Nat's 125 Litre Juwel Rio Marine!

[ben1987]

Hi Nat, didnt see this


i think ak was going to point you to sunsun powerheads on ebay. They are pretty cheap. Id buy one or two rather than relying on that Juwel pump for all your flow. You will need more when you want some corals anyway. At least 20X tank volumer per hour.

 

[AK77]

And your 6 numbers for Wednesday Lotto draw are Ben??? lol

 

[ben1987]

And your 6 numbers for Wednesday Lotto draw are Ben??? lol

Secret mate...im due a win

watch out for the new tank when they come in

 

[natwood]

Haha, you guys me laugh ^-^ thanks for that info. Those Sunsun Powerheads look good. I've had a look at them, and if my tank is 125-litre, will the 3000l/h one be ok?

3000 L/H

or the 5000 l/h

I've spraypainted the back of the tank black today, looks niiiice..just making sure it's dry before putting it back up in my room. Exciting times!

 

[AK77]

3000LPH would give you 24 times the tank volume, which would give you excellent flow around the rocks.

You stingey sod Ben! You know if I won you get something from me..... albeit a postcard

 

[natwood]

I've just found the two different models for pretty much the same price (£13-ish), so can't decide between 3000l/h or 5000l/h. Would it be too much flow if I got the 5000l/h? I really appreciate this help by the way! Don't know what I'd do without this forum!

 

[Truck]

I would go with 2 smaller models for better flow distribution.

 

[natwood]

Ok, I've decided on 1 x 3000l/h. I realised in the end the others that were cheaper had suckers instead of magnets. The magnets look handier.

I'm ordering the Deltec MCE 300 Protein Skimmer soon, but I'm getting my tank set up first. Does anybody know how far away from the wall I'll need to place my tank..just to make sure I can fit the Skimmer in when it arrives?

Can't wait to start filling my tank tomorrow. The salt-water's all ready and waiting!

 

[AK77]

See if you can find a PDF file on the deltec website, that will give you all the dimensions of the skimmer.

 

[natwood]

Yayyy the spraypainted back looks awesome. Really pleased with how well it came out. It took me about 4-coats over a few hours to get it looking solid and flat. Cleaned the back with Windolene and kitchen towel and then used Plasti-kote Projekt Spraypaint Matt Black for anyone that's looking to do the same. I got it from Hobbycraft for £6.99.

 

[AK77]

Looks great Nat!

 

[natwood]

Looks great Nat!

Thanks! Your tips were really useful, I was worried I was going to mess it up but glad I didn't!

I got 50-litres of pre-mixed saltwater today (god it's heavy!) and will get that into the tank first thing tomorrow and getting my heater and Juwel pump running (waiting for my nice new SunSun pump to arrive). Will be collecting my live rock on Tuesday evening from somebody locally who's breaking down a tank (can't believe my luck, especially priced at £5 a kg). I've just been reading about putting live rock in my tank. There's no way I can kill it by adding the full 14kgs to newly mixed saltwater straight away is there?

Also, what should I look for when I go to get the live rock, just to make sure I'm buying good stuff?

 

[AK77]

No problem. Glad they were of some use to you.

Carting 25L containers of RO back from the LFS was one of my pet hates, which is why I invested in an RO machine. They pay for themselves very quickly and its much more convienent, having the ability to produce it yourself, so might be something else you could look into.

Your new rock will be fine to add to the saltwater. Just provide it with the correct heat, flow and SG and you'll be fine. BTW, did you ask the LFS what they mix their saltwater at? A lot of stores run their tanks at a lower SG, 1.019-1.020, to help prevent against whitespot outbreaks. If you're planning on having corals, you'll want this to be in the region of 1.026.

£5 a kilo is a good price. Decent live rock is very light in weight and porous and a well established system will more often than not, result in rocks covered in coraline. Heavier stuff tends to be ocean rock that has become live over time, since being added to the tank.

Get a good mix of rock sizes and look for interesting shapes too. If you're lucky, you might get a few free coral frags attached to the rocks at no extra cost. You'll want larger rocks for the bottom, with smaller ones at the top.

 

[ben1987]

tank looks great. nice...


erm AdAndrews on here was looking for an MCE 300 and i think he said that they are 17.5 CM front to back. Best to leave a bit more than that for maintainance etc. Or wack it on one side



Ps AK is right about the salt water, best to mix your own. Then you know its a good brand and what SG it is.

1 liter of water = 1 kilo aswel btw
youl be like this soon

 

[natwood]

tank looks great. nice...


erm AdAndrews on here was looking for an MCE 300 and i think he said that they are 17.5 CM front to back. Best to leave a bit more than that for maintainance etc. Or wack it on one side



Ps AK is right about the salt water, best to mix your own. Then you know its a good brand and what SG it is.

1 liter of water = 1 kilo aswel btw
youl be like this soon

Haha, hopefully I won't be looking like that!
Ah I just found the dimensions on a shop page. Here they are for anyone else that wants them:

Dimensions of Deltec MCE300 Protein Skimmer:

* L 165mm W 175mm H 450mm (normal position).
* H 620mm (allowing for removal of the cup).
* Height above lip of aquarium - normal position 170mm.
* Width of body only external to tank 100mm.
* Pipes extend by 95mm from skimmer body.