Could use some help.

Laura and Jim will be hosting the May meeting this Saturday the 12th and it will be the usual of food, drinks, raffle and fun.
 
Doors will be open at 6:00 pm for social talk and the meeting will start at 7:00.  Parking gets a little tight and the city says you can't park on 4th but there is a parking lot a block away.   Meeting is usually held in the backyard so feel free to bring your favorite lawn chair, weather permitting of course.

If you need address/directions, contact a club member.

Best if you park at Mini Mall (where the spaghetti establishment use to be)
 
You will get to see his new frag tank set up in the making.
 
Hope to see you there!

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[Mr Alvarez]

hey guys i could use some help. i started a 24g nano about 4 months ago and i had to learn the hard way
i have over stoked my tank with to many fish and i think zoos and many other things. i have to do a water change once a week like five gallons,so its getting very expensive. so i desided to build me a stand for a 20g long and got a tank  i was thinking of placing a 10g sump in the bottom. Plz keep in mind that i started this hobby with little too no help so i learnd the hard way$$$$. i have a 205 fluval runing on it and was told it would be enough  .
so i wanted to get a sump and then some one told me about a wet and dry sump that i have no clue what the difference is so i would like some help on which one would be ok for a 20g long. i could not find a 20g long that was drilled so how do i get the water to go down to the sump? and would a 10g sump would be enough? the space under neath that i have to work with is 22inc long a 14inc in Dept. and i have two fire fish look really good that i have to get rid of and nice clown fish will take any offer i dont want to take them to aquatr..... because the gentleman told me that they are not worth much and he would only give me like 8$. i rather have them go to a nice home. i love this hobby and all that it in tales, i would like to learn from you guys and take any advice you may have. I just need some help!! 

[Ed]

Maier,
    I apologize for not getting back sooner.  How long as your tank been set up?  I got your message.   I just did not know your phone number.   If you have a twenty gallon tank.  I would recommend 20 lbs of live rock.  Let the tank cycle for 8-10 weeks with little fish, lighting set on schedule, keep temperature as stable as possible.   Your external filter will work if it has charcoal and is allowed to mature also.   You need water movement to create oxygen.    Put your rock in the center of tank creating caves so your fish have places to hide and create comfort zones.  Putting rock in center also allows for water movement to circulate more evenly preventing dead spots.   I hope you are using Filtered water,  Mixing your salt in a external container with powerhead,  matching temperature and salinity before addiction to tank.  Please message me again with number.   I will call you after my soccer practice.  We are all learning here.   I am looking forward to meeting you.   There is a awesome group of people here.   

Oh, A sump with bio balls is a sump with bio spheres that use nitrification to clean water.   This will work for a short time but will need a lot of maintenance.   You have to stay on top of cleaning bio balls or spheres or you will get a build up of too much Nitrates.  The bio balls need time to mature, then they also need to be cleaned periodically again so there is not a build up of too much waste.    A sump with a protein skimmer is much easier to stabilize.    I look forward to meeting you.   I am sure many others just as well.  talk to you soon.  Ed Hahn

[Mr Alvarez]

Ok i have a 24g nano with about 45lbs of live rock give or take some i just got my back skimmer yesterday. its a Rio nano skimmer that hangs on the back had lots of good reviews and it was cheep made for a 20g. i want to transfer all of my stuff in to the 20g, taking your advice about placing everything in the middle of the tank and just going to work my way up. about the charcoal i was told that its not good for a saltwater tank so i removed them and got rid of them . is it safe to move everything from one tank to the other? and my number is (509)6198944. you can call any time with mo worries. cant wait to meet you too it looks like you guys are a great group of people my friend whats to join too, i told him about this place and his interested. his coming with me to the meeting on the 19th  . i was planing to transfer my aquariums today at about 4:30. and am exited and scared. my tank has been running for like 4moths or five some time in may when i got the nano. the live rock and sand where in a tank that had been running for a year or longer and the larger rock was in a tank that was running for 5yrs if that matters. 

[Nate C.]

For doing the transfer, you should do acclimation, like it is something new going into the tank.  Your water chemistry is likely going to be different from one tank to the other - as is the temperature. 

Carbon - you should run it.  It helps clear up the water, and as long as you are using good grade stuff, will not harm your tank.  I run a reactor that holds a ton (I buy carbon by the 5 gallon bucket - about every 6-8 months) for our 270 gallon tank (system volume about 400 gallons).

Also, meeting is the 12th, not 19th this month.   

I'm sure we can discuss what to do with the sump at the meeting if you can wait until then.  Getting opinions from a number of people is always beneficial.  You have options, either an overflow on the main to drop water to the sump, or drilling the tank for a drain.  Several of us here have experience drilling tanks.

[Mr Alvarez]

this sounds great. i wanted a drilled tank but had no idea on how to do it . can i still drill the tank if the tank is running? and spoke to Ed and i need to buy charcoal for  my fluval because i was told that charcoal is not for saltwater tanks so i threw it away. i am going to wait for the meeting to get some more help  on how to do it right. he he i forgot i said the 19th lol good thing you reminded me i would have been at the house. really exited right now i turned the lights of my tank and looked up and realized that my anemone has just hosted my clown fish so so happy  .

[Nate C.]

this sounds great. i wanted a drilled tank but had no idea on how to do it . can i still drill the tank if the tank is running? and spoke to Ed and i need to buy charcoal for  my fluval because i was told that charcoal is not for saltwater tanks so i threw it away. i am going to wait for the meeting to get some more help  on how to do it right. he he i forgot i said the 19th lol good thing you reminded me i would have been at the house. really exited right now i turned the lights of my tank and looked up and realized that my anemone has just hosted my clown fish so so happy  .

Can't drill with the tank running.  You'd have to have it empty to drill it.  You'll have little bits of glass everywhere from the process and the tank will need to be rinsed out.

[Mr Alvarez]

Ooh wow i didnt think about the glass. would it effect the fish in the tank? well you guys know what you are doing. ill have to use and over flow and maybe build a canopy too hide the over flow.

[Nate C.]

glass and associated muck from the bit itself would be best washed off.  Can't imagine it would be good for the tank to have that stuff getting into the tank.

[Mr Alvarez]

yeah i had a dream that i was drilling it and it shattered on me and i could not save anything in it. so yeah i dont think im going to drill it.

[drstratton]

We just drilled the back of my 75g tank it really is not that hard, I'm not saying it can't break as that is always a possibility.  You just have to let the bit do the work and not push to hard.  Here is a link to where I bought my overflow and return kits, they have a video that shows how to drill...

http://www.glass-holes.com/