Official Royal Exclusiv Dream Box Owners Thread.

[slief]

Originally Posted by docwells

Just got my dreambox yesterday. It is awesome. Very well built.

I do have one issue. The LED lights will not come on. I've tried it in multiple outlets in my house, checked the connections, pressed the on/off switch on the remote multiple times and made sure the battery in the remote was installed correctly. Any other suggestions that I can try?

Do you have the connection between the led strip and the driver connected properly? There is an arrow or mark on the strip that indicates pin 1 which needs to match the pin 1 on the cable. If that cable is reversed, the strip won't light up.

[slief]

This shows the polarity arrow on the connectors. It's not teh same connector but similar. I'd also double check the remove batteries to make sure they are in the correct orientation (you mentioned doing that already) and make sure there isn't some remaining plastic under the cover from the piece you pull out of the battery. Lastly, make sure there is a good connection between the US power plug adapter on the AC Power supply. If you have a volt meter, check to make sure the power supply is outputting voltage. The center pin is + and the outer part is the negative.

[slief]

One other thing.. Make sure you are pointing the remote at the IR sensors on the connection at the LED strip.

[docwells]

I checked the above issues again. All connections are correct. No plastic around the battery.
I have a bad or incorrect power supply. The power supply connection to to controller is not snug. The male pin is too long to fit all the way into the female connection. Whether that matters I do not know. If it doesn't matter then the adapter itself is bad. I tried another power supply from my cable box and the lights came on. The male section of that power supply is shorter and fits snug into the female controller socket. I did use my volt meter and got no power from the power supply There was power when I checked the US power supply adapter when I had it plugged into the wall socket by itself.

[slief]

Originally Posted by docwells

I checked the above issues again. All connections are correct. No plastic around the battery.
I have a bad or incorrect power supply. The power supply connection to to controller is not snug. The male pin is too long to fit all the way into the female connection. Whether that matters I do not know. If it doesn't matter then the adapter itself is bad. I tried another power supply from my cable box and the lights came on. The male section of that power supply is shorter and fits snug into the female controller socket. I did use my volt meter and got no power from the power supply There was power when I checked the US power supply adapter when I had it plugged into the wall socket by itself.

OK.. That helps. Strange that the AC Adapter is dead but stranger things have happened. We are checking stock for a new AC Adapter for you and you were CC'd on the email.

[docwells]

Thanks for the help and quick replies.

[docwells]

I got my dreambox installed and all I can say is it is awesome. It is well built and well worth the money. My wife saw it after it was installed and was impressed. She was like it is such a clean look under the stand now and it is quiet. No more salt creep with the perfectly fitting lids. I wish I had bought this sooner.

I do have one question. How long did it take before skimmers started foam production and microbubbles resolve? My skimmer is not producing foam at this point. It is a DC 150 that I already had. I did clean the skimmer in a vinegar bath and rinse before installing in dream box. I did rinse the dreambox with saltwater before installing to try to wash out any chemicals. I have the skimmer in 7 inches of water which is what it were it was in my prior sump. I am assuming it's just a new break in period but was trying to see how long this should last?

[slief]

Originally Posted by docwells

I got my dreambox installed and all I can say is it is awesome. It is well built and well worth the money. My wife saw it after it was installed and was impressed. She was like it is such a clean look under the stand now and it is quiet. No more salt creep with the perfectly fitting lids. I wish I had bought this sooner.

I do have one question. How long did it take before skimmers started foam production and microbubbles resolve? My skimmer is not producing foam at this point. It is a DC 150 that I already had. I did clean the skimmer in a vinegar bath and rinse before installing in dream box. I did rinse the dreambox with saltwater before installing to try to wash out any chemicals. I have the skimmer in 7 inches of water which is what it were it was in my prior sump. I am assuming it's just a new break in period but was trying to see how long this should last?

Typical break in is typically a week or two depending on what is the tank and age of the display. That said, if this is on a new tank build, your dissolved organics will be minimal if any and without the DOC's/proteins in the water, the bubbles will not be able to stick together to create foam. As a result, more bubbles will exit the skimmer instead of forming foam that rises to the surface. Give it some time though and allow everything to settle in.

[docwells]

Thanks for the reply. I figured I just needed to wait it out.

[mike810]

Do you guys think it is safe to attach a vinyl tubing directly to one of the red pipes in the back of the dream box and ratchet clamp it? I already ordered unions and barbed fitting but would rather not glue unions to the dreambox if you guys think it's safe going the other route. The tubing till probably have 250-500 gph running thru it, it will be used to feed an ARID C30 reactor.

[jporter]

Originally Posted by mike810

Do you guys think it is safe to attach a vinyl tubing directly to one of the red pipes in the back of the dream box and ratchet clamp it? I already ordered unions and barbed fitting but would rather not glue unions to the dreambox if you guys think it's safe going the other route. The tubing till probably have 250-500 gph running thru it, it will be used to feed an ARID C30 reactor.

I used silicone tubing with no issues. I'm also running an Arid post UV via the same method. JP

[mike810]

Originally Posted by jporter

I used silicone tubing with no issues. I'm also running an Arid post UV via the same method. JP

Awesome, I should have asked before ordering the fittings. How often are you harvesting your chaeto and how much at a time? Are you dosing any of the supplements they recommend?

[slief]

Originally Posted by mike810

Do you guys think it is safe to attach a vinyl tubing directly to one of the red pipes in the back of the dream box and ratchet clamp it? I already ordered unions and barbed fitting but would rather not glue unions to the dreambox if you guys think it's safe going the other route. The tubing till probably have 250-500 gph running thru it, it will be used to feed an ARID C30 reactor.

Absolutely. Vinyl or silicone tuning is perfectly fine. That is what those fittings are there for. If you use vinyl, use some hot water to stretch the tubing over the pipe and some plastic hose clamps. If you ever need to remove the tubing, just use some heat on the tubing to make it pliable for removal.

[mike810]

Thanks Scott. I was just worried they might pop off being attached to a smooth surface instead of a barbed fitting.

[slief]

Originally Posted by mike810

Thanks Scott. I was just worried they might pop off being attached to a smooth surface instead of a barbed fitting.

Nope. They should be fine.

[mike810]

This skimmer is just sick. Thank you Scott and Marco for suggesting it to me. I'm having to clean the cup every week on the dot of some nasty, super dark, foul smelling skimmate. This thing is a foaming beast. It's a loud compared to any other skimmer I've owned because the outlet pipe needs to be above water but it skims like no other skimmer I've ever owned.

Sitting in 9 1/4" water level at 48 watts.

[Klaus Jansen]

Hi Mike ...

what model is your skimmer ? DeLuxe 200 ?

best regards ... Klaus

[mike810]

Originally Posted by Klaus Jansen

Hi Mike ...

what model is your skimmer ? DeLuxe 200 ?

best regards ... Klaus

Deluxe 250

[ReefKeeper64]

Gotcha.. We are waiting on Germany as they ordered some felt socks in for qualification and if they fit properly, they will be sending us some. I don't have a time frame but 200 micron felts are the most likely scenario as that is what we requested. We could put a request in for finer ones but I don't think they would be practical. In my experience 200 micron felt socks are much more effective than 200 micron mesh socks. I just sent an email off to Germany to get an update. I don't think they are included in the shipment that is in route or will be this next week. As such, it is likely to be a couple months before we get them as Germany was putting in a special order to have them made. I also requested some 100 micron ones if they can get them. Most won't want 100 micron socks but it woudn't hurt to have some. Once I get an update from Germany, I will update this thread. Torsten is out until a week from Monday as he is on vacation so it's likely to be a week or so before I get an update.

Hello Slief, any word on felt dreambox socks?

[slief]

Originally Posted by ReefKeeper64

Gotcha.. We are waiting on Germany as they ordered some felt socks in for qualification and if they fit properly, they will be sending us some. I don't have a time frame but 200 micron felts are the most likely scenario as that is what we requested. We could put a request in for finer ones but I don't think they would be practical. In my experience 200 micron felt socks are much more effective than 200 micron mesh socks. I just sent an email off to Germany to get an update. I don't think they are included in the shipment that is in route or will be this next week. As such, it is likely to be a couple months before we get them as Germany was putting in a special order to have them made. I also requested some 100 micron ones if they can get them. Most won't want 100 micron socks but it woudn't hurt to have some. Once I get an update from Germany, I will update this thread. Torsten is out until a week from Monday as he is on vacation so it's likely to be a week or so before I get an update.

Hello Slief, any word on felt dreambox socks?

Not really. Last I heard, Germany was looking into having them made but they have to buy the rings seperate and have them put together and due to volume, this may cause issues.

PM sent.

[mike810]

Originally Posted by slief

Not really. Last I heard, Germany was looking into having them made but they have to buy the rings seperate and have them put together and due to volume, this may cause issues.

PM sent.

Hey Scott,

I know it's after hours but do you know if there are any 400 and 200 micron socks at the Ft. Myers facility? The felt socks I ordered doesn't work too well and they clog up within a day with the amount of flow going thru my dreambox. I'm looking for four 400 micron socks and five 200 micron socks. Would like it if RE started carrying 100 micron socks.

[slief]

Originally Posted by mike810

Hey Scott,

I know it's after hours but do you know if there are any 400 and 200 micron socks at the Ft. Myers facility? The felt socks I ordered doesn't work too well and they clog up within a day with the amount of flow going thru my dreambox. I'm looking for four 400 micron socks and five 200 micron socks. Would like it if RE started carrying 100 micron socks.

It looks like we have the 200 micron and 400 micron socks in stock. No 100 micron though. 100 micron socks would be comparable to a 200 micron felt sock so you may not like those very much. I'd run the felt socks in the last row and the 200 micron mesh socks in the first rows. That should extend the felt sock life by removing the large stuff before it gets to the last row.

[mike810]

Originally Posted by slief

It looks like we have the 200 micron and 400 micron socks in stock. No 100 micron though. 100 micron socks would be comparable to a 200 micron felt sock so you may not like those very much. I'd run the felt socks in the last row and the 200 micron mesh socks in the first rows. That should extend the felt sock life by removing the large stuff before it gets to the last row.

I'll try that but I'll still be placing an order for the mesh socks. I want to have an extra set on hand while the dirty ones dry off after a wash. My dang tangs poop so much it clogs the sock.

[mike810]

I really hope they come out with a felt solution soon. I find that I have to change socks every couple days or even everyday occasionally. However, with the mesh socks, when I pull them out of the sump, a lot of the stuff that was caught by the mesh goes floating away into the rest of the sump.

I have not found a good felt solution for the dream box, otherwise I'd be using all felt right now. They just catch a lot more stuff and don't make such a big mess when you pull them out of the sump. With the mesh, whatever is caught and happens to be attached on the outside of the socks, rubs up against the sock holder when pulling it out and that goes floating into the sump.

My sump is pretty dirty since switching back to mesh since the felt socks I found don't work really well.

[ReefKeeper64]

@mike, Last week I started using 7 of the 4" 10 micron socks sold by Marc at melevsreef. I figured that he would have a good sock for sale since he is a reseller now. These socks are well made and they hold up in a washing machine just fine. They also polish up the water well. With 7 sock chambers, I can use the 10 micron socks on a regular basis without an issue.

I've been changing them out every few days but they haven't all clogged up at the same time as of yet. The first three socks in the first chamber clog up after a few days but the 4 socks in the second chamber are still working fine by the time I change out the socks. They definitely clean up the water far better than the nylon socks that shipped with my dreambox.

The only problem with them is that the 4" plastic ring is slightly larger than the smaller metric RE sized sock openings in the dreambox so the socks don't seat properly but they do the job. The sock silencers help to seat them in place well enough. When RE starts selling felt socks, I'll get a set of them.

Here is a link in case you are interested. http://melevsreef.com/catalog/4-filter-sock-10-micron

Good Luck!