crvz's hole in the wall

[crvz]

Updates!

I did a lugols dip on that favia. It seemed to help, but I'm still keeping my eyes on it.

I jointed and planed all my lumber for the stand, so I've got a great pile of very square boards. Hopefully that will make assembly a snap.

I got a few new products for the system; vortech mp10wes and an icecap reef illuminations metal halide fixture. I need bulbs for the icecap, but they both seem like amazing products. More to come on those.

 

[Mr. Right]

Nice light fixture. Forgive me for being completely oblivious but"¦have you decided on what tank you are buying? I thought you were thinking about a 300DD but I didn't think anything was set in stone. Is the MP10 just for the frag tank or is it something you plan on running on the new setup?

Good luck with the favia, it has grown a bit from the frag it once was, it would be a shame to lose it now. From my own experience, I found that shading ill LPS for a few week seems to help. I know it might sound scary but I have held off on WC's which also seems to be effective in recovery.

 

[gotfrogs]

CRVZ - I am curious about the MP10 as well. I got one for my 28 gallon tank yesterday but what are you using yours for? I have a small frag of the favia if yours does not make it.

 

[crvz]

The MP10 will only be used for the frag tank (what I refer to as the stock tank). It was something I received as part of a reviewer program I participate in. If the assumption was that I planned on using it for flow in a larger tank (and yes, the 300DD is still the top contender), then I would see how there could be confusion. It would not be adequate for such a setup, but will be good for supplementing flow in the stock tank.

 

[Mr. Right]

Was curious. Thanks for clearing that up. Nice equipment for the stock tank none the less.

Do you think the dkh fluctuation could be suspect for the favia? Are your acros bouncing back since you raised the DKH?

 

[crvz]

Do you think the dkh fluctuation could be suspect for the favia? Are your acros bouncing back since you raised the DKH?

It could be. Things seem to be mostly settled, though there was about a 25-30% tissue loss. Hopefully the change in lights (which I did yesterday) won't add any more stress. The acros do seem to be doing well.

Speaking of the lights, though, I swapped out the two lumenbright pendants and replaced it with the icecap fixture. The fixture is very compact, and extremely straight forward. It was easy to install and use. The only issue I have is that the little thin acrylic strips designed to protect the T5 and LED bulbs didnt fit on one side. I'll see if there's an easy fix. I stuck two Phoenix 250W DE bulbs in the fixture and hung it over the tank.

Performance comparison, I measured PAR of the lumenbrights and the icecap. Not surprisingly, the lumenbrights provided quite a bit more punch. At the water surface, they both gave over 1400, but at other spots I had about anywhere from a 20-35% reduction in PAR. However, I still had a value of over 400 at the floor of the tank, so that's certainly still usable for this tank, and probably better in most considerations (with the lumenbrights, I had PAR numbers over 600 at the floor of the tank... arguably too much light).

I also wired and assembled the rest of my light rack for the future main display. I had already assembled one section and installed some CREE LEDs, but now I've got everything wired up and ready for the rest of the LEDs (which I have not yet purchased).

Flipped over, you can see how the pendants fit in. I have the third pendant for the middle section, but I've not yet opened it from the box. All things considered, I think it will be a very good light solution for a 6 foot tank.

 

[crvz]

I've been putting a lot of thought into the electrical for the room. Here's where I've gotten to date. This will be the main distribution panel. Three different 20A circuits will come into the panel, which will then be distributed to either the DC8s, the X10s, or the switches. There will be 16 switches for different pieces of hardware. I'll mount this away from the wall a little so that I can hide cords, though I'll hinge it on one end so that I can get to back side with relative ease. Anyways, I just got started, lots more work to come. After years of searching for the right cords and daisy chaining cables together, I decided to do it right the first time with this setup.

 

[Taqpol]

Could you explain more how the switches are going to work? I assume they will be for items you want to turn on and off easily enough, but not necessarily have them as automated as lights. Where will the power come from and how will the hardware pieces connect to the switch?

Sorry if none of that makes sense...

 

[crvz]

Actually, the switches will control things whether they're automated or not. I intend to make my own power cords to plug into the DC8s and X10 modules. So for example, let's take my skimmer. I want to put it on a switch so that I can just turn it off when I need to clean the collection cup. But I also want it controlled (with an X10 module) so that it will shut off should a water switch detect water on the floor. To do this, I'll make my own power cord to plug into the X10 module. From there, the hot wire will run to a switch, then the all three wires (hot, neutral, ground) will run to another outlet box under the tank. The skimmer will then plug in to that outlet box.

Make sense? It's probably way overkill, but it should make long-term maintenance a snap.

 

[crvz]

Cripes! I forgot how big the X10 units are, and I can't fit two on a two-gang box. I'm going to have some patch work to do in order to make it work. Harrumph!

 

[sly fox]

good to see alls kinda going well... im getting back off the ground myself

 

[Taqpol]

Ok, I understand. That switch idea is really cool!

 

[Padrino]

It could be. Things seem to be mostly settled, though there was about a 25-30% tissue loss. Hopefully the change in lights (which I did yesterday) won't add any more stress. The acros do seem to be doing well.

Speaking of the lights, though, I swapped out the two lumenbright pendants and replaced it with the icecap fixture. The fixture is very compact, and extremely straight forward. It was easy to install and use. The only issue I have is that the little thin acrylic strips designed to protect the T5 and LED bulbs didnt fit on one side. I'll see if there's an easy fix. I stuck two Phoenix 250W DE bulbs in the fixture and hung it over the tank.

Performance comparison, I measured PAR of the lumenbrights and the icecap. Not surprisingly, the lumenbrights provided quite a bit more punch. At the water surface, they both gave over 1400, but at other spots I had about anywhere from a 20-35% reduction in PAR. However, I still had a value of over 400 at the floor of the tank, so that's certainly still usable for this tank, and probably better in most considerations (with the lumenbrights, I had PAR numbers over 600 at the floor of the tank... arguably too much light).

I also wired and assembled the rest of my light rack for the future main display. I had already assembled one section and installed some CREE LEDs, but now I've got everything wired up and ready for the rest of the LEDs (which I have not yet purchased).

Flipped over, you can see how the pendants fit in. I have the third pendant for the middle section, but I've not yet opened it from the box. All things considered, I think it will be a very good light solution for a 6 foot tank.

Wow this turned out quite nicely and will look awesome over a 300DD. Btw, have you calculated the weight of a 300DD full might be. I am trying to squeeze one in on my main floor.

Also the electrical wall will be interesting. I say this because it looks like you are going to try and hide the wires behind the panel right? If so, whenever you have to make a change or unplug something its a huge hassle. On my 90 gal, i made an electrical panel that hid all the wires for the AC3 equipment and then all the plugs would come in from the bottom and plug into the dc8s. Looks awesome but like i said when you need to unplug a device for cleaning, its a major PITA

 

[crvz]

Also the electrical wall will be interesting. I say this because it looks like you are going to try and hide the wires behind the panel right? If so, whenever you have to make a change or unplug something its a huge hassle. On my 90 gal, i made an electrical panel that hid all the wires for the AC3 equipment and then all the plugs would come in from the bottom and plug into the dc8s. Looks awesome but like i said when you need to unplug a device for cleaning, its a major PITA

On that main electrical panel that I've built so far, the beauty is that nothing will plug directly into it. I hear what your saying about maintenance, so I'll be routing other electrical panels to other spots in the room for devices to plug into so that I don't have cords running all over the place, but I still get a bit of organization.

 

[Padrino]

On that main electrical panel that I've built so far, the beauty is that nothing will plug directly into it. I hear what your saying about maintenance, so I'll be routing other electrical panels to other spots in the room for devices to plug into so that I don't have cords running all over the place, but I still get a bit of organization.

Oh thats a great idea. Nice work!

 

[crvz]

Third time's a charm, right?

I got this from liveaquaria, of which only 20% of my order has yet to arrive (I'm angry at fedex right now), but this guy looks considerably healthier than the other's I've tried from bluezoo in the past. I also added a red mandarin.

 

[Taqpol]

I love blonde naso's! I actually just added one to my tank, but I don't have any pictures since my camera is being repaired. Mines really skittish though...

 

[crvz]

I love blonde naso's! I actually just added one to my tank, but I don't have any pictures since my camera is being repaired. Mines really skittish though...

Mine is a bit on the wussy side, but if I'm not in the room (or the lights are off) it is swimming around with the other fish.

 

[prop-frags]

Looking fantastic, Chris!
I'm wishing we went with the LumenBrights, rather than the LMEs. They just don't have enough spread. We're evaluating what to do now... honestly, we miss the DE fixtures, and need to figure out how to get some better dawn/dusk lighting (thinking LEDs)...

The electrical panel is impressive. You'll definitely appreciate having the switches in-line. Also, the moisture sensor on the floor is an excellent idea. We gonna steal that idea. Can you post up some details on your design?

 

[crvz]

What's not a good smell? A box with tridacna clams that shows up 4 days later. thanks, fedex.