Exciting stuff, all lights up and spent a few hours perfecting placement for best spread vs. highest PAR. The compromise was 9.25" from water surface to fixture lens tip. A few inches down gives more power, but numbers start to get very patchy, especially near the top 6" and under the crossbeams. So up a bit gives better spread near the higher levels as coral grow up, and allows me to keep more coral under the cross beams and on the bottom. Mostly see 300-500 PAR everywhere in the tank, with some 600-800 PAR hot spots, and 150+ PAR along the bottom. Tons of great places for coral on the back wall and even on the tunze wavebox if I so desire.
The tupperware containers of rubble rock will come out, maybe into the sump, but so much light in there I worry about negative growth now. They are helping seed the tank with pods. I plan to cover the HDPE bottom of the tank with some kind of coral (ricordia, green star polyps, montipora) depends on if 150 PAR is enough and if angels will allow the softer corals.
This weekend got some more minor projects done. Made mesh screens for the tank to keep fish from jumping out. I should have used 1/4" instead of 1/8", it blocks about 10% of PAR on the meter, but small price to pay I guess. I have too much light anyays. I used standard screening kits from Menards, and screen from Bulk reef supply. Total project cost for 3 lids was under $75.
I also cleaned the turf scrubber for the first time. So this is about 2 weeks of growth I guess. There is really not much of a bioload on here yet either. Just a few cubes per day (or less) since I only feed the anemone tank every now and then. But the tank is just finishing up it's cycle, so I suppose this could be normal?
Sump kind of reminds me of a dance club.
I also measured the ATS flow with the screen installed. On a 20" long 1/8" gap with screen inserted into slot, it filled a 2 gallon rubbermaid (to the mark), in 20 seconds on average. So this says only 360gph, or only 18gph per inch. I'm not getting the 35gph suggesion in this case... not sure if there is a problem here or not. Perhaps the slot is closing up a bit because of the length? Or screen inserted too far? This was after a cleaning session/groove scrubbed.
I made some DIY light blockers, paint is still drying. This will be for the ATS to keep light out of the groove.
I calibrated the 3 part dosers. Now need to start 3 part solution. No rush yet, KH is still 9. Corraline is already starting to grow, just barely seeing specs all over.
I ran the DIY UPS overnight, the battery died around 8 hours, so that's 8 hour power outage protection running 114W of 2 main recirculation pumps. I figure being in the city with no major catostrophes should be fine. Otherwise a rollaway generator is the next best thing, but I could pickup one of those in the future if I'm worried. Even so, those are not auto throw over (not for low cost options), but the UPS I built does switch over alone.
I took energy readings this weekend with the watt meter (I used to perform energy audits when I worked for the utility).
Corona lights @ 100% = 110W each
return pumps x 2 = 114W total at 60% flow
MP60 x 2 = 24W @50% to 60W if full
skimmer x 54W
heater (gas, but when pump cycles) 35W
wavemaker x 2 = 60W average total
Doser, PH meter, temp probes, Ranco = 1-2W each (idle)
airpumps QT x 3 = 15W total
mag5 QT1 = 35W
maxiject1200 QT2 = 20W
maxjet400 QT3 = 7W
Frag Tank light = 67W (109W if full intensity)
QT tank light #1 = 37W
QT tank light #2/3 = 4W ea
Still no fish yet. 2 clown fish in QT from prior system and 1 last dying wrasse. Obviously was some kind of infection that I was not equipped to handle. All tanks have been running cupramine about a week now, and 2 doses of prazipro. Not sure when/if I'll release the clowns into the tank. Also no idea what I will do about buying fish. I can't decide on anything anymore.
