madweazl

More of the exciting stuff...

How do boxes this boring, cost so much money? BOOOO!

Looks like our tiger pistol shrimp has croaked; it was pretty good size when we picked it up and survived 32 months here. Havent found much on the subject but 2-3 years is reportedly average for other alpheus species. Poor goby is homeless.

It's impossible to judge from the picture because everyones monitors are drastically different in what they display. Couple with the settings the camera was using, it's even worse. My opinion, 10-14k shows very little yellow tint and everything above that is extremely blue and hides way too much detail in the fish and corals that dont fluoresce as much (great for anything with green in though). I tried the AB+ on the Radions and hated it. A blue sky is roughly 10,000k.

So, the new power supply worked great, for a couple hours. Watched a movie, came back into the office and the pump was dead again. I suspect something is wrong with the pump itself which is causing the failure at the power supply. Ordered an Eheim 1262 to replace; should work out on the 150g as well but if the flow isnt good enough, I'll figure something out. The DC pumps are convenient but most of 'em are pretty much garbage.

Had enough reward points to get the Skimz DLC dosing reservoir for $3 WINNING!

So after much procrastination, the build is finally resuming. Ended up ordering a sump from Elite Aquatics that measures 48x20x16 (LxWxH) along with all of the plumbing. I forgot how much the blasted plumbing costs; barely cheaper than the darn sump! Build time looks to be 5-6 weeks on the sump but that gives me some time to get some things done in the basement. I've decided to keep the sump under the aquarium (for now) and I'm going to see about running a drain down to the basement along with a return line from the mixing station up to the sump with a switch wired in to turn it on and off to make water changes a breeze. Not the way I wanted to do it but the corals in the 75g are rapidly outgrowing the tank and I just cant push it off any longer. This will give me some much needed time to frame in the basement and get the fish room rolling how I want it. This weekend I'll cook the dry rock I have on hand and maybe even start to work on the aquascape; this will take some thought because I need to integrate the rock from the 75g for the beneficial life on it. The thought of losing the corals worries me but they'll just have to suck it up! Also ordered 160lbs of sand (mix of Fiji pink and special grade) along with six new T5s (3 Blue+, 2 AquaBlue Specials, and a Purple+). The current plan is to supplement with three Kessils but I might have to use a couple A360WEs until I can afford to grab two more A360X. Expensive day but it had to be done!

This one.

Pump was exactly one month short of three years. It is a Gen1 and had performed flawlessly to that point; I only replaced the power supply (should be here tomorrow). Hopefully that is all that needs replaced

Correct; in regard to T5s, I use two Blue+, an AquaBlue Special, and a Purple+. The Kessils peak at 70% intensity (might be 75) and color is set to 50%. The Kessils ramp from 0% intensity to 70% over six hours and then run back down to 0% over the next six hours (12 hour total photoperiod). The T5s are on for eight hours.

Power supply on the return pump (Waveline DC6000) took a digger at some point while I was at work today. I was able to find a replacement on Amazon and I have a Rio 2100 (might be a 2500, cant remember) on duty until it arrives (way less flow but it's working). Not sure how long it was out of commission today but everything is doing fine; no harm no foul it appears. I also switched over to a short pulse (NTM actually) on the Vortechs that creates about a 2" wave. I was getting some dead spots deep inside some of the corals (previously using Reefcrest) and I'm hoping this will help drive some current further in. Had to trim one of the acros way back (long over due) but it has gotten so invasive to a neighbor (literally overgrew about 40% of it). Was hard to tear apart a colony that was about 13" across but it had to be done; I really need to get the 150g up and running because this just isn't fair to the corals. On another note, the tank is one month short of 3 years and I think one day past a year since the move.

I've had a number of Rio pumps over the past 20+ years and never had an issue but that certainly doesnt mean they're trouble free. I still use a 2500+ for mixing salt water.

I'm pretty sure it has been proven there is no need for additional feedings for the smaller clams. I've never done it but I havent had one much smaller than 2" either. Edit: article I stumbled across on Advanced Aquarist.

I've seen a number of posts regarding smaller clams needing extra care in regard to feeding but I've always purchased smaller clams (roughly 2") and never had issues. Recently, more people seem to acknowledge that smaller clams can survive off of light alone (and a lot of it for Maximas). Many people like to toss clams on the sand bed but Crocea and Maxima grow on rock/crevices, so placement may be a potential issue if you're attempting to keep them on the sand bed. As with everything, the way something is collected (if wild caught) always makes a big difference. Pacific East does seem to be one of the better vendors for healthy clams, based on forums comments.

While small for a Foxface, a smaller specimen might do you well; they destroy non-desirable algae (and desirable macros as well). I was blown away by just how aggressively they go after algae (they eat like a grouper!).

Color ramps from 0% to 50% two hours in the morning and back down two hours in the evening. Intensity ramps from 0% to 70% for six hours and then back down to 0% but I supplement T5s for eight hours as well so you'll have to figure out what you want to do in that regard based on desired PAR.

I didnt notice any nutrient levels being posted.

Since everything is roughly 50% of what it should be in Instant Ocean, I'd be suspect of the salinity.

The club has a PAR meter you can borrow/rent with a small wait list. With that said, I have the same tank with Kessils and can eliminate most of the guesswork for you. I'm assuming you have two Kessils? The new X model has a very wide angle lens and will cast light outside your tank at any height 2" over the tank. This results in a lot of wasted light that cant be reflected off the glass back on to your corals. The downside here is twofold; you lose PAR and you lose the reflected light that helps illuminate the shaded areas of corals. With that said, you cant really mount the light low enough to eliminate this as it will almost be in the water. From a PAR perspective, the X produces the most intensity at 50% color setting (regardless of intensity setting). This has to do with the way Kessil logic works (it turns banks of emitters on/off based on color and intensity but 50% color always produces the most PAR). Mount the light 5-6" off the water. PAR map based on two A360WE which actually produce slightly higher PAR at the same mounting height (but roughly equivalent). Notes: 1) Location 3 is centered under one light right to left but not front to back (approx 4" behind the center line front to back). 2) Locations 6 is very close to the center of the tank (left to right and front to back). 3) The lights are centered over the tank front to back and 15" apart (7.5" left and right of center). 4) The lights are mounted 5" above the water line. 5) There is a bit of light spillage on all viewing sides of the aquarium so the lights could be mounted closer to the water to increase PAR values without losing coverage. 6) PAR values were measured on our local clubs Apogee MQ-500 with full spectrum sensor using an immersion correction factor of 1.32. 7) Standard 75g Marineland aquarium 48"x18"x21" (LxWxH). 8) Two Kessil A360WE with two 54w T5s on LET retrofit (Blue+/Coral+) 9) MP40s set to feed mode while measurements were taken. 10) Return from sump remained on but has fairly low flow and doesn't agitate water surface much. 11) Kessil H80 mounted 8" above refugium produced 132 PAR just under the surface directly under the light. Some A360X specific data points. Dont put much thought in to the PAR levels, they were collected in a manner inconsistent with how you'll be using them. The reason the PAR is higher for the X model in that table is because it was mounted 3" lower than the WE. Mounting height has a huge impact on Kessil PAR levels and anything over 6" comes at a huge loss; mounting the light at 9" will reduce PAR by 50%. Once we went acropora dominant, I decided to add some more light but couldnt add a third Kessil because the tank had a center brace so I decided to supplement with T5s (PAR map below). Notes: 1) Location 3 is centered under one light right to left but not front to back (even with top of rocks on the back side of these two corals). 2) Locations 6 is very close to the center of the tank left to right (a couple inches closer to the front glass front to back). 3) The Kessils are centered over the tank front to back and 18.5" apart (9.25" left and right of center). 4) The fixture is mounted 6" above the water line. 5) There is a bit of light spillage on all viewing sides of the aquarium so the lights could be mounted closer to the water to increase PAR values without losing coverage. 6) PAR values were measured on our local clubs Apogee MQ-500 with full spectrum sensor using an immersion correction factor of 1.32. 7) Standard 75g Marineland aquarium 48"x18"x21" (LxWxH). 8) Two Kessil A360WE (60% color) with four 54w T5s in a 48" Aquatic Life Hybrid fixture (2 Blue+, 1 AquaBlue Special, and 1 Purple+) 9) 16" side rails mounted on the Aquatic Life to narrow the unit 2" from how it ships. 10) MP40s set to feed mode while measurements were taken. 11) Return from sump remained on but has fairly low flow and doesn't agitate water surface much. 12) Hybrid column represents the Aquatic Life fixture with only the T5 on. 13) LET column represents past results of the LET T5 retrofit kit for comparison. 14) The LET retrofit had two 54w T5s (1 Blue+ and 1 Coral+ at the time).

My opinion, you want to stay as close to natural sea water parameters as possible. I cant think of much of that does better outside of it's natural habitat, why we believe corals to respond differently seems odd to me. Typical natural sea water parameters: Alk - 7.5 dKh (I typically run about 6.5-7.5) Ca - 420ppm Mg - 1315ppm PO4 - anything detectable while remaining low as possible NO3 - anything detectable while remaining low as possible If you don't have a specific need for an item, it shouldn't be activated on your tank (i.e. phosban). If your phosphates aren't high (above .2), there isn't a reason to use it. While high alkalinity may need higher nutrient levels (NO3 and PO4), lower alkalinity levels do not and they aren't harmful at elevated levels either. Evaluate your hardware and determine if specific items are needed base on your current results. Everything is nice to have, this doesn't mean it needs to be running 24/7. Corals need to eat but this doesn't mean you need to throw the kitchen sink at them. My opinion again but Reef Roids, Phytofeast, and all those other "coral" foods are 100% unnecessary if you're feeding your fish. Our acroporas are quite healthy and I've never added anything to the tank besides 2 part, magnesium (hand dosed because very little is used), food for the fish, and water changes. Relying on somebody else for quality water has zero upside outside of convenience. Mixing your own gives you 100% control over quality and consistency. Water flow is essential for healthy SPS. Many people see their corals flowing wildly and think they have too much current but this is rarely the case. You don't want the flow to be violent but you want to be moving a lot of water (we have two MP40s on our 75g that are running at 100%, anti-sync, Reefcrest). Lighting is typically something I look at last now. Initially, I thought it was the most important thing and that I needed to blast SPS but over the past few years, I've discovered that most SPS will survive (and grow) in 100 PAR. While this isn't ideal, it works for the vast majority of them we see in the hobby so I don't place it high on the priority list for troubleshooting acropora health. You don't need crazy amounts of blue and super low levels of white; the ratio can be 50/50 without issue. While it's true that blue spectrums penetrate further than others, it's absolutely false that the acropora's aren't receiving the suns full spectrum as the vast majority are in less than 10m of water. Blue looks good to some people but again, dont expect your corals to thrive in conditions that don't replicate their natural environment as best as possible. Your millepora is an acropora species and will react in the same manner as the others.

While you caught the reduction in alkalinity, I'd be surprised if the birdsnest reacted because of the drop in alkalinity so you might want to run a full set of tests to double check all parameters and give everything a once over to make sure nothing crazy has happened. Our tank has dipped all the way down to about 5.5 dKh and I've not seen a negative reaction from the corals.

The flow restriction from the fitting will have a larger impact than the difference in diameter. I used furniture grade throughout my system because it had the largest ID available for 3/4" tubing (and it was visually attractive). If you dont have compound angles, bending the tubing is really easy and maintains considerably higher flow. Beananimal has a calculator that will give the exact values for diameter and height differences.

How would there be only water [no air] above the valve but not below it?

The reason you want a full siphon is so there is no noise coming from your plumbing, something you cant accomplish with any other method. The gate valve exist to dial in whatever flow rate you desire. As for the emergency drain, I ran it just like the other two (just below the surface). The noise from the overflow is different enough to know something is up. You'll also hear the initial flush of both as they go full siphon. If having the extra alert from the splashing water is beneficial, use it though. We're coming up on three years now and the emergency has never been used and the secondary rarely goes full siphon (when it does, I run a flexible brush through the lines to clean them).

He runs a reverse undergravel.