Sam's Oceanic 120

[projectsWithSam]

3/30/2023
Completed my (sub $50) DIY filter floss roller prototype! It works great at over 1500gph flow! I have a few improvements for MKII but MKI is operating great in the meantime. This one I made with a razor blade, drill, crazy glue, minimal 3D printed parts (just the engine holder and spent floss spool.) Its mostly made from extruded PVC ceiling tile and snap-in vinyl gutter screen.
Once I like a design enough, I'll carve it out of acrylic on the cnc and Weld-On it; though the PVC ones seem totally fine.

 

[projectsWithSam]

4/17/22
New version of my DIY Filter Floss Roller. It's basically the same as the earlier one, just narrower so the water-weight isn't as much. I've also 3D printed the float switch holder and glues strips down both sides so mis-aligned filter floss isn't as big of an issue. Its pretty hard to load so I am probably going to go through another revision process after running this roll of floss.

Oh, and the back board is actually PVC trim, not ceiling tile laminate so it should be a little more ridged. The next version will be in two parts, one part will be the basket with perforations, the filter floss and roller will be in a part that just drops into the basket so it will be super easy to reload and make modifications.

 

[projectsWithSam]

4/22/2022
I Just installed the two Noopsyche K7 V3s that I ordered and they are insane! totally changed the way light filters down to the scape. If I thought my tank looked good before, this is another story. It looks like the ocean! The shimmer these lights make is fantastic; you see the shafts of light and shadow rippling through the water. I cant wait to get the third fixture. And I need to figure out the remote. Unboxing and images forthcoming.

I've been living in the dark ages. I just spent the better part of an hour and a half watching my lights cycle down.
My old lighting setup had 3-ish settings. Blues on, whites on, T5s on. You could kind of dim the blues or the whites manually but that was it. Being able to have a program that changes all the levels independently on a schedule is a game changer. The new Noopsyche K7 V3s have given me a whole other side or aspect of my tank that is new and exciting. I cant wait to check in on the tank throughout the day tomorrow to see what time it is on the reef! albeit a very algae encrusted reef...

Ok, and here is a series of photos of the tank with the new Noopsyche K7 V3 lights at various settings with random filter on my phone camera:

 

[projectsWithSam]

5/2022
2 weeks; That is what I get out of a Pellon 910 Sew-In Featherweight Interfacing 20" x 10 yd Bolt. so, for $16 I get the bolt, cut it into 4 5" sections and glue two together to get a 2 week roll; I will see if I can get a whole month on the filter roller. So polishing my water will cost me about $5/week- I may put the float valve higher to see how long I can make it last. The motor is plenty strong to pull the weight. I also removed the shims that would keep the roll angled - they messed with the alignment (I overcorrected for my prior problem). I have to print more disposable plastic slide-on roll-up-rolls.

I've proceduralized my Kalkwasser dosing to make it easy. Just use two vinegar jugs that I pre-mix. I made a lid with hard tubing that stops 1" from the bottom so I don't get the precipitate. This will make it easy to dose kalk and 2-part in the space I have.
Added another bottle of ARCReef coralline algae. I think my salinity drop from my last vacation killed all the purple spores... this round is pink. hope I can do better on stability this time... I have the apex setup to turn off the skimmer if things go awry.

 

[projectsWithSam]

Finished my kid's 3D printed speed boat!

Will be putting the build video up on my YouTube eventually. Its really fast. But, I waterproofed the speed controller in some stuff that, I surmise, ate away the thermal glue between the cooling block so it would shut-down periodically to cool-off. The big plus was that I didn't burn anything out like I did in my first revision of the boat. I'll re-apply the paste and get back out on the water.

 

[projectsWithSam]

finally organized my Noopsyche PSUs in my stand. Just screwed them to a painted board and put them in the back of the stand. I 3D printed spacers to get them off the board by about 1/4".

Also, I got a 2-way toggle switch and 3D printed a case for it and hooked it into my Apex so that when the fuge light is off I can easily turn it on. It also has a feeding cycle shortcut so my fish sitter doesn't forget to turn the return pump back on..

And, I added some pvc to block-out my Fuge light when its on so I don't get algae elsewhere in my sump.

 

[projectsWithSam]

6/5/2022
Some upcoming projects! CO2 scrubbing and beefier Doser mounts. I need to redo all my wiring and power-bar mounting to accommodate the scrubber and because the pull-out has more resistance due to my lack of foresight for new things in initial setup, and because things change... Also installed a new filter floss roll. The last one ran out when I was on vacation. So, 1/4 of a $20 roll of Pellon910 has lasted ~ 3or4weeks. Not bad; around $20/qtr. for scrubbed water.


Accidentally blew out all my Apex configurations today while trying to figure out where my missing modules were... turns out they were there all along; until I reset everything. I really did need todo it; for some reason when I did the init all after getting the 2nd hand unit it didn't clear out the modules. so I'd get a little red box in the corner... merely an annoyance. Not worth loosing some time reconfiguring it all. At least now I really know what I did.

 

[projectsWithSam]

6/9/2022
I got a freebee 15G tall tank from the folks @ Petco before they tossed it in the dumpster. Right time right place.

I am using the extruded PVC ceiling tile for a temporary overflow box... May even paint it all black.

Regarding stripping my holding cardinalfish; for my Cichlid I would take a ~1" tube and just work it in between the fish's-lips (dont fish-lip the hookah-brah) so the bottom lip was forced open. The fish's breathing would push the eggs out and down the tube.
I'll use red light and net them in the dark. I can also pull out rock structures till I get him. I may release him back into the DT if its easy enough to catch with the red-light method. I may also let this first round remain in the tank.

I was planning something different for the tank I was working on ~ I'll put the cardinals in 10 gallon tanks.
I was going to paint it black so I'll have a white tank for the 'good' fish and the black tank will be for the 'bad' (agro) fish.
A little heaven and hell in my own basement.

 

[projectsWithSam]

6/14/2022
I got 12 baby cardinalfish!
All healthy and swimming. He was easy enough to catch that I put him back in the DT after I stripped him

Got two for them to choose from. They glow if I had UV...

But I only started the brine yesterday... so, I put a copepod hotel from my fuge in so they'll hopefully have some snacks.

gratuitous baby cardinalfish thread

 

[projectsWithSam]

6/16/2022
When I got my apex I was all excited because it had a WXM (before I knew what it was, or how outdated it was) and I had a used MP40 on its way to me that may link-up. I got a second MP40W because I thought I'd be able to get them all linked-up.
Turns out I tried and tried to get everything working but just couldn't get the WXM RF module to update. I was so frustrated I started looking for other used WXM modules.
Turns out, after a month of messing around, I unscrewed my module and heard a rattling... I opened it up and found the RF module was loose. I plugged it back in and.... nothing... I tried it again, this time really seating the card; it worked!!!! I got both my antique MP40s (with new ball bearings that I installed) to link-up to my apex! Its so sweet!

 

[projectsWithSam]

6/18/2022
Finished the stand for the 15gallon exile tank that I'll be tying into my sump.

I had a hard time with the oil paint because of the humidity and heat. I had to sand a bunch and re-paint it.
Not to self: don't paint black paint in a poorly lit garage at night...
It looks nice where I plan to put it. now I'm hoping I can work out the plumbing.

 

[Tangerine Speedo]

Just two more days til "Projects with Sam T" hits the floor at RAP....

 

[projectsWithSam]

Just two more days til "Projects with Sam T" hits the floor at RAP....

My wife thinks its hilarious I'm on a t-shirt. I need to get my kids those shirts as a cruel joke!
Wish I asked for a QR code url (or this one url) to be added to it.

 

[Tangerine Speedo]

Just to think, "I knew him when..." Kardashians look out...

 

[griss]

Loving this thread Sam. This is like following a new build in fast forward.

 

[projectsWithSam]

6/18/2022
OK, big update since I have not posted in a while and I left a whole tank setup 1/2-way there...

Firstly, I finished the exile tank, got it plumbed into the system (even into the DIY filter floss roller) and got its lighting squared away. Being able to 3D print little odds and ends like mounting brackets and the like really adds to just about anything. I should really put some of these little items on Thingiverse.

 

[projectsWithSam]

6/18/2022
A friend rehomed his juvenile Emperor Anglefish to my tank because it was getting bullied and not getting enough to eat in his. Its a beautiful fish but it has a penchant for neon green candycane. The exile tank is no longer FOWLR... I hope my filefish doesn't like the same corals the Anglefish does... He eats from my hand; the sailfin has already learned how todo it from him. This is his first or second time doing it; now he is a pro after several similar meal times.

 

[projectsWithSam]

6/18/2022
I also did a pretty extensive cabinet redo. I kind of just started throwing stuff into the cabinet when I redid my lights so I had to reconcile. I got a CO2 scrubber and an InkBird and another 300W heater, a second EB8, an old MP10 and the RedSea Reefmat 1200 so I had some things to figure out. My current DIY rollermat works ok and I need to upgrade my sump to use the RedSea Rollermat so I am holding onto that for another build or trying to swap it out for another RedSea Product. I still needed to fit the 3 NP PSUs and all the CO2 scrubbing equipment, and accommodate the Exile Tank's plumbing. I've printed out beefier doser mounts and even a mount for my refugium light so it's properly centered on the sump. I'm still not done with the CO2 scrubbing but I've gotten the rest!

 

[projectsWithSam]

6/18/2022

I even spent the time to setup the cooling in the tank hood so I can put my T5s in again! I then looked into modifying my old Gallaxy Hydros so the Apex could control them for the exile tank and my coral QT. I need PWM controllers (in the mail from China) to do it so I got an great 2nd hand ReefBreeder LED for $40 that will do what I need for now.


And some icing on the cake is that the male cardinal is holding again! I'll probably leave him in the tank for these.

 

[projectsWithSam]

6/30/2022
I implemented CO2 scrubbing today. I have the solenoid turning on (and letting in fresh air) when my pH gets to 8.1 to start.