NanoTopia's ZEOvit 80L [ ]

[neuwave]

Fantastic acro growth shots.

[SouthFlorida_Tron]

Great shots. I have a question regarding the growth of the acro in the sequence...

 

It seems to grow so perfectly uniform and even and very tight... My acro in immediate area of the return flow and mp10 seems to just grow in crazy directions on one side and very tight in another... Does flow have to do with that? More flow on the other side?

[NanoTopia]

Your yellow SPS is stunning.

I believe it is Acropora formosa, but I have given up trying to identify species, they all take on different colours and shapes in various aquaria. Some corals are more known with common names like "Red Planet" which is actually Acropora anthocercis.

 

I had some small issues with this mariculture Bali coral a while ago, it is sometimes common for mariculture corals to go through a long adjustment phase when they are introduced to the aquarium. It seems to be doing much better now, I made a single frag already.

 

I do think I will slowly move away from maricultured pieces now, I find them challenging at times.

 

Fantastic acro growth shots.

Thanks, I think it is useful to document such things to put some perspective on "fast growth" vs "slow growth", etc. A.millepora are generally fast growers once they get going, every species is different. I wish more hobbyists would do this kind of documentation so we could all get an idea (generally) how fast certain corals are expected to grow under ideal conditions. Slow growth for some might be considered fast growth for others, and vice-versa.

 

Great shots. I have a question regarding the growth of the acro in the sequence...

 

It seems to grow so perfectly uniform and even and very tight... My acro in immediate area of the return flow and mp10 seems to just grow in crazy directions on one side and very tight in another... Does flow have to do with that? More flow on the other side?

That is an interesting question really. What you have suggested regarding flow is valid however, in my observations, when I used to keep macro/micro elements much higher than NSW levels, I would experience some rapid growth spurts on some corals however, growth was not typical for the species, coralites were even spaced further apart than they should be. Almost like the coral grew so fast it didn't have time to form properly, almost like it was streched. Since I have been keeping NSW levels on all my elements for some time I have noticed corals grow as they do in the wild. This may be anecdotal but I believe now that high levels of some or all, macro and/or micro elements can affect coral skeletal formation.

 

It would be interesting to know if this is the case, maybe hear from others on this who are experiencing unusual growth formation in their SPS corals. Well that's my theory anyway, so much of what is observed by hobbyists like us is really not scientific information.

 

I do have one question for you though, do you dose iodine, if so how much, how often?

[NanoTopia]

Got an EMAIL this morning, the one that every APEX owner dreads...

 

Alarm Statement: If Switchx4_3 CLOSED Then ON Jun 08 2013 10:28:30

 

Switchx4_3 is a ALD (Advanced Leak Detection) Probe

 

I was in Vancouver, about 2 hours away from my home when I get an email, and a phone call from my sister (who happened to be checking on my tank) Went something like this, "I went to check on your tank and saw water was flowing over the top so I pushed the PANIC button like you said to to."

 

So those who follow my thread know that I made a PANIC button a few months back, and it was tested this morning for real. So I frantically ask for more information as my heart beating faster and faster. Turns out there is NO water in the ATO, and the tank has overflowed the top, "WOTF" acronym for Water On The Floor, yes OMG is exactly what said. Got in the car and started the two hour drive home while the tank sat in limbo with all power off. I felt it best to not turn anything on remotely until I got home and could see what was going on.

 

Got home, to find the ATO reservoir dry, (thank god I decided not to top it off since there was still about 1.5 gallons in the reservoir when I left home). Salinity 1.023 (not bad considering) Temp 77.5 (down about 1.5 degrees from normal). Good thing I had mixed some water the day before and was basically ready to use. I slowly brought the salinity back to 1.025 over 2.5 hours.

 

NO casualties that I can see, but one #### of a scare nonetheless. I hope the drop in salinity didn't affect the SPS too much.

 

All I can guess is that something happened with the CPR overflow, something blocked it maybe, but I can't find anything out of the norm. Basically started the system back up and everything worked fine, MYSTERY!

 

I did change the Tom's aqua lifter pump that keeps the syphon in the CPR overflow box as a precaution and cleaned out what I could.

 

YES I do have the ALD module (Advanced Leak Detection Module) for the APEX, the sensor was behind the display tank, under the CPR overflow box, but the tank is not level so the water flowed over the front and side areas not touching the sensor/probe at all, just my luck. Live and learn huh.

 

It could have been a lot worse given the ATO reservoir was full, I figure it would have dropped the salinity to 1.018 or lower if that had been the case.

 

SO this is where the ALD Probe sits as of now...

 

 

 

 

 

Until I can figure out what caused the overflow, the probe will sit here just in case.

[TheKleinReef]

my aqualifter pump died within months, so i upgraded to a small pump (i can't think of the name off hand) that sits in my sump, and sucks water (or air) from the overflow box and disperses it into the sump. it has never failed me. however, that small little nozzle on the top of the CPR overflow box has, its always clogging up.

 

regardless, i hope you figure out what happened.

[eitallent]

Oh, gosh! Disaster averted.

Thank goodness for your safety precautions!

I hope all remains well.

[NanoTopia]

my aqualifter pump died within months, so i upgraded to a small pump (i can't think of the name off hand) that sits in my sump, and sucks water (or air) from the overflow box and disperses it into the sump. it has never failed me. however, that small little nozzle on the top of the CPR overflow box has, its always clogging up.

 

regardless, i hope you figure out what happened.

Ya, I hate the design of this CPR overflow, it is very high maintenance. Nothing seemed plugged up so my never know what caused this exactly. I changed out the Tom's aqua lifter pump for another in case it was a pump failure and the overflow lost syphon over time. I am monitoring this very closely.

[Kfmmartin19]

hmmmmm thinking about getting a green chromis for my tank...idk...

[NanoTopia]

hmmmmm thinking about getting a green chromis for my tank...idk...

They do better in odd numbers as they are schooling fish. I lost all mine to disease (not ich) over time. Just bad luck I guess. They are a cool fish but I never saw mine in a tight school like you sometimes see cardinals.

[NanoTopia]

Oh, gosh! Disaster averted.

Thank goodness for your safety precautions!

I hope all remains well.

It was a close one, reminds me just how our systems are balanced on a thread, anything small happens and disaster is looming.

 

So far no casualties but some SPS have lost a bit of colour, guess they didn't like the 1.023 SG dip a whole lot. SPS can respond days later to stress so I am not out of the woods yet. Thanks for keeping your fingers crossed for me

[Nano sapiens]

Whoa, that was a close one! Fingers crossed that this will be your one and only close call and that the SPS aren't too upset.

[JayPagi]

So the siphon broke and the return pump continued to push water into the display? Can you reduce the water level in the sump to avoid that happening again?

[Kfmmartin19]

They do better in odd numbers as they are schooling fish. I lost all mine to disease (not ich) over time. Just bad luck I guess. They are a cool fish but I never saw mine in a tight school like you sometimes see cardinals.

I have heard having groups in nanos generally doesn't end well because if they're not in groups of 15+ they start picking each other off till only one or 2 are left. That's why I was thinking only one, but maybe that's no good either...

[NanoTopia]

Whoa, that was a close one! Fingers crossed that this will be your one and only close call and that the SPS aren't too upset.

Ya thanks, so far so good, no STN. Fingers Crossed

 

So the siphon broke and the return pump continued to push water into the display? Can you reduce the water level in the sump to avoid that happening again?

As water drained in the sump the ATO kept trying to fill it. there was about 1.5 gallons of water in the reservoir, had there been more things would have really gotten ugly. I am only keeping about half a gallon right now in the reservoir. I think the AquaLifter Pump broke and the overflow lost syphon over time. Possibly air was aloud to enter the overflow via the AquaLifter pump itself. I will open it up tonight and look at the diaphragms inside to see if they are ruptured at all. That would confirm my thoughts. I have another AquaLifter on it now and will be looking for a better pump that can run this function, know any?

 

I have heard having groups in nanos generally doesn't end well because if they're not in groups of 15+ they start picking each other off till only one or 2 are left. That's why I was thinking only one, but maybe that's no good either...

I had my last chromes, by himself for several months, he took over the tank, similar behaviour as a damsel, very territorial.

[Kfmmartin19]

Ya thanks, so far so good, no STN. Fingers Crossed

 

 

As water drained in the sump the ATO kept trying to fill it. there was about 1.5 gallons of water in the reservoir, had there been more things would have really gotten ugly. I am only keeping about half a gallon right now in the reservoir. I think the AquaLifter Pump broke and the overflow lost syphon over time. Possibly air was aloud to enter the overflow via the AquaLifter pump itself. I will open it up tonight and look at the diaphragms inside to see if they are ruptured at all. That would confirm my thoughts. I have another AquaLifter on it now and will be looking for a better pump that can run this function, know any?

I had my last chromes, by himself for several months, he took over the tank, similar behaviour as a damsel, very territorial.

Darn, k I'll probably pass on them.

[JayPagi]

Ah I understand now. I don't know of another pump but I don't generally hear much complaints but the AquaLifter.

[TheKleinReef]

i'm cleaning out my sump later today, would you like me to write down the name of the pump i use for the CPR overflow box siphon?

[NanoTopia]

i'm cleaning out my sump later today, would you like me to write down the name of the pump i use for the CPR overflow box siphon?

If it was something other than Tom's Aqua Lifter I would like to to know yes thanks.

[NanoTopia]

Ah I understand now. I don't know of another pump but I don't generally hear much complaints but the AquaLifter.

I did an autopsy on the pump and the diaphragms were not ruptured so I have to assume they were just clogged or the pump quit altogether. Water under the bridge "pun intended", I will just replace the working spare one I am using now until I can pick up a new one later this week. They sell a filter canister for the Aqua Lifter ($3) that can hold some floss, this would prevent any particles from building up in the pump, I will probably give that a try as well.

[TheKleinReef]

If it was something other than Tom's Aqua Lifter I would like to to know yes thanks.

 

i just wish the hole for the cpr box was bigger, it clogs so bad. maybe i can DIY a larger nozzle... regardless, i will be sure to let you know

[sunburn]

Hi Christine,

 

Sorry to hear about your overflow disaster.

 

I'm still a little fuzzy on exactly what happened, but, is it possible to plug your Aqualifter into the Apex, then when an overflow is detected, it will shut off the Aqualifter along with all your other pumps?

[NanoTopia]

Hi Christine,

 

Sorry to hear about your overflow disaster.

 

I'm still a little fuzzy on exactly what happened, but, is it possible to plug your Aqualifter into the Apex, then when an overflow is detected, it will shut off the Aqualifter along with all your other pumps?

I'm calling it an averted disaster, by the skin of my teeth. The Aqua Lifter is connected to the CPR overflow and it's only purpose is to prevent loss of syphon in the overflow by removing any air that may accumulate within it (it runs continuously sucking water or air).

 

If an overflow cannot keep up with the amount of return water entering the display tank, the level in the display tank will begin to rise until it overflows.

 

What happened essentially is the overflow began to loose syphon as air filled the inner overflow, when this happened the ability for the overflow to remove water was decreased and eventually could not keep up with the return water entering the display tank. The tank overflowed reducing the level in the sump, which caused the ATO to kick on (trying to keep the sump water level) until all the ATO reservoir water was exhausted (thankfully only 1.5 gallons of RO water was in the reservoir). Sump return section runs dry as does the ATO reservoir, the floor gets wet.

 

So the failure was the AquaLifters ability to remove air from the overflow. It may have been a pump failure or an obstruction in the tubing coming from the overflow to the pump or pump to drain. Nonetheless, this was just a classic overflow syphon failure.

 

I really dislike this type of overflow but it was my only option at the time of the build. I would never design a tank system with an overflow tube of any sort, they are the leading cause of wet floors and crashed tanks. I now check the overflow for air 6-10 times a day, and I have not gotten a good nights sleep since the mishap.

 

Hope that's helps explain what basically happened, it could have been a lot worse, I was lucky this time.

[sunburn]

Ok...I get it. You are very lucky.

 

Your paranoia about it happening again reminds me of when I first set up my tank. If I heard any odd sound I would run into the room to make sure the tank didn't spring a leak or tubing popped off and was pouring water all over the floor. My heart would skip a beat.

[TheKleinReef]

After cleaning everything out, the pump I use is a rio600 with airline hose attached to one of the 2 nozzles, the other end runs of course to the CPR box.

[TheKleinReef]

hey! just ordered the 3 pump GHL doser and 3 vertex vessels, any advice on setting them up? that'd be amazing!