Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)
- Thread starter nineball
- Start date
- Status
nuccadoc
Member
I like my Milk Conches and Tiger Cowries in my 400 FO. In my reef tank I really like the peppermint shrimp. They cleaned out my old 55 that was covered in aptasia. Emerald crabs have been a hit and miss, first one i had cleaned the GHA in about a week, haven't found another one yet to do the same thing.
My blue-legged hermit crabs have done well in my reef tank.
Mr Wilson what animals do you recommend for cleaning sand? I think I read on this thread you mentioning some sort of Gobie.
My blue-legged hermit crabs have done well in my reef tank.
Mr Wilson what animals do you recommend for cleaning sand? I think I read on this thread you mentioning some sort of Gobie.
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
There are two schools of thought with regard to sand beds. One is to let it run its course and don't add any critters that will compete with or consume denitrifying bacteria or other beneficial infauna (sand critters). This would exclude the usual suspects...
gobies (sand sifters & sand stirrers)
pistol shrimp
starfish (sand stars, serpent stars, crown of thorns)
sand dollars (never do well in captivity)
horseshoe crabs
cucumbers
nassarius snails
conchs
cowries
olive snails (amazing looking but they eat other snails)
wrasse
garden eels
flounders
The opposing school of thought takes the Bob Dylan approach - Like a rolling stone. A rolling stone gathers no moss, so does a moving sand bed... well algae instead of moss but you get the idea. Algae needs a stable environment (site) to set up shop. In addition to the poor real estate value of shifting sands, the abrasion of the sand aggregate removes/kills algae evicting them from the site. In addition to sand movement, these larger sand dwelling macro organisms listed above consume detritus and micro organisms that break down and feed the nitrogen and phosphate cycles (nutrient cycles).
It's really up to you to decide if you feel the sand bed can stay clean on its own merits or if it needs a team of janitors. The janitors tackle the issue of cleaning on a macro level, removing and reducing waste, while the infauna (sand critters) have a bacterial approach that reduces the chemical compounds that accumulate after the waste is left uneaten by the big guys up the food chain. In my opinion they can all find their niche as they do in nature. The two groups of beneficial organisms are not mutually exclusive and a more diverse food chain is always welcome. I just choose to limit that diversity to things that can't eat me
In addition to serving an important role in the food chain and biological processes of a reef, these sand dwelling denizens animate the aquarium and put perspective into the sand bed. They complete the picture of the natural reef we are trying to replicate. The sand is no longer a dead end bottom of the reef, but a doorway to a vital and vibrant benthic world. The benthos or benthic zone is not only an active place for biological filtration and chemical processes, but a home to some of the most fascinating reef organisms available. As far as sand critters go, there are two groups...
1) Sand Stirrers: These are organisms that move sand around to build burrows, crawl or swim through the sand displacing it, or dive into the sand at night as in the case of many wrasse.
2) Sand Sifters: These are the harder working janitors. This would include primarily gobies of the Valenciennea genus, commonly known as watchman gobies. These gobies pick up a mouthful of sand and rise up a from the substrate (some more than others) as they move the sand through their gills, delicately sorting out food items (infauna). These fish should always be kept in pairs and even better with a commensal (symbiotic) pistol shrimp. The shrimp constantly extends a tentacle to keep track of the watchman goby that stands on guard for predators. In exchange, the shrimp maintains the sand tunnel in which they cohabitate. It's one of natures rare successful menage et trois
A couple of sand sifter watchman gobies can turn a green or brown substrate lilly white in a day or two. They vary in efficiency and nuisance as well as adaptation to captivity. I recommend tiger watchman gobies (V. wardi) and orange spot watchman gobies (V. puellaris), not to be confused with A. guttata (orange spotted goby) who is an excellent sand stirring goby, but sifting isn't in his contract (they don't do windows either) I went into more detail on these gobies about 2000 posts ago
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Peter, you mentioned a list of things to have on hand that I posted in nahham's 19,000 gallon reef build thread. Here is a somewhat updated version that would apply to you. I thought I should post it in this thread to keep everything in one thread. It's confusing enough stirring and sifting through this epic thread, let alone opening another can of tubeworms with other build threads.
Before I get to the list, here is an overview of how an aquarium of your size compares to a typical hobbyist tank, or nahham's larger open system on the sea for that matter. You have a very large investment that warrants all the fail-safes you can muster. Even though the scale of your project is much smaller than that of nahham, the scope is much larger as you are running a closed system with more sensitive organisms.
You have so many fail safes and redundant equipment that it would be remiss to include a second opinion aquarium monitor/controller in your arsenal. I know little about it, but the new Vertex controller with touch screen technology looks interesting. I don't think it's on the market yet, but I'm sure you can sweet talk them into a bata test version with the captive audience you have here. I assume Profilux is their main competitor so you could acquire one of these units as your secondary/backup controller. having a second opinion is great. Both units can't be right and even if you don't know which one is more accurate, you can establish a line of precision. Even a broken watch has 100% precision twice a day. The controller may not hit the target dead on centre every time even when properly calibrated, but it will at least hit the same spot repeatedly.
The other approach would be to buy two identical controllers so you are truly comparing sea apples to sea apples. This will offer you a spare parts source for your primary controller. Use only one controller to govern the functionality of the devices you want to control. It will become too confusing if you try to spread the workload. An alternative plan would be to start off with the best controller on the market and when a better one comes along in a year or two, upgrade and keep the old one as a second opinion machine. Part of the challenge will be keeping the probes and modules clean and organized, but it looks like you have experience with this from the audio video realm.
The liquid test kits by Lamotte, Hach, Merck, Salifert, Elos, and SeaChem are of good quality. Sometimes it is better to pick and choose individual tests from each company for ease of use and accuracy. As with the controller, a second opinion is vital as reagents can get contaminated or old and human error is unavoidable ("did is say add 5 drops or 5 ml, better add more just to be on the safe side?")
Here is the amended list originally posted for nahham...
1) Digital PH controller for calcium reactor body to govern Co2 dosing.
2) Digital PH controller for system water to override Co2 dosing and or dose kalkwasser and sodium bicabonate.
3) Digital dissolved oxygen meter. You can move it around, but it should get homogenous readings throughout the water column. You will however get lower readings in slow flow reactors and deep sand beds. Order extra probes as they don't last forever and cannot be calibrated.
4) Digital salinity meter.
5) Refractometer and glass hydrometer for double checking salinity.
6) Liquid ammonia test kit.
7) Liquid chlorine test kit for bleaching fishroom tanks.
8) Liquid nitrite test kit.
9) Liquid nitrate test kit (premium low range).
10) Liquid calcium test kit (premium brand).
11) Liquid magnesium test kit (premium brand).
12) Liquid carbonate hardness test kit (premium brand).
13) Digital dual TDS meter for adding pure freshwater. One for the water entering the deionizer and one measuring the water exiting. It's also nice have a hand held TDS meter to know what the municipal water source is like as it shifts seasonally in most areas.
14) Digital redox/ORP controller
15) Digital phosphate photometer (Milwaukee or Hanna).
16) Liquid phosphate test kit (low range Merck).
17) Liquid iodine test kit (premium brand).
18) Liquid strontium test kit (premium brand).
19) Liquid silicate test kit (premium brand).
20) Liquid copper test kit (free copper & total copper).
21) Quantum/PAR meter.
22) Scientific analog thermometer to calibrate digital meters.
23) Titanium ground probes.
At some point it time you should also start stocking up on chemicals to correct the parameters you are testing such as...
1) Hydrochloric acid (cleaning & lowering PH)
2) Calcium hydroxide (raising & maintaining calcium & PH)
3) Calcium chloride (raising calcium quickly)
4) Sodium carbonate (raising carbonate hardness & PH)
5) Sodium bicarbonate (raising carbonate hardness & lowering PH)
6) Peroxide (raising dissolved oxygen & redox as well as disinfecting)
7) Dry salt mix (raising salinity)
8) Sodium hypochlorite (pool/household bleach for sterilizing filters, equipment and holding tanks)
9) Sodium thiosulphate (neutralizing sodium hypochlorite/dechlorinating). Buy Seachem Prime as it also detoxifies ammonia and nitrite. Have lts on hand for emergencies.
10) Potassium permanganate (disinfecting equipment corals & fish, as well as neutralizing medications)
11) Lugols iodine (disinfecting corals & fish)
12) Formalin (treating fish parasites)
13) Malachite green (treating fish parasites)
14) Nitrofurazone (wide spectrum antibiotic)
15) Neomycin (wide spectrum antibiotic)
16) Isoniazid & rifampin (fish TB treatment)
17) Quinacrine hydrochloride (protozoan/cryptocaryon ich treatment)
18) Metronidazole (protozoacide & antibiotic)
19) Chelated or ionic copper (Mardel Coppersafe or Seachem cupramine)
20) Methylene blue (aids to clear gills of parasites in bath)
21) Piperazine & Dylox & praziquantel (dewormers)
22) Rubber gloves, disposable surgical gloves, droppers, scientific glassware, tweezers, grabbers, nets, flashlights,
23) Parasite eating doctor fish and cleaner shrimp for the acclimation tanks.
24) Flat worm medication. (Salifert Flatworm exit/Dylox).
25) Red bug medication (Interceptor/Dylox).
26) Iron and manganese based macro algae supplement.
27) Activated carbon.
28) Granular phosphate remover.
29) Fragging tools, glues, and plugs, rubber bands, cable ties and tape.
30) Floating clear acrylic viewing box for looking at the tank from the top down.
31) Acrylic buffer and polishing kits.
32) Whiteboard, notebook & labels for fishroom tanks.
33) Fish food, auto feeders, brine shrimp eggs and hatcheries, phytoplankton culture device, rotifer tanks etc.
34) Microscope or magnifying glass.
35) Algae removing sticks, single edge razor blades magnets & scrapers.
36) Gravel cleaning hose and gravel separator. Siphon hoses, strainers, water scoops, utility pumps, buckets, heaters and sieves.
37) Fish bags rubber bands and insulated styrofoam shipping boxes.
38) Feeding tubes and syringes.
39) Turkey basters and powerheads mounted on poles to blast detritus from the rocks.
40) Portable diatom filter.
41) Pest traps for worms and parasites.
42) Fish traps for fish that become pests or need to be removed for treatment.
43) Seachem ammonia alert badges for the fishroom tanks.
44) Ammonium chloride & sodium nitrite for cycling tanks.
45) Bacterial culture for cycling tanks.
46) Strontium for maintaing NSW levels.
47) A safe place to store all this junk, especially the next item.
48) Vodka and lots of it.
Anyone care to add anything I may have missed?
Before I get to the list, here is an overview of how an aquarium of your size compares to a typical hobbyist tank, or nahham's larger open system on the sea for that matter. You have a very large investment that warrants all the fail-safes you can muster. Even though the scale of your project is much smaller than that of nahham, the scope is much larger as you are running a closed system with more sensitive organisms.
You have so many fail safes and redundant equipment that it would be remiss to include a second opinion aquarium monitor/controller in your arsenal. I know little about it, but the new Vertex controller with touch screen technology looks interesting. I don't think it's on the market yet, but I'm sure you can sweet talk them into a bata test version with the captive audience you have here. I assume Profilux is their main competitor so you could acquire one of these units as your secondary/backup controller. having a second opinion is great. Both units can't be right and even if you don't know which one is more accurate, you can establish a line of precision. Even a broken watch has 100% precision twice a day. The controller may not hit the target dead on centre every time even when properly calibrated, but it will at least hit the same spot repeatedly.
The other approach would be to buy two identical controllers so you are truly comparing sea apples to sea apples. This will offer you a spare parts source for your primary controller. Use only one controller to govern the functionality of the devices you want to control. It will become too confusing if you try to spread the workload. An alternative plan would be to start off with the best controller on the market and when a better one comes along in a year or two, upgrade and keep the old one as a second opinion machine. Part of the challenge will be keeping the probes and modules clean and organized, but it looks like you have experience with this from the audio video realm.
The liquid test kits by Lamotte, Hach, Merck, Salifert, Elos, and SeaChem are of good quality. Sometimes it is better to pick and choose individual tests from each company for ease of use and accuracy. As with the controller, a second opinion is vital as reagents can get contaminated or old and human error is unavoidable ("did is say add 5 drops or 5 ml, better add more just to be on the safe side?")
Here is the amended list originally posted for nahham...
1) Digital PH controller for calcium reactor body to govern Co2 dosing.
2) Digital PH controller for system water to override Co2 dosing and or dose kalkwasser and sodium bicabonate.
3) Digital dissolved oxygen meter. You can move it around, but it should get homogenous readings throughout the water column. You will however get lower readings in slow flow reactors and deep sand beds. Order extra probes as they don't last forever and cannot be calibrated.
4) Digital salinity meter.
5) Refractometer and glass hydrometer for double checking salinity.
6) Liquid ammonia test kit.
7) Liquid chlorine test kit for bleaching fishroom tanks.
8) Liquid nitrite test kit.
9) Liquid nitrate test kit (premium low range).
10) Liquid calcium test kit (premium brand).
11) Liquid magnesium test kit (premium brand).
12) Liquid carbonate hardness test kit (premium brand).
13) Digital dual TDS meter for adding pure freshwater. One for the water entering the deionizer and one measuring the water exiting. It's also nice have a hand held TDS meter to know what the municipal water source is like as it shifts seasonally in most areas.
14) Digital redox/ORP controller
15) Digital phosphate photometer (Milwaukee or Hanna).
16) Liquid phosphate test kit (low range Merck).
17) Liquid iodine test kit (premium brand).
18) Liquid strontium test kit (premium brand).
19) Liquid silicate test kit (premium brand).
20) Liquid copper test kit (free copper & total copper).
21) Quantum/PAR meter.
22) Scientific analog thermometer to calibrate digital meters.
23) Titanium ground probes.
At some point it time you should also start stocking up on chemicals to correct the parameters you are testing such as...
1) Hydrochloric acid (cleaning & lowering PH)
2) Calcium hydroxide (raising & maintaining calcium & PH)
3) Calcium chloride (raising calcium quickly)
4) Sodium carbonate (raising carbonate hardness & PH)
5) Sodium bicarbonate (raising carbonate hardness & lowering PH)
6) Peroxide (raising dissolved oxygen & redox as well as disinfecting)
7) Dry salt mix (raising salinity)
8) Sodium hypochlorite (pool/household bleach for sterilizing filters, equipment and holding tanks)
9) Sodium thiosulphate (neutralizing sodium hypochlorite/dechlorinating). Buy Seachem Prime as it also detoxifies ammonia and nitrite. Have lts on hand for emergencies.
10) Potassium permanganate (disinfecting equipment corals & fish, as well as neutralizing medications)
11) Lugols iodine (disinfecting corals & fish)
12) Formalin (treating fish parasites)
13) Malachite green (treating fish parasites)
14) Nitrofurazone (wide spectrum antibiotic)
15) Neomycin (wide spectrum antibiotic)
16) Isoniazid & rifampin (fish TB treatment)
17) Quinacrine hydrochloride (protozoan/cryptocaryon ich treatment)
18) Metronidazole (protozoacide & antibiotic)
19) Chelated or ionic copper (Mardel Coppersafe or Seachem cupramine)
20) Methylene blue (aids to clear gills of parasites in bath)
21) Piperazine & Dylox & praziquantel (dewormers)
22) Rubber gloves, disposable surgical gloves, droppers, scientific glassware, tweezers, grabbers, nets, flashlights,
23) Parasite eating doctor fish and cleaner shrimp for the acclimation tanks.
24) Flat worm medication. (Salifert Flatworm exit/Dylox).
25) Red bug medication (Interceptor/Dylox).
26) Iron and manganese based macro algae supplement.
27) Activated carbon.
28) Granular phosphate remover.
29) Fragging tools, glues, and plugs, rubber bands, cable ties and tape.
30) Floating clear acrylic viewing box for looking at the tank from the top down.
31) Acrylic buffer and polishing kits.
32) Whiteboard, notebook & labels for fishroom tanks.
33) Fish food, auto feeders, brine shrimp eggs and hatcheries, phytoplankton culture device, rotifer tanks etc.
34) Microscope or magnifying glass.
35) Algae removing sticks, single edge razor blades magnets & scrapers.
36) Gravel cleaning hose and gravel separator. Siphon hoses, strainers, water scoops, utility pumps, buckets, heaters and sieves.
37) Fish bags rubber bands and insulated styrofoam shipping boxes.
38) Feeding tubes and syringes.
39) Turkey basters and powerheads mounted on poles to blast detritus from the rocks.
40) Portable diatom filter.
41) Pest traps for worms and parasites.
42) Fish traps for fish that become pests or need to be removed for treatment.
43) Seachem ammonia alert badges for the fishroom tanks.
44) Ammonium chloride & sodium nitrite for cycling tanks.
45) Bacterial culture for cycling tanks.
46) Strontium for maintaing NSW levels.
47) A safe place to store all this junk, especially the next item.
48) Vodka and lots of it.
Anyone care to add anything I may have missed?
Hello All,
A truly comprehensive list Mr. Wilson! One would think you have setup a system or two in your day:frog:
The only item that I could possibly think that could be added is in the way of muriatic acid to lower ph in the mars systems for aclimatizing new fish specimens that have been directly imported.
(Since Peter did touch on the topic of importing in his own fish for this system and placing them in the mars bars)
Do you advocate this method of aclimation for fish or is there a better/safer method that you could suggest?
Patrick
A truly comprehensive list Mr. Wilson! One would think you have setup a system or two in your day:frog:
The only item that I could possibly think that could be added is in the way of muriatic acid to lower ph in the mars systems for aclimatizing new fish specimens that have been directly imported.
(Since Peter did touch on the topic of importing in his own fish for this system and placing them in the mars bars)
Do you advocate this method of aclimation for fish or is there a better/safer method that you could suggest?
Patrick
Crown of thorns starfish are obligate corallivores. Some trivia from the Wiki page: "They are voracious predators. An individual starfish can consume up to 6 square metres (65 sq ft) of living coral reef per year... During times of food shortage the crown-of-thorns can survive on energy reserves for over six months."
I like collonista snails and what IPSF refers to as strombus grazers, both of which actively reproduce in some of the GTA's finest LFS.
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Yes, I use the hydrochloric acid (pure version of muriatic acid) method of acclimating fish. The first time you add the acid, the buffer system bounces it back up in a few hours, but subsequent dosing lasts longer as the buffer system is depleted (calcium and carbonates fall out of solution). I tried using phosphoric acid in the past, and in addition to the possible toxicity of the phosphorus, it forms calcium phosphate as the two ions bind and fall out of solution. The result is a milky snow of precipitate in the water (not good). I had a Co2 dosing system at one point in time but found it to be impractical for large systems. The benefit of a Co2 system over acid is you have full control over how quickly the PH returns to NSW (normal) levels. The other benefit is you can assure that your acclimation water has the same gas concentration as the shipping water. This helps certain fish that have damaged or poorly developed swim bladders (boyles law). Fish packed for over 12 hours will typically have a shipping water PH of 6.5-6.8. This is good news because ammonia is non-toxic at this level. Ammonia detoxifier chemicals like Kordon Ammquel helps get the fish safely through the first 12 hours or so.
I use ice to drop the system water temp to match that of the shipping water, which is typically 68-72 F. Fish acclimate better when going into slightly lower salinity water so it works out well with hyposalinity commercial holding systems. Fish adapt poorly to increases in the osmotic pressure of higher salinity water so the salinity should be slowly raised over the three week acclimation and treatment period before being introduced to the display aquarium.
I use a few prophylactic medications and UV sterilizers in the acclimation system. No carbon, ion exchange resins or protein skimmers should be used. An established biological filter is vital as there should be no rock or calcareous (calcium-based) substrate in the acclimation system. A bare bottom tank is best so parasites can be removed.
Floating the bags is far too stressful for the fish, and opening the bags and letting them, remain in the shipping water as it becomes toxic as the PH rises will cause gill damage or mortality. Shallow styrofoam boxes tipped on an angle with inadequate, unreliable drip lines is also too stressful for all involved. These jerry rigged systems are common at LFSs and employ contaminated boxes, no air lines for water movement and bright lights that further stress the fish out during the acclimation process. You want the fish to go from the bag to the holding tank without even knowing what happened. Turning the lights off and working in a dimly lit room helps. Catching the fish with a gloved hand or scope and keeping it submerged also makes a big difference. Fish nets are a chief cause of fish injuries and subsequent infection. Marine fish have not adapted to breathing out of water for even a few seconds. Freshwater fish have adapted to some tolerance to breathing atmospheric air as they live in environments near the surface and where dry seasons create low water levels. Overcrowding new arrivals is another popular mistake. Fish to fish disease transmission, aggression, oxygen depravation, water contamination, and simply bumping into each other makes spreading the fish out over more tanks the wise choice. PVC pipe hiding places are another must.
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Oops! I meant "brittle starfish". They look like the crown of thorns Jesus made popular so I get the two names mixed up. Peter cancel your order for 50 crown of thorn starfish
On a side note, the bright green brittle stars from The Philippines can actually catch and eat fish. They "stand up" like a spider and wait for an unsuspecting fish to swim under. I use these starfish in the sump to take care of detritus. They are also good at cleaning dead coral tissue. These are the only non-reef species of brittle star I know of.
Chocolate chip stars are not reef safe, as are pillow stars and general stars.
nineball
Active member
Mr. Wilson.......
Mr. Wilson.......
Shawn, Thank you for me and thank you for our community. This is absolutely the tone and quality of experience I was hoping for when I opened this thread. You are very much a central part of the DNA for success and I bow to your knowledge and spirit of enthusiasm for this hobby. I note that our audience is growing in size and depth. This too is a direct result of the climate you have helped me establish with the good Capn and others too numerous to mention. I believe even the Mods have helped with observational support and words of encouragement. We have to make this project work.........and we have a long way to go.
I like the list you prepared and I am going to go through it line by line with the intent of having all the elements you referred to available to everyone helping us from the sidelines. I like the idea of the two controllers, different manufacturers. I would be interested in suggestions from the peanut gallery as to who the candidates might be?
All your responses Mr wilson deserve more comment but I have to take my wife out to dinner so I will be back.............. I am really looking forward to the MACNA in sept. I have registered already.
Peter
Mr. Wilson.......
Shawn, Thank you for me and thank you for our community. This is absolutely the tone and quality of experience I was hoping for when I opened this thread. You are very much a central part of the DNA for success and I bow to your knowledge and spirit of enthusiasm for this hobby. I note that our audience is growing in size and depth. This too is a direct result of the climate you have helped me establish with the good Capn and others too numerous to mention. I believe even the Mods have helped with observational support and words of encouragement. We have to make this project work.........and we have a long way to go.
I like the list you prepared and I am going to go through it line by line with the intent of having all the elements you referred to available to everyone helping us from the sidelines. I like the idea of the two controllers, different manufacturers. I would be interested in suggestions from the peanut gallery as to who the candidates might be?
All your responses Mr wilson deserve more comment but I have to take my wife out to dinner so I will be back.............. I am really looking forward to the MACNA in sept. I have registered already.
Peter
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Here is some slightly outdated controller info. Many of the controllers in the comparison chart haven't changed other than the addition of a few new modules. http://www.aquariumcontrollers.com/
These two seem to be leading the popularity contest these days. Both have Iphone aps. http://www.digitalaquatics.com/
http://www.aquariumcomputer.com/System__E_/Products/Controller/controller.html
The soon to be released Vertex controller is your best bet in my opinion. I don't like the tiny multifunction buttons on most controllers. They remind me of the early digital watches that you click 10 times to find the date.
On the plus side for Profilux, Digital Aquatics in Ottawa has excellent customer support. Nothing better than talking to a real person who knows the product if you have a problem. I've installed at least six of them. The only thing I don't like about them is the controller itself is difficult to mount as it sits horizontally like an old tv-top converter box. I've tried strapping them in place but the wires poke out the back and it ends up looking like a DIY CB radio. The Reefkeeper Elite is easy to mount on a cabinet door and is more conducive to hang on a wall where you can easily reach it.
I have used quite a few AquaMedic controllers. They are basically the same beast as the Italian made Aquatronica, but both units are a little outdated now. http://www.aquatronica.com/products-1/aquarium-controller-system-1?set_language=en&cl=en
These two seem to be leading the popularity contest these days. Both have Iphone aps. http://www.digitalaquatics.com/
http://www.aquariumcomputer.com/System__E_/Products/Controller/controller.html
The soon to be released Vertex controller is your best bet in my opinion. I don't like the tiny multifunction buttons on most controllers. They remind me of the early digital watches that you click 10 times to find the date.
On the plus side for Profilux, Digital Aquatics in Ottawa has excellent customer support. Nothing better than talking to a real person who knows the product if you have a problem. I've installed at least six of them. The only thing I don't like about them is the controller itself is difficult to mount as it sits horizontally like an old tv-top converter box. I've tried strapping them in place but the wires poke out the back and it ends up looking like a DIY CB radio. The Reefkeeper Elite is easy to mount on a cabinet door and is more conducive to hang on a wall where you can easily reach it.
I have used quite a few AquaMedic controllers. They are basically the same beast as the Italian made Aquatronica, but both units are a little outdated now. http://www.aquatronica.com/products-1/aquarium-controller-system-1?set_language=en&cl=en
swissgaurd
New member
agreed on the clean up crew mr wilson
i like to use serpant stars,red brittle starfish,black seacucumber,nassurious snails.
there are many types of nassurious snail imposters, i find the true nassurious snail that does the best job is the vibex which only grows to 3/8".
i didnt think the red cucumber cleans sand i thought they were the ones stuck on the glass.
vic
i like to use serpant stars,red brittle starfish,black seacucumber,nassurious snails.
there are many types of nassurious snail imposters, i find the true nassurious snail that does the best job is the vibex which only grows to 3/8".
i didnt think the red cucumber cleans sand i thought they were the ones stuck on the glass.
vic
I have the Reefkeeper lite and it works well for my needs. There is also a software program called "myReef" in beta testing right now that will let you program the RKL/RKE and view the parameters from your PC. I'd say however for a build of this magnitude you will want to go with something with greater functionality/expandability, along the lines of the ProfiLux. The vertex controller does look promising, but for the short term since it will be such a new product, I imagine you may want to let them work the kinks out before entrusting your entire system to it.
walloutlet
New member
I love my Profilux 3. Seen some pretty cool lighting demos with it. Expandability is almost unlimited and some of the ADC modules allow you to do some cool custom things. I think if you are looking to use LED lightning the Profilux has lots of options. Only downfall is the sheer complexity of things that this controller can present you. Fine granular control, however, often produce more complex programming requirements. Having a pretty solid electronic engineering background this controller was a no brained for me.
Aquarist007
New member
No it has a letter written by you but its to an old porn star:lolspin:
Mine is the 4 edition however--now I feel bad
tonyf
New member
I'd assume that BF would still be getting royalties? I met Calfo last year and found him to be a very likeable and knowledgable bloke. Why is it that these guys need to get egositic about these things? My understanding is that the marine publishing business in North America is about as underhand as what it can be.
The email trail on WetWebMedia about says it all.
Tone :celeb1:
Poriferan
Member
It took me all day to read through 97 pages... I have learned quite a few things and brought myself up to speed on your incredible epic journey. Thank you for all the time you and all the others who have contributed to this thread. I mainly lurk and read on RC hoping to gain a bit of knowledge and insight in this "hobby" we all share such a passion for, however, I felt compelled to add my thanks here. I hope you continue to have the time and patience to keep this thread updated through the years to come.:beer:
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Cap'n: Does your copy have the "cheesy ads for Calfo's 'zine"?
It's a slippery slope when you start mixing commerce and sound Unbiased advice. People don't mind if you are opinionated but you really lose credibility if you have a hidden agenda. I have an aquarium design company as do you (Cap'n), but we keep that as a separate entity. I wonder if we could sell Amway on here without jeopardizing our integrity? Something has to pay the bills
It's a slippery slope when you start mixing commerce and sound Unbiased advice. People don't mind if you are opinionated but you really lose credibility if you have a hidden agenda. I have an aquarium design company as do you (Cap'n), but we keep that as a separate entity. I wonder if we could sell Amway on here without jeopardizing our integrity? Something has to pay the bills
- Status
Similar threads
