drummereef's 180g in-wall build

[drummereef]

Hi Brett -
I love following along this thread. You do great work and its an inspriation to follow!

Ever since I saw your sliding light rack I knew that's what I needed/wanted. I have 8x60" T5 lights mounted on an aluminum rack I built a few yrs ago. Its the suspension system I need to upgrade. I love the one you got from McMaster-Carr.

Two questions:

1) can you confirm the equipment you used? I see different types of tracks/rollers and am not sure (I know you posted it at least once before so sorry!)

2) As I plan mine out, is there anything you would (or have) done differently from your original light rack?


EDIT: ooops, one last quesiton. I remember you were battling algae, maybe cyano and just overall nutrient issues a few months back? Can you point me to the appx time b/c I'd like to go back and see what you did. thanks

Here's the specs from McMaster Carr. I bought Stanley brand rail kits for bypass doors for my light rack. They come in various lengths but I bought the 8' and cut it to the length I needed. They are the 150lb capacity rails.

150-lb. Capacity Track Sets
4 ft. 1 13/16" 1 3/16" 1 3/8" to 1 3/4" 1223A6 43.50
5 ft. 1 13/16" 1 3/16" 1 3/8" to 1 3/4" 1223A21 46.44
6 ft. 1 13/16" 1 3/16" 1 3/8" to 1 3/4" 1223A8 50.79
8 ft. 1 13/16" 1 3/16" 1 3/8" to 1 3/4" 1223A22 60.33

Here's the post from that time in the build...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16780597&postcount=827

I've implemented various methods for nutrient control over the last couple years. Bio pellets, GFO, Carbon, Kalk Dosing, Kent-M dosing along with various combinations of bacteria dosing including MB7, Special Blend, Zeobak and BioMate in conjunction with either ZeoZyme, Zeo Coral Snow and/or Warner Marine Ultimate Snow. All the products I mentioned work but it depends on what application you are using it for. Honestly I'm still battling a little algae here and there, I believe from the addition of the new rock in the fuge - which is to be expected. But for the most part it's relatively mild compared to the original outbreaks when I first set up the tank.

The new corals are great addition to the tank. Lucky pic

Thank you salali! They are finally starting to encrust over the frag plugs which is a good sign.

 

[drummereef]

Hey guys, question for you... My current nutrient levels are 0 NO3 (API) and 0.19 PO4 (Hanna Phosphorous ULR). Any reason why I can't get my Purple Stag or Tri-Color Acros to color up. They have a tiny bit of color but are mostly brown. Growth is good but my colors are lacking quite a bit. Nutrient levels have been relatively constant for months, so I'm out of ideas here... Thoughts?

 

[110galreef]

look really really close for red bugs? How is polyp extension? They may need more light. Move up as High as you can.

Other than that params are perfect! Cal & ALK steady??

 

[cromedogg33]

What is the placement in your tank right now?

I have a helluva time keeping really good color on my tri colors as well, they just stay brownish with some green/purple but nothing like they should be.

I've had the best luck keeping them as low as I can in my tank and that seems to work a bit better.

 

[aquaph8]

My tricolor did the same thing. It was brown forever then one day I got sick of it and threw it to the side of the tank on the sand bed cause I needed the space temporarily and it started coloring up. I have the same issue with my Elias stag, I haven't figured that one out yet though.

 

[drummereef]

look really really close for red bugs? How is polyp extension? They may need more light. Move up as High as you can.

Other than that params are perfect! Cal & ALK steady??

Ca is ~440 Alk is steady at 9.8. I haven't seen any red bugs but I can't say I know exactly what to look for. Polyp extension is good for the most part. I'll post a few pics in a bit...

What is the placement in your tank right now?

I have a helluva time keeping really good color on my tri colors as well, they just stay brownish with some green/purple but nothing like they should be.

I've had the best luck keeping them as low as I can in my tank and that seems to work a bit better.

I have 2 main frags and one small one I'm considering trading. The two main frags are just below the midpoint in the tank as my rock-scape is relatively low to begin with. Thanks for the info on the height... What do you do when the base is completely encrusted on the surrounding rock?

My tricolor did the same thing. It was brown forever then one day I got sick of it and threw it to the side of the tank on the sand bed cause I needed the space temporarily and it started coloring up. I have the same issue with my Elias stag, I haven't figured that one out yet though.

Good to know there's others with the same issue. :uhoh3:

 

[drummereef]

Here's a couple pics of the offending corals. As you can see, polyp extension seems to be good but I just can't get these to color up despite their solid growth.


Purple Stag.

Tri-Color Acro.

Purple Digitata

Unknown Acro. I think it should be bright yellow based upon the growth on the base of the coral.

 

[110galreef]

doubt red bugs, as that is great polyp extension.

Maybe just ugly ducklings! hahaha

 

[Reefahholic]

Brett, how often are you testing your alk, cal, and mag?

Ima bout to start adding a few corals and was wondering how long it takes to get dialed in on dosing regimen or how quick only a few corals consume those supplements.

Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

New corals looking nice!

 

[cromedogg33]

doubt red bugs, as that is great polyp extension.

Maybe just ugly ducklings! hahaha

+1 to maybe just ugly ducklings.

You went back to radiums right? Your tri-colors look almost identical to mine, mine just have purple tips but nothing else but brownish/green. Have you added any actinics yet?

Are all of your other corals colored up?

 

[drummereef]

doubt red bugs, as that is great polyp extension.

Maybe just ugly ducklings! hahaha

Son of a.... hahahaha! They certainly didn't look like this in Nook's tank under the same lighting though. :facepalm:

Brett, how often are you testing your alk, cal, and mag?

Ima bout to start adding a few corals and was wondering how long it takes to get dialed in on dosing regimen or how quick only a few corals consume those supplements.

Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

New corals looking nice!

I test semi-frequently, usually weekly for the most part. I dose Kalk to keep my Ca and Alk in check. It took maybe a week to get it completely dialed in to where I was comfortable, but it's not hard at all. I use a dosing pump to regulate how much Kalk the system needs per day. Just test your levels one day, then wait 24 hours and retest. The results will tell you how much your tank demands so you can dose accordingly. I check Mag monthly but don't really have an issue with a lot of Mag consumption at this point so I top off when needed. What method of dosing are you going to use?

+1 to maybe just ugly ducklings.

You went back to radiums right? Your tri-colors look almost identical to mine, mine just have purple tips but nothing else but brownish/green. Have you added any actinics yet?

Are all of your other corals colored up?

Yes, I am currently using Radiums but am open to ideas as it's getting close to bulb changing season. I haven't added any actinics yet... Do you think that could be contributing to the lack of color? What lights are you using currently?

 

[blackthunda77]

I had similar issues with my tricolor, a couple digis, and caps. Unfortunately i did one too many changes to know which exactly was the culprit but one of them did, or a combination of all. I removed my GFO and carbon reactors to clean them (never put them back on cuz i got lazy, been 2 weeks). cleaned out my sump, removed all the cheato and live rock which i had in my "cryptic" section of the sump and removed all detritus. Also started dosing brightwells ammino acids. The one with the eye dropper. About 10 drops per 120 gals total volume. Since then my tricolor has vibrant greens and purples, and my caps and digis have colored up exponentially.

I have dual 250 radiums on a shallow 16 inch deep blue rimless frag tank. I think i had too much light and too little nutrients. Nitrates were somewhere uner 5-10 on a salifert kit and phosphates were 0.06 on a lab grade hanna meter.

Heres a link to my build threads latest photos i took last night. You can kinda see the darkening of color in the seasons greetings monti frag. http://www.reefcentral.org/forums/showpost.php?p=20823198&postcount=270

 

[cromedogg33]

I don't think it's a nutrient issue.

I do believe adding actinics will help the look of your corals for sure. Blue light can make most things look better to the eye.

I know a few people who have trouble with tri-colors period. I believe reefbum always fought the problem you/I have. If those are from nook's tank and look different then maybe you can compare notes.

With my limited corals in my tank, I have a hard time keeping purple really purple. My Garf Bonsai always lightens up no matter where it is. Are you dosing any supllements to bring out color?

I don't think you need to move from radiums at all, they are growing out really nicely and fairly quickly. Maybe look at getting some LED's or VHO's for actinics.

 

[drummereef]

I had similar issues with my tricolor, a couple digis, and caps. Unfortunately i did one too many changes to know which exactly was the culprit but one of them did, or a combination of all. I removed my GFO and carbon reactors to clean them (never put them back on cuz i got lazy, been 2 weeks). cleaned out my sump, removed all the cheato and live rock which i had in my "cryptic" section of the sump and removed all detritus. Also started dosing brightwells ammino acids. The one with the eye dropper. About 10 drops per 120 gals total volume. Since then my tricolor has vibrant greens and purples, and my caps and digis have colored up exponentially.

I have dual 250 radiums on a shallow 16 inch deep blue rimless frag tank. I think i had too much light and too little nutrients. Nitrates were somewhere uner 5-10 on a salifert kit and phosphates were 0.06 on a lab grade hanna meter.

Heres a link to my build threads latest photos i took last night. You can kinda see the darkening of color in the seasons greetings monti frag. http://www.reefcentral.org/forums/showpost.php?p=20823198&postcount=270

Excellent info, thank you blackthunda. I think there's an underlying bacterial issue still. I have small outbreaks of that same brown dino/cyano stuff from time to time. I think that is also contributing to the corals not fully coloring up. I appreciate the help.

I don't think it's a nutrient issue.

I do believe adding actinics will help the look of your corals for sure. Blue light can make most things look better to the eye.

I know a few people who have trouble with tri-colors period. I believe reefbum always fought the problem you/I have. If those are from nook's tank and look different then maybe you can compare notes.

With my limited corals in my tank, I have a hard time keeping purple really purple. My Garf Bonsai always lightens up no matter where it is. Are you dosing any supllements to bring out color?

I don't think you need to move from radiums at all, they are growing out really nicely and fairly quickly. Maybe look at getting some LED's or VHO's for actinics.

Indeed. It's something that I'm really wanting to add to my lighting setup. I've contemplated going all LED but I haven't been able to justify the cost at this point. There's some nice, cheaper, fixtures out there but they lack the bells and whistles of the more robust fixtures - that over time I think I would kick myself for not getting. I think i could add some 460nm LED's to my existing light rack and use the rack itself as the heat sink. Need to do a little more research though... LED's are still an area of the hobby that I really don't know enough about. :twitch:

 

[cromedogg33]

I'm still on the fence on moving over as you. I have a friend who just started using AI Sol blues on one side vs his 250 radium on the other side. So far there are definately pros and cons IMO.

I think you give up some of the "pop" in color that you get with radiums/actinics. Not to say that coral doesn't still color up, I just think it's different in some cases. Some better some not.

I haven't made the jump just yet due to the initial cost as well. With my tank being in my basement I have no heat issues so that's not another involved cost. I don't fight my A/C running in the summer either due to heat from the tank.

A 100$+ in bulbs each year does get old though

I figured if you run AI sol, you have about 75w per pendant. According to AI you would need 2 sol's per 250w light you are running....meaning 6 for your tank. Thats 450w vs the 750 you are currently using. I'm on m80 ballasts so I'm a bit closer to 900w.

All food for thought. You can definately use your rack for LED's as I've been doing that for the past 2 years and they work great. Just buy some thermal adhesive and run your wiring and you are good to go!

 

[drummereef]

I'm still on the fence on moving over as you. I have a friend who just started using AI Sol blues on one side vs his 250 radium on the other side. So far there are definately pros and cons IMO.

I think you give up some of the "pop" in color that you get with radiums/actinics. Not to say that coral doesn't still color up, I just think it's different in some cases. Some better some not.

I haven't made the jump just yet due to the initial cost as well. With my tank being in my basement I have no heat issues so that's not another involved cost. I don't fight my A/C running in the summer either due to heat from the tank.

A 100$+ in bulbs each year does get old though

I figured if you run AI sol, you have about 75w per pendant. According to AI you would need 2 sol's per 250w light you are running....meaning 6 for your tank. Thats 450w vs the 750 you are currently using. I'm on m80 ballasts so I'm a bit closer to 900w.

All food for thought. You can definately use your rack for LED's as I've been doing that for the past 2 years and they work great. Just buy some thermal adhesive and run your wiring and you are good to go!

Thanks for the info Chrome. Where did you buy your actinic LEDs? If you have a minute can you list the drivers, LEDs, and optics you used? Thanks!

 

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


A couple of FTS for you...

 

[iced98lx]

looks great Brett, love the openness and what it will ook like when those SPS get big

 

[cromedogg33]

Brett,

Here is how I put them on the frame that I build almost identical to how you did. It's literally some thermal adhesive and some wire I had laying around. I'm sure if you do it you will be able to run the wire inside the frame.

I'll have to dig up the recipt to figure out exactly what I bought. I bought 2 drivers and 24 LED's from rapidled. I believe they are the cree-XRE with either 60 or 80 degree lenses on them.

 

[drummereef]

looks great Brett, love the openness and what it will ook like when those SPS get big

Thanks iced. Now if I can just get them to color up...

Brett,

Here is how I put them on the frame that I build almost identical to how you did. It's literally some thermal adhesive and some wire I had laying around. I'm sure if you do it you will be able to run the wire inside the frame.

I'll have to dig up the recipt to figure out exactly what I bought. I bought 2 drivers and 24 LED's from rapidled. I believe they are the cree-XRE with either 60 or 80 degree lenses on them.

Excellent, thanks for the info crome. Are the 24 LEDs enough to cut through your 3 Radiums? Can you really see a difference when the Radiums are on? Also, what did you do to waterproof the solder points?