Cali Kid Corals

Newbie Tank and new to BAR

georgec

georgec

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Hi all, just joined up with BAR last month. Also finally tracked down an old 29 TruVu aquarium, stand, and skimmer on Craigslist... that was the cheapest part :) Hoping to make the December meeting. The skimmer is a Prizm, which I know isn't the best. But, I'm going to try it out for now. It's a little loud though. I'll probably look for a used Remora, which seems to be everyone's preference when it comes to HOBs.

Here's the basics:

  • [li]29 Gallon Truvu[/li]
    [li]Prizm HOB skimmer[/li]
    [li]Coralife 2X65 PC lighting[/li]
    [li]30 lbs of live rock[/li]
    [li]1 Maxi 900 with Hydor Rotator, 1 Maxi 900

Here's the new tank and stand (it was an oak color, but I repainted it black and but 2 coats of polyurethane on it). The blue rubbermaid container was holding 30 lbs of live rock that I got (thanks to Alex who was breaking down his 360):
297402894_0559a0f5ed_o.jpg


Here's a close-up of the canopy that I built for the tank over the weekend before painting. I'm going to add a piano hinge to the lid, paint and coat it to match the stand.
297402887_5abd39e39f_o.jpg


Here's the tank as of this morning... I didn't get pictures of the sandstorm of the past two days. I never thought it would clear. Still thinking about how to aquascape. Saw some bug-like things crawling on the rocks this morning before flipping on the light... hopefully beneficial guys.
297402892_4dddd494f4_o.jpg


Look forward to meeting some of you along the journey/obsession :)
-George
 
Big Welcome to Our Club!!!

Nice starting tank. I started out with a 29G too. Got a 100G 3 months after that because I couldn't add any more coral in the 29G ;D ..
Where are you located at?
 
Thanks for the welcome. I'm located in San Francisco. Please don't mention bigger tanks... mine's only been up for 3 days... ;D
 
[quote author=Microsoftie link=topic=1494.msg12893#msg12893 date=1163541247]
You can always use the 29g as your sump. :) I'm kidding
[/quote]

LOL, I'm sticking to my guns and staying with the 29 for now....

I've been lurking on RC for almost a year now. It's kind of scary when people there are talking sumps that are as big or 5X the size of my main tank... (and have X00 gallon tanks) or when someone says that a 29 gallon is the perfect size for a quarantine tank. With tanks like those, where do us humans eat and sleep?
 
[quote author=Raddogz link=topic=1494.msg12903#msg12903 date=1163561456]
Looks good George. You'll fill up the 29g soon enough. Let me know when you are ready for softies.
[/quote]

Thanks for the offer. I'm trying to get the tank stable and cycled. Soon as it's ready, I'd be happy to take some softies :)

Question out to the experienced masses:

Right now, I think I may be having some heat issues with my lights and canopy. Going to try and install some computer fans to blow some air through and see if that helps.
 
georgec,

When are your tanks on? One easy way for me was to change my times the tanks on. I have mine turn on at 6pm and last till 3am, those are the coldest times for me! Worked well during the summer! Next would be wlike what Elite suggested, PC fans. You can get a cool setup on ebay!
 
Another easy/cheap way to cool the tank are the Honeywell fans they sell for less than $10 at Wallgreens. They have 3 speeds which is nice for seasonal changes too.

BTW, I too have a bunch of softies for you when you are ready.

-Charles
 
Hi George,

One thing to remember about adding fans is they add to evaporation. Yes, moving air does help minimize temp increases but if you truly halt temp increases with fans then you will have some amount of evaporation. You can make a cheap and easy top off system from aquahub.com.
I have four fans in my hood where I am running 415W of light and I don't have any temp increase. I do however lose quite a bit more water than I did before the fans.
Just a pre-warning.
P.S. I'll be glad to throw in a few shrooms/zoos/xenia to help you get started.
 
Just checking in again.... thanks all for the advice and offer for some starter pieces. I'll have to take you up on it soon. I'll post some more pictures up.

Update on the tank (started at the beginning of November):


  • [li] I ended up buying a RadioShack transformer and two Vantec? computer fans with 3-speed switches - about $40 all-in and drilled two holes in the top of my canopy. They work great for temperature control. I think I'm going to unplug one and see how it goes because as mentioned in advice above, I am getting a decent amount of evaporation, even on the lowest settings. You might be seeing some questions from me about building an auto-top off[/li]
    [li]Upgraded my skimmer to a AquaC Remora before Christmas (used from RC :) ) It's a lot quieter, easier to use, and skims better than the RedSea Prism that came with my tank.[/li]
    [li]Having a bit of a cyano problem that I'm hoping is just part of the new tank cycle (red slimy stuff on the substrate and a little on the glass). Been futzing with the flow to try to make sure there are not any dead spots[/li]
    [li]Was impatient ;D and went out and bought a few tiny frags - zoanthids, pink/white? xenia, and some red mushrooms over the past month. They are all open and look healthy. The xenia have really gotten bushy with more branches and the stalks have thickened up a good bit - even have one or two more shoots starting to grow.[/li]

* One question for anyone that is familiar with the surface skimmer for the Remora - it has two chambers, the surface skimmer with pump, and the return/bubble catcher chamber that receives the outflow. The bubble catcher portion is pretty small maybe 8.5" H x 3.5" W x 2.5" D, but the light from my PCs shine on it from above. Would there be any kind of macro algae like Cheato that would grow in that space? I don't have a sump or space for a HOB fuge and was hoping that this might be one way to do some nutriet export via macro.

* Charles, and Dyngoe, are either of you in San Francisco? I'm supposed to get some softies from Eileen at some point, but as a newbie, I'd always be interested in some freebies.

Thanks again all!
 
[quote author=Elite link=topic=1494.msg14113#msg14113 date=1167778874]
Yes you can put it in there but will they do anything is another question. Its a pretty small area.
[/quote]

That was my other concern. I don't think I can grow enough Chaeto in there to make a significant impact, but figured it's empty and probably couldn't hurt....
 
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