The inwall 380 starfire reborn
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
Happens every couple of months or so. I have to drain the skimmer to take the pump apart and re-glue the NW to the part that screws onto the shaft. Even if I had a spare the hardest part is draining the skimmer to take the pump apart, that would have to be done regardless, unfortunately.
Pump is still doing ok (not dead, so far as I can tell) and it is still under warranty (from what I was told when I bought it), but I really can't wait for the Laguna pump deal to work itself out so that I can stop worrying about our skimmer so much.
Pump is still doing ok (not dead, so far as I can tell) and it is still under warranty (from what I was told when I bought it), but I really can't wait for the Laguna pump deal to work itself out so that I can stop worrying about our skimmer so much.
one month later and things are a little better, but far from great.
The Vortecs are doing well w/ their new flow pattern,. I do need to adjust the return nozzles to better accent the Vortecs flow, but even without that they seem to be working better (and quieter) now.
The skimmer is not doing so great though. I drained it and re-glued the NW, and it worked for about 2+ weeks before crapping out again the end of last week. So now I am running basically w/o a skimmer (again). The cyano had started receding and parameters looked better up until the NW stopped working again. I had received word last month that the new Laguna pump design had hit some set backs so I am in a holding pattern waiting on that. In the interim I may try to pick up one of those "custom" NWs I had read about some time back. Guess I need to set aside some time to read up on whatever other "advances" have been made along those lines for us Volcano owners.
Right now I am putting in 50 - 60 hrs per week at work (and glad to still be employed), with additional time to take care of a teething and sick little girl. Many days I wake up, go to work and by the time I get done it is already time for bed, but in there somewhere I am going to try to make some progress on our tank (once our little one starts feeling better and the rest of her teeth finish coming in).
Cheers
The Vortecs are doing well w/ their new flow pattern,. I do need to adjust the return nozzles to better accent the Vortecs flow, but even without that they seem to be working better (and quieter) now.
The skimmer is not doing so great though. I drained it and re-glued the NW, and it worked for about 2+ weeks before crapping out again the end of last week. So now I am running basically w/o a skimmer (again). The cyano had started receding and parameters looked better up until the NW stopped working again. I had received word last month that the new Laguna pump design had hit some set backs so I am in a holding pattern waiting on that. In the interim I may try to pick up one of those "custom" NWs I had read about some time back. Guess I need to set aside some time to read up on whatever other "advances" have been made along those lines for us Volcano owners.
Right now I am putting in 50 - 60 hrs per week at work (and glad to still be employed), with additional time to take care of a teething and sick little girl. Many days I wake up, go to work and by the time I get done it is already time for bed, but in there somewhere I am going to try to make some progress on our tank (once our little one starts feeling better and the rest of her teeth finish coming in).
Cheers
Bax
Premium Member
Reef Specialty sells NW for the ORCA 250s, it might be worth a call to see if it'll fit in your Reefflo pump. I think it's just a Dart body on the ORCAs? Don't own one so I am not sure.
http://www.reefspecialty.com/p316/Reef-Specialty-Orca-200|250-Needlewheel-Impeller/product_info.html
It's good to hear that things are otherwise better for your system. The baby will stop teething ... eventually. It's a trying time for all parents for sure!
http://www.reefspecialty.com/p316/Reef-Specialty-Orca-200|250-Needlewheel-Impeller/product_info.html
It's good to hear that things are otherwise better for your system. The baby will stop teething ... eventually. It's a trying time for all parents for sure!
long overdue update.
I have made the painful decision to go FOWLR, with some addendums (like keeping the 13" clam + 2 RBTAs). Not really going to change a whole lot as I will still need the calc reactor so long as we have the clam, but I will be changing the lighting around a bit. Probably going to switch to lower powered MH spotlights to "feed" the RBTAs and clam. Also going to change the random water flow to something less noisy (IE: less ramping up and slowing down of the recirc pumps). There are a few acans that we are going to find good homes for, then start thinking about stocking options for fish. Except for the clam, there are quiter a few fish that we could never consider before due to their habit of eating corals.
The reasoning for the change is multiple, and at the same time pretty simple. By going FOWLR I can reduce the utilities bill footprint of the tank (although honestly not much more than I already have, but there is still some to be gained). I also had wanted the tank for our daughter to enjoy, and I realized that she could care less about SPS corals, regardless of how "pretty" they were, she is at an age where brightly colored, actively moving fish would much better fit the bill. That plus I am convinced there was something either in the sand, rock or plumbing that has been playing havok with our corals. The fish have all been doing fine, with the odd exception here or there over the last year+ that I can easliy attribute to old age, etc. I figure by converting it to fish only the whole family can again get some joy out of the tank, and possible "clean" out what ever is in there affecting the corals. I don't foresee going back to a reef tank for the next 2 years or so. By then I will have either worke out what was going on w/ the corals, or have torn the tank down and set up another one "fresh".
I have made the painful decision to go FOWLR, with some addendums (like keeping the 13" clam + 2 RBTAs). Not really going to change a whole lot as I will still need the calc reactor so long as we have the clam, but I will be changing the lighting around a bit. Probably going to switch to lower powered MH spotlights to "feed" the RBTAs and clam. Also going to change the random water flow to something less noisy (IE: less ramping up and slowing down of the recirc pumps). There are a few acans that we are going to find good homes for, then start thinking about stocking options for fish. Except for the clam, there are quiter a few fish that we could never consider before due to their habit of eating corals.
The reasoning for the change is multiple, and at the same time pretty simple. By going FOWLR I can reduce the utilities bill footprint of the tank (although honestly not much more than I already have, but there is still some to be gained). I also had wanted the tank for our daughter to enjoy, and I realized that she could care less about SPS corals, regardless of how "pretty" they were, she is at an age where brightly colored, actively moving fish would much better fit the bill. That plus I am convinced there was something either in the sand, rock or plumbing that has been playing havok with our corals. The fish have all been doing fine, with the odd exception here or there over the last year+ that I can easliy attribute to old age, etc. I figure by converting it to fish only the whole family can again get some joy out of the tank, and possible "clean" out what ever is in there affecting the corals. I don't foresee going back to a reef tank for the next 2 years or so. By then I will have either worke out what was going on w/ the corals, or have torn the tank down and set up another one "fresh".
Bryan, We would love to come up and visit. Our daughter is a VERY social creature, so she would love some playmates to go visit.
Jonathan, Yea, although I am working such crazy hours right now that the tank has sufferred even more so for it. As I thought about it too I will probably have to get rid of the clam, since we want some fish that are known to nip at clams (like a blue faced angel).
Jonathan, Yea, although I am working such crazy hours right now that the tank has sufferred even more so for it. As I thought about it too I will probably have to get rid of the clam, since we want some fish that are known to nip at clams (like a blue faced angel).
how did you guess our stocking selection ? 
(angels and butterflies). But I am going to miss the corals.. I just need to stay away from looking at pictures of others tanks (and old pictures of my own). It took a while to be "at peace" about it, but as my manager like to say "It is what it is". It just seems like the right thing to do right now. Thanks for the support.
(angels and butterflies). But I am going to miss the corals.. I just need to stay away from looking at pictures of others tanks (and old pictures of my own). It took a while to be "at peace" about it, but as my manager like to say "It is what it is". It just seems like the right thing to do right now. Thanks for the support.well, long story short some things changed and our options had to change along with them. The tank is no officially up for sale (went up over the weekend). I have it posted in our regional forum, and will let it sit there for another week and a half before I post it out on craigslist.\
Wish me luck
Wish me luck
You certainly had some crazy issues, Tom. And I thought mine were bad. For 2 years I dd nothing but feed fish and change water every 2 months. There were periods when I couldn't even see the fish. Your coral deaths must have been very frustrating. At least I knew for sure what killed all mine but I bet not really knowing was a killer.
Best of luck.
Best of luck.
