jennybugs
Eternally pruned fingers!
That was 8 months ago. I talk rubbish sometimes! 
OK so 155L isn't that big, but compared to my 3 nano tanks it is
I've been a busy bee this weekend and upgraded from this little box
to a Fluval Osaka 155
I got home from the LFS and instantly started unpacking. It was like all my best Christmasses come true! Boxes everywhere and a growing pile of instruction leaflets to plough through.
Then I realised I was missing something...the lighting unit! Off I went back up to my LFS and came home with an Arcadia actinic bulb and some free green star polyp frags for my troubles
I have decided (for now) to run sumpless til I'm settled, so it was out with the external Fluval 205 filter with Seachem Seagel and live rock rubble to start off and a nice long spray bar for surface agitation. A Hydor ETH inline heater helps keep the tank relatively clean and I'll have a Koralia 1 and 4 in to get the flow nice.
Lighting is in the style of a lovely hang down luminaire with an Arcadia T5 actinic bulb and a Hagen Power Glo T5 bulb. I will address the issue of further lighting later.
So, what have I been up to all weekend then? LOADS! I've found muscles I didn't know I had, leaked out enough salt water out of my skin to fill the tank, whacked my shin countless times on my beach cruiser big blocky pedals when staggering past with water and I now taste like I imagine salt lick would taste
I've never moved a marine tank before and had to do it all in one hit as the new tank needed to go in the same spot at the D-D so I made a check list courtesy of a fellow mariner and his suggestions. I promptly lost said list
Order of play was thus...
first off I started warming up the RO and mixing salt with it. Luckily the warm weather was on my side so little heat was needed
Next up I started moving corals and live rock out of the D-D.
My 30L acrylic cube came in very handy
as did the Edge for a temporary home for more corals
the plates and such are in the 30L in the bedroom. This means I didn't have to get stressed out if I didn't get it all done in one day.
I removed more water into a poly box and then came the fun of trying to catch the fish. Alfred S Blenny Esquire proved to be a stubborn little whatsit and I had to persuade him to leave 'his' rock several times...out the front hole and straight in the back In the end he was moved rock and all.
Catching everyone else deemed easy enough and they spent the night in their polystyrene igloo
I set to making up the cabinet. Once or twice I put things in the wrong way round but I got there eventually
Once the D-D was empty enough to move I did so and then had to go and pick my OH up from his mates house after a day watching rugby. What a wonderful sight to behold...my beloved somewhat worse for wear I felt my hopes plunging of any possible strong arm assistance to move stuff about 
The break was a welcome one though, and when home I set to moving the cabinet into place while Darren went and got his kebab fix
So here we have the tank in situ, having played around with silicone sealant and different sizes of hose to get the inline heater to fit the fluval pipework.
And in goes the water and salt
At that stage I couldn't manage to keep my eyes open (it was gone 1.30am) so I went to bed.
Don't know why I bothered going to bed as I was so mentally active that I couldn't sleep...it was also a bit warm and I didn't want to bring the fan upstairs as it was keeping the fish cool.
So this morning the fish went in
Alfred was his usual naughty self and wouldn't come out of his rock so I had no choice but to move him in situ holding the rock in a bucket in case he made a leap for freedom and onto the settee!
Anyway, I have yet to put most of the corals back in as I have my final bucket of salt mix turning over at the moment.
I had forgotten to take the extra heater out the tank so please ignore that.
My new cabbage looking very blue under the lighting - still sulking
TBC
I've now got all the corals in, although not necessarily in their final spots. They're opening out already so must like the lighting
I'm happy for now, but my god do I ache!
OK so 155L isn't that big, but compared to my 3 nano tanks it is
I've been a busy bee this weekend and upgraded from this little box
to a Fluval Osaka 155
I got home from the LFS and instantly started unpacking. It was like all my best Christmasses come true! Boxes everywhere and a growing pile of instruction leaflets to plough through.
Then I realised I was missing something...the lighting unit! Off I went back up to my LFS and came home with an Arcadia actinic bulb and some free green star polyp frags for my troubles
I have decided (for now) to run sumpless til I'm settled, so it was out with the external Fluval 205 filter with Seachem Seagel and live rock rubble to start off and a nice long spray bar for surface agitation. A Hydor ETH inline heater helps keep the tank relatively clean and I'll have a Koralia 1 and 4 in to get the flow nice.
Lighting is in the style of a lovely hang down luminaire with an Arcadia T5 actinic bulb and a Hagen Power Glo T5 bulb. I will address the issue of further lighting later.
So, what have I been up to all weekend then? LOADS! I've found muscles I didn't know I had, leaked out enough salt water out of my skin to fill the tank, whacked my shin countless times on my beach cruiser big blocky pedals when staggering past with water and I now taste like I imagine salt lick would taste
I've never moved a marine tank before and had to do it all in one hit as the new tank needed to go in the same spot at the D-D so I made a check list courtesy of a fellow mariner and his suggestions. I promptly lost said list
Order of play was thus...
first off I started warming up the RO and mixing salt with it. Luckily the warm weather was on my side so little heat was needed
Next up I started moving corals and live rock out of the D-D.
My 30L acrylic cube came in very handy
as did the Edge for a temporary home for more corals
the plates and such are in the 30L in the bedroom. This means I didn't have to get stressed out if I didn't get it all done in one day.
I removed more water into a poly box and then came the fun of trying to catch the fish. Alfred S Blenny Esquire proved to be a stubborn little whatsit and I had to persuade him to leave 'his' rock several times...out the front hole and straight in the back
In the end he was moved rock and all.Catching everyone else deemed easy enough and they spent the night in their polystyrene igloo
I set to making up the cabinet. Once or twice I put things in the wrong way round but I got there eventually
Once the D-D was empty enough to move I did so and then had to go and pick my OH up from his mates house after a day watching rugby. What a wonderful sight to behold...my beloved somewhat worse for wear
I felt my hopes plunging of any possible strong arm assistance to move stuff about The break was a welcome one though, and when home I set to moving the cabinet into place while Darren went and got his kebab fix
So here we have the tank in situ, having played around with silicone sealant and different sizes of hose to get the inline heater to fit the fluval pipework.
And in goes the water and salt
At that stage I couldn't manage to keep my eyes open (it was gone 1.30am) so I went to bed.
Don't know why I bothered going to bed as I was so mentally active that I couldn't sleep...it was also a bit warm and I didn't want to bring the fan upstairs as it was keeping the fish cool.
So this morning the fish went in
Alfred was his usual naughty self and wouldn't come out of his rock so I had no choice but to move him in situ holding the rock in a bucket in case he made a leap for freedom and onto the settee!
Anyway, I have yet to put most of the corals back in as I have my final bucket of salt mix turning over at the moment.
I had forgotten to take the extra heater out the tank so please ignore that.
My new cabbage looking very blue under the lighting - still sulking
TBC
I've now got all the corals in, although not necessarily in their final spots. They're opening out already so must like the lighting
I'm happy for now, but my god do I ache!
