Jump to content
ReefCleaners.org

RollaJase's Trip Off the Deep End - Custom Rimless 55G


RollaJase

Recommended Posts

 

 

Haha. Once they start dropping off I'll probably buy a Gyre or something else.

wish they stocked more stuff in the us store. i hate waiting on shit. i want my pump from them

  • Like 1
Link to comment

wish they stocked more stuff in the us store. i hate waiting on shit. i want my pump from them

I've never had to wait long for stuff to arrive, even if I order from the Hong Kong warehouse. When I ordered my Coral Box skimmer it only took a little over a week to arrive. Most of the stuff they have in the Australian warehouse isn't the stuff I want usually haha.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...
On 1/17/2017 at 5:39 PM, 4x5 said:

Happy New Year! How are things going with the tank and on your side of the planet? :)

 

On 2/26/2017 at 5:29 AM, Christopher Marks said:

How's your tank doing these days @RollaJase? I'd love to see a fresh FTS :wub:

 

I'm not dead, I promise! Tank has been running with some ups and downs and I know I've been neglecting the forums (don't think I logged in since March, am surprised to see a theme change!). I've got a lot of stuff happening in my personal life (very exciting things!) and am finding it hard to find time to be online updating this thread. I have been taking pictures over the months though and a few FTS's also so I do have some content to share. Once June 30 rolls around and I have some more free time on my hands I do plan on posting up a big update. Thanks for your patience :).

  • Like 8
Link to comment

Tank Update - 20th July 2017:

Time for a well overdue update I think! I'll start off with a little filler.

 

So, what have I been up to that has caused this huge absence? Mainly work and life, the usual. Have I been anywhere cool? Nope, done anything cool? Nope (well yeah, more on that later). Done anything cool with the tank? Nope, not really, just been keeping it alive, adding bits and pieces here and there.

 

What's been happening with the tank? Well, between Christmas and new years we had a huge blackout that lasted about 3 days in total. We had huge tropical storms come through and cause a ton of damage. Of course this happened while my parents were on holiday and I was the only one at home. Panic ensured and I had to take time off work as the roof was damaged, trees came down and I couldn't leave home if I wanted to anyway, flooding and downed trees made it impossible. To cap it off, the generator wouldn't work. The spark plug was shot and I had nothing laying around to fix it with. I resorted to heating water over the open fire and using a turkey baster to aerate the tank, this went on for close to 24 hours before I could finally jump in the car and get a new spark plug (and 2-3 spares!). By the time the generator was up and running the damage was done, the tank temp had dropped to about 20c, water had started to go cloudy and flesh was falling off some of my SPS pieces. I did roughly a 50% water change and bought the temp back up over the next 24 hours. A Cyano outbreak ensured, worse than ever and I have been fighting it ever since. Since the start of 2017 I was siphoning out as much of the powder sand that I could with each water change. In April I had taken about 90% of it out and replaced it with a coarser gran (2-3mm) sand. I spent the day removing coral and rock, adding sand and rebuilding the tank. Sadly, in the process I killed my poor mandarin. I must have dumped sand on her hard enough through the cloudy water that she got trapped under some sand and couldn't escape. I thought it was odd that I couldn't see her after the water cleared and it wasn't until I started moving some staff around that I saw her tail sticking from the sand. I was literally in tears and so was my partner, having been through 2 tank crashes this was by far my worst moment in reefing. She had been with me for over 2 years, was super active and ate everything I threw at her, my all time favourite fish. I'm hoping to replace her one day with a male/female pair if I can find one at the right price and eating frozen foods. From there nothing much has happened with the tank. I've seen steady growth of a few pieces and have been adding a few select pieces as I come across them. Livestock wise I added a fillemented flasher wrasse that lasted all of 5 days before my secretive wrasse killed it. I also recently lost one of my threadfin cardinals (leaving me only with 1). It had been looking fairly bad for a few weeks before its death. It had a fairly bloated stomach after feeding and would have issues swimming. I found it in the mouth of my big trachy one day, dead, so I left it there. The trachy appreciated the snack, I've been feeding it half prawns of late.

 

On a personal note things have been pretty hectic. I've now passed my probationary period with the new job I started and I'd have been there 12 month as of the middle of September this year. I've seen a lot of praise (which is nice for a change) and have been fairly instrumental in some large changes within the business. This in turn brings more responsibility, larger projects and less time to spend on the tank as I'm doing more overtime. The hail storm late last year that pummelled my poor car rendered about $8k of panel damage but sadly wasn't a write off. The car went in for repair early this year and came out looking good as new. I then had to send it back to Toyota for a transmission replacement under warranty, not even 40,000kms of driving and the synchros were trashed and 3rd gear was missing teeth. Shortly after that I sold it back to the dealer in April and picked up a new car. Now, time for the big news...I OWN DIRT!!! I purchased a block of land and will be starting to build my first house at the start of 2018. Settlement on the land is in October but I doubt they will start any building this year as they need to wait for council approval and the builder shuts down for 8 weeks over Christmas. The house alone has consumed every weekend of mine for the best part of 2-3 months with all the running around involved.

 

Well, that's enough of an essay for today, I'm sure you all want to see what the tank looks like now seeing as I haven't posted an FTS since November 2016. Two FTS are below, one from February and the other from May.

kcK3cz.jpg
boCkcS.jpg

 

Now for some eye candy from May. I've got a heap more from may, something pretty cool happened. I've got a heap of photos to go through from July also.

HgCMFd.jpg
3wlkHx.jpg
us7La0.jpg
cFMMRB.jpg
2XGTE4.jpg
47dVFC.jpg
0XppB1.jpg
v4QGvd.jpg
MA7BBX.jpg
Hnbs7q.jpg
h0phkm.jpg
iLsiv6.jpg
4BLt1q.jpg
m8qsPt.jpg
o0uTI9.jpg
YywVqI.jpg
6qiKlS.jpg
MGDnwm.jpg
6HGKFH.jpg
d3VOrZ.jpg
IrfkgL.jpg
wEbWAu.jpg
v5iNqT.jpg
NzpB45.jpg
BkXJrf.jpg
7FwtjO.jpg
q8Jjsb.jpg

  • Like 10
Link to comment
16 minutes ago, markalot said:

Welcome back!

Thanks Mark :), it's definitely been far too long. I hope you are well.

 

 

I've also gotten around to updating one of the very first posts of the build section of this thread with details around my custom LED fixture.

Click on the link below the image to check out the post for more details.

xnICip.jpg

CLICK ME!

  • Like 4
Link to comment

Small equipment update. I got my hands on a second hand Gyre XF130 late last week. I absolutely love it! The reverse gyre mode doesn't fit my tank well but the short pulse is fantastic, corals seems to be loving it so far. I pulled out my 3 Jebao RW-4's over the weekend and the tank looks a lot neater with only a single powerhead. I had to move a few corals around but things seem to have settled in well over the last few days. I've been hunting for a gyre pump for a while now. The Jebao options were really enticing for the price but I wasn't keen on paying an extra $100 or so to be able to use my battery backup. I also looked at the IceCap 3K and the Glamorca variant as it is sold outside of the US. I very nearly went with the IceCap until I saw this XF130 pop up locally. I'll be keeping an eye on how things progress and grow over the next month or so, I may need to alter the placement and wave mode slightly.

  • Like 3
Link to comment

Great pick up!  My XF130 is very quiet.  I tried the XF230 but it was sooo noisy.  I am running mine at 60% constant but tempted to switch to pulsing mode.  Is there a way to control how long each pulse is??

  • Like 1
Link to comment
8 minutes ago, ninjamyst said:

Great pick up!  My XF130 is very quiet.  I tried the XF230 but it was sooo noisy.  I am running mine at 60% constant but tempted to switch to pulsing mode.  Is there a way to control how long each pulse is??

I got an absolute bargain, paid $150, they are $400 new here. That's unusual, I thought the 230 was the same pump but with a different controller? Mine is super quiet, even at full speed, much quieter than 3x Jebao RW-4's synced on Else mode anyway. Yep, you can set the length between pulses. Just select the pulse mode, hit setup, adjust to the speed you want, hit setup again and the speed setting lights will flash, adjusting the dial will make them flash faster or slower. Faster flashing is is shorter pulses, slower flashing is longer pulses. I've got mine set to about 70% with a pulse speed second to slowest.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
16 minutes ago, RollaJase said:

I got an absolute bargain, paid $150, they are $400 new here. That's unusual, I thought the 230 was the same pump but with a different controller? Mine is super quiet, even at full speed, much quieter than 3x Jebao RW-4's synced on Else mode anyway. Yep, you can set the length between pulses. Just select the pulse mode, hit setup, adjust to the speed you want, hit setup again and the speed setting lights will flash, adjusting the dial will make them flash faster or slower. Faster flashing is is shorter pulses, slower flashing is longer pulses. I've got mine set to about 70% with a pulse speed second to slowest.

i am such an idiot.  i didn't know the flashing light is an indicator of the interval.  i just thought my controller was broken...hahaha

  • Like 2
Link to comment
14 minutes ago, ninjamyst said:

i am such an idiot.  i didn't know the flashing light is an indicator of the interval.  i just thought my controller was broken...hahaha

Haha yeah, I had no idea what was happening either. Wasn't until I downloaded the user guide from their website that I figured out what it was trying to do.

Link to comment

Something that I forgot to mention in my previous post but I've adopted some new feeding habits. Im the past I used to feed mainly frozen foods, i've since gone back to a mostly pellet/dry food regime for my fish and liquids for aminos and coral foods. From a pellet standpoint I have been trilling the Vitalis range, mainly the extra small fish pellets and the LPS pellets. There are also some dedicated Anemone pellets as well a powdered foods for Softies and SPS.

 

My thoughts on these foods are as follows.

Vitalis Marine Pellets:

http://vitalisaquatic.uk/blog/products/marine-pellets/

Comparing these to NLS Thera-A pellets that I have used for years I have found my fish take to them much better. They are a soft pellet so they do sink a faster and fish are actually able to chomp through them as opposed to swallow them whole. They also impact my skimmer less,well, for a shorter period of time as they break down quicker (I think anyway). A plus side is that they are also cheaper (from my experience anyway).

 

Vitalis LPS Pellets:

http://vitalisaquatic.uk/blog/products/lps-coral-pellets/

I have to say that I am very, very impressed with these. All of my SPS pieces go crazy for these, with the exception of 1 hammer which doesn't really eat anything. My rics even gobble these down. As with the fish pellets, these are a soft pellet developed for LPS corals. Larger fish (or fish with larger mouths) will take to them also. My Kole Tang, Melanurus Wrasse and Threadfin Cardinal all go for these pellets also. The feeding response is quite impressive also with the corals staying inflated for a few hours after feeding. I can't say I have seen growth from these pieces over the last few months but they look very happy and healthy with improved colour and extension during the day.

 

I'm planning on picking up some of the Vitalis SPS food when my LFS gets their order in. I've never tried an SPS specific food before and have always wanted to give ReefRoids a try. From the reading I have done this seems to be a similar product at a fraction of the price (I believe it isn't as concentrated though).

 

From a liquid perspective I'm still using Seachem Aminos but have changed to Chromalif, Phytolif and Zoolif from Colocean from the MicrobeLift products that I have been using for the last 2-3 years. I'm also started dosing a 3 Part Trace Element solution from Sustainable Reefs called Reef Essentials. These guys are an Australian company offering a range of dosing options for reef tanks. Another product I considered trying was from another Aussie group called Reef Anabolics. This is a 4 part system designed to be mixed with your Randy's Recipe for optimal results. Reef Essentials can be dosed the same way but at this stage I'm manual dosing. So far after about 3 weeks use I am seeing good results with Reef Essentials. My Alk, Cal and Mag consumption is increasing and the SPS are colouring up. My green monti is starting to heal up also after some recession caused from what I believe to be low Potassium.

  • Like 3
Link to comment

Welcome back, Jase, it looks like the tank is recovering beautifully. Congrats on your impending home ownership, and I'm glad to hear the new job is going well, I remember how excited you were when you got it. 

 

Just curious, why the switch from frozen? I've gone back and forth several times myself because pellets are just easier when I'm busy. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
2 hours ago, teenyreef said:

Welcome back, Jase, it looks like the tank is recovering beautifully. Congrats on your impending home ownership, and I'm glad to hear the new job is going well, I remember how excited you were when you got it. 

 

Just curious, why the switch from frozen? I've gone back and forth several times myself because pellets are just easier when I'm busy. 

Thanks mate :). Tank is bouncing back well so far, there were times when I thought I was going to loose the lot earlier this year but most everything has pulled through. I can't wait to get into the new house and move this in.

The switch from frozen was mainly due to water quality issues and loosing all my frozen foods with the power outages late last year. I found a lot of particulate waste in the water after feeding frozen foods (even if I thaw and rinse) and thought it was contributing to my Cyano issues. Pellets are more convenient for me and I feel like I get less wastage/pollution when I feed. I still feed frozen on occasion, usually when I do a full tank feed and target feed my LPS with mysis or brine.

  • Like 2
Link to comment

Welcome back! :) Great update, sorry for all the troubles, they never suck less but the tank is looking really good! So, onwards! And congrats on the land and future house, that's awesome. Since you're building it, you'll be building in fish room/s right? :lol:

  • Like 1
Link to comment
5 hours ago, Sk8n Reefer said:

Love the new pics- sps looking good and that green cap is getting huge- I miss mine, love the caps! 

Thanks mate, I'm still getting through a backlog of pics. I've still got some to post from March before getting to the ones I recently took in July lol. The cap is definitely the centre piece, I'm not looking forward to moving this tank, I'll have to break it off the glass to do so. Kinda disappointed that my Blue and Red cap have faded away under similar conditions to the green one though :(.

 

5 hours ago, 4x5 said:

Welcome back! :) Great update, sorry for all the troubles, they never suck less but the tank is looking really good! So, onwards! And congrats on the land and future house, that's awesome. Since you're building it, you'll be building in fish room/s right? :lol:

Thanks Shaun! Yep, it has been a rough ride since the start of the year but things are starting to look really good I think. Unfortunately no dedicated fish room in this house, although I plan on building an in wall tank/fish room in the next house I build. I did have to block off a door way and relocate it to actually give me a place to put the tank though haha.

  • Like 3
Link to comment

i never had much luck with pellets.  they either stay floating and get sucked into overflow or they sink so fast that it becomes food for snails and hermit only.  but glad its working out for you.  do you stop all pumps when you feed pellets?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
jedimasterben
9 minutes ago, ninjamyst said:

i never had much luck with pellets.  they either stay floating and get sucked into overflow or they sink so fast that it becomes food for snails and hermit only.  but glad its working out for you.  do you stop all pumps when you feed pellets?

https://www.marinedepot.com/Innovative_Marine_AUQA_Gadget_Gourmet_Defroster_Fish_Food_Clips_Feeding_Stations-Innovative_Marine-0I05093-FIFDFECF-vi.html

 

I use only the blue ring bit, and I feed mostly golden pearls and NLS pellets, they are both decently buoyant so they don't sink straight to the sand.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
5 minutes ago, ninjamyst said:

i never had much luck with pellets.  they either stay floating and get sucked into overflow or they sink so fast that it becomes food for snails and hermit only.  but glad its working out for you.  do you stop all pumps when you feed pellets?

The key is to get your livestock interested in the pellets. I mix frozen and pellet foods together with a bit of garlic supplement (I use Seachem Garlic Guard) to train new fish into eating pellets. When I feed the fish I put the return pump on feed mode. This keeps the food in the display so it doesn't rot in the sump. Since adding the gyre this has been more effective as the food stays suspended in the water longer and with how the flow is directed all uneaten food gets dragged into my hammer/torch garden where it mostly gets eaten. When I feed the corals pellets I kill all pumps for about 20-30 mins. When I feed liquid foods I kill all pumps and target feed, I wait 10 mins before turning on the circulation pumps and a further 30mins before the return goes back on. I try to give the corals/fish as much time to eat as possible before trying to skim out the remaining nutrients.

  • Like 2
Link to comment

When I feed pellets, I've got two kinds - one that floats for five or ten minutes before starting to sink, and one that sinks right away. I turn off the return pump, and put the MP-10's in feed mode. I feed a small amount of the sinking pellets for critters that prefer to pick food out of the rocks, and then put a generous amount of the floating stuff in the tank. Like Jase said, once the fish know it's food, they all come up to the surface to grab them. And when they do, the water swirling around makes some of the others start to sink. Over ten minutes, most of the pellets get eaten, and when the return pump comes back on, the rest of them get mixed up in the tank as a bonus round, and the ones that are still floating get sucked in the filter floss.

  • Like 3
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...