empresto's 4gal Cube

[Ranjib]

Nice

[Weetabix7]

This tank makes me smile. 

It reminds me so much of my own little 4g Cube when I had it set up as a Macroalgae dominated tank. 

I even had a homemade Refugium just like you, except mine was made out of food storage containers. 

Here's the tank thread for it, if you'd like to check it out: 

 

It was done for a Pico Tank contest, which is why there are monthly FTS's in the first post. 

[boltp777]

On 3/26/2017 at 11:42 PM, empresto said:

It might also be interesting to some that I am still working on an aquarium controller for this tank.  I currently have a working prototype which I created as a Universal Windows Platform app running on a Raspberry Pi 3 with Windows IoT core.  Functionality right now is a bit limited, but I hope to add more in the future.  Here is a picture of the Pi with it's touch screen and the app's screen saver running:

 

The app currently tracks ambient and tank temperatures, as well as operating as the ATO.  All stats are written to an instance of MS SQL Server 2016 Express running on an old laptop of mine.  Stats are also displayed on the status page of the app:

 

My hope is to eventually add a Ph probe and an automatic water change function, and maybe other things.  Another neat thing this does is act as a digital log of the tank.  I programmed a second page to record test results and other activity.  Not all stats fit in the space of the frame, so the view scrolls:

 

So far the app and database writing have been really reliable.  It takes a reading every two seconds, so it's a lot of data, but I've made some SQL queries that make the information usable.  For example, here's some recent activity:

 

This all has made the chore of logging tank stats a whole lot easier.

that's ####ing awesome. 

[empresto]

So, life has been busy, and I haven't had time to say much on here in a while.  Things have been pretty consistent, with the exception of an algae problem that started not long after my last post.  Thought I'd try doing larger water changes more frequently and kept that up for a few weeks, but it only got worse.  Duh, should have tested the water I was using for salt mixing.  Turns out my water source has about 5-8 ppm of nitrate already in the water, and some other fun stuff like phosphate.  I had been buying water in bulk from the local grocery store, and I must have hit it on the first day after a filter change when I went there the first time because TDS was 5 that time and then I didn't bother to check going forward.  Now I've switched to distilled for my ATO and am currently buying pre-mixed water from my local LFS until I get an RO/DI system for myself.  We are moving in a month, so probably won't get that until we're moved in again.  But, needless to say, now with quality water as the input to the tank the algae is starting to subside and the LPS corals are starting to perk up again.  The favia and sympodium have been perfectly happy this whole time.

 

Anyway, still a fun hobby with so much discovery.  My controller is working great and keeping me well logged as far as activity with the tank.  I've got plumbing parts for adding an auto water changer to it's functions, but I think that will also need to wait until the move.  Anyone have thoughts on a good but cheap dosing pump (just the pump, the Pi will take care of running it).

 

Speaking of moving, anyone have any advice for moving corals and other livestock about a 7 hours drive away?  Current thoughts are a 5 gallon bucket with heater and aerator for the live rock with corals and then floating the other livestock in breather bags above the coral and rock.  I'll keep the tank partly filled with water and leave the sand in it and then reassemble the whole works on arrival at our new place.  But, I'd love to hear advice from someone with experience

[Weetabix7]

What I personally do is get one of those styro containers you can get at the grocery store for picnics for a couple dollars. 

Then get some of those plastic ice cube trays, and a battery powered air pump.

Put any coral frags that fit in the compartments of the ice cube tray, it protects them and keeps them separated. Put rock and water in the styro, keep aerated with air pump. 

Any fish or inverts float in bags at top of water. 

That's basically it.

Good luck!!

 

Be careful with the sand, you don't want a lot of junk from it to get stirred up and released into the water.

[empresto]

On 5/7/2017 at 5:45 AM, Weetabix7 said:

What I personally do is get one of those styro containers you can get at the grocery store for picnics for a couple dollars. 

Then get some of those plastic ice cube trays, and a battery powered air pump.

Put any coral frags that fit in the compartments of the ice cube tray, it protects them and keeps them separated. Put rock and water in the styro, keep aerated with air pump. 

Any fish or inverts float in bags at top of water. 

That's basically it.

Good luck!!

 

Be careful with the sand, you don't want a lot of junk from it to get stirred up and released into the water.

Thanks Weetabix7!

 

That's a great idea!  I even have one of those coolers in my closet.

 

Thanks also for the warning on the sand; would it be better to throw it all out and put new sand in when setting up at our new place, or just be really vigilant of parameters the first couple days it is set up again?

[empresto]

Well, the move did not go well.  Somehow the damsel managed to get out of the bag it was in and got crushed by a piece of live rock.  Whatever resulted from that crashed the cooler and killed everything else but the nassarius snail and hermit crab.  I was not a happy camper.

 

Everything else about the move went super well, but now I guess I have a clean slate to start a new tank.  My wife got me an 18.1 gallon Aquamaxx low iron aquarium for my birthday!  I'm excited to start that project.

 

RIP 4gal cube...