True Percula
New member
wow really nice tank may i ask how much i cost?
thetedinator's semi-cube
- Thread starter thetedinator
- Start date
Detritivore
New member
hey ted, my blue chalice isnt so blue either, LOL 
it is starting to get a blue tint to the corallites though, so hopefully it'll get there
it is starting to get a blue tint to the corallites though, so hopefully it'll get there 
thetedinator
New member
Fliger said:
Overall I'm very happy. It's been a learning curve and I'm just starting to feel like I have a handle on things. I was not fluidizing the FR509 enough which probably cost me some RowaPhos. The gravity feed couldn't meet the flow demands of all of the equipment especially when I added a chiller. The CA reactor absolutely rips which caused "problems" with high calcium. The Tunze's are great but you need to stay ahead of the maintenance requirements.
My single biggest issue has been X-10. I use an ACIII to control everything and everytime you change or add equipment to the system or add appliances to your household, you have to check the X-10 stuff out.
Cya,
Ted
thetedinator
New member
goby1 said:
I use RO/DI water only. If I implied I used anything else I apologize. The water where I live is terrible. It is high in silicates. TDS out of the tap is 400+PPM. I monitor my RO/DI water and as soon as it shows 1PPM, I change the DI media. With the high TDS, water changes and evaporation, I end up changing the DI media every 4 weeks.
cya,
Ted
LoneStarSA
New member
Can we see photos of the cabinets outside holding all the equipment??
LoneStarSA
New member
:rollface:
Ereefic
In Memoriam
thetedinator, on page 9 of this thread, you posted some pics of your deltec skimmer. I noticed the main skimmer bodies walls are covered in brown funk. Why are you getting such a build-up in the main riser body? Shouldn't that be going into the collection cup instead of staying in contact with the water?
thetedinator
New member
Ereefic said:
That's algae on the body of the skimmer. The skimmer is outside and was exposed to sunlight. The skimmer is covered now so that's no longer an issue.
BTW - Good seeing you at last June's IMAC.
cya,
Ted
I have been wanting to see updates for a long time.Hi Ted, just finished reading through this thread and WOW what an amazing system. Really like your stand and light hood design.
I'm busy setting up a 260 gallon system (Total system volume about 300 gallons) and really like the idea of taking the sump outside. Filled the tank this weekend and it's way too noisy. In tank circulation is from 2 x 6100's and 2 x 6000's on a 7095 so it's just the drains and returns as far as plumbing is concerned.
I have a semi enclosed patio area just outside the sitting room where the tank is situated and an ideal place to put the sump.
I would also build it into a cabinet and make a feature out of it to keep the wife happy.
Have you experienced any problems so far in terms of heating / cooling or other ?
I'm busy setting up a 260 gallon system (Total system volume about 300 gallons) and really like the idea of taking the sump outside. Filled the tank this weekend and it's way too noisy. In tank circulation is from 2 x 6100's and 2 x 6000's on a 7095 so it's just the drains and returns as far as plumbing is concerned.
I have a semi enclosed patio area just outside the sitting room where the tank is situated and an ideal place to put the sump.
I would also build it into a cabinet and make a feature out of it to keep the wife happy.
Have you experienced any problems so far in terms of heating / cooling or other ?
thetedinator
New member
I live N of Los Angeles where the weather has a little more spread to the highs and lows (because I'm inland on not on the ocean). To ease my mind, I have 2100Watts of heat. Two 800W heaters outside and a 500W heater inside. This is overkill but if if any single heater fails, I'm still good. I have two fans over the sump and a 1HP chiller. If the tank temperature should get two high, my Aquacontroller is set to turn off the MH lights. Lastly, the sump/refuge is exposed and next to the house so that heavy rain has the potential to change saliinty. When the weather calls for rain that might be a problem, I cover the sump/refugium with clear, 6mm plastic.
Good luck and sorry for the late response.
Ted
thetedinator
New member
After all of this time, the equipment is still open. I don't know if this has been a blessing or a curse. I had several quotes on cabinets and everyone flaked. In the meantime, I'm not sure the maintenance can be any easier with the equipment exposed. The downside to this has been finding a way to cover things so they aren't exposed to sunlight all of the time. I've been using 6mm black plastic. When I work on the equipment, remove the plastic. When I'm done, staple it back in place.
Ted
thetedinator
New member
All,
The tank is recovering from a bad, bad hair algae breakout that started at the end of January. I finally whipped it but to tell the truth, I don't know if I affected the outcome or if the passing of time was the real reason. The breakout may have been caused by the feeding of frozen food (which I kind of doubt since I run RowaPhos and I had been feeding frozen mysis and cyclopeeze since July) or it may have been caused by something in a product I was using to treat RO/DI water prior to making saltwater. Anyway, I quit feeding the frozen food in March. I also traveled and worked so much during March and April that I didn't do a water change. The hair algae killed itself off by mid April. I did a water change the first week of May and am back on a regular schedule.
In any event, the tank doesn't look as good as it did in the October 07, 2005 pictures. The hair algae killed 90% of my corals. The Montipora's were mostly unaffected. I lost all of my Torts (Berman, Oregon, ORA). I lost almost all of my A. milleporas and the few that made it lost all of their color. Most of the corals in the October pics are gone.
But life goes on and the system is on it's way back. I have put a few corals back into they system since early May and they are doing ok.
I will post some pictures soon.
cya,
Ted
thetedinator
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7409447#post7409447 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Konadog
Wow Ted, you woke up!
How's the hair algae battle going? Let's see a few updated pictures. Your rock should be coloring up nicely by now.
Ken,
I wasn't asleep. Between 55+ hour work weeks and 3 trips a month to points east, finding time to post anything anywhere was tough. I barely found time to follow Brent's thread (who is actually making progress!) let alone update mine.
I finally got a day off a week ago Friday and hopefully work will be sane so I can get a life. All of the overtime really drove home how much Uncle Sam takes for his share. As you know, all work and no play makes Ted a dull boy.
BTW, posting the publicity stuff for MASLAC really helped me out.
cya,
Ted
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