# 90Gallon Tank



## Jmbret (Nov 6, 2010)

Hey Forum!

Glad to be back at Saltwater again! Oh, gtaa, how I have missed you...

My ex-gf held my tank and fish for ransom for the last 15 months! 

I am finally picking it up on Sunday and am already dreaming about a new set up again. I am really nervous to see how much she neglected the tank in my absence. I am told most corals I had did not survive. HOW CAN YOU KILL A MUSHROOM? LOL ... Anyways if my tangs are still alive the parameteres shouldnt be that bad... 

Perhaps I should test all the parameters before I tear everything down?

How can I ensure minimal damage during the transport? 

I am planning to empty the aragonite, live rock and fish into rubbermaid bins fitted with heaters and powerheads, then move the tank and setup at new place, then mix 50% saltwater/RO water inside the tank, then bring the rubbermaids over to the new place, then get the water parameters as close as I can and then slowly adding old water, aragonite, LR and fish. 

She told me all she did for maintenance over the last 15 months was top up with RO water...  My canister filters must be nitrate factories! I wonder how my 3" sandbed is doing in my HOB refugium.

Also, have plans to pick up a new fish in Saga Tuesday. VERY excited about this new addition. Will keep it a surprise for now and will definitely keep you posted 

I plan to vacuum all the gravel and dispose of that water and plan to keep about 50% of the existing water.

Any idea's or tips for a successful transport would be greatly appreciated!


Jacob


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## smcx (Mar 31, 2012)

actually... I killed a few recently. I made the mistake of topping up with salt water instead of fresh (need to label better). My salinity rose to 1.032

Everything was pissed, but some some shrooms did not survive.


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## Chaoticblissx (Jan 5, 2013)

I wonder if you could have her charged with cruelty to animals for that kind of neglect!?!

Be carefull with the heaters, a warm vehicle and then house depending on distance to travel and overall time frame might be all they need. The DT sand might not be worth cleaning and saving. Just make sure you have all the water out that you need for the fish and live rock and coral before attempting to clean it. Might be worth picking up new sand/aragonite.

Anyways, good luck with the move. Hope everything works out. I'd personally be a little cautious about adding a new fish as early as Tuesday but maybe things will be better than expected.


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

Yo Jacob, dude! Good to see you're back! 

Sorry to hear about the domestic bullcrap, glad you'the able to get your pets back now. Good luck with the move and hopefully everybody makes it out okay. 

Just a word of warning with the live rock. If its out of the water for more than a few minutes, it will start to die off and could end up causing an ammonia spike. Keep it covered and warm, you should be all right...

Keep smiling! :beer:

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## explor3r (Mar 14, 2010)

Jacob where have u been?...Glad you getting back and summer will be here soon for the motorcycle rides


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

Jmbret said:


> Hey Forum!
> 
> My ex-gf held my tank and fish for ransom for the last 15 months!
> 
> Jacob


Next time select GF more carefully 

*100% free webcam site! | Awesome chicks and it is absolutely free! | Watch free live sex cam - easy as 1-2-3*


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## Jmbret (Nov 6, 2010)

Hi everybody!

SMCX - Sorry to hear about your mushrooms. Those are the types of mistakes we only make once 

Chaotic - I was uber lucky to have no snow and optimal weather conditions for the move. Things were driven in my flatbed and the sun kept things warm-ish. I am still filling the tank and will stir up the DT sand and run the filters for 24hrs rinsing the filter pads every few hours. Hopefully this will collect most of the debris and I am hoping to add my LR and cultured water to the tank tonight, see how things clear up by Tuesday morning and then new fish! (muahahaha * my diabolical laugh *)

50Seven - Long time no see man! Thanks for the kind words! I went out to get an extra heater so that each rubbermaid had its own heat source. Thanks again for the tip and I'll PM you soon regarding a canopy rebuild project! (As if your not busy enough  )

explor3r - The simple answer, finding myself. It feels really good to be back and I am anticipating a great riding season! I can't even begin to imagine how many gallons your basement has in it now. The last time I was in touch you were setting up frag tanks! Hope to catch up soon!

Thanks everybody for the helpful tips.

To everyone who PM me regarding helpful tips from past experiences I really appreciate your response! You alleviated some of my concerns and thanks for reminding me to bring the wrench for the R/O unit!

and last but certainly not least, of course Greg your tips are always full of wisdom! 

Pictures and detail to follow,

Jacob


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## Jmbret (Nov 6, 2010)

Hey all! 

I was supposed to have a surprise today but it looks like it won't be happening. I had arranged to pick up a new tank inhabintant! He was a Picasso Triggerfish only 3" and the coolest fish ever! But then the seller backed out...I also realized they aren't reef friendly so I am not terribly dissapointed. 

Besides I am still cycling my tank... 

On that note I picked up some SeaChem Stability today and added the first application. I have already seen my nitrites drop from 0.3 to 0.1 and my ammonia from .5 to .25. 

I am hoping that in a day or two I can get my fish out of the rubbermaids and back into the tank!! 

The cloudyness has subsided enough to start scaping. Will post pictures and when it is all done!

I will be picking up a 2nd hand counter current protein skimmer tonight, pictures to follow! 

All is well that ends well.

Jacob


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## Jmbret (Nov 6, 2010)

I was wondering if anybody has experience changing the airstones on these skimmers? 

Is there a way to take this thing apart? 

It looks like the cup is siliconed onto the shaft and the shaft is epoxied (and a shitty job at that, you can see lots of air bubbles in it) to the base... 

You can see the bucket in the back of the picture, I have tested for leaks and only the gate when closed leaks (so I might have to replace that plumbing part)... 

If anybody has any experience with these things, repairing and maintence and especially how to access the airstones for replacement I would greatly appreciate it! 

Ps, I am a total NEWB when it comes to these things!

By the way if anybody knows the make or model of this thing, plus 5 points and a gold star !


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## rburns24 (Jan 31, 2011)

The cup is threaded into the skimmer body. It might be a bit of a job to loosen it, but it should twist off.


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## Jmbret (Nov 6, 2010)

*That is the weird thing...*

Thanks for your reply!

I have taken a really close look and the cup part has been siliconed on the bottom half from the inside! and on the top half it is siliconed on the outside!

If I were to cut the silicone and wedge the cup off, how could I modify this thing to be easier to access in the future? Some sort of o-ring solution?

Also what kind of lubricants would be safe to help me pry this apart?

Engineers and DIY'ers , I am now taking resumes! 
Possibly even filling a contract I need this skimmer working ASAP!

Jacob


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## Jmbret (Nov 6, 2010)

*by the way*

SeaChem Stability has worked wonders in only a few short days.

My fish are out of their rubbermaid homes and back into the 90.

I have uploaded a very short timelapse video of my fish enjoying their new home!

I can't believe how new my LR looks. It used to be purple and full of coraline! 
...This is what happens when your ex GF doesn't remove your nitrates for 15 months....

Enjoy!


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## Chaoticblissx (Jan 5, 2013)

Did you get your skimmer cup off? It looks like the top section will unscrew from the rest of the unit. The clear part is glued to the small ring and where it joins the larger grey lower section it should thread into it there. Might take two people to get it untwisted the first time especially if it had been sitting for a long time together just my $.02 based on the photos


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## Jmbret (Nov 6, 2010)

Hi Chaoticblissx! Thanks for taking a look! I thought that same thing too, and will definitely try to unscrew it when I have another pair of hands. The thing that pushes me away from this idea is that there is silicone or some gummy seal in there. When I use a small object like a toothpick to poke it it makes an impression but doesnt pop back out leading me to believe its not an o ring. 
I will definitely give it a try and keep u posted!


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## Chaoticblissx (Jan 5, 2013)

Although it has a drain from the collection cup I'm sure it has to be able to come apart for cleaning at some point. Good luck and keep us posted.


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## Jmbret (Nov 6, 2010)

Update on tank and skimmer.

Skimmer is finally broken in! I had to pull it apart to clean it and then resiliconed it. Stupid design. Anyways, I had to build a stand to raise the skimmer about 3 feet off the ground which in total cost me less than $15 in parts to do. Thank you to everyone for your suggestions. It has been pulling some tea colored skimmate for a while but I upgraded the air pump and now she is getting darker results. I am hoping a few more weeks and then I can really start dialing it in.

The tank is finally coming together again. I have re arranged the rocks to provide better hiding spots and introduced a new member; Manny, the Melanurus Wrasse. I also picked up a third powerhead for the tank.

My only issue really has been trying to keep my nitrates down. I had readings of 130ppm and after a few water changes and removing my DSB from my HOB Fuge I have them down to 90ppm. After some contemplation I removed one of my canister filteres which was running cermic rings. I realize that with 120+lbs of LR in my display there is more than enough bio filtration media. I also did some aggressive syphoning of the substrate with each water change. I am keeping my eheim canister filter running floss for 24hrs after each water change. I am truly hoping to get this matter under control before I proceed with the tank evolution ( ie, new lights, corals etc). I can always move towards bio pellets but am thinking of leaning towards carbon dosing now that the skimmer is running! I can't believe how white my LR is. I miss my coraline 

Anyways, the next step is upgrading the light from 1X150watt HPS to 2X150wattHPS + 4X39Watt T5  I already have the sunpod fixture but I will need to construct a new canopy and I am waiting to consult some handier builders for that project.


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