Fritz0id3937 April 24, 2014 Author Share April 24, 2014 I rearranged the rocks. This any better? Its surprisingly stable. I think my options are pretty limited since the piece of rock on the left is pretty much a solid cube. I think I will take some pliers and maybe cut out some small shelves into the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef April 24, 2014 Share April 24, 2014 Yeah, I definently think its better...more space and height... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy April 24, 2014 Share April 24, 2014 can you change the permissions so we can see the photos when we click on them, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz0id3937 April 24, 2014 Author Share April 24, 2014 I am losing a little over half a gallon a day due to evaporation, or about 2+ inches of depth in the return section of the sump. That sound normal? I have to add water about everyday or else the return pump comes close to pulling some air. I need an auto-top off if I am going to leave the house for more than a day or 2. I am thinking of getting the autoaqua smart ATO, the tunze one seems a little pricey and would take up too much room in my small 20 gallon sump. Does anyone have any experience with the autoaqua smart ATO or got other recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz0id3937 April 24, 2014 Author Share April 24, 2014 can you change the permissions so we can see the photos when we click on them, please? I think I fixed it, are they public now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy April 24, 2014 Share April 24, 2014 the avast ATO package with pressure switch and their new stepper dc motor peristalic pump is fantastic and they are a sponsor on here. they used to have a really noisy pump that was pretty ridiculous and have made a huge upgrade with their 2014 offering. i picked one up a few days ago for the quarantine systems and it truly is nearly silent. the new pressure switch tube is thicker OD and their magnet mounts slimmer and better designed and made to prevent the magnet from separating from the probe holder. and of course you have excellent support from justin and dan @ avast in case you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy April 24, 2014 Share April 24, 2014 I think I fixed it, are they public now? yes, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz0id3937 April 24, 2014 Author Share April 24, 2014 Also, my ammonia has been 0 for the past couple days, but nitrites have been parked at .25 ppm for the past 3 days. Does this sound normal? any idea when it might finish? Been cycling for just over a week now, I was hoping it would be a little faster since I used 60lbs of live sand, 20lbs of live rock, and a bottle of bio-spira. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz0id3937 April 24, 2014 Author Share April 24, 2014 I ordered a WP-25, should arrive tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy April 24, 2014 Share April 24, 2014 yes, sounds fine. "Been cycling for just over a week now, I was hoping it would be a little faster..." brad, you got to slow down bud and let your excitement take you into research, reading build journals, reviews, best practices, etc. nothing good happens fast in this hobby. take it eassssssssy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef April 24, 2014 Share April 24, 2014 A week isn't very long...even with the addition of a bacterial additive...you still have die off on the rock... And I second the vote for the avast ato....I have a older one that I'm using just an aqua lifter pump... Love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnevo April 24, 2014 Share April 24, 2014 Take a look at this one. I've heard some issues with the one you mentioned after power outages needing to be recalibrated. http://blog.aquanerd.com/2013/09/hydor-smart-level-controller.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnevo April 24, 2014 Share April 24, 2014 Take a look at this one. I've heard some issues with the one you mentioned after power outages needing to be recalibrated. http://blog.aquanerd.com/2013/09/hydor-smart-level-controller.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz0id3937 April 25, 2014 Author Share April 25, 2014 Got the wp-25 today. I am happy with it. It is pretty strong wide flow, makes a nice little wave with about 1in peaks and it is dead silent. At the highest setting it will start to blow a few small bits of sand around. Nitrites are still stuck at .25 ppm, this makes 4 days in a row now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime April 25, 2014 Share April 25, 2014 Nothing good happens fast , these folks are giving you good advice! The wp's are nice, I run 2 fourtys and 1 twenty five, easy to set, if you speak chinglish, that is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz0id3937 April 26, 2014 Author Share April 26, 2014 I am leaning towards Avast's ATO with backup mechanical float switch to use with toms aqua lifter. But how does their pressure sensor work? Is it reliable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef April 26, 2014 Share April 26, 2014 In the 2 years I've had mine...no problems I do take it out and wipe it down about every 6 months as salt can build upon the outside... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallor April 27, 2014 Share April 27, 2014 (edited) ... congratulations on getting the go ahead from your wife. Spousal approval is huge, with any luck, she'll get into it a bit as well, although she will want all the things that you can't keep most likely (usually fish in my case.) Ain't that the truth? And of course that doesn't just apply to wives, but it seems most people you mention a saltwater tank to (that has some familiarity with them) has a favorite fish you can't keep for whatever reason ;-) Edited April 27, 2014 by Kallor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy April 27, 2014 Share April 27, 2014 I am leaning towards Avast's ATO with backup mechanical float switch to use with toms aqua lifter. But how does their pressure sensor work? Is it reliable? it's a presuure switch. once the water level rises sufficient to slightly increase the pressure within the body of the tube, it activates whatever is plugged into the outlet, typically an ATO/peristalic pump. it is very reliable if not the most reliable of any system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz0id3937 April 27, 2014 Author Share April 27, 2014 Thanks for the help, you guys sold me on the avast ato. I guess my question is how does avast measure the pressure in the tube? - is it a capacitor or strain gauge or something else? I couldn't find the info online. I understand other systems use a mechanical switch, optical sensor or temp sensor and I could see the potential problems with those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz0id3937 April 27, 2014 Author Share April 27, 2014 Ammonia and nitrites have been zero for the past 2 days. Getting ready to do a decent water change to bring down nirates. Then hopefully I can add a snail or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey18 April 27, 2014 Share April 27, 2014 Looks great. Nice build. i think a few snails, and maybe even a fish would be nice. But only one fish. just as some perspective I cycled my tank for several months and I still considered it an immature tank after a year. Following along... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2nhle May 7, 2014 Share May 7, 2014 Buy a cheap fish to cycle the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz0id3937 November 8, 2014 Author Share November 8, 2014 Oh boy, I need to bring this thread up to speed. I have been busy and its a pain to upload pics. If someone can pm an easy way to upload I would appriciate it, I can't log into tapatalk for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz0id3937 November 8, 2014 Author Share November 8, 2014 FTS from around March '14 FTS from around June '14 July '14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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