Reboot
I decided to bite the bullet and replace all my rock, something I should have done a long time ago. Although I got my tank back on track after the crash I still had some algae problems, mainly this horrible red shit that is like carpet. I decided enough was enough.
Its a great end to what has been a pretty crappy tank ever since I got it, the main reason being I was trying to save a buck and got all my rock for free from a fellow reefer who was getting out of the hobby. Seemed like a good idea at the time, probably got $500 worth of primo looking rock for free. Thought I did the right thing cleaning it and letting it cycle properly but in the end its caused me nothing but trouble, so if you are reading this and thinking about cutting corners on your next tank build, Don't do it!
So since my load is fairly low at the moment, just a few fish and corals left from the crash I thought I may as well start fresh with new rocks and sand. All the fish and corals have been moved to a holding tub which is setup with a skimmer and light, heater etc.
Here's some Pics.
I picked up some nice looking Real Reef Rock from Williamstown on the Shop Crawl a few weeks back. Got a really good deal on it from the owner.
Tank, Sump and all equipment completely cleaned and Vinegar bathed.
Sand and Rocks in after puttying them together, scraped the overflow box which took hours to get all the Coraline off, but well worth it. I noticed the bottom weir cover was brittle and broken so I replaced it with some acrylic for now. I want to test how the tank surface skims now that the bottom inlet is blocked. I have never been a fan of this feature on the Cade so looking forward to seeing how it goes.
I was hoping for a bit more height and to get more of a bommie look with those flat pieces. In the end it was to hard to Putty and I worried about the structural integrity over time. I also didn't want to go to drastic lengths and use acrylic rods or anything like that.
I am quite happy with how it all turned out though.
It's filling at the moment! :D
Its a great end to what has been a pretty crappy tank ever since I got it, the main reason being I was trying to save a buck and got all my rock for free from a fellow reefer who was getting out of the hobby. Seemed like a good idea at the time, probably got $500 worth of primo looking rock for free. Thought I did the right thing cleaning it and letting it cycle properly but in the end its caused me nothing but trouble, so if you are reading this and thinking about cutting corners on your next tank build, Don't do it!
So since my load is fairly low at the moment, just a few fish and corals left from the crash I thought I may as well start fresh with new rocks and sand. All the fish and corals have been moved to a holding tub which is setup with a skimmer and light, heater etc.
Here's some Pics.
I picked up some nice looking Real Reef Rock from Williamstown on the Shop Crawl a few weeks back. Got a really good deal on it from the owner.
Tank, Sump and all equipment completely cleaned and Vinegar bathed.
Sand and Rocks in after puttying them together, scraped the overflow box which took hours to get all the Coraline off, but well worth it. I noticed the bottom weir cover was brittle and broken so I replaced it with some acrylic for now. I want to test how the tank surface skims now that the bottom inlet is blocked. I have never been a fan of this feature on the Cade so looking forward to seeing how it goes.
I was hoping for a bit more height and to get more of a bommie look with those flat pieces. In the end it was to hard to Putty and I worried about the structural integrity over time. I also didn't want to go to drastic lengths and use acrylic rods or anything like that.
I am quite happy with how it all turned out though.
It's filling at the moment! :D
