New custom 60 gal cube

[TreyC2010]

That was supposed to be a smiling face but I'll admit there were happy tears.

 

[Saltwaterwill]

That was supposed to be a smiling face but I'll admit there were happy tears.

Nice man, u got the gold?

 

[TreyC2010]

I got the gold. Salinity is a major pain in the butt and I figured it would be better to get it now while I can rather than wait and have to pay extra. Plus Orp is pretty neat and just another fun thing to monitor. I'm anxious to set it up. It's going to be tricky to do and still keep space for work under there.

Edit: Another lucky thing is that I'm setting up my tank right where my router happens to be. It must've been meant to be!

 

[TreyC2010]

Am I safe to mount my apex just above my sump? Should I build some type of box to put around it or just get a fan or two?

 

[TreyC2010]

And do I need to calibrate probes before I can use them?

 

[TreyC2010]

i had a coral from a local lfs and I noticed this little guy hiding underneath it. I'm sure it's a mantis shrimp but can anyone else tell?

 

[bknapp]

I would calibrate the probes to be sure.

That does appear to be a mantis.

 

[TreyC2010]

I would calibrate the probes to be sure.

That does appear to be a mantis.

Thank you.

Had a leak in the overflow box. Picked up a new one and have to wait for the plumbing to redo it.

 

[TreyC2010]

And for anyone that thinks they can look at the frag/rock instead of dipping or qt might like to know that the mantis shrimp came inside a 2" frag rock. Super small tunnel and within 10 seconds of being dipped he came out.

 

[TreyC2010]

My Neon Goby on his rest spot. I'm not sure what type of mushroom it is but I have a rock full.

sorry for the blue but I love this hermit. He has the coolest shell I've seen on a crab.

 

[TreyC2010]

This little guys polyps got fat. Do they do that often? Maybe it'll stay

 

[TreyC2010]

Got the leak fixed and water is running.

I have a question. Why won't my lights work on my Apex Energy 8 bar? I have a Maxspect Razor 420r. I have the cords ran beside each other and Velcro tied together. I'm not electrician but could that cause a problem and make them not come on? I've switched them from the relays to the other outlet.

 

[TreyC2010]

Front view

Side view

It's a little cloudy. I have a gyre 150 but even at its lowest setting its too much. I ordered an MP10 that I'll use along with my sea swirl. The rocks have lots of space for coral and I drilled a few frag holes prior to putting them in. They're held up with acrylic rods and BRS super glue.

 

[TreyC2010]

 

[TreyC2010]

I didn't have much room to play with anyway but check out that water level. This is when the return kicks on and the siphon is adjusting.

 

[Big B]

Wowsers!

 

[TreyC2010]

I have a question on cycling. I've cycled a few tanks so I understand the basic process. I just want to check with you guys. I used rock from an old system that crashed and had lots of dead coral still on the rock. So I scrubbed the rocks and cured them for three months. There were three 100% water changes in those three months. I used the rocks and 60 lbs of live sand and used RODI water that reads 0 TDS.

When I set the tank up, I didn't check parameters because I wasn't rushing. I would just let it run. It's been running three weeks and I tested yesterday but didn't get an ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate reading. All were zero. This is an API kit so I know it's not top of the line but it's still up to date. Should I add another source of ammonia or am I just waiting? I want it to be as stable as possible from the get go so any advice is appreciated.

 

[TreyC2010]

Also, would it matter what my Orp is on my apex? It wasn't calibrated because I've seen it didn't matter. It started at 219 and has risen to 235 in a couple of weeks. Would it be a good idea to let it reach a number or a steady number before adding livestock?

 

[Big B]

With regards to your cycle, if you have any ammonia dose the tank to around 2ppm and give it 24 hrs. If it reads 0 after 24 and with 0 nitrite I would think your good to go. I probably would'nt worry to much about Orp but then again Im not real familiar with all the technical details of Orp.

 

[TreyC2010]

Thank you. I'll dose the ammonia for sure. The ORP is steadily rising so I'm sure it means something. I just don't know what or if it's relevant.