160gal tank build

[ram303]

Hi there ppl
I will be adding the base rock to my new 160 gal tank in the next couple of days and was looking for some sugestions.
In my first marine tank, I put my substrate in first, then built my live rock decor on that. it has been pritty good for about 2 years, then i started to have nitrate problems. Even though i did lots of gravel vacs and water changes. in setting up this new large tank i had to strip down the 65 gal and move it into the lounge. In doing this i think i found my nitrate problem. the substrate under the live rock was so full of deterious, it would surly have crashed soon........
In setting up my new tank, i have decided to lay several large flat stone pads to build my reef on, hopfully eliminating the amount of deterious that may build up under my reef.
The large flat flagstones are 2-3 in thick and way quite a bit.
my question is
should i put small peices of cork under the rock, to keep it from direct contact with the glass,
or mabe some small beads of silicon around where i want to lay the large flat stones. would sufice.
will try to post some pics of my new setup later today.
How do other reefers keep the tank clean under the reef.......
thanks for the help

 

[BettaFishMommy]

i would use eggcrate, which is the plastic stuff you normally see as a cover for a flourescent ceiling light in offices, etc.

this stuff:






lay it down in the bottom of your tank, then put your live rock on it, then pour your sand around your rock, on top of the egg crate.

i'm sorry, i can't give you advice on the nitrate issue, as i'm a freshie all the way, and really don't know much about marine. for now......

 

[fsn77]

I completely agree with putting the eggcrate down first. I do that on all my marine tanks.

As for the detritus problem, it's kind of hard to say for sure, but you may want to consider upping the amount of flow in the tank (if the inhabitants allow for it) to help keep the detritus suspended so that it can be dealt with by any mechanical filtration you have running on the system.

 

[ram303]

Thanks very much bettafishmommy, and fsn77 I will try to find some monday morning.
I really cant wait to get this new tank up and running.
here are some pics
View attachment 103894
This was my tank settup 2 years ago
View attachment 103895
This was my tank 2 days ago

and this is the tank today

this is my sump, been flow tested

and this is my new setup as it sits now.

 

[BettaFishMommy]

ooooh! shiny! lol. very nice, and very clean..... for now. hahaha.

i wish you luck with the new setup and pics! pics once it's all stocked!

 

[ram303]

ok bettafishmommy i started to stock my tank today.
Sorry only base rock and gravel, but its coming along. just waiting on the salt to make my water, so i can fill it up. will post more picks as it progresses.



I plan to fill the void at the end, behind the wall with live gravel, direct from the ocean, as i don't have access to live sand, or gravel.
in the end i will place acropora on top of the wall. creating a shallow end to the tank.

 

[aquanooby]

that is an awesome start ! I am sure it will look amazing cant wait to see further pics

 

[BettaFishMommy]

ok, this may sound a lil dumb (but remember, i'm a freshie! lol) but what is all the vertical white piping for?

 

[ram303]

there are no silly questions betta
the 2 20mm pvc pipes close together will be connected to two 1500 lph power heads.
the other 4 will have line loc pipes coming out of them, for directional water movement. once the live rock and coral goes in they will be hidden, allowing water movement behind my coral. hopefully reducing deterous from building up behind my reef.

 

[BettaFishMommy]

ahhh, i see said the blind man! lol.

i knew that you needed a fair amount of flow via powerheads, etc in a sw tank, but most pics i've seen just have the powerheads in ugly and plain view up on the top sides of the tank. loving your plans! keep us updated!