Rebuild and recovery of a dead tank
- Thread starter jason2459
- Start date
jason2459
Well-known member
Sorry about your house, my grandmother used to live in Timecheck. Man that cleanup was really bad wasn't it. Tanks looking good tho!
Thank you mister bot thingy.
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
Hey I just went to look at the start of this thread, and noticed all the photo links are ********'d out. Were those on imugr? I tried copy/pasting the link and replacing the *'s and got a warning, looks like the site was hacked? All those pics gone now? I don't remember seeing that error when I first subscribed to this thread.
jason2459
Well-known member
I had a lot of ******* (t in y pic)urls and google linked pics. I'm not sure what happen to the google links as one day they all just stopped working but I was able to post new pictures. Then reefcentral decided it didn't like *******(t iny pic) urls and blocked those. So, a lot of older pictures are dead now.
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
jason2459
Well-known member
Now that would be an interesting mix up.
jason2459
Well-known member
Since I got the basic package for the Apex I'll be adding to it a little bit over time. So, for a while I'm using both the reef keeper along side with the apex as I get new modules. First thing I did was get a break out box to hook up my float switch that's in the back external overflow of my display tank. If for some super remote odd reason my bean animal drain setup plugs up and the return keeps going I have a float switch hanging there to shut it off. This would have to be some very extreme situation that has caused the main siphon to plug up, the open channel to plug up, AND the emergency drain to plug up. NOT likely at all.
Since I have the "brain" under the display tank cabinet to start with I wanted to try out Neptune's new AFS which looks like it's a re-branded and modified Lifegard Intelli-Feed Aquarium Fish Feeder. This will replace my current Eheim automatic fish feeder. The Eheim works great and has been reliable over the years. I feed a mix of NLS marine and algae based pellets 3x per day during the day and then at night I feed some kind of meaty foods. The problem is if I don't turn off my return pump a lot of the food gets sucked down to the sump which I don't mind some of it getting down there in fact I like that but not the majority of it. So, with the eheim it's battery powered and that poses a sync issue with the RKL I had controlling the return pump. The time periodically drifts on the Eheim and I have to check it every month and adjust as needed.
So, that's where the AFS comes in as it will be connected and powered natively via the aquabus like all other modules connected to the Apex. There are 2 big complaints though that many people have with the AFS and correspondingly the same 2 main complaints with the Lifegard. Which are that it's very loud and that people can't seem to get the food amount adjusted right or it doesn't feed the same amount consistently often giving to much food. Both are not concerns to me. Shutting down my return pump creates a good loud sucking noise until the siphon breaks and I feed to much already and would rather have that then not enough allowing some left over food to get sucked down to the sump.
Otherwise, I do like the design of the AFS/Lifegard. For one I won't have to change out batteries anymore which I do once a year on the Eheim even if I don't have to just to make sure like changing batteries out on the smoke detector. I'm hoping it's moisture control works as it extends out to feed and retracts back in to seal it off (which is the noisy part). Time will tell on this but didn't see any major complaints by people on that so must work some what. The Eheim if I really fill it up with food gets clumped up by the end from moisture. There's a little tiny fan on the back that runs every time it feeds to help but just isn't enough eventually. I really like that I can now track when it feeds and can track that it happened. I have had in the past the Eheim not work properly when the batteries do go down. Even though I put new batteries in doesn't mean they are good batteries for long. Over the years I've had bad batches of batteries that didn't last very long.
I set this up Monday and so far so good. To be up front about it one of the main issues with noise is justified. It is not quite at all so if that's a big concern I would not recommend this unit. Otherwise it's not any noisier then my return siphoning out. The feed adjustment to me was fine. Two notches in and seems about the same as what I was feeding with the Eheim. If it decides to feed more periodically I'm fine with that but I wont know except on the weekends and even then I don't watch it except the times I happen to catch it.
The programming was fairly simple. I setup a virtual outlet to do the timing and based on the virtual outlet shutdown the return pump, 1 minute 30 seconds later turn on the feed for a single rotation, and then 45 minutes later turn back on the return pump. Right now I have an extension cord run from under my tank plugged into the EB8 that runs down to the basement sump that the RKL plugs into. So, when it shutsdown the return outlet it turns off everything down there. Eventually I'll be able to extend an aqubus cable to another EB8 and other modules down there and have better controls. Like I really just want to turn off the return and skimmer but leave everything else running. But this will be fine for now.
So the programming:
Virtual Outlet:
vfeed_A8
Set OFF
Fallback OFF
If Time 12:00 to 12:01 Then ON
If Time 16:00 to 16:01 Then ON
If Time 20:00 to 20:01 Then ON
If FeedA 000 Then ON
Return Pump (and everything in the sump for now)
Return_3_3
Fallback ON
Set ON
If Outlet vfeed_A8 = ON Then OFF
Defer 045:00 Then ON
If DT_Sw1 OPEN Then OFF
Skimmer(eventually will go off with the return)
Fallback OFF
Set ON
If Outlet vfeed_A8 = ON Then OFF
Defer 050:00 Then ON
Then some switch logic here too
AFS feeder
Set OFF
Fallback OFF
If Outlet vfeed_A8 = ON Then ON
Defer 001:30 Then ON
Since I have the "brain" under the display tank cabinet to start with I wanted to try out Neptune's new AFS which looks like it's a re-branded and modified Lifegard Intelli-Feed Aquarium Fish Feeder. This will replace my current Eheim automatic fish feeder. The Eheim works great and has been reliable over the years. I feed a mix of NLS marine and algae based pellets 3x per day during the day and then at night I feed some kind of meaty foods. The problem is if I don't turn off my return pump a lot of the food gets sucked down to the sump which I don't mind some of it getting down there in fact I like that but not the majority of it. So, with the eheim it's battery powered and that poses a sync issue with the RKL I had controlling the return pump. The time periodically drifts on the Eheim and I have to check it every month and adjust as needed.
So, that's where the AFS comes in as it will be connected and powered natively via the aquabus like all other modules connected to the Apex. There are 2 big complaints though that many people have with the AFS and correspondingly the same 2 main complaints with the Lifegard. Which are that it's very loud and that people can't seem to get the food amount adjusted right or it doesn't feed the same amount consistently often giving to much food. Both are not concerns to me. Shutting down my return pump creates a good loud sucking noise until the siphon breaks and I feed to much already and would rather have that then not enough allowing some left over food to get sucked down to the sump.
Otherwise, I do like the design of the AFS/Lifegard. For one I won't have to change out batteries anymore which I do once a year on the Eheim even if I don't have to just to make sure like changing batteries out on the smoke detector. I'm hoping it's moisture control works as it extends out to feed and retracts back in to seal it off (which is the noisy part). Time will tell on this but didn't see any major complaints by people on that so must work some what. The Eheim if I really fill it up with food gets clumped up by the end from moisture. There's a little tiny fan on the back that runs every time it feeds to help but just isn't enough eventually. I really like that I can now track when it feeds and can track that it happened. I have had in the past the Eheim not work properly when the batteries do go down. Even though I put new batteries in doesn't mean they are good batteries for long. Over the years I've had bad batches of batteries that didn't last very long.
I set this up Monday and so far so good. To be up front about it one of the main issues with noise is justified. It is not quite at all so if that's a big concern I would not recommend this unit. Otherwise it's not any noisier then my return siphoning out. The feed adjustment to me was fine. Two notches in and seems about the same as what I was feeding with the Eheim. If it decides to feed more periodically I'm fine with that but I wont know except on the weekends and even then I don't watch it except the times I happen to catch it.
The programming was fairly simple. I setup a virtual outlet to do the timing and based on the virtual outlet shutdown the return pump, 1 minute 30 seconds later turn on the feed for a single rotation, and then 45 minutes later turn back on the return pump. Right now I have an extension cord run from under my tank plugged into the EB8 that runs down to the basement sump that the RKL plugs into. So, when it shutsdown the return outlet it turns off everything down there. Eventually I'll be able to extend an aqubus cable to another EB8 and other modules down there and have better controls. Like I really just want to turn off the return and skimmer but leave everything else running. But this will be fine for now.
So the programming:
Virtual Outlet:
vfeed_A8
Set OFF
Fallback OFF
If Time 12:00 to 12:01 Then ON
If Time 16:00 to 16:01 Then ON
If Time 20:00 to 20:01 Then ON
If FeedA 000 Then ON
Return Pump (and everything in the sump for now)
Return_3_3
Fallback ON
Set ON
If Outlet vfeed_A8 = ON Then OFF
Defer 045:00 Then ON
If DT_Sw1 OPEN Then OFF
Skimmer(eventually will go off with the return)
Fallback OFF
Set ON
If Outlet vfeed_A8 = ON Then OFF
Defer 050:00 Then ON
Then some switch logic here too
AFS feeder
Set OFF
Fallback OFF
If Outlet vfeed_A8 = ON Then ON
Defer 001:30 Then ON
Last edited:
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
how many hours/day are you running the scrubber LEDs?
jason2459
Well-known member
Right now 9 hours and the flow is also cut back.
Edit: and the tape is still over the blues
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
Go to 12 hrs/day, leave tape on
jason2459
Well-known member
So, looks like pretty much all my images up to page 38 are broken due to t i ny pi c url being replaced with ******* and something also happened to some of my older google images that were linked.
Going to go back and see if I can get them downloaded again and re-uploaded with tapatalk as those images still work.
Going to go back and see if I can get them downloaded again and re-uploaded with tapatalk as those images still work.
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
Photobucket has been good for me for years
jason2459
Well-known member
Sanded down and restained.
Cleaned up old rock
New substrate with a twist using it with a reversed undergravel filter. Thanks to paulb. I still have one of the plates and dolomite in my sump making it a RRUGF
Added some new pukani dry rock before it was common knowledge they leach phosphates like no other. I love the rock but would have soaked it all in lanthanium to help reduce to year long waiting for multiple phases of algaes to pass by. I did learn a lot though.
Some fish I still have from the beginning of the rebuild
The frankenskimmer I modified several times. Feeding into the hob refugium which was perfectly facing a window growing tons of algae.
Cleaned up old rock
New substrate with a twist using it with a reversed undergravel filter. Thanks to paulb. I still have one of the plates and dolomite in my sump making it a RRUGF
Added some new pukani dry rock before it was common knowledge they leach phosphates like no other. I love the rock but would have soaked it all in lanthanium to help reduce to year long waiting for multiple phases of algaes to pass by. I did learn a lot though.
Some fish I still have from the beginning of the rebuild
The frankenskimmer I modified several times. Feeding into the hob refugium which was perfectly facing a window growing tons of algae.
