Deeper Well - An Acquasole 60

[RollaJase]

 

I stopped after multiple failures with the next generation of pumps. I'm not sure what happened but their quality control is now crap with just about everything having multiple unsolvable issues. I'd still like to know how an RW15 can just up and die, as if the the cord broke. Motors are pretty simple so it must be a wiring issue of some sort.

I must be lucky, my DC-3000 hasn't skipped a beat and I have cleaned the impeller and impeller housing probably twice in 10 months of use. One of my RW-4's arrived louder than the other (still is) but besides that I have had no issues with either. The DC-2000 in my skimmer locked up but that was due to calcium build up on the impeller and impeller housing. Compared to the price of a Vectra I'd rather buy a cheaper pump and have a spare on hand personally. $200-$300 for a main and backup pump makes more sense to me than $1000 for a pair of Vectra's with one sitting on the shelf. Each to their own, if I had access to a larger variety of pumps I'd probably go for something more 'mid range' myself but there is such a vast gap between entry and top shelf pumps here.

[markalot]

I must be lucky, my DC-3000 hasn't skipped a beat and I have cleaned the impeller and impeller housing probably twice in 10 months of use. One of my RW-4's arrived louder than the other (still is) but besides that I have had no issues with either. The DC-2000 in my skimmer locked up but that was due to calcium build up on the impeller and impeller housing. Compared to the price of a Vectra I'd rather buy a cheaper pump and have a spare on hand personally. $200-$300 for a main and backup pump makes more sense to me than $1000 for a pair of Vectra's with one sitting on the shelf. Each to their own, if I had access to a larger variety of pumps I'd probably go for something more 'mid range' myself but there is such a vast gap between entry and top shelf pumps here.

 

Hopefully you stay lucky. My RW15's lasted for about a year and then over a 3 month streak I lost 3 of them, as if they were on some kind of usage timer. I expected my older WP25's to fail as well but they just keep going. All of my second generation pumps are dead and gone.

[RollaJase]

 

Hopefully you stay lucky. My RW15's lasted for about a year and then over a 3 month streak I lost 3 of them, as if they were on some kind of usage timer. I expected my older WP25's to fail as well but they just keep going. All of my second generation pumps are dead and gone.

I hope I stay lucky too then!. I think when my RW's die I'll end up getting a Gyre, the 130 should be fine for my tank. I considered a 150 but the lowest speed on that thing is more than the max speed on the 130! Who knows, there will probably be something else new and exciting on the market when the time comes.

[jedimasterben]

Nice DD pickups Ben .

 

Did you have to order a replacement impeller for your skimmer pump from Fish Street? Was it the entire impeller or just the pin wheel? I'll be ordering a DCT-4000 and probably a DCS-2000 from them shortly to have on hand as spares but can't find replacement impellers for the skimmer pumps on the website. Might have to shoot them an email.

It was the entire impeller, and it was from Fish-street http://www.fish-street.com/coral_box_dc_skimmer_replacement_kits?search_string=needle+only

 

I figure I'll do a much longer vinegar soak on it and if this new one does the same in about 8 months then hopefully it will do the job!

 

I stopped after multiple failures with the next generation of pumps. I'm not sure what happened but their quality control is now crap with just about everything having multiple unsolvable issues. I'd still like to know how an RW15 can just up and die, as if the the cord broke. Motors are pretty simple so it must be a wiring issue of some sort.

Interesting. I had an RW-8 that was DOA, but it was replaced and the pumps did the job until I swapped them for the Tunze 6045s.

 

 

I hope I stay lucky too then!. I think when my RW's die I'll end up getting a Gyre, the 130 should be fine for my tank. I considered a 150 but the lowest speed on that thing is more than the max speed on the 130! Who knows, there will probably be something else new and exciting on the market when the time comes.

Right now I've got a 150 in this tank, and I can only run it on the third setting at the most before it starts blowing water out of the tank, it's just too strong so i don't have nearly enough range to run any kind of mode other than constant. Hoping to get one of the advanced controllers soon (which is roughly the only difference between the 100 and 200 pumps, other than minor mechanical changes) and give it a whirl.

[RollaJase]

It was the entire impeller, and it was from Fish-street http://www.fish-street.com/coral_box_dc_skimmer_replacement_kits?search_string=needle+only

 

I figure I'll do a much longer vinegar soak on it and if this new one does the same in about 8 months then hopefully it will do the job!

 

 

Right now I've got a 150 in this tank, and I can only run it on the third setting at the most before it starts blowing water out of the tank, it's just too strong so i don't have nearly enough range to run any kind of mode other than constant. Hoping to get one of the advanced controllers soon (which is roughly the only difference between the 100 and 200 pumps, other than minor mechanical changes) and give it a whirl.

Thanks Ben! Looks like that option isn't available on the Australian Warehouse so I'll shoot them an email and see if I can sort something out. The vinegar soak worked wonders for me, I just used straight white vinegar and soaked the impeller while filling the impeller housing with vinegar also.

 

With how fine sand I have (one regret I have for setting up the new tank) I think the 150 would be far too powerful for me. I'm running the RW-4's at about 70% now which flow rate wise correlates to about the same on a single 130. When I have to inevitably move the tank I'll swap the sand out for something a little coarser and might pick up a 150 at the same time .

[jedimasterben]

Thanks Ben! Looks like that option isn't available on the Australian Warehouse so I'll shoot them an email and see if I can sort something out. The vinegar soak worked wonders for me, I just used straight white vinegar and soaked the impeller while filling the impeller housing with vinegar also.

 

With how fine sand I have (one regret I have for setting up the new tank) I think the 150 would be far too powerful for me. I'm running the RW-4's at about 70% now which flow rate wise correlates to about the same on a single 130. When I have to inevitably move the tank I'll swap the sand out for something a little coarser and might pick up a 150 at the same time .

Do what I did and cover the fine stuff with some super thick stuff. I have about 20lbs of oolite under 20lbs of 1.8-2.5mm stuff, the Gyre doesn't budge it. Of course, it could just be all the hair algae attached to it right now lol.

[jedimasterben]

Ordered some corals from Saltcritters. A bunch of zoas and a nice splattery hammer.

[markalot]

Ordered some corals from Saltcritters. A bunch of zoas and a nice splattery hammer.

A hammer or a Cristata. I had a Cristata long ago, darn cool coral and pretty rugged since it took a while, on those days, for me to kill it.

 

They are within driving distance of me, I did not realize that.

[jedimasterben]

A hammer or a Cristata. I had a Cristata long ago, darn cool coral and pretty rugged since it took a while, on those days, for me to kill it.

 

They are within driving distance of me, I did not realize that.

They call it a cristata, but it is more than likely parancora with less hammer-y tentacles. We'll see tomorrow when it gets here

[gus6464]

Cristata is a grape no?

 

http://saltcritters.com/splatter-green-grape-euphyllia-cristata/

 

That one? That's definitely a grape.

[jedimasterben]

Cristata is a grape no?

 

http://saltcritters.com/splatter-green-grape-euphyllia-cristata/

 

That one? That's definitely a grape.

I'm not sure if it is a cristata. I will know once it gets here and I can examine the skeleton

 

My current hammer has almost no hammer shape on the tentacles at all, but doesn't have the skeletal structure of a cristata, either.

[Sancho]

Cristata is a grape no?

 

http://saltcritters.com/splatter-green-grape-euphyllia-cristata/

 

That one? That's definitely a grape.

thats sexy...pretty sure I need one

[jedimasterben]

thats sexy...pretty sure I need one

they have plenty

[jedimasterben]

 

 

 

 

[Sancho]

Umm I see no speckles.....I think you've been had

[mpsti05]

Where's teh fish

[gus6464]

Hmm I see like 2 maybe 3 speckles. Definitely nothing like the pictures.

[jedimasterben]

Where's teh fish

Mostly hidden. The only fish that really comes out is the filefish.

 

 

 

 

 

I haven't seen the firefish or blenny since I put them in, but they couldn't have gone far. Everything else I have is eating frozen now. The jawfish has dug a tiny hole in front of the overflow grate, and it doesn't come out of it at all, but it ate a piece of food that I pushed over into its face.

Umm I see no speckles.....I think you've been had

Hmm I see like 2 maybe 3 speckles. Definitely nothing like the pictures.

It's also very small, but I agree that it's only barely similar lol. Hopefully as (if) it grows out additional heads will have the coloration of the colony.

[markalot]

The little goby is a great fish for a non acro tank. I went through 3 before I got one to live, I don't think they transport well.

[gena]

Need to see pics of this one . I think when the time comes to buy fish I'll go through DD/LA. Since it's been a few months now and my LFSs still haven't been able to get what I'm looking for.

[RollaJase]

The file fish is such a cutie .

[jedimasterben]

Need to see pics of this one . I think when the time comes to buy fish I'll go through DD/LA. Since it's been a few months now and my LFSs still haven't been able to get what I'm looking for.

I need to see pics of it, too. I saw it once the morning after I put it in, and haven't seen a trace since. Tank is fully covered, too.

[jedimasterben]

So I just realized today that this yellow clown goby is actually just a fuzz bigger than my new betta in here

[markalot]

I need to see pics of it, too. I saw it once the morning after I put it in, and haven't seen a trace since. Tank is fully covered, too.

 

Fortunately this is normal, might be 3 weeks before you see it. My poor purple Firefish was like that, then he appeared and was happy until I added a Dottyback terror. I thought the Firefish was dead but a month, or was it two, later, there he was peaking out from a rock trying to get food. That's when I set my 20 back up to house him, but it was too late and he wasted away.

[jedimasterben]

 

Fortunately this is normal, might be 3 weeks before you see it. My poor purple Firefish was like that, then he appeared and was happy until I added a Dottyback terror. I thought the Firefish was dead but a month, or was it two, later, there he was peaking out from a rock trying to get food. That's when I set my 20 back up to house him, but it was too late and he wasted away.

 

 

And in another moment, my SmartATO decided to be an idiot and dumped most of what was left of my ATO container (which is 10 gallons) into the tank last night, which has a little over 1tsp of kalk per gallon. Everything looked fine this morning, and the topoff pump stopped pulling water out when I had about 2" left in the sump before it overflowed. Crisis averted, thankfully, but this is the fourth time that it has just started dumping water into the system even though the sensor was still fully covered with water. It always happens after I turn the return pump back on after feeding.