135 Oceanic Build!

BigCountry

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 6, 2009
726
0
0
Charlotte, NC
I think you might be on to something Mike...
:D
 

BigCountry

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 6, 2009
726
0
0
Charlotte, NC
Replaced the bioballs with a refuge. Gonna connect that to a 10 gallon I am building which will hold my skimmer. I wanted more sand also for bio and a bulletproof way to run the heaters down there. Hoping to grow some micro algae one day. I might break up that large dead piece or coral I have and use the frags in the first chamber once I move the overflow to the skimmer 10 g, not sure yet. I also have 1 piece of live rock with active purple coralline all over it, which I will prob lose with all this green hair, but I am hoping to drop it in there, isolate it perhaps, and try to keep it up. Dunno if that fixture can pump enough light though for it.....will need 50/50 down there also...

The small screen looking thing is an activated carbon container from my magnum 350. Works pretty good actually in the sump, just drop it anywhere where there is a decent amount of water flow.

I decided to try and starve out the algae. No lights (other than a few hours here and there to feed the fish) and water changes for a few days. The rock needs to cycle some more anyway, and lights off are best for this from what I have read.

Everything I am building now is left over stuff laying around the house. My wife wants her kitchen back also.....once I get the 10g connected and the skimmer down there I can finally slow down I hope! I dunno though....this is a lot of fun and very addictive...lol
 

BigCountry

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 6, 2009
726
0
0
Charlotte, NC

Otherone

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 2, 2009
2,683
4
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Lancaster,PA USA
Are you using more carbon than a couple spoonfuls? If so soak it overnite in a 5 gal bucket or 3 gal pale or something before adding it to your system. During the activation process (approx 1hr) Carbon can soak up tons of oxygen right outta the water.
 

xEchOx

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Mar 2, 2006
2,142
2
68
ND
Great thread. I see you are pretty good at the DIY stuff. Took me 3 days to build my first sump... and it's crooked as all $#%@... :D
 

BigCountry

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 6, 2009
726
0
0
Charlotte, NC
Otherone, the carbon has been in the sump since I set the tank up. +1 soaking it overnight. I would like to run 2 cups every month thru the sump.

I also need to fix the cheap ass light fixture I ordered....pretty sure I have blown both PL ballasts on the right hand side......whoever packed the light, coated some sort of crap on the back side of the lights. The second day they were on, I was at work, came home and all the lights were covered in what you can see in the pic, and the fixture smelt horrible....like burned waffles...When I unpacked everything and set the light up, the bulbs were already securely in, rubber bands on the ends, everything looked good to go. Who would of thought I had to remove them and check the backside for some sort of filament/glue....no instructions also....



The right side ballasts will not come on. The left side ballasts do (both white or blue), however, the whole unit shuts off after a few minutes...

The LEDs still work though. Those seem to be unaffected - they were not on thank goodness.

I am going to take it apart this weekend and trouble shoot each ballast. Worst case scenario I have to order 2 of these,

http://www.frontierlighting.com/product.jsp?part=52267&gdftrk=gdfV22514_a_7c834_a_7c4600_a_7c52267

I think the bulbs still work but they are covered in this syrup looking stuff (I mean literally as you can see in the pic they are covered) and the only way to get it off will be to heat the lights back up? Any suggestions?

Or should I just order 4 new bulbs:

http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-96W-Compact-Fluorescent-Bulb-p/61509.htm

I can get 4 for 8 bucks each....

Lesson learned = never buy cheap stuff with no instructions from Ebay...I failed miserably....lol
 
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