am still brain storming on a way to attach the skimmer, but keep it easily adjustable.

DIY Live Rocks - Looking awesome, but still soaking.

Total cost so far is just over $100... And my only concern is about the skimmer, but from what I have been reading people have had pretty good success with Air-stone skimmers.

Contemplating an ATO, but haven't set my mind on that one yet.

 

What type of filteration you plan on running..? If a DIY sump I "may" have a Asm G2 skimmer with needle wheel pump. I may be able to part with to help you and your class out.

Drop me a Pm if interested..
I work alot outa town but i will get back to you when i can..

 

Unfortunately, I'm not going to have room for a sump. I'm just going to go with HOB skimmer and live rock.
I really appreciate the offer of the skimmer though; thank you! If I was going to run a sump I would take you up on it.

 

Not a problem. If you change your mind the offer is on the table still..

 

Nice build keep the pics coming!

 

Here are some pictures:

Protein skimmer; I just picked up some tubing and limewood airstones today. Tested it out and it seems to work great. Guess we will see how good of a job it does in the tank.



One of the LED lights I embedded in the frame. Still haven't found a power source that will work yet; just keeping an eye on the thrift stores:


The rocks are looking pretty sweet. They have been in water for 4 weeks now. The PH has dropped to between 7 and 8 and I can barely taste salt in the water before I change the water.

 

I finally plopped down the cash and bought a bunch of stuff:

Prime
Test Kits (Nirtite, Nitrate, Phosphate, PH, Ammonia)
Net
Thermometer
Hydrometer
30lbs of sand
62LBs of Instant Ocean Salt

 

sweet keep the pics and progress coming. very intresting.

 

Ok here is the next endeavor. I'm going to try growing a bacteria starter. I got a sample of water squeezed out of a bag of carbon from the local fish store.
What I did:
Used Instant Ocean and RO/DI water: Salinity 1.022, PH 7.9, 79F Temp
Added two raw shrimp
Sample of bacteria laden water
Minute amount of ammonium phosphate
Phases of Aeration and settleing





Resources:
Nitrification Network
METHOD OF HIGH-CONCENTRATION CULTURE OF NITRIFYING BACTERIA OR DENITRIFYING BACTERIA CONTAINED IN ACTIVATED SLUDGE, CULTURE PROMOTER TO BE USED IN HIGH-CONCENTRATION CULTURE METHOD OF NITRIFYING BACTERIA, AND METHOD OF WEIGHT LOSS TREATMENT OF ACTIVA
and some guess work

I have a bag of yeast nutrients that we use for brewing that I plan to add later. I'm planning on trying to maintain the parameters above and testing occasionally for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I believe that a continuous increase in nitrite levels, increase in ammonia requirements, and decrease in PH will be an indicator of success... But in reality I don't really know what I am doing; just trying to find excuses not to lesson plan for August.

 

What I am seeing so far:
PH is starting to drop; going to have to start adjusting it or find a buffer
Ammonia levels have dropped to 0ppm (I'm going to slowing increase the level of ammonia that I am supplementing)
The turbidity of the water has about doubled; during the settling phases there are lot of stringers/goo that settles out and gets stuck on everything
I added a filter pad for them to hang out on

My new goal is to figure out how to sustain this for the next 2 weeks or so and step up the volume of life. Hopefully I am not going to start growing the wrong kind of bacteria.