I have a few silly questions

1. can a 46 gallon bowfront be drilled?

2. does anyone want any DAMsels?

3. My tank with the naugty fish is neglected. I want to get rid of the damsels, drill, add sump and basically start over. The nitrates are very high in this tank (100+) Would the live rock be ok to just put in my other sump until this tank is ready, or should I bleach it and let it dry and start over with that too? Will the nitrates leach into my tank?

thanks for any info you might have.

You should be fine putting the live rock in your other sump, if there's algea or other issues with it then you might want to look at letting it dry out or killing it. What brand of tank is your 46? You should be able to go on the company's site and see if the bottom is tempered or not. Are you just going to drain it entirely, clean it out and start over?

Yes...I want to completely start over with new sand, new water and new fish (reef safe) I was thinking of drilling the back like my 75. I can't see the brand of the tank until I empty it out.

I drilled the back on mine without issue.

I would maybe think about giving those rocks an acid bath. You'll probably be fine adding them as they are, but it might help to clean them up first.

I would second what plnelson said about the rock. Just to start with no pests.

What kind of Damsels (besides naughty) do u have Obsessed? I might be interested in a couple for 55 gal.

Drill the tank if you can(I know someone that can do that) wink wink

As for the rock acid bath!!

I have a smaller domino, a 3 stripe, a larger blue fin, med lemon, larger blue velvet and a med tomato clown. HD I may be needing help. will let you know when ready.

also--what kind of acid and where do you get it?

I would be interested in your sand. Where is Sebeka? How much do you want for it? WADENA!!! Um, maybe I will pass. You may want to figure out how the nitrates got so high. That should be fixable.

plnelson wrote:I drilled the back on mine without issue.

A bowfront Phil? Just wondering with the bad wrap most Bowfronts have already drilling one.

I don't follow. I layed it on it's front, supported it with towels and drilled slowly.

plnelson wrote:I don't follow. I layed it on it's front, supported it with towels and drilled slowly.

Oh I just posted that because the bad wrap bowfront tanks have, over time they can start leaking and then to drill one just scares me that's all I really haven't hear much on the smaller Bowfronts But I know of at least 4 people and have read on Many forums of how over time the 72 bowfronts can start leaking.

ok so I acid wash the rocks why? there are no pests in that tank...is there nitrate build up in the rock itself?

Acid is Muriatic acid and you can get it at Menards, Home Depot. Places like that I believe it is usually near the glass etching stuff. Be careful with it it is nasty stuff 1 part Acid to 10 parts water is the mix I think and remember to add the acid to the water not vice versa. You acid wash it to remove any organics on/in the rocks. This way you are starting with rocks guarunteed to be free of pests and problem algaes and etc. The acid bath also helps to remove some of those compounds that the rock could leech into your tank like Phosphates and Nitrates as you will probably have some of the surface of teh rock eaten away

do you have a pair of polerized sunglasses u can look at the tank and see if it is tempered. If it looks like sun rings on tank then I would suggest not drilling it but that is my opinion. Ive only made it threw one door that was tempered , and the other one cost me $300 so ive givin up on tempered glass

I have a 10g and 5 g tanks, the 10 will be a sump, the 5g a quarantine tank. I have LR cycling. The Am level is up over 4.0 nice strong cycle. How long do I leave it to do this and what is my next step. It is going on 3 weeks with the dead live rock. Does the Amonial level begin to fall on its own? Or do I change the water and add fresh salt water to remove the toxins leached from the rock? I intend bare bottoms on both tanks with some LR

what size bulkhead do I need for my 46 (HD)? also--where does one get an overflow?

I would think if you got 1" bulkheads you should be fine. I have made them before.Jim also makes them

ok so what would drilling and making overflow cost? just an estimate please

Nannook wrote:I have a 10g and 5 g tanks, the 10 will be a sump, the 5g a quarantine tank. I have LR cycling. The Am level is up over 4.0 nice strong cycle. How long do I leave it to do this and what is my next step. It is going on 3 weeks with the dead live rock. Does the Amonial level begin to fall on its own? Or do I change the water and add fresh salt water to remove the toxins leached from the rock? I intend bare bottoms on both tanks with some LR

when i set up my tank it was up for a couple years prior amonia was high i let it cycle for two weeks changing water every 3 days got bunch of snails seemed to do work but it is a 16 gal

I would say around $100 roughly. depending on where you cut corners. $40 overflow, $40 plumbing, bit, bulkheads, misc.

Ya know, nitrites of 100 + are easy to fix, a few large, well planned water changes are technically all the reset button you need. Yes, you still need to figure out how they GOT so high, but that's another matter.

The live rock, if well rinsed in SW to remove debris, can certainly be salvaged...i.e. I got some LR recently from a hobbyist getting out...covered in hair algae. A half dozen turbo snails and a few weeks later it is some of the best looking live rock I own now.

The fish? Maybe time for a little breading and a vat of oil...

they would be bite sized!

mpedersen wrote:Ya know, nitrites of 100 + are easy to fix, a few large, well planned water changes are technically all the reset button you need. Yes, you still need to figure out how they GOT so high, but that's another matter.

The live rock, if well rinsed in SW to remove debris, can certainly be salvaged...i.e. I got some LR recently from a hobbyist getting out...covered in hair algae. A half dozen turbo snails and a few weeks later it is some of the best looking live rock I own now.

The fish? Maybe time for a little breading and a vat of oil...

Thanks for posting this Matt. I was trying to say something along those lines too but we're having massive computer troubles lately and it kept locking up on me.

(Funny, knowing who it was coming from, I kept reading it "breeding" and couldn't figure out what a vat of oil had to do with anything! LOL)

Update... I emptied out the tank, put some of the rock in a 10 gallon with the upset fish, tossed the ugly sand. I want to drill the tank, paint the back, put overflow in, change sand( I am thinking black would be cool). and put it in a different room. Needed to take down anyway and might as well start over with fish I want(who will live peacefully with corals!) thanks for all the input!