My tank from FW>BW>SW

[Brandon8521]

I just wanted to post a thread of how my 33gal has made its transition from fw to bw and now sw. The tank was given to me with platies, and guppies as its inhabitans. Picking up my first GSP was the reason i started the transition. As of right now it contains a new 2 1/2 inch GSP i picked up a couple days ago, 1 balloon molly brought back to brackish to keep the tank cycled while it was uninhabited, 4 new hermit crabs(1zebra,1blueleg,2 cortez), and 4 new nerite snails. This week i raised my sg to 1.020 which puts it at a sw status now YAY. I still have the 2 AC50s for filtration untill i get my CPR HOB ref+skimmer (will find out if im getting that really cheap tomorrow.) I also have roughly 10 pounds of live rock (was from a old tank that has been in this one for a couple months so i concider it live now.) I still need about 20-25 lbs of more LR and Aragonite sand (playsand for now) and a glass conapy so i can pick up some t-5 lights. Im really excited now that i should have the money to make this a really nice sw setup.

I have slowly raised the sg over a time of about 6-7 months, and have been constantly researching and looking up equipment that will be needed. During my transition i have had a tank crash kill 1GSP and here recently what i think was a nematode kill my last GSP so it has had its ups and downs which has helped in the learning process aswell. This forum has been tons of help through out this transition and i want to thank everyone.

Here are some pics of my tanks evolution and pics of my new GSP.

[J-P]

very well done! congrats

[SammyDee]

Noice pics

[Brandon8521]

Thnx, im currently on the bidding process for some more peices to my puzzle.

[Brandon8521]

Well i was outbid on a really good deal . It was a CPR refuge/skimmer 19inches long, that came with the light on top for 81 bucks. Man I thought I had him too. Ohh well I decided to just goahead and get the coralife supper skimmer 65 for $98. Should be here the beginning of next week.

[jdak]

Well i was outbid on a really good deal . It was a CPR refuge/skimmer 19inches long, that came with the light on top for 81 bucks. Man I thought I had him too. Ohh well I decided to just goahead and get the coralife supper skimmer 65 for $98. Should be here the beginning of next week.

Do you have the link of the product you are talking about? I'm about to need some sort of skimmer for my reef.

[Brandon8521]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Coralife-Protein-Su ... 4150b0c3c2

This is the one i ordered today they have 2 left and its rather cheap since it includes shipping.

[Brandon8521]

http://cgi.ebay.com/CPR-Aquafuge2-PS-SM ... 4a9f415b6f

This is the one i wanted it was used and had a light for it and i was out bid at the very last second my bid wasnt high enough. The guy got it for 81 bucks plus 30 shipping. I was POed to say the least.

PS- the back and side were already painted the color of the back of my tank so i was going to scrape the paint off were it would hang and so you could see the little refugium setup through my tank i was so excited and then a biggg bummer feeling.

[Mek0ng]

The cpr fuge is a waste, there is no way a ~6gallon container is going to do anything really in terms of measurable nutrient removal. Save your money and get a better skimmer. The CPR SuperSkimmer 65 is a okay skimmer, but prone to leak when used HOB.

For that much money you would be much better off going with a octopus Octopus BH 1000

http://www.reefspecialty.com/Protein-Sk ... _info.html

[Brandon8521]

I wasnt planning on getting it for pods or a huge nutrient factor. More or less the look of it through my tank and maybe a frag shelf in the future. I dont plan on getting anything that needs a huge supply of pods or anything so it would have been good for me.

I have heard that the coralife is a decent skimmer but thnx for the headsup i may try to add some sort of mount to help get the weight off of the input and output tubes. If thats what causes the leaks.

[SammyDee]

check out LA fishguys algae filter DIY

[Brandon8521]

Any suggestion on what to do with my 2 AC50's. I was thinking of useing one for LR rubble or chemical filtration or keep both of them and do both. But for a tank this size and being a FOWLR (for now) is that even needed. I know i wont be able to get rid of the bio media i have in them untill i get the rest of my live rock but after that what should i do with them.

[SammyDee]

Some ppl use em for rubble rock or a mini fuge or just for plain ol water movement. I ended up taking mine of once I added a sump. I didnt like the pipes in the tank and I wanted the tank to look as clean as possible by not crowding the back of the tank with filter pipes and heaters etc. Some prefer the opposite I just like the sumps cause theres nothing in the tank at all. Its all display. Sump adds water volume and allows for an under the tank skimmer. Out of sight makes it look like a pro came to my house and set it up

[Brandon8521]

I will add a sump when i upgrade the tank but that will be some time from now. Im not concerned about pipes since its in my bedroom and not a "show" tank although it will be in the future. And i can always hide the pipes with LR and use the 50s to help water movement behind the rockwork. Im thinking one with rubble and one with carbon or purigan.

[Brandon8521]

That or i could find a small light to sit on one and use it for macro algea but im not sure that will benefit enough for the hassle of it.