DIY Concrete Aquarium 5,000 gallon - Anderson Family Reef

[cmaxwell39]

Tank is looking awesome, but your black fish in the first video is missing some spots

Those corals look so good in there and are really healthy looking. Love the full light pics/videos.

 

[dca22anderson]

Tank is looking awesome, but your black fish in the first video is missing some spots

Those corals look so good in there and are really healthy looking. Love the full light pics/videos.

You mean like yours! LOL, your Gem is amazing!

Your super clean reef is looking great too Calvin!

Thanks for letting Trav and I swing by and check it out!!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Truly stunning as always!

 

[lubeck]

Somehow I wasn’t getting updates. It’s crazy how much the reef is filling in. some of the montis are getting huge. Incredible

im gonna be out in salt lake next Tuesday and Wednesday

 

[dca22anderson]

Somehow I wasn’t getting updates. It’s crazy how much the reef is filling in. some of the montis are getting huge. Incred.

im gonna be out in salt lake next Tuesday and Wednesday

Thanks for checking it out! I'm in town next week...

You are welcome to come see it anytime if you like.

Message me and we can work out a good time.

 

[dca22anderson]

So I’m preparing to do a thing… LOL

I’ve been mulling over long term sump options and figured I would replace these two white Buckhorn Bins with one 500 gallon flat bottom bin.

I’ll finish with two 500 gallon connected sumps (16’x4’x2’ - 1000 gallons):

1) with a catwalk across the back of the tank over it as well as reactors across the top of it with close access for maintenance and a drip tray back to the sump
2) full of live rock and growing algae in the fish room

This will also allow me to run some permanent electrical and clean up the wires too.

Stocking up on plumbing parts, taking down reactors and running through configurations now…

 

[bradreef]

So I’m preparing to do a thing… LOL

I’ve been mulling over long term sump options and figured I would replace these two white Buckhorn Bins with one 500 gallon flat bottom bin.

I’ll finish with two 500 gallon connected sumps (16’x4’x2’ - 1000 gallons):

1) with a catwalk across the back of the tank over it as well as reactors across the top of it with close access for maintenance and a drip tray back to the sump
2) full of live rock and growing algae in the fish room

This will also allow me to run some permanent electrical and clean up the wires too.

Stocking up on plumbing parts, taking down reactors and running through configurations now…

Let me know if you need help with this. Is this going to take up more space?

 

[dca22anderson]

Let me know if you need help with this. Is this going to take up more space?

Same footprint but better use of floor space behind the tank… should free up a spot for a permanent QT system and or a water change station right as you enter the fish room… for sure I’ll keep you posted…

 

[dca22anderson]

Also trying to raise my Ph a bit so built a 2” forced outside air snorkel for the air pump for the skimmer… fingers crossed it works well!!

 

[dca22anderson]

Also trying to raise my Ph a bit so built a 2” forced outside air snorkel for the air pump for the skimmer… fingers crossed it works well!!

If it moves the needle enough then I will put it up in the ceiling next… this morning no big change to Ph

 

[Sltloser]

If it moves the needle enough then I will put it up in the ceiling next… this morning no big change to Ph

What is your Alk sitting at? And have you had a full day of lights on vs off to compare pH levels? I wouldn't expect much change at night with mostly respiration occuring and not much photosynthesis.

If you don't see anything after a few days you could look into getting a CO2 monitor to compare what the CO2 level outside vs inside is.

 

[dca22anderson]

What is your Alk sitting at? And have you had a full day of lights on vs off to compare pH levels? I wouldn't expect much change at night with mostly respiration occuring and not much photosynthesis.

If you don't see anything after a few days you could look into getting a CO2 monitor to compare what the CO2 level outside vs inside is.

My Alk is sitting at 9.9…

I have my fuge and frag tank on opposite light cycles to the show tank so my Ph sits around 8.12… wanting to get it up to 8.2-8.3…

I may have to grab a CO2 monitor to help with this goal! Good idea!

 

[dca22anderson]

What is your Alk sitting at? And have you had a full day of lights on vs off to compare pH levels? I wouldn't expect much change at night with mostly respiration occuring and not much photosynthesis.

If you don't see anything after a few days you could look into getting a CO2 monitor to compare what the CO2 level outside vs inside is.

The Snorkle did help but need to do more…

 

[Sltloser]

The Snorkle did help but need to do more…

This is interesting, it seems like night time has continuously reduced the lowest pH reading from the 31st - 4th (if my timing estimation is about right between each day?). What is the timing on the highest and lowest reading?

Can you think of anything you may have changed over the past week to cause the dip to get lower every night? (Kalk stirrer dosing time, more people in the house, scrubbing the tank of algae, lighting changes, etc.)

 

[dca22anderson]

This is interesting, it seems like night time has continuously reduced the lowest pH reading from the 31st - 4th (if my timing estimation is about right between each day?). What is the timing on the highest and lowest reading?

Can you think of anything you may have changed over the past week to cause the dip to get lower every night? (Kalk stirrer dosing time, more people in the house, scrubbing the tank of algae, lighting changes, etc.)

I had the algae in the refuge start to die off a bit and the water went a little hazy one night so I culled it out by about half…

I have also taken out the GFO reactor and carbon reactor to prepare for the sump swap…

Kalk stirrer is still the same for over a month…

I had a ton of teenagers hanging out all night down there over the weekend and some even sleep over… hmmm

 

[dca22anderson]

Got these back today!

 

[dca22anderson]

Looks like I have a little work to do here with the water chemistry…

 

[Sltloser]

I had the algae in the refuge start to die off a bit and the water went a little hazy one night so I culled it out by about half…

I have also taken out the GFO reactor and carbon reactor to prepare for the sump swap…

Kalk stirrer is still the same for over a month…

I had a ton of teenagers hanging out all night down there over the weekend and some even sleep over… hmmm

Each of those might have had an impact on the bottoming out of the pH every day. Can you link each of those to the days that the bottom out got worse?

The last graph looked like it was going to stay more stable throughout the day, did the pH have a better curve today than the day previously? I know for me it's taken a few days to bounce back to my normal pH swing if there has been a major change in CO2 in the house (closed windows and multiple guests), photosynthesis has been inhibited (loss of algae, removal of corals, or removal of algae at night) or my CO2 scrubber gets turned off by accident .

 

[dca22anderson]

Each of those might have had an impact on the bottoming out of the pH every day. Can you link each of those to the days that the bottom out got worse?

The last graph looked like it was going to stay more stable throughout the day, did the pH have a better curve today than the day previously? I know for me it's taken a few days to bounce back to my normal pH swing if there has been a major change in CO2 in the house (closed windows and multiple guests), photosynthesis has been inhibited (loss of algae, removal of corals, or removal of algae at night) or my CO2 scrubber gets turned off by accident .

Hard to say now... My skimmer needle wheel pump was off last night when I got home late... I think my new snorkel may be starving the pump a bit so it lost suction where the air goes into the impeller and the pump over heated... pulled some tape off to expose more air intakes on the box for now...

 

[dca22anderson]