John Lee

Six months ago I converted my salt reef tank to a freshwater aquascape. Things were going pretty well but I could never get the sump and aquarium "balanced" for some reason. I never could get the valve to stay consistent with the water leveling. Long story short, I decided to pull the sump and replace it with a Fluval 307 canister filter. This has worked out great and provided additional storage space below. The one gotcha is the overflow that was designed to feed the sump. That had to be blocked of to hold the water back. This has been a small challenge but I think I have about got it licked. If I knew then what I know now I would have just removed the overflow chamber and sealed off the three holes at the bottom. Anyway, loving the tank. Attached you will find photos of the six month growth from start to now.

Alright then, I still need to tighten up on my cable management and I have lost the extra storage space I was hoping to gain without it, but the ATO is back up and running with treated tap. At least water level won't be a concern. I hope this strategy works out as making RO is more costly per gallon and slower to make with my setup. Finishing week one of the dark start.

If you are controlling your water then that is pretty darn good.

If you are controlling your water then that is pretty darn good.

Well, if KH equals alkalinity then it's 87.1ppm. Sorry, it's carbonate hardness....not sure on this one.

MMiller2001, the average level for my area regarding calcium is 27.0ppm and magnesium is 3.99ppm. BTW, I copied your document for algae prevention as I am sure eventually that will be helpful. Thanks

I forgot to mention that my TDS meter says it is 172 for untreated(tap) water. R/O of course is zero or very close to it. According to my chart, 172 is considered moderately hard. According to the my cities zip code the water hardness is 94ppm. Thanks again

Hello all, I have made the jump from salt to fresh water aquascape. I am using a sump with socks and a sponge. I am in week one of a three week dark start. I had an ATO setup for the salt tank but removed it thinking that I would just deal with the evaporation on my own. I now know the benefit I had with the ATO and am thinking on re-adding it back. Here are my questions and I hope you can help..... Currently I am using R/O, to replenish the evaporated water during the dark start. Therefore I am not adding any additional dechlorinater(Fritz). I really want to dose as little as possible so I am thinking I should veer away from R/O and use treated tap water either manually or reinstate my ATO system. Thoughts? If I reinstate the ATO, which I am leaning strongly towards and decide to stay with the R/O water, what is the best way to dose properly the correct "additives" to maintain a healthy planted tank. Otherwise I can just use the ATO w/treated water and stay focused on the major things like ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Perhaps since I am just getting started, its best to stay with the treated water for now? I appreciate in advance any wisdom you can share. Thanks John

Ok, I wanted to get back on the tank lid I asked you about. I went to Lowes and bought a 1/4 sheet of plexiglass(not cheap). I had them cut it to the size of the tank. I then ordered a jig saw, blade for plexiglass and drill bit for plexiglass. I bought three acrylic stick-on hinges and an acrylic knob handle which is still in the shipping process. I must say, using the measure twice and cut once method, I think it came out pretty good. Total cost was about $120 not counting the saw but it is custom to my needs so there is that. Out of the "scrap" from the original sheet, I got enough to cover the 10 gal. quarantine tank. Pictures attached. The lights are set for coral currently and why they are so blue. Thanks again.

This was perfect guys. Thank you!

Thank you both, I appreciate the input. I think I will try the Lowe’s suggestion first and see how that goes. I will let you know.

Hello all, because I am converting from a Red Sea reef tank, which is great because it has a really deep width which should be fun for aquascape, but because of the "unique" size I had to make a DIY netted type top for salt. I really would prefer glass or acrylic. Does anyone know of a place that can make custom glass or acrylic lids? Thanks in advance. Tank Size = 35 1/2"L x 19 1/2"D x 21"T.

Hello all, if you have a 5lb CO2 cylinder, could someone please be so kind as to measure the highest point on the regulator down to the floor in inches. Making sure this will fit where I want it. Thank you

Excellent video. I think the sump will be my best approach for CO2, fertilization and dosing, etc. Currently with salt and unless I am vacuuming sand, the sump is where I do my water changes. I am still debating on whether to keep my ATO which replaces evaporated water with RO water but that will require manual dosing but I don't think I need to add that to my plate yet. Once I get the tank leveled out maybe I will add it back. Thank you both for you input.

Hello all, I just saw a CO2 video that Cory did about 4 years ago so I think I have already had this question answered. I am new to CO2 and wanted to make sure I'm not missing something. I am converting my reef tank(55gal) with sump(11gal) to a freshwater aquascape. I want to start it off with a CO2 system. Instead of hanging it off the side of the tank, I want to place the diffuser underneath the tank in the sump in the same compartment as the pump(approx. 250gph). Should this be ok? Thank you