Mattiejay6 August 26, 2013 August 26, 2013 (edited) When are you hanging it? I want to see how those colors look! :-D So with the controller how many of the colors can you control/how configurable is the light? What colors are on the chip? Edited August 26, 2013 by Mattiejay6
monkiboy August 26, 2013 Author August 26, 2013 (edited) When are you hanging it? I want to see how those colors look! :-D So with the controller how many of the colors can you control/how configurable is the light? What colors are on the chip? we both had the 31st free so he's coming up from NC with it then and hope to upgrade my existing 24" duo that will be my frag tank light to the coralux storm x and installing this one and getting everything all set on both in one day which shouldn't be troublesome. so we are using the fancier of the two, the storm X. so will have UV, violet, blue, royal blue, cyan, warm whites and neutral whites. and they are wired with the blue and royal blue will be together, the whites and cyan together, the UV and violets together. so you will be able to control those individual. you can have up to 16 if down the road i find that necessary but i think we got it figured out pretty nicely although i am still considering separating the UV/violet and the whites. the storm x controller: 16x2 Character LCD Display 16-channel 12-bit PWM (0-5V) 4096 Dimming Levels Real-Time Clock Module Manual Sunrise/Sunset Time Geolocated Sunrise/Sunset Staggered Sunrise/Set Delays Moon/Lunar Phase Simulation Intuitive Wheel Interface SmoothRamp Dimming SmoothRamp Clouds Cloud Channel Clustering Lightning Storm Effects Upgradeable via FTDI Arduino Compatible Auto-dimming LCD read more about the controller: http://coralux.net/ read more about the LED builder: http://nanoboxreef.com/ Edited August 26, 2013 by monkiboy
monkiboy August 26, 2013 Author August 26, 2013 ooh, more goodies arrived today thanks to chris @ saltysupply! what could it be?! yea buddy! looking good - i think i'm going to hook one up tonight to see how it deals with the head pressure going from my basement to the 46 clown/nem tank upstairs in comparison to the blueline HD pump i have now.
monkiboy August 27, 2013 Author August 27, 2013 was really hoping to get my aquascape delivered by this weekend to have it in while we hung lights but it doesn't look that way. i've been through a couple changes and additions. here is one of the final pieces i think. it measures about 17" x 18" x 26". the photos i have been told do a horrible job of capturing the incredible depth that has been created. i really like how we raised the structure off the bottom for an awesome hiding and living space there and awesome flow to pass. the ledges at different heights for long-reaching colonies to spread up and into the depth. the detail of the root structure on the bottom, and the general design somewhat "bonsai" but a little less rounded. this is prior to the furnace, the purple'ing, and frag holes being made. your thoughts? any ideas for the rest?
YHSublime August 27, 2013 August 27, 2013 I didn't care for it till I saw the last picture. That one really shows what you're trying to tell us! Now I love it! Sorry if it's in there, did you decide what you're going to do with substrate? I was going to go bare bottom, but after adding 40lbs of fiji pink into the bottom, I'm really glad I did, it adds enough for aesthetics, but isn't so much that it gets in the way.
monkiboy August 27, 2013 Author August 27, 2013 (edited) I didn't care for it till I saw the last picture. That one really shows what you're trying to tell us! Now I love it! Sorry if it's in there, did you decide what you're going to do with substrate? I was going to go bare bottom, but after adding 40lbs of fiji pink into the bottom, I'm really glad I did, it adds enough for aesthetics, but isn't so much that it gets in the way. thanks for the honest feedback. i'm going to have a few extra pieces made to figure out what will work best and keep what i don't use for another tank or sell them to some lucky reefer. i don't really know that i made a final decision. the more i think about it, the more i want to go bare bottom but i have 60lbs of fiji pink and 20lbs of hawaiian black. i think i'll mix em and scatter it randomly throughout the tank and let the flow find a final place for it all. i will likely leave assorted areas bare bottom and others covered that way i have areas for scavengers to scavenge and wrasses, if any that need a bed to sleep, have a spot. Edited August 27, 2013 by monkiboy
howaboutme August 27, 2013 August 27, 2013 Very cool. I like the structure in it of itself but I do have a question....Do reefs look like bonsai trees? If that's the aesthetic you are going for without regard to matching nature, then I'm all for it. It looks very fragile to me and I don't mean literally it's fragile (I know it's built solid) but that it looks like it will tip over or break. It looks like it could get top heavy....aesthetically...Just my thoughts. Congrats on coming along, Marco. Looks very exciting and I'm a bit jealous of all of your toys lately!
YHSublime August 27, 2013 August 27, 2013 thanks for the honest feedback. i'm going to have a few extra pieces made to figure out what will work best and keep what i don't use for another tank or sell them to some lucky reefer. i don't really know that i made a final decision. the more i think about it, the more i want to go bare bottom but i have 60lbs of fiji pink and 20lbs of hawaiian black. i think i'll mix em and scatter it randomly throughout the tank and let the flow find a final place for it all. i will likely leave assorted areas bare bottom and others covered that way i have areas for scavengers to scavenge and wrasses, if any that need a bed to sleep, have a spot. No problem, if you have the time, patience, and money, extra pieces won't hurt any. And I also think there won't be a problem finding someone to buy them, if it comes down to that. I think that's a good idea on the sand. I've got 2 MP40's on the back wall of the 150, and the sand still coveres 95% of the tank. The 5% that is glass from where the sand has been blown off looks fine in the enviroment, I think that will be perfect. Really looking forward to seeing this build wrap up the odds and ends! Very cool. I like the structure in it of itself but I do have a question....Do reefs look like bonsai trees? Yes. My favorite aquascape of all time
monkiboy August 27, 2013 Author August 27, 2013 Very cool. I like the structure in it of itself but I do have a question....Do reefs look like bonsai trees? If that's the aesthetic you are going for without regard to matching nature, then I'm all for it. It looks very fragile to me and I don't mean literally it's fragile (I know it's built solid) but that it looks like it will tip over or break. It looks like it could get top heavy....aesthetically...Just my thoughts. Congrats on coming along, Marco. Looks very exciting and I'm a bit jealous of all of your toys lately! i've never been diving but i sure hope so! it's such a beautiful play on ying/yang, negative space, feng shui, and every other trending design idea that i bet the fish would love! my goal is not to match nature necessarily in this task but rather to create an ideal living environment for my livestock that will allow for my intended coral placement design ideas to be fulfilled and to be a gorgeous arrangement of structures until they are covered with corals. i think i agree with your top-heavy remarks and was looking to have a more sloping away from the viewer as the eyes move upward with the more dense components on the bottom. i'll take this into consideration. thank you, sir.
monkiboy August 27, 2013 Author August 27, 2013 No problem, if you have the time, patience, and money, extra pieces won't hurt any. And I also think there won't be a problem finding someone to buy them, if it comes down to that. I think that's a good idea on the sand. I've got 2 MP40's on the back wall of the 150, and the sand still coveres 95% of the tank. The 5% that is glass from where the sand has been blown off looks fine in the enviroment, I think that will be perfect. Really looking forward to seeing this build wrap up the odds and ends! Yes. My favorite aquascape of all time yeah, that was something to behold for sure. such a simple concept so elegantly completed.
howaboutme August 27, 2013 August 27, 2013 No problem, if you have the time, patience, and money, extra pieces won't hurt any. And I also think there won't be a problem finding someone to buy them, if it comes down to that. I think that's a good idea on the sand. I've got 2 MP40's on the back wall of the 150, and the sand still coveres 95% of the tank. The 5% that is glass from where the sand has been blown off looks fine in the enviroment, I think that will be perfect. Really looking forward to seeing this build wrap up the odds and ends! Yes. My favorite aquascape of all time I've seen that aquascape and agree that it's awesome! But it's not a real reef, which was what I was asking. What makes that particular design successful is it's horizontality......Which leads to what Marco said in reply: i think i agree with your top-heavy remarks and was looking to have a more sloping away from the viewer as the eyes move upward with the more dense components on the bottom. i'll take this into consideration. thank you, sir. I do love the way you describe your intent. It's very elegant even in words and it does get us all excited! Hurry up!
AlanM August 27, 2013 August 27, 2013 (edited) My favorite aquascape of all time is Steve Weast: http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_aquascaping.htm Also, the biggest bristleworm ever. Edited August 27, 2013 by AlanM
DCReefer1964 August 27, 2013 August 27, 2013 You can never go wrong with the Bonsai approach. Envision the the growth pattern of the coral you select to fill the gaps. A Lot of refers fill their tanks with base rock aquascape and leave little room for a successful vibrant reef environment. I like it.
AlanM August 27, 2013 August 27, 2013 I think it's really cool too. Seems like you if you're planning lots of stony coral, you're growing your own rock right there. The coral will eventually fill in the open space, and in the meantime the fish will like the extra room. This should be plenty of structure to secure frags to for growing out. If you go bare bottom, though, and have so little total volume of rock it seems like you're really limiting the surface area in your tank for the biofilm of nitrifying bacteria to grow. I know this clay is porous, and I know you're getting those sintered plates in the sump which has lots of surface area, but I don't understand how the water will keep passing through there once it fills with biofilm too. Sand would give you lots of surface area around the grains.
monkiboy August 28, 2013 Author August 28, 2013 man, i really hope my avast skimmer is as good as my SWC 180 cone. i've had this thing for years without a single issue. it's reliable, skims incredibly consistently, no start up issues, etc. can't wait to see what the avast does,though! how's that for seven days of skim! got to the PVC sheeting install today. not really my thing and didn't enjoy it but i made it work. working by yourself with 8 x 4 sheets of this super bendy sharp edged stuff is no bueno and not a lot of room in there as i was not taking down the temporary sump system again. in short, i really don't like it and think it looks like cr@p. while not the cheapest material ($35/sheet), i've got to re do it. i ended up making all those stupid cuts along the refugium and frag stand instead i should have just broken down the entire stand and done one flat sheet along the wall and rebuilt the stand up against and on top of the PVC sheeting. then i could the same for the sheet adjacent, behind, and under the stand area. the sheet under the tank stand turned out well, though and that will stay. i'm frustrated as it took me a few hours to do what you see above and it's mediocre and not my style and i just wasted a few hours of work. humbug. tomorrow i'll get after it with a better attitude, focused drive, and a plan.
AlanM August 28, 2013 August 28, 2013 Cutting that stuff is awful too. I ended up using tinsnips because everything else got dull immediately from the fiberglass in it.
monkiboy August 28, 2013 Author August 28, 2013 Cutting that stuff is awful too. I ended up using tinsnips because everything else got dull immediately from the fiberglass in it. yeah, me too, actually.
.OptimusPrime. August 28, 2013 August 28, 2013 That rock work looks awesome. Any chance you are able to share who is making it for you?
AlanM August 28, 2013 August 28, 2013 That rock work looks awesome. Any chance you are able to share who is making it for you? Cerameco. Really cool stuff and pretty unique in this country, it seems. Their website has closeups of the porosity. Other stuff used to come from Germany, aquaroche, I think, but import was tough.
monkiboy August 28, 2013 Author August 28, 2013 That rock work looks awesome. Any chance you are able to share who is making it for you?we also talked about it quite a bit a few pages back if you care to read. if you don't want custom, they have OTS pieces through vendors like aqua-tecture.com - also a great experience working with them in the past.
.OptimusPrime. August 28, 2013 August 28, 2013 we also talked about it quite a bit a few pages back if you care to read. if you don't want custom, they have OTS pieces through vendors like aqua-tecture.com - also a great experience working with them in the past. Just went back and read. Looks to be the same stuff that Steve and Vince had just got in over at QR when I was down there. The few pieces they had out looked really nice.
monkiboy August 28, 2013 Author August 28, 2013 some updated photos of the light fixture...look excellent. very industrial and raw. you can make out the machining and tooling marks which just add to the uniqueness. i'm really digging it!
AlanM August 28, 2013 August 28, 2013 He does great work. It's not just owning a CNC machine, it's knowing how to use it and doing nice design as well.
monkiboy August 30, 2013 Author August 30, 2013 my guy at cerameco is really earning his stripes as an artisan now. we had a nice chat about my goals, coral placement, how i plan to set up the flow in my tank, and aesthetically what i want to accomplish again with some of the emphasis on the feedback provided above and boy did he deliver this time... i mean, this stuff just made me so happy to see as it really mimics what i was seeing in my head and really got me amped to put into my new tank! he got he detail, barnacles, raised base, height, slope, coral placement levels, etc all of it in this new design. check it out and any feedback (in favor or not) is always welcome but i'm stoked
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