Pete's 280 log
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psteeleb
Team RC
not so pretty stuff
here is a minor modification I just made to my refugium lighting
removed the old single reflector and replaced it with two. I'm wanted to get more light spread in the refugium, it also means relocating the skimmer overflow to another location in front of the sump. I'll have to rig up a small stand for it to sit on.
old refuge light
new refuge lighting
yuck - looks like it's time to clean the skimmer
here is a minor modification I just made to my refugium lighting
removed the old single reflector and replaced it with two. I'm wanted to get more light spread in the refugium, it also means relocating the skimmer overflow to another location in front of the sump. I'll have to rig up a small stand for it to sit on.
old refuge light
new refuge lighting
yuck - looks like it's time to clean the skimmer
BigJay
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14021616#post14021616 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by psteeleb
I'm going to add more CUC. I think I'll place an order for about 200 hermits, some more snails and a few peppermints this Sunday as I'm down to practically nothing and my tank is showing lots of nuisance alga.
I need another 20 asterina snails and maybe 5-10 hermits, I'll call you tomorrow and we'll place the order. Sorry to hear about the frogspawn head. That was the one that the mille stabbed pretty deep.
I added the new sand I bought (using Marc's handy instructions), and put in the new deresa clam. It has opened up nicely and appears satisfied with its new home. My only concern is that I have no detectable phosphates, and you said that I would need a little for it.
BigJay
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14025594#post14025594 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by psteeleb
yuck - looks like it's time to clean the skimmer
You beat me and Marc to it. :lol:
I love the look of the new refugium lights. I added a second lamp months ago when Marc suggested it to increase macro growth and nutrient export. It worked like a charm, I'm pulling out fistfuls of macro and featherdusters every other week.
psteeleb
Team RC
Jay - sounds good - I have to go into work tomorrow so it will be later in the evening, just let me know what you want.
Clams like a little phosphate; from what I've read, but undetectable does not mean you have none. With you feeding flake food I would venture to say you have some, but, your macro algae and GFO are consuming or absorbing it to a point that it is undetectable.
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psteeleb
Team RC
here is another little mod for today 
I needed a place to put frags and really didn't like the looks of a frag rack. One day I hope to add a frag tank to the system but in the meantime I decided to take another approach
I took a piece of flat live rock and drilled several holes in it that are large enough to hold frag plugs
drilling holes using a masonry bit
holes drilled - I rinsed the muck off before putting it back in the tank
and presto - one easy and natural frag rack
okay - time to go clean the skimmer before Marc fusses at me :lol:
oh, and the real not so pretty job today has been blasting all my rock of detritus and cyno bacteria and trying to suck it out of the tank - double yuck
I needed a place to put frags and really didn't like the looks of a frag rack. One day I hope to add a frag tank to the system but in the meantime I decided to take another approach
I took a piece of flat live rock and drilled several holes in it that are large enough to hold frag plugs
drilling holes using a masonry bit
holes drilled - I rinsed the muck off before putting it back in the tank
and presto - one easy and natural frag rack
okay - time to go clean the skimmer before Marc fusses at me :lol:
oh, and the real not so pretty job today has been blasting all my rock of detritus and cyno bacteria and trying to suck it out of the tank - double yuck
BigJay
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14025690#post14025690 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by psteeleb
oh, and the real not so pretty job today has been blasting all my rock of detritus and cyno bacteria and trying to suck it out of the tank - double yuck
How long did the blasting and siphoning take?
It took me three hours to do that, and remove two big handfuls of valonia out at the same time.
psteeleb
Team RC
I'm not really keeping track of time as I'm doing it in sections. I'll blast an area then try to suck out or net out the bigger chunks of cyno and them I'll let the tank clear and inspect the corals to make sure I don't have any hanging up in them. I've been doing the other little things between sections, so far I'm probably 40% done. I'm seriously thinking about getting an inline canister filter or maybe a Diatomaceous earth filter to deal with all this detritus. Just something else to consider
at least I got the skimmer cleaned up :lol:
I still need to build a little stand for the collection container
psteeleb
Team RC
while driving home I was thinking about a placement for the Hammer frag I got from Marc, then I realized I didn't remember seeing it before I left. Sure enough, after looking around some I saw that it fell between some rocks but it appeared okay. I had to move some rocks to retrieve it and sort of ****ed it off in the process. Nice thing is, the two heads are now 6 turning to 8
psteeleb
Team RC
thanks - as far as I know there is not a common name, just Acropora Microcaldus. I mail ordered it from a place in Oregon called Upscales. It is one of my favorites
http://www.upscales.com/merchant.ihtml?pid=437&step=4
psteeleb
Team RC
no problem - I like their stuff and hope to order form them again some time in the future
Lighting
Originally - I ran 4 250w 14k coralview in flat polished aluminum reflectors
I then bought a set up from a guy primarily for the 72" atinic VHO's but it came with 2 400w and a 175w MH set up that was all mounted in a 72" hood. I modified this hood to run the atinics, 2 250w and the 2 400w bulbs and ran with this over a year. I wasn't real pleased with the penetration so this year I changed out the entire set up using the Lumabright mini reflectors and I'm very pleased with them.
Right now I run my atinics from 8am to 11pm, and 3 250w from 12noon to 9pm. I am using 12k Reflux in the 250 w fixtures. I will also occasionally run 2 400w 10k Reflux, also in the Lumabright mini reflectors for about 2 hours but only once or twice a week.
I plan to change the 400s to something a little more permanent by putting them on a timer to run for 1-2 hours a day with a high temp shut off.
here is the second set up
and the current set up being built into an aluminum frame
the current set up in place
melev
Well-known member
Pete, you did good with that skimmer. Now you need to clean up the reactors, and the refugium wall so you can see your cute little pods.
The reactors can be cleaned in a bucket of muriatic acid and water, or maybe you could hook up a washing manifold to run acid through them for 20 minutes, then pull them apart for cleaning. :lol:
The refugium bulbs are pretty high up. I'd lower them, and probably get rid of the aluminum reflectors. However, if you put something behind them to shield the reactors, the coralline & algae growth in them would be less.
Glad you found the hammer frag. It looks like it is doing quite well.
The reactors can be cleaned in a bucket of muriatic acid and water, or maybe you could hook up a washing manifold to run acid through them for 20 minutes, then pull them apart for cleaning. :lol:
The refugium bulbs are pretty high up. I'd lower them, and probably get rid of the aluminum reflectors. However, if you put something behind them to shield the reactors, the coralline & algae growth in them would be less.
Glad you found the hammer frag. It looks like it is doing quite well.
how deep is your tank? I have the same lighting and was told I didn't need to run them many hours a day 5-6 hours about 15" distance from the bulb to the water.
Maybe I misunderstood the total hours recommended with the reflectors, I just read another post where someone runs them 8.5 hours.
How high off the water is yours?
I love the light rack, saw another similar to yours online somewhere. Think I'm going to have to build one myself.
Maybe I misunderstood the total hours recommended with the reflectors, I just read another post where someone runs them 8.5 hours.
How high off the water is yours?
I love the light rack, saw another similar to yours online somewhere. Think I'm going to have to build one myself.
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psteeleb
Team RC
thanks Marc
I cleaned one of the reactors that needed the carbon changed and I'll get to that other one here in a couple minutes (the one on the left). The one on the right has GFO and it's still good for a month or so.
I did (and do) use Muriatic acid to clean the coraline. It only takes about a one in ten dilution to break that coraline up in no time
good call on the reflectors - they don't add anything with the bulbs having built in reflectors. I'll have to find a way to lower them, right now they are clamped on to my left side closed loop return line.
psteeleb
Team RC
the tank is 36" tall and 24" deep (front to back), so I needed spotlight type reflectors (narrow and penetrating)
my bulbs are about 15" from the surface. I could probably run them less and may reset the duration to 6 hours a day. A shorter light schedule should also help with the cycno issue I've been facing.
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