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Cultivated Reef

UW's "kicking it old school" contest pico!


Underworld2.0

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Underworld2.0

Ok so water is figured out! 

 

Updated my build specs up top

 

Had fun putting this together

Was having issues with temp but with the inkbird 306 and two heaters it's now perfect ! 

Cut a top out of a picture frame at the dollar store and did the same with a cutting board. Must say it looks clean.

 

Painted the back and right side of the tank black with chalkboard paint so I can enter test results weekly on the tank it self.

 

Definitely going to design a light diffuser as I can see hot spots, even with the hot spots the light is very appeasing to the eye, color seems super on point 

Here's a crappy cell pic for now of the set up 

 

IMG_20190404_101512_079.jpg

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Underworld2.0

So I am learning taking pics with led = poop

 

I'm using  my phone currently and am so unhappy with it, any good apps to help with this ? 

 

IMG_20190405_203009_191.jpg

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1 minute ago, Underworld2.0 said:

So I am learning taking pics with led = poop

 

I'm using  my phone currently and am so unhappy with it, any good apps to help with this ? 

 

IMG_20190405_203009_191.jpg

It can be tough that’s for sure.

I use Snapseed. I also have an orange filter that take the picture through. That really helps. 

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23 minutes ago, Underworld2.0 said:

Ok so def gonna try that, this is off the phones editor 

 

IMG_20190405_203605_625.jpg

Orange filter...I picked up some orange lens safety glasses off eBay for like 5 bucks, though may be tricky to take a picture through it...lol... but I'm janky 😁

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/PYRAMEX-ZTEK-SAFETY-GLASSES-ORANGE-LENS-WORK-EYEWEAR-S2540S-Z87-1-PAIR/291050452655?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

 

And being the compulsive shopper that I am, after reading this,  I just went on eBay and picked up this set for my phone, came out to $15.25 after exchange rate and fees

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Seawater-Coral-Reef-Phone-Camera-Filters-Lens-1-Macro-Lens/123711644506?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

 

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Underworld2.0

I may try that then, back in my day metal halides and t5 pictures came out super clean! 

 

Anywho I'll tackle that 

 

Anyone else going to try sps in this challenge ? 

 

I'm thinking I'm not going to add any live stock other then corals! 

No crabs,snails,fish other then corals!

 

I'm shooting for growth and color in corals 

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Underworld2.0

Been getting back into the locals clubs and seems like everyone knows me still! 

Definitely going montipora in this tank! Better pics to some soon!

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Underworld2.0

Can anyone tell me if a tidal 35 can be connected to a wave controller? 

It's a sicce pump hoping some one can tell me, I think it would be an awesome thing for my set up 

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1 hour ago, Underworld2.0 said:

Can anyone tell me if a tidal 35 can be connected to a wave controller? 

It's a sicce pump hoping some one can tell me, I think it would be an awesome thing for my set up 

What kind of wave controller are you considering?  I think the Sicce wave controllers are intended to be paired with their Voyager and Syncra flow pumps. 

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Christopher Marks
On 4/5/2019 at 5:32 PM, Underworld2.0 said:

So I am learning taking pics with led = poop

 

I'm using  my phone currently and am so unhappy with it, any good apps to help with this ? 

 

IMG_20190405_203009_191.jpg

Depending on your device, you can take photos using the free Adobe Lightroom application, and set it to capture RAW DNG files, so you can easily set the white balance afterwards when editing the photo. It's what I use for my journal photos, even though the shooting and editing process takes some time, the difference in color accuracy is huge.

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34 minutes ago, asting said:

would there be any issues if you used a wavemaker with priming?

Yes, that's what I'd be concerned about.  I think that Sicce controller would work to turn the tidal on and off but then it would have to prime each time.  Those controllers are meant to be used with propeller pumps that turn on and off instantly.

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Underworld2.0

Having major temp issues 

I have a Cobalt 10w 

And a aqueon 7.5 hooked to a inkbird 306

 

Temp swings from 77 to 80 all day long ...

 

Help me out if I have to get a more sufficient heater I will, just assumed the inkbird would handle all of that 🤔

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On 4/5/2019 at 6:54 PM, Underworld2.0 said:

I may try that then, back in my day metal halides and t5 pictures came out super clean! 

 

Anywho I'll tackle that 

 

Anyone else going to try sps in this challenge ? 

 

I'm thinking I'm not going to add any live stock other then corals! 

No crabs,snails,fish other then corals!

 

I'm shooting for growth and color in corals 

I will totally try, I have a tiny 1/2 inch frag of some sort of branching SPS in my pico right now, and polyps are fully extended. I actually broke it off a larger piece of SPS that I rescued from Petco the other day...lol.

 

I was surprised they had frags at all, and this one in particular must have been there for a while. It has fully encrusted on 90% of the disk on the frag plug, and was branching like crazy. I tried to cut the plug part off, and dropped it and broke a little branch off. I actually couldn't find the little piece that broke off for about half an hour, and found it on the carpet. I had my doubts it would survive, but within 12 hours of putting it into the tank I saw some partial polyp extension, and now it looks super happy, great polyp extension.

 

Oh, it was brown under the white T-8 lights at Petco, but it's got great green polyps and I bet it gets even more color back eventually. It already looks great in my tank though. 

9 hours ago, Underworld2.0 said:

So I have the inkbird 306 not the 308, 

Does anyone here use the 306? 

I only have the 308, but I have it hooked up for heating and cooling. 

2 hours ago, Underworld2.0 said:

Having major temp issues 

I have a Cobalt 10w 

And a aqueon 7.5 hooked to a inkbird 306

 

Temp swings from 77 to 80 all day long ...

 

Help me out if I have to get a more sufficient heater I will, just assumed the inkbird would handle all of that 🤔

I have a 50w and a 7.5w hooked up to mine, and since adding the 50w my temp swings are about 2 degrees tops, and closer to 0.3 or less most of the day. I wouldn't worry TOO  much about 3 degrees, and those 2 heaters should be fine. Do you have the option to hook up your controller to a cooling device? How does the 306 work?

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Underworld2.0
57 minutes ago, MetaTank said:

I will totally try, I have a tiny 1/2 inch frag of some sort of branching SPS in my pico right now, and polyps are fully extended. I actually broke it off a larger piece of SPS that I rescued from Petco the other day...lol.

 

I was surprised they had frags at all, and this one in particular must have been there for a while. It has fully encrusted on 90% of the disk on the frag plug, and was branching like crazy. I tried to cut the plug part off, and dropped it and broke a little branch off. I actually couldn't find the little piece that broke off for about half an hour, and found it on the carpet. I had my doubts it would survive, but within 12 hours of putting it into the tank I saw some partial polyp extension, and now it looks super happy, great polyp extension.

 

Oh, it was brown under the white T-8 lights at Petco, but it's got great green polyps and I bet it gets even more color back eventually. It already looks great in my tank though. 

I only have the 308, but I have it hooked up for heating and cooling. 

I have a 50w and a 7.5w hooked up to mine, and since adding the 50w my temp swings are about 2 degrees tops, and closer to 0.3 or less most of the day. I wouldn't worry TOO  much about 3 degrees, and those 2 heaters should be fine. Do you have the option to hook up your controller to a cooling device? How does the 306 work

The 306 is annoying to say the least, it turns on at 77 off at 79 and would bounce alot, picked up a 50w today not hooked to a controller and is a preset hooked it up at 6:30, has only moved .2 degrees either way, only using the 306 to know my temp at this time 

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18 minutes ago, Underworld2.0 said:

The 306 is annoying to say the least, it turns on at 77 off at 79 and would bounce alot, picked up a 50w today not hooked to a controller and is a preset hooked it up at 6:30, has only moved .2 degrees either way, only using the 306 to know my temp at this time 

Well, glad to hear the preset is working well! I find that on my tank without a controller, the temp rises after the lights have been on a few hours, and drops back down when they've been off a while

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Underworld2.0

I must say my temp hasn't strayed from 78.1 after adding a heater I didn't have high hopes for, an aqueon preset 50w 

Honestly the most consistent heater I've ever used on a nano/pico

 

Using the inkbird to tell me temp along with a digital thermometer and steady 78.1! 

 

 

 

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I saw your classified ad. Just getting rid of the things that didn't work out, but you're not throwing in the towel, right? I saw you are selling your bulb, is that the one you were using for this Pico?

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Underworld2.0
On 4/21/2019 at 2:00 PM, MetaTank said:

I saw your classified ad. Just getting rid of the things that didn't work out, but you're not throwing in the towel, right? I saw you are selling your bulb, is that the one you were using for this Pico?

No not at all! I bought two bulbs seeing as the reviews said some came DOA, selling the inkbird because the thermometer I have reads the same and I see no use for it at this point, I honestly wasn't a fan of the temp swing 

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29 minutes ago, Underworld2.0 said:

No not at all! I bought two bulbs seeing as the reviews said some came DOA, selling the inkbird because the thermometer I have reads the same and I see no use for it at this point, I honestly wasn't a fan of the temp swing 

Oh good, I was worried for a second there! Glad the preset is working out too!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Underworld2.0

So I ended up ordering a filter so I can take better pics but I'm also ordering a different light I'm going to go out on a limb and buy a cheap Amazon light as my abi it's too bright for this tank I literally have it  2 1/2 ft foot above the tank LOL

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