JCole's box of rocks

[JCOLE]

Update on system...

System is doing well and running its course. Corals are growing and coloring up so that is a good sign. I had shoulder surgery two weeks ago but I am doing well. The bad news is I know why Euroquatics went out of business. The lights are not impressing me, to be honest. The connectivity between the computer and the lights is poor, and the software for creating a custom program is a joke. I have already had a couple of lights become disconnected from the master and take on their own schedule. I came home yesterday to find only one light on. I rebooted the lights and it seems the master lost its programming. I factory defaulted all lights and tried programming from scratch but the ones I could finally get to connect to the computer would not take the custom programming.

I ended up factory defaulting all lights. I paired the 3 lights over each section to 10K and the remainder of the lights to 20k. I am controlling the lights with basic on/off scheduling from the Apex. Fortunately, so far things seem to be working this way. If it happens again, then I am ripping them out and putting T5's back up.

 

[JohnL]

I am crazy like that.

Lol

 

[kharmaguru]

Bummer

 

[JCOLE]

Bummer

It is all good. I guess that post was a downer. I am on some good pain meds, and I guess I put a little more emotion into the situation. The lights are working fine for now, just on a dummy setup instead of custom scheduling. For $30 a light, I cannot get upset.

 

[JCOLE]

I am making another custom skimmer. I am using a simplicity skimmer and it does ok but I feel it could be better. I sent an ICP to Fauna Marin and my DOCs came back high. Instead of dropping a crazy amount of $$ on small acrylic tubing and a pump, I am going the DIY route. I don't know if anyone saw my older attempts out of 5 gallon buckets but although ugly, it did really well.
.
This time around I am making a beast of a recirculating skimmer out of a 55 gallon drum. All of the parts should be here this week, and I will post some pictures whenever I get it completed and start testing.

I am going to build this one off of the same premise as my older one. Large body style with a small neck. I am going with a 2 1/2" neck for now. Below is the video of that one working. It is ugly but I will take this same venturi concept with the new one.

If anyone has any ideas, issues, etc with this, then let me know because I am winging it at this point.

 

[griss]

It is all good. I guess that post was a downer. I am on some good pain meds, and I guess I put a little more emotion into the situation. The lights are working fine for now, just on a dummy setup instead of custom scheduling. For $30 a light, I cannot get upset.

I'm really shocked that you're having these issues. Once I got past my non-technical issues with the lights (thanks to @kharmaguru), I really haven't had any problems (knock on wood). My tank is in the basement and I have no issues connecting to Euronet using a laptop on the main floor of the house. And, other than having to "reset" the lights by powering down one time, I've had no issues.

 

[JCOLE]

I'm really shocked that you're having these issues. Once I got past my non-technical issues with the lights (thanks to @kharmaguru), I really haven't had any problems (knock on wood). My tank is in the basement and I have no issues connecting to Euronet using a laptop on the main floor of the house. And, other than having to "reset" the lights by powering down one time, I've had no issues.

You are not running a custom schedule, correct? I think that is where the issue is. I am no longer running a schedule myself. I defaulted all lights and control them with the push button on the light itself. 3 are paired for 10K and the other 6 are paired for 20k. The 20K and 10K are on their own separate circuits, so I can use the 20K as the dawn/dusk lights and the 10K as daylight. I haven't had any issues doing it this way so far.

 

[griss]

You are not running a custom schedule, correct? I think that is where the issue is. I am no longer running a schedule myself. I defaulted all lights and control them with the push button on the light itself. 3 are paired for 10K and the other 6 are paired for 20k. The 20K and 10K are on their own separate circuits, so I can use the 20K as the dawn/dusk lights and the 10K as daylight. I haven't had any issues doing it this way so far.

I AM running a custom schedule. I didn't like the look/times of their pre-set schemes.

 

[JCOLE]

I AM running a custom schedule. I didn't like the look/times of their pre-set schemes.

Ah, ok. I thought you were just running their 15k schedule. Hope everything is good with the lights. I don't trust them after what just happened. I hope they continue to work the way I have them but if not, then I am going to switch them out.

 

[griss]

Ah, ok. I thought you were just running their 15k schedule. Hope everything is good with the lights. I don't trust them after what just happened. I hope they continue to work the way I have them but if not, then I am going to switch them out.

Yeah, I'm just surprised because I haven't really had any issues but, I'm only running 3 right now. That might change (hopefully not) when the upgrade is complete and I move to 6 of them.

 

[Dustin07]

kinda funny but I feel like I'm unhappy with my lights for the first time in 5 years but it honestly could be the long pnw days we have here skewing what I see where the tank is now. I have run the redsea's for all these years and have been super happy with them but I'm honestly struggling to get the right lighting to make both me and the corals impressed right now.... I sorta think its the amount of natural daylight the tank is unfortunately exposed to.