Reefer 525 Build

[mot]

Some photos from my build over the last three months. Cycling the tanks now.

alt="" /></a>https://flic.kr/p/L4jErA">038A3938-3.jpg</a> by https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmiotke/">Jeff Miotke</a>, on Flickr

[IMG]https://flic.kr/p/KS4Gj7">[IMG]https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8002/28789886770_ec50c91abf_c.jpg
</a>https://flic.kr/p/KS4Gj7">038A4041.jpg</a> by https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmiotke/">Jeff Miotke</a>, on Flickr

[IMG]https://flic.kr/p/KmLZWx">[IMG]https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8497/28458450783_3e5d90f929_c.jpg alt="" /></a>https://flic.kr/p/KmLZWx">038A4043.jpg</a> by [IMG]https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmiotke/">Jeff Miotke</a>, on Flickr

[IMG]https://flic.kr/p/KS4J1y">[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8879/28789892480_bd40ca6d13_c.jpg alt="" /></a>https://flic.kr/p/KS4J1y">038A4042.jpg</a> by [IMG]https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmiotke/">Jeff Miotke</a>, on Flickr

[IMG]https://flic.kr/p/LbAZ9F">[IMG]https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8042/28999688811_0b6f60af63_c.jpg alt="" /></a>https://flic.kr/p/LbAZ9F">038A4047.jpg</a> by [IMG]https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmiotke/">Jeff Miotke</a>, on Flickr

[IMG]https://flic.kr/p/LkeNmE">[IMG]https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8484/29097403614_fc698d2b7b_c.jpg alt="" /></a>https://flic.kr/p/LkeNmE">038A4150.jpg</a> by [IMG]https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmiotke/">Jeff Miotke</a>, on Flickr

[IMG]https://flic.kr/p/Mevhg7">[IMG]https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8190/29688881956_13ec9781ce_c.jpg alt="" /></a>https://flic.kr/p/Mevhg7">038A4154.jpg</a> by [IMG]https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmiotke/">Jeff Miotke</a>, on Flickr

[IMG]https://flic.kr/p/M7QF4G">[IMG]https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8552/29613450322_1d53389abd_c.jpg alt="" /></a>[IMG]https://flic.kr/p/M7QF4G">038A4158.jpg</a> by [IMG]https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmiotke/">Jeff Miotke</a>, on Flickr

 

[axio]

Ooooo I can't not wait to see how this turns out! Jeff I know what you can do with freshwater tanks... this will be amazing no doubt! Loving the plumbing work and the control center so far!

Definitely following along. This is a build no one will want to miss.

 

[myreefclub0070]

my heart just skipped a beat, gizmos and gadgets, loving it.

 

[shrimpy brains]

Looks awesome already!

 

[xilez]

Looks awesome! Love the aquascape

 

[sewer urchin]

I gotta say

Epic first post

 

[grouper therapy]

Something different finally! well done!

 

[mot]

Thank you all. Here are a couple recent shots under the hood.

alt="" /></a>https://flic.kr/p/LrWAjz">038A4160.jpg</a> by [IMG]https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmiotke/">Jeff Miotke</a>, on Flickr

[IMG]https://flic.kr/p/LrLSsC">[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8404/29171364864_bb06cb21c7_c.jpg alt="" /></a>

 

[shrimpy brains]

Craftsmanship!

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[dapperjman]

Wow!

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[ricky5415]

This is gonna be a great setup. Can't wait to see with fishes + corals in it

 

[mot]

Still cycling the tanks. Really frustrated on how this is going.

Ive been doing the Ammonia Hydroxide addition method to bring Ammonia up to 2 ppm on September 3rd. The display tank has a MarinePure brick, caribsea aragalive and 100 pounds of dead rock. The QT tanks have Seachem Matrix at about double the recommended amount in mesh bags.

My display tank is doing fine and is on declining Nitrites portion and eats up Ammonia within a day.

the QT tanks have just never really started until yesterday. Ive been adding Seachem stability and Aquaforest Bios daily and I have 0 Nitrites. Saturday I received Dr Tims one and only. That seems to have started the cycle in one of the QT tanks. The other appears to maybe have just a touch of Nitrite.

Ive cycled so many freshwater tanks and never had this issue before. My thought is that because it is a bare tank that the bacteria is just slow to populate.

Any ideas?

My backup plan is to place the seachem matrix in the display tank sump to seed it.

 

[xilez]

If you are converting ammonia within a 24 hour window (meaning 1-2ppm down to 0ppm) - I'd say your DT is ready for a water change and clean up crew.

You added bacteria 2 days ago? Did you dose ammonnia to the QTs as well?

 

[Adam]

xilez;1097911 wrote: If you are converting ammonia within a 24 hour window (meaning 1-2ppm down to 0ppm) - I'd say your DT is ready for a water change and clean up crew.

You added bacteria 2 days ago? Did you dose ammonnia to the QTs as well?

Wouldn't the Nitrites need to be zero as well before doing a water change?

 

[mot]

Thanks for the responses. The QT ammonia levels are currently about 2 ppm. DT is zero after 24 hours and I am continually adding small amounts to keep the bacteria active until it is stocked.

I was planning on not doing a water change though on the DT and start the Aquaforest NP pro and Pro bio S dosing to remove the Nitrates. I can always fall back to the water change.

 

[zachxlutz]

Beautiful. I'm very impressed!

 

[xilez]

You should be looking to lower Nitrates via water changes, not with chemicals. Bacteria exists in the rock/sand, at this stage it wont be floating in your water column. If you are truly converting 1-2ppm of ammonia in 24 hours (id say your bacteria is "stocked"). No need to continously add small amounts, dose back up to 1-2ppm and test in 24 hours. If after 24 hours, ammonia is 0, and nitrites are &lt;.5ppm you are most likely good to go... Worst case wait a couple more days

Did you ever notice a spike in Nitrite? Also, what day of cycle are you on?

 

[mot]

xilez;1097925 wrote: You should be looking to lower Nitrates via water changes, not with chemicals. Bacteria exists in the rock/sand, at this stage it wont be floating in your water column. If you are truly converting 1-2ppm of ammonia in 24 hours (id say your bacteria is "stocked"). No need to continously add small amounts, dose back up to 1-2ppm and test in 24 hours.

Did you ever notice a spike in Nitrite? Also, what day of cycle are you on?

Yea Im sure it is as I have been adding ammonia hydroxide every few days and monitoring with a Seneye and RedSea Ammonia test kit to double check. The Nitrite levels just started going down yesterday and were peaked at around 4 to 5 ppm. I would guess it is somewhere between 3 and 4ppm today.

My understanding is that the AF NP pro and bio s products are a carbon/bacteria dosing to consume nitrates. My DT tank wont be stocked for at least a month so it was my understanding that I had to keep feeding the bacteria in the meantime.

 

[mot]

Here is the cycling method I am using:

Using DrTim&#8217;s Aquatics One & Only Live Bacteria: The best and easiest way to fishless cycle is to combine adding the ammonium chloride with our Live Nitrifying bacteria. When used in combination, these will cycle the tank in less than one week. Again, do not add too much ammonia. We make it easy by providing a bottle of reagent grade ammonium chloride that is at a concentration such that adding 1 drop of solution to 1 gallon of aquarium water will result in an ammonia-nitrogen concentration of 2 mg/L (ppm).

The procedure is to add the ammonium chloride solution, shake the bottle of nitrifying bacteria well and add it to the aquarium. Measure ammonia and nitrite the next day and record. Add ½ dose and wait 24 hours and measure again. By day 5 to 7, you should be able to add 1 drop per gallon and the next day, ammonia and nitrite will be 0.

 

[xilez]

Yep thats the dr tims method. The most important thing is to make sure your nitrites are not above 5ppm, the bacteria they use are pretty inhibited with high nitrite levels. If you are sure they are less than 5ppm, you just have to wait it out.

What day are you on? It took my tank about 24 days