Woo Hoo! It's happening now!

[scolley]

Upate?

Hmmm.... I should be posting updates to my build thread. But I'm not, since there are no significant changes.

So... what is there to say?

Well, I've got a lot more corals. But it's all store bought, or ARK donated. So it's not like I've got real GROWTH or anything to show.

Some things have gone wrong - to be sure. And all predictable too if you weren't a newbie like me. So here's the list...


1) The Flame Scallop is sucking wind. Gonna be dead soon. But not sure when.
2) The Maxima clam did not have enough light. It too is suffering. But not as bad as the Flame Scallop.
3) I had BIG increases in my KH recently. It all happened just as I started doing my daily automated small water changes. THAT'S when I tested my Reef Crystals made water, only to find that it's a REALLY high KH. So now my daily 2-part doses accommodate for the fact the my small daily w/c's are boosting KH, and things are on a pretty even keel now.
4) I ripped out my old 2x65w PC and 2x24x T5s, and replaced it with a 2x65w PC and 1x150w MH Outer Orbit fixture. The corals are thanking me every day.
5) I've got fish! Oh nooo... ! 1 hi-fin goby and 3 fire fish. And my nitrates have taken a BIG hit. Before I had readings of > 0.5 ppm. That was from my coral feedings. But soon after getting fish I was up to 1.5 ppm. And then - joy of all joys - last weekend it was 4.0 ppm. Oh Boy. Time for a diet for the fishies. And maybe a brigher light over the chaeto in the refugium.
6) Minor algae outbreaks, coinciding with the Nitrates. Small and controllable though. I'm only mentioning it in the interest of full disclosure. If you saw the tank, you'd be hard pressed to find it.



That's about it for an update. Par for the course for a newbie I would assume.

 

[Wheel of Time]

Sounds to me like your tank is running just fine. As to be expected in the beginning. It really is still cycling and will be for a few more months. No bioload has really built up yet, and when it does -- will have various spikes, and then the 'system' will balance itself out. Eric Bornemen has written several very good pieces on it ( I can forward them if you want).

I love firefish btw! Great addition.

If you would like to park the maxima or scallop in my tank till things settle down for you, Id be more than happy to take care of them for a bit. Sounds like you have lighting under control, but if you change your mind... I used to light my 180g with two 36" retro kits (each has two 175w mh and two 96w pc's for actinics). If you have any interest, let me know.

I cant wait to see your tank in person (and the planted discus tank especially!!!

 

[scolley]

Thanks Seth! I looked up one cycling article by Borneman. But it was focused more on people starting a tank that were clueless, and had pretty sterilized rock. My live rock was teeming with life, and I innoculated with live sand from club members. So I skipped a lot of the "starting from scratch" cycles - or at least shortened them. But yes - things will no doubt sway a bit until the tank ages more.

Borneman's great! I've already accumulated a decent library of reefkeeping books, and his book "Corals" is my hands down favorite.

Thanks for the offer on the "clam parking". But my scallop is doing poorly - IMO - due to the water not having enough plankton. It's a pure filter feeder, and while my smaller feather dusters are doing really well, I don't think there's enough live stuff in the water to keep it happy. Would it be any different in your tank?

As to the maxima, that has improved since I got a brighter light. But it's still not 100%, so I'm gonna keep my eye on it. It appears to have succumbed to the mysterious "pinched mantle" malady at they often get. Just wish I knew why.

And thanks a mill on the mention of the retro kits! But this tank is an aweful size - 30" wide by 12" across. Won't fit those lights. In fact, very, very few lights will fit. That's why it took me so long to get to the new compromise lights I'm using now.

And as for that planted discus... you'll need to see it soon. But BOY is it scary right now! I stopped touching it AT ALL went I went into heavy reef tank research. I have honestly done nothing - I mean nothing - to that tank but drop in two frozen blood worm cubes twice daily - for over four months. Think about that a moment... not touching a high bio-load 180g for more than 4 months. It ain't pretty. But honestly, I'm proud of the fact that it's still chugging along. Just a little greener than I'd like it.

 

[scolley]

Sump rock woes..

Sump rock woes..

It's been more than a year since I bothered posting about my little "training wheels" nano. It was my experiment to learn about reefing before I upgraded my 180 to reef. Well, those plans are shot now, at least in the short term.

The long suffering spousal unit has declared that she loves the 180 as it is, and that I'm not getting another tank. Bummer. I'm dealing with that ok (got a lot of brand spanking new stuff for the 180 I need to sell), but this little nano just isn't cutting it.

The tank is fine. But I cut some corners in building it... thinking it to be temporary. Yet the list of improvements I'd like to make is so long, and so onerous to execute, I've been procrastinating. But Friday I got a nasty surprise, that kind of forces the issue.

I went to pull my return pump for its overdue 6 month cleaning. My stand is so tight, I can't actually see the return. But I can see the return line, and the pump's right under that, so I gave the spaflex line a tug. Nothing. A hard tug. Nothing. That pump's not budging. Using a mirror, I found - to my shock - that the darned thing is imedded in a slab of calcium rock. Solid.

My peristaltics pumps inject 2-part in to the sump return through out the dad. Apparently there hasn't been enough flow in my return to keep precipitate from building up. So now I've got to remove the sump and chip it out. Or vinegar soak it. That's a BIG deal, considering I've got a live DSB built into that sump. And the refugium is precisely that - full of live critters. But I'm going to have to do it - removing a half full sump. Tricky operation.

So if I'm going to go to all that trouble, I'm going to bite the bullet on all the other changes that - if I'm going to be stuck with this tank - need to be done too.

 

[scolley]

Doing it right...

Doing it right...

As I mentioned in my prior post, I'm both stuck with this nano (no 180 conversion!) and have to pull my sump. So I'm going to execute my laundry list of improvements while I'm at it. It's a long list:


Upsize my return pump

- will improve flow in my refugium, and the tank
- swapping my Eheim 1250 for a 1260
- add a ball valve flow on the outflow to blow water to the refugium
​

Remove refugium pico pump

- I've got one in the refugium now to increase flow
- Pico adds heat
- will be unnecessary when I upsize my return
​

Add Bio Pellet reactor

- nuff said
​

Add GFO/Carbon reactor

- replacing the bags of GFO and Carbon I drop in the sump now
- will add heat, but increase convenience and efficiency
​

Replace sump light

- need more light over the chaeto
- LED?
- 100w lamp? Needs reflector
​

Move top-off line to sump

- it goes in to my on-tank overflow now. Needs moving
​

Re-mount all fluid lines into sump

- not happy with how my topoff and 2-part lines mount to the sump
- want something more secure
​

Covert AC Jr to Apex

- Got it all programmed and ready to go :thumbsup:
​

Install Mg dosing pump

- Add a 3rd peristaltic to the 2 used for 2-part now
​

Rearrange electrical wiring

- cleaning up the rat's nest
​

Install casters under sump

- make moving the stand easier with ceramic casters under the feet
​

Clean outflow and return pipes

- nuff said
​

Clean the return line SQUID

- same here
​

Install a DIY 'pod injector

- safely suck pods into my return flow
- Venturi based, attached to return, suction line into refugium
- with filtered inflow
- with backflow valve for clog busting
​

Overflow replacement

- I HATE my overflow, and wish it were a "Silent and Failsafe"
- compromise with a better unit - can't drill glass with a full tank
​

I think that's about enough. Gonna have to get out MS project to plan this one, 'cus if I don't want to tear down my tank, I'm going to have to have everything pre-built, ready to go, and then rapidly pull out the sump - move the sand - bolt all the new stuff in, and put Humpty Dumpty back together before the tank contents start suffering. Gonna be a PITA. But fun.

 

[RTMA]

That is a pretty extensive laundry list. Sorry to her about that bed of solid calcium, like you said it's not going to be easy. Then again I am sure you will come up with an effective and clever way to resolve that. It will be interesting to see your venturi setup once completed. I was excited to see that 160 as a reef, as I am sure you were, but somethings just can't be I guess. Good luck and feel free to give me a holler if you need any help. Also, imho a 37 watt 6500k cfl would do the trick for the fuge, it has for me so far.

 

[tank o tang]

Lets see some updated pics. Was also looking forward to seeing what you were going to do with the 180.

 

[njudson]

[/INDENT]Overflow replacement

- I HATE my overflow, and wish it were a "Silent and Failsafe"
- compromise with a better unit - can't drill glass with a full tank
​

I've been doing some reading on these recently and Lifereef overflows seem to be the most often recommended. They have no moving parts which to me means less chance of failing.

Also I think that simple 5500-6500k CFL bulbs work best for chaeto and are relatively inexpensive. No reason to go high tech here according to what I've read on these forums.

Good luck with the upgrades!
-Nick​

 

[scolley]

It will be interesting to see your venturi setup once completed.

Does anyone do that? I've never seen it, so it's another thing on my "Steve thought this up first" list of aquarium automation.

A cheap 3/4" Kent venturi should do it. Put it in-line on the return, and attach a hose to the venturi inlet. Then place the other end of the hose in the fuge. That end will require a highly filter of some form, some kind of grating or screen to keep large stuff out. But it will create a suction in the fuge, and inevitably pull out critters growing there, and more them into the return flow with much less trauma/death than having to go through a return pump. If it goes as planned, it greatly increase the number of live critters moving from my fuge to my DT. Cool, huh?

I was excited to see that 160 as a reef, as I am sure you were, but somethings just can't be I guess. Good luck and feel free to give me a holler if you need any help. Also, imho a 37 watt 6500k cfl would do the trick for the fuge, it has for me so far.

I was excited to see that 160 as a reef, as I am sure you were, but somethings just can't be I guess.

Naaaa... I'm not really going to sell my stuff for the 180. I'll get it converted. Just not this year, and probably not next. I'm taking a longer term view on this one. In two and a half years my second son will be in college. The missus and I will be empty nesters. And she's reservered and quiet by nature, and I - as you know - am a talker. With the kids gone, and no one but each other to entertain us, I'm sure I'll be driving her nuts. So I think in about three years the idea of something sucking up my spare time will sound like a GREAT idea to her. Really. All I've got to do is be patient.

And most of the kit will still be relevent. A Reeflo pump will still be a good pump. A good skimmer will still be a good skimmer, just missing the latest gee-gaws. And the best part is... LEDs should be cranking by then. Cheaper, better color, and generally much better figured out than they are today. All I've got to do is wait a little while.

I used to grow/train Bonasi. IMO it's good training for any hobbyist, because it taught regular reference to the "long view". That's what this is... the long view plan for my 180.

Lets see some updated pics. Was also looking forward to seeing what you were going to do with the 180.

You shouldda driven to the October meeting at my place Jeff! We missed you. But yea, I'll try to get some picks.

The tank is a little disheveled at the moment. I've got a wandering BRTA that has caused a lot of emergency movement of corals, moving them out of the path of destruction. But it's beginning to settle down - the tank in general, not the anemone. The RBTA is hiding behind the rock work, and everything is settling down. So pics soon.

...I think that simple 5500-6500k CFL bulbs work best for chaeto and are relatively inexpensive. No reason to go high tech here according to what I've read on these forums.

Thanks Nick. And Joe's apparently in agreement with you on that. I've had one, with a DIY fixture for months now. But the clearance over my sump is so limited, that I can't mount it without removing the sump.

But I'm not real happy with it. It would have to be mounted horizontally, and VERY close to the wood ceiling in the sump enclosure. Like within an inch. So some kind of reflector, and heat shield would be required. That's why I'd love to find a good LED alternative, if possible. I'm all ears if anyone knows of one.

I've been doing some reading on these recently and Lifereef overflows seem to be the most often recommended. They have no moving parts which to me means less chance of failing.

Yes, thanks for the reccomendation. I've got a special ordered Life Reef overflow tube in my overflow now. They make tubes that are narrower than most, which increases speed of the water in the tube, thus reducing bubbles in it. Fast moving water pushed bubbles thru, rather than allowing accumulation.

But their inner boxes are still the big clunky overflows that I hate. I had a custom one manufactured, and it did not work at all. I LOVE the small footprint of the CPRs, but HATE the idea of needing an aqualifter running all the time. Maybe I'll call LifeReef and see about a customer inner box. They do custom work.

And as a 3rd, possibility, as I see all the work I'm having to do in this little project, I really begin to flirt with the idea of drilling the tank with inhabitants in it (lower water level obviously). It's nuts. I know. But even considering such gives you an indication of just how much I hate looking at large overflow boxes. Food for thought.

 

[scolley]

Oh yea... Thanks for the offer of help Joe. I might just take you up on that. I've got a strapping son - with an engineering bent - available to help. But depending on how this project plan works out (I'm working on it), it just might be good to have an experience 2nd hand available. Thanks.

 

[terahz]

I really begin to flirt with the idea of drilling the tank with inhabitants in it

Do it! Any way it goes you'll end up with a drilled tank

Actually, you have a forth option You can get a glass bit and cut the teeth of the overflow directly on the back of your tank. Coast to coast style. Then all you need is an attachment at the back of the tank that will drain the water to your sump .

 

[scolley]

Thanks Georgi. Good thinking, but doesn't that just apply to rimless tanks? Wish mine was. But it's not.

 

[RTMA]

Thanks Georgi. Good thinking, but doesn't that just apply to rimless tanks? Wish mine was. But it's not.

What I think Georgi is trying to say is to use a glass cutter bit (think Rotozip tile cut bit) and use that to cut a slot in your glass as the over flow, you will need to build an external over flow.

All that work, maybe order a custom rimless to replace the 29 . Make all the mods you want to it. Get some new sand and one night we swing by and do the swap

 

[scolley]

What I think Georgi is trying to say is to use a glass cutter bit (think Rotozip tile cut bit) and use that to cut a slot in your glass as the over flow, you will need to build an external over flow.

All that work, maybe order a custom rimless to replace the 29 . Make all the mods you want to it. Get some new sand and one night we swing by and do the swap

Oh. Got it...

Good idea. I love them cosmetically. But I would not put one on my tank unless it was made of plexiglass, and secured to the tank with bulkheads. I do not trust adhesives to hold something on the back of my tank like that. And if I'm drilling hole big enough for bulkheads, I'm right back to Silent and Failsafe. But mounting it externally does sound sweet.

Joe, I'm too much of a newb to wrap my head around swapping out my whole tank. I mean... it would clearly simplify things a whole lot. But a lot of my corals get upset if you look at them wrong. I'd hate to imagine how upset they'd get swapping out the tank. It's one thing to have a coral or two getting upset and starting to slime its neighbors. But having a whole tank of coral doing that has got to be bad news.

Or maybe that's just another learning experience this newbie needs.

 

[scolley]

Wow! What a PITA!

I pulled the stand out from the wall, and it took over two months of work before I could put it back.

DONE: Upsize my return pump
DONE: Remove refugium pico pump
NOT DONE: Add Bio Pellet Reactor (ATS added instead)
NOT DONE: Add GFO/Carbon reactor (ATS added instead)
DONE: Replace sump light - except that I added an Algae Turf Scrubber instead.
DONE: Move top-off line to sump
DONE: Re-mount all fluid lines into sump
DONE: Covert AC Jr to Apex
DONE: Install Mg dosing pump
DONE: Rearrange electrical wiring
DONE: Install casters under sump
DONE: Clean outflow and return pipes
DONE: Clean the return line SQUID
DONE and UNDONE: Install a DIY 'pod injector (a good idea that did not work)
DONE: Overflow replacement (drilled tank with livestock in it to install a Silent Holes)
UNPLANNED but DONE: Replaced my lights with my DIY LED fixture

Major upgrade for such a little tank! Good to get that done... But just in time for the tank's 2nd birthday!

 

[terahz]

Very cool. That's a pretty decent amount of work. So you ended up switching to LEDs for the tank? Did you make any changes to the fixture or is it the same setup we saw at your place?

Now do you realize that you have not posted a single photo of your reef?

WE WANT PICTURES!

 

[scolley]

Thanks Georgi! I'll be detailing the LED differences in my "Emperor's New LEDs" thread.

But long story short, IMO it's still imperfect, but acceptable with the LED changes I made. Those were primarily increasing the blue to white ratio, swapping the majority (but not all) cool whites with neutral whites, and swapping a few royal blues with plain old blues.

I'll have to think about pics... It's still a work in progress.

 

[RTMA]

Wow a lot has been going on over there! I didn't know you drilled it full. Nice work
I need to add a mg doser myself - I always forget to dose it manually.

So do you have the three 1.5" bean channels behind the 29

No pics eh? I think he just made it all up I'll verify tonight

 

[srusso]

Yeah, lets see some new pictures. Full tank shots!!

 

[scolley]

Yeah, lets see some new pictures. Full tank shots!!

Right! Got it...

This tank's been up a couple of years. Pics are not an unreasonable request.

That said... this WAS my "learning" tank. I went full bore into a mixed tank. So for the sake of learning I put SPS into a tank with softies. I let LPS is live in the down flow of soft corals that wanted them dead.

And I bought NPS corals that needed more food than I was willing to give them them, at the frequency they wanted to be fed, at the times they wanted to be fed.

But that was ALL a part of the learning process for me. Not only the coral's requirements, but what i was willing to provide them. After two years, these pics are the results.

Hold on to your hats. I took these pics just over a week ago, and there are LOT of pics.