An addicted reefer chic's 40B franken tank w/ 2 30g display macro tanks...

Green Eyes, I have about 8 stainless steel screws in my reef now for about 20 years. Almost all my fish are spawning and my corals are growing up the walls. If it rusts it is still not bad because your corals need a little iron. I even add iron and rust, yes, rust.
Don't fall into the trap about everything on earth being bad for corals. I have dove all over the world and in all cases, corals grow better on iron shipwrecks than the surrounding rocks, guess why?
Stainless steel, even cheap or rusting stainless steel will not hurt your tank. Of course if you put to much rust or iron in your tank, your algae will be a nice green color, but it still will not hurt your corals. That spring in the valve would be made out of stainless steel that will not dissolve in salt water as the manufacturer knows that it is a valve so it will be exposed to water. Don't worry about, go out to dinner and have a nice glass of merlot.
 
dkeller_nc said:
One note regarding check valves - despite BRS's description, I wouldn't install one of these on a return pump's exit line. It's far better to just have the return line just under the surface of the tank water to allow it to suck air and break the siphon if the power goes out.

The reason is that check valves introduce a great deal of hydraulic friction, which means that they will have a big (negative) effect on the return's overall flow. So then one either has to have a much bigger return pump ($$$ in pruchase price and electricity), or just put up with a much lower turnover rate.

For the same reason, I replaced the loc-line on my new Cadlights 50g set-up with just a 45 deg PVC elbow. The loc-line introduces a great deal of head pressure - with it, I was getting about 250 gph, without it, I'm getting about 400 gph.

With regards to your RODI set-up, replacing carbon blocks monthly seems a bit excessive unless you're really running the snot out of your filtration system. If that's the case, it may be much more cost-effective to get one of the "double-size" empty cartridge holders and DIY media containers, and fill it with loose catalytic carbon. For a typical aquarium-person's setup that needs perhaps a gallon of RODI a day in make-up, you shouldn't have to replace the carbon but once every 3 months, or even longer.
Click to expand...

The check valve isn't going on the output of the return...it's going between the top 30g macro/nps tank and the output of the fridge from the continuous feeder. I don't have a choice but to use a check valve because of the back flow that I'm getting through the fridge.

I don't replace the carbon cartridges monthly...I only replace the sediment filter monthly as it clogs and turns brown that fast. So I replace the 1st stage/sediment filter when required to help extend the life of the carbon blocks.

Paul B said:
Green Eyes, I have about 8 stainless steel screws in my reef now for about 20 years. Almost all my fish are spawning and my corals are growing up the walls. If it rusts it is still not bad because your corals need a little iron. I even add iron and rust, yes, rust.
Don't fall into the trap about everything on earth being bad for corals. I have dove all over the world and in all cases, corals grow better on iron shipwrecks than the surrounding rocks, guess why?
Stainless steel, even cheap or rusting stainless steel will not hurt your tank. Of course if you put to much rust or iron in your tank, your algae will be a nice green color, but it still will not hurt your corals. That spring in the valve would be made out of stainless steel that will not dissolve in salt water as the manufacturer knows that it is a valve so it will be exposed to water. Don't worry about, go out to dinner and have a nice glass of merlot.
Click to expand...

Thanks Paul! I'm just going to use the check valve...whenever stupid FedEx decides to deliver them. I'm going to plumb it in with unions so that I can clean it regularly....
 
OK, but silly question - why not put the output tube of the continuous feed slightly above the water level of the tanks? There's lots of commercially-available tube holders on the reef supply websites.
 
Stray voltage...aefw...life...reefing...pics...

So...I got zapped last week while doing a w/c on my system. Stupid Atman pump on my BM Nac3 crapped out on me in the middle of my w/c. Skimmerless until the new pump arrives...stupid shipping always takes longer when you REALLY need something. Grrr!

I've seen a lot of very mixed reviews on grounding probes/gfci outlets...debating on my next move on this issue. Concerned that if I replace the outlet with a gfci of it possibly tripping while I'm away from the tank and coming home to dead livestock. On the other hand, my research so far has shown that grounding probes are a joke. So, some input on this one would be welcomed.

Aefw wiped me out...so I've been an addict without my drug of choice in this hobby for months and considered bowing out. Got p!ssed off and tried dipping and qt'ing and lost it all. *shrugs*

About to remove softies and crap coral (non-sps) and ditch it all to make room for sps, basically a full livestock overhaul. I've got 6 RBTA's in my top refugium that decided to sit on my gorg's and kill them. Downsizing the # of system's too...ditching the fw planted tanks to make room for a living room tank to keep "A" rbta, to move my saddlebacks, tang, zoa's, hammer's, frogspawn, and acan's to. With all of that gone...I'll have room to replace my SPS/NPS. All sps will be QT'd before entering this system.

I know they're a touchy subject, but I'm actually considering running an ATS in conjunction with my continuous feeder on this system...I think it just might kick @$$ in a good way. *ducks for cover from the naysayers*

Other issues with the system=life...tank has been running on all the automation and everything else has been thriving. Surprisingly, I haven't had crazy algae outbreaks being that I've only filled my ato reservoir and culled macro's as needed.

Oh and my almost 7 year old pit bull's food allergies reared their ugly head severely to an organic lamb, millet and rice kibble he's been on since he was 9 months. So I've had to convert him back to a homemade raw (b.a.r.f.) diet and he's had a total 180* health wise in the last two months. So he eats a combination of lamb, rabbit, chicken, beef, raw bone, organ, dietary supplements, etc. It's a lot of work, but the results are amazing. So he's taken me away from reefing as well, but he's my heart and soul and worth every ounce of it.

Big Boy's food after meeting the meat grinder:



Freezer ready:





A friend recommended that I run SPS free til' Jan. to make sure the aefw are completely starved out, but I'm dying without the "sticks." :facepalm:


Crap cell pics...













 
Just read through your journal and was enjoying it right up to where things went south for you, sorry to hear the bad run you've had recently but considering your talent with non real corals you won't have a problem rebooting the system to a full blown SPS display :)
I think your continuous feeding system with a an efficient nutrient export mechanism in place will work wonders for you. It's a bit fiddly for a few months but once you get the food in and food out settled at a place you like your nitrates and phos parameters to sit, you'll see the colors you're hoping for :thumbsup:
Looking forward to the reboot and lots of acro pics, go nuts lol.
 
MeanGreenEyes said:
Stray voltage...aefw...life...reefing...pics...

Oh and my almost 7 year old pit bull's food allergies reared their ugly head severely to an organic lamb, millet and rice kibble he's been on since he was 9 months. So I've had to convert him back to a homemade raw (b.a.r.f.) diet and he's had a total 180* health wise in the last two months. So he eats a combination of lamb, rabbit, chicken, beef, raw bone, organ, dietary supplements, etc. It's a lot of work, but the results are amazing. So he's taken me away from reefing as well, but he's my heart and soul and worth every ounce of it.

Big Boy's food after meeting the meat grinder:



Freezer ready:

Click to expand...


So what kinds of stuff do you put into the food too keep it balanced? I used to feed my dog raw but went with Primal brand. I was too scared to make it myself. I used it for about three years and loved it. I recently found a dry kibble that has been working well. It's nice to see someone treat their dog's allergies with diet rather than drugs.
 
MeanGreenEyes said:
I've seen a lot of very mixed reviews on grounding probes/gfci outlets...debating on my next move on this issue. Concerned that if I replace the outlet with a gfci of it possibly tripping while I'm away from the tank and coming home to dead livestock. On the other hand, my research so far has shown that grounding probes are a joke. So, some input on this one would be welcomed.
Click to expand...

This is my thought on this subject. Grounding probes take a voltage potential and turn it into a current actual. I see a lot of posts about "stray voltage killed my ....". This is usually an utterly incorrect conclusion based on sticking one probe of a voltage meter into the water and the other probe into the ground connector of a nearby electrical outlet.

Just the same as a person scrubbing their feet on the carpet in the winter and developing a potential of 20,000 volts, the voltage potential doesn't do anything until it actually turns into a current. Grounding probes virtually ensure that a current will exist in most reef tanks. Even if all the equipment is intact and functioning properly, there will still be a bit of voltage potential developed from spinning magnets (pumps) in an electrically conductive medium (saltwater).

From the safety point of view, using/not using GFCI is a risk decision. Yes, you can definitely get zapped and it's not fun. However, unless you have a medical condition that most of the population doesn't have (like a pacemaker or an insulin pump), it is extremely unlikely that you will be permanently harmed by such a shock. However, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be extremely careful to minimize the risk by not working in the tank without good, dry, rubber-soled shoes on, cleaning up spilled water immediately instead of continuing to work in the tank, and not working while standing on a bare concrete floor.
 
@Biggles...thank you...it's going to be a process...but I'm determined.

@Fifthtoe,

First I want to say...research, a true understanding/grasp of this diet and making sure that it's well rounded/balanced are key. Yes, they wanted to put my dog on steriods for the rest of his life as well as a prescription food that was on the pet food recall list a few years back. His allergies are the worst I've ever seen in a dog to the point that family/friends told me to give him up a long time ago (over my dead body.) I mean insane hives, ear infections, diarrhea, etc.

I use and swear by these:

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Be+Well+Dog-prod10845-10845.html

http://www.1800petmeds.com/NaturVet+Brewers+Yeast-prod1323.html

I also grind organic flaxseed in a coffee grinder and organic spirulina powder (I use this in my homemade Pappone coral food too! lol) and add it to the mixture. Supposedly it's hard for dogs to digest uncooked egg whites so I hard boil two dozen eggs and they go through the meat grinder shell and all. I try to make two months of his food at a time so that it doesn't become a daunting task and stuff the deep freezer.

The approximate target ranges are:

80% meat, sinew, ligaments, fat
10% edible bone
5% liver
5% other organ meat

I use:

Lamb, rabbit w/ bone, canned salmon with bone, chicken quarters, backs, thighs with bone and fat, a mixture of whole sirloin ground w/ fat and ground chuck, beef liver, chicken liver, chicken heart, beef heart, chicken gizzards, chicken neck, beef bone and lamb bone, there's more but can't remember off of the top of my head. The point is variety and lots off it...raw...with no crap fillers (i.e. rice, potato, fruit, veggies, etc.) I've found that the filler stuff sets his allergies off so I don't add it. I used to combo feed raw with his organic kibble and had amazing results, but it got to time consuming about 4 years ago so I converted him to just the organic kibble. His overall health and energy levels are night and day when on and off of raw. There are raw calculator's on the net that tell you how much to feed according to body weight.

I absolutely despise it when I hear people say they feed raw and only throw a piece of chicken or ground beef in the bowl and leave it at that. Everyone that truly believes in this diet will tell you to align yourself with a vet that is on your wavelength and seek their advice. My dog medically receives his annual rabies shot, booster shot, heartworm preventative...no steroids or prescriptions.

I'm constantly still asked if he's a puppy when he's on raw because his energy levels, skin and coat are amazing again. I have my dog back and to a true animal lover the transformation in him is the most amazing feeling in the world. I would give up reefing and my right arm to avoid ever giving up on my dog. People tell me I'm nuts, constantly...but I wouldn't give up my kids and I feel the same about Big Boy. He'll be 7 yrs old on Nov. 17th...time flies. :/

Big Boy and his brother Mr. Bigglesworth:





Big Boy and my daughter:



As a baby:



With my son as a pup:



 
@dkeller_nc yeah I think I'm just going to go with no grounding probe. I didn't lose any livestock, thankfully...I just jumped a little. lol No pacemaker here...lol.
 
I used to make my own raw food also for my 4 Italian greyhounds due to one of them having seizures, but it was a lot of work for 4 dogs. I decided to switch then to Blue Buffalo Wilderness grain free, and it's worked pretty good for them. Nothing better than raw in my opinion, but still good.
 
markster33139 said:
I used to make my own raw food also for my 4 Italian greyhounds due to one of them having seizures, but it was a lot of work for 4 dogs. I decided to switch then to Blue Buffalo Wilderness grain free, and it's worked pretty good for them. Nothing better than raw in my opinion, but still good.
Click to expand...

Did it help with the seizures? It definitely is a lot of work...don't know if I could do this for multiple dogs. I actually had him on Flint River Ranch's Lamb, Millet and Rice since he was 9 months. I have no idea what happened, they say there's been no changes in ingredients/recipe...but it was sudden constant diarrhea and hives. My baby was beyond miserable. I'm overly protective of his diet. He's not fed table food, scraps or junk of any kind. I've had him since he was 6 weeks and my kids adore him so they would never give him something that would make him sick. They've even corrected people for trying to give him stuff he's not supposed to have. I considered Blue Buffalo, but decided against it because I want to know exactly what he's eating and raw had already given me proven results. Even in converting him to this diet there was no upset stomach.

My favorite part...him sitting at full attention begging the entire time that I'm making/prepping his food for the freezer. :lmao:
 
Crimson said:
Try a bayer advanced dip for the AEFW.

video

http://www.njreefers.org/showthread.php?75910-Coral-dipping

Some also suggest http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2269194

Off topic.. I do miss my German Shepard had to put him down due to hip dysplasia and organ failure and that was 11 years ago. Fast forward to present I have a daughter (Isabella-Link) who is 4 and she is allergic to cats and dogs.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the tip on the Bayer. Everybody that I've been talking to lately has sworn by it...just gotta pick it up.

Very sorry about your pup! :( I can't even bring myself to think about that with Big Boy. Your daughter is adorable...those eyes...omg!
 
Wow! He is a beautiful dog!

MeanGreenEyes said:
@Biggles...thank you...it's going to be a process...but I'm determined.

@Fifthtoe,

First I want to say...research, a true understanding/grasp of this diet and making sure that it's well rounded/balanced are key. Yes, they wanted to put my dog on steriods for the rest of his life as well as a prescription food that was on the pet food recall list a few years back. His allergies are the worst I've ever seen in a dog to the point that family/friends told me to give him up a long time ago (over my dead body.) I mean insane hives, ear infections, diarrhea, etc.

I use and swear by these:

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Be+Well+Dog-prod10845-10845.html

http://www.1800petmeds.com/NaturVet+Brewers+Yeast-prod1323.html

I also grind organic flaxseed in a coffee grinder and organic spirulina powder (I use this in my homemade Pappone coral food too! lol) and add it to the mixture. Supposedly it's hard for dogs to digest uncooked egg whites so I hard boil two dozen eggs and they go through the meat grinder shell and all. I try to make two months of his food at a time so that it doesn't become a daunting task and stuff the deep freezer.

The approximate target ranges are:

80% meat, sinew, ligaments, fat
10% edible bone
5% liver
5% other organ meat

I use:

Lamb, rabbit w/ bone, canned salmon with bone, chicken quarters, backs, thighs with bone and fat, a mixture of whole sirloin ground w/ fat and ground chuck, beef liver, chicken liver, chicken heart, beef heart, chicken gizzards, chicken neck, beef bone and lamb bone, there's more but can't remember off of the top of my head. The point is variety and lots off it...raw...with no crap fillers (i.e. rice, potato, fruit, veggies, etc.) I've found that the filler stuff sets his allergies off so I don't add it. I used to combo feed raw with his organic kibble and had amazing results, but it got to time consuming about 4 years ago so I converted him to just the organic kibble. His overall health and energy levels are night and day when on and off of raw. There are raw calculator's on the net that tell you how much to feed according to body weight.

I absolutely despise it when I hear people say they feed raw and only throw a piece of chicken or ground beef in the bowl and leave it at that. Everyone that truly believes in this diet will tell you to align yourself with a vet that is on your wavelength and seek their advice. My dog medically receives his annual rabies shot, booster shot, heartworm preventative...no steroids or prescriptions.

I'm constantly still asked if he's a puppy when he's on raw because his energy levels, skin and coat are amazing again. I have my dog back and to a true animal lover the transformation in him is the most amazing feeling in the world. I would give up reefing and my right arm to avoid ever giving up on my dog. People tell me I'm nuts, constantly...but I wouldn't give up my kids and I feel the same about Big Boy. He'll be 7 yrs old on Nov. 17th...time flies. :/

Big Boy and his brother Mr. Bigglesworth:





Big Boy and my daughter:



As a baby:



With my son as a pup:



Click to expand...
 
BTW - You mentioned that your atman pump had gone out on your bubble magus skimmer.

I was unfamiliar with the brand "Seaside Aquatics" until my LFS got a couple a month ago. Basically, they're Bubble Magus skimmers except the pump is replaced with a needle-wheel Sicce pump.

This is the one that I bought to replace an ailing (and ancient) tunze centrifugal skimmer:

http://www.seasideaquatics.com/?p=205

The whole thing was $250. Not exactly really, really cheap, but a wine-glass skimmer with a proven design and a Sicce pump for $250 seemed like a pretty good investment. It's possible that you might be able to buy the lower mounting plate for your skimmer so that you can retrofit it for a sicce needlewheel pump.
 
@fifthtoe Thank you! He's my world.

@dkellernc Thanks for the suggestion. That's a nice looking skimmer. I finally received my replacement skimmer pump in the mail yesterday and it's already pulling a nice dark skim.
 
Looking good!! I love the idea of plumbing multiple small tanks together on a single system to support various incompatible livestock. I've been toying with the idea of doing so on a three tier bookshelf that has a cabinet at the bottom of it... but I digress. I had a question about your sump. I, too, have a 30g sump that I put under my newly set up 120g. My sump, though, only have two chambers (drain/skimmer, and return), but I could easily modify my plumbing to add a refugium to it, so my question is this- how does your return section work out, being that it's so small? Do you notice that it has to be topped off very frequently? Here's a link if you'd like to take a look at my build;

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2325503

Thanks!

ps- I LOVE your pup! Bully breeds are the best :)
 
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