I have been reading everything I could about S/W, and finally think I have enough information to make the jump. :unsure:

I ordered;
Custom Acrylic 20g tall. (still in the wrapping)
PC lighting (130w - 65w 12k, 65w Actinic, 2 Moonlights)
1 - Generic Protein Skimmer. (still in box)
3 - 315gph powerheads. (tried one out in sink)
1 - Refractometer (ATC) (tried this out too)
1 - 600/1200gph Overflow. (has not arrived yet.)
1 - 450gph pump. (special order from LPS, not here yet)
1 - 10g glass tank. (sump from WallFart)

Still need:
SALT.
Various plumbing parts.
Live rock - 5 to 10lbs
Base rock - 10 to 20lbs (might make this)
Oolite sand 20 to 25lbs (will buy this from LPS)
Buckets, buckets and more buckets.
Tubing. (black)
Small Fan for sump
2 heaters. (one 100w for tank, 1 50w for make-up water)
2 Digital Thermometers (Petco has these for $8.00, Reptile and fish are same,
but fish one is $12.00!):angry:
30 Gallons of distilled water.

Wish list:
RO/DI unit (Cheaper than Distilled Water)

Have I left anything out? :blink:

Will post pictures as soon as I start, and as things progress.

This will be Tank #6.:o

My wife is AMAZINGLY understanding. Thank God.

I really can't think of anything that you left out, but I would like to make a few recommedations. There is a deal on Marinedepotlive which is 11lbs of Fiji live rock for $52.00 and that includes shipping. If ou decide to buy your base rock I ordered mine from Hirocks and the rock was exactly what I wanted and for a reasonable price. With the three powerheads and output from the return pump that is alot of flow for a 20g tank unless your planning on some SPS.

What type of setup are you going for? Are you planning on coral?

Good luck with your tank and if you have any questions feel free to ask. :)

Hiya PB, Thanks for the heads up on the rock deals. I planned on using hirocks for the base. Wasn't sure of the live, sounds like a great deal.
I am planning on a reef tank with a couple of very small fish.
None of the powerheads are going in the tank. (I don't like the look)
They are mainly for mixing salt and pumping from tank to tank.
Circulation will be from the main pump in the sump. (450-500gph @0head)
With the head from the sump to the tank flow should be cut down to
about 290-300gph. (don't want to blow the water out of the tank!)
Lighting isn't right for SPS, so I am going to go with some Zoos, Polyps, shrooms
and maybe a small BTA.

Glad to know you guys are here if I need an answer.

No, I think that 130 watt of PC are good enough for SPS corals. I think it was recomened about 6-8 watters per gallon for SPS.

I might try a small one, up on the top, just to see.
I also wanted to try my hand at making some base rock.
but I don't want to wait 4 months for it to cure.
anyone have any suggestions on how to speed it up?
I was thinking of going over to my Father-in-laws, He
has a canal running behind his place, and throwing it in there.
The water is running very fast.

Still haven't taken off the protective wrap. But here it is.

Cool. Sounds like you have really done your research. S/W tanks are great! Be sure to post some pictures when you finally get it filled up and running.

If you want to save some time for curing, why not just order it on ebay. Only 2.25 dollars a lbs, and only 10 dollar shipping. If you want the site then tell me.

Hi r33f-boy, I would be interested in taking a look at that website. I was kind of
leaning towards Tampa Bay Saltwater, as they ship thier rock in water, and fly
it to an airport near you. Very little curing time, very little die-off. But for $2.25
a pound, well I could put up with a little die off.

Hey R33F, Where are the pictures of your 29??? :unsure:
I showed a picture of an empty tank, and you haven't shown
a picture of your setup tank. Time to show off. :D

O so u wanted to see my tank. I'll try to post some pics by the end of the day. :D
Heres the site
http://cgi.ebay.com/FIJI-LIVE-ROCK-CURED-B...1QQcmdZViewItem

The tank looks nice. $2.25 a pound for Fiji live rock is a good deal as the cheapest I have found it online was around $4.00 a pound.

Wow, $2.25 a pound? Has peaked my interest. Thanks for the info...
I am going to see if I can find your tank in the gallery.

I guess the site has not only helped me but other people too :D I maybe ording some later next month. Since Im way broke!!! And SORRY someone dropped my camera in the water and it DIED!!!. Well I still need to go buy a new one. Might take some time.

I went shopping!!! Spent WAY TOO MUCH!!! :$:

LFS Manager had some LIVE ROCK in the display tanks, She was very nice and cut me a deal. She even went light on the weight a little. ;) (my favor) It is very porous and light. Smells clean. Bought 21lbs. as I am impatient and would not be able to wait for "shipping and handling".
She is holding it in her display tanks for me.

Also bought the following;

200w heater
Oceanic Salt mix. 14.5lbs
Phosphate test kit
Calcium test kit
Silicone (for sump)
Large foam pad (remove bubbles from sump)
Enough plumbing fittings to plumb a small house.
(Man, I hate to go into HD's Plumbing dept.)
29g aquarium stand. (the one I had planned on using will not hold the weight :( )
Trash Can to mix water.
25 gallons of distilled water. (you should have seen the look on the guys face...We also bought an above ground pool (12x3)... :D , I told him we would be back for more water. :lol:

I starting mixing the water/salt tonight. :up: :up:

3 hours after starting, salinity is at 1.022.
Is this about what it should be at 3 hours?
Will it go up or down?
When/what should I check next?
I am shooting for 1.023

JUST HAD A THOUGHT....How much salt would I need to bring an above-ground swimming pool up to 1.024??
:lol: :P :D :lol: :) B) :rolleyes: ;) :P :D :lol: :) :rolleyes: :P :D :)

What is the salinity at right now? It might go alittle higher because some of the salt might not be completely dissolved. I like to mix my saltwater for 24 hours before adding it to my tank.

Update.

I've been cutting glass. Trying to make sense out of this sump.
Fittings are driving my crazy. Picking glass slivers out of my fingers.
But it is starting to take shape.

I should have it all siliconed up tonight and try out the whole system
with freshwater tomorrow to work out the kinks.

Fedex just delivered the overflow.

:D


But the hole is 1/32 inch smaller than the bulkhead fitting they sent with it!
:mad:
I guess I'll have to use the dremel tool.
Just got a phone call from the not-so LFS, my lock-line and fittings will be in
tonight. :D
Have to drive 1 hour to get them. :(

Well lunch is over...Back to glass slivers. :P

My salinity in the mixer was 1.022 at 10:00am. I'll check again.

Salinity at 2:00pm is still 1.022.

There is a very strong current in the mixing tank.
This might be why it disolved so quickly.
I have a 350gph powerhead in a 26gal. trashcan.
If I added another one I could turn it into a GIANT
skimmer. :lol:

Yeah from the picture I can tell that there is definitely enough flow in the trashcan to mix the salt. I would start slowly adding more salt to the tub until you reach the level you want. The adequate rangs for salinity is 1.023-1.026, but with a FO tank you can keep it alittle lower. If you are going to do a reef tank with coral and inverts I would keep it between 1.024-1.026 but 1.025 being optimal.

Well after talking to a few people, I am scrapping the CPR overflow,
and going back to my original plan to drill the tank. It is at the glass
shop right now. I started shaking just thinking about taking a drill to it.
I picked up a piece of 1/4" acrylic to make the strainer box.

After what seems like a hundred trips to various hardware stores
trying to find the right fittings, I finally got everything :D to
plumb the sump!

Wish me luck. Cross your fingers. etc. etc. etc. :unsure:

Sounds good and keep us updated.

Three more trips to the hardware store, And it is now full of
freshwater, runs great! :D
I did several "power failure" tests, Worked GREAT! No flood.
I will let it go for 18 hours to check for leaks, (it's on the patio.)
I will drain it in the morning, add the ball valve for the pump and
go to work. Sunday I should be able to bring it inside.

Still to be done:

Fill with sand. (already rinsed)
Fill with live rock.
Make overflow guard.
Make media baskets.
hook up lights.
Get timer for lights.

Sit back and watch....and wait.... :P

Almost forgot...

I used tap water to rinse the sand...
Do I use anything to get rid of the Chlorine?
I have "Stress Coat" but it is for Freshwater I think.
Is there anything comparable for SW? Should I use it?
Will drying the sand take care of the "City Water Nasties"?

Thanks for the help.

What type of water are you going to use for your tank? Tap, Distilled, RO, RO/DI, etc? I would just rinse the sand in whatever water you are going to use in your tank. I would highly advice against using Tap water as you can have issues with phosphates, unbalanced calcium levels, hard metals may be in the water, etc. I would recommend using either RO/DI or RO water since it is preferred to use, and you don't have to purchase an expensive unit as you can go to your local grocery store and fill up jugs. If you use tap water for your tank then treat it with a chlorine/chloramine neutralizer.

Hi perfectblue,

I used distilled to mix my salt, but I used about 200 gals of
tap to rinse my sand. Should I use something to de-chlorinate
the sand or will letting it dry do that for me?

200 gals of distilled would have cost a lot and have been a
pain to open than many bottles. :D

Here is some Pictures of the freshwater test and the plumbing.


The plastic plant in to check flow.
As you can see I still have the protective wrap on it, not taking
any chances.
Power failures are not going to be a problem, as the sump will
handle it without any problems. I will be adding a siphon and
fitting to the sump to aid in water changes and a light under the
cabinet.

Your setup is coming along nicely. Rinsing the sand with tap water is fine, but if you wanted you could do a quick rinse in distilled but again you should be fine without the added rinse.

Thanks PB, I thought I had ruined it.
I should be putting it all together tommorrow.

The Plumbing is finished!!

After several screw ups (measure once, cut twice?)
I finally completed the plumbing. I have to go to work
soon, but I think I can move everything into the office today.

Here is a picture to show it with unions that will make it easier
to work on if I need to.

:D

I went on my lunch and got my live rock.
Tank is setup, and everything is running great.
:D

Looks great. :)

Wow. Pretty. How much were they?

r33f-boy - Its about 21lbs and it came close to $90.00, I had picked them out and paid for them last week. They moved it under better lighting, and it really perked up. The one on top is 95% encrusted with thick dark purple coraline algae. The one on the right has greens and pinks, and bottom left has flecks of reds and greens. Pretty cool looking rock. It locked together like a jigsaw puzzle. I had to move things around today as the jets had blown sand all over the rocks, I gave them a shake to remove most of the sand and adjusted the jets up away from the bottom more. No more sand storm. ;)

ALSO - I saw my first hitchhiker, It is a little brittle star about 3/8ths of an inch. :D :D
I also haxe a few tube worms. Dark red feathers? Those are less than 1/16th of an inch. :D

Sounds like great quality live rock. Yeah you will be amazed at the amount of hitchhikers you will get. Tiny Feather Dusters are fairly common, as are Brittle Stars and I actually had one in my 2.5g.

Wow, that is cool. about 5 dollars for ur live rocks that is cheap, around my area would of been 7.99 per lbs :o. And also there wont be any hitchhikers on my live rocks since there isnt many. But my live rocks has some cool purple coraline algae.

Finally I was able to find a camera would be able to take some pictures. Not the best but better than nuthing. Here goes some pics of my live rocks and my tank.

Had a mistake buying the wrong base rock, but the coraline algae is spreading real well :D



Here is my tank.

Here is the light that the rocks are housed under.

Hope you like :) :up:

Wow r33fboy, that coraline is covering great.
What do you mean you got the wrong base rock?
$7.99 a pound?!?! :o

Well I got rid of most of the micro-bubbles and
took some more pictures...have a look.





Can't wait for it to cycle... :blink:
I found a good size feather duster after the bubbles cleared
and another tiny brittle star, smaller than the first. :D :D

Well, im not sure but the base rock that I bought had ALOT of holes in it. And now I am trying to start a cleaning crew instead of buying fish and corals. What i bought so far was only 4 red hermit crabs. About 8 snails soon. :D
And yea, my live rocks are 7.99 a lbs !

Hey, Does anyone know how long it should take for a skimmer
to start producing gunk?
Mine has been running constantly for 3 days now and nothing! :angry: