drummereef's 180g in-wall build

[drummereef]

I would definitely recommend using the HQI setting as well. 250 watt Radiums are spec'd to run about 300+ watts.

Sounds good Nook. I'll make the change tonight and see how it goes.

 

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


As of last night I removed the GFO reactor from the system. It was time to change the media and since I don't have any on hand I wanted to see how the tank reacts without it for a few days. I replaced the ROX 0.8 Carbon with new and did my weekly water change. As I said before, I don't think my ecoBAK has really kicked into full gear as I haven't given it the opportunity while running GFO along side the bio pellets. Hopefully the system is stable enough to make the swich. If not, I'll buy some more GFO and continue to run it until it is.


I know everyone likes graphs so here's the pH and Temp graphs from last week.

 

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


Another update for you guys. With the threat of winter weather here in the midwest and springtime thunderstorms around the corner I decided it was time to take action on my backup power plan. Luckily in my area we have buried power so outages are kept to a minimum but as you know anything can happen. I contemplated buying a small generator but decided to go a different route for now. Obviously generators are only good if you are home to start them, which for me might not be the best plan.

I decided to buy the Vortech Battery Backup, since I already have Vortechs on the system. I think it will be my best option for keeping the tank oxygenated in the event of short term power loss with minimal maintenance required.

The basement where the tank is located stays relatively warm even in the winter months, so it would take at least a few hours for the ambient temp to drop to unacceptable levels. I'm still investigating a temporary power source for a heater or two, possibly an inverter and deep cell battery combo.


Here's the Vortech Battery Backup. The backup will run 1x MP40w for 36 hours or 2x MP40w for 18 hours continuous. I will post an update on how/were it will be mounted and how it's wired to the wave drivers in the days to come.

 

[cromedogg33]

Brett,

You are right radiums were designed to be run on m80 ballasts or HQI magnetic ballasts. I believe the reason sunlight supply stopped carrying the bluewave series was the are ridiculously heavy and HUGE and more expensive to make. They also give the user more options. With m80's you run radiums SE or 250w DE bulbs. The switchable ballast you can darn near run anything on the market.

The e-ballast they use now is technically designed to run radiums better than any others I believe...only when used on the HQI setting. Like Nook says they run closer to 300-315 than 250w. You will notice a much crisper white with blue tint this way too. You will actually "drive" the bulb rather than underdriving it, which will shorten the life. 12 months should be expected with radiums with acceptable par values. Unless you run them for 12 hours a day :rollface:

On another note since you have not done actinics and nor have I, just a FYI, I'm going to be trying out cree's xr-e 3w with 80degree lenses on my 180. I'm debating on mounting them directly to the aluminum housing the reflectors. I'm a bit worried about sharing the heat with the relfectors but I may just use another piece of aluminum too mounted onto it to spread the heat a bit more. A local reefer he did 6 on his 4ft 120 and it looks great and is comparable to his VHO's he had on it previously.

 

[cromedogg33]

Another question for you Brett

I just got my apex in the mail and then looked at the PH probe and it's asking for low/high calibration. Did you get your solution locally or find a decent place to order from? I'm having no luck getting it here locally.

 

[tegee]

Sounds good Nook. I'll make the change tonight and see how it goes.

Brett....it is my understanding, after speaking with someone very knowledgeable on this subject from SLS, that the "Select-A-Watt" ballast runs the Radiums at 280w on the HQI setting; which is where Radium 250w are spec to run. Not under driving or over driving for that matter. I run old style M80 HQI (seriously thinking about switching to e-ballasts) with 250w Radiums and I believe they run the bulbs at 275w +/- 3%.

So to answer your question from a few posts ago, it looks like you should be running the Select-a-Watts on the HQI setting if you want to match the old style/technology of an HQI with a Radium bulb.....if that makes any sense?

HTH

 

[drummereef]

On another note since you have not done actinics and nor have I, just a FYI, I'm going to be trying out cree's xr-e 3w with 80degree lenses on my 180. I'm debating on mounting them directly to the aluminum housing the reflectors. I'm a bit worried about sharing the heat with the relfectors but I may just use another piece of aluminum too mounted onto it to spread the heat a bit more. A local reefer he did 6 on his 4ft 120 and it looks great and is comparable to his VHO's he had on it previously.

Thanks for the explanation Josh. Tonight before the lamps came on I set the ballasts to HQI. I can say it's definitely brighter and more crisp than before. Actually after looking at the tank for a while my eyes are less fatigued. I'm guessing under driving the bulbs were messing with the color temp quite a bit. I like it! I don't know how much my electric bill will like it though. :lol:

Do you have a link to any builds using the Cree XR-E LEDs? I'd love to check it out.

Another question for you Brett

I just got my apex in the mail and then looked at the PH probe and it's asking for low/high calibration. Did you get your solution locally or find a decent place to order from? I'm having no luck getting it here locally.

I purchased mine from Premium Aquatics when I bought my Apex. They are in Indianapolis so it would be a couple days shipping to Idaho I'm sure. I would think Marine Depot might be a better option for you since they are in Cali. In any event you want pH7 and pH10 calibration solution. I bought Reef Fanatic solution because it was a little cheaper from what I remember. Hope this helps.

So to answer your question from a few posts ago, it looks like you should be running the Select-a-Watts on the HQI setting if you want to match the old style/technology of an HQI with a Radium bulb.....if that makes any sense?

HTH

Definitely, thank you tegee.

 

[henrystyle]

That vortech backup battery is a must have....

 

[110galreef]

UPDATE:


Another update for you guys. With the threat of winter weather here in the midwest and springtime thunderstorms around the corner I decided it was time to take action on my backup power plan. Luckily in my area we have buried power so outages are kept to a minimum but as you know anything can happen.

The basement where the tank is located stays relatively warm even in the winter months, so it would take at least a few hours for the ambient temp to drop to unacceptable levels. I'm still investigating a temporary power source for a heater or two, possibly an inverter and deep cell battery combo.

Just some info for ya...found out not exactly how I wanted too!

2 nights ago my skimmer WAY overflowed & drained my sump as low as it could ....to no longer allow water to circulate thru the sump back to tank. Thus no heat flowed to display tank or frag tank. Anyway based on the messages from my apex, the tank was basically w/o heat for about 7hrs. Tank too is in my basement, and it is winter here in OH as well!

The DT dropped to only 75.5* from 78* where i keep it. CLS still keep water moving. Also tank is acrylic which supposedly helps insualte better than glass. I have about 320g water volume (DT-250g, Frag tank~40g, & sump ~ 40g..granted was about 60% empty.

I need to get my float switches hooked up to prevent this from happening in future. DOH

Luckily my ATO is manual for now! Waiting for the floats to protect against this stuff!

 

[drummereef]

That vortech backup battery is a must have....

:thumbsup:

Just some info for ya...found out not exactly how I wanted too!

2 nights ago my skimmer WAY overflowed & drained my sump as low as it could ....

Wow, sorry to hear that but glad it's OK. I'm assuming you have the collection cup connected to the drain? This is exactly what happened to Steve Weast's system. Skimmer overflowed continuously down the drain and the ATO ran non stop attempting to refill the tank. Glad your ATO was not configured to run like that or it would have been bad news. I'm glad your story had a different ending.

 

[110galreef]

I usually have the collection cup ran normally, & just empty every 4-5 days. It was running weird due to a few changes I made, so figured just drain it for the day or two till it steadies.

Yeah, it honestly is one reason I do ATO manually.

I really am looking to setup ATO via an aqua lifter pump and just have it run say like 4 times a day for 30mins each run. There will have to be a little manual adjustment as evaporation will vary in summer and winter, but should overall keep the water level rather consistent and yet not allow a continuios dumping of ro water into the setup. I seem to lose about 2 gals of water a day right now. So i just need to figure out how long the pump takes to pump 2 gals of water and then spread it out over like 4-6 times a day.

Or, i will just have my ATO limited to save 5-7 days worth of water....like 12-15gals. That way if the ATO ran to keep up it would empty after 15g max. Which on 300+ gals really should have little effect on salinity.

 

[drummereef]

Yeah, it honestly is one reason I do ATO manually....

I hear you. Good plan using the aqualifter, at least it's somewhat of a failsafe. Or, you can just use a Tunze Osmolator and be done with it. :lol2: Optical sensor top off with a backup high-level float switch.

 

[110galreef]

I hear you. Good plan using the aqualifter, at least it's somewhat of a failsafe. Or, you can just use a Tunze Osmolator and be done with it. :lol2:

Yeah, but an aqualifter is like $15 and I have the apex to simply turn it on & off!

Or just add a few floats to the Apex as well. Any advantage to the tunze over floats & apex?

 

[drummereef]

Yeah, but an aqualifter is like $15 and I have the apex to simply turn it on & off!

Or just add a few floats to the Apex as well. Any advantage to the tunze over floats & apex?

Very true. The biggest variable is the optical sensor. It's so much more accurate than a float switch. It's keeps the water level in the return section of my sump within a 1/16" range. Meaning, the water level in my return section never drops below a 1/16" of where I have it set. Also no worries about salt creep locking up the switch or a snail taking a joy ride. I also like having an independent top off device, separate from my Apex. If the Apex should go down or freak out for some odd reason my top off is controlled externally. Just another level of backup.

 

[110galreef]

That does sound sweet. Hard to beat $15 and basically fool proof aqualifter. The time spent setting up the Tunze and i'd have calculated the time the aqualifter needs to run! haha..

Who knows...maybe a new gadget is needed anyway! :spin1:

Is your RO constantly filling up your ATO resevoir? Or do you just fill manually when needed.

 

[drummereef]

That does sound sweet. Hard to beat $15 and basically fool proof aqualifter. The time spent setting up the Tunze and i'd have calculated the time the aqualifter needs to run! haha..

Who knows...maybe a new gadget is needed anyway! :spin1:

Is your RO constantly filling up your ATO resevoir? Or do you just fill manually when needed.

:lol: Yeah the Osmolator is a little more $$$. Currently I manually turn on/off the RO/DI to fill the top off reservoir. I may incorporate a solenoid valve at some point and have it controlled to only fill the reservoir a couple times a day. I like draining the reservoir periodically since standing DI water tends to get TDS creep.

 

[110galreef]

:lol: Yeah the Osmolator is a little more $$$. Currently I manually turn on/off the RO/DI to fill the top off reservoir. I may incorporate a solenoid valve at some point and have it controlled to only fill the reservoir a couple times a day. I like draining the reservoir periodically since standing DI water tends to get TDS creep.

I prefer to manually fill the resevoir for 2 reasons....
1- you mentioned above..minimizing TDS creep by doing larger fills opposed to small frequent additions. I watch & my TDS spikes to about 200-250ppm then quickly over like 2 mins down to a steady 3-4PPM into the DI. That 250 is a lot of extra ppm

I have found my first DI cartridge to last about 3000g of total processed water or ~ 1000g RO water....

2. One more fail safe in event or ATO water being continually added to tank....has to stop when resevoir empties!

 

[psteeleb]

nice addition on the battery back up

I need to work out a plan for some sort of continuous power supply to soome power heads or something. I just got a generator, but as you mention, it's only good if your home to hook it up and fuel it.

 

[henrystyle]

I just dont keep my skimmer cup drain line open. My skimmer sits in my sump so if the skimmer collection cup overflows it will just go back in the sump. My skimmer overflowed on me before and shorted my return pump. Came home to everything off. Will never leave my collection cup drain open again. I drain then close it back. I have a float switch, a diy ato setup and a aqualifter. Works excellent for me.

 

[drummereef]

nice addition on the battery back up

I need to work out a plan for some sort of continuous power supply to soome power heads or something. I just got a generator, but as you mention, it's only good if your home to hook it up and fuel it.

Thanks Pete. You definitely have a more hectic schedule than me it sounds like. I'm not out of town but the times I am away I wouldn't be able to get back for a power situation. I was also informed sensitive electronics such as the Vortech pumps, Apex, or anything with circuit boards shouldn't be run on generators as the variable current isn't good for them. I might add a second Battery Backup in the future but this should get me through the mean time.

I just dont keep my skimmer cup drain line open. My skimmer sits in my sump so if the skimmer collection cup overflows it will just go back in the sump. My skimmer overflowed on me before and shorted my return pump. Came home to everything off. Will never leave my collection cup drain open again. I drain then close it back. I have a float switch, a diy ato setup and a aqualifter. Works excellent for me.

Yeah, too many variables draining the skimmer. Having the skimmate collect it the cup also forces me to clean it on a regular basis. Kind of a build in maintenance reminder.