Bumbling newbie's 65g mixed reef
- Thread starter DeeAnnMG
- Start date
DeeAnnMG
Guest
My kit arrived today, so I tested. The API change in color from 0 to 0.25 is slight. I don't think I was at quite 0.25, but I was closer to 0.25 than to zero. I also tested the phosphates in my QT, which I set up about 4 days ago with no rock or sand, and there was a slight difference in the two vials. It's not a big deal since I'm not opposed to a GFO reactor. I knew I would have to add media reactors eventually, but I think I'll wait a couple weeks. I was prepared to wait for an 8-12 week cycle anyway, and I've spent TOO dang much money already this week.
DeeAnnMG
Guest
Okay, so up to this point (in my journal) my "bumbling"has been.... minimal. Couple plumbing issues, rock structures needing to be shortened. No biggie, right? Well then I had a couple of doozies, one right after the other to.
The first problem occurred because of my impatience, and because I don't have a bucket big enough to mix all the saltwater for the initial tank fill. So how did I mix the first batch of saltwater? Well in the tank of course. After the saltwater mixed in the tank for about a day I put my rock structures in. No problem there. I know about displacement. I didn't fill the tank to the top. A couple days later I order my sand. I had to figure out what sand I wanted, and felt the sand should go in after the rock anyway (to hide the PVC), so no rush. But when my sand comes in (rush, rush, rush!) I was so excited to get that last bit in the tank that I forgot all about displacement. I happily add 60 pounds of live sand to my tank, and the same volume of saltwater gets pushed right out of my sump and onto the floor! OMG, I am such a dumbass! My hubby is super paranoid about his floors, so I had to siphon enough water out of the tank that we could lift the entire thing an inch or so off the floor to let it air dry overnight. I was so freaked, and embarrassed that I completely forgot to take pictures. Still, that problem was fixable. The next one, I'm still scared about.
So a few days after my flood, I go to Home Depot to find a cheap LED light for under my tank, so that I have some light while working down there. I buy this cute little thing. They're super cheap and look like they'll do the job nicely. They even have double stick tape on the back for easy placement above my sump.
That night I stuck them up above my sump, and loved the affect. It was going to work nicely... NOT! The next morning I go check things out, and my two cute fu7)?>g little LEDs (each containing 3 AAA batteries) were sitting in my SUMP! I fish them out, pop open the back cover and sure enough, junk has leaked out of them. Oh GOD! I swear I am such a dumbass! So that week (last week) I did 2 big water changes ~30% each. And will do another tomorrow. I am just so thankful that I didn't have any livestock in my tank! I'm sure they would have all been killed. I just wonder if I should drain the tank completely or not. I don't want to kill any beneficial bacteria that may have managed to grow on my rock, during the couple days it will take me to mix up enough water to fill the tank again. On the other I would prefer to kill bacteria than fish and coral. Ugh!
The first problem occurred because of my impatience, and because I don't have a bucket big enough to mix all the saltwater for the initial tank fill. So how did I mix the first batch of saltwater? Well in the tank of course. After the saltwater mixed in the tank for about a day I put my rock structures in. No problem there. I know about displacement. I didn't fill the tank to the top. A couple days later I order my sand. I had to figure out what sand I wanted, and felt the sand should go in after the rock anyway (to hide the PVC), so no rush. But when my sand comes in (rush, rush, rush!) I was so excited to get that last bit in the tank that I forgot all about displacement. I happily add 60 pounds of live sand to my tank, and the same volume of saltwater gets pushed right out of my sump and onto the floor! OMG, I am such a dumbass! My hubby is super paranoid about his floors, so I had to siphon enough water out of the tank that we could lift the entire thing an inch or so off the floor to let it air dry overnight. I was so freaked, and embarrassed that I completely forgot to take pictures. Still, that problem was fixable. The next one, I'm still scared about.
So a few days after my flood, I go to Home Depot to find a cheap LED light for under my tank, so that I have some light while working down there. I buy this cute little thing. They're super cheap and look like they'll do the job nicely. They even have double stick tape on the back for easy placement above my sump.
That night I stuck them up above my sump, and loved the affect. It was going to work nicely... NOT! The next morning I go check things out, and my two cute fu7)?>g little LEDs (each containing 3 AAA batteries) were sitting in my SUMP! I fish them out, pop open the back cover and sure enough, junk has leaked out of them. Oh GOD! I swear I am such a dumbass! So that week (last week) I did 2 big water changes ~30% each. And will do another tomorrow. I am just so thankful that I didn't have any livestock in my tank! I'm sure they would have all been killed. I just wonder if I should drain the tank completely or not. I don't want to kill any beneficial bacteria that may have managed to grow on my rock, during the couple days it will take me to mix up enough water to fill the tank again. On the other I would prefer to kill bacteria than fish and coral. Ugh!
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DeeAnnMG
Guest
Thanks! I really hope it doesn't get any worse than that.Ooops.
Eh, we all make mistakes. Fun to swap stories.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Oh no! Hang in there. We all make mistakes 
Sorry about all the hassle though. So some stuff from the batteries leaked into the water? I honestly would drain the whole tank to be safe. I know its a pain but batteries have some nasty stuff in them and just a small amount could cause serious problems down the road. I would even probably recommend giving everything (rocks, sand, etc.) a good rinse once its drained to make sure its all gone. Maybe someone with more knowledge on this can chime in and say if this is overkill, but I would hate to start off from the beginning with something bad in the tank.
Sorry about all the hassle though. So some stuff from the batteries leaked into the water? I honestly would drain the whole tank to be safe. I know its a pain but batteries have some nasty stuff in them and just a small amount could cause serious problems down the road. I would even probably recommend giving everything (rocks, sand, etc.) a good rinse once its drained to make sure its all gone. Maybe someone with more knowledge on this can chime in and say if this is overkill, but I would hate to start off from the beginning with something bad in the tank.
DeeAnnMG
Guest
Yeah, that's what I what thinking to. Dang it!Oh no! Hang in there. We all make mistakes
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Yeah, sorry
I know it sucks to do all that work and have to basically start over. Getting enough water mixed is always a pain. I guess if you want to do lights in the stand, I would recommend screwing them into the stand instead of relying on command strips (or something similar). Or you could position them so that if they fall it isnt into the sump.
+1 That a rinse and complete refill would be very prudent.
And in the grand scheme of things, a single 100% water change is nothing.
I do know a bit about batteries, and the odds are you are ok.
For an Alkaline battery, the electrolyte is Potassium hydroxide, which should be fine.
But that is IF it was an Alkaline, and IF that is all that leaked, and IF other components were not an issue.
So why risk the odds.
Side note:
Stir up the sand as you siphon the water out. A good chance to clean up a bit more of the dust.
And in the grand scheme of things, a single 100% water change is nothing.
I do know a bit about batteries, and the odds are you are ok.
For an Alkaline battery, the electrolyte is Potassium hydroxide, which should be fine.
But that is IF it was an Alkaline, and IF that is all that leaked, and IF other components were not an issue.
So why risk the odds.
Side note:
Stir up the sand as you siphon the water out. A good chance to clean up a bit more of the dust.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Oh, and mixing the water in the tank is just fine since you don't have anything alive in there yet. That is probably the easiest way for you to mix up that much water if you don't have a big Brute trash can on hand to use. Now that the sand is already in there, just account for the water displacement from the rocks
Coral reefer
Past President
Haven't read the while thing, where are you? I always have 100 gal mixed and ready to go in sf...
DeeAnnMG
Guest
Mike, that's really nice of you! I'm actually all the way over in Dublin. It took a few days, but I got it all sorted out. I managed to drain the water from the sump and most from tank. It took 4 days of mixing, but I got everything filled again. PHEW!
That was a chore!
DeeAnnMG
Guest
I do have RO/DI. You guys are WAY nice! Thanks for the offer. I might have taken you up on it if there were any livestock in my tank.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Glad you managed to get it all filled back up. Now you're just waiting on the cycle right?
DeeAnnMG
Guest
Yup. I hope it goes fast, but I'm not going to rush it. I'll use this time to read my new books.
DeeAnnMG
Guest
Kris, can you recommend a method for running the carbon? Should I bite the bullet and just buy a reactor or can I do something simple like a filter bag?
Kmooresf
Supporting Member
You know, a reactor is (IMO) the most efficient way to run carbon. It also has the added bonus of being able to add GFO to it as well. However throwing a bag of carbon in a high flow area of the sump will definitely work. So if your trying to keep to a budget, you can always add a reactor later.