• Finally, the sea

  • Rodney7316

Hello everyone, dear forum participants! I have finally collected all the components to launch a marine aquarium. So, it consists of: Aquarium: 1200x400x500H (former freshwater); had to cut off a piece of the back stiffeningrib on one side for the overflow installation (cut with a metal hacksaw with a tungsten blade). Sump: 600x300x400H Lighting: 3 SunSun HDD-1200B lamps, 2x54W T5, 3 white bulbs, 3 blue. Reverse osmosis: 6-stage reverse osmosis system with a pump and AURO-50P-16+M + 2K + 2 resin cartridges. Salt: Tetra Marine (will fill the osmosis and mix in the sump) Overflow: Eshopps PF 300 Protein skimmer: Bubble Magnus BM-110 Drain hose: Eshopps filter sock Flow: 1 x sun sun 3000 l/h, 1 x 5000 l/h Return pump: Viaaqua 1800 Live rock - 7 kg, Dry rock - 25 kg, Sand - 15-18 kg approximately. That's all for now. Photo description: 1,2 - sump gluing; 3 - frame; The rest of the photos up to the cat show the current state of the aquarium; 15, 16 - sump gluing; 17 - sump testing; Further - the chronology of the work done. Gluing the chipboard to the frame, installing the aqu

Stephen

What is the purpose of the mineralizer? And why did they stick a brown strip around the perimeter of the water mirror? In my opinion, it is unnecessary and spoils the appearance of the top of the aquarium.

Noah1632

Under these stickers are the stiffening ribs and night illumination. It won't look very nice if they are sticking out. The mineralizer does not pass; water preparation goes through 3 filters, osmosis, and 2 cartridges of Dowex 50 ion exchange resin.

Eric8832

Where did you buy the resin molds and the resin itself? Is the resin sold by weight? Please send a link. What is the TDS meter reading after the resin? I only have the membrane, and the output is 26 ppm.

John3142

I apologize for intruding. I had a cyanobacteria outbreak in my aquarium due to such TDS levels. Experienced marine aquarium enthusiasts said that the maximum TDS should be no more than 7. I got the mixed salt from Ayi Reef, and the TDS was 0. Now the TDS is 1, and the cartridge has been in use for 3 months.

Laura4892

I love Odessa, my second favorite city, or maybe even the first. I bought the flasks separately and the resin separately, there are no TDS meters, I rely on the resin. The resin costs 130 for two flasks. I bought the flasks from Aquakit or Aquacut, I don't remember, but they are definitely in Kharkiv, and the last name is not Russian. I bought the resin from a person from Kyiv.

Caroline1599

What do you want to say! The membrane wears out depending on usage, there might be a problem with it! Ask the question correctly and not in this topic, there is a separate section for that.

Kellie

Sorry, friend, but I don't have a TDS meter, I ran water through 2 flasks, I can't help with anything! I didn't buy the resin at Airife. I bought it from a person, the link is above in one post!

Lori4746

I have a new membrane, only 3 weeks old. Here's what I've noticed: when I open the osmotic tap, the TDS meter initially shows 50 ppm, and after 2-3 minutes of flow, it shows 26 ppm. Now I opened the osmotic system and let it run for 10 minutes, and the TDS showed 16 ppm. What could this mean? Is it the same for everyone?

Christine864

I forgot to mention that I bought only the internal cartridges for Aquakit, and all the details about the bottles are on aqua.ua. There is a link to the site on the forum. I can provide photos of these cans.

Marie5348

I added a few photos. The live rocks were placed on November 16, which is 4 days ago (7 kg). I put one rock in the sump. Please check the lower photos in the first message. I have a couple of questions. What are the brown particles on the live rocks and on the sand - are they diatoms? How can I deal with them, should I introduce strombus snails? Are the bubbles from the skimmer correct? What are the green plants on the rock? And in general, what can you advise? Also, the last photos are taken in different lighting conditions of the aquarium.

Rita

There are almost no plants in the sea. It's algae. I can't see which ones. In my opinion, there are none. There's a lot of foam, but the skim is light (though what else is there to knock out?). Still, I would play with the skimmer, the experience of tuning will be useful. They are the ones. I haven't noticed that it makes much difference. It should naturally decline. This is organic matter that spikes during the startup.

Ricardo7341

Seryozha, what kind of foam should it be? Right now, it's producing dry foam. Where can I see what kind of foam the skimmer should produce?

Kendra2262

I can only show what I get, but I'm not an expert, maybe it's just NOT correct for me. Off-topic. That's not bad either, I'll know HOW it should be.

Andrea8397

You are unlucky with live rocks. Diatoms due to excess silicates. If possible, add coal and good anti-phosphate (like Siachem, for example). Try to add rocks to the desired amount as soon as possible. Otherwise, there will be almost no opportunity later. It’s better to get some fresh good live rocks from someone (from whom?) with a large amount of Carolina.

Crystal

Thank you for the advice. The medications are called: MatrixCarbon™ and PhosGuard™, if I understood correctly. Where should I place the medications? Maybe in the sump where the rock is! How much time do I have approximately to report on the live rocks?

Scott8536

Basically, the sooner the better. You can add it at any time, but by doing so, you will restart the maturation process. So it's better to do it at the very beginning and not disrupt the system when there are living organisms in it (you could even harm the hydrobionts). Yes. There is also a combination of coal and antifos - SiaGel. Put it in a bag and place it in the flow. It can go in the compartment for the return pump or in the algae tank. By the way, in a week or two, consider the lighting in the algae tank and ask for a handful of chaetomorpha from the live rock.

Andrea

What is this Carolina doing that is so good, speeding up launches or driving away some diseases? People specifically keep hedgehogs to get rid of it. It must be all about the hypnotic color.

Larry9400

Normal stones and diatoms at the start are a common occurrence in 90% of aquariums. Stones can be added gradually, but at a rate of 1-2 kg per week. If this is inconvenient, it's better to load them all at once. The only thing is that they seem to be arranged a bit awkwardly based on the photo.

Alyssa6727

Thank you. At night, I thought about it. After all, the live rocks were established only 6 days ago, so they are diatomaceous, and as I understand it, silicates come from tap water. My water after osmosis and two canisters with ion exchange resin will definitely not be very dirty. 1 to 2 kg per week is even better, but who will send it like that, because in our city, in one store, live rocks cost 25 dollars. I will arrange the rocks when there is a sufficient amount of live rocks, approximately another 8 kg to 12 kg of rock is needed.

Angela6489

Why rush chemistry? It should develop on its own; it's only added as a last resort, let it mature.

Reginald5073

I completely disagree with this. A slowly maturing reef is the key to a successful, problem-free reef. But a reef that is "hooked on drugs" won't be able to live without "drugs." Then you'll think about how much money you constantly need to spend each month, and the amount will not be small, up to 5000 a year just for chemicals, and God forbid you don't dose properly, everything will be ruined. My job is to warn you, and then you'll see for yourself and remember my warnings. P.S. In the photo, S.R.K. (dry reef rocks) look normal, the reef is maturing, brush off the growths from them with a brush.

Ryan2281

Off-topic, the best chemistry is coal, and only a little and rarely.

Matthew7977

Guys, thank you all for your feedback and advice. With your help, I will sail in the right direction.

Caitlin3279

Indeed... Activated carbon is a temporary adsorbent, and its presence in the aquarium should ideally be limited to a week or even less. During this time, it will effectively deal with excess organic compounds (provided there is optimal water flow through it) and will not have a negative impact on the condition of sensitive invertebrates.

Debbie3587

After all, it’s all about the hypnotic color. Recently, in a very interesting topic "oJ.K. (living stones)," a photo of a very decent stone was posted, which shows the quality and "the conditions it was in before it was sold" (C) Carolina is not too abundant, and the presence of bacteria can be determined by eye. The photo is from the aforementioned topic (judging by the number of views, even guppy enthusiasts have checked it out). By the way, Carolina on S.R.K. (dry reef stones) will grow in a couple of months with the right light and salt with increased calcium and magnesium content.

Tammy2040

Guys, algae have appeared, I understand it's filamentous algae. The sand has also turned green. What should we do with them?

Jeffrey6189

Launching a herd of starving hermits, trochos and other very useful hydrobionts.

Keith7534

buy seaweed eaters. then either it will pass by itself or if you're unlucky - you'll have to learn to clean not only your teeth but also the stones with a toothbrush.

Adrienne

Artificial methods will not solve the problem. We need to find the right lawnmowers.

Karen

Recommend the right lawn mowers.

Lori4746

Offtopic Edward Scissorhands but actually, as mentioned above: dog, little hermits, snails, algae eaters...

Charles4157

I rearranged the stones more confidently today. They are now positioned as in the photo (taken with a phone). Today, I noticed the first small things. A couple of tiny snails, one white and the other a shell colored like Carolina, as well as a small aiptasia about 1-1.5mm; I wanted to get it with tweezers, but it hid in the rock, and now it has come out again. How can I get it out? I will still be adding live rocks. One more question: if I introduce some lawnmower blennies, like trochus snails, a dogface puffer, and strombus snails into the aquarium now, will the further addition of live rocks affect them?

Rodney7316

It won't affect anything, go ahead, they're tough, although my ...if you do nothing, the filamentous algae will also pass, you can put a bunch of some algae behind the rocks - like chaetomorpha, it will absorb some nitrates...by the way, the fish was very skinny after the filamentous algae disappeared, you could look for a thread for her...she didn't eat anything else...so don't overdo it with the algae eaters...you might also try adding 0.15 ml of vodka, that stuff turns white before your eyes...but I didn't recommend that to you.

Jennifer5371

You can throw in snails and little shrimp, but not the dog. It's still young, and there's nothing to eat... Your parameters will be jumping day by day... When you've already fed all the stones, wait a week, and then maybe you can start it.

Jennifer5371

I added some stones and laid them out preliminarily; they may be rearranged more than once. I apologize for the photo quality (phone), and I might post higher quality photos over the weekend. In the lower right corner, I placed a 1500 l/h pump for water flow behind the stones.

Jill1815

I added new photos, added rocks, and it turned into a reboot; brown algae appeared. I arranged the rocks stably and as I wanted. I wanted to ask what the algae in the second photo are called. I had a pump with a filter of 1500 l/h left. I decided to create airflow on the back side of the aquarium; I am attaching a photo of the mounting (self-adhesive) and the pump with the nozzle (left over from the return).

Paul

It seems to be Ulva; if it's from the Black Sea, then take a look here. If it's tropical, then it's almost the same.

Derek7322

In the photo, she looks more like a Black Sea girl, but she arrived from J.K. (living stones).

Susan

Several photos for the theme update. There are algae, mainly caulerpa and seaweed, with no creatures eating them. On May 4th, it will be six months since I gathered everything together and started the system in idle mode, i.e., without live rock. The live rock arrived about 10-12 days after the launch.

Corey3201

I changed the lamps. There were 3 blue and 3 white. Currently, there are 2 purple, 2 blue, and 2 white lamps. The arrangement from the back is: purple, blue, white, blue, white, purple. Staged activation: 1) purple blue; 8-22 2) purple white; 9-21 3) white blue; 10-20 After 22:00, night lighting. Photos of the modes. The back is turned on first, then the front, then the center. Some photos were taken with a flash, and I also wanted to mention that the camera is not powerful. The lamps were purchased from Tim.

Karen1649

Off-topic, but could the upper slabs be laid out in such a way that they create canopies or cornices? It would look nicer and more natural. I know it's a tedious job, with swearing involved, but it's not a sin to curse for a good idea...

Andrea9320

Are you talking about hanging lights?

David953

I think it speaks about the arrangement of the stones.

Tammy2040

It feels so dull without any life... The jar is over 5 months old, and it's empty... It really needs some euphyllia, a couple of actinodiscus, a pair of clowns, a couple of umbrellas, a few stones... tissotoma... a little blastomussa and a briarium... a little bush of histrix... zebrasoma... a little dog... some small hermits, red-legged ones... a kilo of snails...

Kathryn514

Currently, there are 4 species of umbrellas, Montipora, Acropora, Briareum, Parazoanthus, pink and white Xenia, and Rodactis; they are just small and haven't grown much yet. There are also 2 Strombus crawling around. I'm not in a hurry to populate the tank; in a few days, there will be Euphyllia and a mushroom (Discosoma). By the end of the month, I hope a shipment will arrive with 2 Ocellaris, and the little clownfish will be exploring the aquarium.

Joshua9340

That's right, I suggest arranging the stones in such a way that they represent cornices, ledges, terraces, and balconies. I know it's not always easy to do, but when it all comes together, the appearance will be completely different...

Tasha

After your messages, I spent about 15 minutes arranging the stones, and here's what I came up with. How about this option! The question is where to place the disco ball; I stuck it on the middle stone in the center, maybe I should place it near the bottom?

Jennifer5784

I apologize, but in my opinion, it still doesn't look very good; it's just a pile of stones, and that's it. There are no little grottos for the fish to hide in, and there are almost no places for corals to be planted except on top. Do you have the opportunity to take a photo from the side of the aquarium? Maybe that would help better understand how the stones are arranged?

Christine864

There are changes... but it can still be adjusted...

Debra6575

So I have been spinning the stones several times, the last time I spun them this morning. Here’s what new creatures have been added: Two heads of Euphyllia; Blue Discosoma; Rodactis; Two Amphiprion percula fish; One dogfish - algae eater; Two Nassarius.

Collin

And where is the photo of what you twisted?

Andrea8397

A few photos. The white spots near the amphiprions are food.

Tammy2040

Here is a photo of the overall layout of the stones, sorry for the quality (mobile phone).

Theresa5149

It’s coming together well... A clear picture is emerging, both in terms of perspective and the overall condition of the "protoriff" and the sandy bed.

Earl

Yesterday, tentacles were spotted in a small stone; I thought they were some kind of worms. Today, I looked in the same area of that stone and noticed that two brittle stars had completely emerged but then hid back in the crevices. The size of the tentacles is approximately 2.5-3 cm. I wanted to buy these creatures, but I already have them.

Anna9752

These brittle stars are very often found in live rocks, especially if they have just arrived; I have them too. They mostly crawl at night, and during the day, they sit in the rocks, sometimes showing their tentacles.

Kimberly

Good disposers, in about a year there will be a huge number of them, and they reproduce very well, and the main thing is that they do not cause harm, unlike asterinas. The number of these starfish needs to be regulated, as an excess of them can disturb many organisms, especially clavularia and umbrellas.

Joseph

Post No. 56, third photo, right behind the rodactis, where the caulerpa is, they are sitting in the cave, the rodactis has been moved from that area.

Kristen1161

These brittle stars have recently shown some strange behavior. When fragmenting Ksenia, I cut Ksyusha and placed her in the crevice of the live rocks. I have a ton of brittle stars in my aquarium))) So, with the live rocks, tentacles immediately appeared and started dragging Ksyusha into the crevice. They took her away. Now she will be making her way...

Wesley

And why did she need Ksyusha? I have the corals glued, so they can't be taken away. The brittle stars were spotted in designated areas, although they might be hiding somewhere else, but I haven't seen them anywhere else. Hepatus is not indifferent to amphiprions, always swimming with them; there are currently no anemones in the aquarium, but they will appear closer to autumn. The adult Ksenia decided to move from the small stone to the big one. The central part of the aquarium is the lower stone. I also noticed that with the appearance of the fish, the worms are not coming out of the stones.

Tonya

Looks like he smoked something there and is still empty?!

Erica

I wouldn't say it's very empty, but it's not overloaded either. A pair of clownfish, Solaris fasciatus, a pair of strombus, 1 nassarius (three are somewhere crawling behind the rocks, or maybe they've disappeared), 4 bushes of white xenia, large bushes of pink, a large fragment of parazoanthus with 80-90 polyps, euphyllia, zoanthids, briarium, red montipora, purple mushroom, rodactis with a diameter of 8-10 cm. It's a pity the hepatitus lived only 17 days; somehow it got caught in the flow pump and suffered injuries from which it died, it was so curious.

Sarah

I will add some photos and videos. The shrimp are little rascals, always trying to snatch food from my hands.

Stephanie4990

Yesterday, there was a second loss after the hepatitus. For some reason, the shrimp tor died, even though it had only lived for 3 months. How long do they actually live? Also, a skin of a small 8mm diameter ick was found on the sand; I will have to keep an eye out for it.

Anne

Do the little dogs not conflict with each other? One is bicolor, and the other is fasciatus!?

Kevin3579

Bicolor sometimes chases the fasciatus, but not all the time. When you throw food, they eat together. Fasciatus likes to move around at night, while bicolor swims off into the rocks.

Karen81

Well, don't give up, everything will be fine! By the way, what kind of chemicals were you using? P.S. It wasn't really visible in the photos that the cyanosis was progressing.

Robert800

Where did you get the transfusion and for what reason? You can message me privately. I would be very grateful.

Tara2761

How was the sand washed? With running water or distilled water?

Natasha

What kind of person is he? And how can I contact him?

Richard2180

Tum had transfusions.

Russell8484

It's unlikely that such a small overdose will take down the aqua. I haven't used it, just planned to... Is this the working level of the samp in post 70 or with the popme stopped? Isn't that a bit too much?

Matthew7977

I agree, I don't think this is the cause... Maybe it's something else... Or it wasn't a remover, but something else that is extremely toxic.

John1464

You need to remove the cup so that the skimmed milk doesn't have time to curdle. How and with what? Did you stir it? Did you loosen the sand? Maybe everything together had an effect, and then perhaps someone quickly died somewhere in the stones or sand, and it became "super." ... Someone just poured a double dose into the logo, and nothing terrible happened since the recommended amount didn't help. ... For me, it turned green in a day, and I almost dumped it too; my mind was troubled for a long time, but in the end, I still dumped it (a lot of things piled up, not just this), and the leftovers now live in "scrap."

Timothy

I misspoke, I took off the cup. My parents used a regular brush to remove the cyano, the one I use to clean the detritus off the rocks. There was also a plus, I caught a 10-13 cm palolo, or maybe it wasn't palolo, but it looked very similar, and it swam away into the toilet.

Melissa1838

I have a question... How often did you change the water? In what volume? If detritus was accumulating on the rocks, that is already a signal that something is wrong in the aquarium...

Joshua448

At the moment, there are a few threads on the stones, and the algae eaters are nibbling. Photo of the creatures that arrived yesterday and a general view. A 40-liter cube aquarium has also been made and connected to the overall system. Currently, a small Hepatus lives in it. I apologize for the quality of the photo.

Patrick4439

In one of the aquariums (live rocks), such animals appeared. Experts, determine who they are. Is it Aiptasia or not? I just haven't seen anything like this before, I haven't added any rocks.

Danielle

they are the best

Lindsay

Those that were spotted received boiling water. Yes, I looked at them, they resemble fan worms, but they are not, so I decided to ask. They haven't been around for a year and a half, and now they appeared from somewhere. Here's another fish that just didn't want to pose for the camera.

Carrie1606

Aiptasia.

Vanessa

I noticed you have white threads on all the stones, I have that too. Have you figured out what it is? It even crawls onto the softness for me.

Kevin3114

I don't know, they only appeared in hidden places for me, like between the stones. Now they are in plain sight because the stones were rearranged differently after the restart, and I glued some together for convenience in building slides from them. The fish in the 11th photo from post 87 is so funny. It fills its mouth with sand and chews, and then spits it out through its gills.