drummereef's 180g in-wall build

[drummereef]

excellent choice

I checked that guys other reef video on youtube he has some excellent close ups in it where he zoomed prior to recording so the corals are always in focus unlike mine where I'm moving the camera around the tank and zooming in and out while recording.

Yes, I get what you are saying now... just watched that vid. Seems like it worked well getting the macro shot in focus before shooting. Basically all tripod shots. The only panning shot was at the very end which still came across pretty nice I thought.

 

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


So yesterday morning I went down to do some water testing on the tank and when I put my fingers in the tank to draw some water I swore I felt a tingle up my fingers. Yikes! :eek2: So I did some deductive analysis and thought I had a couple of bad heaters. I called Hydor, the company that makes the 2x 200 watt Theo heaters I'm using to see what was up. Mike at Hydor instructed me to pick up an analog voltmeter to make sure there wasn't any stray voltage leaking into the tank from one of the devices.

After testing I'm not exactly sure what to think other than my hands are a little chapped from the weather change this last week so I could have just been feeling the salt on my fingers. The voltmeter testing shows 0 stray voltage... Hmmm. But in any event I'll continue to monitor it now that I have the proper equipment.


The voltmeter that was recommended to me was an AC analog voltmeter, or multimeter. This is opposed to a digital voltmeter that in some cases show nominal noise during testing that can give false readings. Mike explained since saltwater is so conductive the digital meters can essentially get 'confused' as to what's actually "real" voltage. Makes sense, I guess... :lol:


Here's the voltmeter I picked up from Home Depot. Sperry SP-5A, costs $7.

Closeup of the voltmeter. It measures AC, DCV, DC mA, and OHMs.

I also picked up an outlet tester to rule out any possible grounding issues or reverse polarity issue with the conduit run I installed. This meter simply plugs into a receptacle and lights up according to the either correct or incorrect wiring it reads. I'm proud to say all my receptacles were correct. Haha


GB brand Outlet Tester model GRT-3500, cost $3.

 

[110galreef]

try unplugging a thing at a time & "DIP" your had again. See if anything in particular stops the YOWZERS after putting hand in tank and maybe narrow down that way.
BTW

My tank peaked at about just over .25 Ammonia about 9 days in cycle and about 12/13th day was at 0. Maybe the MB7 helped this cycle. Nitrates are up a tad at 3.5 now. Tank is in 14th day of cycle. Phosphates were .30 with Hanna meter.

Any insight here?

 

[drummereef]

try unplugging a thing at a time & "DIP" your had again. See if anything in particular stops the YOWZERS after putting hand in tank and maybe narrow down that way.
BTW

My tank peaked at about just over .25 Ammonia about 9 days in cycle and about 12/13th day was at 0. Maybe the MB7 helped this cycle. Nitrates are up a tad at 3.5 now. Tank is in 14th day of cycle. Phosphates were .30 with Hanna meter.

Any insight here?

That was actually the first thing I did 110. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done but I knew there wasn't enough voltage (if any) to hurt me so I did the finger test as I unplugged each device to see if there was any difference. I was convinced it was the heaters after doing this, which lead me to evaluate it further with the voltmeter. Luckily I think everything is still working as it should, no voltage to speak of.


I would presume the MB7 is helping for sure. Where's the Nitrites (NO2)?? I had a little overlap of Nitrite as the Nitrates were starting to rise. I wouldn't do anything until the Nitrite is completely gone.

 

[henrystyle]

Are those camcorder stills taken top down underwater or through the tank glass?
nice shots!

 

[psteeleb]

Are those camcorder stills taken top down underwater or through the tank glass?
nice shots!

if you are talking about mine - they are taken through the glass

I have been very pleased with it's macro ability - I have to assume that the digital encoder has to be so fast for it to take such clear high definition video that it must help when it comes to creating a sharp focus close up

 

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


Santa came early this year!! I plan on incorporating more videos into the thread now that I have a decent camera. Now all I have to do is learn how to use this thing.

 

[henrystyle]

if you are talking about mine - they are taken through the glass

I have been very pleased with it's macro ability - I have to assume that the digital encoder has to be so fast for it to take such clear high definition video that it must help when it comes to creating a sharp focus close up

Super clear pics for shots through the glass. That camcorder is on sale at Bjs. Just saw it...

 

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


Hey everyone, sorry it's been a while... I've been trying to figure out the best and quickest way to render and upload videos. I've been trying out Sony Vegas but haven't quite got the render settings where I want them yet but I'm getting closer. Anyhow, here's a quick video taken straight from the camera and uploaded to YouTube, no editing (other than length).

Best viewed in either 720p or 1080p HD.



<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZQdd2QnFIjk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZQdd2QnFIjk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

 

[afernandez]

tank looks great! really clean

 

[psteeleb]

!!! PRISTINE !!!

time to get that fuge up and running and start a test SPS or 2

 

[Tyrenlds]

Looks great! it's refreshing to see that you're taking this slow and steady. It's obviously paying off, the nuisance algae seems to be gone. If you take this same approach with coral stocking this will be one hell of a tank IMO.

like psteeleb said; get that fuge going!

 

[MJinMN]

I'm thinking webcam....

 

[dancewithethan]

Looks great Brett. Have you ever try Pinnacle Studio HD? I use it for my 7D video editing. Ease of use and fast from start to finish and upload to YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Q3HbivqcY

Best

 

[drummereef]

tank looks great! really clean

Thanks afernandez!

!!! PRISTINE !!!

time to get that fuge up and running and start a test SPS or 2

Thanks Pete. I'm still brainstorming ideas for the fuge but getting closer. Also might re-evaluate the left side aquascape a bit. But, getting really close to picking up that first coral.

Looks great! it's refreshing to see that you're taking this slow and steady. It's obviously paying off, the nuisance algae seems to be gone. If you take this same approach with coral stocking this will be one hell of a tank IMO.

like psteeleb said; get that fuge going!

Thanks Tyrenlds. I hope all the hard work pays off too.

I'm thinking webcam....

Me too MJinMN. haha!

Looks great Brett. Have you ever try Pinnacle Studio HD? I use it for my 7D video editing. Ease of use and fast from start to finish and upload to YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Q3HbivqcY

Best

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out. Awesome footage of your tank btw!!!

 

[drummereef]

I did some re-aquascaping the last 2 days. I'm really pleased now with the way the tank looks. My main reason for adjusting was to add more horizontal areas for corals to be attached and a lower structure for the corals to grow vertically. I just wasn't confident with the left side of the tank. The rocks were too close to the front glass and also too vertical. So, I adjusted that side and also the middle island for a more balanced look.

I will take a FTS shot tonight when the lights are on so you can see the before and after.

 

[110galreef]

I did some re-aquascaping the last 2 days. I'm really pleased now with the way the tank looks. My main reason for adjusting was to add more horizontal areas for corals to be attached and a lower structure for the corals to grow vertically. I just wasn't confident with the left side of the tank. The rocks were too close to the front glass and also too vertical. So, I adjusted that side and also the middle island for a more balanced look.

I will take a FTS shot tonight when the lights are on so you can see the before and after.

sounds good! I am sure it will look great.

Also how are the biopellets tumbling & doing? How much are you running again? I am going to start w/ 750ml and a slow tumble and see how things go. I figure a bit on the lower side the better. These just get used up over time and new ones need added correct? Nothing to throw away?? Any down time for these when they get used up & new batch is added ...or they run 24/7 365? Also you don't wait for them to disappear before adding more??

 

[henrystyle]

Man start packing this tank up already. What you waiting for? lol

 

[drummereef]

sounds good! I am sure it will look great.

Also how are the biopellets tumbling & doing? How much are you running again? I am going to start w/ 750ml and a slow tumble and see how things go. I figure a bit on the lower side the better. These just get used up over time and new ones need added correct? Nothing to throw away?? Any down time for these when they get used up & new batch is added ...or they run 24/7 365? Also you don't wait for them to disappear before adding more??

The biopellets are still tumbling nicely. That is correct, as bacteria consumes the pellets they will begin to disappear. I would think, ideally, you would want to replenish the pellets as you go instead of waiting until most of them have dissolved. That way you keep the proper ratio in the system at all times. Since it's a bacteria driven system they are meant to be run 24/7, otherwise there can be serious die off which isn't good all around.

Man start packing this tank up already. What you waiting for? lol

I'm giving the noobs a lesson in patience (and me too). :lol: :rollface:

 

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


All kinds of updates tonight! Posting some shots of the updated aquascape. I think this is the final version so next step, CORALS!


FTS 12-15-2010

Again, the idea for updating the aquascape was to add more space between the rocks and front glass and also provide more flat/horizontal surfaces to mount the corals.

Left Side Island

Center Island

Shot from the right side. Here you can see how much room there is between the rock structure and front glass.