Gabe's Custom 10G Shallow Contest Cube

[gabe3eb]

Today I went and picked up about 8 polyps of Purple Death, 3 Blue Hornets, a Super Hero Colony and this guy:

 

 

Should have everything moved over tomorrow and will have a few FTS for yas.

[gabe3eb]

No talk. Just some pics - and a video.

 

- Would love to know how to embed, if possible.

 



Top down - just like it was meant to be enjoyed. Only pieces staying on the sand are the Fungia and AOG Colony.

 



Meet Buck - and the absolutely sick Prism Favia from reefkoi.com.

 



When Target Feeding Fails...

 

 

God I wish I could get a good photographer over to my place to take pics. The Darth Mauls and some other Zoas and Duncans will be going in the tank tomorrow. I was only holding out to make sure everything was doing OK first.

[Mr. Grinch]

Hey I have some questions about your tank

 

how do you like the growth and color with your led setup? Do you have the deisired coverage? And would you maybe have changed the lens for wider coverage? The reason I'm asking is I'm in dire need of a new fixture. Looks like the early one you had on your tank for a while.

 

Also how is the live rock in the AIO? I might put some back there; I am debating ,though, the possible detrius problem.

 

Thanks!

[gabe3eb]

Hey I have some questions about your tank

 

how do you like the growth and color with your led setup? Do you have the deisired coverage? And would you maybe have changed the lens for wider coverage? The reason I'm asking is I'm in dire need of a new fixture. Looks like the early one you had on your tank for a while.

 

Also how is the live rock in the AIO? I might put some back there; I am debating ,though, the possible detrius problem.

 

Thanks!

mr grinch - several good questions. As far as coverage goes, for the 15"x15" footprint I'm using the 60 degree optics would need to be mounted much higher than they currently are over the tank to get full coverage. The other option, which I am likely to pursue, is to get a second PAR38 fixture. I'm not entirely sure which one but I have played with the idea of somehing like 80 degree optics with a 12K color temp. My only concern is some possible color blending issues. Would love to get some better feedback from evil or someone else that has used both. I know of another tank that is smaller than and uses one 20K and one 12K fully blended.

 

In regards to having LR rubble in the rear chambers, the main issue is whether there is sufficient flow back there. It's a design flaw with my design and one I'm going to have to come up with a solution for. Another good question would be, which is more useful, a little rubble or ball of cheato. I would guess cheato.

[imcosmokramer]

Tank looks nice. Great video. I don't think you can embed here, but I would be wrong.

[gabe3eb]

Thanks Kramer. I need to find a good photographer locally that will work for free frags though lol.

[gabe3eb]

Grinch- another thought for nice supplementation that may or may not be available soon is the smaller T5UHO bulbs nanocustoms and UVL are putting together. Not sure if they will provide single bulb retros or what the price point will look like.

[Mr. Grinch]

mr grinch - several good questions. As far as coverage goes, for the 15"x15" footprint I'm using the 60 degree optics would need to be mounted much higher than they currently are over the tank to get full coverage. The other option, which I am likely to pursue, is to get a second PAR38 fixture. I'm not entirely sure which one but I have played with the idea of somehing like 80 degree optics with a 12K color temp. My only concern is some possible color blending issues. Would love to get some better feedback from evil or someone else that has used both. I know of another tank that is smaller than and uses one 20K and one 12K fully blended.

 

In regards to having LR rubble in the rear chambers, the main issue is whether there is sufficient flow back there. It's a design flaw with my design and one I'm going to have to come up with a solution for. Another good question would be, which is more useful, a little rubble or ball of cheato. I would guess cheato.

 

 

Thanks for such an extensive reply I would like to see how the LEDs continue to work for you yet it is good to know that it does not cover the whole footprint. I think I might stick with a reliable 70w metal halide. Also one more question: I'm not familiar with LEDs so how would it compare in intensity to metal halides or pcs, specifically your fixture.

 

Thanks again!

[Mr. Grinch]

Grinch- another thought for nice supplementation that may or may not be available soon is the smaller T5UHO bulbs nanocustoms and UVL are putting together. Not sure if they will provide single bulb retros or what the price point will look like.

 

I definitely like that idea! I'll check out some different options and maybe work up a custom led or metal halide pendant with supplementation. I really like the 38PAR light, maybe with the 40 degree lens

 

tank is lookin good

[gabe3eb]

Also one more question: I'm not familiar with LEDs so how would it compare in intensity to metal halides or pcs, specifically your fixture.

Hey Grinch, there are some PAR values floating around for the PAR38 bulb - I will see if I can find the thread. If you are comparing 1 PAR38 ($100 plus the awesome factor) to a 70W MH (>$150 minus the awesome factor) you are going to be better off with the PAR38 for sure. No comparison with any amount of PC lighting that would cover the same footprint. PCs are def a thing of the past. I would suggest holding out and checking out nanocustoms.com new T5VHO short fixtures. Those things are going to be seriously awesome.

 

In my opinion 2xPAR38 bulbs, which is what I'm about to be running, would be equal to, if not GREATER, than a good 150W MH in PAR value. In heat output, energy consumption, price and livespan, the PAR38s will crush the Halide.

 

I'm biased as hell though obviously .

 

edit: I'm not even taking optics into account or the fact that the new PAR38s (21W vs 15 Ws) are putting out more PAR now. If you can get the desired coverage with two 40 or 60 degree optics, you will love it I think.

[gabe3eb]

Alright, here is my horrible update...

 

I just got home from a week long trip to visit family in FL and IN (yeah, that should definitely hold me over for another year ). I was feeling pretty good about leaving the tank unattended for a week too. I usually use about 3.5G of RO/DI a week. So, I hooked my ATO up to a 5G bucket full of the stuff. I overfed all the corals and Buck, my lone YCG , in the days prior to leaving also. In a rush to get ready for an early flight, I made the decision to just use a 24" Sundial fixture above the tank. Sure, this is a bit overkill in a 15" wide tank, but a lot of the corals used to be kept under this light, and I was pretty certain none of them would care.

 

Well f*** me.

 

I got back today to find the 5 gallon bucket empty, the rear chamber had less than 1" of water in it AND buck was perched (I thought dead) to the bottom of the tank back there. Water was a bit hazy and since my heater was kept in the EMPTY REAR CHAMBER, it has exploded inside itself and the water temp was around 61 Degrees.

 

Like I said, F*** me.

 

I estimate that the ATO bucket had been empty for around 24 hours or so. I didn't bother to test the salinity, instead opting to drive like a mad-mad to the local store to pick up some water (from the fridge aisle), heat it up in my sink as quick as possible and get it added back in. The tank has taken almost 2 whole gallons of fresh water. After the temp and water level were back to normal, I did a 10% water change to boot.

 

Now for the toll. I think I will lose all of my SPS with the exception of my least favorite, a Monti Digitata. Aside from that, some of the LPS, the Duncan colony specifically, is pretty pissed off looking. My two Yumas are shriveled, and the Zoas and Palys seems only moderately pissed off, and making a recovery. Time will tell. Buck is definitely freaked out and I don't want to take him out of the rear-chamber tonight, he has been stressed enough. The good news is that he is eating though. I don't want to lose the poor guy, I have had him for a while now.

 

I will keep the updated coming. Everyone pray to the coral and fish god for me.

 

[mdannyg]

wow, really sorry to hear about this. i had never checked out your thread before and i'm sorry it had to be when you've just had this happen. i saw your picture on the par 38 thread and really liked your tank. I hope you recover as much of everything as possible.

 

I'm not entirely sure which one but I have played with the idea of somehing like 80 degree optics with a 12K color temp. My only concern is some possible color blending issues. Would love to get some better feedback from evil or someone else that has used both. I know of another tank that is smaller than and uses one 20K and one 12K fully blended.

 

i'm actually doing this, but i dont have my tank started yet. i've got one of each color temp both with 80 degree optics on a 24x18" tank. i'm not sure what you mean as far as color blending issues. to my untrained eyes and this being my first reef lighting, and with a completely empty tank, it still looks pretty blue and i can't tell any difference between where one light starts or ends.. (a little more blue than i was hoping actually) i could take a picture when i get back home but it would just be of an empty tank and not sure it would help.

[octoman]

holy f.

[gabe3eb]

i've got one of each color temp both with 80 degree optics on a 24x18" tank. i'm not sure what you mean as far as color blending issues. to my untrained eyes and this being my first reef lighting, and with a completely empty tank, it still looks pretty blue and i can't tell any difference between where one light starts or ends.. (a little more blue than i was hoping actually) i could take a picture when i get back home but it would just be of an empty tank and not sure it would help.

Thanks Danny.

 

I would love to see some pics. The issue with blending that I was refering to is that the bulb I have now is a 20K temp. I would like for the second one to be 12K, but don't want it to look funny having them different colors.

 

 

holy f.

indeed... hopefully someone can learn from this mistake

[Meech]

Geez gabe, that's rough. Hopefully some of the stuff on the edge will pull through... you've got skills so I bet you can pull it off. Please keep us updated.

 

indeed... hopefully someone can learn from this mistake

 

I see that the over-evap is what caused the subsequent breakdown... what would you do next time? This would really help me learn from this mistake. Thanks.

[gabe3eb]

I see that the over-evap is what caused the subsequent breakdown... what would you do next time? This would really help me learn from this mistake. Thanks.

 

Hey Meech, thanks for the kind words. The entire issue was due to putting the 4x24W T5 fixture on top of the tank which almost DOUBLED the rate of evaporation over a week. I went from roughly 3.5-4 gallons gone a week (that is on the high side too, but to be fair) to what amounts to 7ish gallons evaporated in 1 week. I never would have thought this was going to be an issue. As far as I knew I was using 20% more top-off water than needed. So lesson learned there is that a heat source, doesn't even have to be MHs, can increase evap by double, easily. My fixture even had a built in fan and I was using a shorter photo-period on the T5s than I normally would, just in case there were issues with the corals adjusting.

 

Biggest lesson learned though was that maybe short of cleaning your glass, you should simulate leaving a tank unattended for the same period of time you will actually be leaving it unattended prior to letting it fend for itself and having a silly mistake like mine kill some of your livestock.

 

Lights are out now, I will be able to see the toll in the morning though I'm sure.

 

Edit: also being redundant with something like heat (which is such a quick/easy/cheap fix) is probably a good idea. The tank could have handled the salinity change a ton easier than the temp change.

[Meech]

All good info... thanks! Will stay tuned and hopeful.

[Mr. Grinch]

wow that sucks bigtime man. I really hope that it's not as bad as it might look! Your tank is pretty much a lot of help as I stumbled across it and found it had similiar a design. Not many other 8" tall shallow AIO tanks out there.

 

Wish you the best of luck tomorrow and a quick recovery!

[pismo_reefer]

deezamn gabe... yer good at this game..

[got2envy]

Freakin' chit

 

I am sorry to hear gabe I hope everything recovers, did I mention I hate going on vacations lol

[opy01]

+1^

 

I went on a 12 day and had someone watching my tank. I hooked two 5 gallon jugs and a 4 gallon bucket together and still ran out due to the fish saver getting clogged and pouring water out on the floor. It seems that everything is perfect and runs with no problems for weeks but the one week you go on vacation something goes wrong . I hope everything comes back ok. If not, I hope you didnt lose too much.

[gabe3eb]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. Things are looking a bit more normal this morning. My water tests shows everything ok. The pH is probably just a little low, but that's nothing some buffer in the top off water can't fix. The salinity also dropped to around 1.021 or so. And, I think I will buy another Heater, as the 50W Hydor Theo couldn't seems to keep the Temp constant very well overnight.

 

I pulled out two nice SPS pieces this morning .

 

I can't believe I underestimated the evap rate (or didn't even really think of it that much to be honest) and it led to this problem. Ugh.

 

Waterchange time.

[gabe3eb]

I went on a 12 day and had someone watching my tank.

 

Another important one I missed ^^^^^^^^^^^

 

I have only lived in Colorado Springs for about 5-6 months and don't know a lot of local folks. I have made some friends with several of the Local Reefers though, so I should have just swallowed my pride and asked one to look after the tank a day or two.

[gabe3eb]

Param's have been pretty steady since I did my emergency maintenance a few days ago. I had planned to trade some Coral and Moolah with a local that breed's Onyx Clowns and with everything in the tank stabilized a bit, I decided to go through with it. Here is the first pic of the two Onyx's. They don't even have their tail stripes yet!

 

 

Updated toll of the recent problems is that 2/5 SPS frags have lived and everything else seems to be recovering just fine also. This stuff amazes me at how resilient it is.

 

Edit: Just ordered my second PAR38 bulb!

[redkneecoral]

you have done soooo much since i was last on here, outstanding job

I love your new darth and the rest of the zoas, along with your gr. fungia