OldReefer

Rob, I will try to get out your way towards the end if the week or maybe Saturday. I should be able to start making salt water over Christmas. Bill

I took a break for a while and came back a couple years ago. I know how you feel. Welcome to Reefing v2.0. Needle wheel cone skimmers like the Avast CS1 have made the Beckets and downdraft skimmers obsolete. Carbon dosing ( aka Vodka) used to be crazy, but now it is normal practice using bio-degradable plastic pellets. Ca Reactors are still used in some big systems, but 2-part dosing has become mainstream. Ecotech power heads are so good that closed-loops are becoming rare. DSBs are becoming a thing of the past with skimmers and pellets becoming so efficient at extracting nitrate. Running GFO (Rowaphos) was probably cutting edge when you got out. Now it is pretty much standard. LEDs are fun, but nothing still grows coral like a metal halide. T5s have lots of color options, but you will never see anything as pretty as the old VHO Actinic. The other thing tat is odd is the fascination with frags, If somebody has a 6-inch coral, they feel compelled to cut it up into 5 pieces.

Agree with the refractometer. It can pay for itself the first time you use it. If your salinity keeps drifting down, look for a small leak in your plumbing. The saltwater drips out and fresh water is used to replace it.

I will be running installing 2 fans in each end of the hood at about 40 CFM each. I will also have 3 - 4x10" vents along the top of the hood above the AI Sols. It is the same cooling configuration I used to use with 3- 250 watt metal halides, so I hope it will work here as well. Those black tubes you are looking at Rob are actually 18" x 1.4" heatsinks from Rapid LED. I will hang them down about an inch below the wood to isolate them and allow airflow. They have handy slots in the fins that let them hang off of 10-32 screws. I only have 4 XTEs on each heatsink, so the LEDS should stay pretty cool even though I will be driving them pretty hard. The trick will be to get the heat out of the hood. At least it will be quiet. The open look is nice, but it is pretty noisy with lots of flow. I will send out a PM on the pumps and heaters as things come together. The more water I can keep warm and aerated, the shorter the time I have to keep the tank down. Feel free to let me know if I am missing anything. This isn't my first rodeo, but the previous rodeos well all kinda ugly.

I have been pretty quiet lately since my tank and I have been going through a lot of changes. I took care of a lot of health challenges ( and lost a hundred pounds in the process). I start a new job next month that will not have me on the road 200 days a year. It is only fitting that I give my tank a makeover. I have struggled with my tank ever since I made the switch to 100 percent LEDs. Things got worse as the tank hit it's third birthday and started accumulating nutrients. I have been fighting a losing battle with Bryopsis for 6 months. I raised my magnesium to 1800 with Tech M. It killed off my massive colonies of encrusting Montipora and left the Bryopsis. That made my nutrient problem worse. Here is what is left: My first step was to remove the remote DSB I had in the sump. That was a good idea, because it was absolutely toxic. I gained 100 points on my ORP the next day. Things started looking up. Then I ordered 120 lbs of Marco Rocks and put them in a 100 gallon stock tank lit with my very bright full-spectrum DIY LED light. I have a closed loop powered by a 1100 gph external pump and educators. The dry rock has been cycling in there with bacteria and tank water for three weeks now. This will hold my livestock during the transition. I plan to remove a lot of the old rock that has dead coral skeletons and traces of Bryopsis. I will drain the display completely and pull out the sand bed. I have a couple sheets of beige Starboard to go on the bottom. I will try to open up the rock work a bit more to allow fir more coral growth. Hopefully I will have the main system running within 36 hours. I should retain enough bacteria in the recycled rock in the DT and the sump to avoid a big cycle. The dry rock is also pretty " alive" at this point as well. The next phase of the project will be a lighting makeover. I have never been happy with the AI Sols, even with my fancy DIY supplements. So here is the new plan. I am building an old-fashioned enclosed hood. I will mount 3 of my 5 AI Sols down the middle. On each side I will mount 80 watt Fiji Purple T5s. On each side of those I will mount 12 XTE Royal Blue LEDs ( total of 24) driven with dimmable ballasts at 1.3 amps. Finally, on the outside layer I will hang 6500K 80 watt GE T5s. Here are some pictures to give the idea: The three Sols will hang lengthwise from the gold channels in the middle, I will go all 70 degree optics on those to improve the spread. I should have lots of control, since much of the PAR (about 325 watts) will still come from LEDs that I can control with my Apex. I can still fiddle with the color, do sunrise, sunsets, and the occasional silly storm. The Fiji Purples and the GE 65Ks (320 watts) should fill in the gaps in spectrum and give me back the reds and yellows I have been missing. With some luck I will still get some shimmer, a good spectrum, and not much heat. There should be plenty of PAR, but my experience is that corals don't mind a lot of light as long as the spectrum is reasonable. I am in a holding pattern right now, because I picked up a nasty infection in the hospital ( from a minor procedure). As a result I have an IV in my arm for at least another week, and I can't stick my hands in the tank. As soon as that is fixed I will start making water and netting fish. BTW... Anybody got a spare mag and heater handy? I am going to ave to mix up ALOT of salt water for this.

I got much better flow with he Avast bio pellet nozzle. You still have to give everything a good acid soak every month or two. My bio pellet reactors tend to clog up with tube worms. They love the stuff that comes off the pellets.

I ran an MRC CR2 for years. I kept having the same problem. I dose BRS now. I feel your pain.

I use the Apex and spent years with an AC3. There is a learning curve but it is worth it. I got all of my controller stuff used. I just stalk RC until there is a breakdown sale and jump on it. The stuff doesn't wear out, and you still get outstanding service from Neptune. I have solved tank problems from Internet cafes in Senegal and dive bars in Jakarta. The iPhone app is amazing and it allows you to integrate IP cameras as well so you can see your tank or sump. My IP camera came in real handy after the earthquake. It was nice to know I didn't have 150 gallons of water on the floor.

I see the post got truncated somehow. Without a Ca reactor and using Radions, you loose some of of the motivation. But it is still great to automate all the little stuff. A cheap EBay solenoid and a couple of float switches in my top-off container works with my Apex to control my RO/Di system. I never run out out of water and my RO/DI doesn't cycle on and off like it would with a float valve. I also use a controller to keep my saltwater mix warm and ready. If I am going to do a water change, I can sit at work and turn on the mixing pump to get the oxygen up, and order my RO/DI to top-off the my freshwater holding tank so I am ready to make the next batch. Add fun little things like humidistats to control vent fans and water-on-floor sensors, and I am sure you still find a way to get good use out of a controller

The controller is the first thing I bought when I did my last build. I travel a lot so it is essential for me, but even if I stayed home, I don't think I would run a reef tank without one. Controllers are also a good value when you consider the alternatives. All those power strips, timers, and stand alone controllers ( pH, ORP, etc) add up to real money. The best plan is to commit to a controller initially and save yourself all those little inital expenses. My controllers have saved my tanks more times than I can count. The conductivity probe flagged a small leak that would have gradually given me a freshwater tank. It has also stopped Kalk overdoses, run-away calcium reactors, shut down lighting to prevent overheat when the A/C went out. It goes on and on. I love getting an email when my Skimate Locker is full, or if a parameter drifts out of line. You will love dosing 2 part with a controller. You can look at pH graphs and tweak your dosing to smooth out nightly pH swings. You will also find your temperature holds steadier than using just the heater thermostat ( a high failure item). I would also hang a clip-on fan onto the sump and have that kick in as soon as you temp starts to rise. Without a Ca Reactor and using

The best approach is to put a couple gallons of normal saltwater into your sump every day. Your top off system will stop adding fresh water, and the salinity will slowly drift up as normal evaporation occurs. It is slow, gentle and foolproof.

I travel at least 200 days a year and I have not killed my tank yet. Clean up the pumps today and then don't touch anything except for a big water change the day before you leave. You have to design in redundancy to make a reef really bullet-proof and you don't have time for that. Try to find a local reefer to come in at least once and check on things. Have a bunch of saltwater mixed and ready to go for a water change if there is a crisis. Enjoy Phuket. Get away from the tourist traps and red-light district as soon as possible. S.E. Asia is magical, but first you have to get away from the Brits and Aussies that overrun the place. Find an open-air expat bar, drink too much, and talk to strangers. Don't let the tank distract you from the trip.

I can't see why it would hurt. It would allow the pellets kick in slowly, and that seems like a good idea.

I dose about 330ml of BRS Ca and 240ml of BRS recipe 1 Alk. That is in my 150 Display. My over-crowded 50 gallon Frag tank takes about 100 ml of each.

I think Tom is on the right track. Tubing can go bad, and stuff can just get plugged up. Make sure you are actually putting out as much fluid as you think. Just stick the output into one of those BRS 100 ml cups and let it run for an hour.

I have done Kalk, Ca Reactors, and dosing in various combinations. I like dosing 2-part the best. It is easy to control and nothing to go wrong. I always used to have problems with my Ca reactor drifting out of tune or clogging up.

I tend to go one notch higher on the pin spacer than the actual glass thickness. They stay on better that way and I have not seen any bad effects. The little self adhesive pads are pitiful. Superglue or epoxy may be the best answer.

A floor drain is almost worth the jackhammer. I had one once in a fish room and it was heaven. Things people often overlook.... Ventilation. Find a way to get at least a 4" duct line out of the room. You can attach a 4" inline blower from a pot-supply store and control it with a cheap humidistat. Otherwise basement sump rooms are always damp and everything (including your HVAC) will corrode. It is easy to add while roughing in wiring. Drilling he whole through brick can be an adventure though. The other thing is an outside airline for the skimmer. Just drill a hole for a 1/2" or 3/4" PVC line on an outside wall. Run that to line to your skimmer, and you will never have a problem with seasonally low pH again. It is. 15 minute $5 project when building the room. A PITA to add later. Another design feature.... Get the sump off the floor. It is best to have it at least waist-high. It reduces the noise and hassles of the overflows and makes water changes easier. You can use the space below for your saltwater mixing station then just pump it up for water changes. Just a couple of thoughts...

If you can get some light into the tank, either using LEDs on battery or sunlight, it will make a big difference in oxygen levels. It is all about the oxygen. Of course you need all the flow you can get, to allow gas exchange on the surface and against the corals. I am not sure temps will be a big problem with this event. Reefs can get pretty cool as long as it happens slowly. I swam on the Great Barrier Reef with 73 degree water.

+1 on Dr Mac Rock. Very open, nice flat shapes and lots of life, That is always where I go when putting a new tank together.

They will attach eventually if happy. A flat rock on the sand is a good compromise. Don't assume they are getting enough light because they look good. They only way you can tell is by looking for a white growth margin. Clams either grow or die, no white margin=slowly dying clam.

BTW I agree with the other posters that recommend a manifold. I will always go with a manifold and an external return like an Iwaki or a Blueline. They are incredibly reliable. I keep a spare used Blueline with duplicate plumbing connections Pre-connected and ready to go if needed.

AVAST sells the new line of Sicce pumps. I like them much better than mags. ( I have gone through lots of mags) Justin can get one out to you quick.

You just let them go. They work it out. Sometimes you have to frag out a colony that is being overrun.

If you boxed that big reflector with 3 foot 1.4" wide heatsinks, you could drive 60 XTE Royal Blue LEDs with 2 dimmable drivers at about. 750 MA. That plus an XM10K would give you an insane amount of PAR with a reasonable color balance you could control. You could control the LEDs using the variable speed ports on the Apex and still have the nice sunrise and sunset effects. You may never have to switch to the Radium. Just spend an extra $30 on a switchable 250/400 ballast, and you could downshift to a 250 plus LEDs if the heat and light prove to be too much. I have been very critical of LEDs for SPS, but I bet they would rock as a MH supplement. I may follow your lead. I miss my XMs.