roni November 16, 2021 Share November 16, 2021 I agree with Isaac. Looks great! @gws3 has hawkins and red dragon. i think there was a nice small colony of hawkins on his fs thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman November 16, 2021 Author Share November 16, 2021 4 hours ago, YHSublime said: WOW. It looks amazing! I have a large frag of both Red Planet, and Hawkins for you if we can arrange it. I'm wanting some Red Dragon again as well, my alk swing destroyed it. Thanks! I will have to see if I can swing up that way soon to take you up on that. I learned my lesson with RD on my last tank and it definitely needs stable parameters and will grow like a weed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman November 16, 2021 Author Share November 16, 2021 3 hours ago, roni said: I agree with Isaac. Looks great! @gws3 has hawkins and red dragon. i think there was a nice small colony of hawkins on his fs thread. Thanks! I saw his thread and was really hoping to be able to make it on Sunday but my schedule dictated otherwise. His stuff is always good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman November 18, 2021 Author Share November 18, 2021 I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a AE ACR. At the beginning I said there was no way I was going to buy from them based off of what I saw but after doing some digging and chatting with some people I figured I would give it a go. I spoke with Bill, he answered all of my questions and I had my unit within 3 days. This thing is a beast. I went with the 8” dual chamber because I know my next tank will be larger and I wanted to future proof myself. His new controller has a peristaltic pump on it rather than a solenoid or pinch valve so that concern was also removed. I just did a leak test in my basement bath and all seems well so this should be plumbed in by the weekend when I can make sure I have an hour or two to get it how I would like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 18, 2021 Share November 18, 2021 Bills got a wild story. Glad to see it, hope it works flawlessly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni November 24, 2021 Share November 24, 2021 Very cool. I think most people who have his stuff are happy with it. Interested to see how it works for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman November 26, 2021 Author Share November 26, 2021 On 11/24/2021 at 6:50 AM, roni said: Very cool. I think most people who have his stuff are happy with it. Interested to see how it works for you Most of the complaints I read are having to deal with Bill and the controller. The new controller has a peristaltic pump rather than the pinch solenoid that caused a lot of issues. In a way, his product is always evolving which is nice but can be frustrating. I decided to keep using my versa pump to feed the reactor because it is quieter and I can really hone in on the effluent rate. So I am pretty much just using the controller to control the CO2 into the reactor. I am impressed and setup was ver easy. It pumps out a ton of Calcium and Alkalinity. It maxed out the Hanna checker at 50% dilution so I still need to give it another go at just 25% to see what its cranking out. This thing can handle a packed SPS tank much larger than mine which is exactly what I was hoping for. I have taken the GEO618 offline along with the extra support that goes with it. No more PH probes to fiddle with is a big plus. I upgraded my CO2 tank to a 10# which I figure will last a while with this setup and my current demands. I will keep everyone posted but I think I made the right choice even with telling myself no way at the beginning when looking for an ACR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman December 9, 2021 Author Share December 9, 2021 The ACR is running perfectly with the AE controller handling the CO2 and the Vectra taking care of the effluent flow. Diluted 1ml with 9ml of RO and the Hanna checker pegged the Alk at 105. Pretty insane and clear this thing can handle a much larger demand than I have and the ease of just dialing up the flow to meet it. Also added a multicolor angel and a juvi melanaurus. Everyone is getting along and the Colins and Multicolor seem to hang out a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime December 9, 2021 Share December 9, 2021 Love to hear it! It's all about making things easier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy January 25, 2022 Share January 25, 2022 thank you for sharing! l we have another arriving next month and the idea of hushing another baby in front of the tank like you described brought a smile to my face. hope you and yours are well. i'm looking forward to updates on sleep-deprived reefkeeping and any other efficiencies or automations you come up with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman February 4, 2022 Author Share February 4, 2022 On 1/25/2022 at 1:39 PM, monkiboy said: thank you for sharing! l we have another arriving next month and the idea of hushing another baby in front of the tank like you described brought a smile to my face. hope you and yours are well. i'm looking forward to updates on sleep-deprived reefkeeping and any other efficiencies or automations you come up with! Thanks and congrats to you and your family! We have been really lucky as she is such a great baby. The first few weeks were really an adjustment but we have a nice routine going now so sleep is a little more plentiful haha. The tank can keep her attention for a good bit with all of the movement so I am looking forward to her getting a little older so she can interact a bit more. The smiles do melt my heart. I have been able to keep up with feedings no problem so all of the anthias are thriving. That and an autofeeder w/ tdo pellets have been key. I am having issues with my ACR but its nothing Bill related. I broke it but am working with him and Amex (thank goodness for purchase protection) to get it fixed. In the meantime I have been using my kalk reactor and some tropic marin afr to keep up with demand until the ACR gets sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy February 4, 2022 Share February 4, 2022 Have you tried or considered the plank from avast with freeze dried variety? Your auto feeder and pellets works well for them consistently? Will be trying me hand at some very difficult anthias and was curious on plank and other solutions viability longer term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman February 4, 2022 Author Share February 4, 2022 1 hour ago, monkiboy said: Have you tried or considered the plank from avast with freeze dried variety? Your auto feeder and pellets works well for them consistently? Will be trying me hand at some very difficult anthias and was curious on plank and other solutions viability longer term. I actually forgot about the plank. That is a legit auto feeder. I would just need to make sure my “smart outlets” wouldnt feed too much and I could dial the time in enough. I generally get down to the tank enough to feed frozen a few times a day. The real ocean eggs (R.O.E) in the squirt bottle is a favorite of mine and all the fish go nuts for it. I have also been feeding spirulina brine, mysis and pacific plankton to give a nice variety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 4, 2022 Share February 4, 2022 I am jealous of all your space and fish. I'd love to do a pack of Anthias, but I refuse to put a lid on a rimless tank and then the feeding portion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman February 4, 2022 Author Share February 4, 2022 5 hours ago, YHSublime said: I am jealous of all your space and fish. I'd love to do a pack of Anthias, but I refuse to put a lid on a rimless tank and then the feeding portion! Haha the lid isnt ideal but the thought of any of these fish going carpet surfing was enough for me. I got used to it pretty quickly at the start of this build because it sits just below the rim and I used black bird netting rather than the “clear” which sticks out like a sore thumb to me. I just made it out of white screen frame and bought the corners off BRS I think. The clearviews and others are nice but for me, I just cant justify them when my $25 screen does the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni February 5, 2022 Share February 5, 2022 The plank has been great for me and really allows me to space out my feedings in the middle of the day when I'm not home as well as providing more consistency for nutrient input. That multicolor looks great. Eating well? Where did you pick up, if you don't mind me asking? i've long considered a pair of multibarred or multicolor angels, though the multibarred are even harder to get healthy and eating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman February 5, 2022 Author Share February 5, 2022 6 hours ago, roni said: The plank has been great for me and really allows me to space out my feedings in the middle of the day when I'm not home as well as providing more consistency for nutrient input. That multicolor looks great. Eating well? Where did you pick up, if you don't mind me asking? i've long considered a pair of multibarred or multicolor angels, though the multibarred are even harder to get healthy and eating. I have been convinced. Plank ordered haha. Digging in a bit more it does look like a superior product to what I am using. The multicolor is eating like a pig. I am lucky with this one. Eats everything that is thrown in. I does pick a little at the acros but not enough to do any damage. This one came from reef escape. They had it one day I went in and I had to be in and out and didnt have enough time to observe. Had to go back a few days later and it was still up for grabs and this time I could obverse, it looked great so I decided I couldnt pass it up this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni February 14, 2022 Share February 14, 2022 On 2/5/2022 at 6:26 PM, Apcoleman said: I have been convinced. Plank ordered haha. Digging in a bit more it does look like a superior product to what I am using. The multicolor is eating like a pig. I am lucky with this one. Eats everything that is thrown in. I does pick a little at the acros but not enough to do any damage. This one came from reef escape. They had it one day I went in and I had to be in and out and didnt have enough time to observe. Had to go back a few days later and it was still up for grabs and this time I could obverse, it looked great so I decided I couldnt pass it up this time. Had a chance to swing by Reef escape. They had another one but it had just come in. Very pretty fish so will see how it does through qt. You get your plank set up yet? I find it gamechanging in terms of increasing frequency of food and overall health of the system, imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman February 15, 2022 Author Share February 15, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 1:22 PM, roni said: Had a chance to swing by Reef escape. They had another one but it had just come in. Very pretty fish so will see how it does through qt. You get your plank set up yet? I find it gamechanging in terms of increasing frequency of food and overall health of the system, imo. Nice. I need to swing by there and good to know they got some new livestock in. Plank is a work in progress. I didnt realize how big this thing really is. Well built, but big. I either have to rework my top or raise my sump level in the return chamber. Dont think the sump will work because of the level with the pump off but I am going to verify. Not thrilled about the idea of this thing hanging off the side but if the fish do well thats all that really matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy February 16, 2022 Share February 16, 2022 17 hours ago, Apcoleman said: Nice. I need to swing by there and good to know they got some new livestock in. Plank is a work in progress. I didnt realize how big this thing really is. Well built, but big. I either have to rework my top or raise my sump level in the return chamber. Dont think the sump will work because of the level with the pump off but I am going to verify. Not thrilled about the idea of this thing hanging off the side but if the fish do well thats all that really matters. just get the XL tube. https://www.avastmarine.com/products/extra-long-plank-mixing-tube?_pos=1&_sid=fef8f3d15&_ss=r can get them in lengths up to 14" or longer just send justin a text and I'm sure he will be glad to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman February 16, 2022 Author Share February 16, 2022 7 minutes ago, monkiboy said: just get the XL tube. https://www.avastmarine.com/products/extra-long-plank-mixing-tube?_pos=1&_sid=fef8f3d15&_ss=r can get them in lengths up to 14" or longer just send justin a text and I'm sure he will be glad to help. This is perfect. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman March 2, 2022 Author Share March 2, 2022 So I opted to get the plank mounted on the rim and made a temporary modification to the lid to test everything out. It is a game changer. I have it dumping just above my vortech to try and broadcast the food as much as possible. So far so good. I have it turning on for a minute six times throughout the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni March 2, 2022 Share March 2, 2022 11 hours ago, Apcoleman said: So I opted to get the plank mounted on the rim and made a temporary modification to the lid to test everything out. It is a game changer. I have it dumping just above my vortech to try and broadcast the food as much as possible. So far so good. I have it turning on for a minute six times throughout the day. I love my plank. kudos to avastmarine for making these types of game changing inventions. One thing I noticed is that because i feed a decent amount of small pellets and other finer foods...i have cleaning the barrel separately on my tasks list. I had a little clogging and overflow, which spilled over the tank after about 2 months so just something to watch for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman March 2, 2022 Author Share March 2, 2022 47 minutes ago, roni said: I love my plank. kudos to avastmarine for making these types of game changing inventions. One thing I noticed is that because i feed a decent amount of small pellets and other finer foods...i have cleaning the barrel separately on my tasks list. I had a little clogging and overflow, which spilled over the tank after about 2 months so just something to watch for. That is good to know. I will add that to my flow for sure. I am going to be adding in some of the TDO pellets to the mix and take my other feeder offline completely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apcoleman March 9, 2022 Author Share March 9, 2022 So this weekend I added three more Bimacs and a pintail wrasse from reef escape. The additional three bimacs have blended into the harem well and mellowed things out. The new additions are smaller than the others so that has helped a lot. The largest female looks be to changing to male at this point. The pintail went into hiding after being released but I caught it being a little more adventurous today. Im looking forward to seeing it cruise around the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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