Greg's 75g

[jorjef]

I'm curious why you rinse it? And also how do you strain it?

I have an old net and the mesh is abouit the consistancy on a ladys nylon. You could make your own with an old net frame and cut the toe out a nylon and stretch it over the frame. Just takes the extra fine particles out that I find is pollition more than food

[Ginu]

I'm curious why you rinse it? And also how do you strain it?


I use an old fishnet from my 20g freshwater tank. For rinsing I just add another pint of fresh rodi
I do the same with blood worms for my freshwater tank as I like to get the frozen water off since I really don't know what's in there.

[gregzz4]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I've just been lazy about getting food ready on the spot. I'll change my ways and go back to the old tank water thaw method
I'm not even sure this was the cause of Cleo's demise, but it's a good time to develop better habits

For rinsing I use a $2 brine shrimp net and pour RO water through it

molotov, it's best to rinse frozen as you don't want all the excess oils in your tank feeding nuisance algae

Ginu, glad to hear your Kole found it's appetite for nori

[lockrookie]

The mysis I've been buying recently has to be the cleanest stuff I have used yet I thaw I dump with no straining there is no need compared to a few brands I've tried. Yes sure I prolly could strain it I just see no need and I'm lazy. ;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[daplatapus]

An interesting read on food rinsing if anyone hasn't read it already:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/chemistry

[gregzz4]

Got some beautiful frags from Chris last Wednesday
Thanks buddy :mrgreen:

1 acan and 1 sps were too cheesed to take pics as I moved all of them today
Here's 3 acans

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01555.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01553.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01554.jpg

The Octospawn was demoted to a new location as it stung one of my fave acros

FTS, but it's not one of my best ... no tripod, just rushed a pic

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01559.jpg

[Rice Reef]

Greg, nice pickups! The tank is looking great and even better once all the corals mature and starts to fill up! :biggrin:

[molotov]

Greg, tank is looking killer. Nice work!!!

[gregzz4]

Thanks for the nice comments

I just sold Smudge
He wasn't fitting in well with the smaller fish. They all got along but I had to overfeed the fox to get enough food to the little guys

I expect to see a calmer mealtime now and maybe a cleaner tank :smile:

[Ginu]

Thanks for the nice comments

I just sold Smudge
He wasn't fitting in well with the smaller fish. They all got along but I had to overfeed the fox to get enough food to the little guys

I expect to see a calmer mealtime now and maybe a cleaner tank :smile:

Glad he went to a good home. Have you thought of getting a auto feeder?
I'm contemplating getting one next time I'm at j&l as I would like them to eat more often.

How many fish will you be adding in total?
I think I went a little overboard and I might be a little overstocked.
ATM in the 75 I got the kole(who's turn out to be a pig, eats everything and anything), one lyretail anthias, a flasher wrasse, a solar fairy wrasse, 4 blue/green chromis and two cleaner shrimp (one skunk and one fire)

I still have to add the livestock from my 34 cube which currently hosts two black ocellaris clowns with their anemone, a bicolor blenny, cleaner wrasse and a goby with his tiger pistol shrimp. And in my 10 gallon I have another tiger pistol shrimp with a sunrise goby buddy. I still have t been able to find out if two gobies and two shrimp can coexist in the same tank and I'm really attached to them :)

Think I'm pushing the envelope with that much livestock?

[gregzz4]

I'd say you're overstocking with that plan :smile:
4" of fish to every 10g is a good starting rule of thumb

I plan on adding a couple wrasses to our list and we'll see how it goes from there
So currently, after the Kole and Gramma go in, we'll have;

PJ cardinal x 2
Bangaii
Oscellaris
Starry blenny
Hector's goby
Royal gramma
Kole tang

If I add a couple wrasses to this list, I think it would be considered 'medium to heavily stocked'

Down the road, if we want something else, I'll find the PJs a new home and I suspect I'll have to consider what to do with the starry when he gets large

[gregzz4]

Woke to an overflowing skimmer today. I'm sure glad it's in the sump :surprise:
I don't want to clean up that mess again, so I guess it's time to think about adding a float switch to the cup
At least it didn't affect the salinity much with all the extra ATO water :wink:
I blame the overflowing on removing the Octospawn ( slime ) and adding some new corals that maybe I didn't rinse the Revive off of well enough ???
Or a bug plugged the outside air intake of my skimmer ( more believable )
Or, I had a brain fart last night and adjusted the skimmer after feeding live food ( most likely ) :doh:
:noidea:

The QT fishies are now getting their Sg raised
Once it's back to 1.025, they have 4 weeks of observation and then into the DT they go

I changed 4 of my 8 bulbs a little while ago, with only a few days between each new pair .... dumb dumb dumb
I lost a red monti digi to bleaching :twised:
I moved it down lower when I noticed it going pale, but it was too late. Next thing I knew it was hosting pods
Guess I'll have to bug Rich for another frag

And lastly ...
Anthony and I worked out a trade for my Octospawn and some frags
Thanks Anthony :smile:

The frags need to color up / get used to my lights as Anthony has LEDs and I have T5HO

The pulsing xenia was camera shy

Meteor shower cyphastrea

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01572.jpg

Blurry shot of the multi colored Rics

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01571.jpg

[gregzz4]

Picked up some frags last weekend from Rob
My camera washed them out
Guess I should turn down my white balance :wink:
Plus they have to color up a bit ...

Frag
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01578.jpg

Rob's colony
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk180/Canuckgod420/DA202448-2E85-458D-A558-026EF6853FF2-11360-00000DA82700D157.jpg

Frag
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01580.jpg

Rob's colony
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk180/Canuckgod420/6FA53FD6-D15B-4448-B72D-80A5D729761B-11360-00000DA8A0AC16BA.jpg

[Nano]

Nice! I just got some new ones too, a bright pink milli, a nice sky blue acro and a mini colony of neon green birdsnest

[gregzz4]

I'll believe you after I see some pics in your thread :smile:

[ChizerBunoi]

FTS, but it's not one of my best ... no tripod, just rushed a pic

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01559.jpg

That aquascaping looks great. Good job.

[gregzz4]

Thanks !!

I'll have to get a better FTS one of these days

[gregzz4]

One more week, then the Kole and Gramma go into the DT
The Kole will have been in QT for 12 weeks, and the Gramma for 14 :surprise:
I've let the Mag drop to normal levels so there's lots of algae for the Kole to pick at

I'm happy to report that, besides the loss of the purple firefish in QT, I've only lost one other critter ( snails don't count ) ...
I had a bright red digi frag, but it faded away to a skeleton :sad:

Growth is good and I'm keeping records on Alk and Ca usage. I plan on manually dosing daily from a weekly pre-mix, and it looks like I'll need about 2Tbsp of each per week - for now :rolleyes:

Here's a long overdue FTS
6 fish, and only one fully visible ... Can't wait to get the Kole in there, and some Wrasses

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01582.jpg

It looks like someone's been busy ... I suspect the Ceriths

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01583.jpg

[Coralgurl]

Def one of my fave tanks!!:lol: coming along nicely!! Get those fish in that tank already!!

[kien]

looking great mate! Love all the swim throughs!

[gregzz4]

Def one of my fave tanks!!
:redface:
looking great mate! Love all the swim throughs!

Thanks both of you

Fish went into the DT yesterday and the Kole is starting to explore the whole tank. It's still name-less so I hope we'll see some unique characteristics soon

Bella the Gramma is still a bit shy, and needs to fatten up some. She was hiding in the DT rockwork from the Kole and not eating much. She's toying with NLS pellets and frozen, but only eating small bits, so I'll try some Cyclopeeze tonight as she liked that in the QT
I didn't want to leave her in the QT any longer to get her eating again as she's taken to hiding too much and I hope having other fish around will get her out more often
She's exploring a bit so fingers crossed she makes it

I've let the algae go a bit for tang food, so you'll see some fuzzies ...

No fish spots, just dirty glass :wink:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01584.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01585.jpg

[Nano]

Looks great man, love the tang :) can't wait to get a whole shwack of them if I ever get the 120 up

[gregzz4]

Looks great man, love the tang :) can't wait to get a whole shwack of them if I ever get the 120 up
Go bigger !! :smile:
If we had a ground floor livingroom, I'd probably have setup something big enough for large tangs

[Nano]

Lol no can do. Maybe once I get my journeyman tickets then funds won't be an issue. But for now this is a nice size, and won't break the bank. I'd love to do a big like 4Lx3Wx2H tank in wall that be sweet lol not gonna happen anytime soon ;)

[gregzz4]

Things are looking up already
The Kole is all over the tank, zooming through all the swim-throughs and eating very well
Better yet, Bella came out and ate lots of Cyclopeeze, even with the other fish around

[Claudia]

Looking really good :)

[The Guy]

Things are looking up already
The Kole is all over the tank, zooming through all the swim-throughs and eating very well
Better yet, Bella came out and ate lots of Cyclopeeze, even with the other fish around
Is he the only tang in the tank? I have a yellow tang that eats like a little piggy, loves seaweed strip on a clip. That Kole is beautiful.

[gregzz4]

Yup, the un-named Kole is the only tang we have
Hopefully it's character will inspire a name soon
It's not that purple, but more the typical copper/bronze/brown color
I'll have to get some 'full lighting' shots up

[daplatapus]

That Kole looks great! Nice to see him in the DT.
Not sure if you feed him any seaweed but I have one in my tank and also a starry blenny and I notice a marked increase in aggression in the Kole tang when I don't feed Nori on a clip every couple days. Once I put the clip in there they'll eat side by side and not fight anymore, it's really weird.

[gregzz4]

Thanks Claudia

daplatapus thanks for the insight
It looked like our Kole chased the Starry a couple times yesterday, then that was that - nothing since
I'll keep an eye out for issues

[gregzz4]

More pics of our fishies, but a bit blurry ...
One day I'll be able to afford a better camera for action shots :sad:

Our Kole now has a name
Here's Ziggy

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01611.jpg

And here's our clown and bangaii, Goober and Boo
Notice how much Goober has darkened since he was a juvie
When I brought Goober home, he only had black on his fin tips
Now, the whole top half of his body is black
I'm liking it as I wanted a black clown :smile:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01610.jpg

One more shot

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01608.jpg

[Nano]

:mrgreen:happy fishies :)

[gregzz4]

Looks like the Urchin thought, hey, if the Tang isn't going to eat it ...

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01612.jpg

[Nano]

Tanks sure looking great Greg, you seem to be getting nice growth! I wish I could say the same fo mine :P I have one milli thats finally doing something after 6 months. :doh:

[gregzz4]

I have some that grow, and some that don't
Lots of encrusting going on and lots of Alk usage

Your tank has been through lots of changes. Plug away, it'll all be good

[Skimmerking]

Gregg your rocks are so clean with no hair algae

[gregzz4]

Gregg your rocks are so clean with no hair algae
Thanks, but you haven't seen them up close :wink:
The outbreak I had this summer was taken care of by the big snails, the urchin, and higher Mag levels

[Skimmerking]

Thanks, but you haven't seen them up close :wink:
The outbreak I had this summer was taken care of by the big snails, the urchin, and higher Mag levels
so your mag levels are higher I always thought that if my mag is always low causing this.

[gregzz4]

You're right in a sense
Mag levels help control Alk and Ca, and contribute to algae control
Maybe my Mag level was too low this summer, but ever since I raised it above 1400 the algae became controllable
I don't dose it right now as WCs and Reef Builder are keeping it above 1500

I've also started dosing more often, and performing regular Carbon and GFO changes

[Bblinks]

Any updates....:mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

Any updates....:mrgreen:
Hmm, not a whole lot, but thanks for asking :wink:
I've been monitoring/dosing since Nov 5 to come up with some kind of daily dose/drip
Other than that, I'm trying to keep it simple right now
This is from Jan 2nd

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01646.jpg

[axe_man16]

Don't know if you noticed but your nice fish have all disappeared. :biggrin: hate when they do that!

[lastlight]

Ziggy looks like a stunner! I miss my Kole :cry:

[ChizerBunoi]

Greg you need more corals!!!

[gregzz4]

Don't know if you noticed but your nice fish have all disappeared. :biggrin: hate when they do that!
They get camera shy when I set up the tripod - INCOMING :smile:

Ziggy looks like a stunner! I miss my Kole :cry:
Guess it's time for an upgrade eh Brett :surprise:

Greg you need more corals!!!
I know, it looks kinda bare
I have some others in mind, but cash is tight
Plus there's 38 different colonies already and I want to leave some room for growth

[gregzz4]

Got my doser setup
It cost me about $15.00 :smile:
Maybe one day I'll invest in a 'real' doser, or I'll have oodles of extra cash and get a Ca reactor

Mixing containers get a weeks worth of stuff in 700ml of RO, and I squirt 100ml into the doser tube morning/night Ca/Alk

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01686.jpg

Poor man's dosing tube made from leftover parts and a new valve
Sorry 'bout the sideways pic. Can't rotate it in Photobucket without it getting cropped

Top is on the right :wink:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01687.jpg

[lockrookie]

For someone who has plumbing OCD..... Here is your fixed pic lol was giving my neck a cramp

http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af103/lockrookie/81DBD657-5F3B-46E1-8499-6328E00580A3-8086-000007C42F381F94.jpg

[gregzz4]

Thanks for flipping it Jeff :mrgreen:

Ya I know it's an ugly plumb job. I hope it's only a temp setup
What'd you do to flip the pic ?
I rotated it on my PC before uploading and P-bucket still took it sideways
Then when I tried to rotate it the bottom was cropped off :twised:

[lockrookie]

Your welcome I copied it to my iPhone and flipped it and loaded it to photobucket no biggy.

Sometimes in this hobby the temporary solutions are the most fun :)

[gregzz4]

RBTA !!!
I picked this up today from Rich
Thanks buddy :mrgreen:

This is only 10 mins in the tank. More pics to come days from now

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01694_zps6cca938e.jpg

After talking, Rich was kind enough to stop by tonight to look over my tank
Looks like I'm going to have to feed my fish a bit heavier, or start feeding the tank, as my corals are not getting enough food

[duncangweller]

I call my pink spot goby goober!

I thought I was the only odd one.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

[gregzz4]

I call my pink spot goby goober!

I thought I was the only odd one.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
:lol:

[gregzz4]

Happy 'nem pics
It ate about a half cube of pacific plankton last night and I picked up some silversides today for the next feeding
So far so good :smile:

Sunday
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01714_zps416e9e76.jpg

Monday
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01717_zps9fc1b8fe.jpg

Tuesday
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01720_zps4dbce152.jpg

Wednesday
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01722_zpse918cb5d.jpg

[apexifd]

Watch the feeding on the anemone.. undigested food gets spoil then rot inside the anemone is not a good thing.

[Coralgurl]

Wow, very nice.

Ya, you gotta wait for them to poop it back out! And careful what ya wish for, mines huge with no feedings, they can grow fast!

[Bblinks]

It's a beauty!

[gregzz4]

Thanks for the tips peeps :smile:
The half cube last night was only about 5 or 6 pieces just larger than mysis
I will only be feeding it a couple times a month to start with, then dial it back to probably never

Thanks Rich, it sure is a great addition

[Coralgurl]

If your clowns host, they'll feed it. Mine also catches tons of food as it floats by!

Tank is looking great!

[Madmak]

Looking good and nice BTA.

I just added a purple cerianthus tube anemone to my tank at lights out tonight. Have to see what it looks like in the morning. Almost bought it a few days ago, went back and it was gone. Today it was in a ziplock back at the store because it ate somebody's baby clown the day after they bought it.

[gregzz4]

'nem Saturday afternoon during full lights on
Looks pretty happy to me :smile:
I'm happy it's settling in
If it moves, or whatever, it's all part of owning one
I'm just super happy it's staying put :mrgreen:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01726_zpse2675022.jpg

[kien]

Definitely looking nice and happy there :-)

[Delphinus]

Looks great!

[gregzz4]

I got my dosers set up, and thanks to Reefknot for the parts :lol:

I'm getting a hate on for the new Photobucket layout :twised:

I don't like it when I am forced to use something that doesn't work ..... :twised:

OK, I've had enough ...
Photobucket says I've moved or deleted this image
This is not the case
I'm trying to post more pics .... :smile:
Later all ......

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/DSC01728_zps9a5afc6d.jpg

[gregzz4]

Photobucket or something isn't working, so I'll post tomorrow

[The Grizz]

The new photo bucket blows big chunks of skimmer poo!! I hate it as well.

[Nano]

There's an option for classic photobucket rather then the "beta" version. That's the first thing I did when they changed it cause its terrible


Edit looks like they will be moving everyone to the new version in 23 days. I'll be switching hosting sites when they do.


Lovin that bta Greg she's a beaut!

[The Grizz]

There's an option for classic photobucket rather then the "beta" version. That's the first thing I did when they changed it cause its terrible

True but the original is now starting to have issues as they are not keeping it up to date. There really pushing the new format hard.

[Nano]

True but the original is now starting to have issues as they are not keeping it up to date. There really pushing the new format hard.

Boo.

[Bblinks]

She is a besuty, I am glad it's got a good home!

[ensquire]

Had to steal that pic for my wallpaper Thanks Greg..

[gregzz4]

Had to steal that pic for my wallpaper Thanks Greg..
Glad you like it - steal away

Ok, lets try this again
Doser station

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01728_zps9a5afc6d.jpg

I bent and drilled some acrylic for the drip lines

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01730_zpsf00c4e17.jpg

[daplatapus]

Woohoo! Dosing pumps. Sweet. You won't be sorry. :)

[apexifd]

Woohoo! Dosing pumps. Sweet. You won't be sorry. :)

but we also know CA reactor kick ass

[gregzz4]

Woohoo! Dosing pumps. Sweet. You won't be sorry. :)
I'm already happy not having to manually dose :smile:

but we also know CA reactor kick ass
Ya ya, baby steps ... and no more spare cash :wink:

[apexifd]

how the new job?

[gregzz4]

how the new job?
Oh sure, now everybody knows :smile:

It's going well, thank you Peter
As with any new job, getting used to the boss is the hardest part
The rest is just learning and working hard :biggrin:

[Nano]

Oh sure, now everybody knows :smile:


:pound:

[gregzz4]

Dosing pumps are working well
Spending some time dialing them in and quite happy with the automation

I've had zero NO3 and PO4 all along and it was starting to show with pale corals
Been overfeeding the fish, feeding the corals 2-3 times/week, and plan on knocking back my WC frequency in an attempt to get the corals happier
We're starting to notice more vibrant colors, and hopefully over the next month we'll see some better improvements with more food and stability

So, for reference and eye candy, it's FTS time
Some day I'll be able to afford a better camera - some day

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01743_zpsaffb7017.jpg

[Reef Pilot]

Dosing pumps are working well
Spending some time dialing them in and quite happy with the automation

I've had zero NO3 and PO4 all along and it was starting to show with pale corals
Been overfeeding the fish, feeding the corals 2-3 times/week, and plan on knocking back my WC frequency in an attempt to get the corals happier
We're starting to notice more vibrant colors, and hopefully over the next month we'll see some better improvements with more food and stability

So, for reference and eye candy, it's FTS time
Some day I'll be able to afford a better camera - some day


First, your tank is coming along nicely. I really like your aquascape. It's going to look really great once your corals grow out a bit more.

Re your N03 and P04, what test kits are you using? My apologies if this was covered earlier in your thread.

[gregzz4]

Thanks for the nice comments

For NO2-3 and PO4 I've been using Seachem
It's fairly clear to me the NO2-3 kit is accurate as my corals were paling and growing thinly
I would like to try a Hanna PO4 colorometer when I have some spare cash

[Reef Pilot]

Thanks for the nice comments

For NO2-3 and PO4 I've been using Seachem
It's fairly clear to me the NO2-3 kit is accurate as my corals were paling and growing thinly
I would like to try a Hanna PO4 colorometer when I have some spare cash
I use the Hanna Phosphate Checker for P04. I used to have high P04, but now with the use of GFO, it runs mostly between zero and .07. For N03, I use API (not accurate for low readings) and Elos. It has been consistently zero for some time now. I have never used the Seachem test kits, so can't say how they compare.

I only recently started adding SPS, but it is growing very nicely, so I guess my tank has some nutrients.

[kien]

Yes, looking good man! I love those nice tall arches!

[gregzz4]

Yes, looking good man! I love those nice tall arches!
Thanks K-man
I'm hoping they don't get in the way down the road as the fish enjoy them

[gregzz4]

New corals this last week
Thanks again Rich - seems like pretty soon I'll own a piece of everything he has :rolleyes:

My B-day gift from him - a nib of Setosa :smile:
There's too many particulates in the water right now to get a clearer shot as my camera's spot focus follows every little thing Grrr
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01831_zpsa157e871.jpg

Green Slimer
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01825_zpsfb772fc3.jpg

Turaki
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01827_zpsff1732d9.jpg

Pink Birdsnest
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01828_zpsa25c5b60.jpg

Favia, with photo-bombing from a Lettuce Nudi and Hector ( plus some Urchin spines )
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01829_zpsfa8a9112.jpg

And lastly, a pic of our Bangaii, Boo
I think it's a 'She' and likes hiding whenever I'm playing in the tank
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01824_zps9c98fc5c.jpg

FTS to follow some time soon

[gregzz4]

The new dosing pumps continue to work well, after replacing a bad timer
Good thing I set them to be 'on' when I'm home though ...

I was ready to leave for work one day this week and decided to wait until the Ca pump timer shut down. It went 'click', the screen went blank, and the pump kept running :surprise: Would have been on for 10 hours before I got home from work :surprise::surprise::surprise:
I've since bought a new timer, to replace the 10 year old one :razz: and all is well

I've been using Seachem powders;

Reef Builder
Alk 7+

Reef Advantage Calcium
Ca 410-420

And, due to the above 2 in combination with my IO salt, I don't currently dose Mag
Mag 1400-1450

Hopefully this dosing, along with the extra feedings to the fish, and some 2-3 week coral feedings, will turn my corals around

[Jakegr]

Just cruised through your build thread...

Thanks for the compliment about my wiring, but compared to yours mine looks like it is in a state of chaos!

Awesome job, I loved seeing the chaeto tumble in the youtube video near the beginning of your thread. How fast has it grown since then? That special chaeto tank seems like the perfect environment for chaeto.

[gregzz4]

Thanks Jake. OCD can be a curse, but it has it's advantages :smile:

That batch of Chaeto melted away in about a week as the tank was too new. I haven't tried any again until now
This month on the 6th I bought some looking for pods, and it's staying bright green and growing slightly
It doesn't currently tumble as I changed the pump config to slower flow and haven't decided on adding a powerhead yet

[Coralgurl]

Thanks Jake. OCD can be a curse, but it has it's advantages :smile:

That batch of Chaeto melted away in about a week as the tank was too new. I haven't tried any again until now
This month on the 6th I bought some looking for pods, and it's staying bright green and growing slightly
It doesn't currently tumble as I changed the pump config to slower flow and haven't decided on adding a powerhead yet

I don't tumble mine at all and it's fine. I do flip it every few days though.

[gregzz4]

I don't tumble mine at all and it's fine. I do flip it every few days though.
Glad to hear it's working as that's been my routine

[gregzz4]

It's official. I'm a member of the Flasher Wrasse Club :smile:
Below is our new McCosker's in the QT
I'm picking up a Canary/Yellow Coris this weekend, and then going Hypo as this new guy appears to have the dreaded MI
I also wanted a very juvi Redtail Tamarin ( currently has a white tail ), but it's MIA @ J&L

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01884_zpsf36d29fe.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01881_zps7711245b.jpg

[apexifd]

It's official. I'm a member of the Flasher Wrasse Club :smile:


OMG, I hope you know what you are getting yourself into.

btw, nice flasher... now you need a few fairy wrasse and leopard to complete the collection.

[gregzz4]

OMG, I hope you know what you are getting yourself into.
Ya, I know :rolleyes: but it's better than hookers and blow :mrgreen:
I already know what I want next :wink:

[gregzz4]

New dude is eating frozen already, and I see I'll have to use some Prazi-pro

[apexifd]

Ya, I know :rolleyes: but it's better than hookers and blow :mrgreen:
I already know what I want next :wink:

if you are thinking about the flame wrasse pair at JL, and only want the male, I will take the female.

[gregzz4]

Nice thought Peter but it'll be months before I buy more for the QT
It's a 20g so I like to only add 2 or 3 at a time and hope J&L can find the Tamarin
But, with that said, if the Tamarin is MIA for good, I'll put a hold on the pair for 'us'

[apexifd]

I'll put a hold on the pair for 'us'

that's sounded like what rich will say.

[Bblinks]

you know me, always try to look out for my friends.:mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

Well, the Tamarin @ J&L is still MIA, so I grabbed a different wrasse
Our new Lubbock's will make a good buddy for the McCosker's while in the QT
Both ate brine and mysis tonight, 10 mins after introducing the new dude :smile:
And the Lubbock's has brought the McCosker's out of hiding

I'm hoping the Coris I grab this weekend will be a good fit too

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01895_zps06147731.jpg

[gregzz4]

One more update ...

The dosing pumps are something I should have bought last year
I haven't tested for over 10 days, and today's readings are;
Mag 1450
Alk 7.5
Ca 420

And;
Temp 79F
Sg 1.025
NO3 0
PO4 0 ?

The Seachem additives, and my IO salt, are keeping the Mag up, so I still don't need to dose, and I even wish it was a little lower

I've been feeding the fish heavily lately to perk up my corals, and still no detectable readings, but I'm getting HA again so, a shopping I will go
I'm ordering a Hanna Phos tester as soon as I submit this post

[wmcinnes]

I've had trouble getting readings with the Hanna PO4 tester. I always get a reading of 0 even though I have a bunch of hair algae and turf algae growth as of late. I'm thinking the po4 is being consumed faster than it can be detected by the meter and thus I feel PO4 testing is overrated. I am curious to see what kind if readings you get with your meter.

[kien]

those wrasse are awesome!

I've had trouble getting readings with the Hanna PO4 tester. I always get a reading of 0 even though I have a bunch of hair algae and turf algae growth as of late. I'm thinking the po4 is being consumed faster than it can be detected by the meter and thus I feel PO4 testing is overrated. I am curious to see what kind if readings you get with your meter.

I'm in the same boat. I have a few patches of HA but my nitrates and phosphates are zeroed out. It has been suggested several times in the forums that macro algaes like HA can take up PO4 and nitrates before they get a chance to be read. HA is a resilient bugger! I have HA growing under rocks where there is NO LIGHT! Seriously, WTF?!

[Bblinks]

those wrasse are awesome!



I'm in the same boat. I have a few patches of HA but my nitrates and phosphates are zeroed out. It has been suggested several times in the forums that macro algaes like HA can take up PO4 and nitrates before they get a chance to be read. HA is a resilient bugger! I have HA growing under rocks where there is NO LIGHT! Seriously, WTF?!


I didn't know you have a bunch of hell's asians in your tank that you are dealing with Kien...:wink:

All jokes aside, I have used lettuce nudi to control some of the hair algae problem I had in my frag tank and they do a fair job. I know they are likely to eat bryopsis but when push comes to shove food is food. I also use a couple of abalones for algae control in the main tank, they are smart and delicious.

[wmcinnes]

those wrasse are awesome!



I'm in the same boat. I have a few patches of HA but my nitrates and phosphates are zeroed out. It has been suggested several times in the forums that macro algaes like HA can take up PO4 and nitrates before they get a chance to be read. HA is a resilient bugger! I have HA growing under rocks where there is NO LIGHT! Seriously, WTF?!

That is where the majority of my algae grows! In the shaded areas of my rocks.. Gonna purchase and army of turbos this weekend and see if they take care of it. I rarely see my sea hare..

[phi delt reefer]

get a sea slug if its just HA....

the turbos will knock everything over other wise. Donate him to a another reefer once his jobs done or take him back to the store for a credit.

[wmcinnes]

get a sea slug if its just HA....

the turbos will knock everything over other wise. Donate him to a another reefer once his jobs done or take him back to the store for a credit.

I have a sea hare but never see him.

[gregzz4]

those wrasse are awesome!
Thanks Kien
I should have one more pic to post in a couple hours

[Nano]

"Nice wrasse(s)" ;)

[zhasan]

Those are some nice looking wrasses Greg!

How long till they see the display tank?

[gregzz4]

"Nice wrasse(s)" ;)
:mrgreen:
Always had some on my list and am very happy to have them now

Those are some nice looking wrasses Greg!

How long till they see the display tank?
It depends on how they look over the next couple days
I don't like the idea of treating prophylactically, so, if there's no signs of internal/external stuff ( parasites, worms etc ), they'll go through Hypo and be in the DT in about 6 weeks

Thanks to J&L for the Flasher and Fairy, and Albert and his buddy for the Coris

Here's a shot of the Coris
I thought I'd better post a shot of him in the bag as there's probably no chance of a good pic once he goes in the QT
Reason is how tiny he is
That's an 8" bag he's in :surprise:
Cute little bugger. I've never seen one so small

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01911_zps231a5c0a.jpg

[gregzz4]

In the QT I have a plastic tray of sand that the flasher and fairy have not used

Once I released the Coris tonight, I fed them all again and the Coris ate, then he zoomed into the sand bed for the night

So, all is good :mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

Here's a shot of the QT, and of how much bed the Coris has :smile:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01915_zps38dfdeec.jpg

I expect I won't see the little dude again until feeding time, but that's OK, as long as he's happy

[albert_dao]

Want more insane fairy wrasses? :D

[gregzz4]

Want more insane fairy wrasses? :D
PM me what you have in mind ... I may be persuaded

[Bblinks]

LABOUTI
RHOMBOID
SCOTTS
FLAME
HOODED
LINEATUS
TAMARIN

[kien]

LABOUTI
RHOMBOID
SCOTTS
FLAME
HOODED
LINEATUS
TAMARIN

Greg would have to turn quite a few of his "tricks" to collect all if those beauties. It sounds like he's up for the challenge tho?

[gregzz4]

Err, nope
I can't bring myself to spend that much on fish right now :surprise:
But, I am asking the wife what she thinks of an orange-back fairy

Down the road, I think I want 'one' from the above list

[gregzz4]

I may be getting one more wrasse tomorrow
Yup, I'm addicted
Stay tuned :smile:

I enticed the Coris out of the sand today with a little stirring
I can't get over how small he is

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01917_zps4b7d3f88.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01919_zps28fdff48.jpg

[kien]

I may be getting one more wrasse tomorrow
Yup, I'm addicted
Stay tuned :smile:

:pop2:

[gregzz4]

Thanks Albert for helping me get my hands on our newest wrasse :mrgreen:
Here's our Orange-back Fairy
They were just fed, so ignore all the floaties

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01924_zpsbbf0755d.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01925_zps5d63c476.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01934_zps2e99fa25.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01935_zpsf2443f36.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01936_zps1274ad8e.jpg

[zhasan]

oh nice addition there Greg! So this brings the count to 4 now?

[duncangweller]

I love that orange back wrasse. Once I've moved house and got my tank sorted I am going on a wrasse finding mission.

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Tapatalk 2

[Coralgurl]

Thanks, just thanks...you have to go and post pics of these cool wrasses and I think, damn, those are nice....I haven't added anything to my tanks in months, and think some wrasses sure would be great additions....added 2!

They will be a great addition to your tank once they are done qt, they are gorgeous!!! Make sure your tanks are covered as eventually they WILL jump!!

[kien]

Thanks, just thanks...you have to go and post pics of these cool wrasses and I think, damn, those are nice....I haven't added anything to my tanks in months, and think some wrasses sure would be great additions....added 2!

They will be a great addition to your tank once they are done qt, they are gorgeous!!! Make sure your tanks are covered as eventually they WILL jump!!


+1. With wrasses it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Heck, any fish can jump out of a tank if it really wanted to. I know of tanks that have had Tangs and large Angelfish jump out of them.

[Coralgurl]

+1. With wrasses it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Heck, any fish can jump out of a tank if it really wanted to. I know of tanks that have had Tangs and large Angelfish jump out of them.

I finally covered mine, I've had clowns, wrasses, hogfish and my trigger jump. Others have simply just vanished...:twised:, missing 2 anthias and a blenny.

[Ginu]

+1 to covering fish tanks :) specially if wrasses are present.

I finally covered my tank a few weeks ago and could not be happier since the boogers jump on regular basis and I only have 3 wrasses (fairy solar, carpenters and cleaner)


Good looking fish you got there Greg.

[gregzz4]

oh nice addition there Greg! So this brings the count to 4 now?
Unfortunately, we're still at 3 - the teeny little Yellow Coris didn't make it
I'm on the hunt for another

I love that orange back wrasse. Once I've moved house and got my tank sorted I am going on a wrasse finding mission
It's a monster compared to the others

Thanks, just thanks
:mrgreen:

Good looking fish you got there Greg.
Thank you

[zhasan]

oh thats a bummer. Sorry to hear about your loss. I'm sure others will thrive!

[PurpleMonkey]

Sorry to hear about that yellow coris... Other wrasses are looking great... Makes me wanna get one.

[Azzkr]

To bad about the yellow wrasse, You will love the orange back, i have one and it has great character,

[gregzz4]

Thanks for all the wishes everyone

After some deep thinking, I am going to try another tiny little guy, but this time we'll be matching the QT water to him, instead of him being in a bag all day, and then raising his Sg to match my QT

The plan is to drop the QT water on Friday to match his 'Store' Sg, then he will just fit right in

The Coris is coming from Oceanic, and Paul likes to keep his water @ 1.016
This was a surprise for me, and was a problem the first time I received a fish from them
Now that I know what I am dealing with, all is good :smile:

Pics to come this weekend

[zhasan]

1.016? isn't that a bit too low? From what I've read all around it should always be b/w 1.022 and 1.024.

Anyway, I'm excited for you! I'm sure this time will be a breeze!

Will you be setting up a new QT tank for this lil fella, considering you got the other three in there for another 5-6 weeks?

[albert_dao]

1.016? isn't that a bit too low? From what I've read all around it should always be b/w 1.022 and 1.024.

Anyway, I'm excited for you! I'm sure this time will be a breeze!

Will you be setting up a new QT tank for this lil fella, considering you got the other three in there for another 5-6 weeks?


1.016 is fine for fish.

[gregzz4]

Will you be setting up a new QT tank for this lil fella?
Nope. He'll go in with the other 3 and then the clock will re-start
I'd rather not QT a single fish as I find they get too stressed

1.016? isn't that a bit too low?
Albert is correct
From what I've read, having lower salinity for new fish is beneficial for them.
They require less energy to expel excess salt ( which SW fish do constantly ). This leaves them with more energy for healing, digesting, etc. They are less stressed so do better.
I wouldn't do it in a DT, but it's good in a QT when they are new


My B-day gift from my Wife arrived today

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01938_zps43afc5c7.jpg

Seachem still tests 0ppm-ish, and the Hanna tests 0.05
With an error margin of +/- 0.04, it's hard to say for sure but I think my PO4 is under control

[zhasan]

I see.. thanks for clarifying that. Good to know for when I'll be setting up my QT tank.

Btw, Happy belated birthday!! and thats an awesome birthday gift!

[lastlight]

Orange back looks awesome. I was eyeing some the other day but have no place for one just yet.

[gregzz4]

Orange back looks awesome. I was eyeing some the other day but have no place for one just yet.
You need one in your new build
Great character, laid back. This one looks you right in the eye

[gregzz4]

New little Coris ate right away, and was staying out after lights out :lol:
Here's to hoping he does better than the sick little last guy

Orange-back started eating pellets today :smile:

Crappy pic for posterity

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01941_zpscc00beaa.jpg

[gregzz4]

A big thanks to Albert Dao for all his help recently :mrgreen:
I won't get into it, but he has been a super big help lately

After much talking about my corals, I'm going to cut my lighting back a bunch, and disconnect my Carbon and GFO reactors

Hopefully this will revive my failing corals

Here's looking forward to some happier critters :smile:

[gregzz4]

Forgot to mention, and for looking back on things, here's a pic of my failing purple birdsnest that I butchered tonight

Summer

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01544.jpg

Christmas

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01786_zps1933d277.jpg

Today after butchering all the dying crap
I hope it comes back ...

Hopefully the lower lighting schedule and removing the Carbon/GFO will give some good results ...

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01942_zps36ac7a2e.jpg

[gregzz4]

I've also had some Acan recession happening

I and a valued helper have looked them over very closely
Neither of us can see any reasons for unhappy corals, so, after a dip, they are going to be monitored and I'll cross my fingers

I guess this is my first round of learning how to keep corals happy :neutral:
I thought I was doing well, but obviously I'm still new to this

Time will tell ....

[Bblinks]

Think it's time to make a trip to my house again my friend....

[gregzz4]

Think it's time to make a trip to my house again my friend....
Possibly, yah, Thank you :wink:
But I'm going to hold off getting any more corals until things turn around

[gregzz4]

Sorry, no pics this time around, just a long-winded post

I swear our new wrasses would eat 24/7 if I let 'em

I'm very happy with how hungry they are, and all 4 of them eat everything;
Mysis, brine, cyclopeeze, NLS pellets, freeze-dried ocean plankton

Never in my life have I ever seen a fish try to crack open a plankton before, or any food for that matter
The little Coris grabbed a plankton and started 'whacking' it against the UV pump and then the surface skimmer
I have been told it's how they crack open 'verts, but I'd never seen it 'till now and was so surprised, especially from a fish who is only an inch long :smile:

In the wrasse QT I went through a small NH3 battle, but it was easy enough, and nobody suffered. I used some Am Guard and kept up with the Stability. The Seachem Ammo Alert is very useful. If you don't use one, consider it ...
Currently there's no NH3, about 5 NO2 and 1 NO3
I'd say it's coming along nicely

I started a 4 week Hypo treatment 2 days ago as there is definately some MI on the McCosker's, so it's going to be another 6 weeks or so before these guys hit the DT, possibly 8 weeks
I'll probably go 8 weeks as there's no point in risking the DT for a simple 2 weeks of extra monitoring :biggrin:

I cooked up a pound of baking soda and am glad I did so. Last time I did Hypo, I had no problems with the pH staying above 7.8, but this time, with this many dirty fish, I've had to start adding some of the sodium carbonate to keep the pH above 7.8
It dropped to 7.78 when I stopped the drop, and will now be adding it when needed to keep it closer to 7.9 or 8.0
So, that's about it for the QT



The DT has some other issues, and if you've noticed my post about my acans, you'll know that I've had some bleaching SPS and receding Acans

It's curious how, when you aren't used to keeping SW, you look at your corals over time and don't realise how much they've changed, unless you look at older pictures

Turns out I haven't been feeding the tank enough, so the corals have suffered
With zero NO3 and PO4, the corals have expelled their zoo and started bleaching due to my intense 8xT5 fixture
I've cut my lighting back, started feeding the fish twice as much, and have also started feeding the corals with coral frenzy and coral vitalizer, and phyto for the tank
Not all at once, or daily, but slowly added and will boost it up over time while I watch what happens

It was suggested that my Potassium could be low, so I bought a kit
I'm between 3-400ppm, so that can't be it

It was also suggested that I raise my Alk from 7 to as much as 8, so I've upped my dosing of both the Alk and Ca. I'd like to see my Alk at about 8 and my Ca around 420

I'd also changed my WC schedule from 7-10 days, to 14 days, in the hopes of raising my non-existent NO3 and PO4
This raised a suggestion from one I trust, who told me to heavily feed the corals once a week, and then do a 10% WC the next day. And do this every week
I'm going to go with this idea as it makes the most sense to get the corals fed and export the waste
So, I'm going back to my 7-10 day WC routine, even though I was happy with the lower salt usage :wink:

One other suggested I remove my GFO and Carbon reactors for a bit, but I am hesitant to do so as I'll surely see a HA, or some other, algae bloom if I do so
I also don't want to change too many things at once as there is already enough to keep an eye on as it is :surprise:

Well, that's about it for now
Thanks for reading :biggrin:

OK, lets have a pic, just 'cause :mrgreen:
Web pic ( obviously not in my tank )

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AIVpUu6hFj8/TdDPpUgiFrI/AAAAAAAAAUY/aFcDskUmqBg/s320/moray_eel_img_2426.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AIVpUu6hFj8/TdDPpUgiFrI/AAAAAAAAAUY/aFcDskUmqBg/s1600/moray_eel_img_2426.jpg)

[gregzz4]

So I had this totally original idea. I put some travertine in the QT to cut down on reflections and it appears the fish like it
I know it looks kinda bright in the pic, but it has cut down on glare when I look top down

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01953_zps82ed953b.jpg

The wrasses are doing very well while in Hypo. They are eating pellets and mysis, and the orange-back and mccosker's even eat nori

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01951_zps10456102.jpg

Who, me ? Nooo, it wasn't me

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01952_zps4aa7d45e.jpg

[ensquire]

I picked one of those beauties up in Edmonton last week. Gorgeous fish.

[Kryptic4L]

<3 the purple and yellow one. What a stud

[lastlight]

yeah that fish is a stunner!

LOVE the garbage bag background btw =)

[gregzz4]

Yup, that Orange-back is a beauty, and what character too

Glad you like the backdrop Brett. It's another Greg original :wink:
I think I already mentioned that Albert suggested I try to subdue the tank a bit to keep stress levels down

Over the last 2 days, the McCosker's has taken to swimming without using his tail fin and goes to the surface quite a bit
He's still active and eating well, no stringy poops, no body marks
Just suddenly started this
I'm hoping it's a bacterial infection from the new coris that will be easily treated

There's lots of aeration from the AC50 and HOB UV return, ammo and nitrites are 0 and nitrates are almost nil
I can't find anything wrong with the params or equipment, so it's onto meds
Last night I tried to re-calibrate the pH probe and broke it :doh:
Today I grabbed a new probe and some API E.M. Erythromycin
If you've been following along, you'll know that the wrasses have already gone through a round of Maracyn-Two, so now I'll try some gram positive medication
And if you know me, you'll know I hate using meds, but when something is kinda obvious I'll be the first to use it
I'm currently waiting for some 1.008 water to come up to temp before I add the meds to the QT, just in case someone freaks out

Hopefully the dude pulls through - I really like him
Wish us luck !

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01967_zpsc7f33368.jpg

[gregzz4]

Update time

We lost our McCosker's wrasse :sad: Looks like it was possibly cyanide poisoning/capture methods
He went all weird for a few days and then he was gone

Corals are starting to look better

Bought an iPhone5, so here's a FTS - washed out as I turned all 8 bulbs on
Next time I'll get a pic with half lighting

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0004_zpsd6421f73.jpg

[lastlight]

that gorg has some incredible polyp extension. can you post a closer shot? are you feeding any gorg specific food to the tank?

[gregzz4]

that gorg has some incredible polyp extension. can you post a closer shot? are you feeding any gorg specific food to the tank?
It's a Plexaura flexuosa
Lights have only been on for a short while, so I'll have to get a better pic at a later time

No specific gorg food
Twice or so a week I feed PhytoPlan, Coral Frenzy and Coral Vitalizer
I think it was the Vitalizer that was causing me problems with the Acans
I was stupidly dripping it directly into the tank instead of diluting it in RO first
No more recession since

Pic is blues only and lights on for only 20 mins

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0013_zps4aeec853.jpg

[gregzz4]

For the record, I think this new iPhone5 has a better camera zoom than my Sony WX-5 :surprise:

[kien]

For the record, I think this new iPhone5 has a better camera zoom than my Sony WX-5 :surprise:

Welcome to the 21st century! :lol:

Tank is looking great!!

[Coralgurl]

Looking fantastic Greg! Sorry about the loss of your wrasse!!

[gregzz4]

Thanks for the nice comments

Here's better pic of the gorg for you Brett

I just paid for it today - long story
Thanks Rich and Wayne :wink:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0014_zps820609cc.jpg

[gregzz4]

I just bought another PC4

I tested my Ca yesterday and it was low
I noticed this morning that the doser pump wasn't running when it should have been, and then saw that the timer had jumped ahead by about 27 hours ???
So, the digital timers are going back, and I could justify buying another power bar :wink:

[Kryptic4L]

More pictures of the purple and yellow dude please

[lastlight]

Man that thing is sweet. Wonder how flow even gets to the insides with all that extension!

[Rice Reef]

Thanks for the nice comments

Here's better pic of the gorg for you Brett

I just paid for it today - long story
Thanks Rich and Wayne :wink:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0014_zps820609cc.jpg

Haha, the gorg looks better in your tank!:wink:

[Ginu]

Haha, the gorg looks better in your tank!:wink:


That gorg is beautiful :)

[gregzz4]

More pictures of the purple and yellow dude please

I've tried, but he moves around pretty fast, the glass is dirty and yada yada yada

We'll have to wait until he's in the DT

[gregzz4]

Man that thing is sweet. Wonder how flow even gets to the insides with all that extension!
I don't know, but it's growing :surprise:

Haha, the gorg looks better in your tank!:wink:
Told ya it looks better than Rich's :smile:

That gorg is beautiful :)
Yup, I'm very happy with it

My nem split sometime awhile ago - though I won't be selling it anytime soon. Think I'll wait until it splits again
It's not totally opening up during the day as I've had to turn off half the lights, but it's definately doing well

I took this pic this morning during lights off
You can see there are 2 distinct bodies
See the separate tentacles ?

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0015_zps20e3dcc2.jpg

And this one tonight
There are 2 mouths now - somewhere in there :wink:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0024_zpsbff20434.jpg

[Kryptic4L]

I hear fed ex moves pretty fast too, so u should ship him to me for photos. And it will be fed exs fault when they deliver a empty box on his ride back to you.

[gregzz4]

I hear fed ex moves pretty fast too, so u should ship him to me for photos. And it will be fed exs fault when they deliver a empty box on his ride back to you.
Mhm, and I suppose you'd like to take pics of the rest of my fish too, huh ? :smile:

[Kryptic4L]

Nope just the one :) I'm crushing on him pretty hard

[gregzz4]

Nope just the one :) I'm crushing on him pretty hard
Which one are you all horned up about ?
The colors you see may not be what I post

The bigger dude is an Orange-back Fairy, and the smaller is a Lubbock's Fairy

The Orange has a deep blue (nearly purple) body with the large orange stripe and a red face
The Lubbock's is purple with orange on his upper face and a yellow stripe at the base of his dorsal

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01936_zps1274ad8e.jpg

[gregzz4]

My RO system has put me through the ringer lately ...

I changed the prefilter this last week, and after doing so, I heard it gurgling
Turns out it's been back-siphoning from the day I installed it, but I never caught it until now
Each time I've turned it on I've thought the purging noise I hear is just that, purging. After 11 months you'd think I would have spotted this :doh:
NOT :surprise:

After the prefilter change I finally spotted the issue
The system has been sucking air in as it de-pressurizes and has been doing so as far as to drain half of my carbon canister :surprise:
This is a concern as;
1 - An RO system should always be kept pressurized to protect the RO membrane
I can't fully explain this part, but I believe the theory behind it is solid

2 - Air entering the system will allow aerobic bacteria to multiply in the canisters

Now, there are tannins in our local water, so worrying about bacteria in my RO system is a waste of time, but it brought some other things to light. The one main thing is;
I've had crud in my ATO tank since day one and always thought it was from some kind of contamination. Turns out I was right

Apparently it's from the tannins in our local water, and no amount of filtering is going to help me as it's biological
I'm OK with this. At least I now know where it's coming from
I'll clean out my ATO tank every now and then, and I'll live with it

After hours and hours of online researching, multiple PMs with 11purewater, and finally a 45min phone call with him, I started to feel like I was on the right path to solving my issue

So, the problem was;
After my RO drum was full, the float valve would shut off and the waste water would stop. Nothing abnormal about that. Release the pressure from the float valve, such as using some water, and the system would back-siphon through the waste line until the Carbon canister was only half full. This is an issue as bacteria can grow in there with air

Sooooo, after many hours of testing, multiple PMs, and a much-needed phone call, I was convinced to butcher my RO system and start over

Right now I'll give a big shout out of thanks to Andy for all his help with my issues :mrgreen:
Thanks Andy :hug:You da man

Looks like the problem is solved bud, with the addition of a valve on the permeate line :razz: even though the initial test failed
I don't understand why yet, but maybe you and I will figure it out after I send you my test notes ....

For those of you looking for pics, I started with this

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/RO-DI4.jpg

I removed all of this

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0040_zps97d9e073.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0040_zps97d9e073.jpg.html)

And I ended up with this

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0047_zps66489cc0.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0047_zps66489cc0.jpg.html)

There will be some DI parts posted for sale after I finish this post :smile:

The system was butchered as we thought there may have been some air being introduced to the system as the water pressure dropped. Water can push against a seal and you'll have no external leaks, but remove the pressure, and air can enter through a seal as the vacuum of the pressure dropping is equalizing with atmospheric air

Long story short, I added a manual valve between my RO system and my holding tank, and all is good
Plus, of course, all of the removal of the 25 fittings I didn't need with their 50 o-rings - any 1 of which could have been a potential leak

[gregzz4]

Today was a bit exciting

My wife never calls me at work unless it's important ...
The power at home went out again (second time in the last 6 months, but only 4th time in something like 18 years)
The dudes in quarantine needed some attention, but the DT was fine
Donna closed windows and turned on the gas fireplace
She also used a cup every 5 mins or so to stir the water in the QT. The DT has battery backup vortechs

The power came back on before she left for work, and I'll assume the temp came up pretty fast with my 5 heaters. It only dropped 2 degrees
Nothing flooded or broke etc etc, so all is good. Nothing like lots of automation to take care of things (while the automation works) :wink:

I just finished placing an order for a battery backup air pump for the QT

On a more exciting note, the 3 wrasses went into the DT tonight, after 6 weeks in QT
I'll get picks up when the lighting is better
The tiny Yellow Coris has been named Junior, the Orange-back is Floyd, and the Lubbock's is Asrai

Thanks to a link from Mindy, I've ordered some silicone mini ice cube trays for making my own food and I hope that goes well
I got a nice hand mixer for x-mas that I've been itching to use

I plan on buying some inverts next, so stay tuned :smile:

[11purewater]

My RO system has put me through the ringer lately ...

I changed the prefilter this last week, and after doing so, I heard it gurgling
Turns out it's been back-siphoning from the day I installed it, but I never caught it until now
Each time I've turned it on I've thought the purging noise I hear is just that, purging. After 11 months you'd think I would have spotted this :doh:
NOT :surprise:

After the prefilter change I finally spotted the issue
The system has been sucking air in as it de-pressurizes and has been doing so as far as to drain half of my carbon canister :surprise:
This is a concern as;
1 - An RO system should always be kept pressurized to protect the RO membrane
I can't fully explain this part, but I believe the theory behind it is solid

2 - Air entering the system will allow aerobic bacteria to multiply in the canisters

Now, there are tannins in our local water, so worrying about bacteria in my RO system is a waste of time, but it brought some other things to light. The one main thing is;
I've had crud in my ATO tank since day one and always thought it was from some kind of contamination. Turns out I was right

Apparently it's from the tannins in our local water, and no amount of filtering is going to help me as it's biological
I'm OK with this. At least I now know where it's coming from
I'll clean out my ATO tank every now and then, and I'll live with it

After hours and hours of online researching, multiple PMs with 11purewater, and finally a 45min phone call with him, I started to feel like I was on the right path to solving my issue

So, the problem was;
After my RO drum was full, the float valve would shut off and the waste water would stop. Nothing abnormal about that. Release the pressure from the float valve, such as using some water, and the system would back-siphon through the waste line until the Carbon canister was only half full. This is an issue as bacteria can grow in there with air

Sooooo, after many hours of testing, multiple PMs, and a much-needed phone call, I was convinced to butcher my RO system and start over

Right now I'll give a big shout out of thanks to Andy for all his help with my issues :mrgreen:
Thanks Andy :hug:You da man

Looks like the problem is solved bud, with the addition of a valve on the permeate line :razz: even though the initial test failed
I don't understand why yet, but maybe you and I will figure it out after I send you my test notes ....

For those of you looking for pics, I started with this

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/RO-DI4.jpg

I removed all of this

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0040_zps97d9e073.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0040_zps97d9e073.jpg.html)

And I ended up with this

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0047_zps66489cc0.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0047_zps66489cc0.jpg.html)

There will be some DI parts posted for sale after I finish this post :smile:

The system was butchered as we thought there may have been some air being introduced to the system as the water pressure dropped. Water can push against a seal and you'll have no external leaks, but remove the pressure, and air can enter through a seal as the vacuum of the pressure dropping is equalizing with atmospheric air

Long story short, I added a manual valve between my RO system and my holding tank, and all is good
Plus, of course, all of the removal of the 25 fittings I didn't need with their 50 o-rings - any 1 of which could have been a potential leak
That's more like it!Water in water out and no shenanigans:biggrin:

[Reef Pilot]

So, you have eliminated DI from your system??

[gregzz4]

That's more like it!Water in water out and no shenanigans:biggrin:
Thanks again Andy
You were a very big help :mrgreen:

So, you have eliminated DI from your system??
Yes, but I never used it in the first place. I get 0 TDS with just the RO
When you look at the first pic, you'll see 2 grey valves with green handles. I plumbed it with Tees so I could use or bypass the DI. I was placing a BRS order so threw it in 'cause it's fairly cheap. I figured I might need it one day if our water went for a poop

Wanna buy it ? :smile:

[Reef Pilot]

Yes, but I never used it in the first place. I get 0 TDS with just the RO
When you look at the first pic, you'll see 2 grey valves with green handles. I plumbed it with Tees so I could use or bypass the DI. I was placing a BRS order so threw it in 'cause it's fairly cheap. I figured I might need it one day if our water went for a poop

Wanna buy it ? :smile:
I have a full RO/DI system with a dual TDS meter. What I find with mine is that sometimes my RO water will get up to about 8 or more TDS, but after DI is still always 0 or 1. That tends to happen in between water changes, when only my ATO is in use, and RO only in the kitchen. My RODI also has an auto shut-off valve, though not sure if that has anything to do with it.

When I do a water change, I also do a membrane flush, and then it comes back down to usually 0 or 1. So, my RO water TDS does vary somewhat, but my DI water is constant.

I'm in Langley, and our water here does not seem to be as low TDS as others in the Lower Mainland report. It is usually around 50 or 60 TDS out of the tap, and I find sometimes my pre-filters will clog up in only about 3 months (sometimes they are OK for 6 months or more).

I also have 2 pressure tanks (after RO, but before DI) with my system, so always have about 6 gal or so of immediate water available, which is very handy in the kitchen where we use the RO only outlet for drinking water, coffee maker, etc.

[gregzz4]

I'm in Langley, and our water here does not seem to be as low TDS as others in the Lower Mainland report. It is usually around 50 or 60 TDS out of the tap, and I find sometimes my pre-filters will clog up in only about 3 months (sometimes they are OK for 6 months or more).
There's the difference
My tapwater TDS is anywhere from 12 down to as low as 7, so my RO does well on it's own
I always run my product water down the drain until the TDS creep goes away, so I am lucky that I don't need the DI

[Reef Pilot]

There's the difference
My tapwater TDS is anywhere from 12 down to as low as 7, so my RO does well on it's own
I always run my product water down the drain until the TDS creep goes away, so I am lucky that I don't need the DI
Yes, and because I run my ATO directly from my RODI to my sump, I always want 0 or at most 1 TDS all the time.

[gregzz4]

Yes, and because I run my ATO directly from my RODI to my sump, I always want 0 or at most 1 TDS all the time.
Ahh
I lug the water from the drum to the ATO :smile:

[11purewater]

Thanks again Andy
You were a very big help :mrgreen:


Yes, but I never used it in the first place. I get 0 TDS with just the RO
When you look at the first pic, you'll see 2 grey valves with green handles. I plumbed it with Tees so I could use or bypass the DI. I was placing a BRS order so threw it in 'cause it's fairly cheap. I figured I might need it one day if our water went for a poop

Wanna buy it ? :smile:

Anytime!:biggrin:

[Reef Pilot]

Ahh
I lug the water from the drum to the ATO :smile:
You have my sympathies...:sad:

[gregzz4]

New critters :biggrin:

I had originally planned on QTing these guys, but the risk is too much, so instead they were rinsed in a few buckets of tank water

First is a crappy pic of one of our 2 new Porcelain crabs

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0118_zps4e423a89.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0118_zps4e423a89.jpg.html)

Then is another crappy pic, this one of our new red sea star and pair of fire shrimps

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0111_zpsbb6c0616.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0111_zpsbb6c0616.jpg.html)

As far as the new fish go, I'm not overly optimistic that Floyd will make it
He's not doing well, not eating or swimming and basically looking very limp unless he's disturbed

I'm pretty ****ed about the whole thing, but it's my own fault

I bought a McCosker's from J&L that had MI, and had to treat the QT for it, so I went Hypo. In the meantime I received a Yellow Coris that had a red body mark, so I treated with meds. Ever since then things with the wrasses became an issue

Never again will I accept a fish with any visible signs of either stress or illness

Poor Floyd would probably have been just fine if he hadn't been put through what he has :sad:
Wish us luck that he pulls through, but it's not looking good at this point

I feel so guilty about killing a fish that most likely would have been just fine had I put it right into my DT, but I'm so paranoid about infecting my other fishies ......

[gregzz4]

RIP Floyd

Sorry your time with me sucked :sad:

At least the 2 of them will keep each other company now

Floyd and Mac

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01934_zps2e99fa25.jpg

[Bblinks]

RIP Floyd

Sorry your time with me sucked :sad:

At least the 2 of them will keep each other company now

Floyd and Mac

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01934_zps2e99fa25.jpg

Sorry to hear Greg, some times I think quarantine kills more fish then actual diseases.

[Ginu]

Sorry to hear that Greg... I don't believe in qt but that's just me. So far I've been lucky with fishes.

[gregzz4]

Sorry to hear Greg, some times I think quarantine kills more fish then actual diseases.

Sorry to hear that Greg... I don't believe in qt but that's just me. So far I've been lucky with fishes.

Thanks guys - I'm bummed. Floyd was a people fish

I'm going to be stubborn and keep using the QT, but no more meds
The API Erythromycin killed off all the bacteria I worked so hard to build up in the AC50
I think the final straw for Floyd was the cycle as, even though I was able to keep the NH3/4 in check, the NO2 got a bit high a couple times while I was at work and I'm convinced that was the cause of his demise

If I have to ever use meds again, I'll make sure I use nitrifying bacteria-safe stuff, such as Mindy's suggestion of Furan-2, but I hope that won't be necessary

[Jakegr]

I feel so guilty about killing a fish that most likely would have been just fine had I put it right into my DT, but I'm so paranoid about infecting my other fishies ......

I know the feeling, it sucks. Same thing happened to me last year... now I only buy fish that look perfectly healthy and put them right into the display. In my experience, quarantining causes more mortalities than it prevents.

[gregzz4]

Studying for 4th Class is going to consume all my free time, so all I'll have time for over the rest of this year is bi-weekly WCs instead of weekly, scrape the glass whenever I can, so much for sterilizing my RO and ATO (for now anyway) ... and feed the fish :smile:

We have 3 vehicles that need new coolant, 2 that need the snows removed, and 1 that needs 'other' repairs - that's 2 weekends right there, but I need 5-10 hours each weekend for studying :surprise: so the next month or so is gonna suck for me

Tonight I received a Penn Plax battery backup air pump for the QT
After our last outage, while there were fish in it, I said that's it
I also received 4 new silicone ice cube trays for making my own fish food. Oh ya, I gotta go out and buy some food, and make some muck ...

OK, tank update, but no pics ... no time - get home, shower, make lunch, eat dinner, study, now it's 9:00pm - for the next 8-12 months :twised:

Asrai and Jr have settled in nicely, to the point where they come to me for dinner :biggrin:
Ziggy is being a big dink to everybody, so I'm keeping an eye on him and will decide what to do when I'm in a better mood ...
One of the Fire shrimp is MIA and presumed dead as we haven't seen it for a week
The Porcelains and Red star are doing great
The bubble moved after it split, but has stayed right beside the other, so, for now, all is good
The corals have bounced back from being bleached and I've begun slowly turning the lights back up
I've got HA on the returns from all the extra feedings, and some kind of green algae or cyano on the sand that needs to be siphoned out and washed (when I have time), and there's red algae on some of the LR and dark green stuff on the overflow box

Other than that, I'm planning on buying some parts this weekend to have a flashing red LED when my ATO is low
If you've followed along, you'll know I already have floats to turn off my ATO tank powerhead and heater, and ATO pumps, but this doesn't help when the tank is empty - it's happened more than once over the last 2 months
So, I'll fix that issue this weekend, and fix some cars, and do a WC, and try to get some extra sleep :mrgreen:

[kien]

Holy crap you sound like a ridiculously busy guy! I'm sure it also does not help one bit that summer is just around the corner..

[Coralgurl]

Short term pain for long term gain, congrats on the schoolling!! Take a deep breath, it will all come together for you!

We switched my snows out last weekend and plastidipped my summer wheels! Love it!

I like the idea of the flashing light on the ato, if you have time, post how you get that set up, I could use it as well.

I hardly ever see my fire shrimp, he hides behind the rocks, occassionally catch a glimpse of him when I feed the fish. Don't give up on him yet!

Sounds like the rest of the tank is doing ok, sans the algae...

[gregzz4]

I thought this would be a simple reply about the relays and such, but it's grown into a great-big DIY write-up, so I'll post it later when I have more time

Right now I must do a WC on the DT :smile:

[gregzz4]

Holy crap you sound like a ridiculously busy guy! I'm sure it also does not help one bit that summer is just around the corner..

Short term pain for long term gain, congrats on the schoolling!! Take a deep breath, it will all come together for you!

We switched my snows out last weekend and plastidipped my summer wheels! Love it!

I like the idea of the flashing light on the ato, if you have time, post how you get that set up, I could use it as well.

I hardly ever see my fire shrimp, he hides behind the rocks, occassionally catch a glimpse of him when I feed the fish. Don't give up on him yet!

Sounds like the rest of the tank is doing ok, sans the algae...

Sorry guys, it's not like me to ignore responses :smile:
Busy, busy, busy
Thanks for the empathy, and for following along :mrgreen:

I just finally finished my WC. Stupid smartphone, stupid house phone, stupid e-mail, yada yada yada
Plus I received a shipment today from Reefwater. These guys should become a SPONSOR :wink:
Nice and fast shipping. Brain-dead customer ...
I have to place another order as I needed 2 and assumed set meant '2', but it appears in this case it's just one ... :noidea:
They sell them in singles, but I obviously missed the part in the cart about needing 2 :twised:

OK, the exciting WC
I siphoned off the top layer of sand, washed it, and replaced it
I've been doing this about every month, or 6 weeks. I haven't kept track, but will now
It seems to work well enough while I'm going through the re-balancing of my tank - no ill effects to be noted
Whatever it is, and I don't care right now, but it looks like diatoms and a lighter green than cyano
Buh-bye ugly green/brown top layer, hello nice clean sand :smile:

Oooo look, a pic
It's not the best, but for now, it's a pic :wink:


http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01985_zps272b5097.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01985_zps272b5097.jpg.html)

[Bblinks]

I demand more pictures......

[daplatapus]

Looking good Greg!

[gregzz4]

I demand more pictures......
Later, no time tonight

Looking good Greg!
Thank you, but I hope to get better pics up soon

I did the write up on my ATO floats and relays (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=816613#post816613)

[gregzz4]

I demand more pictures......
I don't have time to post pics dude :surprise:

Looking good Greg!
Thanks man

Here's some pics, but this is all you get
I am too busy with my 4th Class Power Engineering Studying to keep my build thread updated ...

My camera is crappy

Rich, from here on in, I don't care what you ask for, I am too busy to post :wink::wink:

Some pics and this is all you get, for probably the next 6 or 8 months

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0151_zpsdb4ead39.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0151_zpsdb4ead39.jpg.html)

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0152_zps45b41e6a.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0152_zps45b41e6a.jpg.html)

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0153_zps1f9c0218.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0153_zps1f9c0218.jpg.html)

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0154_zpsd35d2d1a.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0154_zpsd35d2d1a.jpg.html)

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0155_zpsfda76bc6.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0155_zpsfda76bc6.jpg.html)

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0157_zps7c8897fb.jpg (http://s749.photobucket.com/user/Gregzz4/media/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0157_zps7c8897fb.jpg.html)

[gregzz4]

OK, I may have mentioned I don't have time for posting lots of pics right now, but I was sooo tired this morning that it took me 3 coffees just to get going
So I sorted my pics
I uploaded over 20 pics to P-bucket and they went to the wrong folder :doh:

You may have seen some of these before but here they are anyway
I'm off to fix some cars

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01523.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01846_zps4d599757.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01969_zps29500bc6.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01970_zps64f7070a.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01973_zps34b79de2.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01976_zpsec6a1007.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01977_zps85a4ba37.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01979_zpsea4a97bf.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0056_zps98a3b011.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0057_zpsee4da252.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0058_zps84569629.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0059_zpse5201465.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0060_zps3ca866a9.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0061_zps61308b75.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0062_zps0158198a.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0063_zpsaae934fc.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0064_zps8ee6c041.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0065_zpsb0145397.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0068_zps2b8c0bcc.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0070_zps5a67eac8.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0071_zps32bf3934.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0127_zpsd9699ebb.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/IMG_0102_zps6dde6a17.jpg

[ensquire]

Some nice sticks there, Greg. Coming along I would say

[gregzz4]

Thanks Wayne
It's been a long road for the SPS recovery

I cut the lighting in half to help with the healing and started feeding very heavily
Lately there has been some good signs of improvement, so I started bumping the lights a bit

Then I went on a coral-purchasing binge 'cause I had a couple hours today .... :rolleyes:

We'll see how things go ..
Pics to come later

[gregzz4]

No new coral pics yet. I'm waiting for them to look a little better
Here's something else to report

Tuesday, 5am, I wake to the sound of rattling eggcrate ...
Bleary-eyed, I get up to investigate and what do I find ? Asrai flopping around on top of the eggcrate, about an inch away from carpet surfing behind the stand :surprise:
I got her back in the water pretty easily
Then, too tired to realise I should go back to bed, I found myself standing there, staring at the eggcrate and wondering "how the heck did a 2-1/2" Lubbock's get through eggcrate?"
I stumbled back into bed, but the ol' brain wouldn't shut down
I lay there thanking the fishy god that saved her from a fuzzy slow-death, and started devising a plan for a surround canopy that will fit my suspended fixture. Next thing I knew it was time to get up for work

When I got home last night, Donna was amazed that I woke up, even thought I can sleep through so many other things :noidea:
RKE alarm, Tunze alarm, overflowing chaeto tank, snails in the Vortechs
They're fishy noises ... I wake up to them :lol:

So, the eggcrate is gone and now anyone who jumps can flop around on top of either the center brace or the overflow cover until they dive back in
Last night, with some help from my wife, a roll of packing tape, and a $6 sheet of white corrugated plastic, I made a temp surround
It rests inside the top trim

Cut-outs for the returns and wiring
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01994_zpsfd897eca.jpg

Vents - fibreglass mesh
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01999_zpsb3be22d4.jpg

Feeding door
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02000_zps5a81c806.jpg

The glow that I will cover with some black on the outside
At first it looked kinda cool, but as soon as we're below fixture level, it's pretty irritating as it glows right in our eyes
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01998_zps85295988.jpg

I'm pondering making something similar that will match the pine Aqueon stand with 2 front access doors, a vent and an exhaust fan

[Ginu]

Hey Greg, have you ever thought of the BRS 1/⁴ netting?

I made two screens which perfectly fit the two openings of the tank and works very well... I have 4 wrasses and the jump all day. if you want to see it, I can take some pics, out you can come over one day.

[gregzz4]

Hey Greg, have you ever thought of the BRS 1/⁴ netting?

I made two screens which perfectly fit the two openings of the tank and works very well... I have 4 wrasses and the jump all day. if you want to see it, I can take some pics, out you can come over one day.
Hey dude
Thanks for the heads up, and the visit offer
I've looked at that mesh before, and was thinking about it for a short while, but I don't like how it's turned out for many others (sagging), and I need to block the light from our fixture anyway
I've been using a black garbage bag taped to the light for a year already :rolleyes: and this was the kick in the pants I needed
I want to make a wood surround that rests on the top trim, painted white inside and black outside

It will allow me to raise the light higher (with the white paint) so hopefully there's less heat penetrating the water
I won't have to remove the eggcrate everytime I want to get my arm wet, or wash it when we get food on it etc etc etc
And when I want to get seriously wet, I will only need to raise the light and remove the rectangular wood piece

It'll also cut down on the 'glow' we get from the light hitting the back, white-painted wall

[Reef Pilot]

I use lexan covers for all my tanks. So much simpler and more effective than egg crate or mesh. Covers can be in multiple pieces, doors, holes, or any way you want. Can't get any easier for access and maintenance. Very easy to bend, shape, drill and cut (just with tin snips, no saw required), and doesn't crack or warp like plexi.

And dramatically cuts down your evaporation, which is better for your house, too. Also great light transmission (different than plexi), and easy to keep clean (I just remove and wipe mine down about once a month, or longer).

I also have built in vented canopies, which is great for lighting.

Just another idea for your consideration...

[gregzz4]

Just another idea for your consideration...
Thanks :smile:

[neoh]

You have a nice tank, Greg!

[gregzz4]

You have a nice tank, Greg!
Well thanks, but it's still going through some growing pains. Or rather, I'm still learning :wink:

I got the canopy/light surround cut yesterday and half glued together tonight. I hope to glue the 2 halves together tomorrow night, fit the door hinges maybe on Wed and cut the trim, then sand it all down and get some primer/sealer on it by the weekend
Looks like I have to work Sat, so maybe I'll get it painted on Sun, and then be able to install it by the end of next week after the paint cures some

I'll be using a pair of 80mm fan guards for the fresh air intakes, and a 140mm fan for exhaust, with a piece of fiberglass mesh covering the fan
The semi-massive rectangular opening will be my access behind a pair of doors
Hopefully, when it's all done, it will sorta match the Aqueon stand, but only by the door widths and the outside dimensions
The wife didn't want it exactly the same as she doesn't like the stand much, so I had to tone down the build and make it a bit sleeker than a bunch of verticle pine planks
Except now it's just big, horizontal pine planks :rolleyes:

This new surround will also allow me to raise the lights another 3", so hopefully I'll be able to turn on some of the other colors I've been missing since the corals started to bleach
It will put the bulbs about 10-1/2" (guesstimate) above the water

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02005_zps1599b5a4.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02006_zpseb9542a7.jpg

[gregzz4]

I won't bore you all with the rest of the build pics for the surround
The basic idea was to have it semi-match the stand, but be a bit sleeker to satisfy the wife
The door widths match the stand when closed, but open fully without a center brace
I used a primer/sealer and then 3 coats of zero VOC gloss white on the inside, and 2 coats of satin black on the outside
If I ever make another one, I'll use a satin black Minwax stain on the outside

I have the light 'just' resting on it on foam to block light bleed, while still having some tension on the support cables
The whole thing comes off in less than a minute if I wanna get crazy 'arms deep'

Here it is all done

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02041_zps01d361cf.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02042_zps3369e07b.jpg

I had to add a bunch of black weather-stripping to the insides of the doors to block light bleed

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02046_zps0c46705e.jpg

I had to add a support front to back as the thin horizontal face wants to warp inwards

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02044_zps4edd9825.jpg

[gregzz4]

And because it's been over a year ...

June 7, 2012

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01083.jpg

June 7, 2013

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02045_zps9613e7df.jpg

I'm off to make my first batch of home-made fish food

[daplatapus]

I won't bore you all with the rest of the build pics for the surround


Du'oh! I feel cheated! JK. Build pics are half the reason I come on here :)

The finished project looks great though! Good job! I like the weather striping idea to prevent the light bleed. Nothing worse than sitting down and that one crack shining right in your peripheral vision.

[gregzz4]

Nothing worse than sitting down and that one crack shining right in your peripheral vision.
Ya
One last touch up will be to add some deflectors on the end of the light fixture, the air intakes and the fan
Then the only light will be from the glass and we can re-hang our picture without a big stipe of light through it

[gregzz4]

Couple updates

The RBTA I got from Rich in Feb has become 3 :lol:
I'm super happy they are staying where I placed the first one
They are a bit deflated as I still haven't ramped the lights up fully yet
I keep feeding them about once a month, and they get lots of fish food

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02049_zps0a3e1a33.jpg

And here's my home-made food in the trays
I used 1/2 bag of scallops, 1 bag of seafood medley, 4oz mysis, a bunch of pacifica plankton, some cyclopeeze, and a healthy dose of garlic and aminomega

I thought for sure I was gonna have problems finding somewhere to freeze all this food but, after I started spreading it out in the trays, it quickly became evident there's lots of room as I only got 315 cubes out of the mix
So with the current fish load, this recipe should last me about 9 1/2 months, unless I need to use more than 1 cube per day
I'll find out tonight when I feed with this stuff for the first time :wink:

Thanks Kien for your post about making the food, and thanks Mindy for the link to buy these silicone trays :smile:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02050_zps6116ba92.jpg

[daplatapus]

Those trays are cool. Smaller than I was expecting. Do you still have the link for them?

[gregzz4]

Those trays are cool. Smaller than I was expecting. Do you still have the link for them?
Absolutely :smile:

There's 90 cubes per tray and I bought 2 pairs
Some reviews aren't too forgiving, but I had no issues removing a couple cubes tonight for a feeding

Casabella silicone mini ice cube trays (http://www.amazon.ca/Casabella-53310-Silicone-Mini-Cube/dp/B003DREDTQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1370742687&sr=8-3&keywords=casabella+silicone+ice+cube+tray)

I put mine through the dishwasher when they arrived, and then rinsed them in RO. I'm a bit anal :rolleyes:

[daplatapus]

Sweet, Thanks!

[neoh]

how about a recipe for your food concoction? ;)

[gregzz4]

how about a recipe for your food concoction? ;)
Well, I kinda stole it from here and there, and got the basic idea from Kien's post (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=483333&postcount=257)

I read on the web about this and that, and made my food based on what others say is good, and what I had in the freezer :smile:

Because my fish are small, I chopped my stuff much smaller than most might
I used;
1/2 bag scallops
1 bag seafood medley
4oz mysis
18 cubes pacifica plankton
4 cubes cyclopeeze
And 3-5 eye droppers of garlic and aminomega

I used the plankton as it was going to be wasted (getting burnt in the freezer), and the cyclopeeze is for the corals and small fish. Whatever, it'll be eaten :smile:

I checked on my blending throughout the process to ensure the fish could eat the size of food I was making

I thawed the scallops and medley in a pot of RO, then chopped it really small with my X-mas present blender. I used the big bowl that came with mine, not the cup.
I rinsed it with RO in the re-usable coffee filter and put it in a mixing bowl

I thawed the mysis, plankton and cyclopeeze in RO, rinsed it with RO, then chopped it also in RO
I found the less water you use, the easier it is to watch the blend

Once it was all chopped and strained, I blended all the stuff in a bowl and added the garlic and vities

Then I spread it into the trays with a spoon and that was it

[neoh]

you sure like that RO! :)

Sounds like quite the medly, and that they eat better than I do. How much do you suppose all of that cost you, and how long does it last? Is that the only thing you feed to the fish & coral and, how much and how often do you feed?

[gregzz4]

We feed our fish some NLS pellets at lunch, and the 'live' food for dinner

I haven't calculated it all, but I'll guess it's about $20-30/year, maybe $40 ?

It's much cheaper than feeding mysis every day

Go to your local grocer and you'll see how cheap it is to buy the seafood, but make sure you get it 'uncooked'

[gregzz4]

OK, I just finished feeding our critters and see how much food they need

I can get away with just one cube per dinner, so my batch of food should last me about 10+ months

And they eat it, so all is good :smile:

Best part is I don't have to rinse the food anymore and add garlic/vities
Just warm it up in a cup of tank water and dump it in :lol:

This is great as my time is limited right now, so everything that takes less time is a big help

[Coralgurl]

Your tank is looking so good! Amazing the changes that take place over a year!!

[gregzz4]

Your tank is looking so good! Amazing the changes that take place over a year!!
Oh come on !
Your tank looks so much better than mine :smile:

Thanks for the compliment, but really ...

I've got all kinds of algae, and slow growth, and blah blah blah

[neoh]

oh I've certainly contemplated it, and normally look through the seafood section and brain storm what might be good. Fish need oils and guts for proper health. I was going to go to TNT and get some fish guts and some other gory stuff to make a concoction. I'll definitely follow the recipe, with a couple tweaks. ;)

Thanks for the info!

[Coralgurl]

Oh come on !
Your tank looks so much better than mine :smile:

Thanks for the compliment, but really ...

I've got all kinds of algae, and slow growth, and blah blah blah

Well then we will agree to disagree then, but thank you for the kind words :biggrin: I've got weird clove things spreading everywhere that's driving me nuts! My coralline algae is all dying too, gone from purple everywhere to almost gone....

Anyway, you've done some great things with your setup that makes the along haul with the tank so much easier!

I like the food idea too. I'm rinsing food every couple of days, need to look into this!

[gregzz4]

Well then we will agree to disagree then, but thank you for the kind words :biggrin: I've got weird clove things spreading everywhere that's driving me nuts! My coralline algae is all dying too, gone from purple everywhere to almost gone....

Anyway, you've done some great things with your setup that makes the along haul with the tank so much easier!

I like the food idea too. I'm rinsing food every couple of days, need to look into this!
I've had the clove thingies for the last year, but they come and go
My wife doesn't mind them, and they are mostly not there, so I don't care
I'm surprised to hear about your corraline algae ... are you dosing ALK and Ca ? And are you monitoring/testing them ?

I was pretty tired of the food rinsing thingy too, but had no time 'till now to make my own batches
You'll love it if you ever do it, but how to store the frozen stuff is questionable
I've freezer sealed all my 'other' trays of food with a food saver system, but am not sure what to do with my 'in use' tray ....

I've covered it with tin foil while it was wet so it sticks, and then put it in a ziploc and sucked all the air out, but I'm sure it'll still get freezer burnt

I like the idea of being able to drop a cube into a cup/dish of water to thaw, and then dump it into the tank 'with no rinsing' :mrgreen:

My plan is to cut the tinfoil away from a cube as needed, so whatever happens ....

[Coralgurl]

The preserving of the food would be my concern. I double bag mine in freezer bags and that seems to work.

I haven't tested in a while as things had been fine. My temps have been creeping up with the nice weather, thought maybe related, but I know better...

[gregzz4]

Tonight was a total-loss for studying :twised:
I opened some paper mail and ended up dealing with some personal crap until 8pm
By then I'd decided it was OK to put some time into modifying the canopy

I've realized some limitations and see I need access doors on the ends, so here's what I have so far ...
Doors are cut, sanded, primed and painted inside
Tomorrow, right before studying, they will get a coat of black on the outside and ends. Then another coat of black after studying before bed

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02070_zps31213a35.jpg

For my home-made food, so far I'm having success using a Foodsaver jar/can lid on a small glass container thingy
Each night I open it briefly to grab a cube and I'm not yet seeing any signs of freezer burn ...

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02073_zps0ea9920b.jpg

And, because I was growing very tired of dealing with a True Union ball valve to adjust the return flow/overflow level in the DT, I finally (after 6 months) got around to re-doing the plumbing with a Gate Valve that I bought, you guessed it, 6 months ago

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02067_zps1f9da5b2.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02068_zps61460bc4.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02069_zpsb54286cc.jpg

The 3rd nem has moved into a spot that I am sure it's not going to like long-term
I'm hoping it doesn't move into any SPS territory anytime soon as I, have I said it before ?, don't have time for extra stuff :smile:
Jeez, I almost forgot to add the nem pic
I gotta get some sleep ....

The third nem is the one inside the overhang, underneath and to the right
It used to be between the two others
And, the big one looks like it's going to split again :doh:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02066_zps51a695bc.jpg

So much to do, and so little time to sleep
Thanks for looking
I hope to have better updates once I'm caught up with, well, life :smile:

[mrhasan]

This is possibly the most well sorted out medium sized tank in here Greg :D I have always stalked your tank thread but its time to come out and say the truth: its dazzling :D

[gregzz4]

This is possibly the most well sorted out medium sized tank in here Greg :D I have always stalked your tank thread but its time to come out and say the truth: its dazzling :D
You must have my tank confused with someone else's, but I'll take the nice words. Thank you Raied :biggrin:

[mrhasan]

You must have my tank confused with someone else's, but I'll take the nice words. Thank you Raied :biggrin:

Not really. I haven't seen anyone putting so much effect on what's outside the tank itself :D

[gregzz4]

Disappointing update for me, but maybe it'll help someone else ...

The home-made food is going to have to stay in the freezer for now :sad:

Our Bangaii (Banggai?) has never really eaten the new food, so last night I added a small amount of Mysis for him
Now tonight everyone is being picky about the new food :doh:
All they want is the Mysis

I'm currently making a new batch of food;
4oz Mysis
4 cubes cyclopeeze (just 'cause it's what's left)
4 cubes plankton (same reason)
Some garlic and omega aminos

I think it was too soon to try the new food blend as nobody is full-grown yet
I hope to use the food when they get bigger, but who knows
Nobody is over 2-1/2" , so I chopped the mix fine
It's probably too small for bigger fish and I'll have to give it to J&L or something ...

FM

[gregzz4]

I took the home-made food to J&L and all their fish ate it up like it was a last meal !
Good thing as I don't want to waste it

I'm gonna stick with the mysis diet for now with my fishies and hope they will become more hungry/adapt to a different diet once they are bigger

If you've been following, you'll know that after I installed the new light surround, I found some limitiations with it
While I was building it I thought, Nah, there's no way I'll need more room than 33" of access, but while I was cutting the wood I was asking Myself about having doors on the ends. Myself told me there's no problem, there's lots of room, so I carried on

Well, it turns out that Myself was quite wrong and I needed doors on the ends
I tried to access an area last week and couldn't get to it, so Myself shouldn't plan stuff without consulting Me first

Here's the mods I made
Sorry for the poor lighting shots :wink:
I'll get better pics up one day ...

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02079_zps6bc272f2.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02080_zpsc336436a.jpg

[Coralgurl]

You should have consulted with "I". You see "I" always knows best, me and myself seem to forget who's boss! Keep that in mind next time you start second guessing!

Nice work as always!

[gregzz4]

Thanks Sheena for the reminder about consulting 'I', but it looks like we didn't have a full crew the day we were building

We think 'I' was on holidays as there was no other input that day, so we had to just go with it :smile:

'We all' still think it turned out pretty sexy, so it's good :smile:

And thanks for the nice comments :smile:

Oh, and for the record, We are not going to admit anything about schizophrenia
That's for Grizz's posts :razz:

[Coralgurl]

Well, "they" must have been into the woobly pops, but regardless, it seems the entire team got it figured out!:mrgreen:

And you are welcome!:lol:

What's thenext project up your sleeve?? I know there's gotta be at least one more right...lol

[kien]

I think you were being too soft on your fish. I would have starved them and forced them to eat the new food. A couple of days of hunger strike and I bet they'd eat it up as if it was there last meal! Mind you, that doesn't always work and some fish are stupid enough to hunger strike themselves to death so in the end you probably did the right thing.

[Bblinks]

Thanks Sheena for the reminder about consulting 'I', but it looks like we didn't have a full crew the day we were building

We think 'I' was on holidays as there was no other input that day, so we had to just go with it :smile:

'We all' still think it turned out pretty sexy, so it's good :smile:

And thanks for the nice comments :smile:

Oh, and for the record, We are not going to admit anything about schizophrenia
That's for Grizz's posts :razz:

LORD OF THE RINGS.....MY PRECIOUSSSSSSSS:mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

you probably did the right thing.
Ya, the Bangaii wasn't eating for about 4 days, so I had to do it

LORD OF THE RINGS.....MY PRECIOUSSSSSSSS:mrgreen:
:silly:

What's thenext project up your sleeve?? I know there's gotta be at least one more right...lol
Nothing fancy but, ya, there is one more thing on the go
I'm planning to mount an auto feeder on the inside of one of the doors, with an air vent hole through the door to prevent clumping, and a 'sunscreen' over the feeder to prevent overheating from the lights

Soon ...

[Rice Reef]

Disappointing update for me, but maybe it'll help someone else ...

The home-made food is going to have to stay in the freezer for now :sad:

FM

Greg, maybe your fish don't like your cooking? :twised::twised::twised:

[gregzz4]

Greg, maybe your fish don't like your cooking? :twised::twised::twised:
Ya, that's it :wink:

I've had the Flu since Sat, so I stayed home Mon thinking about the auto-feeder, and Tues afternoon I got lucky with a wandering RBTA. I poked it a bit and it floated, so off to J&L I went for a store credit :biggrin:

Tonight my brains were still scrambled from a left-over fever so, once again, no studying
Next week, I promise myself, I'll hit the books HARD

So, I got the auto-feeder mounted tonight
Thanks to my wife, Donna, for suggesting the final location :mrgreen:

It's an Eheim, with the little fan. If you're familiar with it, you know it's best not mounted inside a canopy as it can, besides getting splashed etc, cause the food to clump as the fan will draw in moist air from the tank

Well, after weeks of thinking about it, this is what I came up with

A 3/4" Forstner bit for the hole and some bent acrylic for a mount

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02082_zps9eebba64.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02083_zpsdeecf8af.jpg

Some fibreglass bugscreen to keep the fan clean, and some foam to keep it airtight, so there's no tank air entering the container
In the first pic you can 'just' make out the red fan on the feeder
I used 2 layers of 3/16" foam, so there's lots of room for air to enter
The foam holds the mesh in place against the door

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02085_zpsf1ee662e.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02084_zpsa4e8ecf9.jpg

Another piece of acrylic covered in sunscreen to keep the feeder from getting too much Sun from the lights. Could cook the electronics, or cook the food ?

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02087_zpse7450638.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02088_zpsb7e67e1d.jpg

Mounted and ready to go (forgot to re-position the light-blocking foam around the hinges before this pic)
I used the factory screw to mount the feeder through the acrylic
You'll see I made the mount a bit sloped (food is heavy near the end of the container)
This is so the container doesn't run out of food when it's still partly full

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02089_zpse26d6b54.jpg

Easy access for re-filling or re-programming

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02090_zpsffcb2801.jpg

Many online have complained about this particular feeder being too touchy, and I agree
After some testing, I decided to tape the trap door in the position I like, and then I taped some paper over the end so I could get the 'perfect for me' amount of food
I was careful not to leave any tape exposed to food so there is no clumping

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02091_zps07c0b6d3.jpg

I will adjust the food as needed, but for now it seems to work great for our small fishies and Donna can now not worry about the poor guys going hungry @ lunch if she's tied up with work :lol:

[FishyFishy!]

Great work! Love how you can just open the door and re-program/re-fill.

[lastlight]

that's awesome.

[Delphinus]

I love the door idea!

[gregzz4]

Thanks guys :biggrin:
Sometimes I think I like playing around with hardware more than actually having the critters :rolleyes:

[Coralgurl]

Thanks guys :biggrin:
Sometimes I think I like playing around with hardware more than actually having the critters :rolleyes:

Soooo funny, I was kinda thinking the same thing :biggrin: I'm jealous of your talent, seriously very clever!!

[mrhasan]

Thanks guys :biggrin:
Sometimes I think I like playing around with hardware more than actually having the critters :rolleyes:

I already pointed that out few posts before ;)

I haven't seen anyone putting so much effect on what's outside the tank itself

[gregzz4]

Thanks again Sheena, you're too kind :redface:

Raied, it's hard to not see I like building stuff :smile:

So, another little thingy for whoever is interested
Way back before I started this tank, I bought the NPX screens (http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/product-info.php?product_ID=tf-reactory) for my TLF 150s, just in case I'd ever find a need, or what have you

I started using Vertex Rox 0.8 last month and thought, wow, these pellets are tiny, so I experimented and it worked out well

I was concerned the pellets would get stuck in the foams worse than other carbon, but was surprised to find a benefit ...
The dispersion plates actually work :biggrin: even though they weren't designed for this use
My carbon is no longer stagnant, with little geysers, and the same goes for my GFO
I was also able to turn down the flow through the reactors, so no more 'grinding' the product

So, after more than a month of testing, I'll say this works fine for both Carbon and GFO

I installed the plates between the product and the foams. It makes rinsing out the foams easier than before
Of course I don't need a plate on top for any flow benefits, but it helps keep the foam from plugging if pellets want to go that way. I do find that on initial start-up I get pellets going crazy, so why not use 2 plates per reactor

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02092_zpsf7a44b4b.jpg

[gregzz4]

Due to some advice from Tang Daddy, I've cut back 1/2 of the Carbon I'm using. Hopefully I'll see a difference in my corals ...

I found some flat-bottom glass jars with plastic lids for the dosers
They don't hold quite as much but whatever. I'm bumping dosing pump run times so getting a month out of them is out the window
Maybe 2-3 weeks

The jars were designed for food storage and came with little movable day/month tabs inside the lids. Maybe I'll use them to remind me when I last filled them

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02098_zpsdb7e413f.jpg

Nice vortex from the stirring bar

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02100_zps8468349c.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02099_zpsef9fc30d.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02102_zpseca37a98.jpg

I kinda like the look of the pseudo stainless lids
They are plated plastic, and the top inserts are also plastic, so drilling for the tubes was a piece of cake

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC02104_zpsb10913d3.jpg

[gregzz4]

I tried doing 15% WCs every 2 weeks, but my sand didn't like it
I've gone back to 10% WCs every week and now my dosing is out of whack, but my sand is clean :lol:
I had a good thing going on with my dosers dammit

My Alk is up to 10.5 so I've turned off the pump and await it to drop

Now I'll have to adjust the pump timing again ....

Looks like it's time for me to dump the Seachem additive powders and get on the 2-part bandwagon

[Bblinks]

I tried doing 15% WCs every 2 weeks, but my sand didn't like it
I've gone back to 10% WCs every week and now my dosing is out of whack, but my sand is clean :lol:
I had a good thing going on with my dosers dammit

My Alk is up to 10.5 so I've turned off the pump and await it to drop

Now I'll have to adjust the pump timing again ....

Looks like it's time for me to dump the Seachem additive powders and get on the 2-part bandwagon

Enough of this hardware talk, we want to see some photos!:twised:

[tang daddy]

Just add a few more sps, that will bring the alk down fast....

[gregzz4]

Enough of this hardware talk, we want to see some photos!:twised:
Nothing worth posting right now as there's been little growth
The only growing has been from our Coris, Junior
He started out the size of our Hector's and now he's twice as big

Just add a few more sps, that will bring the alk down fast....
I may be doing that come this labor day weekend :wink:

[gregzz4]

Nothing to look at here ... carry on

Turned off the Alk doser pump for a few days and looks like I'll have to back-off on the amount of powder I'm adding to the container

This coming long-weekend has me busy already, but I hope to post a couple FTSs as I may move some LR, so look back for a 'scape change

I'm also going to cut my GFO in half and am considering why I'm using socks

Stay tuned for some pics :biggrin:

[Wheelman76]

Why are you cutting your GFO in half Greg?

[gregzz4]

Why are you cutting your GFO in half Greg?
I'm having issues with bleaching and can't get enough food into the tank through fish poop and coral feeding, and changing my lighting hasn't helped
I don't want to remove my socks yet, so this is my next best idea

Hope to see you Sept 1st BTW