Pete's 280 log - Page 2

melev · 04/24/2009, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by scaryperson27
Marc, that's a nice face icon you got there... Where did you get it?

I can't remember, it was a couple of years ago.

mg426 · 04/24/2009, 10:49 AM

Awesome tank !!!

Electrobes · 04/24/2009, 10:59 AM

The reef clean-up crew look great, very healthy! I was under the impression that Astreas weren't good candidates for reef tanks because of their lower temperature needs? It's why I generally stick with Cerinths and blue legs... even if they battle it out constantly (i.e. hermits mugg them).

BigJay · 04/24/2009, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Electrobes
The reef clean-up crew look great, very healthy! I was under the impression that Astreas weren't good candidates for reef tanks because of their lower temperature needs? It's why I generally stick with Cerinths and blue legs... even if they battle it out constantly (i.e. hermits mugg them).

I think it's the margaritas that are lower-temp snails, and astreas are okay. Astreas are only a bad idea because:

1. They can't turn themselves over. Anytime one of them falls and you're not around to help, it's a free shell for some wandering hermit.

2. Astreas get big, so Pete's going to have 100 giant snail-butts on his front glass.

Electrobes · 04/24/2009, 03:37 PM

psteeleb · 04/24/2009, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by thechad21
You're running 1,880 watts of light over a 6' x 2' area. Holly smokes bat man. That's a lotta light!

is that not enough?

actually - my power company loves me

psteeleb · 04/24/2009, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BigJay
PPS: Pete how's the calcium reactor dial-in going?

Me? I had to shut off my CO2 yesterday morning since the DKH went slightly over 12. I could tell something was wrong because the xenia shriveled up and retracted it's usually fluffy polyps. That stuff is actually good for something, it's a great "canary" coral despite it's diabolical plans to spread and dominate the entire tank .

This morning I tested at 11 flat, so tonight it should be around 10.5 and I'll turn the CO2 back on and dial the bubble rate back. My ideal effluent PH is around 6.6 for my demand (ARM small media), so I need to re-adjust the controller there. I have it set at 6.5 now, so it slowly crept up over the past week.

I just checked and it seems to be holding at 11.6 (two days), so I think I'm good

I'm sure it will drop some when I do a partial water change this weekend

psteeleb · 04/24/2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
The funniest stuff happens in your tank, Pete. Naked hermits! You're going to have to make sure your kids aren't around when that kinda stuff is going on.

Did someone say naked hermits? where?

Where's the naked hermit? I climbed all the way up this stupid pole and I don't see any naked hermits. Now how in the heck am I going to get down?

psteeleb · 04/25/2009, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by scaryperson27
That's like 30 cents each. Not bad. They looked healthy in the pics. Maybe I'll have to jump on some of these group buys.

IMO, for bulk items, group buys are the only way to go. I like to support the LFS, but in this case I probably would have paid 3 times the amount. Fish and corals are one thing, seeing before hand has it's value, but a CUC is something else. So far they all look healthy

Quote:

Originally posted by jtc3
very nice set up

thanks

Quote:

Originally posted by mg426
Awesome tank !!!

thanks

psteeleb · 04/25/2009, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Electrobes
The reef clean-up crew look great, very healthy! I was under the impression that Astreas weren't good candidates for reef tanks because of their lower temperature needs? It's why I generally stick with Cerinths and blue legs... even if they battle it out constantly (i.e. hermits mugg them).

As BigJay mentions: Astreas are like fodder in the never ending battle of reefkeeping.

I do find that the mortality rate is pretty high, maybe 30% make it through a year and less then 10% over 2 years. Just a guess

they are good bait for pyramidal snails and whelks, cheap traps to keep these pest away from clams

they also give the hermits something to get excited about

they use to be a food source for my purple lobster

and they do a good job cleaning algae off the rocks and glass.

plus they are cheap

I do think they come from a little cooler water so I may be loosing some to high metabolism burnout. I know that abalone hitch hiker wont make it in 80 deg water.

scaryperson27 · 04/25/2009, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by psteeleb
is that not enough?

actually - my power company loves me

Maybe you should make yourself a rich man and invest stock in the power company.

psteeleb · 04/25/2009, 12:40 PM

phase one of the water change tank is complete

I finished running the fill line and over flow. The RO/DI line was already in place.

The next phase will include adding some automation to the RO/DI fill line. This will include on switch hooked up to a solenoid to start the RO/DI and a ATO type float switch to solenoid shut it off.

Phase 3 will be the drain pump and piping

For now I can manually run the RO/DI but will have to keep an eye on it. As for draining the tank I can hook up a hose to my circulation pump.

WCT in place

Tank supply water

Over flow return to sump (middle 1 1/2" pipe)

I changed out my RO/DI filter to a 150g per day. I was flushing the system by using my 1 gal pitcher. My wife called and by the time I got back it had already overflowed. No big deal, I just considered it a leak test for my reactor tray - no leaks

psteeleb · 04/25/2009, 04:22 PM

I rearranged a few sps in the front of the tank to give them more room to grow

I need to retrieve the green plate form the bottom but you can see how crowded the middle section is getting from this picture

random top downs

Electrobes · 04/26/2009, 06:08 AM

Beautiful pictures!

I see what you mean about the Astrea snails.. kinda like the circle of life

SERVO · 04/26/2009, 07:38 AM

Looking really; really nice Pete, I bet those pictures would have looked a million times better if you would have removed all of those empty snail shells off of your corals.

psteeleb · 04/26/2009, 07:37 PM

thanks Electrobes, thanks Ryan

Empty? there be life in them thar shells

and yes I consider snails as part of the chain of life. (food chain and clean up chain)

psteeleb · 04/26/2009, 07:44 PM

I went ahead and mixed a batch of salt water in my normal fashion and then transferred the water to the new water change tank. I see the water change tank holds about 10 gallons more then I use to do (and I was concerned it was going to be less)

So, I filled it up and added more salt to match the tank salinity of 1.026. I also added some magnesium to bring the level up a bit. This morning it tested at 1380.
Here it is ready to remove the overflow plug and open the tank fill valve

psteeleb · 04/26/2009, 07:59 PM

with the system running the level in the WCT went up to just under half way on the over flow - this dropped my sump level a good inch plus kicking in the ATO. I'll have to mark the current level and use it as a reference for the next time. When I get the float switch installed I'll adjust it to the required level based on the mark.

TandN · 04/26/2009, 08:21 PM

Great tank !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

psteeleb · 04/26/2009, 08:25 PM

Murphy struck. Just when i think I got the Ca reactor up and running just right, that is until about an hour ago. The solenoid is making all kinds of racket trying to turn off/on/off/on likes it's stuck not knowing. I'm assuming this is a controller relay issue or controller set issue and I may need to replace the controller - figure this happens the night before I go out of town for two weeks.

any ideas or does it seem like my controller is done for?

It's a Milwaukee dual (ORP/Ph) controller SMS 125

I dialed the flow and bubble count so it's holding above the controller set point but this is a real pain. My only thought right now is to order another controller and maybe have a friend install it when I'm gone.

psteeleb · 04/26/2009, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TandN
Great tank !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks

psteeleb · 04/26/2009, 08:50 PM

back to the water change tank

I just put the tank in feed mode, shutting down the pumps. The extra water volume in the water change tank that is over and above the bottom of the over flow was enough to over flow my sump. So it looks like I need to drop the sump level some. for now I'll just let this run for a few hours and take it off line.

Hop · 04/26/2009, 10:33 PM

Naked hermits

Wish I could answer your pH controller question, but I've never ran a mil...

Tank looks great, personally I love the way it is filling in. Might be a pain later, but for now

psteeleb · 04/26/2009, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hop
Naked hermits

Wish I could answer your pH controller question, but I've never ran a mil...

Tank looks great, personally I love the way it is filling in. Might be a pain later, but for now

thanks Hop

odd thing on the controller, when I reduced the set point it worked fine, at least it went through an off/on routine a couple times with no issues. Maybe there is a dead at spot around 6.41ish

I may have to devise some sort of weed wacker for corals as they continue to grow out

melev · 04/26/2009, 10:51 PM

If you want to give me a call Pete, I'll try to talk you through the controller. The solenoid on the regulator was the one making the noise, right? Because the Milwaukee pH controller just turns the big black plug on and off based upon pH levels.

04/24/2009, 10:49 AM	#27
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,923	Awesome tank !!! __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

04/24/2009, 10:59 AM	#28
Electrobes Montipora type guy Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fort Myers, FL Posts: 2,945	The reef clean-up crew look great, very healthy! I was under the impression that Astreas weren't good candidates for reef tanks because of their lower temperature needs? It's why I generally stick with Cerinths and blue legs... even if they battle it out constantly (i.e. hermits mugg them). __________________ Christian Current Tank Info: 100G Half Cylinder

04/24/2009, 03:37 PM	#30
Electrobes Montipora type guy Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fort Myers, FL Posts: 2,945	__________________ Christian Current Tank Info: 100G Half Cylinder

04/25/2009, 12:40 PM	#37
psteeleb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 5,249	phase one of the water change tank is complete I finished running the fill line and over flow. The RO/DI line was already in place. The next phase will include adding some automation to the RO/DI fill line. This will include on switch hooked up to a solenoid to start the RO/DI and a ATO type float switch to solenoid shut it off. Phase 3 will be the drain pump and piping For now I can manually run the RO/DI but will have to keep an eye on it. As for draining the tank I can hook up a hose to my circulation pump. WCT in place Tank supply water Over flow return to sump (middle 1 1/2" pipe) I changed out my RO/DI filter to a 150g per day. I was flushing the system by using my 1 gal pitcher. My wife called and by the time I got back it had already overflowed. No big deal, I just considered it a leak test for my reactor tray - no leaks __________________ A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner Current Tank Info: 110g Mixed Reef, LED's & T5's

04/25/2009, 04:22 PM	#38
psteeleb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 5,249	I rearranged a few sps in the front of the tank to give them more room to grow I need to retrieve the green plate form the bottom but you can see how crowded the middle section is getting from this picture random top downs __________________ A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner Current Tank Info: 110g Mixed Reef, LED's & T5's

04/26/2009, 06:08 AM	#39
Electrobes Montipora type guy Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fort Myers, FL Posts: 2,945	Beautiful pictures! I see what you mean about the Astrea snails.. kinda like the circle of life __________________ Christian Current Tank Info: 100G Half Cylinder

04/26/2009, 07:38 AM	#40
SERVO Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Keller, TX Posts: 1,305	Looking really; really nice Pete, I bet those pictures would have looked a million times better if you would have removed all of those empty snail shells off of your corals.

04/26/2009, 07:37 PM	#41
psteeleb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 5,249	thanks Electrobes, thanks Ryan Empty? there be life in them thar shells and yes I consider snails as part of the chain of life. (food chain and clean up chain) __________________ A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner Current Tank Info: 110g Mixed Reef, LED's & T5's

04/26/2009, 07:44 PM	#42
psteeleb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 5,249	I went ahead and mixed a batch of salt water in my normal fashion and then transferred the water to the new water change tank. I see the water change tank holds about 10 gallons more then I use to do (and I was concerned it was going to be less) So, I filled it up and added more salt to match the tank salinity of 1.026. I also added some magnesium to bring the level up a bit. This morning it tested at 1380. Here it is ready to remove the overflow plug and open the tank fill valve __________________ A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner Current Tank Info: 110g Mixed Reef, LED's & T5's

04/26/2009, 07:59 PM	#43
psteeleb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 5,249	with the system running the level in the WCT went up to just under half way on the over flow - this dropped my sump level a good inch plus kicking in the ATO. I'll have to mark the current level and use it as a reference for the next time. When I get the float switch installed I'll adjust it to the required level based on the mark. __________________ A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner Current Tank Info: 110g Mixed Reef, LED's & T5's

04/26/2009, 08:21 PM	#44
TandN Registered Member. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 2,009	Great tank !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

04/26/2009, 08:25 PM	#45
psteeleb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 5,249	Murphy struck. Just when i think I got the Ca reactor up and running just right, that is until about an hour ago. The solenoid is making all kinds of racket trying to turn off/on/off/on likes it's stuck not knowing. I'm assuming this is a controller relay issue or controller set issue and I may need to replace the controller - figure this happens the night before I go out of town for two weeks. any ideas or does it seem like my controller is done for? It's a Milwaukee dual (ORP/Ph) controller SMS 125 I dialed the flow and bubble count so it's holding above the controller set point but this is a real pain. My only thought right now is to order another controller and maybe have a friend install it when I'm gone. __________________ A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner Current Tank Info: 110g Mixed Reef, LED's & T5's

04/26/2009, 08:50 PM	#47
psteeleb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 5,249	back to the water change tank I just put the tank in feed mode, shutting down the pumps. The extra water volume in the water change tank that is over and above the bottom of the over flow was enough to over flow my sump. So it looks like I need to drop the sump level some. for now I'll just let this run for a few hours and take it off line. __________________ A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner Current Tank Info: 110g Mixed Reef, LED's & T5's

04/26/2009, 10:33 PM	#48
Hop Carpe Noctem!!! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Western Colorado Posts: 8,548	Naked hermits Wish I could answer your pH controller question, but I've never ran a mil... Tank looks great, personally I love the way it is filling in. Might be a pain later, but for now __________________ Hop Current Tank Info: 300-gallon in-wall system (mixed reef)

04/26/2009, 10:51 PM	#50
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	If you want to give me a call Pete, I'll try to talk you through the controller. The solenoid on the regulator was the one making the noise, right? Because the Milwaukee pH controller just turns the big black plug on and off based upon pH levels.