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Unread 02/26/2017, 04:23 PM   #26
reefried bean
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TexChuck View Post
You're not kidding about that sponge... I just spent most of the day rerouting all my wires and tubes and such and cleaning everything up, getting everything inside the cabinet (except the ATO refill tank -- still haven't decided what I wnat to use for that, so I'm just using one of the LFS water totes next to the setup. Ugly but works)

You're absolutely right about the media basket. I'm not sure what I'm doing with the fuge basket -- I have an extra shelf I could take the top shelf out and lower the water level in back to provide more agitation from chamber 1 to 2 into the floss? (Not sure agitation is the word, but water falling a longer distance)

I'm going to reach out to intank I think and see what they think.

My kids are active in sports, so my time's limited too... Full Apex automation was out of budget for this build, but I think it's going to be a pretty self sustaining system once complete.
You don't have to break the bank to get that symbiotic balance. It's just a lot of trial and error up front and in my experiences I find the key is making adjustments slowly and sticking with what works and scrapping what doesn't. And once the balance is struck, you just have to maintain the same relative bioload and life is good. I am seriously considering turning off my UV sterilizer next in the event it is sterilizing that which could be fighting my phosphates but i will hold off for a week or so and see if this fuge works first. I am currently running from filter floss, then through 5.5 oz of CP Blue in the top chamber of my IT Media Basket. I have the adjustable shelf at the highest slot so that the refugium compartment below is as large as possible. I have about two hand fulls of cheato with a nano light on it and i cut the sponge to sit directly below the cheato at the base of the compartment.

Gonna leave things as is and test Ph, KH, Ca, Mg and Phosphates daily for a week or so and see where I'm at.


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Unread 02/26/2017, 04:25 PM   #27
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By the way, the folks at InTank are fantastic. Very helpful and responsive.


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Unread 02/26/2017, 07:04 PM   #28
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Any chance of posting pics of your LED strip you added? I'm looking to do something similar in my nanocube. It really needs more blue.


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Current Tank Info: 20 High -> 40 Cube -> Nanocube 12 DX -> 25 Gallon Rimless -> 10 Gallon AGA Temporary Tank -> JBJ 24 LED -> SCA Starfire 50 Cube
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Unread 02/27/2017, 01:57 AM   #29
eppersonm16
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Keep an eye on that Tunze nano ATO, I've had a couple of them fail and overflow two different tanks.


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Unread 02/27/2017, 10:02 AM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zma21 View Post
Any chance of posting pics of your LED strip you added? I'm looking to do something similar in my nanocube. It really needs more blue.
I bought the same LED fixture that the original poster used, but I will be returning it. It says that it is just water resistant and must always be used over a covered aquarium. I'd be nervous about putting this fixture inside a closed lid that is always wet.


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Unread 02/27/2017, 09:23 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seattle_Reef View Post
I bought the same LED fixture that the original poster used, but I will be returning it. It says that it is just water resistant and must always be used over a covered aquarium. I'd be nervous about putting this fixture inside a closed lid that is always wet.
It would be put in my nanocube hood protected by the plastic.


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Unread 02/27/2017, 09:36 PM   #32
reefried bean
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Quote:
Originally Posted by reefried bean View Post
You don't have to break the bank to get that symbiotic balance. It's just a lot of trial and error up front and in my experiences I find the key is making adjustments slowly and sticking with what works and scrapping what doesn't. And once the balance is struck, you just have to maintain the same relative bioload and life is good. I am seriously considering turning off my UV sterilizer next in the event it is sterilizing that which could be fighting my phosphates but i will hold off for a week or so and see if this fuge works first. I am currently running from filter floss, then through 5.5 oz of CP Blue in the top chamber of my IT Media Basket. I have the adjustable shelf at the highest slot so that the refugium compartment below is as large as possible. I have about two hand fulls of cheato with a nano light on it and i cut the sponge to sit directly below the cheato at the base of the compartment.

Gonna leave things as is and test Ph, KH, Ca, Mg and Phosphates daily for a week or so and see where I'm at.



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Unread 02/28/2017, 07:02 AM   #33
reefried bean
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seattle_Reef View Post
I bought the same LED fixture that the original poster used, but I will be returning it. It says that it is just water resistant and must always be used over a covered aquarium. I'd be nervous about putting this fixture inside a closed lid that is always wet.
For what it is worth, I am a licensed electrician. The application it is used for is considered a wet location however it is not submersed and, therefore a wet niche or submersible fixture is not required. Since the fixture is "water resistant" it withstands any moisture it does receive very well so far. I have my entire system ground faulted (which I recommend for all tanks always) to prevent electric shock in the event that the water becomes conductive. The ground fault interrupter on my circuit, which is set to 6 mA has never tripped on me since installing the light.

That being said, I don't advocate that any one try this if they are not comfortable and competent enough to do so in a manner that they are confident is safe and I certainly think that anytime you have electrical parts within 6' of water (which is the length of the average reachable cord) that you should use ground fault protection and have a drip loop for each cord that is plugged into that GFI.


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Unread 02/28/2017, 12:14 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by reefried bean View Post
For what it is worth, I am a licensed electrician. The application it is used for is considered a wet location however it is not submersed and, therefore a wet niche or submersible fixture is not required. Since the fixture is "water resistant" it withstands any moisture it does receive very well so far. I have my entire system ground faulted (which I recommend for all tanks always) to prevent electric shock in the event that the water becomes conductive. The ground fault interrupter on my circuit, which is set to 6 mA has never tripped on me since installing the light.

That being said, I don't advocate that any one try this if they are not comfortable and competent enough to do so in a manner that they are confident is safe and I certainly think that anytime you have electrical parts within 6' of water (which is the length of the average reachable cord) that you should use ground fault protection and have a drip loop for each cord that is plugged into that GFI.
Great advice, thank you for clarifying. My tank is at my workplace in my office, so I suppose that I have to be even more careful as mistakes could potentially harm my co-workers. I can't change my outlet to GFCI, but I have everything going through 2 GFCI outlet strips which I think should give enough protection.


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Unread 02/28/2017, 03:56 PM   #35
reefried bean
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Talking

Pics of my TruLumen install... I used all nylon hardware (10-32 size) and have connected to a GFI to assure that there is no electrical shock risk due to the moisture build up. This is the Fusion 12k white ans actinic blue combo. Unable to meter under water but it clearly adds a substantial boost to the light and shimmer effect. Too early to tell the effects on my LFS and softies but I have a brain coral that is in the bottom third and it appears happy thus far.


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Now Let's Get Talking: Reefer Madness!

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Current Tank Info: Biocube 32 LED - modified to my needs
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Unread 02/28/2017, 04:04 PM   #36
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My BC32 reef today...


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Now Let's Get Talking: Reefer Madness!

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Current Tank Info: Biocube 32 LED - modified to my needs
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Unread 02/28/2017, 04:16 PM   #37
reefried bean
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seattle_Reef View Post
Great advice, thank you for clarifying. My tank is at my workplace in my office, so I suppose that I have to be even more careful as mistakes could potentially harm my co-workers. I can't change my outlet to GFCI, but I have everything going through 2 GFCI outlet strips which I think should give enough protection.
If your GFI protection on the strips is set to trip at 6 mA or less it is designed to protect anyone who is an infant or larger from shock. I would think that even at that small of an amperage, the tank inhabitants would still be at risk in the event of a leak smaller than the ground fault setting but it is highly unlikely that water would provide a clear conductive path without tripping the GFI regardless of the setting. Unfortunately, those physics are beyond my knowledge beyond the human safety aspect.I can say that your ground fault strips are designed to protect your co-workers and yourself if operating properly for sure.


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Unread 03/01/2017, 09:19 AM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by reefried bean View Post
My BC32 reef today...
Wow, that looks fantastic, way to go!!!


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Unread 03/02/2017, 06:52 PM   #39
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@refried bean, did the trulumen 12k/actinic add much blue when all the lights are on? I have the same led bio cube, but would like a little bluer look

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Unread 03/02/2017, 08:31 PM   #40
reefried bean
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@refried bean, did the trulumen 12k/actinic add much blue when all the lights are on? I have the same led bio cube, but would like a little bluer look

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Not visibly and likely just the opposite. The fusion version appears to have more intensity on the 12k. If you are just looking for more blue they do make an actinic version. I have a few LPS that require moderate to high lighting and two of them are near the substrate so I was looking for more intensity in the full spectrum.


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Unread 03/03/2017, 05:17 AM   #41
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Thank you

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Unread 03/13/2017, 01:35 PM   #42
reefried bean
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I had a little run in with the law of gravity on my motorcycle a couple weeks ago si I have been away from this forum but I wanted to update on my BC29 progress. I have been able to get most of the levels where I need them between water changes and the 2 part dosing and my fuge is growing cheato so that seems to be going ok. I have been able to get my phosphates down under .1 but I am still getting hair, bubble and slime algae growth at a manageable but still frustrating level. So I have decided to add a Phosban reactor to the system. I should have it up and running in the next day or so and will keep you posted on how that does. I have to modify the cover to install it and it's not as attractive as I wish since it will be mounted on the side (my tank is too close to the wall to mount it behind and I am not going to attempt to move it. My nitrates still register slightly and may have actually increased slightly when I made the transition from CP Elite & Purigen to just CP Blue (needed space in compartment 2 for the fuge). I will wait and see what happens with the reactor before I make any other changes though.


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Current Tank Info: Biocube 32 LED - modified to my needs
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Unread 03/13/2017, 05:04 PM   #43
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Crap, sorry to hear...I went from motorcycles to corvettes when i had kids.


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Unread 03/13/2017, 07:19 PM   #44
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Yup that sucks about the bike. I also gave mine up when I got married and bought my first house, was shopping around again when we found out the baby was on the way. Settled for a 4 door wrangler with a car seat in the back. Glad your ok though, those things are dangerous! 23 yr old me would kick my *** for saying that.


"Yea, well, that's like, your opinion man" -The Dude


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Unread 03/15/2017, 07:56 PM   #45
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Very nice tank and I know that law of gravity all too well lol
Speedy recovery


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Unread 03/22/2017, 10:53 AM   #46
reefried bean
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I have been staying off of this forum because I am in the midst of a full and frustrating algae bloom of both hair and red slime. Struggling with phosphates and nitrates. I installed a phosban reactor last week but it had no immediate effect and I resorted to blacking out the tank for 72 hours before the algae overran my corals. Last night I did a 30% water change and I turned the lights on for the first time today. Also reducing the full spectrum lights from 8 hours to 6 hours. After the water change my parameters are:

Phosphates = .05
Nitrates = .10
Specific Gravity = 1.025
PH = 8.3
Magnesium = 1280
Calcium = 430
Alkalinity = 10.2

The slime algae all but disappeared in the blackout but the hair algae only diminished some. I scraped off what I could from the live rock but there is still a fair amount remaining. Hoping to starve it of phosphates soon. I am running both phosban reactor and now I have added Phosgen to the filter media for a couple days to see if that gets the phosphates down. The good news is the corals all seemed to survive during the blackout. Frustrated but gonna win this game.


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Now Let's Get Talking: Reefer Madness!

The Reefried Bean!

Current Tank Info: Biocube 32 LED - modified to my needs
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Unread 09/27/2017, 03:07 PM   #47
Cailybsdad
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I was wondering how adding the 1 truelumen light helped your corals. I just set up my tank a week ago. (Not my first reef tank) I am looking for cheaper options then Steve's led but still keeping my canopy stock looking. Was thinking of adding 2 I'd I could fit them actually.


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Unread 10/02/2017, 12:26 PM   #48
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I have the same tank and I'm having some issues with cyano. I am sure there is something I'm doing wrong, but I'm also looking into what others are doing with their bio systems. Do you guys have any photos of your filtration set ups, or even a rough drawing so I can get an idea? I may have to rethink mine.


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Unread 03/14/2018, 02:53 PM   #49
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How are the TrueLumen LEDs working? Do you have pictures yet?


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