BC 29g Diary * lots of pics*

[RayAllen]

Well heres whats been going on

May 20, 2007:
Purchase BC 29 for $229

May 27, 2007:
Purchase stand $129
28 lbs Live sand $35
Salt $25

Tank sits empty for a couple of weeks while I wait for my Live Rock.

June 13,2007:
LR order still not in but i have to set it up :D
Purchase 25lbs of Fiji Premium LR $50
50w heater $15
Hrdrometer $7
Thermometer $4
Saltwater Master Test Kit $27
Stress coat $10

So far to Date Ive spent approx $550 + tax

Got home after making the above purchases and make sure the BC29 is placed where I want it before I fill it up. And the fun begins. No mods have been made at this point. Heater is in Chamber 1. Plan on LR rubble in Chamber 2. Also Chem Pure and Purigen.

Now for pics
6/13/07
Sand in tank, Heater in Chamber 1 and ready to start
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/IMG_0055.jpg
Placement of tank viewable from both sofas and anywhere in the room even the dining room and kitchen
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/IMG_0057.jpg
Filled up and a storm is brewing
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/IMG_0062.jpg
This moring the storm has passed and I can see
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/IMG_0065.jpg

6/18/07:
First water test
Salt 1.023
Calc 540 ppm
KH 214.8 ppm
Phos 0.0/0.25
nitrate 0 ppm

6/20/07:
MOD TIME 8) Removed trays and bioballs from chamber 2 replaced with LR rubble with filter floss over top to keep quite. Also Made the filter cartdridge mod and removed the carbon and material; which i replaced with filter floss. With both mods im already seeing a diffrence.

6/21/07:
25lbs Fiji LR from Phenomonal Aquatics if finally in and in the tank. Now the true cycling begins. Will post pics of my Rock layout soon.

More Pics to Come

Ray :D

[ClownReef®]

The cube revolution! Looks GREAT!

[Ram_Puppy]

ray - lookin good.

(I love cubes)

just an FYI - I wouldn't bother w/ stress coat in the future.

it's a great product, don't get me wrong. but -

Saltwater requires 24 hours to mix properly - i have never truly understood it, but richard could probably clarify - it essentially has something to do w/ oxygen mixing in and so on and so forth.

in that time however, all your chlorine is going to go by by (if your using Tap)

If your using ro, then there is just no need for it.

Also, saltwater has the nifty ability to neutralize a bunch of different chemicals. when my sister worked on Johnston Island the chemists always laughed about how PC the destruction process was for the chemical weaopns they were decomissioning. they would feed the stuff in through a magazine and obliterate it w/ a bunch of jet engines, all that would be left over is glass slag - totally inert (infact I have some glass at home that used to be Sarin, mustard gas, etc...) anyway, what the chemists found ironic, is that they could have gone out in the deep ocean and just injected the stuff right into the water and it would have been chemically neutralized in seconds.

now, as a reefer I find the technique objectionable, but you get the point, salt water can neutralize a ton of stuff, and if memory serves, chlorine is one of them. (i could be wrong)

either way, before you add fish, there is no reason to use stress coat. save yourself 10 bucks! but a fish w/ it. (or 1/3 of a coral frag!!!!)

[RayAllen]

Thanks guys, and that is great info Ram Puppy. Wasnt aware of the power of saltwater beside for healing cuts, ouch!

[Ram_Puppy]

lol... you get that many things on the periodic table involved and it's bound to change something...

I am not guranteeing that chlorine will be neutralized by salt water, If memory serves mustard gas is chlorine based, but I could be totally wrong, and drawing the incorrect assumptions...

I do know that by the time you add stuff to the tank chlorine should have destabalized or off gassed.

Stresscoat is great stuff for fresh water... oh, and it will make your skimmer go nuts as well!

[pickle311]

looks good so far, where did you get your stand?

[RayAllen]

Bought both the tank and stand from Alamo Aquatics. The stand was $129

[RayAllen]

Now for more pics
10k
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/10000k.jpg
Actinic
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/Actininc.jpg
10k and Actinic
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/10kActininc.jpg
Left Side
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/left.jpg
Right Side
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/Right.jpg

from the pics it looks like theres not alot of rock but it is 25lbs and occupies a decent area. I will have moonlight pics tonight when they come on.

Ray

[BioCube14]

sweet tank. I would recomend the light upgrade but when you do get the silenX fans the stock fans get anoying I think it requires some dremeling but not sure on your tank

[RayAllen]

Been a month since I posted. 8/1/07 Well The tank has completed cycling and is now 2 days shy of 7 weeks old. Added red legs to clean the tank up; which they did rather quickly. I purchased some more cured rock at Wolf reef now Phenominal aquatics on Friday 7/27. I have a total of approx 31-32 lbs of really nice premium fiji. The new rock I bought is covered in life. A good sized reddish purple feather duster, several small white Feather dusters, a crab, cool brown zoas with orange centers, and all kinds of small shrimp like creatures running around all over the tank now. The rock layout is a little diffrent with the new rock but look awesome and the coraline algae is really taking off. Im currently searching for a pair of perc clowns as the first fish addition. Zoas/shrooms/polys will be majority coral except for maybe a couple LPS and a frogspawns later down the road.

Will post new pics tonight!

Ray

[blueboy]

looks good! make sure and change out that filter floss regularly, it can become a nutrient sink when it gets clogged with detritus.

[RayAllen]

Yea I do it on a 2 wk basis and The tank is doing excellent. Picked up some premaid saltwater from Phenominal Aquatics/Wolf reef and will be doing a water change today.

[MattK]

Looks great!

Makes me want to start all over with my Nano Cube.

[RayAllen]

Thanks it looks even better now, those pics were before the addition of more rock and the completed cycle.

[RayAllen]

New Pics

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/morerock.jpg
I tried to keep the rock rock similar with little changes but did creat a cave with the new rock.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/newrock.jpg
You can see the Zoas and a FD that came on the cured rock; The Zoas are really starting to liven up.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/zoasandFD.jpg

:D

[RayAllen]

On Saturday I added my first coral. Xenia and Candy Cane Coral. Xenia looks like crap right now but the candy cane coral looks great; especially under the Actinics. I moved the rock scape around again to make for a better coral layout.

[RayAllen]

8/9/2007

Sorry Took me a few days to get these pics taken. As of Tuesday 8/7/2007 My livestock consist of these corals Xenia, Colt, Green striped zoas, green zoas, green star polyps, puple green shrooms, red shroms andCandy cane coral. Also one yellow clown goby, 3 red leg hermits and 4 cerith snails. I took the best pics I could tonight some with 10k and Actininc and some jsut with Actinic. Couldnt get any decent pics with the moonlights. My camera isnt that great at aquarium pics. Here ya go

10k and Act. Blues Front
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/front10kandAtinic.jpg
Left Side
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/leftside-1.jpg
Right Side
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/Rightside-1.jpg
Angle
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/Angle.jpg
REd Polyps and on the small rock on the left about 20-23 Eagle Eyes Zoas
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/RedPolyp.jpg
Candy Cane Coral
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/CandyCanecoral.jpg
Candy Cane and Assorted Green Zoas
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/CandyCaneandGreenZoas.jpg
Green Star Polyps and Colt
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/GreenStarPolypandColt.jpg
Purple and Green Shrooms with some closed polyps
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/PurpleGreenShroomsandpolyps.jpg


And the rest in Actinic only

Front
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/Front-1.jpg
Left
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/left-1.jpg
Right
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/right-1.jpg
Candy Cane and Green Zoas
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/CandyCaneandGreenZoasActininc.jpg
Candy Cane
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/CandyCane.jpg
BAd pic of Clown Goby
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/frogguy1/ClownGoby.jpg

My camera does not do the tank nor coral/fish livestock; but these will work untill I can get a camera better suited for a aquarium. It is really looking nice. And at night when the moonlight comes on and the candy cane and other coral open up WOW! Hope you enjoy

And as you can see from the begining the rock layout is completely diffrent. I started with 4 large rock and broke them in peices. I now have 8 medium size rock and several nice caves that the hermits/snails and goby seem to enjoy. Clown pair coming next :D

Thanks
Ray

[safeuerwehr]

yay for the freeloaders...love it!

[RayAllen]

huh? Freeloaders??

[FireWater]

I think he was talking about this quote

You can see the Zoas and a FD that came on the cured rock; The Zoas are really starting to liven up.

[RayAllen]

LOL, I figured he meant the hitchikers. But never seen anyone use the term "Freeloaders"