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Pod Your Reef

The Enduring BC29 Build (Now wet...finally)


LynkUK

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Day_22.jpg

 

Day 22 - 11/30/2014

 

 

 

day_1.jpg


Day One - 11/09/2014


A Little History

I suppose this could be considered my official introduction to you guys and gals here...so "Hi!"
As can be seen I've been a lurker here for years now, and during that time I've been, not only inspired, but entertained and taught a great amount by the members here...so thank you!

I've had keen interest in fish keeping for many years. As a young child a small tropical aquarium, that progressed to a 120 gal amazonian planted biotope. At about the same time (my mid 20's) I had a large enough back yard to build my own heated, 4 stage filtrated Koi pond (approx 6000 gal). Well life moves on and back in 2010 I found myself moving from the UK to here in DFW Texas.

I had always been amazed at the beauty of reef tanks, but especially back in the mid 90's in the UK, it seemed that the only way to successfully maintain a successful reef tank was with a wallet the size of the water volume deemed necessary. Although, in hindsight, a 6000 gal Koi pond and livestock was hardly cheap to create and maintain :blush:

A Little More Present

Once I had settled in, here in the good ole US of A, my fish keeping interest started to be relighted. Firstly, marine livestock and equipment seemed more readily available....and secondly the cost looked reasonable.
So my dream of a reef aquarium had started. First I considered a 40gal breeder, then a 20 gal long...then back to a 40gal breeder. Ooooohhh, those Red Sea Max 130's look cool, then out of the blue my wife bought me a BC29 from Petsmart for $150!! Oh well the tank choice was settled with then!...Just one other thing: the Biocube was purchased way back in 2012!!

So all excited that I had something to work with to build my reefers dream with, I was hit with a bombshell that would put it on hold. Not long after I was diagnosed with cancer, that put my dream on hold for a while. To cut a long story short, I survived (either that, or this is the first post on Nano-Reef from the spirit world). Actually my dream wasn't put on hold totally during my illness...I did manage to make some sneaky purchases of equipment....a inTank Media Basket here, a Tunze 9002 there...a few little other bits and pieces ;)

The Present

Now, before I go any further...don't expect this tank to be up and running any time soon. It's getting there, but I have my own type of methodological approach to things. So "Day 1" will be calculated and totally anticipated, but patience will be a virtue!!

So what stage is the tank at, at the moment. Well it's located in its final position, on a stand...actually, at this exact moment it's going through a leak test.

leak-test.jpg
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Yep...leak test in thge living room. Shhhh! Just don't tell the wife of the dangers. Actually, I did have a scare while filling it: I don't think I had one of the feet properly inserted and the tank done a little lurch as it must have settled down on it. Anyway, the benefit of that, is the water level turned out to be level lol!
Oh one great tip I found for leveling stands is to use playing cards - precise adjustment for the win!!

Of course, Ive done the usual Biocube mods of breaking the tab off between chambers 1 and 2, removing the false floor and filter guide from rear wall in chamber 1, as well as the floor in chamber 2.

rear_chamber_mods.jpg

Well that's it for now. In my next post, equipment and stocking plans....and certainly some questions for you all, from me.

Once again, thanks for the inspiration and knowledge you have all shared...oh and enjoy my ride. It'll start off slow, but hopefully I'll have you all hanging on by the end :D

Martin
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As of 9th Nov 2014 the tank is now wet!!! AT LAST!!

Equipment List

Oceanic Biocube 29
Biocube Stand
Nano Box Retro with Storm Controller
Neptune Systems Apex Lite
Neptune EB4
Apex WXM Module (to be purchased)
Pinpoint PH Probe
Ecotech Vortech MP10w
Ecotech Vortech Battery Backup
IM Mini Reactor
inTank Media Basket
Cobalt MJ1200 Powerhead
Tunze 9002 Protien Skimmer

TLF Phosban Reactor 150 (CO2 Scrubber)
Aqueon Pro 100 watt Heater
Tunze Nano Osmolator 3152 (man, I'm on the fence about this purchase) ... I got off the fence and upgraded it to a Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 before it was even installed.
Various testing equipment including Hanna Phosphorous Meter, Refractometer, TDS Meter and Salifert test kits.
30Ib Reef Cleaners Florida Reef Rock
40 Ib of Caribsea Dry Special Grade Reef Sand (about 20Ib used)
Red Sea Coral Pro Salt
BRS 5 Stage RO/DI Unit

Livestock List

 

Fish

Pair of Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris).

 

Inverts
3 x Blue Legged Hermit Crabs (Clibanarius tricolor).

CUC from John at ReefCleaners. Various snails and micro hermits that mostly survived a 5 day shipping ordeal (thanks USPS....ASS 'OLES).

LPS

1 x Frogspawn Coral (Euphyllia divisa).


Well there was quite a lot of work to get this tank to this stage, but firstly the state of play as of today, Day 16: So I decided to do a totally fishless cycle with Dr Tims Ammonia from day 1. At the moment ammonia levels are at about 1.5ppm, with no sign of nitrites yet. I'm being pretty casual with the testing. Ph is stable. I will just say one thing,it took considerably more ammonia than instructed to even get ammonia to this level. Oh, lights will be off and only running floss as filtration in the media basket during the cycle.


Now to the work it took to get this far.

Nano Box Retro
I decided to have Dave send me the soldered kit and fit it myself. I did have to make some modifications though. I found the wiring that Dave supplied a little too short for my needs, so ended up extending them so they would comfortably reach the inside of the stand. I'm sure he would have made longer wiring if I asked, but just didnt occur to me at the time. Am I happy with the lights? YOU BET!!

Biocube Stand
Hefty modification to the inside of the stand, just because I wanted all the electronics to fit inside the stand. The wife wouldn't be impressed, if the footprint had been doubled just to fit all the stuff I have purchased. I created removable sides that slide inside the top half of the stand to install Energy Bars, Apex, etc, etc.Also drilled a couple of extra holes in the back.

 

Cabinet_mess.jpg

 

Forgive the cable mess - still a little bit of work to do.


Vortech MP10w
Let me first just say, I was wondering if an MP10 would be worth it in the first place, when I considered buying one. Things didn't go to plan at first, as I had to get in touch with Customer Support. From day one the wetside sounded like it was a jack hammer. Support suggested to give it a week to see if it would bed in...it didnt :( Let me just say that, Ecotech support is excellent. They sent me a new wetside and during the whole process they were very, very responsive. Now on various forums we see the Vortech vs Jebao discussion. From my experience there is no comparison. If you are currently on the fence about which pump to buy, seriously consider a Vortech....the warm fuzzy feeling given from their customer service alone is worth the considerable extra expense.

Apex Lite
No problems here, but yet again if you are on the fence about a controller, don't be. Even after such a short time, I can't imagine being without the control and redundancy the Apex gives me...not to mention Apex Fusion.

...onward and upward!!!

Original Post

Well I left my last post with the tank being leak tested...it passed and everything was pretty level...

OK, now for my plans for this tank...

Equuipment

Biocube 29 - Purchased
Stand - Purchased
Neptune Systems Apex Lite - Purchased
Extra Apex EB4 - Purchased
Apex WXM Module
Pinpoint or Neptune Systems PH Probe
InTank Media Basket - Purchased
Cobalt MJ1200 Powerhead (replacement for stock) - Purchased
Tunze 9002 Protien Skimmer - Purchased
inTank Upgraded 9002 Skimmer Cup - Purchased
Aqueon Pro 100 watt Heater - Purchased
Hydor Korelia Nano 425 - Purchased, but under review (Jebao RW-4 or Ecotech Vortech MP10, if I'm feeling flush, Maxspect Riptide, if they ever release more details about it <_< ).
VorTech MP10w ES - Purchased (See above)
Refractometer - Purchased
TDS Meter - Purchased
BRS 5 Stage RO/DI Unit - Purchased
Tunze Nano Osmolator 3152 - Purchased
Various other testing equipment - Purchased
Upgrade the lighting to led retrofit kit: Nano Box Retro - Purchased

Livestock etc

30Ib Reef Cleaners Florida Reef Rock - Purchased
40 Ib of Caribsea Dry Special Grade Reef Sand - Purchased
Red Coral Pro Salt - Purchased

Fish (long term plans)
Pair of clowns
Tail Spot Blenny
Yasha Goby/Pistol shrimp partnership
Banggai Cardinal (maybe)

Corals
No idea at all, at the moment, but will include some SPS.

At the moment, apart from what corals to stock, I've been mulling over LED kits. Rapid LED, with the features I'm looking for, is probably more economical, but Steve's LED does seem to have more options as far as upgrading.
I'm settling down with a dimmable unit from Rapid LED, but controlled through a Typhoon.
Anybody had an experience of running the same kind of setup?
Also, what kind of colour temp does the default setup (12 x Cool White/12 x Royal Blue) from Rapid LED produce? I suppose I'm looking for something around the 12000-14000K range...more towards 12000k, I suppose.

My second query concerns the Pukani rock. Has anybody suffered from high Phosphates using this rock? I'm fully expecting and prepared to cook this stuff for while, if needed.

 

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Following! Can't answer regarding pukani rock because I've never used it; instead I use dry rock from reef cleaners. I think 30 pounds would do; 40 seems like a bit too much. Still, sounds like you're off to a good start!

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At the moment, apart from what corals to stock, I've been mulling over LED kits. Rapid LED, with the features I'm looking for, is probably more economical, but Steve's LED does seem to have more options as far as upgrading.

I'm settling down with a dimmable unit from Rapid LED, but controlled through a Typhoon.

Anybody had an experience of running the same kind of setup?

Also, what kind of colour temp does the default setup (12 x Cool White/12 x Royal Blue) from Rapid LED produce? I suppose I'm looking for something around the 12000-14000K range...more towards 12000k, I suppose.

 

I'd think that that particular mixture of LEDs would give close to a 10k look. Personally, I'd recommend tweaking the color setup of those LEDs to give it a more full-spectrum output. Get in some reds, cyans, UV and regular blue to give your corals a better blend of light spectrum to feast upon (in addition to the NW and RB leds) - you don't need many of the other colors, but they do help. Definitely go dimmable - that will let you tweak your color settings to get the color temperature that you want. For more detailed help, I'd recommend posting in the Lighting forum when you get closer to pulling the trigger on it.

 

I built myself a DIY setup from LED Group Buy, and it's been a big bonus in my tank. I ended up going a little more powerful than what the RapidLED retrofits will give you - 33 LEDs in my system - but 24 is plenty for the Biocube. Within six weeks, most of my corals had at least doubled in size. My xenia and GSP colonies grew so fast that I couldn't keep up with them - if you do get the LEDs, I'd steer clear of those two unless you take some serious steps to keep their growth in check. I had a seriatopora grow from a two-inch frag into a softball sized colony within six months. You should be able to keep essentially any coral you want, at least as far as lighting goes.

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Cook the rock. I'm convinced that mine has been leaching phosphates from day 1.

 

Consider two 50w heaters over the single 100w and get a controller for them. The idea behind 2 smaller heaters is if one sticks on it takes much longer to overheat the tank and if one fails to turn on it takes much longer for the temp to drop.

 

Don't get hung up on the pounds of rock. I bought about 40lbs of some very porous stuff and couldn't physically fit in the tank. Started with about 25 pounds and I'm down to about 20lbs.

 

Your stock list looks good. Add them slowly.

 

In addition to what biokabe said don't get Kenya trees either. I'm still pulling saplings out on a regular basis lol!

 

For the lighting I think 12 whites is way over kill. I have 12RB and 8CW and rarely run my whites past 35%. I do like the blue color though. I'd recommend mixing in a couple NW and a couple violet's/UV into your RB's.

 

Good luck!

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Many thanks for the input, guys.

 

As for the rock, everybody is in agreement that the Pukani is great looking rock, but mixed reviews on it's Phosphate content. I'll probably end up getting it quite soon and let it sit in some RO/DI water just to test the Phosphate levels, then based on what I see, cook it accordingly.

 

Yeh...I consider myself quite tech savvy, but for some reason LED combinations just baffle me as far as how different colour combinations look ascetically, as well as how they affect coral growth. It's certainly a subject I need to do some further investigation on.

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There's a lot to consider when building an LED array; I started idly researching them more than a year before I finally built it, and I spent more than two months actually planning my final build. By the end of it, my wife made fun of me for "playing with circles" for weeks.

 

You definitely have time, though. The stock lighting on the Biocube is enough to keep most low- to medium-light corals, depending on placement, and you really shouldn't be stocking the more light-hungry corals until the tank is more mature anyhow.

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There's a lot to consider when building an LED array; I started idly researching them more than a year before I finally built it, and I spent more than two months actually planning my final build. By the end of it, my wife made fun of me for "playing with circles" for weeks.

 

You definitely have time, though. The stock lighting on the Biocube is enough to keep most low- to medium-light corals, depending on placement, and you really shouldn't be stocking the more light-hungry corals until the tank is more mature anyhow.

 

For sure, I understand that it's going to take some time to get a grip on what lighting I will require, although, in my favor I'm not the kind of person to jump into anything without being confident of my understanding on the subject.I expect the cycle and stocking will be well under way when I get to the point of changing lighting...I certainly want to be at a point where water parameters are stable at least.

 

As an update, I finally done a survey of a permanent location for the RO/DI unit. Obviously close enough not to make water changes a chore. The good news - one location for the unit could give me the opportunity to chose between two water sources and waste water drains. The bad news, well, taking water from under the kitchen sink looks good, but using that as a waste water drain could be problematic. At the moment the drain clogs and can back up occasionally and without a survey we can't be quite sure if its a major problem or not. Still could use it, but would want to put a check valve between RO/DI and waste pipe if I did.

The other option is direct access through the wall to the the bath tub plumbing. Unlike the kitchen sink that would need a permanent connection to the water line and I'm not really sure if there is enough drop between the trap and bottom of tub for waste water.

 

We also have utility room, but that is located from the main building and can have a tendency to freeze in the winter :/

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  • 3 weeks later...

First Infrequent Update

 

OK, not much has moved on with the tank, but the extra time since my last post has certainly brought some deciding to more concrete decisions.

 

Lighting

 

Well, after a brief plugging of Dave over at Nano Box, it looks as if I'll be settling with his line of equipment - Biocube Retro, independent moon light channel with either a Storm or Storm X controller.

BTW - thanks Dave for the speedy responses and very competitive price - expect my order soon!! I certainly would be yet another person to advice somebody to seriously consider his products if they are in the market for an LED upgrade.

 

Controller

 

A controller is something that had always lingered in my mind, but I will probably also pull the trigger on a RKL...if nothing else, so I can accurately monitor temp, with the added bonus of PH and Salinity testing if I think necessary.

 

Rock

 

When I last posted, I was pretty set on Pukani, but now I'm not so sure. Seems to look a lot better in larger tanks. In smaller tanks I haven't been too impressed with how it looks.

 

The next big step towards the build - actually connect the RO/DI and spend some of that tax return when it comes in :lol:

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  • 4 weeks later...

No real updates on tank front - the past few weeks have been spent laying a new floor and decorating the room where the tank will end up :wacko:

 

On the tank front, the only major decision is to decide to go with Dave's Nano Box RETRO with a separate moonlight channel. It just seemed, when compared to the other retrofit options, that you are getting good bang for your buck with Dave's offering. Obviously, the fact that Dave is very responsive and the rave reviews helped greatly with the decision. Can't wait to get it on order.

 

No other purchases made just yet, but things should be speeding up over the next month ;)

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What does the Nano Box Retro consist of? I don't see any info on their site. I'm looking to redo the lights on my Biocube 14 and I'm trying to get some ideas.

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Steensj2004

 

What does the Nano Box Retro consist of? I don't see any info on their site. I'm looking to redo the lights on my Biocube 14 and I'm trying to get some ideas.

Nanobox(Dave) has a ,"Retro" tab on his site. This option allows you to take an old fixture(IE. a T5 fixture or a Biocube hood) and replace the original bulbs with LEDs. Dave will gut it and install high quality LEDs inside the body of the old fixture. Pretty friggin sweet!

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I decided not to send the hood in and fit it myself. Dave said that it would be pretty easy, and the fact that if you did have any questions Dave is always fast to answer.

If you look down this post Dave has a picture of a RETRO BC install.

 

Basically, the reasons I decided on Nano Box:

 

1.Widespread praise and great reviews.

2.Cheaper than Steves LEDS with Controller and Moonlight Channel

3.Competitive with Rapid LED, but custom.

4.Prefer clustered LED look within a tank (Shimmer etc).

 

So, basically, for less than Steve's LED with options or without the extra work of getting a similar option using a Rapid LED kit, I will be getting a Full Spectrum LED array, moonlight channel, drivers, wiring, heatsink, Controller etc. Not forgetting, that I chose not to send in my hood, even though Dave gives you that as a standard option, I think. For me, it was a no brainer.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Update

 

Well, yesterday I received my most anticipated mod....my Nano Box Retro. As soon as I receive instructions from Dave, I'll make sure I write up a self installing tutorial.

Needless to say, even in it's raw form it looks sick. So glad I went this route rather than any of the other retro-fits.

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Update

 

Well, yesterday I received my most anticipated mod....my Nano Box Retro. As soon as I receive instructions from Dave, I'll make sure I write up a self installing tutorial.

Needless to say, even in it's raw form it looks sick. So glad I went this route rather than any of the other retro-fits.

 

I ordered one last week for my 29 BC as well. I, hoping to have it this week. I'll be following along for updates!

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OK, not much to update. Been swooning over the Nano Box RETRO. I hope to have it fitted into the hood within the next couple of weeks.

 

I also purchased my ATO reservoir...a 5.5 gal tank. Funnily enough my wife bought a $20 Betta at the same time and after realizing the mistake, couldn't understand why I was so calm about it. I'm currently considering it a success in keeping the real cost of a reef tank from her [evil grin].

 

Also done the airline mod to the Tunze skimmer, although that won't be added to the tank till after the cycle has finished...let alone started.

 

Other bits and bobs purchased, but nothing to write home about...hmmm, maybe, apart from the decision to go with special grade reef sand. Fiji Pink (or that grade) was the clear cut choice for the last year, but seeings that my ultimate aim is to have a predominate SPS tank, I thought a slightly heavier grade of sand would be wiser in the long run.

 

The rock should be purchased within the next week...then after a couple of other purchases (power strip, RKL, maintenance supplies etc), I should be ready to go wet.

 

Whoever said patience is a virtue in reefing, wasn't wrong!!!!

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  • 2 months later...

Time for an update. It's been quite a while due to vacation in the Keys and work, but certainly trying to refocus back on the tanks.

 

Finally got the NanoBox Retro installed. Great lights - recommended as option for retrofit. As soon as I have time I will get pictures of the installed lights, but if anybody has any questions concerning Dave's product, relating to the BC29, I would be more than happy to answer.

 

In other news, I decided and just purchased a controller. Now this was a big decision and investment - ReefKeeper or Apex?? Well, I have done my research and was swaying between the two companies for a while. In the end the Apex got my vote - I was just seeing one too many disgruntled reviews concerning DA to warrant a major purchase with them. The next big decision was what product? Well the Apex Jr would certainly be able to handle what I needed it to do...and the price was about right, but future expandability worried me slightly if I where to upgrade my tank. The "standard" Apex had upgrade-ability but the price point was a little too much to warrant. Oh, how I wish they were still making the Apex Lite!!! This is where the Fish Keeping Fairies intervened and led me to [probably] the last supply of brand new Apex Lite's available...Thank you Fairies!!! A little more pricey than the Apex Jr , comparable in price with an RKE...but Apex quality....sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet :D

 

It's getting close to the time get this tank wet!!!

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  • 1 month later...

Another update, in the continuing saga of a non-wet BC29.

 

Finally fired up the Apex Lite and configured it's network settings as well as update the firmware. The network settings for the Apex were quite straight forward...trying to get the port forwarding configured on the router took all the time. Anyway, finally done and set ready for physical installation....which will be another story down the line.

 

I did do a little tweaking with the NanoBox Retro. Basically I extended the wiring for power and controller jumpers. The wife didn't like the idea of the controller on the wall, so to get everything into the cabinet, I had to solder and or connect extensions, with everything finished off with cable sleeving.

Basically:

1. Pigtail 5.2mm DC extension cord soldered to bare wires from 9 volt fan attached to heatsink and sleeved.

2. Extension wires soldered and sleeved to Storm Controller jumper wires, using same gauge and colour as Dave used.

3. Pigtail 5.5mm DC extension cord (16 or 18 Gauge (cant remember)) attached to driver board and sleeved.

4. I also replaced/fitted controllable fans to the hood. Even though just the one on the heatsink probably would be fine, I just didn't like that heat could only escape from the enclosed hood passively, like that.

 

Coming up, the last of the major purchases:

 

Apex EB4

Vortech MP10W ES (I will purchase an Apex WXM module once the tank is wet).

Pinpoint PH Probe

 

..should have them ordered this week.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Minor update for this week:

 

RO/DI installed...no issues. Producing zero TDS water...and more importantly, no leaks :P

VorTech MP10wES, Apex EB4 and some other various little bits and pieces purchased arrived at the door today.

 

Biggest dilemma is how on Earth I' going to organize all the wiring for the tank. If it ain't neat, the wife will have words, I'm sure.

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  • 2 months later...

Long overdue update: Edited second post and first post has updated full tank shot...the tank is now wet after God knows how many years of planning!!!

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Day 22 Update.

 

Yet to do water tests today, but on Thursday I got my first trace of Nitrates (.25ppm), and by yesterday it had shot up to 5.0 ppm. When I checked on Friday, Ammonia had dropped from a high of about 1.5 ppm to about 0.5ppm. So far, the cycle seems to be going to plan.

 

Next on the todo list:

 

Install ATO. Even though I already had a Tunze Nano Osmolator, I just had this uneasy feeling about having just the one float switch (even though the Tunze has a pump cutoff). I could have just got a Breakout Box and extra float switch for the Apex, or see the Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 for $146 at BRS...I went for the later.

 

Install Ph Probe.

 

Finish configuring socket and alarm programming for Apex.

 

Once cycle has finished, install skimmer and filter media.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Day 32 Update.


Still mid cycle, and Nitrites are at a peak of about 20 ppm for about a week. Ph is staying steady at about 7.9. A bit lower than the 8.2 I get from freshly mixed water, but still expected during the cycle. I'll keep an eye on it, and if it drops sharply, then it could mean a stalled cycle and time for a water change.


Ammonia is at zero and nitrates rising, so things are still progressing.


Still not running the lights during the cycle, but as soon as nitrites start to fall they'll be on their daily cycle.


ATO is partly installed...
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Day 39 Update.

 

Significant drop in Nitrites...down to about 12 ppm. I suspect that within a couple of days a large water change will be in order. Once Nitites are undetectable I will give it a week or two to check that the bacterial population is strong and stable with occaisional feeding and ammonia addition. Should be ready for a cleanup crew about New Year.

 

Also just ordered a EcoTech Battery-powered Backup for the Vortech...I'll need it around these parts.

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