[karl]

Well finaly finished with adding all the stock be acclimatizing since 8am this morning so all should be well i hope

a few things i need to sort

dont like the sump
dont think the skimmer is upto the job tbh
i dont like the way it has been left to deteriorate
pump i dont think it man enough
and the power heads i am not 100% about either
lighting need's sorting as well

i need to get rid of the algae and need to really look into the stocking capability of this tank

currently in the tank are
2 clowns (1 black and the other orange)
pair boxer shrimp
1 hawkfish
1 goby
2 star fish (1 huge one lol)
few hermit's red leged one's i think
bta

so here are the pic's

not done an aquascape on it yet will just let it settle befor i start messing with it

[ben]

youve got the ball rolling so all the little problems can be sorted as you go. nothing too major that cant be fixed

[chriss]

Once it's settled start with looking at the nutrient levels, nitrates and phosphates. What skimmer and pumps does it have? Did you buy this second hand as 'one lot'?

Chris

[karl]

yes got it second hand as 1 lot

the skimmer is a prizm and i dont like it lol

the pump is an eheim but that's all i know as their is no other markings or stickers

dont like the sump as it is a very silly design



also dont like the way the water is fed to the sump either no wier or anything





a few things need to be sorted tank is about 300ltrs

the corals seem to be a little sulky but hopefully shouldnt loose too many

[chriss]

The return pump should be fine, nothing wrong with an eheim, tho it looks like the return plumbing would benefit from being straightened out a bit.

Skimmer, yeah, ditch it for something worthy of being called a protein skimmer. A V2 or small deltec would be great.

And get some water tests done, I suspect after moving things around it'll be going thru a small cycle so you could get a bit of ammonia/nitrite. How much water is old and how much is new?

Chris

PS Like the worm in the last pic.

[ben]

well spotted on the worm chris. looks like a nice eunice to me. needs to be got rid of

[karl]

thats the big star fish's leg lol

the return pipe is just a garden hose so will be replaced for somthing a little better

was looking at the deltec skimmer

also will do the test in a min

only had to replace 75ltrs of the orginal for new so wasnt too bad

but tbh i think the last owner got bored with it in the end

[karl]

right tests in

phosphate is 5ppm (even with a 75ltr change)
ammonia 0.1ppm
nitrite 0ppm
nitrate arround 20ppm
calcium 480ppm

so phosphate is far too high

how do i go about removing this ???

i have added cheato to the sump by the way

[ben]

get some phos remover asap. best way is a reactor in the sump. with the reading that high the remover will get used up quickly so got double the amount to replace it when needed.

[lindsay]

As the guys suggest above plus increase surface movement to ensure oxygen levels in the tank esp while skimming is minimal.

[chriss]

Heck thats some starfish!!

As suspected, you have a little ammonia, just keep an eye on it.

If the previous owner had got bored with it, I expect things like water changes slipped, thats usually the first thing to go, so the system begins to take up nutrients. Get a good skimmer, phosphate remover, maybe some carbon and do some good water changes and you'll soon have it in good shape. If you can stretch to a phosphate reactor of somesort, either ready made or diy'd that will make far better use of the media, but if funds are tight, put the money towards a better skimmer first. Take a look in the classifieds over on UR if there is nothing here.

Chris

[karl]

well i went out and got some rowaphos so that should help a little

skimmer is first on the list tbh it needs to be sorted

have been looking at the reactors and think i can streech funds for one or have a look at a diy one just goto figure out the way they work

i have the power heads creating loads of surface agitation

also in the sump their is like a water full on the in side

so will keep my eye on that level

will check after i get back from work

[karl]

well everything seems a bit happier today so things are looking up



well the bta has moved obviously didnt like it's spot lol

clowns are going in and out of it







and then the rest of the tank mates









what goby is this one ?








and my first mod here lol

went got some clear pipe and removed the hose pipe then added a spray bar so i have a bit more surface aggitation now

[karl]

update on this tank as i am upgrading



and a few of the inhabitants

[tillysreef]

looking good mate, what tank is that and how did you add the wiers, was it just 2 pipes sticking up inside before?

[karl]

tank is a rena panorama 120

i made the wiers and jason redrilled the tank and stuck the weirs in place yes the 2 pipes were a bit odd lol and were rather small

but wish i had added blue acrilic to the wier pannels as they look a bit odd tbh

[tillysreef]

you could still get some blue perspex and stick over them with some underwater glue, looking good mate, ive got a juwel tank to drill here oh what fun

[karl]

well thats what i would do if i was going to keep it but i have a 5ft juwel waiting for me to bring home lol

[tillysreef]

is that a 4 ft tank then

[karl]

yes 4ft aproximatly 350ltrs