180G Office Paradise (2 Years Old!)

[Deckoz2302]

Sorry to hear bad news but who built the sump?

[heifinator]

Velvet is really bad, I speak from experience, fallow period will be neccessary. GL

[JDigital]

Sorry to hear bad news but who built the sump?

 

Concept Aquariums (aquatics) here in Calgary Alberta (Canada)

[JDigital]

Bit of a photo update.. Sorry the pics were taken with my phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JDigital]

Test Results for July 10, 2013:

Mag: 1350
CA: 540
ALK: 7.056 dKH
Phos: 0.32
Temp: 26C
SG: 1.024
NH3/4: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 5-10ppm

Phosphate reading seems high, but I have no algae issues except for the typical film on the glass every few days. Nitrates seem a bit high too but it is an older test kit so I'm not super confident in the result. I also have a 30G batch of fresh Saltwater for a water-change this week.

I gotta get my CA down too.

[MikeTR]

wooo haven't seen this come up in a while. Seems like you have a few new additions since the velvet incident.. test the new mix water for CA. Alk could come up a point.

[JDigital]

wooo haven't seen this come up in a while. Seems like you have a few new additions since the velvet incident.. test the new mix water for CA. Alk could come up a point.

 

Thanks Mike, I am working to bring up the ALK. although my Hanna test regent has expired, so I am concerned its not completely accurate.

 

Things have definitely turned around since the Velvet incident, although I am still having issue with a few things (not related to Velvet).

 

Primarily, the inability to keep even the easiest SPS, I thought this was due to poor Mag/CA/Alk levels, but they really aren't that bad right now so my next guess would be the 0.32 Phosphate reading even if I have lack any algae. I've also had a few different zoos melt away on me recently (specifically the blues posted above )

 

10months old this week.

 

Current stocking on this tank for fish is:

 

- One-Spot Foxface

- Sailfin Tang

- Orange Shoulder Tang

- Flame Angel

- Axilspot Hogfish

- Pair of Occelaris Clown

- Longnose Hawkfish

- Mated Pair of Diamond Gobies

- Blue Chromis

- 2 Large Cleaner Shrimp (not fish obviously)

 

Corals:

 

- 4x Various Maxi-Mini Nems

- Toadstool Leather (much larger than the pic above)

- various Zoa frags/mini colonie

- Large Green Sinularia

- GSP Rock

- Red Mushroom colony

- Pink Zoo Colony

- Green Open Brain

- Acan Colony (I had to save it from my home tank)

- Candy Cane Colony (thought it had died for sure, but a few of the mouths seem to be coming back)

- 1 Head of Purple Mushroom

- Clove Polyp

[JDigital]

Couple photos for you guys.

Still not that great even though I was using an actual camera.












Go ahead... ask me why there is a MOUNTAIN of sand on the left side.. lol

[ajayjack]

Couple photos for you guys.

 

Still not that great even though I was using an actual camera.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go ahead... ask me why there is a MOUNTAIN of sand on the left side.. lol

 

Pistol shrimp???

[JDigital]

Mated Diamond Gobies actually... They have a burrow under there and they build that massive pile a few times a month. I typically end up bulldozing it back down in the interest of aesthetics .

 

Silly Fishies! :happy:

[JDigital]

Couple Photos and a Video from my Phone.

 

 

 

Video... Just click it!

http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/DarkFader10/media/180G%20Office%20Reef%20Tank/IMG_1206_zps8b7063ed.mp4.html

[JDigital]

 

http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/DarkFader10/media/180G%20Office%20Reef%20Tank/photo1_zpsc9aa8cc7.jpg.html'>

 

http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/DarkFader10/media/180G%20Office%20Reef%20Tank/photo2_zpscfa5923d.jpg.html'>

 

 

I got around to getting the basics of the install done last night at the office, was there till 10pm on a Friday.. I like to think I'm pretty tech savvy so I hope I can set the rest of it up today. The tricky part I think is going to be setting up the network connectivity as this is a office network and I believe we have DHCP running so that could be a challenge to work around that without making any changes to our system.

 

Fingers Crossed.

[JDigital]

Well I put the new bulbs in last night, but didn't get a chance to see them as my lights were off for the night.

 

Gotta say.. I'm kinda disappointed in the color. I was expecting the 15K to be a bit more blue that what they really are.. Wasn't expecting 20K by any means (nor could I find 20K Moguls in Canada) but these are a lot more white than I was hoping for. Very bright though.

 

I got moving along with the controller today as well but am also a bit frustrated with it for a few reasons.

 

1. Being that I am connecting this to our company Network which is setup with DHCP. This is giving me all sorts of headaches trying to even FIND the Apex on the network let alone using the iphone app. Needless to say I gave up on it after about 1.5hrs of playing around. I will have to get our IT guys to give me some direction on this next week.

 

2. I'm not finding the programming as user friendly as I was hoping it would be. Perhaps it is better to do via the web browser.

 

3. I'm actually more worried about my temperature now that I have a much more accurate reading. It's getting upwards of 81.2F (when I left the office today.. and likely drops 77 in the evenings. I contribute this ALL to the MH lights. I never expected to have temp swings that large with over 200G in water volume in an Air Cond. building. I think right now my only option it to pick up a couple cheapo fans to mount next to the lights to blow the hot air away from the tank.

 

 

On the plus side I am happy I DO have a good idea of what my temps are and I can now shut off certain things (like my skimmer) when temps get high. It's nice to see what my pH is on a regular basis too.

 

Hopefully I can fix a few of these things that are bugging me and stabilize the daily temp swing.

[MikeTR]

Well I put the new bulbs in last night, but didn't get a chance to see them as my lights were off for the night.

 

Gotta say.. I'm kinda disappointed in the color. I was expecting the 15K to be a bit more blue that what they really are.. Wasn't expecting 20K by any means (nor could I find 20K Moguls in Canada) but these are a lot more white than I was hoping for. Very bright though.

Give the lights some time to burn in. It takes like 100 hours. When I first got my phoenix turned on, one of them was a lot whiter than the other 2 and I almost sent it back. I figured I would let them go through the burn in before I made a stink about it and all turned out ok.

 

I got moving along with the controller today as well but am also a bit frustrated with it for a few reasons.

 

1. Being that I am connecting this to our company Network which is setup with DHCP. This is giving me all sorts of headaches trying to even FIND the Apex on the network let alone using the iphone app. Needless to say I gave up on it after about 1.5hrs of playing around. I will have to get our IT guys to give me some direction on this next week.

Get the mac address of your apex and tell your IT guys to create a DHCP reservation for you and have them tell you what the IP is.

 

2. I'm not finding the programming as user friendly as I was hoping it would be. Perhaps it is better to do via the web browser.

It is waaaaaay easier via the website. If you can't figure it out, I can show you a few things using a remote support app.

 

3. I'm actually more worried about my temperature now that I have a much more accurate reading. It's getting upwards of 81.2F (when I left the office today.. and likely drops 77 in the evenings. I contribute this ALL to the MH lights. I never expected to have temp swings that large with over 200G in water volume in an Air Cond. building. I think right now my only option it to pick up a couple cheapo fans to mount next to the lights to blow the hot air away from the tank.

 

81 isn't really worth worrying about though the swing might be just enough to cause you to lose SPS. Either that or it's allelopathy from all the soft coral. See if you can keep pocillopora. There's a few different variations of it and it's bulletproof.

 

On the plus side I am happy I DO have a good idea of what my temps are and I can now shut off certain things (like my skimmer) when temps get high. It's nice to see what my pH is on a regular basis too.

 

Hopefully I can fix a few of these things that are bugging me and stabilize the daily temp swing.

 

Is the skimmer pump really putting that much heat into the water? I think if you get a decent fan you'll see the tank stay a few degrees cooler. You can even point it at the water in the sump and rely on evaporative cooling. I would try that before mounting fans to the rim of the tank where you can see them, though they do have some slick looking clamp on coolers with multiple fans.

[JDigital]

Give the lights some time to burn in. It takes like 100 hours. When I first got my phoenix turned on, one of them was a lot whiter than the other 2 and I almost sent it back. I figured I would let them go through the burn in before I made a stink about it and all turned out ok.

 

Get the mac address of your apex and tell your IT guys to create a DHCP reservation for you and have them tell you what the IP is.

 

It is waaaaaay easier via the website. If you can't figure it out, I can show you a few things using a remote support app.

 

 

81 isn't really worth worrying about though the swing might be just enough to cause you to lose SPS. Either that or it's allelopathy from all the soft coral. See if you can keep pocillopora. There's a few different variations of it and it's bulletproof.

 

 

Is the skimmer pump really putting that much heat into the water? I think if you get a decent fan you'll see the tank stay a few degrees cooler. You can even point it at the water in the sump and rely on evaporative cooling. I would try that before mounting fans to the rim of the tank where you can see them, though they do have some slick looking clamp on coolers with multiple fans.

 

 

- I thought about that after I posted regarding the bulbs. When they fire up there is certainly a bit more blue to them than when they are fully up and going during the day right now. I'm thinking by tomorrow or wed the main color with have shown itself. In the end though, I am still sorta kicking myself. For the cost of replacement bulbs ($150) + selling these Halides off, I could have probably picked up a couple used 24" 6bulb Tek T5 units. Maybe in a years time I will look to switch things up. It tough when big equipment purchases need to be approved.

 

- How would I go about finding the mac address? haha.

 

- I started to figure out the basics of programming, but my skimmer which I had setup to trigger off the temp hasn't ran since Saturday apparently. I had to play around with the "On Temp" setting to get it to turn on this morning.

 

- I am using what it generally a External skimmer. It has a feed pump for the water (Sedra 2500, I think) and then a separate pump for air flow (Sicce pump). While I am pleased with the skimming performance so far, I am not a fan of this style of at all primarily because of the 2 pump requirement as well as the sheer size of it. It has a huge base on it, the connections for the pumps are a nightmare to deal with in a confined tank stand, and getting it in and out of the sump is something I avoid doing until it is absolutely required. Again, being that it is a large equipment purchase, it is hard to persuade the company to buy a new one. We reefers can justify spending stupid amounts of money on things, companies that don't have the same passion are quite different, especially after I just got them to OK the AquaController. haha

 

Thanks for the big informative reply Mike! Please let me know how to find my Apex MAC address.

[MikeTR]

- I thought about that after I posted regarding the bulbs. When they fire up there is certainly a bit more blue to them than when they are fully up and going during the day right now. I'm thinking by tomorrow or wed the main color with have shown itself. In the end though, I am still sorta kicking myself. For the cost of replacement bulbs ($150) + selling these Halides off, I could have probably picked up a couple used 24" 6bulb Tek T5 units. Maybe in a years time I will look to switch things up. It tough when big equipment purchases need to be approved.

 

- How would I go about finding the mac address? haha.

 

- I started to figure out the basics of programming, but my skimmer which I had setup to trigger off the temp hasn't ran since Saturday apparently. I had to play around with the "On Temp" setting to get it to turn on this morning.

 

- I am using what it generally a External skimmer. It has a feed pump for the water (Sedra 2500, I think) and then a separate pump for air flow (Sicce pump). While I am pleased with the skimming performance so far, I am not a fan of this style of at all primarily because of the 2 pump requirement as well as the sheer size of it. It has a huge base on it, the connections for the pumps are a nightmare to deal with in a confined tank stand, and getting it in and out of the sump is something I avoid doing until it is absolutely required. Again, being that it is a large equipment purchase, it is hard to persuade the company to buy a new one. We reefers can justify spending stupid amounts of money on things, companies that don't have the same passion are quite different, especially after I just got them to OK the AquaController. haha

 

Thanks for the big informative reply Mike! Please let me know how to find my Apex MAC address.

 

on second thought, just ask them for an IP outside of the dhcp scope. For the skimmer programming I think you should just need the following:

 

Fallback ON (if power is lost to the display, the skimmer will still be on)

Set ON (sets the power on)

If Temp > 82 then OFF (turns off if temp goes to 82.1)

 

I went through the same deal with my lighting. Wasn't happy with the 250w halides so I had to buck up and buy new ballasts (the 150w/250w instead of the 250w/400w).

[JDigital]

on second thought, just ask them for an IP outside of the dhcp scope. For the skimmer programming I think you should just need the following:

 

Fallback ON (if power is lost to the display, the skimmer will still be on)

Set ON (sets the power on)

If Temp > 82 then OFF (turns off if temp goes to 82.1)

 

I went through the same deal with my lighting. Wasn't happy with the 250w halides so I had to buck up and buy new ballasts (the 150w/250w instead of the 250w/400w).

on second thought, just ask them for an IP outside of the dhcp scope. For the skimmer programming I think you should just need the following:

 

Fallback ON (if power is lost to the display, the skimmer will still be on)

Set ON (sets the power on)

If Temp > 82 then OFF (turns off if temp goes to 82.1)

 

I went through the same deal with my lighting. Wasn't happy with the 250w halides so I had to buck up and buy new ballasts (the 150w/250w instead of the 250w/400w).

 

Took me a bit to figure how to get that program language to work.. didn't realize I had to switch to advanced.

 

Is there a way to add this to what you posted:

 

Fallback ON (if power is lost to the display, the skimmer will still be on)

Set ON (sets the power on)

If Temp > 82 then OFF (turns off if temp goes to 82.1)

 

If Outlet Return = Off

Then OFF

If Outlet Return = On

Then On

 

Or something to turn off when I feed? I got my return pump shutting off for 10mins right now and my skimmer shuts off as well to avoid overflowing.. I would like the skimmer to come on 1 min after the Return pump fires back up and my water levels get back to normal.. Couldn't figure out how to tell the system to do this.

[MikeTR]

you can do something like.

 

If Outlet Return = OFF Then OFF

If FeedA 000 Then OFF

Min Time 001:00 Then ON

 

This will turn the skimmer off if you select feed A or if the return outlet is off and wait 1 minute before it turns on. I'm on vaca and out of it, so maybe the Min Time needs to be OFF instead of ON but I think it's right the way it is.

[CrazyEyes]

Shit looks good. Your sump looks nicer than my DT.

[JDigital]

you can do something like.

 

If Outlet Return = OFF Then OFF

If FeedA 000 Then OFF

Min Time 001:00 Then ON

 

This will turn the skimmer off if you select feed A or if the return outlet is off and wait 1 minute before it turns on. I'm on vaca and out of it, so maybe the Min Time needs to be OFF instead of ON but I think it's right the way it is.

 

That didn't seem to work at the time I tried it. The Skimmer just never came back on at all. haha Right now I have it set to shut up when the Feed A comes on and turn back on when the Feed A cycle ends. I haven't had any issues with the skimmer overflowing so I'm just gonna leave it.

 

Shit looks good. Your sump looks nicer than my DT.

 

Thanks. The sumps not look that nice anymore.. lots of stuff growing in the fuge area and typical salt creep. I need to do a full sump clean soon. I haven't really touched in it any way since starting the system. Definitely needs a detritus vacuum.

 

 

No real updates of late. Things are sort of on Auto-Pilot.

 

I have kind of let my testing slip though. My last check though everything seemed to be within range.

 

I have 1 patch of green turf algae growing though in the strangest place... directing in the middle of my GSP rock. No other turf algae to be seen anywhere in the system except for this small patch. I can't believe it's even able to grow thru or over GSP. I'll likely need to cut a patch of GSP out where the algae is and just chuck it in the garbage. Hopefully isolate the issue.

 

This has be thinking about adding a GFO reactor to the system now too but I'm already maxing out on my daily temperature as it is. Adding another pump to the sump will just make this worse I think.

 

I picked up 3 Dispar Anthias a few weeks ago now.. had them in QT for about 3 weeks. Unfortunately I lost one of the females the day before I had planned to add them to the tank. So it's just 1 male and 1 female. Would I be able to add more females at any time?

[JDigital]

Couple Vids showing off the tank. Taken this morning so some of the corals were still opening.

www.youtube.com/embed/CNZnvry0mFo

[fewskillz]

Lookin' good!

 

I love the sand pile a few posts up. Sand sifting gobies build some crazy stuff at the store. It's comical.

[JDigital]

I don't think I could add enough sand to prevent them from clearing an area down to the eggcrate. I kind regret trying out eggcrate in this tank for that specific reason.

 

Everyone in the office finds those gobies pretty cool to watch though. So it's a trade off.

[JDigital]

Added 2 new fish today to this tank. I didn't get a video or photo of the other one so I will leave it a secret until I can.

 

This guy is a little shy right now but I was able to record a short clip of him.

 

[JDigital]

Well, here is the "secret" fish I bought. I've already kissed the Open Brain in the tank goodbye. Really it was the only coral that didn't cross my mind when I was pondering the decision in the LFS. Thankfully, its the only coral that she has looked at or picked at so far. *Knock on Glass*!

Queen Angel:

And here is another short 1min clip of the tank with the 2 new habitats in there.

The video of the Queen Angel should be right side up shortly..