My 500 + gallon system. Last 13 years to now. Build, Aquascaping & more. Lots of pics

[dave.m]

The tank is looking very well. Sorry to sound negative but, after all the fuss made earlier about cleaning the coraline algae off the glass, it seems to be pretty much taking over again.

Dave.M

 

[Lytehouse]

it really is interesting and nice that you narrate your videos instead of just hearing the usual tank sounds in the background or some unrelated music.

 

[slief]

The tank is looking very well. Sorry to sound negative but, after all the fuss made earlier about cleaning the coraline algae off the glass, it seems to be pretty much taking over again.

Dave.M

Yea, coraline goes with the territory when it comes to having consistent calcium levels and good lighting. Since my SPS are growing great, I am not surprised the coraline is as well. It was about 13 months ago when we removed the coraline the last time and as you noted, it is coming back with a vengeance. I've been chiseling away at it again little by little and just now ordered the smaller shot scraper which I will have by Friday. I have 3 other scrapers in varying lengths but need the short one to navigate around the corals that are near the glass as well as to get to the coraline along the top edges. That will make it easier to get to some of the spots. I hope to have all the coraline knocked back in the next 3-4 weeks.

it really is interesting and nice that you narrate your videos instead of just hearing the usual tank sounds in the background or some unrelated music.

Thank you!

 

[uwish]

I have seen some of your videos but I am wondering what / how you deal with some of the humidity from your system? How much of your total water volume do you estimate evaporates each day?

 

[slief]

I have seen some of your videos but I am wondering what / how you deal with some of the humidity from your system? How much of your total water volume do you estimate evaporates each day?

I evap about 5 gallons a day during the summer months. I have a large fan installed in a duct that draws air from inside the lighting soffit above the tank and blows it outside the house. There is also a gap in the wall that runs along that side of the tank that allows air to also be pulled from below the tank. I get very little humidity below the tank because the sumps are covered. The end result is that I don't have any noticeable increase in the humidity inside my home. I also covered the walls above and below the tank with special drywall that is covered with FRP to prevent moisture damage in the enclosed spaces.

If you watch this video that covers the system and life support, at about the 10:20 mark, I discuss the ventilation for the tank and the ducting.
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kK_hGSzrOSs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[dangros]

Scott,
Very impressive but in the last video, you show your calc reactor and peristaltic pump. Am I missing something?

The fuge is downstream from my sump and sees the full flow from my return pump which is closet to 3000GPH. There is a lot of flow passing through there. I don't dose anything nor do I run a calcium reactor. Just automated daily water changes of 5 gallons a day using my cheap Instant Ocean salt mix at 1.026.

 

[slief]

Scott,
Very impressive but in the last video, you show your calc reactor and peristaltic pump. Am I missing something?

I am assuming you are talking about the White Cole Parmer Masterflex peristaltic pump? That is a variable speed peristaltic pump that I use to feed and control the flow of the calcium reactor. I kind of explained the logic behind the use of this pump in the video but I will recap it for you.

Traditionally people use power head type pumps or a manifold to feed their reactors and then restrict the flow via a gate valve and or a needle valve on the reactors effluent line. That is done to slow the flow way down. While that method works "ok". the down side to that is that the reactors effluent line tends to clog over time and the flow rates through the reactor change. Those changes can have a direct impact not only on the reactors internal pH but also the tanks Ca and Alk levels. With the Masterflex pump, I set the ml/min flow rate via the pump and it supplies the water from the tank through the reactor at a very precise and controlled rate. I don't need a needle valve or pinch valve on the reactors effluent line to control the flow so the effluent line is always wide open and never ever clogs. The Masterflex pump provides a ton of pressure so the flow through the reactor is ALWAYS consistent and the best part is that I can control the flow down to 1/10 ml/min which gives the utmost in fine tuning control. Between that pump and the precise nature of my regulator, I have complete control over the internal reactor pH and due to the consistency of flow and Co2 rate, the reactors pH and flow is always perfectly consistent. The Masterflex also makes adjusting the reactor pH and or tank levels a breeze. If my alk or CA are too high, I can slow the flow down through the reactor with a push of a button make a minor adjustment to my Co2 rate. If the CA or alk is too low, I can increase the flow with a push of a button or increase the Co2 rate with the turn of a knob on the reactor. The best part is that the combination of the Masterflex and regulator creates such consistent pH levels in the reactor that my Apex never has to shut the Co2 solenoid off and instead only acts as a failsafe. I went over 9 months before I had to add media to my system and never once had to make an adjustment to my reactor during that time. The flow never changed nor the Co2 rate. When I ran the traditional pump reactor feed method using a needle valve to control flow, I had regular clogs in my effluent line which would change the flow and reactor pH. Never again will I go back to that method. The Masterflex makes a Ca reactor a set it and forget it device.

Here is a thread that goes into more detail on the Masterflex pumps when use with calcium reactors.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2368618

There is one more peristaltic pump in my shed which is a Stenner pump but that is used for my ATO.

 

[danrobberg]

Scott,

Have you ever considered solar panels for your house? With all the electricity you use it might be worth it in the long run. Plus a lot of states give tax breaks on them. Southern California seems like a perfect place to utilize this technology.

 

[slief]

Scott,

Have you ever considered solar panels for your house? With all the electricity you use it might be worth it in the long run. Plus a lot of states give tax breaks on them. Southern California seems like a perfect place to utilize this technology.

I've looked into it a few times. It's too expensive for me to buy right now and I don't want to get stuck with a long term lease with locked in power rates. My goal is to move to Montana and having solar with a lease tied to the house is a deterrent for some perspective home owners anyway. My bill is down to around $350 a month which is much less than it was 6 yeas ago and because of my tier and the amount of power I use, solar can only reduce my bill so much because of the limited space on the east facing roof. As such, it just doesn't make sense for me. When panels come down further in cost, I would consider a DIY install but hopefully I will be in Montana by then. :thumbsup:

 

[dangros]

What I was referring to is that you said you do not use a calc reactor b/c you just pump in fresh salt water: "I don't dose anything nor do I run a calcium reactor"

That's a great explanation of the Masterflex! I would get one asap if they werent so dang expensive. My reg is being turned off by the Apex ever few seconds.

 

[slief]

What I was referring to is that you said you do not use a calc reactor b/c you just pump in fresh salt water: "I don't dose anything nor do I run a calcium reactor"

That's a great explanation of the Masterflex! I would get one asap if they werent so dang expensive. My reg is being turned off by the Apex ever few seconds.

What video are you talking about and how far in? Up until about 9 months ago, I didn't run a Ca reactor for a number of years and didn't dose so I'm wondering if it was an older video or if I misspoke in a more recent video.

 

[Newbie Aquarist]

Great informational videos Scott. Now I will have to save my PVC parts after seeing your experience.

 

[dangros]

I have no freak'n idea where that quote came from (cant find it via search) but I copied and pasted it. As you said, it's probably older. Don't sweat it. I just wanted to make sure I understood what hardware was used in this tank and what ways I could emulate yours to close the 20x difference in coral growth rates b/w our tanks

What I was referring to is that you said you do not use a calc reactor b/c you just pump in fresh salt water: "I don't dose anything nor do I run a calcium reactor"

That's a great explanation of the Masterflex! I would get one asap if they werent so dang expensive. My reg is being turned off by the Apex ever few seconds.

 

[slief]

The power went out last night around 10:40PM and was out for a couple hours. I decided to take a flashlight to the reef while the water was nice and calm. Something I haven't done in a long long time. Much to my surprise, there were dozens of baby fish swimming at the surface. I am guessing they were Oscellaris clown fish but possibly 6 line wrasses as my female 6 line was looking like she was carrying a week or so ago. My cardinals breed all the time but baby cardinals look like baby cardinals so I am certain it wasn't them. I'm not prepared to raise baby fish so they will just be part of the food chain. In addition to the baby fish, there were tens of thousands of copepods. I was quite surprised how healthy my pod population is considering the wrasses and other predators in my tank.

here is a quick video I took of the babies.
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2te_Havsl8E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[woodnaquanut]

Nice shots of the little guys!

 

[slief]

I recently setup an Apex controller on LA Fish Guy Jims new upgraded reef tank. The installation was recorded for an LA Fish Guys Tech Talk episode. This episode (9 parts in total) covers the end to end installation of an Apex controller from the connections, firmware update, Fusion, ATO setup, Virtual outlets and MUCH MORE..

Part 1 Unboxing
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xoESeNIOzHY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Part 2 Wiring/Connections
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWzWIGTanT0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Part 3 Firmware Update
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1YZL5Jcm-jY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Part 4 Fusion
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J7Pdvw3lYIc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Part 5 pH probe and calibration
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UeZb-mA2ArE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Part 6 ATO setup
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KNPD3mqEw2A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Part 7. EB8 connections
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UdEBn_8ZYF4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Part 8 Virtual Outlets
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MtRN_fiv7Y0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Part 9 Lighting
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W9MZYz1CMZM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[dave.m]

OMG I can't believe I watched the WHOLE THING!!!

Tons of great info here. Thx so much for your time and efforts.

Dave.M

 

[pmrossetti]

GREAT series Scott. Thanks!!

 

[pmrossetti]

Jim's attic looked pretty spooky.

 

[slief]

OMG I can't believe I watched the WHOLE THING!!!

Tons of great info here. Thx so much for your time and efforts.

Dave.M

Thank you very much! This was kind of fun given that the install went smooth as can be and also since the videos turned out better than I would have expected. Jim did a great job editing it all and putting it together.

GREAT series Scott. Thanks!!

Thank you very much!

Jim's attic looked pretty spooky.

Indeed it was but what you can't see can't scare you and I am probably glad he didn't have lights up there. In watching the videos, I think I am more spooked by the spider webs in my hair that I got when running the network cable under his desk! :thumbsup: