Tank Journal Archive

[marineclass]

well, the sump is now on and running. I have tuned it and it seems to be overflowing the tank at the same rate as it is returning so thats a good thing i guess... I have a couple of questions though.

1. What is the best way to stop the reverse syphon when the pump turns off and it flows back into the sump?

2. How do i tune my skimmer? I have only ever had a skimmer that was a part of the HOB filter and so this is my first case of setting it up. I dont know how high to set the bubbles and how to get it working right. Currently it is creating plenty of tiny bubles up the chamber but nothing is overflowing over the cup. If i had a camera I would take a picture to show how it is but my phone is currently not working!

Any hints of videos you can recommend? The skimmer is an aqua Pro (i know i know..they ar enot amazing but i had one donated and it will be much better than nothing )

 

[VaultBoy]

To stop the syphon when the pump is off drill a small hole in your return pipe just below the water level this will allow air to enter the pipe shortly after the syphon starts breaking the syphon... It may take some trial and error to get it in the right because if it is too close to the surface it can create a venturing and will create a crazy bubble storm in the tank...

 

[VaultBoy]

As for the skimmer if there is little or nothing for it to skim nothing will end up in the cup... try running it every second day until your Bio load increases.

 

[marineclass]

I had my first power outage since adding a sump and the Vault boy overflow worked well and shut off like it was suppossed to, then started back up when power resumed. i was lucky enough to be there to observe the power outage to make sure that it did work properly. Since the start of this new chapter in the tank, i have had a pretty decent cycle going and changing water regularly. diatoms are covering the rocks and glass and sand really quickly and you can imagine how inpatient kids are to get some fish and coral into the tank - they dont seem to enjoy the cycling process for some reason :confused:

I do need to bulk up my CUC so if there is any Gold Coast tanks that want to sell some turbos etc let me know. As for the sump, I dont have any macro algae in it yet. I've read that this will help in nutrient export and should help with the algae. So...again - anyone who wants to sell some let me know :)

As for the tank, its getting there slowly. I have had a very generous offer from Priscacara to send up some corals so Im looking forward to when the tank is ready and i can get some colour onto thoe rocks. Im also looking forward to when this storm water has cleared out and I can go diving again to try and get some interesting critters for the tank.

 

[marineclass]

Well the new sump is working well and the tank has been through a cycle - not huge but it has all calmed down now. I am getting very excited becuase Les (Priscacara) has sent a big box of corals for me and should be arriving in the morning. Really exciting news as the kids are getting bored looking a tthe rocks! It is a such a huge and is going to be very well recieved by the class. Ill post pics once the have arrived! :)

 

[marineclass]

After waiting all day...checking with the office every 15 minutes and getting really worried that it wasn’t going to show...I finally received the good news i had been waiting for.... a package has arrived for you! WOO HOO!

I send 2 extremely excited kids to collect a massive box and open it up to reveal a wonderland of goodies!

Pricacara was extremely generous and has sent some very amazing corals up to contribute to our classroom aquarium to get it back up and running after the crash. I was hoping for a couple of frags of zoas at the very most. As I unwrap every bag, I couldn’t believe what he had sent. Frags of zoas, morphs, Mooncoral, xenia, Green tipped frogspawn, Duncan and a whole bunch of fossils and shark teeth.

This was a huge help and the kids are absolutely 'over the moon' - coral (See what i did there ;) )

I really appreciate the assistance and am really looking forward to when they all open up and I can get some pics for you all.

The great Doc has also jumped on board and is donating some CUC for us.

I want to say a huge thank you to all your help, both in the physical contribution and advice. This tank has been going for over 2 years now and has allowed hundreds of students the opportunity to view and assist in maintaining a small part of ocean in their school. It has even inspired a few families to head out and purchase their own tanks so it does also help the gold coast marine shops ;)

I write this feeling slightly guilty accepting these gifts and I do not want anyone to feel as though they need to contribute as well, but thank you so much to those who have:)

 

[Priscacara]

I'm glad it finally showed up, hope they settle down and open up so the kids can see them in full form.

 

[marineclass]

I came into class this mornign and the corals are looking happy. They have started openeing up and look pretty satisifed in their new tank. The kids are going to be so happy today and we are going to get almost no work done....but it will be a fun day!

 

[Dr. Schell]

perhaps a chiller is required for next summer

 

[marineclass]

perhaps a chiller is required for next summer

I do have one ready to go, just need to get it set up properly. It started leaking from the connections and so I took it off and then winter came....I never put it back on :( But the tank is in aircon most of the day so i dont see the temps getting very high....But for stability reasons...yes i need to put it back on :(

 

[Dr. Schell]

stablity is a great thing. Up here (Brisbane) you are unlikely to need a heater, evern in winder. Chillers are more important! If you experience 30 degrees for more than 3 days, all of your anemones and corals are likely to bleach (is a protective strategy to stop them beinging poisoned by their symbiotic zoozanthllae.

 

[marineclass]

Here are some crappy photos of the new corals under leds :) They are just off the phone sorry but you get the idea.

The kids are so interested in the tank! They love the new corals and have enjoyed watching them open up a little more each day. They request we put on just the blue leds about 50 times a day to see them glowing lol. It really is looking a lot better. Hopefully a few fish will be added this weekend! I am also in need of more live rock so if there are any gold coasters that want to sell some off, let me know :)

I am going for a rescape becuase it is looking embarrasing at the moment so once that is done ill add a fts.

 

[marineclass]

 

[Priscacara]

Looks like they are adapting well, the duncans I have always found to be a bit sulky even if it is just a slight change in flow...............they are just divas! The spawn looks like it got no damage which is a relief, when i was wrapping it it just didn't want to retract, once it is settled and happy it will be double the size in the pic.

 

[marineclass]

yea they seem to be pretty happy so far. The spawn has opened a little more since that pic but not yet to double. It looks so amazing under the blue leds...it just glows so bright! Seems to be the fav amoung the class

 

[marineclass]

My chiller has a broken connection and so i thought i would check for it at random plumbing supplies store in the hope that i could find one (wasnt very hopeful) After 4 stores i decided that I would need to contact the company that built the chiller to find a spare part. After they replied with very unhelpful information and basically said...we cant be bothered looking for it...i decided to try to rig up something new. As i was looking through my spare box of parts what do i come across.....the part i needed..brand new, sitting there for months. All this time i have been putting it off becuase of the effort involved in finding this 1 connection...and it was there all along.:mad: Well it is on now and the chiller is running. I got a fright over te weekend when i came in and the aircon was not running. I usually leave it on as a form of chiller:D I foud the tank sitting at 29 and so it is a relief now to find the chiller on and cooling it down. Nothing seems to be bothered by the high heat though although I have got some green hair algae :( I have reduced the time my lights are on...is there anything else i should be doing?