Sunlight Clam Pico II (1.25g)

[travisurfer]

Wow, that sucks tiny. My pico sucks right now because of the exact same thing: pump failure. It looks like things are starting to come back around but the gsp still isn't happy. Best of luck fixing it.

[cmador]

Hate to read this!!! IME, a cold water temp. problem is much better than a hot one. Good Luck.

[Needreefunds]

oh noes!

 

Hang in there Tiny, nice job switching to life support mode!

 

Good luck with the plumbing project.

[tinyreef]

IME, a cold water temp. problem is much better than a hot one.

true dat!

 

thanks everyone for all the well wishes! i appreciate the support!

 

tank's dusty (kicked up sand from the life support) and looks a bit ragged but at least the livestock's doing well.

 

but i just find out my replacement system doesn't work.

 

actually, it's kinda appropriate for the week i've had. *sigh*

 

i just finished cleaning off the scale, dust (it's kinda old), and old unmentionable crap , plug it in...no worky. bleh.

 

i hope 2009 is a better year.

[travisurfer]

 

I think you awe yourself a new HOB.

[tinyreef]

yeah, i just bought a new canister filter i'm going to use as a sump and inline feed to the chiller/heater and take over flow duties. i was going to use my old one (it had been sitting in the corner for 6+ years >.< ) but it didn't fire up after cleaning and de-scaling.

 

so i'm putting off the changeover until the new unit comes in, probably late next week. the life support is fine so it's not a horrible situation. the flow dynamics leave a lot to be desired though but as a band-aid, it's ok.

 

i am a bit concerned on how much the canister's going to put out versus the old AC mini that could be throttled down. while their ratings are approximately equal at full power, the canister can't be throttled back. so i'm hoping the additional length it's going to have to go thru (as the inline feed to the chiller/heater) will add enough head-pressure to lower the flow/gph. 140-gph in a 1-gallon tank is gonna make for a lotta waves.

 

also, not pleased that the canister will technically add an additional 0.75-gallons of volume, making the setup a technical 2-gallon volume. meh. whatever.

 

i was thinking a closed-loop too (would've limited the volume addition and been much cheaper) but i'm simply not up for a diy project like that at the moment. maybe another changeover later on. it's all about re-thinking and refining.

 

thanks for comments and reading!

[travisurfer]

lol Tiny. Your chiller adds volume too. My Whisper filter is 110 gph running full throttle iirc.

[tinyreef]

actually, the chiller's volume is very little. the volume in the tubing going to/from the chiller is more than the volume in the unit itself!

 

the thermal transfer chamber of the chiller is less than the size of a fist and that isn't entirely hollow either (raceways for greater surface area/thermal transfer, i guess, based on the drawings).

 

the chiller unit looks big but most of the space is the motor/fan and heat sink. there's actually a lot of empty space as well. i guess they have to make sure it still looks purty.

[travisurfer]

ok, tiny, whatever you say...

[Carinya]

so did everything recover?

[tinyreef]

oh yeah, everything's doing very well actually. sorry i haven't posted any update pics but i'm waiting for the new filter/canister and rig everything up to show a decent picture of the whole thing.

 

the incident's given me a chance to review some stuff and see some new interesting creatures (there's this little something...not sure wtf it is actually but it moves). i'll see if i can post a picture of it other than a white blobby thing with antennae. kinda think it's a nudi but it moves so slow and just hangs out. *shrugs*

 

anyhow, the clams seem to have shrugged off the cold spell. they've gone back to sop. the maxijet life support hangs overhead but since the lighting's coming from the side, everything in the tank could care less.

 

if anything, i'm eyeballing this vermetid snail which has been growing on the baby max like a coiter. i'm contemplating how to kill it without breaking the max in half.

 

i'll post some pics this weekend after my other daughter's bday party. i did the middle one's last weekend, 12-squealing tweens. *thud*

 

this weekend's 16 pre-tweens. actually, they're easier to entertain so i'm hoping to survive...somewhat.

 

but the new filter (actually just going to use it as a closed-loop type of setup) should be in thursday/friday so i shold have it rigged up by sunday. >.<

 

thanks for checking in though, cary!

 

not sure what trav meant but whatever.

[Carinya]

trav's just being grumpy.

[travisurfer]

[tinyreef]

finally! ok, took out the 'life support setup' and installed the new canister filter (Fluval 105). it's really being used more as a closed loop than anything else. still working out some issues here and there (minor incident this morning) but i had been testing the unit the last couple of weeks and it seems fine so far.

 

side view of the tank with the Input & Output along with the ATO. still not as streamlined as i would like but it works as a unit. probably a bigger deal is finally having the ATO back on-line. checking the water level everyday was getting to be a bit much.

 

i thought the clam was about to grow another scute/ridge layer a month or so back but it turns out it's growing a larger scute first. normally, croceas are pretty smooth because their scutes are worn down thru rock-boring activities or just growing larger. captive-raised croceas often have maxima-type scutes (as seen below) though.

 

sorry for the glare but i had to shine a LED flashlight to get a decent pic because it was around 9PM. the clam is still kinda sleepy in this shot. the LED light really makes it react though (versus a regular incandescent flashlight's light). you can see the reddish tinge of the room's halogen lights toward the right of the clam versus the LED lighting over mst of the pic.

 

so far, so good into the winter months with this tank. obviously, the clams and corals are getting less sunlight than spring/summer times but they seem to be compensating/dealing with it pretty well. i'm still seeing decent growth for the clams (e.g. scute layer) and corals. i knew the corals would be fine but i wasn't as sure about the clams. with the days getting longer now (solstice) i would think the 'worst' is over, lighting-wise.

 

the recent 'life support' period kicked some nuisance algae growth (some hair and some cyano) but nothing crazy.

 

i've been thinking about taking out the sand and replacing it with black sand but that's still just a side thought i'm kicking around. i'd avoided it at the beginning due to temperature issues with the black sand absorbing too much sun heat but with the chiller in-place, i'm not as concerned with that.

[Lalani]

Great update, tiny! Glad to see it's off life-support, and I think the black sand would look pretty sweet!

Oh, and how come nobody has said 'that clam looks as happy as a.......... clam!' yet?

I crack myself up...

[tinyreef]

^^^*groan*

 

thanks for the comment!

 

i'm hoping to be able to snap some better pictures in the next few days as i'll be (mostly) off from work and able to get some daylight shots.

 

still picking off/crushing some vermetid snails that have grown onto and are annoying the baby maxima.

 

going to try and picture the black sand. just not 100% self-convinced...yet.

[travisurfer]

looks great

 

i would be weary of black sand in that tank. i could see it getting ugly really fast with the sunlight and small volume. not worth disturbing the tank at this point. while it does look good, the maintenance to keep it looking good is a major pain.

[clifford513]

looks great

 

i would be weary of black sand in that tank. i could see it getting ugly really fast with the sunlight and small volume. not worth disturbing the tank at this point. while it does look good, the maintenance to keep it looking good is a major pain.

+ 1 Black sand is a pain in the arse! I really like your tank as is and have enjoyed your "log of events".

[tinyreef]

hmm, ok maybe i'll forgo the black sand then. it's not like i'm looking for more work/maintenance.

 

daytime side view (circa 12PMish), things are more opened up than the last post's shot.

 

can't get a decent front view shot without hella glare so i used a clear box to view from the top to get the reflected look from the front pane. it shows a couple of viewing angles and colorations.

 

closeup of crocea, some coralline is finally showing. juuuust a itty bit.

 

oh, and i upgraded the light reflector.

 

i still hate the ATO floatswitch. *sigh* still looking for a slimline and affordable water level switch instead of these clunky floatswitches. year 6 or 7 in this search? bleh.

 

thanks for reading!

[Needreefunds]

New light reflector looks awesome Tiny!

 

And a +2 on the black sand....Trying to keep my little 5.5 contest tank clean is quite a PITA.

While I thought the contrast in colors was very pleasing to the eye at first, at this point it simply looks dirty all the time. JMHO.

Oh welz, reef and learn I 'spose.

 

But hey, I do have about 10lbs left should you decide to give it a go. You are welcome to it.

 

 

 

Still lovin' this tank Sir.

[iFISTmoose]

how is that chiler working for you? i am planing on getting a chiller for my aquapod 12 and that one seems the most affordable. How is the reliability so far?

[tinyreef]

thanks, nrf! i have some black sand but i'll likely skip it to limit the upkeep work. too lazy.

 

fist, the chiller's working very well! it's keeping the temp in a tight range. during the night the heater's function dominates and during the day the chiller dominates to compensate the sunlight. i'd highly recommend it!

[travisurfer]

awesome tiny

 

was it the tunze osmolator that had the small float switch?

[clifford513]

Digging the new reflector

[tinyreef]

awesome tiny

 

was it the tunze osmolator that had the small float switch?

thanks!

 

i think the tunze is the same dimensions overall but with a skinnier float? i've seen a really slick optical level switch which is about the size and obtrusiveness of a thermometer. $$$ though.

 

like the reflector, cliff? actually, i don't. my back is still aching from shoveling it. i can't wait for warmer (longer) days.