Cswan's Spec V | Get Rid of the Shrimp?

[Drexellake]

I have a small Hydor heater too, but I only use it in my mixing bucket.

[cswan19]

So I recently picked up the hydor neo therm heater and so far so good. It has been in my tank for 2 days now and is keeping the temperature more stable than before but still not stable enough. I am still getting a fluctuation of about 1.5 to 2 degrees per day. I want the fluctuation to be no more than 1 degree per day if even less. I am going to get a controller but am now torn between whether to get the Apex Jr. or the Reefkeeper Lite. The reason I am now interested in the Apex jr. is for a number of reasons. The most important of these reasons is its expandability and possibility to grow with me. While the reef keeper lite will take care of my basic needs now it may not cut it down the road when I eventually upgrade to a bigger tank. Another reason I am not interested in the Apex Jr. is the capability of being able to check up on my tank when I am not home from my phone. This will give me extra peace of mind while I am away. The main reason I am interested in the reef keeper lite still is the price point. It is half the price of the Apex. The reef keeper lite is $120 and the Apex Jr. is $240. What do you guys think of these two systems and which do you think I should go with?

 

Also, things are still recovering in my tank though things still look pretty bad. Unfortunately, I lost a head of one of my acan corals. And I'm not sure if my trumpet will make it as it is looking pretty terrible. I am still continuing to keep things stable and healthy in my tank and I am hoping that I don't lose anymore corals. Any feedback is welcome.

[cswan19]

Update: November 10, 2014

 

So, I decided to give an update to show the new additions. I am not very thrilled with the current state of my reef and was going to wait until things looked a bit better to post an update but felt I needed to update since it has been a while. Anyway, things are still looking dull and pretty stressed but hopefully will perk up soon as I am keeping the temperature more stable now with the new heater. My parameters are also looking good. I plan to do a better update later on with close up shots of the different corals once I get some color back. Anyway, please excuse the dull and not so hot pictures of my reef..

 

Unfortunately, I lost another coral last night for a grand total of 2. It was a green acan coral. It had been really bad for about 2 weeks but I was doing what I could to get parameters in order but it just didn't make it. It had that "slime net" around it and was constantly spilling its guts. It will be a real PITA to get the skeleton off of the rock though as it is glued/epoxied on there pretty good.

 

 

Zoa/paly rock. I gave some of the original macro algae I had away and put alot more of it behind the rock as well. You can see some of it sticking up from the top. The macro algae that is now growing on the front of the rock is a new "stalk" of it. This stuffs grows like mad!

 

 

Top Down

 

 

My other rock with softies and LPS

 

 

Halloween Hermit Crab

 

 

FTS 11/10/14

 

 

[erinwillett]

I grabbed a neo therm too, hoping to have similar results. Can't help you with the controller decision as I don't have any experience.

 

Tank is looking nice and that hermit is too cool!

[cju84]

Tank looks great!! Love the 'hillyness'/topography (if that makes sense) of it.

[Hexadron]

The main reason I am interested in the reef keeper lite still is the price point. It is half the price of the Apex. The reef keeper lite is $120 and the Apex Jr. is $240. What do you guys think of these two systems and which do you think I should go with?

 

Now I don't have any controllers you mentioned, but if I had to choose one, I would pick the Apex. Mostly because the software just seems to be ahead of everyone else, and they are really partnering up with a lot of companies to have devices 'Apex Ready' They seem to really be expanding which is good for the consumer.

 

On the other hand, if you don't see yourself upgrading to a larger (more complex) tank in the future, I could see recommending the Reef Keeper, as it would meet your needs now, and save you a few bucks!

 

Good luck

[ninjamyst]

woah! so many new corals! all ur acans are open and hungry, your zoas look great, and those blastos are awesome. your tank doesn't look bad at all.

[cswan19]

I grabbed a neo therm too, hoping to have similar results. Can't help you with the controller decision as I don't have any experience.

 

Tank is looking nice and that hermit is too cool!

 

Yeah so far the neo therm is great, wish I would have bought it in the first place.

 

Thanks! The hermit is awesome, I call him everest because he literally climbs to the highest points in my tank. He is currently on my return pump at the top and don't even know how he got up there... lol

Tank looks great!! Love the 'hillyness'/topography (if that makes sense) of it.

 

It makes sense, and thanks I really didn't like my scape at first but it is growing on me. I wanted to have multiple heights.

 

Now I don't have any controllers you mentioned, but if I had to choose one, I would pick the Apex. Mostly because the software just seems to be ahead of everyone else, and they are really partnering up with a lot of companies to have devices 'Apex Ready' They seem to really be expanding which is good for the consumer.

 

On the other hand, if you don't see yourself upgrading to a larger (more complex) tank in the future, I could see recommending the Reef Keeper, as it would meet your needs now, and save you a few bucks!

 

Good luck

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I am leaning towards the Apex jr as I have only heard good things about it and it seems to be a more popular choice. I do plan to upgrade in the future and that is the main reason I started looking into the apex. But again, thanks for the help

woah! so many new corals! all ur acans are open and hungry, your zoas look great, and those blastos are awesome. your tank doesn't look bad at all.

 

Thanks ninja! I fed the tank mysid after taking some pictures but the acans sweeper tentacles are still extended. Could they still be hungry after all that food?! lol Things seem to be recovering which makes me happy. I am not in the clear and will have to give some extra TLC to the tank still but am happy that things are getting better. Also, is it safe to put the leftover mysid that has already been rinsed and thawed in the fridge to use the next day? I usually rinse and thaw a whole cube of mysid and then swirl in around in a small cup of tank water so I can suck it up with a pipette and spot feed. But I always have some left over and hate throwing it away.

[NanoClown]

Your tank looks great! I really dig the zoa/paly island you have going on

[kimberbee]

 

Yeah so far the neo therm is great, wish I would have bought it in the first place.

 

Thanks! The hermit is awesome, I call him everest because he literally climbs to the highest points in my tank. He is currently on my return pump at the top and don't even know how he got up there... lol

 

It makes sense, and thanks I really didn't like my scape at first but it is growing on me. I wanted to have multiple heights.

 

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I am leaning towards the Apex jr as I have only heard good things about it and it seems to be a more popular choice. I do plan to upgrade in the future and that is the main reason I started looking into the apex. But again, thanks for the help

 

Thanks ninja! I fed the tank mysid after taking some pictures but the acans sweeper tentacles are still extended. Could they still be hungry after all that food?! lol Things seem to be recovering which makes me happy. I am not in the clear and will have to give some extra TLC to the tank still but am happy that things are getting better. Also, is it safe to put the leftover mysid that has already been rinsed and thawed in the fridge to use the next day? I usually rinse and thaw a whole cube of mysid and then swirl in around in a small cup of tank water so I can suck it up with a pipette and spot feed. But I always have some left over and hate throwing it away.

I thaw a whole cube of food but only use half, then put the rest in the fridge for the next day. I think putting it in the fridge for a day or two would be fine. IMO I wouldn't leave it in there more than 3 days though...

[erinwillett]

cswan! My current arrived today for my spec v and I AM IN LOVEEEEEEE. So many options my head might explode. What do you recommend? Something about the fading blue in and out of the dynamic cloud cover setting is so serene. Do you think a strict schedule is necessary? Sorry to intrude on your thread, just knew you've been using the same light with success!

[Drexellake]

cswan! My current arrived today for my spec v and I AM IN LOVEEEEEEE. So many options my head might explode. What do you recommend? Something about the fading blue in and out of the dynamic cloud cover setting is so serene. Do you think a strict schedule is necessary? Sorry to intrude on your thread, just knew you've been using the same light with success!

Great light. I love mine too. Set mine to timer 1 option, but set the time so it comes on around noon instead of 8am.

[cswan19]

I thaw a whole cube of food but only use half, then put the rest in the fridge for the next day. I think putting it in the fridge for a day or two would be fine. IMO I wouldn't leave it in there more than 3 days though...

 

Thanks for the advice

 

cswan! My current arrived today for my spec v and I AM IN LOVEEEEEEE. So many options my head might explode. What do you recommend? Something about the fading blue in and out of the dynamic cloud cover setting is so serene. Do you think a strict schedule is necessary? Sorry to intrude on your thread, just knew you've been using the same light with success!

 

No worries, your not intruding! but yeah, it is a really great light! especially for the price point. I barely ever use the thunderstorm mode but the cloud cover mode is pretty neat. I don't think a strict schedule is vital but I wouldn't advise leaving it on all the time because it may stress the corals and livestock to be in constant light and also might effect algae growth. I personally wouldn't leave it on for more than 12 hours at a time but I am sure other people have a longer light schedule without too many problems.

 

Great light. I love mine too. Set mine to timer 1 option, but set the time so it comes on around noon instead of 8am.

 

Good to hear Hows the tank doing drexellake?

 

Your tank looks great! I really dig the zoa/paly island you have going on

 

Thanks nanoclown its my favorite part of the tank!

[cju84]

+1 on the paly/zoa island.

 

I can't believe you didn't/don't like the state of your tank though - seriously looks great.

[cswan19]

+1 on the paly/zoa island.

 

I can't believe you didn't/don't like the state of your tank though - seriously looks great.

 

Thanks man! Its not that I don't like the state of the tank, I just think it doesn't look as good as it could look. The colors a bit more dulled out than I would like but things seem to be turning around and in a couple weeks I think the tank will color up a bit more.

[cswan19]

Hey guys, there really hasn't been anything to update. No new corals or fish or anything. The corals seem like they are happier and starting to recover which is good. I have since moved my cobalt heater into the display tank instead of the back chamber as it wasn't properly heating the tank. I'm not too happy about having to have it in the DT but if it saves my corals I'm all for it. Anyway, I will have some picture updates for you guys soon.

[OCNcheffy]

Hey guys, there really hasn't been anything to update. No new corals or fish or anything. The corals seem like they are happier and starting to recover which is good. I have since moved my cobalt heater into the display tank instead of the back chamber as it wasn't properly heating the tank. I'm not too happy about having to have it in the DT but if it saves my corals I'm all for it. Anyway, I will have some picture updates for you guys soon.

Was the heating problem that you noticed, the overflow water being much warmer than the tank water? I think i'm having that problem too and might end up throwing it into the display.

[cswan19]

Was the heating problem that you noticed, the overflow water being much warmer than the tank water? I think i'm having that problem too and might end up throwing it into the display.

Yeah that was the exact problem. The heater would shut off cause the overflow was at the right temp but the display was still pretty cold. I think you should move it to the display and see if it helps you out.

[ninjamyst]

my spec runs from 75-78 throughout the day. i have the heater inside the overflow too.

[OCNcheffy]

Yeah that was the exact problem. The heater would shut off cause the overflow was at the right temp but the display was still pretty cold. I think you should move it to the display and see if it helps you out.

Seems like i've actually resolved the issue by swapping the 50w Hydor with another 25w Hydor heater I had laying around. Temp stays around 80-81 now. I'm guessing the cycling on the 50w heater was too warm for a small tank as the cycle on the 25w wouldn't be nearly as warm.

[cswan19]

Just a little video update of the tank. A quick time-lapse of feeding some of my LPS some mysid shrimp, no sound or music on this one as it was uploaded without really any editing done. Be sure to watch in HD

 

[spiezy]

Just a little video update of the tank. A quick time-lapse of feeding some of my LPS some mysid shrimp, no sound or music on this one as it was uploaded without really any editing done. Be sure to watch in HD

 

 

 

Hey, CSwan,

 

Where did you put your Neo-Therm? If you put it in chamber 2 with the return, are you having any issues with it heating the entire tank? I currently have mine in the display, but would like to get it out of sight.

[OCNcheffy]

Hey, CSwan,

 

Where did you put your Neo-Therm? If you put it in chamber 2 with the return, are you having any issues with it heating the entire tank? I currently have mine in the display, but would like to get it out of sight.

I had overheating issues with it in chamber 2. I swapped it out with a hydor theo 25w from a 50w and it stays at a constant 81 now. Never had it in the display.

[cswan19]

Hey, CSwan,

 

Where did you put your Neo-Therm? If you put it in chamber 2 with the return, are you having any issues with it heating the entire tank? I currently have mine in the display, but would like to get it out of sight.

I currently have my neo therm in the display near my powerhead. It is working great since I took it out of chamber 2. When I had it in there I was getting inaccurate readings and unstable temperatures.

 

I had overheating issues with it in chamber 2. I swapped it out with a hydor theo 25w from a 50w and it stays at a constant 81 now. Never had it in the display.

 

My issue was that I had under heating when I had it in chamber 2. Mine is a 50w and I had to move it to the display to make it work properly. I guess it depends on the location of the tank.

[ETucc]

Tank is lookin' sexy girl! You'll get things where you want them to be. I don't think anyone is ever satisfied with their tank. The hobby becomes obsessive-compulsive...

 

Love the time-lapse video.