400 gallon project

[untamed]

In the Vlamingi photo you can see how that gorgonian is beginning to direct it's growth upward. A few arms are budding new arms vertically, while others have just decided to make the turn.

When I secured that gorgonian in the tank, it had a couple of arms that were nearly 2.5 feet long. I was unable to make it stand vertically because those arms broke the surface. So it ended up sort of angled, which has caused the growth direction change I just mentioned.

[untamed]

[Phanman]

Im always so amazed at your tank man... cudos!

[untamed]

Yup, sometimes it seems everyday there is something unique going on somewhere in the aquarium. It would seem that last night the sea hare laid eggs.

This egg mass is about 3" in diametre and maybe 3/4" thick. As usual, a picture does this more description than I ever could...


That grey and black speckled blob visible below the eggs is Mom (and Dad!?)

Apparently, sea hares are hermaphrodites...but I'm unsure if this means that they can actually fertilize their own eggs. Under a microscope, I can't yet determine if the eggs are dividing yet. We'll look again tomorrow.

It also seems that they do this at the end of their lives, so I'll have to keep a close eye on the health of the sea hare over the next while.

[mojo]

Looking amazing, and I'm proud for this to be my first post on Canreef. Early on you mentioned you were going to program your light rack to raise and lower over a several hour period - is this in place or did you abandon that idea? Also, do you keep your Aquatronica connected to your PC 24/7? Are you using the Ethernet module?

Thanks,
Mike

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Originally Posted by mojo

Looking amazing, and I'm proud for this to be my first post on Canreef. Early on you mentioned you were going to program your light rack to raise and lower over a several hour period - is this in place or did you abandon that idea? Also, do you keep your Aquatronica connected to your PC 24/7? Are you using the Ethernet module?

Thanks,
Mike

Welcome to Canreef

[untamed]

Originally Posted by mojo

Looking amazing, and I'm proud for this to be my first post on Canreef. Early on you mentioned you were going to program your light rack to raise and lower over a several hour period - is this in place or did you abandon that idea?

Thanks,
Mike

The aquatronica has the capability to control the light lifting by second and do a daily cycle... but I have yet to pursue that idea. There are a few hurdles to that plan:

1) As the lights lift, they hit the front door hinges about 1/2 way in their travel. (a design error on my part) That's no problem when I'm doing the lifting, but it would limit the automatic lifting to only 1 foot. I've since decided that 1 foot might still be enough to simulate a daily intensity cycle, so that's OK

2) The actuator has "up" and "down" buttons. The AQT can only power things "on" and "off". Making that translation would involve rewiring the actuator controller. I'm not sure I would want to relinquish total control of the lights to the AQT because I raise and lower these things all the time and it is easier to push the buttons that it is to touch the touchscreen (AQT software would require this to be a "right click", which involves more than just a quick touch.

3) Finally, there is the difficulty of the controller getting "lost" and not knowing what level the lights are actually at. If I were to manually move them during the daily cycle, the controller could drive the lights too high or too low and cause unpredictable damage or problems. This is really the most significant hurdle to the idea. There's no feedback in the system to tell the AQT where the lights actually are. A number of optical or pressure switches could be built in, but at that point it is just asking for trouble!

[untamed]

Originally Posted by mojo

Also, do you keep your Aquatronica connected to your PC 24/7? Are you using the Ethernet module?

Thanks,
Mike

Yes, I do keep the AQT connected via computer 24/7. There is a good thread about this on Reefcentral...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1292495

It seems that the AQT was not properly designed for this, while they never state that you should NOT do this. Suffice to say there are a few things that don't work properly when the AQT is connected to a computer.

No, I do not use the Ethernet module. I use "LogMeIn" to remotely access my system when necessary. Works perfectly and it was free.

[mojo]

Der Iron Chef - Thanks for the welcome!

Untamed - I see what you mean regarding your reluctance to have the controller raise and lower the light rack for you. I considered something similar for my tank, but instead I think I'll have the lights turn on and off at different times so that it gives the illusion of the sun passing over the tank. You could do that with your separate pendants, too, if you're not already.

I read the RC thread that you linked and it does seem that the controller's functions are a bit blunted with the 24/7 connection, although it is clearly serving your purpose quite well.

Regarding our pm discussion, if you really wanted to keep wrasses, you could also consider placing some finer grade sand beneath the aquascape somewhere that the closed loop doesn't blast and which wouldn't be viewable? Just a thought. Anyway, I just checked out your webcam - very cool indeed!

[untamed]

While defending the Majestic Angel from the Blue Throat Trigger, I discovered that the Triggerfish has an unusual reaction to being touched on his sides.

When you make gentle contact with his sides, he immediately erects his dorsal fin and freezes. Once he does this, it is actually possible to push him around sideways in the water.

Anyway, in this video I catch him up against the wall of the tank and you see the reaction. He's free to swim away whenever he likes, but he stays frozen for quite a while! I've tried to do this by hand, but he doesn't like my hand to get that close and he keeps thinking my fingers are edible.