Foam Rockwall w/ built in refuge for a 26 gal bowfront

[Michael Hoaster]

I see. It's cool that you can do that!

Bacterial laziness? Classic! Bacterial denial! It's a slippery slope…

Eww, I hope it's not trapped air. Does he have to swim downward to keep from floating up? It seems if it was that much air it would effect his buoyancy.

Yes, a year is a bit long.

Sounds like a caulerpa. Is it growing? Is it lit?

 

[sam.basye]

I see. It's cool that you can do that!

Bacterial laziness? Classic! Bacterial denial! It's a slippery slope"¦

Eww, I hope it's not trapped air. Does he have to swim downward to keep from floating up? It seems if it was that much air it would effect his buoyancy.

Yes, a year is a bit long.

Sounds like a caulerpa. Is it growing? Is it lit?

Bacterial laziness is a real dilemma in the foam reef. haha
I promise to start doing a better job.

Don't think its trapped air.. definitely no buoyancy problems.

Not sure if its growing yet, came with lots on micro brittle stars and tube worms that are taking over the 'fuge. I think it is lit, hard to tell with the light being lower. Will try to take a decent pic of it soon.


Got some free snails today!

The lcd screen of my light makes a perfect moonlight in the tank after the blue moonlights shut off for the night. It looks exactly like real moonlight. Barely visible white light.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Remember the 3 months of green hell I went through? I don't want that for you.

So, this fish has swelled up, pregnant-like before, then it went away, but no eggs or babies? Could she(?) have eaten them before you ever saw them? And she's swole again. Maybe an egg-producing cycle?

If the caulerpa grows, then you need it. It could replace the bacterial matrix. Those stars and worms are great! They'll help clean. And snails, what kind?

Sweet, getting the bonus, built-in moonlight! Looks cool, doesn't it?

 

[sam.basye]

Remember the 3 months of green hell I went through? I don't want that for you.

So, this fish has swelled up, pregnant-like before, then it went away, but no eggs or babies? Could she(?) have eaten them before you ever saw them? And she's swole again. Maybe an egg-producing cycle?

If the caulerpa grows, then you need it. It could replace the bacterial matrix. Those stars and worms are great! They'll help clean. And snails, what kind?

Sweet, getting the bonus, built-in moonlight! Looks cool, doesn't it?

Sounds vaguely familiar.. Lol
I definitely don't want that either. I fought gha when I had the 2.5 and 5gal tanks. I would take the one big rock out and scrub it with a toothbrush every week. Not fun!

I probed the scuba/snorkel forum and think it is a female Sheepshead Minnow.
Couldn't find anything other than single and separate sexes. So that possibly throws out the hermaphrodite theory..
I can't see much of anything in the back, so it's possible there are eggs.

Took this when lights came on today.


I got about 5 nassarius and about 5 little nerite snails. Same person I got the Xenia from 6 months ago. I was offered a yellow tang, but decided I didn't want the tang police kicking down my door. Lol It was pretty though.


You can see the white light around the edges of the LCD screen. This is what casts into the tank all night. Perfect imitation of moonlight. The blue acts as a night light for the bedroom.

 

[sam.basye]

Been a while since the last update.

The skimmer isn't performing as well after removing the foam rings inserts that I made. Removed them last cleaning.

The new light had to be turned up as coral isn't doing as well. Lower digi frags are browning out and shaded tissue dieing off.
Ordered some new LED's and completely redoing the layout.

Made a little frag rack.



Bubble tips are getting bigger and haven't split yet.



This didn't make the wife happy. Lol



Look how nice it all cleaned up!
Gonna keep the skimmer, reactor, and Eheim pump.



Going to modify the MTC Pro-4500 skimmer to accept a needle wheel pump. It's 36" tall!

Also going to modify the MTC Pro-1200 reactor into a reversible flow sand filter.

Pretty excited about how they cleaned up. I wanted to make a sand filter and found this stuff on Craigslist. The reactor is exactly what I was looking for.

Not sure if I will use either on the current tank, but will for sure when I upgrade.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Nice work on the clean up!

What do you mean by: "Ordered some new LED's and completely redoing the layout"? Could you elaborate?

I try to do the questionable stuff when the wife's away. Codium smoothie anyone?

 

[kenneth wolfe]

I have that same bio wheel filter sitting around and thought about making an algae scrubber out of it buy putting leds on it and the algae inside of the wheel

 

[sam.basye]

Nice work on the clean up!

What do you mean by: "Ordered some new LED's and completely redoing the layout"? Could you elaborate?

I try to do the questionable stuff when the wife's away. Codium smoothie anyone?

Thanks! I got the "what the hell is that" look when I was carrying it all
through the front door. Haha. Then I got the "go to hell" look when she saw the giant bio filter on the porch.

I'm a firm believer in the "it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission" concept. My wife however is not! Lmao

As for the LED's..
I'm not happy with the color array in the used 24" I got. I think the original owner had a custom layout done as I couldn't find this exact layout on anything online.
Going to take the light apart because I don't think it's very conducive for good growth/penetration.
I bought 11 new LED's and will be unsoldering all but the reds and resolder them in new locations. I'll post a pic of the old vs new array I came up with soon. I drew it out and made a spreadsheet with the changes.
I'm getting rid of the 6 3500k warm whites and replacing with stronger whiter LED's, adding a 380nm uv, and switching the white to the blue channel and blue to white. It will slightly affect the moon / white lights, but I think it will work.


Kenneth,
The MTC bio filter is huge and heavy! Going to try and sell it locally. To pay for everything I got and get it out of the bedroom floor. Lol
Good algae scrubber idea.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Sounds like you're going to dream up some brilliant DIY design!

 

[sam.basye]

Here's the new layout plan!
The idea is to blend the full spectrum colors a little better.

 

[sam.basye]

Sooo, no progress in the light. Still waiting on the extra LED's to show up.
But! I have new plans for the light..

It's going to be a Super Light! Lol
I realized the issue I'm having with the 24" vs my old 16".

The more densely packed LED's in the 16" deliver way more par at all levels compared to the 24" which has the same amount of LED's, just spread further apart.

16" PAR


24" PAR

Never really thought the the difference would be this much..


What is my solution I'm sure no one will ask? More LED's!!!

Just bought a Reef Breeders Photon 16 driver I plan on adding to the case and adding 26 more LED's to the unit. Soo, I will be adding 78w. Total of 233w.

Going to add mostly blues and a few whites.

This will then be good enough for a 30" tall tank I want in the future.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Sounds like a bright idea! Sorry.

 

[Cammunoz]

Awesome! man you got to tell me where u got that ip camera?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sam.basye]

Thanks!

Here's a link to the camera I bought on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/371531872726?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Paid only $27 I think for an open box with all parts.

 

[Cammunoz]

does it do color too?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sam.basye]

does it do color too?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sure does.
Just took these. Live feed.

 

[Cammunoz]

Awesome!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sam.basye]

Are you modeling a specific reef zone? Do you have a fish list? Do you have any overall goals/philosophies?

Not really modeling anything other than what I like or think is cool.

The only philosophy I have is: Buy it, then try to avoid the wife when she finds out about it.

The only goal I have is: Not to kill everything..




Light Update!

All the led's came in for phase 1 of the light overhaul.

Here is my kitchen table/workspace and the light taken apart. lol




BAM!



The tank is way brighter after getting rid of the 3500k warm whites and redoing the layout. Just need to rethink the ramp settings since I switched the channels.


Phase 2 is going to be the big one..

I bought the power supply/driver for up to 27 LED's, but now have a new and even more ridiculous plan!

Going to buy another driver! I will effectively be doubling the LED's in the light. Splicing in 2 additional drivers and ~50 more LED's with 60 degree optics - still in the planning phases and will figure out an LED list soon.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

You and I have the same wife-based philosophy.

Sounds like you're going a little nuts with the lights. One more upgrade and you've got yourself an X-ray machine.

I see you haven't attempted the foam wall repair yet. Or were you going for a holodeck look?

 

[sam.basye]

You and I have the same wife-based philosophy.

Sounds like you're going a little nuts with the lights. One more upgrade and you've got yourself an X-ray machine.

I see you haven't attempted the foam wall repair yet. Or were you going for a holodeck look?

Lol, the wife is essentially the fish police. I can get away with some things, but if I go to crazy, things don't end well for me. Haha


You may be right... I went to the LFS and they have a 24" cube I was looking at (I eventually want one that is 30" tall) and got the gears turning.. Instead of one super x-ray machine [emoji14] I might change the plan to adding just one more power supply and the doing the same to a second light for better coverage when the time comes.

On a better note, the new layout is way nicer and the color pops better than it ever has! I'm getting green polyps back on the digital frags that browned out, hoping the monti tissue recession has stopped, and a sweet red glow from the clownfish when under the red LED's now.
The new 380nm UV LED is very cool. It casts a murky, almost green light into the tank when just the moonlights are on.

I still don't know what to do about the receding foam wall.. I'm too nervous to foam with live critters in there... That and I don't think a can of foam is worth $13. Lol

Currently I'm having car troubles, so that has been the priority for a while...