Texdoc77's 150

[CafeReef]

looks great Tex. The SC 150 will be my next tank, loving my 50 SC now. You are right, the custom stands are built exceptionally well, mine is one as well, I refinished it and kilzed and painted the inside for moisture protection, but bones, same stand.

One word of caution to consider, I see you have lagged the tank to the wall, Just be careful that by doing this, it has not pulled the stand up off the floor and having the tank and stand primary load on the wall and not on the floor. This could end in absolute disaster, I can see the wish and want for doing this to ensure it does not tip, but I can promise you, the weight of the tank, rock and water along with gravity will hold it down just fine. A way to check could be to take a piece of paper and glide it along under the stand, if it goes under in any places (or you can run a flashlight along the floor to see if any light cascades through) then you may want to remove the lag bolts. Sorry, just wanting to error on the side of caution.

otherwise love the tank and build. I will be doing a very similar setup to yours, but I think I will be bolting the canopy to the wall so it floats above my tank. I'm a huge fan of the rimless look and this way I could get the best of both worlds.

[texdoc77]

Originally Posted by CafeReef

One word of caution to consider, I see you have lagged the tank to the wall, Just be careful that by doing this, it has not pulled the stand up off the floor and having the tank and stand primary load on the wall and not on the floor.

Thanks for the kind words. I am no carpenter by any stretch of the imagination, but I never considered that lag bolting the stand to studs would make it less safe. I had a carpenter build a stand for my last build and he did the same thing. You are right though, if there was any pull from the screws in an upward fashion from the stand causing any weight bearing on the studs this would be a bad thing. One thing I could do is remove the bolts and make sure there is no shifting of the stand up or down. As you may remember I did have to remove the bolts previously to install the power receptacle and I did not feel any undue pressure placing them back in. Thanks for the heads up.

I like your idea of floating the canopy. Do you plan to do this with brackets into the studs or cables from the ceiling?

[CafeReef]

all cabling will be ran through the wall and the canopy will be lagged to the wall directly. I will probably build the canopy myself just so that it is finished the way I would like it to be inside and out.

One thing you potentially could do, would be to just loosen the lag bolts some, that way if it did start to tilt, they would act as a catch of sorts. Maybe loosened a few threads 3/16" to 1/4". This way the weight wouldnt be on them, but might still give a peace of mind.

[texdoc77]

I was out of town this weekend and so even though I had my tank cycling kit I would not have been able to keep up with it over the Labor Day weekend. Sooo... I got my ATO online last night to add a little bit of water from my 55gal in the garage to keep things stable. Temp has been between 79.8 and 80.2 along with my pH at 8.2. I did test KH this morning and it was practically nonexistent so I have started a thread to troubleshoot this. Whether it is a testing anomaly or a problem I am not certain. The HW marinemix states it has an alk of 9.0 so I dunno.

Anyway I did add the coralline grow, bacto start, nitrobac and nopox as per the instructions. For my tank I am estimating 160 total gallons. This includes my 150 gallon tank which is two inches low on the water secondary to the eurobracing and overflow which puts it right at 137 gallons, less sand and rock, plus sump. Again, estimating 160 total gallons. Probably within 5 gallons either way.

I will be purchasing a CUC from Reef Cleaners to arrive on Day 10 which is the day to add them to your tank per the maturation pro kit.

Side note: I did quite a bit of research on how best to cycle a tank. I decided on this for a few reasons:
#1) I do believe it cycles the tank well and with the right amount of alk while keeping an eye on algae blooms.
#2) It incorporates carbon dosing which I plan on doing
#3) I like doing things to my tank, at least at first
#4) It's what the guys used to cycle on the BRS 160 tank
#5) No messy food or shrimp debris just yet

I will keep you all up to date on the alk issue, and as promised I will be doing a video for my ATO and AWC set up.

[texdoc77]

Alk issue testing apparently operator error, tested fine in the afternoon, so that is one worry gone. Still wrestling a little with my WAV schedule as it continues to push my sand around a little. I have them maxed at 50% in the middle of the day but really won't know how much flow I am needing until I get stuff in it. Speaking of getting stuff in it I may need to postpone the addition of my CUC as I still don't have any kind of algae or cyano in the tank. No blooms yet, but maybe over the weekend. I did order an African Gold Midas Blenny from LA and it arrived on Wednesday this week. Now on day 3 of the TTM and it is doing well. Will transfer tanks tomorrow, making very sure salinity and temp are the same. I don't want a repeat of the PBT fiasco from a few weeks ago.

This weekend I will need to perform a 5% water change so this will be great time to calibrate my AWC for the liter meter III and get that working. I also hope to have one of my AP700's in this week and I can put that up and take down the current marine I have been using for light. Also I am on call this weekend so perhaps none of this will happen either, we shall see.

[texdoc77]

I will be using the AP 700 light from Kessil to light my tank. Well two of them actually. I picked up the first on Friday evening (I will pick up the second one in a couple of weeks when I get paid again) and got it set up. The app takes a little getting used to, but many of the problems early adopters had, I did not run into. Fortunately the light came with version 2.1 preinstalled and thus the lunar modes and other issues were basically non existent. Now mind you I have no fish, corals or other invertebrates in the tank, so this is more of a discussion about how the light works and why I like it. First of all the iPhone app works pretty well. Still could use some ironing out and I would love more than 10 points to have in my custom light set up, but overall I was pleased. The light does look good and the shimmer and light rays through the water are spectacular. Also with this light you have full color control. My goal was to see if I could create a sunrise and sunset with good lighting throughout the day and lunar mode at night. About twenty minutes later it was programmed and I have enjoyed the lighting all day today. Here is a picture of my tank at "sunset".

The picture is a little "hot" and the reality is a much softer sunset, very nice.
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

It goes from oranges to reds to purples to blue. Quite nicely I might add. I'm sure the corals and fish will care less, but it adds more to the tank than just dimming then off. Maybe I will get some video of it going through the motions.

[texdoc77]

I have my 5% water change coming for my Red Sea Reef Maturation Pro Kit tomorrow and what better way to do my first water change than to go ahead and use my liter meter 3 with remote pump. I had previously ran the PE tubing through the attic and today I went ahead and placed the pumps in the sump area and calibrated them. I made 55 gallons of salt water with my salt of choice HW Marinemix and have it stored in the fish room in the garage. I also have my waste water coming into a 35 gallon holding take to use for my QT and tank transfers. As previously promised I may do a video, but I have been on call all week and also want to watch the Cowboys play tomorrow afternoon, so who knows. If Dallas starts losing I just might get that video up after all!! Set up was relatively easy, though I struggled with the buttons for a little while before I got them down. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Oh, one last thing, Gold Midas Blenny survived the tank transfer this morning and is doing well this afternoon.

[texdoc77]

OK the liter meter III did a great job today! Changed out 8 gallons of water for fresh and I did not lift a finger. Obviously there was quite a bit of work that went into that first water change what with installing the pumps, running the lines and what not. However, if I charge that to my first water change then basically all the rest are free. Don't need to do any more water changes again until next Sunday. Ammonia and Nitrite were both zero today as well as Nitrate at 5 or 10 depending on how I read my API test, so the testing is going well. Blenny was swimming all over it TTM tank today and eating well too. Also I did have a little time to install a float valve on my RO/DI tank as a back up. I usually turn the water off at the faucet I ran down from the attic, but if I forget it will now cut it off for me as a fail safe.

Of note my new AP 700 does seem to cause quite a bit more evaporation and I also moved my neptune WAV's up a little higher in the tank to cause less sand drift. Because of this I felt my ATO worked overtime today, I don't think it had anything to do with my AWC system. My SG stayed consistent as well.

For the upcoming week I don't really have any new projects. I am considering buying a cool brain coral from my LFS and will be able to continue TTM for the blenny. Oh, yeah, I will be adding some CUC to the tank some time this week, maybe Friday. I have decided to go with some snails from reef cleaners and will get a sea cucumber and brittle star here local, also maybe a fighting conch just to keep the sand sifted.

[texdoc77]

As promised here is the video of my AWC system. Please note I don't have a monetized Youtube channel, I just like to try and help others that may be as clueless as I am. I hope you enjoy the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xxurylqY_o

[CafeReef]

great video. Living in Texas, if I were you, I honestly would hook the drain line up to a collection barrel. use it for plants or the yard. You're in a great place to do it with your setup the way it is.

[texdoc77]

Originally Posted by CafeReef

great video. Living in Texas, if I were you, I honestly would hook the drain line up to a collection barrel. use it for plants or the yard. You're in a great place to do it with your setup the way it is.

That is a great idea, I actually do plan to do this soon, you know once the tank is set up

[CafeReef]

do you have any failsafe for if the AWC fails and keeps filling? I have never done a AWC setup. only having a 50 cube, probably wouldnt, but in the future really would consider.

[texdoc77]

Yes there is a module that connects the the LM3 that turns it off if the water gets too high. It is a pressure sensor just like my ATO.

[texdoc77]

Originally Posted by CafeReef

do you have any failsafe for if the AWC fails and keeps filling? I have never done a AWC setup. only having a 50 cube, probably wouldnt, but in the future really would consider.

You know for me it's not the overall trouble of a certain amount of water it is actually doing it in the first place. I would just as soon put an AWC on a 50 gallon as a 125. The continuous small daily water changes, IMHO, keeps the water stable and is much less work.

[acer]

+1 - especially if the ATO water is saturated with Kalkwasser. This way your ATO water helps offset the Ca+ and Alk that your corals are using up and the water stays more stable- and you have to add less additives.

[texdoc77]

I added a few living things to the tank for the first time last night, however, one will need to go back. I purchased two sea cucumbers and a brittle star. Problem is, the brittle star is GREEN. I mistakenly thought all brittle stars were the same and in doing a little research I learned they mostly are... except for the green brittle stars of death. Evidently the are predators in some tanks and will hang out over the mouth of a cave with a sleeping fish. When it comes out of the cave, the brittle stars wraps his echinoderm body around the fish and gives it a little death hug. I actually really like him, but don't need a predator in my tank so back he goes.

Here he is in the bag getting acclimated
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

Sea Cucumber #1
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

Sea Cucumber #2
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

I also picked up a nice new zoa from the LFS. It is green mostly with some that have a little orange. It is also on a nice little piece of rock that has some coraline algae. I did a reef dip and have it in my QT. It is actually looking pretty good and will go in the DT soon.

Here is the zoa getting "dipped"
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

[texdoc77]

Alliteration aside, I tackled one of my least favorite parts of the hobby . Cleaning up my cords. In order to do this I had to unplug and run all my cords through a 2ft by 2 ft 1/4" piece of finishing board I had painted with killz. I placed my apex equipment on it and then drilled holes for where the cords would go. It's not OCD neat freak cleaned up, but it is quite a bit better and cords are labeled the area is much more organized. The most awkward piece to put in place was the darn WIFI extender the apex needs in order to hard wire it.

As you may or may not recall, this is what it looked like before...
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

My nice new piece of wood with a fresh coat of killz.
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

Almost there...
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

And here is the "After" picture for the makeover
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

All outlets are in place and I added another EB8 so I have a few more outlets when necessary. I did also add a refugium light. I used a PAR 38 LED light rated at 5000 kelvin. I then purchased a 5 1/2" reflective metal clamp on light housing and have it pointed at my refugium. There is no chaeto in it now, but there will be soon.

[acer]

Looks great......

[texdoc77]

Purchased my second AP 700 today and installed it and the first one permanently tonight. Was able to run cables and attach it to the canopy without much trouble. Reset the Kessil Wifi app and programmed a new lighting schedule. Very easy to do. I had previously had issues with my programs dropping the schedule during the day so lets hope this does not happen this time.

Also was able to remove the Green Brittle Sea Star and am hoping to get a fancy brittle sea star or similar one soon. LFS took him back without any fuss.

Going to try and get my chromis into the new tank this weekend. I have had an inverted bottle trap in the old 55 to try and lure them in, but to no avail. I may have to get a little more creative with my strategy over the weekend.

So at this point the tank is really on auto pilot. I fired up the AWC full time a couple of days ago and have been dosing nopox at a little lower rate than what they call for because I was getting bacteria blooms with some white stringy material. I have either cyano or diatoms blooming in the tank now which is good, I'd like to get these blooms started so they can finish their little cycles.

Now to get some corals and fish in the tank!

[ramasule]

I love your fish room! Cool setup.

[scubadan206]

Make sure to keep your auto water change pump calibrated. They will go out of tune.
Their are better ways to do an auto water change BTW.
Looking good so far. The tank and stand looks great.
Nice to see that you've taken over another part of the house for a makeshift fishroom.

[texdoc77]

Originally Posted by scubadan206

Their are better ways to do an auto water change BTW.

Such as...

[scubadan206]

Some may say I'm beginning to sound like a spokesperson, but the Genisis Renew is the only thing currently on the market that was specifically designed for AWC. Scott Slief is probably the biggest proponent of this system. Do a search for some of his posts about this. Or go ask him. He'll give a big detailed post about how much he loves his and you'll probably be sold.....
It's not for everyone as it is expensive, and your setup will work. Like I said. It will need monthly or sooner calibration though. The Renew will never need it. Up to you.

[texdoc77]

Originally Posted by scubadan206

Some may say I'm beginning to sound like a spokesperson, but the Genisis Renew is the only thing currently on the market that was specifically designed for AWC. Scott Slief is probably the biggest proponent of this system. Do a search for some of his posts about this. Or go ask him. He'll give a big detailed post about how much he loves his and you'll probably be sold.....
It's not for everyone as it is expensive, and your setup will work. Like I said. It will need monthly or sooner calibration though. The Renew will never need it. Up to you.

Ah yes, the genesis renew. Certainly an excellent option, but not for me. I spoke with the renew people and they said their pump is not strong enough to pull water from my garage to my tank, or I would have gone with them. I did also very much like that system. I realize calibration can be an issue, however, with my type of set up I like the idea of being able to calibrate it to keep it up. Others that have run this set up have indicated that it does not need monthly recalibration, but who knows what mine will be. So far, I have really liked my system.

[texdoc77]

Ok I've had my two ap700's working well today. They have not dropped the program once and are going strong. I did finally add my chromis to the tank (bought a big net) and a couple of corals to see how they will do.

You can see the set up with my two kessils. Shadowing is not too bad, but I don't have a ton of rock either. You can also see I am acclimatizing my chromis.
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

Here you can see the lights from an underneath view
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr

Here are some zoa's I also added this evening, beginning to open up
Untitled by texdoc77, on Flickr