Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread

[JohnL]

This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=10556454#post10556454

[spleen93]

Beautiful pics, Marc. Glad you're feeling better. Just so you know, naproxen (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) are both potentially irritating to your stomach lining. They both can cause ulcers so you need to be cautious with them, especially if you tend to use them a lot. Watch for issues like heartburn, stomach upset, and cramping after you take them which may be an indication that you're having adverse effects. Tylenol doesn't have those side effects but causes its own problems (liver toxicity) if you overuse it as well (over 3000 - 4000 mg/day) - under that, it's a remarkable safe medication. So yes, you just can't win. :) Sympathies for all of those with migraines - those are not fun. (shudder)

(ooooh, and I cause the split! (does a little dance))

Spleen

[melev]

Look what you did, you split my thread!

And thanks for the tip. I'd have to check the bottles, but I know I'm not coming close to exceeding what is probably okay milligram-wise. Naproxen 660mg (3 pills) at a time, only once for that particular day or need. Or if Ibuprofen 1000 to 1500 (2 or 3 pills) for that particular need. I doubt I take pills twice a week, if at that.

Chapter/Split #9, Page 428, post 10678

[melev]

Since we started a new split, I figured I better post the essentials:

Factoids about my tank:

<b>Size:</b> InterAmerican Starfire 280g - 72 x 30 x 30
<b>Lighting:</b> (2) 250w 10,000K + 400w 20,000K + 320w 6' VHO Actinics (<a href="http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/lighting.jpg">picture</a>)
<b>Alkalinity:</b> 10.6 dKH
<b>Calcium:</b> 475ppm
<b>Magnesium:</b> 1280 - 1400 ppm
<b>Phosphate:</b> 0
<b>Calcium Reactor:</b> Lifereef VS-24 with Milwaukee pH Controller
<b>Salinity:</b> 1.026 sg
<b>Temperature:</b> 79F to 80F daily (maintained with fishroom at 75F with a window a/c)
<b>Peak pH:</b> 8.2 - 8.3
<b>Feeding:</b> Once daily with my home-made frozen mixture
<b>Age:</b> 3 years
<b>Circulation:</b> Little Giant return pump, 3 VorTech pumps (Tunze pictured below is now out)
<b>Sump:</b> DIY acrylic 60 x 36 x 16 with propagation section & refugium (<a href="http://www.melevsreef.com/280g/my_sump1.jpg">picture</a>)
<b>Miscellaneous:</b> Phosban Reactors for phosphate removal (changed monthly) & to run carbon (changed weekly)
<b>Dosing:</b> Salifert Amino Acids when I think about it
<b>Top off:</b> RO/DI only
<b>Salt:</b> Kent for years, recently switched to Rea Sea Pro Reef - frequent 55g water changes lately.

<img src="http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/fts_080107.jpg">

[token]

Very impressive!

Here's to 9 more!

[Micki]

Great pictures as usual Marc!

And to your comment to me being a nurse; Prior to becoming a sign language interpreter I was a medical assistant in a Dr. office. I could do anything except start IV's. I loved that job! If I were younger now and just out of school I would go for an RN.

[cbui2]

thats incredible growth Marc, what amount carbon is used weekly, phosphate monthly?

[Hop]

You need to repost all those last pics into the new split! they are too nice to be wasted at the end of the last split and not be thoroughly commented on now!

[jnarowe]

Pics are great but what about a nice FTS without the Tunze?? j/k dude, I love the growth pics. That frogspawn went wild, and your bubble is the nicest one I have ever seen.

[melev]

Micki - you'd have made a great RN, I think. You've lived through enough medical issues with your family to qualify for an honorary RN title. :)

Hop - maybe I'll do that after all. I can't even use the Quote option to carry them over here. :(

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10558278#post10558278 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cbui2
thats incredible growth Marc, what amount carbon is used weekly, phosphate monthly?

I'm using about 2 cups of carbon weekly in a Phosban Reactor, and about 1" or so of PO4 remover. However, I'm not really feeling like the latter is doing much good for my system. To be honest, I hate testing for PO4 because I don't want to find out it is going up again. :rolleyes: :p I need to either really get committed to determining exactly how much is needed how often to nail that number to 0 permanently, but it just isn't on my list of priorities / fun to do stuff.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10558482#post10558482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
Pics are great but what about a nice FTS without the Tunze?? j/k dude, I love the growth pics. That frogspawn went wild, and your bubble is the nicest one I have ever seen.

I'll take a new FTS (full tank shot) soon. I tend to take those monthly.

[Micki]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10558501#post10558501 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Micki - you'd have made a great RN, I think. You've lived through enough medical issues with your family to qualify for an honorary RN title. :)


Thanks Marc! I didn't get the degree but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express once! :D

(I hope someone knows what I'm talking about and gets that... :rolleyes: )

[jnarowe]

I get it, but I have brain damage....

[melev]

I didn't. Guess I need some drain bamage. :D

[Micki]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10558852#post10558852 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
I get it, but I have brain damage....

LOL! Maybe that means I do too! :eek1:

[Micki]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10558878#post10558878 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I didn't. Guess I need some drain bamage. :D

Looking at what you typed I think you already qualify! ;)

It was in a TV commercial. The Dr. was doing some wonderful surgery and the other staff asked where he went to college. He said I didn't but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Once! The moral of the story is if you stay at a Holiday Inn Express you are SMART! :D

[melev]

It isn't about brain damage, it's about my disdain for commercials. I try to skip over them at all costs. Sounds like I might be missing out on some real jewels out there. ;)

[Micki]

I usually skip over all TV, commercials as well as the programs. I rarely watch any of it. (Well except for DA BEARS!!!) I did happen to catch this one at some point in time. I think it's been a few years or so ago. It was probably druing a Bears Game that I saw it! :D

[ghstrider]

Marc, everytime i see your FTS im in awe... sweet setup and 9 splits thats insane! Congrats

[Hop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10558501#post10558501 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Hop - maybe I'll do that after all. I can't even use the Quote option to carry them over here. :(

I tried that too before I posted. I was hoping you had special MOD ucal powers:lol:

[melev]

No, I have no power on RC. :D

[NanoGurl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10558796#post10558796 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Micki
Thanks Marc! I didn't get the degree but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express once! :D

(I hope someone knows what I'm talking about and gets that... :rolleyes: )

LOL!! I got it =)

[NanoGurl]

Congrats on the split =) Beautiful tank!

[Micki]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10559831#post10559831 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NanoGurl
LOL!! I got it =)

LOL good for you! I was hoping I wouldn't be the only one knowing what I was talking about. :)

[NanoGurl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10559848#post10559848 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Micki
LOL good for you! I was hoping I wouldn't be the only one knowing what I was talking about. :)

hehehe no... those commercials are so funny and stupid. =)

[melev]

If there is a commercial I'll actually rewind to see, it would be the PC vs Mac ones. Those are pretty funny to me.

[jnarowe]

Suich a nerd...so am I . I lovethose ones like when he's getting wheeled away for an upgrade.

So, just split and second page already...did they "make" you become a sponsor to cover your bandwidth? :lol:

[Micki]

I liked the one where the little girl is text messaging and her Mom gets mad at the phone bill and asks who have you been sending messages to and the girl says "I D K my BFF Jill"! I LOVE that one! :D

[melev]

:lol: No, they didn't. It was my own choice back in January.

[bleedingthought]

Marc, looking really good despite the stumbles lately! ;)

By the way, what brand carbon are you running? Do you change out all of the carbon at the same time weekly?

[melev]

I'll repost those growth sequences with additional images taken today.

The carbon is something I bought in a group buy in a huge unmarked bag. I don't know the brand by heart, sorry. Supposedly it is one of the best ones available, which I was able to get via the Houston club. I change it weekly as I think about it. In fact, I need to change it today.

Here are two reefshots from today.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/reefshot_0815_1.jpg

http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/reefshot_0815_2.jpg

[melev]

As promised, reposting these growth sequences, with pictures added from today.

<b>Tricolor Acropora sp.</b>
May 2, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/05/unknown_acro.jpg
June 11, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/06/purple_tipped_0611.jpg
July 23, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/07/tricolor_0723.jpg
August 15, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/tricolor_0815.jpg

[melev]

<b>Acropora rosetta</b>
May 2, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/05/blue_tip_acro.jpg
May 16, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/05/rosetta_0516.jpg
May 25, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/05/rosetta_0525.jpg
July 23, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/07/roseta_frag_0723.jpg
August 15, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/rosetta_0815.jpg

[melev]

<b>Sunset Monti</b>
May 25, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/05/sunset_monti_0525.jpg
June 11, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/06/sunset_monti_0611.jpg
July 29, 2007 topdown shot
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/07/td_sunset_monti.jpg
August 15, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/sunset_0815.jpg

[melev]

<b>Nobilis</b>
November 22, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/11/nobilis_frag_1122.jpg
January 31, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/01/nobilis_frag_0131.jpg
March 11, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/03/nobilis_frag_0311.jpg
April 3, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/04/nobilis_frag_0403.jpg
May 16, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/05/nobilis_frag.jpg
June 11, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/06/nobilis_frag.jpg
June 26, 2007 topdown shot
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/06/td_nobilis_frag.jpg
July 23, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/07/nobilis_frag_0723.jpg
August 15, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/nobilis_frag_0815.jpg

[melev]

<b>Blue tipped acro</b>
June 11, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/06/acro_blue_tips_0611.jpg
July 29, 2007 topdown shot
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/07/td_blue_tip_acro.jpg
July 31, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/07/blue_tipped_acro.jpg

<b>Bubble coral</b>
November 23, 2006
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/11/bubble_daytime.jpg
July 29, 2007 topdown shot
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/07/td_bubble.jpg
August 8, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/bubble_080807.jpg

<b>Green hammer</b>
June 14, 2006
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/06/green_hammer.jpg
July 5, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/07/green_hammer.jpg

[melev]

<b>Pink Hammer</b>
January 30, 2006
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/01/td_hammer.jpg
June 11, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/06/pink_hammer_0611.jpg
June 26, 2007 topdown shot
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/06/td_pink_hammer.jpg


<b>Acropora granulosa</b>
October 10, 2005
http://melevsreef.com/pics/05/10/kwl_sps_1010.jpg
March 20, 2006
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/03/td_granulosa.jpg
June 24, 2006
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/06/granulosa_0624.jpg
July 7, 2006
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/07/granulosa_0707.jpg
August 11, 2006
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/08/granulosa_0811.jpg
September 30, 2006
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/09/granulosa_0930.jpg
October 13, 2006
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/10/granulosa_1013.jpg

Continued to next post...

[melev]

Wrapping up...

November 7, 2006
http://melevsreef.com/pics/06/11/granulosa_1107.jpg
January 31, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/01/granulosa_0131.jpg
May 2, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/05/granulosa_0502.jpg
June 11, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/06/granulosa_0611.jpg
July 29, 2007 topdown shot
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/07/td_granulosa.jpg
August 15, 2007
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/granulosa_0815.jpg

[easye123]

awesome pics!! very very nice growth!!

[dvanacker]

awsome pics mark.....that nobolis looks like GSP in the first pic its so hairy!!

[bklynmet]

Congrats on yet another split... hope your headache was just that - a headache...

thanks for posting the photos from page 40 onto this thread...

when you get a chance, you'll need to bring over the FTS 1007 sequence too...

[spleen93]

Just as pretty the 2nd time around! :D

Spleen

[melev]

I think I'll do that when I have a decent FTS to show. I tried today but it was horribly over-exposed and I didn't have time to shoot it again.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10562328#post10562328 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spleen93
Just as pretty the 2nd time around! :D

Spleen

Almost all of those sequences were given one extra shot from today, so it was totally worth it. ;)

[spleen93]

Hmph, that'll teach me to be more observant. http://www.freesmileys.org/emo/ashamed004.gif. Didn't even notice the latest set of pics from 8/15.

I agree, the polyp extension looks fantastic. That sunset monti almost looks like a Turbinaria sp. Now you just need to Photoshop that half of an aiptasia out of the left side of the pic. :rollface:

Spleen

[melev]

I totally agree, but I'd rather use Joe's Juice and make it a permanent solution. They are all coming out again, the little buggers. Hate those things, and just need one good CBB to live long enough to erradicate them and keep me happy. For now, the only one I have is on my desktop.

http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/cbb_desktop.jpg

[gkarshens]

:lol: I stole that same pic from the wallpaper thread and have it as my desktop too.

[melev]

It isn't stealing when they post it there for anyone to use. And as soon as I saw it, all I thought was "Mine", "Mine", "Mine"....

[NanoGurl]

What's the wallpaper thread?

[melev]

Wallpaper... BIG files posted here (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=300979&perpage=&pagenumber=1)

[NanoGurl]

Neat. Thanks!

[cbui2]

only takes few months and growing like wild flowers. awesome pics Marc and congrats with another split

[gkarshens]

Bad choice of words. I loved it too!

[melev]

I didn't take you seriously. I knew what you meant.

[melev]

Chromis count: 9
Anthias count: 8

So far so good. :)

And because I hate paying my electric bill, I thought I'd do a little research on my fishroom's window a/c unit for the past couple of days. I plugged the 110v cord into a Kill-o-watt device and from time to time checked on the numbers. Our weather has been nearly 100F, and humid. The unit pulls 117w when in fan mode only, and 715w (6.44 amps) when the compressor runs.

I noticed when my garage is closed, the trapped heat makes the a/c use higher wattage. It reported 835-845w, and once I opened the garage door to allow heat to vent out, the wattage came down as well.

The Kill-o-watt also tracks information. It recorded 22.49kwh in 44:02 hours. Looks like the compressor has been cycling on almost 50% of the time (although the circulation fan (117w) is running 24 hours a day. I'm going to keep it tracking for a few more days, and then get an average daily use from the total.

My current electricity rate is .14kwh and if my math is correct with the numbers I have on my scratch pad, the a/c is using 12.24kwh per day. After 7 days worth of power consumption have been collected, I can double check that math. For now, it appears I'm paying $1.71 a day to run the 8000BTU a/c unit during the summer months, or adding $51.39 to my utility bill by keeping the fishroom 75F and the reef 80F.

Btw, yesterday I noticed my central a/c was running non-stop and that the house had risen to 79F even though the thermostat setpoint was 76F. I called my a/c service to ask if they felt it was operating normally and they suggested I check the furnace filter. I buy the Filtrete ones that are pricey but last for 3 months, and it wasn't that old, yet it was completely covered with dust. It looked like dark gray fur; it was so thick. I bought a new one and replaced the old that evening, and today the unit operated as it should with the house staying at 76F. So those of you trying to save a few dollars off your monthly electric bill, check your filter as it will help reduce how long the a/c system has to run.

I can't wait for winter to return. :rolleyes:

[erics3000]

Filters .Certainly helps the compresors drain..Interesting that much of a change. I changed the ac filter in my car a little bit ago and I thought the ac was good before.Whew the AC rocks in that car.

[MPH]

Marc,

You’re up late! For me its 12:45 PM. I’m in China at the moment. Have not been able to respond to you from several pages back, pre latest split, due to travel. It’s hard to catch up with you when you miss a few days.

Anyway, yes I’ve haven’t posted in while but have been keeping up with you all along, except for the fact that for some reason I don’t seem to be able to stay subscribed for more than 2 or 3 days in a row. Then I get cut off. After a few days, I realize it and have to play catch up again.

For the most part my system has done very well, considering when I bought it on eBay and moved it I was a total newbie. Other than having read posts on Reefcentral and a couple of other sources for a couple of months, I had no experience with reef keeping. I think most of my success can be credited to your thread and an excellent LFS. I actually should post some pics sometime of my tank 3 years ago and now. It’s still sitting on the same temporary stand (exposed 2X4’s) as it 3 years ago. Maybe then people would get off your case about finishing the woodwork! ;)

The only bump along the way was one year ago when I was out of town and we had a 3 day power failure. My daughter who is pretty good at taking care of things in my absence thought the fish would be OK through the night and that the power would be back on soon. I the morning, everything was dead except for the mushrooms, which would have been happy to lose. The tank recovered quickly though. Have since added new fish, starfish (2 harlequin), hermits, snails and several SPS that are doing very well. The previous owner had 3 tangs in the 120 which thought was too much but I hated to lose them this way. But the population is a better balance now. There’s a whole house backup generator (18 kW) in the plan for this year. I still panic when I have to be away for any length of time.

If I haven’t said before, thanks for sharing you knowledge, experience, both good and bad, and you beautiful tank with all of us. I probably couldn’t have gotten to where I am without it.

[melev]

I'd love to see pictures of your tank Miles.

Regarding my thread, I guess the easiest thing for you to do is to bookmark the page where you left off since the email notifications aren't keeping you on track. You'd just have to rebookmark each time.

You are very welcome, and thank you for the kind thoughts.

[cbui2]

i know on this thread if i miss even 1/2 day, i would have to back track 2 pages just to keep up :D .

[boviac]

I'm wondering how the compressor would draw more current simply bc the garage door was shut. Most compressors simply run on or off. Maybe if the condensor part is not allowing the coolant to efficiently condense (garage door shut - trapped heat) that may in some way cause the compressor to work harder - draw more amps. I don't know how your fan works but I'm guessing it moves air from the fish room to the garage? If so it sounds like the fan might be having to push harder and be drawing more current with the garage door shut than open. Don't know as it is only a window unit. And after all, I don't know much more about A/C systems but I know those Kill-A-Watt's sure are cool!!!

I feel for you guys out there in the heat. Not really simply for the heat because its been 100 here too but we don't have that humidity problem at all. In fact, this was probably the most humid summer here at around 20-35% day and 50%-ish at night. Last summer, daytime highs would yield humidity of like 15%. I know I'm rubbing it in... :D

Air Filters should probably be checked more often if the system runs more often - Like this time of year. I know call me MOTO (Master Of The Obvious) ;) Good thing you caught that. I recently let mine go for about a 100 hours (programmable thermostat keeps track) but I forgot that I had only a 30 day one in there and not the newer 3 month kind that I had stocked up on. Opps. Yup it was pretty dusty when I finally took it down. Plus I'm noticing there's quite a lot of apparent dust past the filter in the coil wrap as the vent pipe bends 90 degrees. I suppose I should go up there with a vacuum and clean it out.

Sorry too lazy to look up the geography of Ft Worth's location compared to the where the now downgraded tropical depresion that's supposed to dump more rain into the already saturated South Texas is supposedly landed. Hope this has a cooling effect for you either way. You guys need it!

[MPH]

Marc,

Do I win the prize for your farthest distance post, Shanghai, China?

I had a thread started when I first got the tank. I'll look up the link and post it. Haven't taken any new pic lately so will have to wait until I get back home in Sept.

If the outside temp that the air conditioner is discharging is high, the compressor has to work harder (gas temp is higher) and thus draws more energy.

Have to go back to work.

[poppin_fresh]

I really need to get one of those Kill-a-watts. I would love to know what my stuff is using for power. I have a suspicion that my return pump is drawing more power now that its getting older.

[erics3000]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10571901#post10571901 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by boviac
I'm wondering how the compressor would draw more current simply bc the garage door was shut. Most compressors simply run on or off. Maybe if the condensor part is not allowing the coolant to efficiently condense (garage door shut - trapped heat) that may in some way cause the compressor to work harder - draw more amps. I don't know how your fan works but I'm guessing it moves air from the fish room to the garage? If so it sounds like the fan might be having to push harder and be drawing more current with the garage door shut than open. Don't know as it is only a window unit. And after all, I don't know much more about A/C systems but I know those Kill-A-Watt's sure are cool!!!

I feel for you guys out there in the heat. Not really simply for the heat because its been 100 here too but we don't have that humidity problem at all. In fact, this was probably the most humid summer here at around 20-35% day and 50%-ish at night. Last summer, daytime highs would yield humidity of like 15%. I know I'm rubbing it in... :D

Air Filters should probably be checked more often if the system runs more often - Like this time of year. I know call me MOTO (Master Of The Obvious) ;) Good thing you caught that. I recently let mine go for about a 100 hours (programmable thermostat keeps track) but I forgot that I had only a 30 day one in there and not the newer 3 month kind that I had stocked up on. Opps. Yup it was pretty dusty when I finally took it down. Plus I'm noticing there's quite a lot of apparent dust past the filter in the coil wrap as the vent pipe bends 90 degrees. I suppose I should go up there with a vacuum and clean it out.

Sorry too lazy to look up the geography of Ft Worth's location compared to the where the now downgraded tropical depresion that's supposed to dump more rain into the already saturated South Texas is supposedly landed. Hope this has a cooling effect for you either way. You guys need it!
I
t depends on the efficency of the room. If it is harder to cool the room then the compressor stays on longer. Longer means $$$..What Marc was talking about is when he opened the garage door a lot of heat released and his compressor didn't have to work as hard.

I don't know about the houses in Texas but they do'nt put insulation over the roof for the garage part on the new houses in FLorida. I had a friend that put insulation over hers and it made a big difference. Marc have you thought about insulating the garage door if you haven't already. I have seen a few guys on RC and they all claim a noticeable drop in room.

[patej]

looking good

[boviac]

Thanks Eric - I think I understand what you're saying and agree with you. But what I don't understand is, why? What I was commenting on, which I now understand I didn't make clear, was the increase in amps his Kill-O-Watt showed the A/C drew when the garage door was open compared to shut. I understand the compresser having to work 'harder' when the door is shut but usually that means not working harder just working for a longer time at the same amp draw. I really don't know enough about the finite operations of an A/C - more over, the specifics of THIS A/C. I was simply just curious for someone to maybe correctly ID why the A/C amp draw was higher when in a closed, hotter environment. For me, I'm probably wrong, and the last thing I want is one of those - No-I'm-Right, YOU'RE-ALL-WRONG things to go on here - I'm just curious about how that can happen. Does it have anything to do with the TXV limiting the actual liquid flow to the compressor maybe so it can run faster, thereby allowing higher amp draw? I dunno. If I think too much and no one else cares - forgettaboutdit. :D :D :D ;)

[boviac]

MPH, hmmm. gas temperature higher. I'm thinking..... But the compressor can only pump liquid (correct?) so either way the coolant coming out of the condensor has to be a liquid. But would a higher gas temperature result in a higher liquid temperature and cause the compressor to work harder? And if so by that large of an amp factor? Interesting. Thanks, I'll have to think more about this one.

:D

[jnarowe]

I can't explain it technically either, but I know it's true. I have done the same comparissons. It's like when Summertime is here and my store's compressors hit a marginal area where it's not just overcoming the extra temp. inside, but the temp. the compressors themselves are subject to. One thing about compressors is that the manufacturers are very specific, as well as are many local codes, about how much room should be around the air compressor for proper air flow. With the garage doors closed, Marc is not getting the flow the compressor needs, and that has some eefect on its operational efficiency.

Hey Marc, saw on the news you guys are getting hammered...you live on a hill or what? ;)

[token]

I believe it's drawing more amps because it requires the energy to lower the gas's temperature to that of its liquid state due to the ambient room temperature. Said another way, because the garage is closed and hotter, it takes more energy (the compressor is working harder) to lower the coolant to liquid temperature.

I believe that's a function of the first law of thermal dynamics, or the conservation of energy rule.

[boviac]

Token, I don't understand how the non-electrical heat exchanger (condenser) can cause an increase in energy consumption. That's the only way to lower the liquid temperature. The energy consuming compressor comes after the condenser. I do appreciate the help to understand this. I believe I understand the thermodynamic laws, what I don't understand is the 120-130W increase with simply the garage door closed.

[token]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10570923#post10570923 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Our weather has been nearly 100F, and humid. The unit pulls 117w when in fan mode only, and 715w (6.44 amps) when the compressor runs.

I noticed when my garage is closed, the trapped heat makes the a/c use higher wattage. It reported 835-845w, and once I opened the garage door to allow heat to vent out, the wattage came down as well.

The Kill-o-watt also tracks information. It recorded 22.49kwh in 44:02 hours. Looks like the compressor has been cycling on almost 50% of the time (although the circulation fan (117w) is running 24 hours a day. I'm going to keep it tracking for a few more days, and then get an average daily use from the total. boviac: I think the problem for Marc may lie in the entire situation of a closed garage. Because the air is not circulating, inside the garage or to the outside, the air becomes even hotter near the A/C unit as it runs. It will rise and fall vertically but will not circulate much through the whole garage.

Because the condenser is acting as an energy exchange, this process becomes more "expensive", or less efficient, the longer the exchange takes place; the unit by being enclosed itself is working against its ability to cool, resulting in longer cooling cycles and increased demand on the compressor.

In truth, the condenser forms a loop around the compressor. On one side is the cooler gas, after it is compressed. It then migrates around the coils to the expansion valve as it becomes hot and approaches the condenser again. The internal fan is moving air over the hotter side of the coil and out the grill, cooled by the cooler side of the condenser's coils. As the air in the garage heats even further due to the unit's on state, the unit has to work that much harder to get the target temperature of the room.

The actual amount of increased amperage draw is relative to the BTU of the unit itself and its ability to lower the temperature; the more gas, the more BTU and the more cooling it can do. Of course, that efficiency comes at the higher amp draw of a larger compressor but that may play out positively if the unit is on less. Another way of lowering that is to get the garage itself cooler. As mentioned, insulation will help. Circulating the air in the garage will help too. I think Marc is running his A/C at the target temp of his tank, but if he is using it at a lower temp, more like we would enjoy in our homes, raising it would alleviate some of the draw. The downside to that is that it might cause the cooling system of the tank to run more and then we start the cycle of calculating consumption all over.

I don't know if I clarified that much. I hope it helps.

[token]

I should add that the the continuous coil's sides have specific designations and that may be where the confusion lies. The cooler side, after the compressor, is the "condensor" and the hotter side, after the expansion valve, is the "evaporator". In truth, though, as I noted, it's one continuous loop.

[sdf_beanhead]

Could it have something to do with temperature affecting how efficently the electricity is used by the compressor due to higher heat. That is one thing we all know about electronics is to keep them cool. Just thought I would throw that out there.

One thing I do know about power usage (regarding our tanks) is don't tell your spouse/significant other how much it costs to run it. I figured mine up and I wished I didn't even know :(

[MrSpiffy]

Off-topic, I know. But you realize, Marc, that you have had nearly 530,000 views in just these three pages..? :)

[melev]

I think that is cumulative, to be honest. Once I looked up all the splits and did some additions. I doubt it is only for these particular pages.

We did get some strong winds and rain yesterday, but my area didn't have any problems. I've not checked the paper yet to see what the news reported.

It was interesting reading your thoughts about how & why the power is being consumed based on heat in the garage. I don't keep a thermometer out there, but it gets very hot in there. By opening the garage door, it makes a big difference in the ambient temperature. If I buy those security gates I'd mentioned a couple of months ago, I could leave it open more often.

The ceiling to my garage is insulated, as I blew that stuff in myself a few years ago.

[MrSpiffy]

ahhhh.... DOH! :p I kinda thought there was a lot more to this thread. I just saw the huge number of views.

[boviac]

Thanks everyone, but I'm still at a loss for the increase. I do understand that the A/C is a closed (continuous) loop and I am speaking about the condenser. And please forgive me, it was not my intention to use this thread to teach people the basics of A/C operation.

But there are only two, well maybe three, things in an AC that uses energy: the compressor, the fan, and the controller. We know the fan and the controller don't consume the extra 120-135 Watts when the door is closed so it has to be the compressor. I just can understand the compressor (basically a motor) increasing it's amp draw that much.

Nonetheless, I'm willing to let this one die. One thing I've learned about information - the more you have - the more you realize you don't know anything. This Kill-A-Watt toy's results are telling me that. Thanks :D

[boviac]

Melev, Congrats on the recent split, successful tank, and here's hoping for fall weather for you guys sooner rather than later.

[bmwaaron]

Hey Marc have you tested your salt Mg level latley? Im still using Tropic Marine and the Mg level is less then 1000 ppm. What salt are you using since your Mg levels seem to be pretty consistant

[melev]

Hi Aaron, I test for Mg and then add it to bring it up. I have a huge bag of Magnesium chloride in the garage that I bought in a group buy.

Next time I mix up saltwater, I'll do a battery of tests and post them here.

[bmwaaron]

Thanks Marc

[purebullet417]

we need that new fts

btw post #1000 yay

[Hop]

Woohoo 1K:D

Congrats!

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10584076#post10584076 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by purebullet417
we need that new fts

btw post #1000 yay

Actually, your 1000th post was on 08/08/2007 11:25 PM, and you said "lol thanks for that". You "real" post total is 1026. :)


Okay, I have way too much time on my hands. And a bad back, lots of vicodine and Reef Central don't mix. ;)

[melev]

Saturday afternoon I had to run up to the LFS, and ended up staying a few hours. My garage door was closed again, and when I got back the window a/c was pulling 780w of power. After the garage vented out some heat, it was around 719w. Crazy.

And my electric bill is INSANE this month. $469 with a supposed use of 3707kwh. I've never used that much power in living here over 7 years, and our weather is nowhere near the heat we had a year ago. Tsk. :mad: Looks like the Tunze pumps I'm selling are going to pay the freakin' bill this month.

[Pacific Reefs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10585364#post10585364 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev

And my electric bill is INSANE this month. $469 with a supposed use of 3707kwh. I've never used that much power in living here over 7 years, and our weather is nowhere near the heat we had a year ago.

Man I'm sorry to hear about that bill! It's a nice car payment for sure. Hey I think its that new nano tank you set up, right? ;)

[thor32766]

Yeah that tank is very beautiful. Great work!

[jnarowe]

it's like a money sucking spider web spreading through the house! :lol: Wait till, you get the "knock & talk" from the PD. :rolleyes:

ATF/WestNet is always buzzing my house these days.

[boviac]

Wow. :eek: That hurts but yet, in a way I'm jealous. Last July, I had a bill for 1500 KwH and it was $397. You used more than twice the amount I did last year. I imagine out here (PG&E) that would cost you closer to $1k (it's a sliding scale upwards so I don't care to take the time to figure it out.) Nonetheless, you'd have to sell more than one Tunze's for that kind of a bill either way.

60W difference with door open/closed makes more sense.
Thanks.

[jnarowe]

I sure am glad I found this hobby AFTER I moved to WA, with an electric rate of .08! :D

[melev]

After a battery of water tests for the week, it is time again to dose more Magnesium. The test was 1280ppm.

And I finally opened a new Salifert kit to test Nitrate. I've been using the same kit for years, which is really rediculous. The new kit made a huge difference, with a far higher reading. All this time the tests were around 5 to 7ppm. Today's new kit was more like 40ppm. Not exactly a shocker, the way I feed.

I'll have to get a comparison test done at the LFS, but if it is that high, I don't really seem myself doing 200g water changes back to back to bring them down again, and I won't spend the money on a Denitrifier. So I figured I'd ask what you've heard or experienced using AZNo3?

All the rest of my tests were good.

[NanoGurl]

Welcome to the 40+ nitrate club! :thumbsup:

[Tbduval]

Melev, I have read some good things & threads about AZNo3. I am going to try it also to bring down my nitrates. I will test it out and see how it works for me and let you know.

[melev]

It's a Nitrate Party!

[NanoGurl]

Woohooo! Coronas at my house!

[erics3000]

Ahh man... I better get a new test kit..

[token]

Ok, somewhat serious conjecture (and sure to spark controversy): I wonder about the correlation between nitrate and pest anemones...

It seems that every time the little demons have shown up for me is when I have had a nitrate spike.

I know that cyano is highly opportunistic and I wonder if the mojano's and aiptasia's of our little watery worlds are the same...

[melev]

I have no idea. Seems hard to believe aiptasia breed because they have nitrate in the water - for me anyway.

[jnarowe]

I am fairly certain based on my own glorious experience with aiptasia, that they flourish when food particles are not removed from the water column mechanically. At least, when I went without socks (because they are a PITA), aiptasia bloomed horrifically over the following months. I feel that there was a direct correlation.

Also conjecture on my part, but I think your problems with the CBBs may be related to nitrate levels. We do know that they are one of the more sensitive fish, and that many sensitive fish are affected by nitrates, so do you think this might be the case with CBBs?

[melev]

I don't know, but that is an interesting thought.

[Kentanner11]

I was on the reef vids site, and they were doing a set-up where in a customers, overflow aptasia was wild, but he noticed that they were efficiently eating detitrus, so he has now created systems that have this element, I thought it was interesting, but I would be terrified that some/alot of aptasia would work its way into the tank.

[NexDog]

I really think we need a conclusive expiry on these Salifert tests. I just tested around 40 on a 18 month old kit so I'd hate to know what it really is.

And yea, I have a denitrator and yea, it doesn't work.

[melev]

I just read a thread about someone using a denitrator that worked perfectly, but I just don't want or need such an extra device tied into my reef.

A good rule of thumb is too use test kits for 12 months. I just hate wasting anything and when I still see liquid in the various reagent bottles, I'd prefer to keep using them until they are empty. I guess the best option would be to test more so they are used up more quickly. ;)

[jnarowe]

Kentanner11: Mine started as a little baby in my fuge that came in on a rock from a fellow reefer. When I messed with it, I actually saw it eject pieces of itself, which I then watched go into the fuge powerhead, cricle around, and overflow into the display.

My tank was filled with them. In the hundreds at least. Now they are mostly gone, due to either being over-run by brown algae or the introduction of the CBB. The kicker is, my overflow has tons of them, and if I dont' find a way to irradicate them from there, they will be continuosly replicating. As far as detritus does, I am not sure I buy that, but that could have been a good food source for them in my system since I have only vacuumed it once in its 16 month history.

FYI, Steve Weast is running sulfur on his cold water tanks with good results.

[erics3000]

What if you put a little hang on overflow for a bit while you drained your overflows and cleaned them out.

[jnarowe]

I am going to shut down the system the next time I make fish food, and scrape them all out. Then I am going to toss them in the food processor with the fish food and freeze them right into the mixture. Then if I lose my CBB, the other fish will have developed a taste for them! :D

My overflow is only 6" deep so it's not a big deal, and with the Vortechs, I still have most of my flow when the return pump is shut down.

[melev]

That's so crazy, it might work. Provided of course that a dead aiptasia isn't toxic in some way. When I kill and shred a mushroom in my tank, the fish swim away like I'm releasing a plague.

[jnarowe]

That's so crazy, it might work.

Hey I resemble that! :lol: My buddy Sherman suggests that I just try a small batch first...Imagine if I was feeding my fish vitamin enriched aiptasia!

[Micki]

jnarowe you might be on to somthing! :D

[vapor1]

That would be Nitrogen enriched Aiptasia. lol

[Kurt03]

marc why not DIY a nitrate reactor? Im sure you have a little extra room in the tank room :P

Have you thought about sugar dosing?

Or are you going to bring it down with water changes, chaeto export, and skimming?

And this reminds me ive been slacking on trimming my chaeto back.

Trim that chaeto people!! ;)

[melev]

No, I don't want to deal with sugar - seems like it is pretty easy to tip the scales on that one.

I need to get that test confirmed before I do anything.

I pulled out a 1g bag of macro recently, and it is growing and filling that void. I don't harvest much from my refugium, but could.

It is time for another water change. I guess I could try to get motivated to do one every week for a month or two. ;)

[Micki]

I thought I read a while back about adding vodka to your tank for something or other. I don't remember what now but hey it might work for something! :lol:

[Dudester]

Vodka is just a sugar source, Micki, it's essentially the same thing. Alcohol has a high carbohydrate content - right Jonathan?

[jnarowe]

I change water every week, and when I added Vodka, nothing happened but a little sideways swimming. :rolleyes:

uh, correct...actually it's really a basic source of carbon FWIU.

[Micki]

At least now I know I did read that somewhere. :) I'm not totally off the wall anyway.

[bleedingthought]

Wow, Marc. How do you "shred" a mushroom while it's still inside the tank? :)

[Dudester]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10604620#post10604620 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
uh, correct...actually it's really a basic source of carbon FWIU. OK, if you want to get scientific about it, ethyl alcohol (ethanol) contains 2 carbon fragments, along with 6 hydrogens and 1 oxygen molecule. The chemical formula is C2H5OH.

That ought to be enough organic chemistry for this thread.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10604711#post10604711 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bleedingthought
Wow, Marc. How do you "shred" a mushroom while it's still inside the tank? :)

When I find an offender in my reef that just nuked one of my SPS frags, I try to either rip it from its rock or stab it repeatedly until I calm down. Either way, the massacre is apparent. :D

[The Reefer91]

violent, but effective :p

[Micki]

So stabbing it repeatedly works??? :)

[jnarowe]

hmmmm....I wonder what music he plays when he's stabbing?

[Micki]

LOL... Yes Marc, please do tell!

[token]

dadum

dadum

dadum
dadum

dadum
dadum
dadum

dadum
dadum
dadum
dadum

[The Reefer91]

it's probably the theme from Alfred Hitchcock's psycho.

REE!!
REE!!
REE!!
REE!!

[melev]

You guys are soo good. I don't even need to post video. :lol:

Usually it just decimates the bad 'shroom, but its siblings quickly fill the void and the cycle repeats itself.

[The Reefer91]

*Insert generic, sitcom, family/sister/mother-in-law joke*

[SkyPapa]

Great tank Melev.
I had my lfs guy pick me a CBB when he went to the wholesaler about a year ago 'cause my 120 was completely over run with aips.
It has been a great fish. Ate them all and now eats marine cuisine.
Now my problem is bubble algae.
I added 8 emeralds and they have made a dent but not as fast as the CBB took care of the aips.
Lots of sps growing well, sorry no digital camera, I take pieces to my lfs but he doesn't really have the clientel for it and I,m not going to do ebay.
I have a large maroon (5 inches and 12 years old) that follows the rose bta around ( why does he move so much?) and knocks off sps all the time giving me pieces that are the same size as the frags I started with. He can sell those $$%%^^&*& shrooms though.

BTW, I have been registerd for about 6 years but just got a new email addy and changed my name to ecr111 from erc111. The former is what I wanted origonally but a typo stuck me with erc111.

[melev]

ecr111,

[welcome]

40 years experience?! Wow, that's awesome. And congrats on your 12 year old maroon clownfish.

You might read this article about BTAs, as it might help you get it settled in to a permanent spot. Flow has a lot to do with it, and additionally BTAs like a crevice to bury their foot into.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm

Valonia can be a pain. Some tangs eat it, as do rabbitfish.

I'll probably try another CBB after I get back from MACNA.

[SkyPapa]

Yep, first tank as 14yo with fish I caught in the tidepools. I ended up with 1 fish that ate the others, HA.

EDIT: I've been thru all the filtering iterations from bubble filters to UG to sand and now have been running BB for 8 years and think it is the only way to go.
I do have a 30 gal sump with more live rock, this is from the overflow into a sock, another 30 gal sump/refugium and return pump, a 10 gal remote DSB and a 1/4hp chiller. I mainly just change 20% water every 2 weeks.
Not much else.

Thanks melev, I will read your link tommorow.
He/it was good for about a year and then got caught in a power head and I ended up with an inadverdant split. I sold one and this one was good in one place for about 6 months and then started wandering.

[seapug]

Hey Melev, just browsing your site after looking at the LFS employees thread where we were discussing the Dori & Nemo Info Sheet. I'm curious if you've ever seen what kind of traffic you get on the "tanks.htm" page where you have the info about proper setup and care of Clownfish and Tangs. Seems like that page would get high search engine ranking. Ever checked your stats on that page?

[The Reefer91]

hey Melev, i was wondering if you still grow phytoplankton in coke bottles? if so, how's it working out? do you think it's worth it?

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10609989#post10609989 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seapug
Hey Melev, just browsing your site after looking at the LFS employees thread where we were discussing the Dori & Nemo Info Sheet. I'm curious if you've ever seen what kind of traffic you get on the "tanks.htm" page where you have the info about proper setup and care of Clownfish and Tangs. Seems like that page would get high search engine ranking. Ever checked your stats on that page?

No, I've never checked on that page specifically but I can. The top page hits on my site tend to be about sumps, suncorals, mandarins, and Hidden Treasure (site map).

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10610268#post10610268 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Reefer91
hey Melev, i was wondering if you still grow phytoplankton in coke bottles? if so, how's it working out? do you think it's worth it?

I grow it in a 2g pretzel jug for the past year. It is easier for me instead of smaller bottles. Once it is harvested, I save it in 2-liters in the fridge.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10609989#post10609989 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seapug
Hey Melev, just browsing your site after looking at the LFS employees thread where we were discussing the Dori & Nemo Info Sheet. I'm curious if you've ever seen what kind of traffic you get on the "tanks.htm" page where you have the info about proper setup and care of Clownfish and Tangs. Seems like that page would get high search engine ranking. Ever checked your stats on that page?

I just checked it now, and for this month it was viewed 660 times. Last month 843 times.

While I was at it, I looked at the normal traffic numbers. 72.5% are direct links or bookmarks to my site. 14.4% of my traffic comes from the search engine sites. The rest are links from other websites that are not search engines. So far this month, over 110 gigs of bandwidth have been used.

[melev]

I can't wait for MACNA to get here. I'm excited and look forward to it all year long. :D
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1191156

I hope my tank will be okay while I'm gone. I'll try to round up the usual suspects to watch over it while I'm gone for four days.

[melev]

I mixed up a new batch of Red Sea Coral Pro salt and tested it. Here are the test results:

pH 8.28
salinity 1.026
temp 80
Alk 8.6 dKH
Mg 1230
Ca 425
PO4 0
NO3 0

Then I figured I'd test my tank as well

pH 8.07
salinity 1.026
temp 79.5
Alk 10.8
Mg 1380
Ca 470
PO4 .03+
NO3 25

So based on those results, the pH is higher than the tank, the alk, calcium & magnesium are lower but still within workable limits.

[jnarowe]

That's very interesting Marc. I never thought Red Sea would have that good of numbers. The pH doesn't matter at all when doing water changes, but knowing that you are putting in a good balance of alk & Ca is very nice. If it were me, I would bump the Mg.

You're still having NO3 issues? Have you swapped out any sand yet? I would bet dollars to donuts that if you did that, your NO3 result would drop to zero.

[melev]

What do you mean "still"? What could possibly change from last week to this one - I didn't do anything as I wasn't even sure there was an issue in the first place. I just reported the numbers my test kit is providing.

I do have a feeling I'll use something - whether it is AZNO3 or maybe Algone, or even dosing Prime... I'm undecided at the moment. I do think I'll try to do a 55g water change once a week for the time being.

[jnarowe]

hmmm...I thought you said you were going to dose something last week, but I may have confused you with someone else. I have been dosing Prime in my water change water every other week since I had the Mexican Turbo die-off. I think at the least it will help mitigate any ammonia issues, and my tests seem to confirm that.

I am still contemplating your suggestion to put in new sand in my RDSB. I had been back and forth on this issue and still am undecided about the risk/reward of doing so, so but it seems like it could give me a nutrient sink for some decent period.

Unfortunately, it looks like I am losing my blue cali tort, the first coral i put into my system. It has browned on me and I see a little STN as well. Total bummer, but there is not much I can do.

[melev]

I redid my Reef Parameters page tonight, and this is how the test results look now. Just don't look at my numbers too closely. :lol:

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/2007_parms.jpg

[Micki]

Marc, do you use ozone?

[melev]

No, I do not. And don't plan on it.

[Micki]

Ok, I was confused when I saw the OPR reading.

[jnarowe]

It's interesting to see that your tank temps are higher in the Winter. Seems counter-intuitive to me. Seems like you would have serious issues with coraline algae with that high of Ca and alk. I know I keep my Ca at around 425 and the coraline is out of control!

Are these tests all taken at the same time of day?

[melev]

The tank temperatures are higher in the winter because I'm opening and closing the door to the fishroom (from the colder garage) during those months when I don't have to pay to run the window a/c. I've noticed how stable the temperature is ever since summer hit. My tank is really 79F to 80F daily, with hardly any swing at all. But at a price. My electric bill was atrocious this month, of course.

Coralline does grow in the tank, but I scrape the glass clean and due to the brightness of the tank, it doesn't grow as well. I know in your tank, you've got 1000w bulbs and coralline, but in my experience coralline grows where the light is less. So inside my overflows and in the sump, coralline is everywhere but in the main reef it is on the rock and where I can't reach with a scraper.

When Calcium & Alkalinity levels are higher, it is because the calcium reactor isn't dialed in properly and had to be adjusted to get those levels lower.

ORP is never a number I care about and often I don't even remember to jot it down. It tends to stay around a certain number. At one point, the probe was bad and the readings were false, I'd surmise.

I've been thinking about the nitrate situation and remembered that I've not put the Algone pillows in my sump in a long time. I'll have to order some, as that helps keep them lower.

[jnarowe]

I actually do watch the ORP as it is directly impacted by skimmer performance in my case. When I feed it drops. When I first started my system I had consistent readings in the high 300's and low 400's, and ever since my skimmer blew up, the readings have been in the low 300's and drop below at certain times of day. I am guessing it is related to how much air I am pumping into the system, but it does worry me when it goes below 300.

Coraline grows like mad in my system and doesn't seem to relate much to light, except that it is thicker on the lower regions of the glass. I haven't confirmed that isn't just because of the lack of reach though. Strange thing is that there is ZERO coraline in my sumps. None whatsoever. The fuge has quite a bit, and my overflow gets it too. I have an urchin in the overflow to keep that clean.

The interestinig thing is that when I view other reefs with anemones in them, they all seem to be higher in the water column, whereas mine remain on the bottom, rather than climbing up to get more light. I also have a very hard time with LPS which I relate to having too much light, but recently Steve Weast told me that he felt my system was too low nutrient to support many kinds of LPS and ricordia, which I have never been able to keep alive. Basically he said there wasn't enough for them to eat, which I find hard to believe considering how much I feed the tank, but he certainly has a better grasp on this than I do.

When I get my glass and sand cleaned up, I am going to do some video of my feeding to get a broader commentary on that.

[Micki]

jnarowe, do you have a thread of your tank going right now?

[jnarowe]

Well if you want to start at the beginning, go here (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=692395). If you want to join in on the current thread, go here (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1183341).

You can also visit my web site to see other forums and all the pics I have posted. :)

[Micki]

WOW I had no idea you had so many splits!!! :) I may get to the entire thing at some point but for now I'll just subscribe to the current one. :D

[jnarowe]

well, and splits hurt dammit! :lol:

[Micki]

Awww come on Be PROUD of your splits! :D I'll look forward to starting to read it at some point in time. :)

[melev]

For the past 6 weeks, I've been considering pulling out my Scripps acropora (A. micropthalma) from the back of the tank and cutting out all the dead core from each section. Those areas are full of valonia, aiptasia, mushrooms and more. I figured I'll pull them out, cut off the dead areas and reglued them to some rock or Tonga branch to create a nice clean colony devoid of nuisance pests.

You'll note in this picture that my Bytor zoanthids are completely closed up for no reason at all. It has been like this for about 2 weeks, and frankly if they don't survive I'm not too concerned because they are eating up real estate that I need for corals. I still have quite a few in surrounding areas that are unaffected and look great.
http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/scripps_mess.jpg

However, in the last week or so, I'm seeing a bunch of new growth at the tips of many branches which makes me hesitate on disturbing the colonies.
http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/scripps_growth.jpg

What to do...

[jnarowe]

Cycle of life right? I don't think you will inhibit their growth by cutting out the dead areas, but isn't it possible that the coral will grow back over those sections?

[Dudester]

If the corals are growing, they must be in a good state of health and this may just be an excellent opportunity to cut out the unwanted portions.

[melev]

I think the undergrowth inhibits good flow. It doesn't add any real strength to the colony and is impossible to clear out properly. I just hate to shock the coral into suspension due to all the manhandling. It's a tough choice.

[Dudester]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10648744#post10648744 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I think the undergrowth inhibits good flow. It doesn't add any real strength to the colony and is impossible to clear out properly. I think you've answered your own question ;) . As far as "shocking them into suspension," you know as well as anybody that, sure, they'll stall for a while, but they'll bounce back and fluorish over time. And since you'll have several small colonies, there will be plenty of pieces for backup in the event that you should lose a couple. Anyway, you know which way I'm voting.

[melev]

If I had the perfect piece of LR, I'd be more motivated. I like the horizon these corals create, and would like to be able to place something along that back wall with the living branches.

[melev]

After more than a week of letting the a/c unit run connected to the Kill-o-watt meter, this is what I tracked:

112 kwh total
238 hours elapsed.

1 amp (117w) was consumed all 238 hours, as that is what it uses to keep the fan running.
6.3 - 6.6 amps (690 - 750w) were used when the compressor was running.

If a kilowatt equals 1000w, and a kwh means how many kilowatts were used each hour, then maybe someone can figure out how many watts were used by the compressor alone. Or tell me how many kwh I can substract just for running the 1 amp worth of fan all 238 hours. (.117 kwh? 27.8 kwh to run the fan for 10 days and 84.1 kwh to run the compressor? )

At this point, after almost 10 days of tracking, it seems the a/c was running roughly 47% of the time -- which makes sense. During the heat of the day, it will run most of the time (although it does cycle to fan only as needed). At night, the fan runs the entire time, and the compressor kicks on for a few minutes throughout the latenight hours when heat isn't an issue. If my math is right (and I don't know if it is), on average the a/c unit runs 28 mins of every hour during the summer months.

Not that any of this really matters. I just get curious about stuff like this and like to see the numbers.

[sdf_beanhead]

Makes sense to me.

I almost bought a Kill-o-watt meter about a month ago, they are very cool.

[spleen93]

Marc - your math regarding the watt usage of the compressor sounds right to me. I'm not an electrician but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express the other night. :)

Spleen

[NanoGurl]

LoL!

[Micki]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10665785#post10665785 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spleen93
Marc - your math regarding the watt usage of the compressor sounds right to me. I'm not an electrician but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express the other night. :)

Spleen

YES! Another smart person!!! I love it! :cool:

[boviac]

Marc,

Very cool. I love breaking down exactly how much each of these devices actually cost to run. Your math based on the Kill-A-Watt's results is correct to determine the compressor energy draw at about 84.1 kwh for the 238 hr time period. (Again I'm assuming that the compressor is the only other draw).

Curious how you determinded the A/C portion is only running about 47% of the time when the fan runs 24/7?

I'm happy my energy bill just came in at only $133 this month. Are you tracking your meter to determine/estimate what your next bill will be? I know last month hit you hard. Again, after my nearly $400 bill this time last year, I watch my meter every couple of days and track it during the extreme heat/cooling days. We switched to a gas dryer and I can see the lower effect it has when we do laundry now and use it. Its silly not to line-dry when able.

Thanks for posting this for the geeks like me. :D

[melev]

Since I did that math yesterday, I <i>think</i> the 47% was total hours run vs total kwh consumed to reach 47% usage. I was trying to remove the 1 amp's worth of fan only time, but I don't know how to extract that accurately.

I don't look at the meter. What's the point? It spins, sparks flying everywhere, and the electric company just grins. :rolleyes:

My home is all electric, so I don't have a lot I can do other than grill outdoors. I refuse to hang laundry out to dry outside because it makes the fabric feel too rough vs a nice tumble dry.

[jnarowe]

My house is all electric too, but it is fairly cheap here still...my place is 4,100 sq. ft. so the bills are averaging between $250 - $350, and that's up from a year ago of being under $200 all the time.

[TRITON1]

Marc, To answer your questions concerning kilowatt-hrs to watts.

A kilowatt hour is just a kilowatt (1000 watts) multiplied by the hour. So to figure out how many watts you used you have to divide your amount in kilowatt-hrs by the time (in hours) being measure, then convert to watts. So:

112 Kwh / 238 hr = .4706 Kw = 470.6 Watts used all week.

Now you can subtract out the amount used by the compressor ect.

Also Power = Current * Voltage or P = IV
where Power = Watts, I = Amps and V = volts. And the voltage should always be constant (120V in US, 240 in Europe) So if you know how many amps you use you should be able to find out how many watts are used. So your 1 amp fan uses ~120 Watts (P = 1amp*120v) and in 138 hours it would used 16.56kwh worth of energy (.120kw *138).

So your compressor is costing you 95.4kwh (112-16.6) worth of energy. You can find the actual cost by multiplying what you pay per kwh. Hope that explain answered something. :eek2:

[boviac]

I watch mine because that $400 bill was from running AC at 78. A week before I got my bill I notice the meter read like an additional 1000 KWH so I drastically raised the thermostat to the highest level ~85F. That dropped the usage down from 50 KWH/day to about 28KWH/day. So you can see why I watch it now so I can control my usage of AC better.

Actually I use the dryer to tumble dry the clothes for about 10-20 minutes after they're on the line to remove the roughness. Even if sometimes I use heat, it beats running the dryer for 45-60+ minutes. :D

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10670331#post10670331 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TRITON1
Marc, To answer your questions concerning kilowatt-hrs to watts.

A kilowatt hour is just a kilowatt (1000 watts) multiplied by the hour. So to figure out how many watts you used you have to divide your amount in kilowatt-hrs by the time (in hours) being measure, then convert to watts. So:

112 Kwh / 238 hr = .4706 Kw = 470.6 Watts used all week.

Now you can subtract out the amount used by the compressor ect.

Also Power = Current * Voltage or P = IV
where Power = Watts, I = Amps and V = volts. And the voltage should always be constant (120V in US, 240 in Europe) So if you know how many amps you use you should be able to find out how many watts are used. So your 1 amp fan uses ~120 Watts (P = 1amp*120v) and in 138 hours it would used 16.56kwh worth of energy (.120kw *138).

So your compressor is costing you 95.4kwh (112-16.6) worth of energy. You can find the actual cost by multiplying what you pay per kwh. Hope that explain answered something. :eek2:

Thanks. And since that was 10 days worth of power, I'll take that 95.4 kwh x 3 to equal 30 days worth, times $0.12 per kwh. The compressor time alone cost $34.34 for the month and the fan only cost another $5.96 for a total of $40.30 for the shorter months.

Back in this post:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=10570923#post10570923

<i>My current electricity rate is .14kwh and if my math is correct with the numbers I have on my scratch pad, the a/c is using 12.24kwh per day. After 7 days worth of power consumption have been collected, I can double check that math. For now, it appears I'm paying $1.71 a day to run the 8000BTU a/c unit during the summer months, or adding $51.39 to my utility bill by keeping the fishroom 75F and the reef 80F.</i>

Going back to that section of my post at $0.12 instead of .14 as I thought I was paying, the total for 30 days would be $44.06

I was pretty close in my first estimate, but getting data over 10 days helped get a better idea of how much power was being used.

So that means my house and my tank used $420 last month, and the little window unit just added more to make my brain hurt. ;)

[melev]

Since I'm leaving the tank for a couple of days, I thought I better focus on it tonight and make sure it is all working as it should. I'm going to Austin to visit some reef tanks and friends I'm always talking with here on RC!

I mixed up some Magnesium according to RHF's recipe, tested the batch of saltwater I mixed for Magnesium. It was 1395 after adding one cup of the Mag recipe. My reef was 1400ppm. The rest of the Magnesium was poured into 2-liter bottles and stored for future use. This is not how I normally dose it, so I'll have to do more reading on this subject.

I did a 55g water change, scraped the overflows and back wall of the tank, which I'd not done in some time. Cleaned off the top euro-bracing and viewed the reef under actinics. To my delight as I moved my top down photo box around the rockwork, I found a happy patch of Acropora secale. At least there is something there to grow, as long as I wait patiently. Here's the colony I had that died a few months ago.
http://www.melevsreef.com/id/a_secale.jpg

Everything is so pretty from above. I stood there and just gazed at the corals for about 5 minutes or so while Spock continued to swim into my viewing field to let me know I was being a voyeur. ;)

As I moved my Mean Green Zoanthid rock back away from the bubble coral, I found one of the Tigertail Cucumbers right within reach. I moved it to the angled tank to help process the sand and hopefully clean it up. Here's an older picture of one.
http://www.melevsreef.com/id/tigertail.jpg

A few tips of SPS are browning, so I decided to remove the Phosban Reactor from my system for now. I'm running 3 cups of fresh carbon in the other reactor, and I'll check for phosphate when I get back in a couple of days.

[adddo]

Hey, nice with the "happy patch" acropora!

I've got one of those tigertails in my tank aswell, havent done much to justyfie the money (5$) spent on him yet though. :)

Have fun in Austin and please do take pics :)

[melev]

:D I had a great time in Austin, despite the Friday evening storm. I've downloaded 875 pictures and will be going through those to find the best to show y'all the beautiful tanks I got to visit during the Austin Tank Tour yesterday.

Those guys really know what they're doing!

[jnarowe]

yeah, Gabriel said he had a blast. Can't wait to see the pics!

[melev]

Here's a quick quarantine tank, using the sump I won at the Port Aransas collection trip.

All it is is a simple sump, a Maxijet 1200, a 50w heater, a PC light fixture and a thermometer. The Maxijet pushed water from the return section to the intake section via some 3/8" flexible tubing, and the water flows from the right to the left where the powerhead is.

I used the water the frags came in, and added 6g of water from my reef. The corals are getting treated with Interceptor for the next 12 hours. Once done, I'll check them closely in an iodine dip for AEFW, then they'll be ready to go in my tank.

The Macro algae is from a hobbyist, and I'm treating it just in case it has hitchhikers as well. They called it Devil's Breath.

http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/quick_qtank.jpg

[KingfishJohn]

Dragon's Breath

Had a great time as well Marc and am excited to see the pics

John

[Kentanner11]

Good use for the sump!

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10688393#post10688393 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thedude15810
Dragon's Breath

Had a great time as well Marc and am excited to see the pics

John

:o Too funny. My brain said <i>Dragon's</i> and my fingers typed <i>Devil's.</i> John, it was great meeting you, and thank you for giving me a tour of your store after hours. I need to try out those locline pieces now, and see if that helps in my angled tank.

[jnarowe]

that looks sweet Marc.

[melev]

Here are a few pictures from the 775 I took in the Austin Tank Tour. :lol:

Joseph Le
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_acan_oo.jpg

Andrew
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_rbta.jpg

Gabriel
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_acro1.jpg

Dallis
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/dallis_efflo.jpg

Mike
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/mike_brain_oo.jpg

Brian
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/brian_lokani_o.jpg

John
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/john_zoas_spotted.jpg

Aaron
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/aaron_hulk_oo.jpg

[purebullet417]

looks great. i dont want to bring this up but what happened on 11/2005 thats before i was a member

[melev]

That is when I left all the pumps off overnight accidentally. I was feeding my suncorals, forgot what I was doing and went to sleep. I woke up the next morning to see what I'd done, and lost half of my fish that I'd kept for years. It was devastating to remove their bodies one by one, with some of them over 5 years in my care. It was a very stupid mistake. The fish food was still sitting on the top of the tank, left there from the night before. It took a while to get over that incident. If you weed your way back to the posts from that date, you'll be able to read the gory details.

[jnarowe]

Great pics Marc. Nice to see shots from so many tanks.

[purebullet417]

wow that is some serious carnage. sorry about that. your angles were beautiful

[Sparkss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10696505#post10696505 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
That is when I left all the pumps off overnight accidentally. I was feeding my suncorals, forgot what I was doing and went to sleep. I woke up the next morning to see what I'd done, and lost half of my fish that I'd kept for years. It was devastating to remove their bodies one by one, with some of them over 5 years in my care. It was a very stupid mistake. The fish food was still sitting on the top of the tank, left there from the night before. It took a while to get over that incident. If you weed your way back to the posts from that date, you'll be able to read the gory details.

We had a similar incident almost a year ago now, and it resulted in the loss of almost all of our fairy wrasses (Lineatus, Ruby Fin, Pink Margin, etc). I can definitely sympathize with your pain (and anger at yourself for the incident). Even after time passes it still stings to think about it. Your tank looks great now though, these several years later :)

[purebullet417]

melev my uncles sump cracked... u got pm

[melev]

PM replied to.

[original-reefland]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10696505#post10696505 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
That is when I left all the pumps off overnight accidentally. I was feeding my suncorals, forgot what I was doing and went to sleep. I woke up the next morning to see what I'd done, and lost half of my fish that I'd kept for years. It was devastating to remove their bodies one by one, with some of them over 5 years in my care. It was a very stupid mistake. The fish food was still sitting on the top of the tank, left there from the night before. It took a while to get over that incident. If you weed your way back to the posts from that date, you'll be able to read the gory details.

Did you come up with something to make sure that doesn't happen again? Home Depot has nice push button timers typically used for heat-lighting in a bathroom. Push once for 10 minutes, push twice for 15, etc. Little LED lights up showing time left.

You can use that as a feed timer, push the button to kill the pumps for 10 minutes. Unfortunately its not that DIY friendly as it works opposite of what you need (by default it runs for xx minutes then turns off). You need at add a relay to swap that so its always on and push button turns it off.

Looks like:

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/rewilliams_1963_52457831

[melev]

Thanks for the suggestion Rich. No, I've never done anything different. Once you make that mistake, it is ingrained into your DNA to never repeat it.

I've got a few options. I just need to wire the return pump to something, which in my case doesn't need to handle more than a couple of amps. Most switches and timers are rated for 15 amps minimum.

[purebullet417]

a friend of mine did something with an egg timer and dishwasher soloniod for his ro di so it closes after how ever long you set it for. maby you could do something like this with your pumps? not sure how that would work.

[Kentanner11]

someone needs to invent something for the not so- electrical DIY er that you plug in a pump and press a button for it to stop temp. and come back on after a pre set time. Melev make your first million!
jk, I hate wiring!

[Kentanner11]

someone needs to invent something for the not so- electrical DIY er that you plug in a pump and press a button for it to stop temp. and come back on after a pre set time. Melev make your first million!
jk, I hate wiring!

[lestat737]

Hi Marc,

Been looking into getting the new LED lights fixture (solaris). It just make sense for me regarding economy of electricity running AC and chiller.

What do you think?


Dave

[purebullet417]

i/my uncle have one. we love it

[gkarshens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10702436#post10702436 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kentanner11
someone needs to invent something for the not so- electrical DIY er that you plug in a pump and press a button for it to stop temp. and come back on after a pre set time. Melev make your first million!
jk, I hate wiring!

Pretty much any reef controller will do just that. My Reefkeeper 2 has a standby setting that will turn off whatever you want it to for a pre-determined time and then turn it back on.

[melev]

This evening I figured I better get my new SPS frags into the reef. Of course, that is never a quick project, especially when other stuff needs to be done.

I added 6 SPS frags from Austin to my reef. Unfortunately, two others didn't fare well and were sloughing off tissue during my Iodine dip (checking for AEFW). Those corals didn't make it.

From all the corals I brought home, only one had some flatworms on them, but they don't appear to be the kind I have to worry about and I contacted Aaron to let him know as well. He checked his colony and found them, but had been aware of them for some time. These are tiny brown ones that look like sesame seeds. They haven't done any harm in his tank, and his Six Line eats them.

I'll take some pictures tomorrow of the new frags. And then I'll start taking pictures of corals I'm going to have to remove if I want my SPS to take off like I saw in Austin. It'll take some time, but I think I need to clear out some excess corals from my reef and I'm sure several DFWMAS members will be excited to acquire them.

[KingfishJohn]

Marc,

Can't wait to see the corals in your system but just know, your posting of pictures from Austin is not going to appease me! We tank toured all day, and you took pictures all day, ergo I expect some more pictures :lol:

PS: How often do you change carbon?

John

[melev]

John, I'm changing carbon weekly. I run between 1.5 and 3 cups of carbon at a time, but I really think the problem is I have way too many softies (leathers, frilly mushrooms, anemones, zoas) in the tank exuding their various chemicals into the reef.

That big one I got from you was a goner. :( The zoas are in the front tank, and hopefully they will open up soon.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10702652#post10702652 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lestat737
Hi Marc,

Been looking into getting the new LED lights fixture (solaris). It just make sense for me regarding economy of electricity running AC and chiller.

What do you think?


Dave

Hi Dave,

It comes down to upfront cost, ongoing daily costs, and future expenses when it comes to replacement parts. The new Solaris is sold with the promise it will provide lighting for 5 years, but the warranty isn't even half of that. For the price of the unit and the technology involved, my wish would be that the warranty was longer. Even if you had to pay extra to get longer coverage like we get with our new cars.

I don't know how long the PAR stays at the current level, nor do I know how much heat it gives off into the tank.

[melev]

Here are pictures from Joseph Le's tanks. His main reef was lit with 12000K and 14000K bulbs. I tried a couple of white balance settings, but decided to just take the pictures and not worry about getting it exactly right. The corals look pretty darn nice to me. Included are images from two other tanks he has running as well. Their lighting was different, so images may vary in coloration.

End of tank
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_eot.jpg

M. confusa
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_confusa.jpg

SPS
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_sps2.jpg

SPS
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_sps.jpg

Acropora tenuis
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_tenuis.jpg

A. valida, perhaps
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_valida.jpg

Lobophyllia, red
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_red_lobo.jpg

Pavona, perhaps
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_orange_pavona.jpg

Birdsnest, blue polyps
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_birdsnest_oo.jpg

M. digitata, pink
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_pink_digitata.jpg

[melev]

Ricordia, gorgeous!
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_rics1.jpg

Zoanthids sp.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_zoas_rpe.jpg

Frag tank with ricordia
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_fragtank.jpg

A. nana, perhaps
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_nana.jpg

Acropora sp.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_acro1.jpg

Acropora sp. frag
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_acro2.jpg

Acropora prostrata, perhaps
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_pink_milli.jpg

Acropora yongei (slimer)
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_slimer.jpg

Blastomussa
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_blastomussa.jpg

Majano anemonia, grandis - LOL
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_majano.jpg

[melev]

Yellow Polyps
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_yellow_polyps.jpg

Yellow Tangs
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_yellow_tangs.jpg

Alveopora
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_alveopora.jpg

Acanthastrea
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_acan.jpg

French Fry coral, because I can't recall the real name now.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_frenchfry.jpg

That's it for his tanks.

[token]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10704431#post10704431 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
French Fry coral, because I can't recall the real name now.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/le_frenchfry.jpg
Isaurus spp. or Snake's Head Polyps?

[melev]

Next pictures are from Andrew's tank. He has a 125g AGE Starfire system with external overflow, Tunze Wavebox, and 12000K Reeflux lighting.

http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_fts.jpg

Yellow acropora sp.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_bandit_away.jpg

'Bandit' commensal crab, or acro crab
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_bandit.jpg

Acropora sp.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_acro2.jpg

Acanthastrea
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_acan.jpg

Montipora confusa
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_confusa.jpg

Rose BTA displaying bubbles beautifully
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_rbta_full.jpg

A. millepora, pink
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_milli_pink.jpg

A. millepora, blue
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_milli_blue.jpg

Clam, T. derasa? (never looked at the shell)
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_clam.jpg

[melev]

A. tortuosa
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_blue_tort.jpg

Blue Tort macro
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_blue_tort_o.jpg

Encrusting montipora with blue polyps
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_enc_monti_blue2.jpg

Zoanthids on gravel. The wavebox & flow caused the sand to move, so he added gravel to keep it in place.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_zoas.jpg

Brain coral
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_brain.jpg

A. secale
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_secale.jpg

Blonde Naso Tang, Yellow Tang, Pyramid Angel
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_tangs.jpg

Fromia starfish
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_fromia.jpg

Encrusting Purple montipora
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_enc_pur_monti.jpg

Macro
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_enc_pur_monti_oo.jpg

[melev]

Caulastrea
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_caulastrea.jpg

Superman montipora
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_superman_monti.jpg

A. yongei (slimer)
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_slimer.jpg

Birdsnest, blue polyps
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_birdsnest.jpg

Superman A. millepora (blue base, with red & white polyps)
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_superman_milli.jpg

Rose BTA
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/andrew_rbta2.jpg

That's all I have of Andrew's tank. Next tank will be added when I get those pictures edited.

[Kentanner11]

Hey mark, do you think it would be ok to have a yellow tang in a 55 (the long ones, 48in long) ? Thanks for your help!

[jnarowe]

Well Andrew is doing something right. Nice healthy corals and that RBTA is sweet! :D

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10707645#post10707645 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kentanner11
Hey mark, do you think it would be ok to have a yellow tang in a 55 (the long ones, 48in long) ? Thanks for your help!

A tiny one, perhaps. It really isn't a good idea to put a tang in a 4' tank, but if you have plans to upgrade to a larger tank now, then you'll be able to move it to the bigger home in the near future.

Perhaps a different fish that is yellow might work?

[melev]

Full tank shot (from August):
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/08/fts_080107.jpg

What I've done tonight is remove the green SPS in the background (upper left middle section) and cut off all the healthy branches, and removed the core of those colonies. I can't stand all the death, valonia, aiptasia, and mushrooms that are in the core sections. Now I have at least 100 frags that I'm hoping to remount to a couple of fist size pieces of live rock. I hope to find some tonight that I can use. The dead acro I tossed out was depressing, volume wise. I took a picture of it.

http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/dead_coral.jpg

Some of the frags mounted. I still have at least 50% more branches to glue to rock(s).

http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/scripps_mounted.jpg

While I was in the back, I pulled out a number of branches that had fallen to the substrate over the past three years. The detritus down there is pretty bad, but I don't really have a good way to extract it without just siphoning out sand. I'm not willing to do that at this point.

I found a hermit crab I've never seen before, and I'll post a few pictures of it later. For now, it is in the new angled tank where I can find it easily.

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/hermit1.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/hermit2.jpg

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/hermit3.jpg

The huge rock that was covered with Bytors (zoas) was shaken back and forth in the reef for several minutes to release all the trapped kalkwasser powder and detritus. The tank turned white with this sediment, and the skimmer is now extracting it. A couple of rocks were pulled out and I did my best to remove all the mushrooms I could scrape away. The horizon line is now a bit different, but I like it. I'm sure I'll keep working on it to get it fine tuned.

While the rocks were pulled out, I used that opportunity to scrape the back glass as much as I could to get a nice clean background again. Here is the new look as of today.

http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/fts_0906.jpg

[purebullet417]

i love seeing shots of you tank as it what i want my tank to look like when it grows up. lol you need a nice big stag in the middle back though as it dips a lot there

[melev]

I agree. I lost my beautiful A. nobilis that was the center piece. Something will happen there at some point.

I'm seriously considering removing specific corals from the tank to help the SPS do better, such as all the Devils Hand & frags, the frilly lavendar mushrooms (although they add great color, and some of the zoanthid population.

Next post, new frags.

[melev]

Here are the frags I brought back from Austin.

Superman montipora. Thanks Aaron.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/superman_monti_0906.jpg

Unknown Acropora sp. Any guesses?
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/acro_unknown_0906.jpg

Birdsnest. I've not had a lot of success from this coral before, but was given a handful to try and create something pretty. Funny fact: I glued all the branches onto a dry dead coral skeleton. Once I added it to the tank, it was so bouyant that it rose and flipped upside down. The coral twigs were heavier that its base! I shook out all the trapped air I could, and got it to stay upright.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/birdsnest_0906.jpg

A. tenuis - you can see how it was growing up the glass in one spot in its former tank.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/tenuis_0906.jpg

My very first efflo fraglet. Tiny but adorable, and placed where I can keep an eye on it. Maybe .5" tall. Thanks go to Brian for sharing.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/efflo_0906.jpg

This was a beautiful coral in Aaron's tank. Hopefully it will do the same in mine. For now, it is just getting used to a tank without a wavebox. :lol: It is some type of staghorn with blue tips.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/staghorn_0906.jpg

A. rosario perhaps.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/rosario_0906.jpg

This beauty came from Gabriel's tank, but looking at it today, it is going to RTN. :(
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_rtning.jpg

So of all the frags I brought home, only three didn't make it. The new zoas I put in the angled tank are slowly opening up, but not enough to post a picture yet.

[gkarshens]

Is the second to the last one from my tank too? If so I am pretty sure it is Sarmentosa. I hope the blue tipped one makes it!

[ReneX]

Marc, the tank is looking great. I've always enjoyed looking at the progress of tanks that are more than a few years old. Those leathers and shrooms are pretty, but if they're making you nuts at this point because of the SPS in the tank, maybe it's time to find new homes for them.

[purebullet417]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO i want a superman monti. thats always been my fav coral when the colors are good. btw check your pms

[melev]

Gabriel, I think that one is from Aaron's tank.

I didn't post pictures of the Monti digitata that I brought home, as it is still waiting to be mounted. I gotta get that done today.

I don't think the blue tip is going to survive. It has all the signs of RTN right at the core.

[Enderrea]

Marc! you tank looks great! Good luck with the new guys there.
hey how many pages back is the Tank glass trouble, i've been trying to get caught up but can't seem to fined it.

[gkarshens]

I know I gave you a frag of the Sarmentosa. Maybe it is the second pic.

[CW from the OC]

Hi Mark,

Wondering how you mounted your DJ power centers. They don't come with anything to mount them, and they have the tabs on the side......did you find a rack to mount them to?

Thanks!

Craig

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10710448#post10710448 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Enderrea
Marc! you tank looks great! Good luck with the new guys there.
hey how many pages back is the Tank glass trouble, i've been trying to get caught up but can't seem to fined it.

I've been watching it, but need to deal with it this weekend. The plan is to clean it out well, fill it with fresh silicone, and not worry.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10710634#post10710634 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gkarshens
I know I gave you a frag of the Sarmentosa. Maybe it is the second pic.

Probably. Does yours polyp out like that? It was the one I didn't have an ID for.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10710709#post10710709 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CW from the OC
Hi Mark,

Wondering how you mounted your DJ power centers. They don't come with anything to mount them, and they have the tabs on the side......did you find a rack to mount them to?

Thanks!

Craig

In both cabinets, I used wood as a way to secure it.

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/07/06/powerstation_front.jpg

http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/power_panel_side.jpg

[gkarshens]

I am pretty sure that is it.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10710822#post10710822 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gkarshens
I am pretty sure that is it.

Great. I'll rename the file now.

[jnarowe]

You know Marc, when I look at those DJ panels, I think to myself that I may not even have that much stuff running on my system!

[melev]

You probably don't. I have the ability to control 24 different dual-gang outlets, assuming they aren't daisy-chained.

[jnarowe]

Interesting. I have 24 plugs for my ACIII. 5 additional plugs for the main system. And then there is the QT/Grow-out tank, ventillation, refrigeration, top-off/RO/DI etc. so it just isn't all in one bank like that. There's a total of 42 plugs in the tank room and 130 amps. Yours just has a cool factor to it! :D

[poppin_fresh]

Marc,
I got worried when RC was down yesterday. I thought maybe they were purging your 27K+ posts! :D

Nice pics from the tours..keep em' coming. :thumbsup:

[FroMan]

[i]
The Macro algae is from a hobbyist, and I'm treating it just in case it has hitchhikers as well. They called it Devil's Breath.

[/B]

I have some of this in my sump. It seems to grow quite well. I have no idea how much nutrient it actually removes or if it is more efficent than another type.

The one think that I like about it is that it doesn't seem to attract hair algae, like cheto or some of the other leafy macro algae.

[melev]

I think it is neat looking. I put it in the Nano tank since it doesn't attach to the rockwork. I thought it might make for an interesting background. I'll probably add a little cheatomorpha as well.

And a freakin' powerhead, I guess. :rolleyes:

[Dudester]

Hi Marc,
Again, it was nice meeting you here in Austin. Hopefully next time you visit my home tank will be up to par with the office tank.

I'm getting a controller for my new aquarium and I was considering monitoring ORP, while I have no intention of using ozone. I know that you are doing this as well and I was curious as to how useful you've found it to be?

[purebullet417]

dudester just letting you know your rimless tank is awsome. and melev if you put a vortec on the back of that tank now that they have the controllers and pulse it it would be very nice lol

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10720228#post10720228 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dudester
Hi Marc,
Again, it was nice meeting you here in Austin. Hopefully next time you visit my home tank will be up to par with the office tank.

I'm getting a controller for my new aquarium and I was considering monitoring ORP, while I have no intention of using ozone. I know that you are doing this as well and I was curious as to how useful you've found it to be?

Mainly it is just a number to glance at for me. I like to make sure it is about the same daily. If it swings wildly, that makes me look at the tank more closely.

The one number I look at all the time is temperature, just to make sure my reef isn't getting too hot. pH is whatever it is.

Which controller do you like? Have you checked out Robby's site yet?
www.aquariumcontrollers.com

[jnarowe]

Robby's site is great. I keep an eye on ORP just as a measure of water quality. I see a direct correlation between feeding and ORP, as well as day/night cycles. It seems to me, based on my experience, that when it drops, water quality is suffering in some manner.

[bklynmet]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10720959#post10720959 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
Robby's site is great. I keep an eye on ORP just as a measure of water quality. I see a direct correlation between feeding and ORP, as well as day/night cycles. It seems to me, based on my experience, that when it drops, water quality is suffering in some manner.

i wouldn't describe it as a water quality issue.. but I'd look at it as oxygen level issue and fish's metabolism...

[Dudester]

purebullet - Thanks a lot, very nice of you to say.

Marc - I've seen Robby's site and I, like you, have been following the aquarium controller thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=997688&perpage=25&pagenumber=16) since it began. After hours upon hours of deliberation I've decided on the Aquatronica controller. I'll probably go ahead and get the redox probe and interface, as it seems like ORP is another potentially valuable parameter to follow.

[jnarowe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10720983#post10720983 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bklynmet
i wouldn't describe it as a water quality issue.. but I'd look at it as oxygen level issue and fish's metabolism...

The oxygen level is directly related to water quality ie: water temp, turbidity, aeration, and flow.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10721040#post10721040 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dudester
I've seen Robby's site and I, like you, have been following the aquarium controller thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=997688&perpage=25&pagenumber=16) since it began. After hours upon hours of deliberation I've decided on the Aquatronica controller. I'll probably go ahead and get the redox probe and interface, as it seems like ORP is another potentially valuable parameter to follow.

When it comes to controllers and spending some big bucks, I would seriously look at getting internet connectivity so you can watch your tank remotely. Naka has that capability and I'm seriously considering doing the same.

In his case, he just added a second controller for that capability - I think it is the Lighthouse Controller by Premium Aquatics. I'm hoping to look one over at MACNA.

[Dudester]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10721084#post10721084 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
When it comes to controllers and spending some big bucks, I would seriously look at getting internet connectivity so you can watch your tank remotely. The Aquatronica allows for this. Not only can I monitor the tank but I'll also be able to turn things on and off remotely via the Internet. Pretty cool, I think!

[melev]

Perfect. I'm going to be paying special attention to controllers this year. Last year, I totally overlooked those booths and came home ill-informed. I plan to correct that mistake.

[Trigeek]

Marc,

I don't think I've ever seen your tank look better. Great job! I agree that thinning out the green sps in the back gives the aquascape a nice shape that's appealing to the eye.

I've never noticed that zoa colony on the bottom right. I have a rock like that, also. The green and red combination is nice. The colors are very vibrant on my rock and really make a nice contrast. I've seeen this combo of colors of zoas on rocks next to each other several times. I wonder if this is something that is common or if the zoas of different colors are actually of the same colony. Interesting that I keep seeing neighboring colonies like this.

Here's a pic of that colony in the foreground.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l153/pspraguept/newtank034.jpg

and another
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l153/pspraguept/newscape013.jpg

[melev]

In my case, it was two colonies that each grew onto a common rock, and they share it. It just takes time.

I sold that huge Devils Hand, so that will come out of my tank today. That will also help remove one more tan colored item from the right side of my reef. I had several items the same color on that end.

[melev]

The huge Devil's Hand coral is now in someone else's tank, along with a number of smaller frags that were picked up today.

With the MACNA trip mere days away, I won't do any major changes but I do have a few ideas about coral placement that I may try out.

[melev]

Gabriel's tank is a 125g system. It has an external overflow, Seios and Korallia pumps for flow, and some DIY reflectors to get the most out of the MH lighting.

Full tank shot
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_fts.jpg

Left side
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_left_side.jpg

Middle
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_middle.jpg

Right side
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_right_side.jpg

End of the tank (white balance adjustment)
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_eot_lg.jpg

Some very intense zoanthids
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_zoas.jpg

A. sarmentosa
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_sarmentosa.jpg

T. maxima, I believe
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_maxima.jpg

Green Star - whoops, Anemonia Majanos! ( LOL )
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_majanos.jpg

M. capricornis
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_mcap.jpg

[melev]

This Acropora was the showpiece of the tank to me. Acropora sp.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_acro1.jpg

Acropora sp.
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_acro2.jpg

Superman montipora, encrusting nicely
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_superman_monti.jpg

A. prostrata
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_prostrata.jpg

M. digitata, purple
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_purple_digitata.jpg

A. millepora, with pink & green
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_milli_pink.jpg

Dragon's Breath algae
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_dragons_breath.jpg

End of the tank, without white balance adjustment
http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_eot.jpg

That's it for this tank.

When I have time, the next tank pictures will be from the 600g reef!

[original-reefland]

Great pics! Nice looking corals. I don't like to see the mix of shrooms or zoanthids so close to the acropora's. It's asking for trouble in the not so distant future.

[jnarowe]

Great shots Marc.

[makoJ]

It was great meeting you Marc hope my corals are doing good for you.

Love the pictures, keep them coming!
-Brian

[melev]

Brian, it was great seeing your tank, and your tank is coming up soon. I've already created the new pages for my site and as the pictures are edited, the information is being added. Could you confirm that your tank is an A.G.E. 300g starfire and what lighting spectrum (3 x 400w?), that would be great. How long has the tank been up and running?

All the frags are doing great, and I posted some pictures of them in this and/or the Nano thread.

[jnarowe]

http://melevsreef.com/pics/07/09/gabriel_zoas.jpg

I love this shot. Man that is way cool, and really gives me some inspiration for my zoanthid wall-to-wall carpeting. :D

[Micki]

I would love that too if I could only catch my hippo tang. :rolleyes: