Supermarvin's PicO III

[BadCrab]

When you can't detect a cycle "naturally" is the only time I would dose a small amount of pure ammonia, so you can be assured the nitrifying bacteria are present.

[supermarvin76]

When you can't detect a cycle "naturally" is the only time I would dose a small amount of pure ammonia, so you can be assured the nitrifying bacteria are present.

Really? How much, and where do I get ammonia?

[BadCrab]

Jordon dosed Ammonium Chloride into his tank, discussion about it on page 12 of the Nitoralis build thread

[Mstefa1]

Okie dokie. But I need to mod it first. I thought I had all the pieces, but apparently I need a little dab of aquarium sealant to block the two holes inside of it. Is that right? I watched a YouTube video on it and it said to seal a hole, but I see two holes.

 

I didn't put anything into this hole. It needs to be blocked to prevent bubbles from going through so I left the stock airline in place, just disconnected. I figured if it kept the hole blocked in the stock position it should continue to block the hole. You just don't want to leave it open or the bubbles will go through it.

 

When you can't detect a cycle "naturally" is the only time I would dose a small amount of pure ammonia, so you can be assured the nitrifying bacteria are present.

 

That's purely a matter of opinion. Generally I don't test during a cycle as I just wait 3-4 weeks and watch for the signs then test only at the end. Marvin used live rock from a larger setup so he may not experience a cycle. Personally if I waited several weeks and I wasn't convinced the tank cycled I'd just toss in a small fish. I'm not a fan of dosing ammonia in a tank but I've never used dry rock, always live rock.

[supermarvin76]

Off topic, slightly...

 

So I bought a 10 gallon, heater and Hydor to set up a QT. Now I'm thinking why make it a QT when I have a little left over live rock, and could just grab a aquaclear 70, and Par38 and have a second tank.

 

Hmmmm.......

[BadCrab]

This is how it starts... lol

[TristanC]

Lol put all your effort and money into the picO

[supermarvin76]

This is how it starts... lol

I'm going to plop a couple clowns in the 10 gallon this week. And watch them. Just water changes in anticipation of the PicO bring ready in the next few weeks.

 

Lol put all your effort and money into the picO

I know I know... Like I tell my wife, "I was just sayin..."

 

Maybe next year!

[Mstefa1]

Off topic, slightly...

 

So I bought a 10 gallon, heater and Hydor to set up a QT. Now I'm thinking why make it a QT when I have a little left over live rock, and could just grab a aquaclear 70, and Par38 and have a second tank.

 

Hmmmm.......

 

Frag tank. Otherwise you will never keep your sandbed clean.

[supermarvin76]

So, over the past week I've found a total of about a dozen dead little things floating at the top. They're clear, and look like little shrimp. I would guess they're about 1/4"-1/2", can't really tell for sure.

 

Also, I am going to try to move the rock around on the left side of my display some. I want to make some more open sand space. Also, I've found that once the 9002 skimmer is in its chamber in back, I will actually still have quite a bit of space I that chamber to for some rock. Pretty stoked about that.

[TristanC]

I get them daily, I believe it's amphipods molting.

[supermarvin76]

I get them daily, I believe it's amphipods molting.

I presume that's good?

 

Also, my Rio 800 in the return chamber is loud. Sorta like a grinding noise. Is that normal for those?

[TristanC]

Yeah its all good, nothing out of the ordinary. As for the rio, they are a little loud at first but it will quite down a bit after its running for a while.

[Mstefa1]

I presume that's good?

 

Also, my Rio 800 in the return chamber is loud. Sorta like a grinding noise. Is that normal for those?

 

I have a small Rio on my Aquafuge and it's always silent. As for my Pico, I requested different pumps so I can't answer that however often pumps may be slightly noisy until they get their slime coat.

 

So, over the past week I've found a total of about a dozen dead little things floating at the top. They're clear, and look like little shrimp. I would guess they're about 1/4"-1/2", can't really tell for sure. Also, I am going to try to move the rock around on the left side of my display some. I want to make some more open sand space. Also, I've found that once the 9002 skimmer is in its chamber in back, I will actually still have quite a bit of space I that chamber to for some rock. Pretty stoked about that.

 

I don't understand about more room in the chamber to fit rock... Your not planning on filling it with rubble are you? That's an old school way of thinking and people quickly found out that all it does is provide a place for detritus to accumulate. The real problem is that its very difficult to keep clean.

[supermarvin76]

I have a small Rio on my Aquafuge and it's always silent. As for my Pico, I requested different pumps so I can't answer that however often pumps may be slightly noisy until they get their slime coat.

 

 

I don't understand about more room in the chamber to fit rock... Your not planning on filling it with rubble are you? That's an old school way of thinking and people quickly found out that all it does is provide a place for detritus to accumulate. The real problem is that its very difficult to keep clean.

 

No rubble, actual pieces of rock. I would like to try to thin out the left side of my display, but would also like to keep the rock in the system.

 

On another note, I am thinking about dropping for a controller. If I were to go off the reviews on BRS, I would for sure get the ReefKeeper as 4 1/2 stars out of 68 reviews, but I've head Apex is the way to go. Thoughts? NOW! I might order in the next hour our 2....

 

Apex Jr?

[BadCrab]

ReefKeeper is quickly falling behind it's competition. If you want a real full featured controller spend the money and do it right with an Apex system.

 

On the Solana I plan on using AI Director to control lights (for the PicO too,) and a Seneye Reef for alerts. I don't really know how I will control flow, fuge lights, etc. Maybe just a Mr DJ Switch and alarms for me to remember to turn things on/off on my Phone But If I had the money I'd supplement the entire thing with an Apex for sure.

[Passaggper]

No rubble, actual pieces of rock. I would like to try to thin out the left side of my display, but would also like to keep the rock in the system.

 

On another note, I am thinking about dropping for a controller. If I were to go off the reviews on BRS, I would for sure get the ReefKeeper as 4 1/2 stars out of 68 reviews, but I've head Apex is the way to go. Thoughts? NOW! I might order in the next hour our 2....

 

Apex Jr?

 

I got the RKL to save a little money and from what I've read, they work just fine. Some people state they are on their way out because they haven't had a firmware update in a couple years. Kind of bought into that at first but after more research, I figured its little more than a light timer/ heater controller for me. I may add moon lights via the MLC controller and an SLC module for a backup float switch if I decide to run an ATO. its very easy to program and gets great reviews. I couldn't justify the extra $100 or so for the apex jr. Time will tell if I made the right choice I suppose.

[TristanC]

I'm using the reefkeeper as well and it works great. The apex is a superior controller for sure but for the price the reefkeeper is great. I'm only using mine to control the heater and everything else is plugged in on/off mode. If you have the extra cash go with the apex, if you are looking for a lower cost alternative reefkeeper works great.

[supermarvin76]

I will probably only use it for a heater controller and maybe a fan during the summer, but I'd LOVE to be able to see it on my phone. Kinda a nerd like that.

Have you seen the Mr. Saltwater Tank review of the Apex Jr? Promise it will make y'all want one.

[TristanC]

Oh don't worry I've seen it lol and I do want one. Being an apple guy it sucks to not be able to use my MacBook with my rkl.

[supermarvin76]

Oh don't worry I've seen it lol and I do want one. Being an apple guy it sucks to not be able to use my MacBook with my rkl.

 

I am typing on my MacBook Pro right now!

 

What I want to know is these two things:

 

1. If I get a Apex Jr, is there a different heating element I should buy, or just use the Jager heater I have?

 

2. I really don't need the Apex to control my lights (AI Sol Nano) because the AI controller I have is doing an awesome job of it. Easily the best $65 I've spent in this whole build. So, what else am I going to do with this awesome Apex Jr? (should I go that route)

[TristanC]

1. Stick with that heater, IMO most reliable you can buy.

2. The things it can do are endless. Everything from heater control, ph monitoring, light control, pump control, it can email you if something is out of whack, it can be used as an ATO, it can sense if your tank is leaking water, control reactors, control mp10 and switch modes automatically throughout the day, the list goes on. Only thing is you have to buy different modules to do different things. Reefkeeper is the same way except you need the net module for some stuff and I don't believe it can control an mp10. The apex is much more upgradable.

[BadCrab]

And dat online interface is slick

[Mstefa1]

You nerds need to ditch those crapbooks! lol

 

I've never owned a reefkeeper so I can't compare them but they are not net ready unless you purchase additional hardware. As an Apex owner, Apex is purely the way to go. You need to decide what is important to you. If you want to turn stuff on and off, a timer is the way to go. If you just want a cheap solution to switch outlets and control temp, maybe a RKL is for you. If you want a small controller with full net functionality, then the Apex jr is for you. If you want a full featured controller that can be completely upgraded, spend the extra for the Apex lite. If you need VDM to control led dimming or Tunze controllable pumps, you may as well get the full Apex.

 

You need to consider what modules (if any) you want in the near future because it is much cheaper to get the more featured Apex model then it is to upgrade later. Note that the lite can be upgraded completely to match the full Apex. The Jr cannot.

 

I have the Apex lite on my Aquapod with the PH probe. The PH probe is awesome but absolutely not needed as we should not be chasing PH and frankly I wouldn't test for it had I not bought the probe. A low PH is an indication of either excessive buildup of Co2 such as excessive darkness if your lights didn't turn on or lack of flow from a failed pump. More so, a low PH is an indication that Alk is low.

 

If you dose Kalk, then get a PH probe.

 

If you only need basic switching with temp control then the Jr is for you. I recommend allowing your Apex to switch on and off your heater. Set your heater's thermostat just slightly above the Apex so that if Apex would fail and your outlet is stuck in the on position (which would never happen lol), you would have redundancy. If you use a chiller, I recommend the opposite... Leave your outlet on by default and allow the chiller to do the controlling, but also have the Apex turn the outlet off if the temp gets too low. In all situations have the controller test for a temp outside the norm which would indicate a failed temp probe.

 

Oh, if you want the CPU of the Apex to be able to run on batter backup, you need a lite or a full model.

 

All models, you can get complete net or smartphone control. In fact, I don't run a cable to my Apex (even though I could) so I have it connected to a wireless bridge making it completely wireless. If you want a breakout board for something like float switches to make an ATO, I don't think the Jr will run one without purchasing a separate module however the lite or full will support it native.

 

I love my lite on my Aquapod however if or when I put an Apex on my PicO I'll probably just put a Jr on it to switch my heater / fan, pumps, and turn off my ATO. I won't be using it for my light as for not I'm using the AI controller and later in the summer I'll get the director.

[supermarvin76]

I have the modded skimmer churning now. Should I run real wet for a while? I have the venturie open a lot and its making a lot of bubbles, but it's gurgling loud too.

 

Also, I am starting to see the very beginning of brown diatoms on the sand! Should I look to order a CUC soon?

 

Lastly, I got the new bio-baffle I had ordered from Chris today. This one is 1" taller and I am now running the water level in my display about 1" from the top. Looks way sweeter than it did 2 hours ago. I'd really like to ditch this cover I have, but it would devastate me if a ittle fishy were to jump out someday- or a kid were to toss a toy in there...