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View Full Version : Update on the tank setup...



as40
01-27-2004, 11:57 AM
Hello all...

I'm amazed at how quickly all my equipment arrived (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22380, in case anyone wants to know what I got). I ordered everything on Thursday from www.marinedepot.com and it arrived on Friday!!! On Saturday I began the tedious process of going back and forth with two 5 gal. jugs to the LFS to get R/O water with the salt already mixed in. Got the tank filled up, and used the plate-on-the-sand recommendation from OrionGirl. Thank you very much, OrionGirl! I had no silt or sand floating in the tank; it looked crystal clear from the get-go. Put all the equipment in/on the tank, hooked everything up and plugged it all in. My only complaint really is the *%#$ing suction cups that came with the Pro-Heat II's! They won't stick to the glass worth a darn. Annoying, but not critical. My Remora is giving me cause for a bit of concern, but I'm not at the really worried stage yet.

I've read they can take a while to "break in", and before all the micro bubbles go away, but my concern is trying to figure out how the height of the collection cup effects the foam collection, and how often it needs to be emptied, as well as if it effects the quality of skimming. Another thing that is annoying is how loud the dang thing runs! I'm hoping that it will quiet down a bit once it breaks in. Anyone know?

I'm going to have to wait for a week or so before I can afford to order any LR, so the tank will be running empty until then. No lights on, since I don't want to start harvesting algea. :)

Other than that, now I have to run some tests on salinity and ammonia, etc. I bought a hydrometer and testing kit this weekend. I'll post once I have some readings. Thanks to all who have helped me get this far!

OrionGirl
01-27-2004, 12:45 PM
Suction cups and saltwater is an ongoing battle. Even the ones that stick initially eventually fail. We've replaced all the suction cups in the SW setups at least once a year.

Not much help on the skimmer--it will take a while to break in, and until it does, I wouldn't worry overly much about setting the cup level. Empty is as often as needed to prevent it from overflowing--usually once a week is enough in my tanks. Not sure about the noise--mine runs with a powerhead, and there is only a faint noise from the air intake, audible only when the stand doors are open.

as40
01-29-2004, 6:42 PM
Yeah, hate the suction cups. Trying to figure out a way to keep things anchored in place where I want 'em! As for the skimmer, it's still louder than I'm used to, but it has quieted down for a bit for whatever reason. Maybe there was a lot of air in there. To give you an idea of the noise level, it sounds about as loud as the refrigerator moter in the kitchen.