TimDanger's CADlights 39g Pro

[timdanger]

Hey Tim, on the issue of the CFL, I had that same reflector fixture, and went with the floodlight-like 6500k bulb. One advantage of the floodlight type bulb is it has a reflector built in, so you can ditch the reflector of the fixture. That lets the heat escape a bit better from the bulb

 

Glad to find your DSB will be effective!

 

Do you mean you'd be removing that entire metal hood? hadn't considered that, but it certainly does seem like it might help to dissipate heat?

[becact]

The bell shaped reflector, yeah. You don't need it when using a floodlight bulb, only with a standard type bulb.

[timdanger]

(also posted in Fish Forum, but figured I'd post here, too)

 

I've had a 4-5" lawnmower blenny in my system for about 2 months now.

 

I've never had any water parameter problems, and I have other healthy specimens in the tank (ocellaris clown, royal gramma, bluespotted jawfish). The other species have never, to my knowledge/observation, harassed or otherwise moved in on his territory. He was the first fish introduced into the tank, and he remains the largest. Although the other fish are more opportunistic when food goes into the tank, I have been erring on the side of overfeeding to help reduce competition for food.

 

He has never, to my observation, eaten any prepared foods (I feed several different varieties regularly), though I have frequently seen him eating algae off of the aquarium glass. This includes when he was the only fish in the tank. I occasionally have observed him eating algae off of rocks. However, there is a fair amount of overgrowth of green hair algae that he, nor anything else, will touch. I don't believe this is bryopsis, though i haven't entirely ruled out the possibility.

 

in any event, I'd say over the past 3-4 weeks, he's begun to noticeably shrink in girth, getting tell-tale signs of starvation (open mouth, listlessness, etc.). Over the past few days, I've noticed his stomach becoming increasingly concave.

 

I have attempted to feed the following, with no observed/differentiable results other than flat refusal:

1. hikari small marine pellets

2. tetra marine flakes

3. omega one brown seaweed (clipped to the glass, free floating in the tank, and broken up into small flakes)

4. green seaweed

5. ocean nutrition spirulina flakes

6. frozen mysis

7. frozen blood worms

8. cyclopeeze

9. tetra freeze-dried krill

 

i have also tried soaking these foods in Garlic Guard, but this hasn't made a difference, either. Food can float right past his face, and he doesn't even acknowledge it or look interested, and never has.

 

can anyone think of any other food or feeding technique that might be worth trying?

[Rehype]

That doesnt sound good tim. Unfortunately if hes not interested in any of those foods chances are hes sick.

[mkregs]

Mark, you'll be happy to hear I upgraded my fuge light to the one you suggested. And, after putting a 23w spiral 6500K CFL in there (decided the 100w replacement one would be too hot), I've already noticed, in just 4-5 days, a HUGE difference in growth speed for my Chaeto. I would say my chaeto ball is already 25% bigger than it was just a few days ago. flippin' awesome.

 

thanks for the suggestion! Here's the fixture i bought from Lowe's.

 

 

only issue i'm wondering about: the bulb is just sorta sitting out there with no cover over it. what happens if water splashes up on it? does it matter? would it be worth taking the current bulb out and substituting one of those "covered" CFL bulbs (you said that you used one that has a cover on it to make it look like a flood light)?

Glad to hear you are having positive results from the fixture. You really can't beat it for the price. I don't know what problem you might run into with the non-floodlight type CFL (maybe none as it sits several inches above the water surface). The floodlight type is nice though for the reasons stated by Becact, although I have found mine to run very cool without modification to the fixture.

Mark

[becact]

Glad to hear you are having positive results from the fixture. You really can't beat it for the price. I don't know what problem you might run into with the non-floodlight type CFL (maybe none as it sits several inches above the water surface). The floodlight type is nice though for the reasons stated by Becact, although I have found mine to run very cool without modification to the fixture.

Mark

 

I agree, heating is not really a big issue with CFL.

[timdanger]

switching out the return pump for an eheim 1262. hurray for more flow!

[mkregs]

switching out the return pump for an eheim 1262. hurray for more flow!

be sure to post a review pls. I'm interested to know how it compares with the stock pump in terms of quietness and whether it produces less heat.

[rizakaniza]

Hey, have you looked into Calcium Reactors at all? I'm want to look into this for the future.

[becact]

Hey, have you looked into Calcium Reactors at all? I'm want to look into this for the future.

 

Probably not worth it for a nano. You need to buy the reactor, CO2 tank, and a digital pH meter, and then dial in the unit. It's cost effective for a large tank, but not really for a nano, IMHO. It would be nice not to have to dose, though!

[rizakaniza]

Probably not worth it for a nano. You need to buy the reactor, CO2 tank, and a digital pH meter, and then dial in the unit. It's cost effective for a large tank, but not really for a nano, IMHO. It would be nice not to have to dose, though!

If money isn't really a huge issue, then I think it's worth it since it means more automation and less daily dosing.

[becact]

If money isn't really a huge issue, then I think it's worth it since it means more automation and less daily dosing.

 

Yes, but for less money, you could get twin peristaltic dosing pumps and automatically dose two part accurately. Way less chance of something going haywire (calcium reactors require careful adjustment and can go wrong quickly- on a nano that could be catastrophic). Also changing out the media is a chore compared to replacing the two part containers. Reactors are really better suited for very large tanks with many SPS colonies, where dosing enough two part to keep levels stable would not only be very costly, but change the salinity of the tank over time as well.

 

Actually, for probably the same amount of money as a Ca reactor setup, you could get twin peristaltic pumps, a reefkeeper to time them, and have some money left over .

 

Just a friendly suggestion; if you want to use a Ca reactor then by all means do so! Once you get them dialed in they do keep your tank nice and stable.

[rizakaniza]

Yes, but for less money, you could get twin peristaltic dosing pumps and automatically dose two part accurately. Way less chance of something going haywire (calcium reactors require careful adjustment and can go wrong quickly- on a nano that could be catastrophic). Also changing out the media is a chore compared to replacing the two part containers. Reactors are really better suited for very large tanks with many SPS colonies, where dosing enough two part to keep levels stable would not only be very costly, but change the salinity of the tank over time as well.

 

Actually, for probably the same amount of money as a Ca reactor setup, you could get twin peristaltic pumps, a reefkeeper to time them, and have some money left over .

 

Just a friendly suggestion; if you want to use a Ca reactor then by all means do so! Once you get them dialed in they do keep your tank nice and stable.

Hrmm....you have peaked my interest...I'll look into that.

[timdanger]

Hrmm....you have peaked my interest...I'll look into that.

 

I agree with Becact in opposing a calcium reactor for this size tank. And, there's one other argument against it that I want to add: besides providing little room for error, and the availability of 2-part dosing solutions as an easy alternative, calcium reactors take up way too much physical space in the vicinity of the aquarium. Unless you have a fish room on the other side of the wall from the aquarium, I really think that there are very real/definite scale limitations imposed by this tank/cabinet combination, if nothing else from an aesthetics standpoint.

 

 

In other news, my new Eheim 1262 arrived yesterday from Marine Depot. The thing looks fairly beastly, and it's surprisingly sturdy-feeling. No cheap plastics here. However, it doesn't come with suction cups -- what a pain -- for $170, you'd think they could spring for the suction cups. So, I'm off in search of some at the LFS tonight.

[mkregs]

In other news, my new Eheim 1262 arrived yesterday from Marine Depot. The thing looks fairly beastly, and it's surprisingly sturdy-feeling. No cheap plastics here. However, it doesn't come with suction cups -- what a pain -- for $170, you'd think they could spring for the suction cups. So, I'm off in search of some at the LFS tonight.

Tim, how 'bout you get that pump installed so you can give me your review...

 

I need to make a decision about what pump to get myself. Hopefully, the one you bought will be more quiet than the stock pump.

 

BTW...I decided to cancel my skimmer order with CAD yesterday.

Mark

[Rehype]

I agree with Becact in opposing a calcium reactor for this size tank. And, there's one other argument against it that I want to add: besides providing little room for error, and the availability of 2-part dosing solutions as an easy alternative, calcium reactors take up way too much physical space in the vicinity of the aquarium. Unless you have a fish room on the other side of the wall from the aquarium, I really think that there are very real/definite scale limitations imposed by this tank/cabinet combination, if nothing else from an aesthetics standpoint.

 

 

In other news, my new Eheim 1262 arrived yesterday from Marine Depot. The thing looks fairly beastly, and it's surprisingly sturdy-feeling. No cheap plastics here. However, it doesn't come with suction cups -- what a pain -- for $170, you'd think they could spring for the suction cups. So, I'm off in search of some at the LFS tonight.

 

 

+2 Ive actually ran one on a nano in the past. It was a hang on the back model. It was a pain to get everything tuned in correctly. I also had a kalkwasser reactor to work with the calcium reactor. You really need both for the system to be effective(I should say it was the most effective way to keep your ph stable while you replenished calcium). It did work but in hindsight i wish i wouldve dosed as it would have been far easier

[timdanger]

Tim, how 'bout you get that pump installed so you can give me your review...

 

I need to make a decision about what pump to get myself. Hopefully, the one you bought will be more quiet than the stock pump.

 

BTW...I decided to cancel my skimmer order with CAD yesterday.

Mark

 

no kidding! it's not for lack of trying! LFS didn't have any suction cups that would fit the eheim, but the guy working there says he has several of the same pump (he is a fan), and he just puts silicone mats (like from the cooking section at Target) underneath them, and that actually silences them even better than suction cups. so, i'll be working on getting that tonight.

 

 

bummer about the skimmer. that is off-the-wall weird. but, look at it this way: if you had actually received the bubble-magus, you probably would've gotten one of the ones whose pump has failed...? seriously though, now you have the opportunity to try and figure out a way to squeeze one of those B-M NAC7s in there!

[becact]

Hey Tim, when I had my 90g going, I also used drawer liners under my Mag 7, and that worked just fine.

[timdanger]

Well, some updates:

 

1) Chompers the algae blenny has succumb to anorexia(?) as of this morning. there was plenty of algae in the tank, but he barely grazed on any of it -- and i think i tried feeding him just about everything I could think of, soaked in garlic guard and everything, but he just didn't want to eat. when I saw him last night, he was pretty much catatonic already (which was sad to see on its own), but he was so skinny that it looked like his entire body had collapsed on itself (not just the stomach). upset to see him go, but he hasn't been looking very healthy for a long time now. i think we are done with algae blennies for a while. At least we can clean our glass off now, I guess.

 

2) durso drain makes me crazy with all its random gurgling/bubbling. I constantly have to cater to its every whim. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME DRAIN? BLOOD?? more investigation into Hofer Gurgle Buster and Herbie drains = forthcoming. I can't take much more of this having to constantly tune the f'ing thing.

 

3) still haven't been able to install the eheim. looks like I need to figure out a way to adapt my 5/8" water outlet from the pump to the size of the return hose. trip to lowe's tonight, i guess. i'll probably install a ball valve at the same time.

 

4) the bubble-magus is really doing a much better job at controlling turbulence lately. very fine milky bubbles are producing a pretty nice-looking "head" to the works.

 

5) my filter socks aren't even lasting a week anymore between replacements. seems likely due to all the excess algae growth that's happened while trying to accomodate the algae blenny's eating habits. getting a handle on this algae is going to be a task, to be sure. i also found one bubble's worth of bubble algae on a rock. i'm just going to be leaving it alone for now and hope that it just goes away on its own. if it starts spreading, it might be emerald crab time.

[Rehype]

Sorry to hear about the loss Tim... Hopefully you can figure out a way to quiet that overflow..

[rizakaniza]

5) my filter socks aren't even lasting a week anymore between replacements. seems likely due to all the excess algae growth that's happened while trying to accomodate the algae blenny's eating habits. getting a handle on this algae is going to be a task, to be sure. i also found one bubble's worth of bubble algae on a rock. i'm just going to be leaving it alone for now and hope that it just goes away on its own. if it starts spreading, it might be emerald crab time.

 

My Emerald crab is the bomb-nizzle! I highly recommend...

 

...I had a whole bunch of Bubble algae, but it is all gone now.

[mkregs]

Chompers the algae blenny has succumb to anorexia(?) as of this morning.

Sorry about this...I hate losing fish.

 

still haven't been able to install the eheim.

I'm looking forward to you getting this in so you can tell me what you think of it.

 

the bubble-magus is really doing a much better job at controlling turbulence lately. very fine milky bubbles are producing a pretty nice-looking "head" to the works.

my filter socks aren't even lasting a week anymore between replacements.

If you're not already doing it...when you go to clean them, turn them inside out then blast them with hot water in your laundry sink. I do that, then spray them heavily with vinegar and run them through the washing machine on a hot water cycle. As long as you have a couple/few socks in the rotation, it's not too bad to switch them out.

[timdanger]

... another sleep-depriving night of gurgling, bubbling, and now, TRICKLING WATER. not a waterfall, exactly -- but a random trickle, as if someone has left a leaky faucet over the friggin' overflow.

 

i looked more into the Hofer Gurgle Buster and Herbie setups last night. HGB is convenient because it uses the existing drilled holes, whereas the Herbie, though apparently more likely to work, requires running a return line outside of the tank. not the worst thing in the world, but i'm concerned that i lose a lot of my eheim's GPH running the return through an elbow and then a T to get to the two loclines? it definitely seems like the more work-intensive and less-attractive solution for a tank with the two holes already drilled. What kind of opinions do we have out there about the advantages/disadvantages of the HGB versus the Herbie? Or something else?

 

I don't know enough about plumbing.

 

So, here's my plan:

 

1) do more research today (hurray for work not being that busy around the holidays!)

 

2) go to Lowe's, pick up correct size tubes for eheim, ball valve (assuming they don't have a gate valve) and necessary fittings, plus any other plumbing pieces I feel like I want to try out (7PM).

 

3) install eheim + valve with existing durso, see what happens (8PM).

 

4) assuming that alone doesn't fix the issue, i will at that time immediately begin panicking, likely making several rash/rushed decisions. i will almost certainly shut the pump off while forgetting to shut off the rest of the tank, thereby overflowing the skimmer cup. i will then get angry at myself for having done that and rip the durso/stand pipe right out of the tank, likely bringing the return hoses with the durso. After fooling with them for a while, it becomes clear to me that the hoses will then not fit back onto the T to which they connect because they are too slippery with algae. my insomnia-induced rage/intolerance will lead me to go Office Space on the Durso, at which point I will have to begin construction on the Hofer Gurgle Buster (9:30PM).

 

5) The HGB will predictably fit right together and look fine until I put it on, only to realize after messing with it for the better part of the next hour that there IS NO SWEET SPOT, and the sucking/gurgling will be worse than the Durso ever was (11PM).

 

6) I will quickly get tired of that (as I will have been working on this for well over 3 hours at that point, without having eaten dinner), rip the HGB apart, and just stick a plain piece of PVC to use as a straight standpipe. it will, miraculously, be silent. for about 2.5 hours (2AM).

 

7) At that point, the stand pipe will make sucking noises that, cutting through the silence and waking me from my sound yet uneasy sleep, could be likened to the screams of the earth splitting open to the slurping sludge-filled bowels of Hell. I will at that point get up, turn all the lights on, and investigate (as my wife opens her laptop to begin drafting a divorce filing). I will then do my best to quickly reconstruct the durso (what's left of it) and carefully place it on top of the open standpipe. it will go back to making the same slurping sounds as before, which I will then block out by putting earplugs in (3AM).

 

8) I will proceed to wake up at 5:30AM to apparently imagined/dreamed sounds of slurping, waterfalls and flooding. when i come to my senses, I realize that none of these sounds are actually happening, and try fruitlessly to get back to sleep. I rest uneasily, drifting in and out of consciousness, until my alarm goes off (7:15AM).

 

9) I will come home from work tomorrow night, go to Lowe's again, install the Herbie, and let it run. If it works, great. If it doesn't, I am going to put the tank in night mode (read "off").

 

 

 

If you're not already doing it...when you go to clean them, turn them inside out then blast them with hot water in your laundry sink. I do that, then spray them heavily with vinegar and run them through the washing machine on a hot water cycle. As long as you have a couple/few socks in the rotation, it's not too bad to switch them out.

 

Thanks Mark. I haven't tried vinegar cleaning the socks yet. I've mostly just been taking them out, turning them inside out, and throwing them in the laundry on "HOT." I don't have a laundry sink in my laundry room, so there isn't a whole lot I can do to "pre-wash" from that perspective, short of taking the sock outside to spray it down with the garden hose. wife would kill me if i rinsed fish stuff in the bath tub, shower or kitchen sink (only other indoor higher-pressure flow options).

[timdanger]

Actual events as they unfolded last night:

 

1) picked up valve pieces/adapters from Lowe's (8PM).

2) finished measuring/cutting/installing plumbing for valves/eheim (10PM).

3) clean durso, tighten/secure return lines (10:30PM).

4) turn on eheim, water goes GURGLEGURGLESPLOOSHSPLOOSHBRUPBRUPBRUPKRSHHHHHHGURGLE both in my overflow and at my drain pipe to the sump (10:31PM).

5) notice that threaded connections on valve installation are all leaking a few tiny drops of water. tighten all with channel lock tool (nice). realize that i have almost completely "twisted" shut the 5/8" tube coming out of the eheim in the process of tightening the threaded connections to the valve. panic, turn pump off, wonder if broke it -- it continues to seemingly work, though. after tightening threaded connections, they still continue to drip (though not too terribly) anyway. that's when i think "maybe I should've used teflon tape on these threads...!" (11PM).

6) mess with opening/closing valve to control flow, mess with airline in durso cap to no avail. wisely acknowledge my decision not to buy additional plumbing parts so that I couldn't go Office Space on my durso as I had predicted.

7) messed with making small adjustments to various pieces of the plumbing; realize that it is no use, and it is earplugs time (1AM).

 

Pretty nice prediction by me yesterday morning, eh?

 

 

So... here are the two main plumbing noises I'm getting:

1) sucking/slurping from the stand pipe -- this is sometimes temporarily fixable by messing with the airline coming out of the durso cap, but that's almost always just a temporary fix.

 

2) "bursts" of water out of the drain hose into the sump. The filter sock helps to muffle the sound a little bit, but it seems like some backpressure builds up and then water just bursts through all at once (depending on the flow rate, this might happen once every 8-15 seconds), causing a substantially loud water crash/gurgle.

 

I've thought about widening the hole in the endcap to see if that helps, but my understanding is that higher flow rates would usually want a smaller hole, so I'm not sure. Maybe I should try partially covering the hole? What about using flexible hose for the standpipe portion of the durso?

 

Or, is it time to let go of the durso and install a herbie (with an external pipe running the return) or a hofer gurgle buster?

 

Also, are there any resources you guys know of that offer a reasonably comprehensive primer (i.e. not "Dr. Foster & Smith's 1 page intro to plumbing! EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!!!!* (* - not everything you need to know)") on plumbing reef tanks? I feel like I might be making basic mistakes/have fundamental misunderstandings, but I don't have any good way of correcting those because I don't know what I should be looking for.

[becact]

Hey Tim, you should always use teflon tape with threaded connections (except unions which have a rubber gasket), and purple primer with slip connections. Wherever you need parts to be removable, use a union rather than threaded PVC parts. Also, when tightening plastic threads, do not overtighten! A quarter to half turn beyond hand tight is fine.

 

I can't see your tank so don't know exactly what you are talking about on all fronts, but splashes from the drain into the sump may be easily cured by just putting the drain line exit under water.

 

Sounds like it's herbie time, though! Put the primary drain under the water level, and the safety drain over the water level (I mean in the sump), so you'll have an audible warning that your main drain needs adjusting. I'd also highly recommend a gate valve for the drain adjustment valve. I used a ball valve on my 90g, and it was pretty imprecise. I'd imagine on a small tank that small level of adjustment would be critical. You'll need to order the gate valve online, though, most likely.

 

Let me know if you have any questions about how to plumb the herbie drains!