20xL mixed rimless - SELLING?

[Dolphins18]

yeah! great game. very nice tank btw.

[JBM]

looking good,

 

i like your new water change method better. Mine is similar, but i have to turn of my koralia.

 

& when did salt get so dam expensive? i remember it being $50-60.... went to a lfs & it's up to $75-90

 

GOSH

[Edelmango]

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Sorry for the long posts. Here's some visual updates...but first I need to introduce the director of water change safety, Kona:

 

 

 

 

 

Kona looks like he keeps everything safe for you. We all know a water changes can be very dangerous.

[d9hp]

yeah! great game. very nice tank btw.

 

Thanks man.

 

Have a link for your tank?

 

 

looking good,

 

i like your new water change method better. Mine is similar, but i have to turn of my koralia.

 

& when did salt get so dam expensive? i remember it being $50-60.... went to a lfs & it's up to $75-90

 

GOSH

 

Man the D-D salt is expensive but it's worth it. I love the stuff.

 

 

Kona looks like he keeps everything safe for you. We all know a water changes can be very dangerous.

 

Haha super dangerous.

 

On my way home yesterday I stopped at a store in Burlington that has crazy prices and got a $30 brain and a $10 - three head torch. Crazy prices.

 

I couldn't pass them up....but I really have to stop getting #### at this point because I don't want the tank to start looking cluttered.

 

I love the placement of the torch currently, it looks really natural IMO.

 

 

 

 

I have a brain:

 

 

And some PE from my original birdsnest, the first SPS in the tank:

 

 

Cal: 440

Alk: 8 or 9

Mg: 1300

pH: 8.2

Temp: 80.0

Nitrate: <1ppm

[JBM]

readings look solid, temp is a tad high for my liking. I keep my reef on the cooler side of 76-77, but if it works for you thats all that matters.

 

so how often do you change your water & how much? I generally do 4-5 gallons every 5-6 days.

[tundrashaul]

 

 

Great pic. That torch does look great there.

[d9hp]

readings look solid, temp is a tad high for my liking. I keep my reef on the cooler side of 76-77, but if it works for you thats all that matters.

 

so how often do you change your water & how much? I generally do 4-5 gallons every 5-6 days.

 

Thanks. I haven't had any problems running at 80. My controller cuts off the heater at 80.1 and turns it back on at 80.0 so it stays pretty tight.

 

 

Great pic. That torch does look great there.

 

Thanks man. It's way bigger in my tank than at the LFS though...so it might have to get cut down at some point. It's still 3" away from everything back there but I am worried about sweepers.

 

 

LOOK AT THAT BELLY. Sorry Darth was in the way but do you see this fat bastard?

 

So I need help. I can't beat this damn cyano and I'm stumped. Is there like a new tank syndrome thing I'm not realizing? My next move is converting my AC70 into a fuge. Would this really make a huge difference? I currently run carbon and phosban and my nitrates are damn near undetectable.

 

It's coming up in areas of high flow, not low flow and I have tried sucking it out as much as possible. In the mornings it's gone and then by the end of the day there's a few small patches. It's not really a huge deal because it goes away but I have done 4 water changes in 7 days and it's still coming up. Is this going to go away in another month if I stay consistent with my water changes or have I overstocked the tank with my 6th fish?

 

There are no territorial issues and everyone gets along really well. I feed flake and pellet every other day and I drop about 1/2 a cube of mysis in the tank every 4 days (every other feeding) because that's actually all that the cardinal eats. I rinse the food.

 

I currently dose 3 drops of oyster feast and 5 drops of phytofeast daily. I still have the same cyano regardless because I went two weeks without dosing the stuff. I also didn't feed ANYTHING for a few days and still have the same thing. Any advice / experience would be appreciated.

 

 

-Dustin

[Squared]

Don't call him fat you'll hurt his FEELINGS lol

[JBM]

Your 100% positive its cyano? Are you running phosguard or similar phosphate remover? Have any macro algaes in the tank? 6 fish is alot. Most of your fish do get large, but are not fast growers.

[Squared]

Your 100% positive its cyano? Are you running phosguard or similar phosphate remover? Have any macro algaes in the tank? 6 fish is alot. Most of your fish do get large, but are not fast growers.

 

as long as aggression isn't bad and na and phos are low, keep as many fish as you can (but be sure to take into acount max size).

 

but i guess a lot of fish poo can be bad...

 

but your tank looks great and coral look good.

[Clavius85]

LOOK AT THAT BELLY. Sorry Darth was in the way but do you see this fat bastard?

ROFL

[steely185]

Your tank is looking good. I like that brain.

[d9hp]

Don't call him fat you'll hurt his FEELINGS lol

 

Haha I don't think he's going to stop eating from his castle.

 

Your 100% positive its cyano? Are you running phosguard or similar phosphate remover? Have any macro algaes in the tank? 6 fish is alot. Most of your fish do get large, but are not fast growers.

 

100% cyano. I'm running phosban.

 

No macros.

 

I know most of my fish get large but the tank is being torn down in a year when I move and I shouldn't have any issues. I don't feed much and added them in a very specific way so there are no territory issues.

 

I realize most people wouldn't agree with 6 fish but I feel like the foot print of the tank allows something like this given my water canges.

 

as long as aggression isn't bad and na and phos are low, keep as many fish as you can (but be sure to take into acount max size).

 

but i guess a lot of fish poo can be bad...

 

but your tank looks great and coral look good.

 

Yeah I'm sure there is some sort of dissolved nutrients feeding the nitrate but I don't know what my next move should be.

 

Thanks for the compliments.

 

 

Your tank is looking good. I like that brain.

 

Thanks steely, much appreciated. I really love the brain. They had a red one that was similar but wanted a fair asking price as opposed to a ridiculously low one.

[d9hp]

Ordered a phosban reactor, more phosban, eheim 1250 , and a ton of plumbing stuff for a closed loop with two returns. Also got a heater and thermometer to try and speed up my water change routine and finally another round of ESV 2-part.

 

I've got to get this cyano sorted out. I have a lot to do this week as well. Need to convert the AC70 to a fuge (no idea how I'm going to find a low profile light source that doesn't cost more than $30) and build a proper snail guard for the float switches. Came home yesterday and the water was just millimeters away from the lip and my controller is fine. I had topped off like 80 times in the past two hours. Yikes.

 

Updates to come. I'll try and document the whole build process because this is a pretty big change for the tank. The AC70 flow will be reduced greatly for the fuge and the two new returns will be nozzle flares pointed at the surface to try and clean it up some. I imagine this is going to add about one gallon of water to the system and I have a method for using this to tackle my water changes....stay tuned.

[tundrashaul]

Ordered a eheim 1250 .

 

 

 

 

 

I have a method for using this to tackle my water changes.

 

.

 

GREAT pumps. I love my 1048, runs completely silent and can run in about an inch and a half of water. I did'nt believe when my top off failed and i found it running in little to no water with the whole system still running.

 

 

I'm following, how much of your WC volume is the AC capable of holding. bout 1/3? Great idea and it can help you keep a higher water level during it all

[JBM]

Need to convert the AC70 to a fuge (no idea how I'm going to find a low profile light source that doesn't cost more than $30)

 

get two of these

 

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/prod...fm?pcatid=17638

 

i have one & my cheato isnt thriving, but it isnt dead either. Buying another one in a few days

[Squared]

I use a red sea dragonfly. Got is for $13, it is a 7w lamp, however, my cheato dosn't seem to be thriving.

[Wilioli]

my chaeto seems to be fine with a 26w homedepot bulb... -- actually its GE from walmart.. home depot only had phillips for triple the price.. ANYWAYS, the light isn't on top of my filter, its shining through the plastic on the back (fixture wasn't high enuff) -- and the chaeto isn't growing double every week, but is getting darker and a slower growth for sure. Not sure if you're lookin for an LED smaller bulb style tho ...

[d9hp]

GREAT pumps. I love my 1048, runs completely silent and can run in about an inch and a half of water. I did'nt believe when my top off failed and i found it running in little to no water with the whole system still running.

 

I'm following, how much of your WC volume is the AC capable of holding. bout 1/3? Great idea and it can help you keep a higher water level during it all

 

Well the AC70 won't be the part of the water change so much as the closed loop. I'm going to add in a T connection with a hose at the pump's inlet so I just grab a hose, stick it in the bucket, and let it suck up the water for the water change. No more pitchers and pouring onto a saucer in the tank. I'm going to really speed things up this way I think. The biggest thing is I am attempting to minimize my hands in the tank. I think the tank looks best when I leave it alone for days at a time. I'll just mix up a bucket and leave it next to the tank (there's some negative space in the corner) and just change a gallon or two when I feed the fish and then swap out the bucket once it's empty. I ordered a heater and two identical thermometers so I can make sure things are identical.

 

I'm glad you've had good experiences with the Eheim, I haven't heard anything bad about them yet!

 

get two of these

 

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/prod...fm?pcatid=17638

 

i have one & my cheato isnt thriving, but it isnt dead either. Buying another one in a few days

 

I thought about doing something like that but I've decided to just do the gang box DIY light that a number of people on here have done. I'm going to have to cut out the lid of the filter and put a piece of clear acrylic in its place as well. A local reefer is going to give me some cheato this weekend so hopefully I'll have my fuge up and running by Sunday. My reactor stuff won't be here until Monday

 

 

I use a red sea dragonfly. Got is for $13, it is a 7w lamp, however, my cheato dosn't seem to be thriving.

 

I looked into that sort of thing as well but I haven't ever seen anyone that has cheato doing amazing under them.

 

my chaeto seems to be fine with a 26w homedepot bulb... -- actually its GE from walmart.. home depot only had phillips for triple the price.. ANYWAYS, the light isn't on top of my filter, its shining through the plastic on the back (fixture wasn't high enuff) -- and the chaeto isn't growing double every week, but is getting darker and a slower growth for sure. Not sure if you're lookin for an LED smaller bulb style tho ...

 

I imagine cheato won't do fantastic in my tank because my nutrient level is so low but hopefully it will at least out compete the cyano!

 

Waiting for Monday!

[d9hp]

Calcium is down to 400 in just a few days. Obviously need to up my 2-part to like 10-15mL daily. Insane!

 

Found the flip cam and figured I'd take a more recent video. Last few seconds has a FTS in there that actually captures things like I get to enjoy them from my favorite seat.

 

 

Be sure to watch in 720p!

[Rehype]

Calcium is down to 400 in just a few days. Obviously need to up my 2-part to like 10-15mL daily. Insane!

 

Found the flip cam and figured I'd take a more recent video. Last few seconds has a FTS in there that actually captures things like I get to enjoy them from my favorite seat.

 

 

Be sure to watch in 720p!

 

Nice job on the vid. Your tank looks really good D.

[Wilioli]

my favourite part was the gsp!!!! lol! awesome video man

[JBM]

absolutely amazing coral placement.

 

So those two float switches? ATO? what brand do you use? how are they mounted?

[Clavius85]

Nice video and a sweet tank!

[d9hp]

Nice job on the vid. Your tank looks really good D.

 

Thanks man. Means a lot to hear and it never gets old!

 

That was a quick video I plan on doing another one with my tripod in a few weeks or so and really making it look good. AJ_stin's (or whatever) video of his 47 rimless blew me away the first time I saw it. He sort of has an advantage being a professional videographer or something with access to equipment but that's what I'd like to do. I love documenting the growth.

 

 

my favourite part was the gsp!!!! lol! awesome video man

 

Haha good stuff Wilioli. Glad you liked it and thanks.

 

 

absolutely amazing coral placement.

 

So those two float switches? ATO? what brand do you use? how are they mounted?

 

Thanks JBM. I won't be saying that in another two months when I start losing pieces from warfare but I'm going to try and keep things pruned enough to be happy.

 

Float switches are for ATO, yes.

 

Here's the pertinent snippets of code for you to get an idea of what's happening with it...maybe this is more than you're asking.

 

#define float_switch 13 //IO pins on board

#define safety_float 14

 

//--------------- automatic top-off ---------------------

if(digitalRead(float_switch)) //check ATO

if(digitalRead(safety_float)) { //check secondary ATO to make sure re-fill IS required

ATO();

}

 

 

//---ATO-------

 

void ATO(){

 

digitalWrite(ATO_pump, HIGH);

int i;

for(i=0; i<50; i++){

delay(refill_duration);

}

 

digitalWrite(ATO_pump, LOW);

 

top_offs_today++; //update the counter

 

ATO Brand

Those are from NY but I got mine for like $.45 from China China. Took 3 weeks but so did my relays and I wasn't even in NC yet when I was ordering that stuff.

 

They're mounted terribly because it's not safe. The both have to be down to fire the pumps but they're close enough so that a snail could get on top of one and have its shell push the other down. This has only happened once (this week in fact) but it obviously could pump ~4g of water into the tank if it happened when I had just filled up the ATO reservoir. I have some more thin acrylic that I'm going to use to make a snail guard over the weekend while I'm knocking out the AC70 mod. I'll have to take some pictures of that as well.

 

Nice video and a sweet tank!

 

Thanks Clavius...wish I had drilled mine like your new one. That's going to be really nice soon.