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Unread 12/06/2018, 12:06 PM   #226
halmus
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tkeracer619 View Post
Looks like it has progressed nicely! Well done!

I wonder if running Ozone would help with water clarity. Maybe get you that little bump in par on the sandbed for your LPS.


Thank you!

I’ve never used Ozone but I have a general understanding of how it helps with water clarity. I remember asking about it when I originally ordered the skimmer. I can’t remember now whether I have to make any modifications to the slimmer to add in the ozone other than some sort of input line.

I assume that clearer water would allow for a more uniform penetration of PAR vs water depth? It’s definitely something to look into some time in the future.


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Unread 12/07/2018, 11:16 AM   #227
tkeracer619
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Originally Posted by halmus View Post
Thank you!

I’ve never used Ozone but I have a general understanding of how it helps with water clarity. I remember asking about it when I originally ordered the skimmer. I can’t remember now whether I have to make any modifications to the slimmer to add in the ozone other than some sort of input line.

I assume that clearer water would allow for a more uniform penetration of PAR vs water depth? It’s definitely something to look into some time in the future.

You'd need ORP on the tank. Max you want is around 450. If you don't have a UV you could try that, it will bring ORP and clarity up first. I'm not really so keen on running ozone on a skimmer even though most of them are compatible. You really should run the effluent and air out of the reactor through carbon. While ozone breaks down almost immediately in saltwater it leaves behind toxic oxidants so you want to take them out before discharge. Air leaving the mixing chamber will contain ozone and that's harmful to you and your wife...

Interestingly enough... IIRC running ozone alone doesn't really do much to DOCs but running ozone treated water through carbon effectively doubles the efficiency of the carbon.

Here is a great read on ozone. I've used it on several tanks in the past and have thought about running on my current system.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-03/rhf/index.php

I once accidentally overdosed an aquarium with ozone and it nuked my plague of anthellia as far as I could tell nothing else was impacted,


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Unread 08/22/2019, 07:35 PM   #228
Sisterlimonpot
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Anything new happening with the tank?


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Unread 08/24/2019, 02:23 PM   #229
halmus
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Anything new happening with the tank?


Thanks for asking. There have been a lot of ups and downs. My new business has really picked up which is good and bad. Bad because I have less time to dink around with the tank. Working 6-7 days a week now.

I’ll be heading to Australia in Oct. Diving on the GBR! That’s part of the reason I’m working nonstop to make some commitments to clients.

I’m doing a little maintenance today. 10 mile run this morning to keep my wife happy. Doesn’t help with my energy levels! Slam some more coffee and drive on...

Some of the recent challenges:
-SPS are hanging in there but not happy. I watch chemistry closely and have tried adjusting the Radions for intensity and duration. Couldn’t hit that magic solution.

-based on other hobbyists input, I was chasing nitrate and phosphate levels. They were undetectable since I started the tank. I’ve had zero problems with nuisance algae in the display.

-I started trying boosting nitrate to levels recommended by some local “experts”. Guess what followed? Algae explosion I’m battling now.

-I finally got fed up trying to force the Radions to work with my SPS. I tried them for over two years. I know they work for some people, but I just can’t get things set right. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t keep anything blue? Cali and Oregon Torts are probably my favorite and I just couldn’t get them to survive under LED. Reds loved it! I’m sure there’s user error there, but I’ve lost the mental energy to fight spectrum settings any longer. So, ordered x4 250watt MH. Radion 14k bulbs. Had to rework my T5-HO a little to fit in the new fixtures. I now have x10 48” T5-HO bulbs over the display along with the MH. Most coral did well with the transition. I did loose a Red Dragon and Ice and Fire Echinata. Otherwise, the SPS seems to be happier. I’m still slowly increasing the duration for MH. At about 4.5 hrs a day now. Probably won’t go much more.

-had to supplement air flow to compensate for the heat from the MH. So far, that has worked well during the local heat wave. No chiller, which was my biggest concern. Bunch of fans controlled by the Apex and triggered by temp settings.

-Alk / Ca consumption went up drastically after MH which is a clear sign that something likes the new lights.

-The MH transition probably made the algae problem worse. I have a ton of growth on the substrate. That’s my focus on cleaning up now. It’s growing on the rock some which scares me more. I want to get it off the substrate so that the clowns can focus on where it matters.

-I have the following tangs in QT: Powder Blue, Clown, Naso, Orange Shoulder, Scopas. They’re all pigs and I can’t wait to get them in the display. The Blue is a jerk. He’s in his own tank. The others are all getting along well. I introduce them mid September.

-Also working on boosting my CUC population.

-have a growing Anthia population with groups of Bimaculatus, Lyretail, and Bartletts


So, with all of the ups and downs, I’m returning to what worked for me in the past. I’m going to ignore all of the advise I have gotten from local “experts”. I have the lighting combination I know works. Nothing much to adjust. I’ll stay on top of the algae and make small adjustments as needed.


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Unread 09/07/2019, 09:44 PM   #230
vanburen
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Thanks for posting the update. This hobby certainly has its ups and downs. Please keep posting when you can - your set up is awesome and inspiring.

What is the flooring in the fish room and where did you get it? How is it working out? Many thanks. Ed


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Unread 09/08/2019, 07:03 AM   #231
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I just found your thread. Please keep posting.

Thanks

Dean


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Unread 09/08/2019, 04:37 PM   #232
halmus
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vanburen View Post
Thanks for posting the update. This hobby certainly has its ups and downs. Please keep posting when you can - your set up is awesome and inspiring.



What is the flooring in the fish room and where did you get it? How is it working out? Many thanks. Ed


Thanks for the encouragement.

Clown tang didn’t survive the transfer. Was supper happy in QT with others. Big bummer.

The flooring is G-Floor garage flooring. I would guess it’s impervious to moisture except on seems and edges. It’s designed to drive on so it’s resilient. I’ve been happy with it and it’s not too slippery when wet. I did silicone the edges to the baseboard in the room but hard to tell if it really bonded without tearing things apart to check.

Ordered it through Home Depot.

I’ve flooded the room a few times and I just use a broom to push all of the water to the floor drain.


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Unread 09/08/2019, 04:39 PM   #233
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aikenreefkeeper View Post
I just found your thread. Please keep posting.



Thanks



Dean


Thanks Dean. Hopefully things will slow down with my business soon (should I be hoping for that?). So that I can post some photo updates. Not too much change so not a lot to see. But maybe I can capture some of the growing colonies and fish chaos.


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Unread 05/15/2020, 08:15 AM   #234
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Nice, recognize this incredible build from the Mr.Saltwater vid from a few weeks back. Glad to have found this thread will be following.


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Unread 05/15/2020, 09:21 AM   #235
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Originally Posted by Narzyzz12 View Post
Nice, recognize this incredible build from the Mr.Saltwater vid from a few weeks back. Glad to have found this thread will be following.

Thanks for the compliments.

Haven’t kept things updated here well. Lots of work has happened on the tank. Lots of ups and downs. Coral has really colored up over the last two months.

I need to post up some updated photos of the display side or a video. I’m no “influencer” or have the time to put together flashy videos but I can hack something together. I’ve got a lot of coral in QT that can move in on May 25. I’ll put something together after that.

Mark and his camera man did a great job on the video series. I wish the final video had better conveyed the coral population in the display. Maybe I’m biased. Some days all I can see are the bare spots in the tank where I wish coral was growing. Then I get a new frag or mini colony and I have a hard time finding a home for it.


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Unread 05/31/2020, 12:32 PM   #236
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A link would've been great... hehe. Glad to hear that everything is trucking along.


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Unread 05/31/2020, 12:53 PM   #237
Sisterlimonpot
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Found it:







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Last edited by Sisterlimonpot; 05/31/2020 at 01:06 PM.
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Unread 05/31/2020, 01:16 PM   #238
Sisterlimonpot
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Wow 3 parts???




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Unread 05/31/2020, 01:20 PM   #239
halmus
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A link would've been great... hehe. Glad to hear that everything is trucking along.

Thanks. Yeah, you’re right. Just not big on self promotion.

Thanks for posting them!


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Unread 05/31/2020, 04:43 PM   #240
Sisterlimonpot
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That's alright, I'll do it for you. I even shared the videos with a few of my local buddies... they love it!


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Unread 05/31/2020, 05:14 PM   #241
halmus
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A Golden Reef Tank (v2)

A month ago, a local reefer put out an SOS to the Denver area.

“160g tank established for 15 years. I want out! My tank is leaking. Come and get it.”




Part of the reason my system is “more crap than you need in the back end” (to quote YouTube trolls) is that I’ve intentionally built the system to be modular.

I showed up the next day and picked up chalices too big to fit in a 5g bucket and more euphillia and trumpet coral than would fit in two 5g buckets. Some other chalice and Duncan’s. Not a huge biodiversity but some really impressive established colonies. Along with a beautiful sailfin tang I’ve affectionately named “dumbo”. It’s a big beautiful tang that doesn’t understand its own size.

Everything went into QT. Luckily, I had enough room for the new clowns, Anthia, sailfin, and coral in the various QT systems. Again, I built the system to be able to grow/shrink based on immediate needs. I was able to give a little bit of compensation to the hobbyist.

Today, I’ve finally moved some of the larger pieces into my display. I’ve given away some pieces to local hobbyists. The rest I’ve mounted to plates and letting heal up. Soon, I’ll be selling off those pieces to give back to the original owner to help with his transition out of the hobby. It’s a win-win scenario as far as I’m concerned.


In other news:

I want to build a camera rig to get some panning views of the tank and try to document the growth of the display side better. By the time I have that done, the new coral should be growing in well.

I’m not doing much on the back end of the tank these days other than maintenance. Growing out frags to trade with hobbyists or give away to guests.


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Unread 06/02/2020, 09:46 PM   #242
Sisterlimonpot
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You made me go back and read the comments. WOW! there's some haters! I'm quite certain that none of those guys know the amount of ingenuity that went into your system. If it didn't come in a box and cost an arm and a leg they won't understand.

I love everything about it!


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Unread 06/03/2020, 10:26 AM   #243
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Originally Posted by Sisterlimonpot View Post
You made me go back and read the comments. WOW! there's some haters! I'm quite certain that none of those guys know the amount of ingenuity that went into your system. If it didn't come in a box and cost an arm and a leg they won't understand.

I love everything about it!
Completely agree Jimmy. And you've got lots of jealous people too that feel better when they can try to tear someone down.


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Unread 06/07/2020, 09:13 PM   #244
halmus
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Tonight was my breaking point.

I have 7 Ecotech Vectra M2’s on my system. 4 have failed. Finding a workaround for everything or just leaving that pump dead if it’s not critical.

I have 4 Ecotech MP60’s on my system. 4 have rusty impeller shafts.

My Ecotech Reeflink has been inop for about a year.

I sold x5 Radion G4’s and replaced them with either old school MH or T5HO.

See a trend? I’m done with Ecotech.

Just lost another Vectra tonight. Second time the impeller shaft seized on that pump but it’s a trend with all others. The plastic housing of the pump is failing and the shaft disintegrated tonight after I cleaned everything and restarted the pump.

Have a Maxijet circulating water to my frag system now as backup.

Planning on replacing every Ecotech product in my system as budget allows.


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Unread 06/08/2020, 10:32 AM   #245
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Quote:
Originally Posted by halmus View Post
Tonight was my breaking point.

I have 7 Ecotech Vectra M2’s on my system. 4 have failed. Finding a workaround for everything or just leaving that pump dead if it’s not critical.

I have 4 Ecotech MP60’s on my system. 4 have rusty impeller shafts.

My Ecotech Reeflink has been inop for about a year.

I sold x5 Radion G4’s and replaced them with either old school MH or T5HO.

See a trend? I’m done with Ecotech.

Just lost another Vectra tonight. Second time the impeller shaft seized on that pump but it’s a trend with all others. The plastic housing of the pump is failing and the shaft disintegrated tonight after I cleaned everything and restarted the pump.

Have a Maxijet circulating water to my frag system now as backup.

Planning on replacing every Ecotech product in my system as budget allows.
For lighting, consider the Orphek Atlantik V4.2. I'm super happy with mine. Installed a couple months ago on my 300DD. Only needed 3 fixtures, have superb coverage and intensity (without even turning them up all the way). Super easy to control (way more easily than ecotech). In fact, I'll be replacing my current Gen 3 pro with another Atlantik over my lagoon. I very much dislike the reef link and the relative complexity associated with adding and controlling the lights (won't even consider adding their pumps at this point... Tunze are far too good).


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Unread 06/08/2020, 11:11 AM   #246
halmus
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Thanks for the tip McPuff.

For lights, I’m set now. Unless the new world order bans MH bulbs and I’m forced to switch. They worked on my last tank. Working on this one. Just wish I hadn’t planned the system around Ecotech.

That being said, I still really like the Vortech pumps. Just wish they didn’t skimp on material costs in manufacturing which has led to the rusty impeller shafts. Why skimp there? It’s stupid expensive to begin with. How much could they possibly have saved? Or did their manufacturer in Wuhan sneak in some repurposed bat cartilage to cut down on material cost?

Certainly wouldn’t use any Vectra pumps or their new peristaltic. I haven’t used it personally but a friend locally has had nothing but trouble with it.


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Unread 06/09/2020, 05:15 AM   #247
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Thanks for the tip McPuff.

Certainly wouldn’t use any Vectra pumps or their new peristaltic. I haven’t used it personally but a friend locally has had nothing but trouble with it.
I agree here... I bought the Versa as soon as it was available because for the price, why not? Figured it would be a good feed pump for my CA reactor. But after a month I really started to question it's ability to serve as a continuous duty pump. Any speed over 70/80 ml/min and it emits a loud whistle/whine which just bores a hole into your head eventually. I started to have some other issues with it [and with Mobius!] as well. Probably got about two months of use out of it and then took it offline and went back to using a manifold to feed the reactor. One less mechanical thing to worry about.


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Unread 06/09/2020, 02:14 PM   #248
Sisterlimonpot
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You guys are making me sad...


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Unread 06/10/2020, 08:08 AM   #249
Michael Hoaster
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Hey Neighbor! I love your setup. Very inspiring, even for a low-tech nature boy like me. I'd love to hear more about it, so I'll keep following. I'm especially impressed that you share all your ups and downs so freely. I think I can learn a lot from you and your experiences. Thanks for sharing!


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Unread 09/08/2020, 11:34 AM   #250
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Came back to revisit what is probably my all time favorite built. This is a build that rivals what public aquaria do and leaps them by a mile. Back end is simply phenomenal.

Appreciate you sharing the details, learned few tricks too; always loved your setup. Keep going.


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