monkiboy's 265g build thread

[monkiboy]

 

I remember earlier in the thread you said you wanted an achilles tang hybrid. What about this guy right here, for almost half the price of DD?

thanks for thinking of my fish list! i'm not at the stage yet on my fist list where i am looking at tangs especially an achilles yet, though.

 

also, with such an initially sensitive fish i'm not looking to cut corners and cost savings aren't a real priority. i know i need to get a fish that has been treated with a specific protocol and proven to have been eating well over the course of a few weeks prior to me entertaining the idea of getting it and that isn't "cheap" usually. i'd rather have the retailer deal with that on their end and provide a best-case, healthy and eating well specimen for optimal outcome when it arrives for my tank.

 

from my research, PIA doesn't fit my needs. additionally, they aren't wavering at all on their guarantee against DOA only on these kinds of fish. in my experience, folks like dd and nicewrasse.com will work with you on various arragements if the worse were to happen days after arrival. 

Edited November 5, 2013 by monkiboy

[monkiboy]

got some goodies today!

 

 

 

i got two more marinepure blocks (8x8x4") that i added to the sump - these things are pretty neat and knowing i'm adding significant surface area for bacterial colonization makes me happy. also got a bunch of fittings for my reactors off my manifold, a dual DI resin upgrade, 150gpd restrictor (almost forgot that thing), ESVs 1-gallon containers of their 2-part + magnesium kit, an algae-free magnetic cleaner, two 150gpd membranes, and some other odds and ends. 

 

 

 

i got to work on my 150gpd RO/DI...thankfully i have great pressure to work with at home usually around 110psi or so if not throttled down and i make RO/DI easily but not fast enough to my liking and i figure on a 500g+ system i want to make it FASTER! i was averaging around 240gpd on the 150gpd system and instead of buying a commercial RO/DI unit i opted to go for the 150gpd dual membranes with the corresponding flow restrictor. this will put me at 300gpd and if my previous performance was any indicator, i should be closer to 350+gpd which will allow me to make water much faster, maintenance easier, and be able to respond to emergency situations quicker without having to worry about storing a large volume of water.

 

 

 

the 150gpd flow restrictor is not an in-line type like the 75gpd but rather a capillary flow restrictor so it actually makes for a cleaner look as opposed to the above and allows for easier access to the flush kit valve, bonus!

 

 

 

 

 

figured while i was pumping out RO/DI crazy fast might as well upgrade to the dual DI canisters as well. this makes maintenance easier and with the color changing resin now as one expires and turns brown i can swap with the other one and be good to go again. i really like that the dual di canister set comes with two canister pre-filled packed tight ready to go with resin!

 

all RO/DI goodies installed! haven't tested performance yet but was getting the same 2-4TDS after the membranes prior to DI stage which is great to keep exhaustion of the DI resin at a minimum.

 

 

 

then i set out to swap out reactors and get my GAC going off my manifold. i had temporarily been running it in a BRS reactor off a mag 3 which was driving me crazy but i didn't have proper fittings yet (90° barb and reducer to go from 3/4" cepex on manifold to 1/2" for line to reactor) to complete the change. well all that stuff came in today so time to get that beautiful synergy reactor working!

 

loaded up with BRS rox carbon...

 

 

 

yes, i plan to swap the clamps with plastic ratcheting but all three of my sources were out of stock and i wanted to have it secured for the interim. also thinking about swapping out all tubing for black but not sure on that yet but think it would be more dramatic, prevent algae build up if any, and look a lot sexier than braided nylon. we shall see.

 

once i test out flow of the "new" RO/DI system, i'll post up specs but i'm pretty excited to make 0TDS RODI...fast! and now i can actually run the amount of rox that is called for on this system as i have the room for it as before i was filling the BRS reactor to the top and my portion was limited.

 

oh, and ordered two BRS dosing pumps to get my levels nice and stable for some sweet corals to go in!

 

thanks for following along!

[bengeeee]

nice, but I think you are missing the plutonium for that reactor. 

[Shoelace]

nice, but I think you are missing the plutonium for that reactor.

 

I think it actually runs on dilithium.

[smallreef]

As far as the clamps...I prefer the metal ones...they are MUCH more reliable....I just cover mine with some tape (other than the screw to tighten it) so it doesn't rust...

[monkiboy]

As far as the clamps...I prefer the metal ones...they are MUCH more reliable....I just cover mine with some tape (other than the screw to tighten it) so it doesn't rust...

really? have you had a personal experience with the ratcheting plastic ones failing? or heard of this? i've never had issues with them and they seem to hold very well under pressure and look so much nicer and clean and there's no issues with oxidation obvoiusly being plastic. let me know!

[smallreef]

I break them trying to get them tight enough :( and they always just feel like they can turn to the side and pop off.....

Though I'm probably not getting the best ones that are out there...just ones from BRS...

[FishyPapa]

Sweet! Love watching this coming together.

[Origami]

Sweet! Love watching this coming together.

+1. This is a great build thread, not only for the detail and the thought going behind it, but also because the care and craftsmanship is fully evident.

[scott711]

very nice! 

[ctenophore]

really? have you had a personal experience with the ratcheting plastic ones failing? or heard of this? i've never had issues with them and they seem to hold very well under pressure and look so much nicer and clean and there's no issues with oxidation obvoiusly being plastic. let me know!

I agree, I prefer plastic over metal.  I use both, and have had the metal ones rust through and fail several times.  Never had a broken plastic one.  Could be the material choice, look for UV resistant HDPE over nylon when using around any reef lights like MH or T5.

[monkiboy]

ran into some trouble today. one of my RO DC10500 pumps failed. the controller was lit and unchanged. i simply woke up and went to go check on the tank and there was no flow through the fuge/macro and frag tanks or the manifold. thankfully it was not the pump for the return to the 265 display that failed in the middle of the night.
 
i took it apart removing the volute and inspected it and everything looked correct. when i plugged it back in inside of a test basin it worked like new. 
 
i was about to place my order with saltysupply for a replacement (this time a second-gen waveline dc12000 which supposedly has fixed these issues) as they have the waveline dc12000 on sale when i went to go check on the reinstalled dc10500. twenty minutes later it has failed again.
 
i wasn't going to be able to wait for a replacement and didn't feel like dealing with replumbing things with the existing options so i called up QR and they had one dc12000 left. i paid online and picked up this afternoon, reinstalled and everything is back to normal.
 
there are some major differences in the hardware which i tried to photograph.
 

 

 

 

there is a heatsink and small fan on the back of the waveline controller. the controller is about three times as thick as the RO controller. when mounted against a flat surface, the controller's fan produces a high-pitched loud whine. best to use spacers and mount spacers to surface to allow for airflow and increased cooling performance. this was kind of annoying

 

 

the waveline controller has two screw-in water resistant connections vs the RO's one and a DC input that easily falls out when working around it. i really like that it has two secure connections like this.

 

the waveline is about an inch taller and just larger everwhere. the input is 1.5" vs the 1.25" of the RO.

 

the power brick/supply/adapter on the waveline is ridiculously large. about twice the size of the RO. larger even than some 400w ballasts i have. all for one pump this guy is going to take up some real estate for sure.

 

having one waveline dc1200 and one RO dc10500 is kind of bothering me at the moment. i'm going to buy another DC12000 so i have matching controllers and will have what should be a much more reliable set up this way. i will put in my claim for a replacement under warranty for the RO diablo that failed, and update accordingly but i've never had issues working with jeremy at coralvue.

 

i also have two dc5500 skimmer pumps on the standard 12 grey seas skimmer so don't know if i should go ahead and replace those as well or wait it out as a skimmer failure isn't nearly as critical and i have a back up skimmer to hold me over if one or both should fail.

 

thanks goes out to quantum reefs for being open and available on a sunday. was a bit of a hike but they have one of the nicer stores i had been to in VA and it was awesome learning a bit about their setup and offerings!

Edited November 18, 2013 by monkiboy

[BowieReefer84]

Looks like the power supply for my maxspect razor.  http://blog.aquanerd.com/2013/06/maxspect-r420r-razor-led-fixture-unboxing.html last pic 

 

Plastic connectors are the same as well.

 

Unusual if it is the same? 

Edited November 18, 2013 by BowieReefer84

[Cliff Puckstable]

That pump didn't last long. That's a real shame.

[smallreef]

I think you'll be happier with the new DC...I really like mine...

My husband and I also decided to use spacers behind the controller and ballast so there will be airflow behind for the fans...

[DCReefer1964]

The same thing happened to me using a Waveline DC3000. I have decided not to trust the life in my reef to new technologies . I was told to soak mine in vinegar and get back with them to let them know the results. A 2 month old pump should not fail  nor require a cleaning.

[monkiboy]

wow, i haven't updated in a while. sorry!

 

thought i'd share some photos of the pretty spectacular frag rack synergy is building me for the frag tank in this system. love me some laser action, haha.

 

 

 

[smallreef]

Very fun! I love lasers...especially when they are making something for me,lol

[YHSublime]

That's pretty wicked! I can't wait to see what you end up doing with this tank, in my head, it's stocked already, you're not holding out on us are you?!

[monkiboy]

Very fun! I love lasers...especially when they are making something for me,lol

if i find some aiptasia down the road wait for that fun video!

 

That's pretty wicked! I can't wait to see what you end up doing with this tank, in my head, it's stocked already, you're not holding out on us are you?!

mmm...maybe a little bit?

[YHSublime]

if i find some aiptasia down the road wait for that fun video!

 

mmm...maybe a little bit?

Ok,

 

1, do you have a laser for aiptasia? If so I need you to pay me a visit, I'm contemplating a band of peppermints in order to battle the few that are popping up around my reef. But a laser sounds so much more BA.

 

2. Stop it.

[monkiboy]

it's not specifically made or designed for that in any way but yes it'll zap and burn some aiptasia nice and proper. tom has an even nicer laser than i if i remember correctly. they are really really dangerous though so we'll have to figure out some safe way to do it and always wondered if it caused humans blindness if seen without proper eye protection what about the fishies' eyes?

[monkiboy]

oh and i'll post up some videos soon of some fish fish

[smallreef]

Fishhhhhhh!

[YHSublime]

it's not specifically made or designed for that in any way but yes it'll zap and burn some aiptasia nice and proper. tom has an even nicer laser than i if i remember correctly. they are really really dangerous though so we'll have to figure out some safe way to do it and always wondered if it caused humans blindness if seen without proper eye protection what about the fishies' eyes?

 

Easy. Ray Bans, and feed one side of the tank, then the other. Look forward to videos!