Coral reefer
Past President
Wow awesome. Hope it works great!
Squist's RSR 250
- Thread starter Squist
- Start date
max_nano
Supporting Member
It is well designed. I still find it helpful to take pics of the test vial to compare week to week with your previous pics. It’s easier to see, “ah it’s darker so N went up”
Squist
Guest
I find it much easier to compare two similar things (similarly colored) than two different things (with different texture and reflection). Yes — it’s between a range. BUT this eliminates other factors.
And takes less time. For comparison: Nyos vs Red Sea
And takes less time. For comparison: Nyos vs Red Sea
Attachments
Squist
Guest
Top or bottom?
I have more fun in the sump than the display, I do believe.
Added a DIY algae reactor today. Lots of fun. Will be tracking things.
(Lots of light spill)
Finishing touch: wrapped the reactor in a split 4" plastic-coated dryer vent hose. This eliminates light spill, except for the gap where I want to see through to monitor growth.
I have more fun in the sump than the display, I do believe.
Added a DIY algae reactor today. Lots of fun. Will be tracking things.
(Lots of light spill)
Finishing touch: wrapped the reactor in a split 4" plastic-coated dryer vent hose. This eliminates light spill, except for the gap where I want to see through to monitor growth.
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Squist
Guest
Received ICP test results today. Next course correction: get trace elements boosted to proper levels. ICP demonstrates a downward trend of major elements. My original strategy was to use water changes to replace trace elements. Worked well but I was stripping nutrients. With the fresh food feeder humming along (PO4 = 0.03 and NO3 = 12) this weekend I added automated trace dosing (1 mL/d for my 250 L). See my DIY fresh food feeder and supplement doser.
Thank is doing really well! Added a rainbow pectinia. My new fav!
Other recent additions include a piece of @JVU 's blue sponge and I added a few peppermint shrimp to replace one that I thought I lost. Turns out he'd been there all along. I found all four conspiring the other night. They look like they're up to something.
To help set-up automation, I pulled together a one-day automation schedule so I can see what occurs when. It helps me program systems and look at processes in terms of a 24-hour day. Useful for ensuring skimmer is off when feeding occurs. Stuff like that. Each green rectangle represents 15 minutes; quarter hours.
Thank is doing really well! Added a rainbow pectinia. My new fav!
Other recent additions include a piece of @JVU 's blue sponge and I added a few peppermint shrimp to replace one that I thought I lost. Turns out he'd been there all along. I found all four conspiring the other night. They look like they're up to something.
To help set-up automation, I pulled together a one-day automation schedule so I can see what occurs when. It helps me program systems and look at processes in terms of a 24-hour day. Useful for ensuring skimmer is off when feeding occurs. Stuff like that. Each green rectangle represents 15 minutes; quarter hours.
Coral reefer
Past President
Where’s the pectinia?
max_nano
Supporting Member
That chart is interesting. I could see it being helpful to know when it’s best to do maintenance without impacting dosing. I swear anytime I turn the pumps off for a water change, 2 part starts to dose into the now stagnant return chamber.
Is that just in excel or is it some other program?
Is that just in excel or is it some other program?
Squist
Guest
Exactly! If I'm ever wondering what happens at X:00? It's all in the vertical column of the sheet. Of if I want to program something, it's a quick reference for timing conflicts or when best to do something. Copies here:
https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0B8r784U4WABv2RIuQ9C_ypYg#Aquarium_Systems_Timing_Schedule (Excel)
https://www.icloud.com/numbers/0VnnmacnTJSid3VfOPWOaLiLQ#Aquarium_Systems_Timing_Schedule (Numbers)
https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0B8r784U4WABv2RIuQ9C_ypYg#Aquarium_Systems_Timing_Schedule (Excel)
https://www.icloud.com/numbers/0VnnmacnTJSid3VfOPWOaLiLQ#Aquarium_Systems_Timing_Schedule (Numbers)
Squist
Guest
Talking clowns. I've heard clicking noises from the clowns the last couple times I've fed the nem.
For anyone interested... https://www.livescience.com/24611-clownfish-talk-social-status.html
Squist
Guest
A big score for Apex salinity monitoring folks! My fresh food auto-feeder line sprung a leak today and Apex salinity meter sounded the alarm.
I hear it a lot: "salinity monitoring isn't accurate." Not in all cases. Mine is dialed-in and working consistently. Then today, the bottom fell out and I was alerted. Looking at my ATOPump log it's pretty clear that the frequency of ATO top-off coincided with the salinity drop.
Tracing through plumbing, I found a leak at one of the T press fittings of the outer manifold of my fresh food feeder. Turns out, when I recently set-up the outer dosing pump, I zip-tied the manifold to the fridge and it eventually caused a leak as the hose became rigid, I suspect. The manifold is built of 1/4" John Guest-type waterline fittings. Tightening the zipties too much flexed the hose at one of the T connectors. Eventually, today, it started leaking severely enough to register on the salinity monitor as ATO water compensated for the leaked tank water.
Glad to have caught it early. Tomorrow a post-mortem to see what happened and correction to get back on-line.
I hear it a lot: "salinity monitoring isn't accurate." Not in all cases. Mine is dialed-in and working consistently. Then today, the bottom fell out and I was alerted. Looking at my ATOPump log it's pretty clear that the frequency of ATO top-off coincided with the salinity drop.
Tracing through plumbing, I found a leak at one of the T press fittings of the outer manifold of my fresh food feeder. Turns out, when I recently set-up the outer dosing pump, I zip-tied the manifold to the fridge and it eventually caused a leak as the hose became rigid, I suspect. The manifold is built of 1/4" John Guest-type waterline fittings. Tightening the zipties too much flexed the hose at one of the T connectors. Eventually, today, it started leaking severely enough to register on the salinity monitor as ATO water compensated for the leaked tank water.
Glad to have caught it early. Tomorrow a post-mortem to see what happened and correction to get back on-line.
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Squist
Guest
Fresh food auto-feeder update: running since Thanksgiving 2020, the feeder has been dosing fresh liquid food, trace elements, NOPOX, Reef Energy AB, and more. Pretty happy with the system. Over three months, twice a day, the feeder doses from three 6 oz bottles of Reef Nutrition Roti Feast, Oyster Feast, and Phyto Feast. For my 250 liter system, just a couple mL a day of each when skimmer is off for 3 hours (off 6 hrs total/day). Along with Reef Nutrition foods, I'm also dosing Redsea Reef Energy AB (6 mL per day). Since resolving the leak in April at a joint in the manifold it has been smooth sailing.
I just installed a proper Jaebo slave pump to replace the programmable pump in the fridge. This way, programming is much more easy. The master outside of the fridge controls all 8 dosing heads. Prior to the dual master-slave set-up, I'd have to remove the pump from the fridge to view the calibration and settings screen.
I just installed a proper Jaebo slave pump to replace the programmable pump in the fridge. This way, programming is much more easy. The master outside of the fridge controls all 8 dosing heads. Prior to the dual master-slave set-up, I'd have to remove the pump from the fridge to view the calibration and settings screen.
Squist
Guest
TWO-YEAR UPDATE! This July marks year two of my tank's launch. I'm happy with how it has turned out. Parameters are stable, automation running like clockwork, and now it's mostly watching the tank grow, moving and selecting corals that are more compatible with their neighbors.
June '21 I removed the UV sterilizer after accidentally breaking the quartz sleeve when cleaning it. I tapped the sleeve just-so-right against the edge of the sump when disassembling. With the UV removed, so too came out the DIY algae reactor I built, as water was supplied by the UV pump's line. I plan to just grow cheato in the front right chamber of the sump with a hanging grow lamp. Simpler to maintain, a lot quieter (I had 500 gph going through the UV), and easier removing detritus that settles in this area of the sump. I don't run socks, so I need to be able to get in here easily to vacuum from time-to-time.
Looking at basic parameters, tank is settling in. Auto water changes are performed 4x/day at 500 ml; total 2 liters per day; 25% total volume per month. I feed the tank live food (see above post) and I feed fish a mg pellets, nori, and a cube of mysis occasionally. In the table below you'll see NO3 drop to 3 and stay there. That's when I started dosing NOPOX. Easy as that.
Lights are set to 18K at 60% and run 8 hours after a lengthy ramp-up and -down of blues. I dose Little Fishies two-part at 30 ml/day. Other dosing includes: Microbacter-7 (1 ml per week), NOPOX (4 ml/day), ChaetoGro (when growing), trace elements, and refrigerated fresh food.
I pull the sump for its annual deep-clean in August. Not looking forward to that.
Parameters (current; and 1-yr avg):
June '21 I removed the UV sterilizer after accidentally breaking the quartz sleeve when cleaning it. I tapped the sleeve just-so-right against the edge of the sump when disassembling. With the UV removed, so too came out the DIY algae reactor I built, as water was supplied by the UV pump's line. I plan to just grow cheato in the front right chamber of the sump with a hanging grow lamp. Simpler to maintain, a lot quieter (I had 500 gph going through the UV), and easier removing detritus that settles in this area of the sump. I don't run socks, so I need to be able to get in here easily to vacuum from time-to-time.
Looking at basic parameters, tank is settling in. Auto water changes are performed 4x/day at 500 ml; total 2 liters per day; 25% total volume per month. I feed the tank live food (see above post) and I feed fish a mg pellets, nori, and a cube of mysis occasionally. In the table below you'll see NO3 drop to 3 and stay there. That's when I started dosing NOPOX. Easy as that.
Lights are set to 18K at 60% and run 8 hours after a lengthy ramp-up and -down of blues. I dose Little Fishies two-part at 30 ml/day. Other dosing includes: Microbacter-7 (1 ml per week), NOPOX (4 ml/day), ChaetoGro (when growing), trace elements, and refrigerated fresh food.
I pull the sump for its annual deep-clean in August. Not looking forward to that.
Parameters (current; and 1-yr avg):
NO3: 3; 10.3 (1-yr avg)
PO4: 0.05; 0.043 (1-yr avg)
Ca: 475; 419 (1-yr avg)
Mg: 1100; 1400 (1-yr avg)
ALK: 8.8; 8.3 (1-yr avg)
pH: 8.25
Salinity: 35
Temp: 78.5 (sump) The display runs a couple degrees lower.
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Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
Sorry to be tardy to this party...
Yes!
Fish make noises of communication!
I’ve heard banggai cardinals make noise too
Yes!
Fish make noises of communication!
I’ve heard banggai cardinals make noise too