New 75 Reef - Frag Outpost Forums - Coral Propagation and Reef Aquarium Forums

FragOutpost · 05-05-2006, 10:48 PM

IMO - The key to carbon is to run small amounts of it and to change it frequently. There are probably as many different opinions on the use of carbon as there are types of carbon, so find what works best for you and stick with it. Personally I don't run it all of the time but when I do use it I use about a cup and change it after a week to prevent anyhting from leaching back into the water. I usually will drop in some carbon if I notice my water starting to yellow and needs some "polishing".

Symbiosis · 05-06-2006, 12:15 PM

I usually change mine every 3-4 weeks. Not really because I think the carbon is 'full' but more because the filter pad is saturated with gunk.

Symbiosis · 05-07-2006, 04:34 PM

Called my the guy at the shop yesterday and he had me bring my tank back in so they could re-drill it with a 2" bulkhead. A slight annoyance, but at least he's fixing it. Anyways, I looked into T5HO's and the price is quite a bit more for about the same amount of output. Also I think the VHO's will be easier to make the transition to HQI's later where I will be running 2 HQI's and two Actinic VHO's. But seeing as this is all the planning stages and will be for several months, anything can happen.

Symbiosis · 05-09-2006, 07:17 PM

Went to pick up my tank today with the 2" bulkhead installed. Got it all the way home and was looking at it when it was on the stand and decided that a scratch on the back paint was really a crack in the glass.

So I got out my flashlight and had a look. Sure enough, on either side of the bulkhead, 2 opaque lines were running opposite each other. So what did I do? Filled it up and said to hell with it all! Jk. Called the guy.... and he had me bring it back in. Normally they don't guarantee drilling, but since he hadn't told me that or put it on my invoice, he said he would either replace the glass panel, or order a new tank and re-drill it.

For review purposes, I've made 6 trips to this store in the process of having TFH (tank from hell) drilled. It's a 30-40 minute round trip each time. This equates to about 3-4 hours in drive time alone this tank has cost me, not to mention the 3 times I've loaded, and unloaded it into a Jetta, which is no fun btw. Hopefully I will have my repaired/new tank in about a week. But then the next weekend I go on vacation so I won't be able to buy anything for it or tinker. Oh well.

FragOutpost · 05-09-2006, 07:45 PM

At least the guy is willing to work with you on getting the situation fixed though the multiple trips back and forth must be a PIA not to mention the cost of gas, yikes. Hopefully he will order you a new tank. Did he drill the tank himself? He had to of noticed the crack while drilling it, I would think. Hopefully you will have better luck getting the next one drilled.

Symbiosis · 05-09-2006, 09:47 PM

Yeah, I'm just gald its going to be fixed. I think he'll probably just end up ordering a new tank instead of risking taking the existing one apart, putting in new glass, only to run the rick of it leaking or breaking more. He doesn't drill them, but sends them to someone who works for him. I think the fact that the glass was painted made it hard to see the crack. Also, the guy that drilled it had told him that their 2" bit was getting dull, so I think he felt like it really was their fault. And with a $500 price tag I don't blame him! When I get a bigger place, im going to get an acrylic tank for sure. No more of this glass nonsense.

Symbiosis · 05-12-2006, 12:16 AM

Got offered a new job today which means more pay and hours. Translation: more money to spend on my tank! With that in mind, I had decided I would need an Aqua C Urchin Pro for my system, but for only $20 more I can get a Tunze 9005 or 9205. All three skimmers are supposed to be excellent, but I like the Tunze's setup more so I believe that will be one of my near future purchases.