d2mini's "Essential Focus" Mixed Reef Build

[Ucantwin]

Dennis I'm gonna jump back to your ph if you don't mind. Your ph runs the same as mine 7.75-8. Do you find your corals grow slower at that range? I always see higher ph is better for faster growth but I wonder if higher ph just makes it easier for them to calcify but doesnt mean they actually grow faster. I curious as long as you have your alk a little high (9 dkh) it compensates for the low ph and you get the same growth.

 

[Indiana Reefin]

That was on my previous 200g tank. The two little fishies algae clip.
All my sps lost their slime coat. They all looked dry and kind of dandruffy if that makes sense. Some did RTN/STN. Some recovered.
I didn't know what was going on and thought at first I was over doing it with GFO. It started with my Gorgonians all closing up. That's when I stopped using GFO all together. But the SPS situation wasn't changing. I finally found the mag issue. I pulled it out, skimmed REALLY wet for a bit and ran lots of carbon, changing every couple days. Almost immediately things started to look better.

FWIW, I still use those dang algae clips. I can't help it... they're my favorite! lol
They did improve the way they are sealed and I keep an eye on them.
It would also help greatly to remove them each night but that's a PITA.

Thanks Dennis.
Yeah I ordered some reef spec carbon. I bought another wet end to my nano mag lol. I love that algae magnet for small aquariums. I just take out after every use and inspect it to make sure it's not rusting

 

[d2mini]

Dennis I'm gonna jump back to your ph if you don't mind. Your ph runs the same as mine 7.75-8. Do you find your corals grow slower at that range? I always see higher ph is better for faster growth but I wonder if higher ph just makes it easier for them to calcify but doesnt mean they actually grow faster. I curious as long as you have your alk a little high (9 dkh) it compensates for the low ph and you get the same growth.

My ph is never high and I never have fast growth. lol
I try to keep my alk around 8. I seem to get better color there, vs keeping it higher.

 

[d2mini]

Thanks Dennis.
Yeah I ordered some reef spec carbon. I bought another wet end to my nano mag lol. I love that algae magnet for small aquariums. I just take out after every use and inspect it to make sure it's not rusting

Good luck!
Sucks what happened but hopefully your troubles clear up quick.

 

[Dugless]

Dennis, can you confirm what kind of cable you have connecting your Profilux to the Powerbars? I ordered some 6" Cat5e cables and GHL won't respond to my emails to confirm whether or not they are compatible. Thanks!

 

[d2mini]

Dennis, can you confirm what kind of cable you have connecting your Profilux to the Powerbars? I ordered some 6" Cat5e cables and GHL won't respond to my emails to confirm whether or not they are compatible. Thanks!

Yeah, any Cat5 cable works fine.
I just raid my IT guy's office when I need a new cable. :lol2:

 

[Dugless]

Am I correct in assuming the powerbars plug into the wall outlet and then the ethernet cables run from the powerbar to the Profilux? I planned on tethering the two powerbars and then only connecting one powerbar to the Profilux. Does this sound accurate?

 

[d2mini]

Am I correct in assuming the powerbars plug into the wall outlet and then the ethernet cables run from the powerbar to the Profilux? I planned on tethering the two powerbars and then only connecting one powerbar to the Profilux. Does this sound accurate?

Correct.

 

[drtrash]

How has the sump design performed? I see somewhere on pg 30 you dumped spray bar.
Any changes you would make?
I assume you skimmer section is adjustable , range?
Any concern with only one drain? Your build is awesome, thanks for taking the time to share knowledge and photo skills

 

[drtrash]

Binged and caught up, good call on reboot. Any design change advice? Not sure i am onboard with high flow, fuge in first chamber, mabe not best idea, debri dump. Smaller fuge can go dormant when nutrient are low verses a full crash, just my observation but never ran a large refugium but my fuge 8x14x11 deplete n&p and low nutrient starved lps. I think a hybrid berlin is the way to go

 

[d2mini]

Binged and caught up, good call on reboot. Any design change advice? Not sure i am onboard with high flow, fuge in first chamber, mabe not best idea, debri dump. Smaller fuge can go dormant when nutrient are low verses a full crash, just my observation but never ran a large refugium but my fuge 8x14x11 deplete n&p and low nutrient starved lps. I think a hybrid berlin is the way to go

Everything is going well so far.
The only thing I wish I had is the room for a bigger sump. A little more room in the middle return section and a little more width on the fuge. But nothing I can do about that. Doing my best with the space I have.

 

[Dugless]

If I have two powerbars, how do the sockets number themselves? 1-5 on the first strip, and then 6-10 on the second?

 

[d2mini]

If I have two powerbars, how do the sockets number themselves? 1-5 on the first strip, and then 6-10 on the second?

Any time you add a new PAB device you have to assign it within GHL Control Center. In that same area of the software you also tell it how to number the sockets.

 

[janci]

If I have two powerbars, how do the sockets number themselves? 1-5 on the first strip, and then 6-10 on the second?

You can set that up in the Profilux program once you are all connected.
They will indeed continue counting... 1-5... 6-10...
The dimable socket can be adjusted to a on/off socket as well.

I use 3 powerbars.

 

[Dugless]

Hey Dennis, can you suggest an image hosting site for posting photos?

 

[drtrash]

In you BO sump did you run 100% of return into sump? How did that design handle 10x flow? i noticed you dumped the spray bar. What about the flow in your LF sump?

 

[d2mini]

Hey Dennis, can you suggest an image hosting site for posting photos?

I use SmugMug and Flickr.
Flickr is free but I think all of SmugMug's plans have a fee.

In you BO sump did you run 100% of return into sump? How did that design handle 10x flow? i noticed you dumped the spray bar. What about the flow in your LF sump?

Yes, 100%. The sump was designed to handle the high flow with the ramp below the teeth on the refugium wall. But my Vectra L1 couldn't get me all that much flow, even at 100% power. Even after reworking some plumbing to remove restriction, I think I maxed out at around 600-650gph. That's like 5-6x turnover. Although, i bet just about anybody without a flow meter is guesstimating their flow at a much higher rate than reality.

My flow now with the LR sump is a little slower. And I send some of my return to the fuge.

 

[drtrash]

So no more drain into sump just tee off return? Any improvements to previous design you would recomend?

 

[d2mini]

So no more drain into sump just tee off return?
Correct. I'm no longer running a Triton tank.

Any improvements to previous design you would recomend?
Nope. Worked fine for Triton.

 

[d2mini]

Finally got around to installing a booster pump on my Spectrapure RO/DI w/Auto Flush.
Got it from SpectraPure during black friday.
Pressure jumped from about 35-40 psi to 92 psi.