RocketEngineer
Space is big.
And lastly:
The full tank.
I hope you enjoyed the update.
RocketEngineer
The full tank.
I hope you enjoyed the update.
RocketEngineer
RocketEngineer's 75g/125g Setup
- Thread starter RocketEngineer
- Start date
iwishtofish
Active member
Everything is looking very healthy with great color. Seems your tank was made for acans!
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
I am having good success with them near the bottom of the tank. I think its because the tank isn't spotlessly clean so there are some nutrients in the water. I feed them regularly after lights out which doesn't hurt either. The first one I got has started to encrust onto the rock around it. I really like LPS corals because at night, they are totally different than during the day. The SPS look almost the same day or night.
I found out that the oulet on the DC8 that controlled the light is stuck on. Not sure if this was the cause of the ballast going bad or an effect. But it means changing over to an Apex Lite in the future will probubly be a good idea.
RocketEngineer
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
The Saga Continues
The Saga Continues
Murphy strikes again. I went to my parents house over the weekend and while I was gone, the new outlet the light is on fused open so the lights never turned off. This time I wasn't home to catch it and the corals are all in rough shape. :headwalls:
Does anyone have a suggestion of how to run a IC/Coralvue 660 on a controlled outlet without fusing the outlet?
The Saga Continues
Murphy strikes again. I went to my parents house over the weekend and while I was gone, the new outlet the light is on fused open so the lights never turned off. This time I wasn't home to catch it and the corals are all in rough shape. :headwalls:
Does anyone have a suggestion of how to run a IC/Coralvue 660 on a controlled outlet without fusing the outlet?
iwishtofish
Active member
Awful news! What happened to the corals? Any bleaching?
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
The tops of the hard corals were bleached, the two on top especially. The LPS were all pulled in really bad but this morning looked like they were coming out. The funny thing was the anemone looked happy as a clam, all spread out and very pink. I'm looking at the Neptune Socket Extension which I hope will fix this problem as those are rated for 15A. Just one more thing I need to buy that I didnt plan on buying.
RocketEngineer
iwishtofish
Active member
Yeah, there is always something I suddenly need that I didn't expect to have to buy. Just like owning a boat, I guess.
I hope your corals pull through!
I hope your corals pull through!
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
When all else fails, get a bigger hammer. A little concussive maintenance and the relay has opened up. I will keep an eye on it.
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
New Year Update
New Year Update
My last update was before Thanksgiving. The relay problem hasn't been fixed so I have instead put the light on a mechanical timer rated at 10a. Not what I had planned but it worked properly over Christmas break. However, at this point the damage has been done. I lost the Stylophora, the Panova and chalice have both remained pale/bleached.
Despite all that, some things are growing good. The hair algae has really taken off. I don't mind some but its gone nuts. Water change this weekend is in order. The corals are making some progress including growing onto the rocks they are mounted to. On to the pics.
My first Acan Lord. Finally grew onto the rock it was in. Slow but steady.
Acan Lord #2
The two Acan Lords are number 3 and 4. The montipora was a frag that broke off its frag plug. I stuck it down in the crack and it seems to like that spot because it is totally encrusted into the crack and started to spread onto the adjoining rock.
This Acro was almost white from the bleaching event. Now it has grown out onto the rock around the frag plug and turned this really neat light orange. The polyps are neon green but that's hard to get with my camera.
BRAINS! The brain coral continues to grow. The grooves are getting deeper as it grows.
And the newest addition:
A tomini tang to try to work on the algae. I also got a six line wrasse but its so fast I can't get a decent pic.
RocketEngineer
New Year Update
My last update was before Thanksgiving. The relay problem hasn't been fixed so I have instead put the light on a mechanical timer rated at 10a. Not what I had planned but it worked properly over Christmas break. However, at this point the damage has been done. I lost the Stylophora, the Panova and chalice have both remained pale/bleached.
Despite all that, some things are growing good. The hair algae has really taken off. I don't mind some but its gone nuts. Water change this weekend is in order. The corals are making some progress including growing onto the rocks they are mounted to. On to the pics.
My first Acan Lord. Finally grew onto the rock it was in. Slow but steady.
Acan Lord #2
The two Acan Lords are number 3 and 4. The montipora was a frag that broke off its frag plug. I stuck it down in the crack and it seems to like that spot because it is totally encrusted into the crack and started to spread onto the adjoining rock.
This Acro was almost white from the bleaching event. Now it has grown out onto the rock around the frag plug and turned this really neat light orange. The polyps are neon green but that's hard to get with my camera.
BRAINS! The brain coral continues to grow. The grooves are getting deeper as it grows.
And the newest addition:
A tomini tang to try to work on the algae. I also got a six line wrasse but its so fast I can't get a decent pic.
RocketEngineer
iwishtofish
Active member
Beautiful tang! I've heard tangs do best with oxygen-rich water - just something to keep in mind. I think I'm ok with mine since I have a big skimmer.
Algae battle, eh? Maybe you should look into sea hares, or other critters specifically known to chow the green stuff.
Algae battle, eh? Maybe you should look into sea hares, or other critters specifically known to chow the green stuff.
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
The tang has settled in quite nicely. Its been spending most of its time working on the glass but I've seen it working on the rocks more recently. That plus going at it manually has kept it in check.
In other news, I picked up a few new items.
The first is a Neptune Socket Extension:
http://www.marinedepot.com/Neptune_...ories-Neptune_Systems-NS3381-FITEMOAC-vi.html
Ever since the light was stuck on, I have been having issues. This uses one of the outlets on the DC8 to switch a pair of relay controlled outlets which are rated for 15A. One of the outlets will power the 660 ballast while the other will power the fans. It is my hope that this will solve this problem once and for all.
The other items in my order are a pair of MP10wES powerheads. I have wanted these since I set up the tank. These are placed opposing each other on the ends of the tank. My hope is that by using the variability of these pumps, I can keep the fish and corals happy and healthy. A little growth on the corals wouldn't hurt either.
RocketEngineer
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
Moving some rock around, I noticed the Acro has seriously grown onto the rock its mounted in.
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
Well, I got the two MP10s set up. They ran for a couple hours before one of them threw up a stall error. Pulled the wet side apart then reinstalled and still stalled. Tried the dry side by itself, it would twitch upon start up then stall. Once it had cooled down, it would start back up again until it got warm, at which time it would stall out.
SO, Monday I called EcoTech. They were nice enough to send me a replacement. Last night, got the new one installed and got the two of them talking to each other. This morning everything was still turning as it should be so the old one went into the mail.
Overall I was very happy with the customer support of EcoTech. The individual on the phone asked some very specific questions but they were more like running down a checklist to make sure I did everything I could. Once that was done, it was an IMMEDIATE "let us send you a new one so you can get your tank up and running". No BS, no blaming the customer. Its always refreshing to find a company that takes responsibility for their products.
RocketEngineer
SO, Monday I called EcoTech. They were nice enough to send me a replacement. Last night, got the new one installed and got the two of them talking to each other. This morning everything was still turning as it should be so the old one went into the mail.
Overall I was very happy with the customer support of EcoTech. The individual on the phone asked some very specific questions but they were more like running down a checklist to make sure I did everything I could. Once that was done, it was an IMMEDIATE "let us send you a new one so you can get your tank up and running". No BS, no blaming the customer. Its always refreshing to find a company that takes responsibility for their products.
RocketEngineer
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
Why you little......
Why you little......
At the end of last week I noticed that my six line wrasse was missing. Just up and vanished. It had been eating well so when it didn't show up Friday when I fed the tank I thought it was a goner.
NOPE!
The little rascal had gone overflow surfing and was in the skimmer section of the sump. SO at 11:30 PM Sunday, I drag out the big towel, pulled the skimmer out of the section, then proceed to chase the littler bugger from the skimmer section, into the return section. Turn off the return pump to keep from sucking it into the MD5, then it jumped over the baffle into the refugium. Finally I got it into the net and while trying to get my hand over the opening, it jumps out of the net and back into the return section again. Needless to say when I caught it the second time, I pinched the net shut then dropped him into the display.
Moral of the story: Always check the entire tank before calling a fish gone. You never know where it might show up.
Why you little......
At the end of last week I noticed that my six line wrasse was missing. Just up and vanished. It had been eating well so when it didn't show up Friday when I fed the tank I thought it was a goner.
NOPE!
The little rascal had gone overflow surfing and was in the skimmer section of the sump. SO at 11:30 PM Sunday, I drag out the big towel, pulled the skimmer out of the section, then proceed to chase the littler bugger from the skimmer section, into the return section. Turn off the return pump to keep from sucking it into the MD5, then it jumped over the baffle into the refugium. Finally I got it into the net and while trying to get my hand over the opening, it jumps out of the net and back into the return section again. Needless to say when I caught it the second time, I pinched the net shut then dropped him into the display.
Moral of the story: Always check the entire tank before calling a fish gone. You never know where it might show up.
iwishtofish
Active member
Haha, that little turkey (fish, not cust support person) gave you the runaround! I'm glad you got the Vortech thing worked out, and I know what you mean about customer service. Drs F&S always amazes me with their customer service, too. Seems they really want to keep a customer for life, and I like that.
Are you liking the pumps a lot? Do you have any issues with not being able to point them, or avoiding having too much flow, or too little? I suspect that someday I'l make the investment - probably MP10s as well. Do they provide enough flow in a 75g without being to noisy or hot?
Our club is going to head over to Dr. Mac's at the end of the month. I'm pretty excited about it!
Are you liking the pumps a lot? Do you have any issues with not being able to point them, or avoiding having too much flow, or too little? I suspect that someday I'l make the investment - probably MP10s as well. Do they provide enough flow in a 75g without being to noisy or hot?
Our club is going to head over to Dr. Mac's at the end of the month. I'm pretty excited about it!
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
The one thing I DIDN'T need late on a Sunday night was to be chasing a fish around my sump.
I have used Dr F&S many times. The best example of their great customer service was when they kept shipping me the wrong bulb. Turns out the item on the shelf was in the wrong location. After two wrong bulbs they mailed me the new one and refunded me the price of it because of the hassle.
The MP10s work quite well. The only area that doesn't have enough flow is right behind the rocks but there's nothing surprising there. If you keep the rocks up off the sand, the undertow should be enough to keep things moving. I run them full out and they are moving sand around in my tank. When either one is running full out, the outsides are warm to the touch but that's to be expected.
Have fun at Dr. Mac's. I need to stay away from there for a little while. Let my tank spending account recover and the corals I have grow out.
RocketEngineer
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RocketEngineer
Space is big.
This afternoon I picked up a 125g tank from a local aquarist who was upgrading to a bigger tank. The tank is in the shed now but it will be a solid six months before it goes onto the stand. Excited about going full size on the stand but there is a lot of work to do including building a new hood with LED lighting and reworking the plumbing. Plans in the making.
RocketEngineer
RocketEngineer
iwishtofish
Active member
Lol, you going to tease us with just that? Not going to share any preliminary ideas like lighting, flow, stocking?
Regardless, congrats on getting the new tank!
Regardless, congrats on getting the new tank!
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
Lol, you going to tease us with just that? Not going to share any preliminary ideas like lighting, flow, stocking?
Regardless, congrats on getting the new tank!
The thought did cross my mind. But I will be nice.
The tank currently has a small internal overflow with two durso lines in it. I will be removing those and using the holes to do an internal/external drain setup. The internal box will be 48" long while the external one will have a BeanAnimal setup going to the existing sump. This should let me run the MD5 I have now full power.
A new hood will house the LED lighting. The tank has a single center brace so I will be using (4) 6"X9" heat sinks with a 1.5:1 ratio of blue to white LEDs. Given that I like LPS, I will be running parallel strings so there will only be 4 drivers total. The blue strings will all come on first then the whites and reverse at sun down. There will also be a single moon light in each heat sink.
Flow will be Vortech MP40s at each end with the two MP10s on the back wall. That plus the MD5 should be plenty for just about everything I will want to keep.
The stocking plan is pretty sparse at the moment. I need more room for corals so part of the change over will be the addition of more rock. More crustaceans are definitely in order from snails to hermits. On the fish front I'm tempted to go with either a pair of cardinals or maybe go all out with some anthias. The anthias will be a challenge because they need small feedings but an auto feeder may help with that.
In the end, its mostly about going to a bigger tank. The increased length will be good for the tang while the new rock will open things up for better flow. Upgrading to LEDs should give me the chance to keep and grow hard corals while the increased flow should help with the hair algae issue.
Overall it will be a long process. I will take pictures of the new tank tomorrow before I go back to fighting to get old the overflow out of the tank. Once that's done there is a boatload of work to do on it before its ready to install.
RocketEngineer
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iwishtofish
Active member
Hey, thanks! Everything sounds great. I'll be eager to follow your LED progress, as I know I will certainly go that route someday.
So you are using the same stand? If not, I know of a great thread about building them.
I, too, am thinking anthias. My tank needs more fish to feed the corals. Glad to hear your tang is doing well.
So you are using the same stand? If not, I know of a great thread about building them.
I, too, am thinking anthias. My tank needs more fish to feed the corals. Glad to hear your tang is doing well.
