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salmon alley

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Posts posted by salmon alley

    Bleaching event

    in General Discussion

    Update:

     

    The news isn't good. It appears that I'm going to lose most, if not all, the corals in the tank despite having stable temps and reduced lighting for the past 3 weeks.

    The Acros are a total loss and the Montis are starting to look sickly. The fire shrimp, snails and fish don't seem affected at all. Don't know if I still believe this was triggered by temperature fluctuations.

    This stinks.

    Bleaching event

    in General Discussion

    hmmm... well now I'm wondering about the temp swings as the cause. I searched through RC and found many threads which suggest that the swing I described is not likely to cause problems.

     

    Just tested the water for phosphate (with an old Salifert test) and came up ZERO.

     

    Guess I'll stabilize the temps, do some water changes and see what happens...

    Bleaching event

    in General Discussion

    At least you found the problem before losing the whole tank. Now you have a weekend project, install a "noise maker".

     

    Yep. What's the chance that the affected corals will recover? So far no tissue loss, so I imagine that's a good thing.

    Bleaching event

    in General Discussion

    I did set an alarm for the temp on the ACJr., but it never went off...weird.

     

    When all else fails, read the directions....apparently one needs to buy an 'alarm module' or plug a noisemaker into a dc8 outlet...maybe that's why "it never went off"...

     

    I'm an idiot. :wacko:

    Bleaching event

    in General Discussion

    You gotta love having an AC sometimes. The data log is a very valuable tool. Yes, that could be it depending on where the corals came from. Maybe the heater is not sized right or isn't working at all. What has the pH been at? Can you set up alarms on the ACjr?

     

    Or, maybe the corals were unhappy because there are no anemones in the tank. ;)

     

    All the corals are frags which came from members' tanks. I checked the heater, it's working, but maybe undersized given the cold winter we're having (it's a 300 W for a total water volume of about 100 gal)

    The pH has been running 7.9 to 8.2.

    I did set an alarm for the temp on the ACJr., but it never went off...weird.

     

    I think you may be right...those corals need an anemone... :biggrin:

    Bleaching event

    in General Discussion

    Holy crap... I think I may have figured it out:

     

    I previously posted that temps have been stable..but that's because anytime I've checked them, they've been between 77-78 degrees. That's because I'm usually home when the lights are on and at work when they're off.

    Today I stuck my hand in to get a water sample for PO4 testing and thought, "darn, that water feels cold"...checked the temp and it's at 73.

    So I scrolled back through my ACJr. to find that the temp has been dropping into the 72-74 range overnight when the lights are off for at least the last several days. No idea why my heater is no longer able to keep water temps up, but could this be the problem?

    Boy will I be happy if it's this simple...(and I'll be p*ssed off that my corals are stressed because of a $30 heater!)

    Bleaching event

    in General Discussion

    Have you checked for pests like AEFWs?

    No changes in photoperiod?

    When did you change the bulbs last?

    Do you use a hydrometer or refractometer?

    When you rearranged the rock did the corals end up being placed higher then before?

     

    I think the water changes are a great idea until you can figure out what might have been the cause.

    Don't over do the crabon in case this event is related to too much light. The clearer water may make things worse.

     

    No changes in photoperiod...

    Bulbs last changed 10 mos ago (ATI powermodule)

    Refractometer, recalibrated with RO/DI water to 1.000

    I was careful to have corals retain their original "height" in the water column

    Can't say for sure it's not AEFW...I don't see any, but I've never had them, so don't really know what to look for...

    Bleaching event

    in General Discussion

    Well, after being convinced to NOT get out of the hobby (really..didn't take much arm twisting).. I'm having a major bleaching event in the tank.

    The acros seem to be hit the hardest, the Montis hardly at all. Color is fading to transluscent or brown. Polyp extension stinks, and my coralline algae seems to be looking chalky as well.

    ALK is fine and stable (9.1 dKH per LaMotte & 8.0 per Salifert), Calcium is 400 and has been stable. Sp Gravity is normal @ 1.026, Nitrates undetectable.

    I rearranged the aquascaping about a month ago, so for giggles I checked the Ammonia level..it's undetectable. The fish are fine and the snails/shrimp other inverts seem fine.

    I haven't changed bulbs or lighting. Temps have been consistently between 77 and 78 degrees.

    I'm at a loss and unbelievably frustrated. :cry: Seems like the reef gods really want me out of this hobby.

    I've started to do water changes, but I don't have any RO/DI premade, so it's a slow process. Going to start running Carbon as well, just in case.

    Can anyone think of something I'm missing?

    dosing Kalk

    in General Discussion

    I'm currently dosing Kalk using a Litermeter...same concept, that is I dose a fixed amount of kalk each day (in my case 1500 ml) and then have an automated top off make up for any additional evap. The only downside I see to this is if my kalk requirement ever gets so high that it is greater than my daily evaporation, I'll have a problem. So far, so good.

    Designers: Let's make it work...

    in Do It Yourself

    I like the idea of the aluminum frame skinned with wood trim in a ceiling mounted pendant.

    I figure I can have sliding mounts on the ceiling or a pulley system to raise it up when I need to work in the tank.

     

    Now, short of welding, can anyone suggest the best way to join aluminum for the frame?

    Designers: Let's make it work...

    in Do It Yourself

    I need a design for a DIY pedant/canopy and I"m hoping someone can help me come up with an idea that meet my criteria, cuz I'm stuck!

     

    Here's the tank specs: 48" long and 24" front to back

     

    Here's what I've got to work with:

    (2) hqi mini lumenarc pendants (measuring 11" x 13" each)

    (4) 54w T5 bulb retros with SLR reflectors which measure 2.5" wide each

    (1) Aluminum rail and light mover to fit the rail

     

    Here's my criteria: Can be either hanging pendant type setup or canopy type setup, BUT if canopy, must be OPEN top. I want heat and moisture to be able to escape out around the fixtures.

    I also need it to be able to be easily raised or slide out of the way for easy access to the tank

     

    So, that's it...should be a piece of cake, right? :biggrin:

     

    Seriously, I've been trying to figure out how to do this for weeks and I need to get either buckle down and do it, or sell off the components and buy an Outer Orbit fixture... (please, let's not turn this into a "if you decide to sell, I want...." thread)

     

    Thanks!

    Plumbing question: When to reduce?

    in Do It Yourself

    1/2" pipe creates a tremendous amount of friction loss in the pipes, thus requiring a larger pump. I reccomend using the largest size pipe you can, as far as you can, then use a valve to regulate flow.

    john

     

     

    That was my initial thought, but if I'm reducing the flow of the 1260 down to the flow of a 1250, I'm using 65w to get 300 gph instead of using 28w to get 300gph, right? That seems awfully inefficient, AND I would think that the larger pump would have more noise/vibration associated with it.

    Is my thinking flawed here?

    Plumbing question: When to reduce?

    in Do It Yourself

    · Edited by salmon alley

    Currently my returns are plumbed with 3/4" pipe right up to the edge of the tank, where it reduces to 1/2" pipe and splits into two loc-line outputs.

    There's a bit too much flow for the outputs to handle quietly, so I'm going to experiment with different pump sizes. Naturally the outputs vary.

    Here are the pumps I'm considering:

     

    Eheim 1260- 3/4" output

    Eheim 1250- 3/8" output

    Oceanrunner 2500- 5/8" output

     

    Rather than having to replumb every pump I've come up with a possible solution:

    I'm going to cut the 3/4" pipe and reduce it to 1/2" and put a Female threaded fitting on. Then I'll use threaded polyethlyene fittings with barbs to connect flexible tubing to the various pump output sizes.

     

    So, my question is: should I replumb the whole setup with 1/2" pipe, or is it okay to go from 1/2" to 3/4" back to 1/2" again?

     

    Sorry, I know this is a little confusing.

    Canopy Plans for Light Mover

    in Do It Yourself

    Just about. It doesn't lay all the way flat. There is about a 5 - 10 degree angle. No worries about it swinging shut accidentally.

    I took a couple photos just now. Let me try to get them uploaded and posted tomorrow.

     

    Thanks! I look forward to seeing them.

    Canopy Plans for Light Mover

    in Do It Yourself

    Not sure if this is what you mean, but on the top of my canopy I have a piano hinge about 1/3 of the way from the front. The front face of the canopy is fixed in place to the top, so when I open it the whole front part of the canopy swings up and out of the way.

     

    For lights it goes like this:

    T5 - VHO - hinge - MHs - VHO - T5.

     

    The T5 & VHO in the front swing up along with that part of the canopy when I open it. I just have enough slack in the wires to allow that to happen.

     

    A better carpenter would have made it look a lot better, but overall I am very happy with the design. The best part about it is the access it gives to the tank. I think I could throw on a mask and snorkel and get my head in there if I wanted to. Probably wouldn't be the best thing for skimmer performance though.

     

     

    That design sounds like what I'm looking for. How does the front panel stay up? Does is swing all the way up to lay on the remaining canopy?

    Canopy Plans for Light Mover

    in Do It Yourself

    Don't have any...looking for some :)

     

    My pet peeve is having to reach over the bottom lip of a canopy to get into my tank, so I'm looking for something that will allow unfettered access to the tank when open (like front door swinging open or possibly up). But I need to incorporate a light mover track and dual T5s on either side.

     

    I'm no engineer so I have a tough time visualizing this. Hoping someone will add their 0.02.

     

    Thanks!

    In or Out ?

    in Do It Yourself

    I've got a fan in my canopy and I'm wondering if it cools more efficiently by blowing room air INTO the canopy or sucking the hot, humid air OUT of the canopy?

     

    BTW- ( I know that the fan will be more likely to corrode if I'm sucking humid air out...but I'm willing to sacrifice if it's more efficient at cooling)

    Retrofitting a Calcium Reactor

    in Do It Yourself

    Thanks Michael.

    So Andy at Myreefcreations will sell the flanged tops?

    I'll have to drop him an email.

    Jeff

     

     

    I think your best bet is to remove the top.  Cut through with a bansaw or similar.  Then attach a new top.  You can pickup matched acyrlic flanges from myreefcreation.com possible lifereef, and some other sites that are escaping me at the moment.  If you get the top straight, gluing it on will be easy.

    The top is flat straight, so just drill holes and pickup a threading tap at home depot (they cost about $5).

    28040[/snapback]

    Retrofitting a Calcium Reactor

    in Do It Yourself

    Hi everybody.

     

    I posted this on RC and got precisely ZERO replies.

     

    So here goes round two:

     

    I've got a dual chamber calcium reactor which I had made by Coralhound a couple of years ago. It has worked fine over the years, but opening and closing the chambers is a real PITA. The acrylic tubes each have a threaded rubber gasket insert at the top. A large plastic male threaded adapter screws into the gasket and squeezes it against the acrylic to form a waterproof seal.

    Here's the problem: In order to prevent leaks, you need to really tighten this bad boy down, and once that's done, it's very difficult to get undone. (the smooth acrylic cylinders don't make for a very good handle to get torque)

     

    So, I'm looking for advice on how to modify the tops for easier access. I'm acrylically impaired, so something simple and straightforward would be better.

     

    As an added feature, I'd like to install an unused CO2 recirc line into the top as well.

     

    Thanks!

    Jeff

    DIY  KALK reactor folks

    in Do It Yourself

    Just finished going through this post.  I'm doing some research into building a kalk reactor and checking out different designs.  

    My biggest concern with most of the designs is calcium precipitation inside the mixing pump.  I would think that precip would occur fairly quickly and require constant regular maintenance.  Is this something that you are seeing?

     

    It would seem the only way to avoid such issues would be to have an indirect mixing system (magnetic stir bar or externally driven mixer).  

     

    Any comment on this?

    Thanks

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