Ivan's terribly slow 225 build

[IvanTheTerrible]

It's been a couple of months, so I'm probably due for an update. For the most part, not much has changed. I've been playing with my light setup lately. I slowly increased the intensity of the blue channel until it was at 100%. The frags in the tank still weren't growing, so I moved both lights to one side of the tank. That gave a little growth, but I still wasn't getting enough light to the corals. Yesterday, I dropped the lights down so that they are just a couple inches from the top of the tank. It's too early to tell how the corals will respond but I hope this does the trick. I may be upgrading my lights sooner than I hoped.

I've also been dealing with some high humidity. The humidity wasn't a problem when it was cold and the furnace was running a lot. Now that things have warmed up some (but not enough for the AC to run a lot) the humidity is creeping up. It's been running about 60% most days. We've been getting rain almost every day, so the outside air is also very humid. Unfortunately I don't have another humidity meter, so I don't know if the humidity is high in the entire house or just in the fish room.

I've been considering changing the exhaust fan setup for a while now. When I built the fish room it was cold outside and the ground was frozen for most of the winter. The frozen ground was going to be a problem, since I assumed my vent would be below grade, since the tank is in the basement. So, I had the exhaust fan dumping air from the fish room into the rest of the basement. It worked OK, but certainly wasn't ideal. This week, I decided to spin the exhaust fan around 180 degrees and vent the humid air outside.

I ordered a Decovent from Home Depot, and proceeded to dig a hole in the landscaping in my front yard. Much to my surprise, about 4" down I learned that the foundation had a reinforcement exactly where I planned to install the vent. This reinforcement was about 6" thick and I assume solid concrete, which I wasn't going to drill through. I couldn't easily move the exhaust fan, since the ceiling is finished. At this point, I was pretty bummed and didn't know what to do. I called a contractor friend, but he wasn't any help. He agreed it was crappy luck and wished me the best.

Since I didn't know the exact elevation of the vent, I decided to drill a test hole and hope that the vent would be just above the top of the reinforcement. Much to my surprise, the pilot hole ended up being above the reinforcement and above grade - actually quite a bit above grade. At this point I was ecstatic. This morning I drilled a 4-1/4" hole into the front of my house. If you've never done it, it's a weird experience purposefully drilling a big hole in your house. A couple of trips to HD and Lowe's later, and my exhaust fan is now happily venting the humid air outside. Hopefully, this will bring the humidity levels down some but only time will tell.

- Ivan

[IvanTheTerrible]

I'm not convinced that the new vent arrangement is actually doing anything. To be fair, it's rained a lot lately - by a lot I mean that it rains for at least a few minutes every day. The humidity in the fish room seems to follow the humidity outside, which makes sense. Maybe it's because my house sees a lot of traffic in and out, so a lot of air is exchanged with the outside. Couple that with moderate temperatures (so the AC doesn't run a lot) and you end up with a humidity inside that nearly matches the humidity outside. Blowing the humid air outside doesn't do much when it is replaced with new air that is just as humid.

Any thoughts?

- Ivan

[acer]

Well yes, humid outside= humid inside. Unless your running AC or dehumidifier. I think the new venting is a good idea though.

[sfsuphysics]

Measure the humidity at other places in the house, one place in particular is on the outside of the fishroom just next to the tank since that's the air that will immediately replace what you vent.

Granted I don't live on the East coast so I don't know the level of outside humidity but I would think the humidity in a fishroom would be far greater (approaching 100% if left unchecked) than that outside. Translation: you still might have humid air in the fishroom, but it's less than what it would be. A fan system simply pulls air out of one air and replaces it from another.

[IvanTheTerrible]

Until my Amazon order is delivered, I only have one humidistat and it's hardwired in place so I can't measure other parts of the house. According to the little assistant lady who lives in my phone, the humidity outside was 57% right after I made my last post. The humidity in my fish room was 59%, so essentially the same (regional variation, measurement inaccuracy, etc.). The humidity outside is lower today, so I expect the humidity indoors to drop as well. It just seems like a waste of electricity to run a fan that essentially does nothing. Perhaps I'll wire it up so that the fan only runs when the humidity outside is less than the humidity indoors by a certain amount.

- Ivan

[sfsuphysics]

I'm fairly sure you're humidity would be a LOT higher than 59% without ventilation, but the easiest way to test it is to turn off the fan, and see how high the humidity gets.

[IvanTheTerrible]

Originally Posted by sfsuphysics

I'm fairly sure you're humidity would be a LOT higher than 59% without ventilation, but the easiest way to test it is to turn off the fan, and see how high the humidity gets.

So, I gave this a try and didn't notice much of a difference. My fish room isn't sealed (usually the door is open), so I assume the humidity was dispersing throughout the house rather than being concentrated in the room. After a while, I adjusted the setting on the control so that the fan only comes on when the humidity is above 60%. The problem is the humidity varies a lot even throughout the day. Here are the stats for yesterday.

Average Humidity 61
Maximum Humidity 87
Minimum Humidity 43

It would be nice to have the fan only kick on when the air outside is a few percentage points drier than the air in the room. This might turn into my next project....

- Ivan

[reefzone123]

slow and steady wins the race. haha awesome looking tank setup.

[IvanTheTerrible]

Originally Posted by reefzone123

slow and steady wins the race. haha awesome looking tank setup.

Thanks.

- Ivan

[IvanTheTerrible]

OK, so I'm probably overdue for an update. Not a lot has changed. I'm still playing around with my lighting trying to find the right settings for my corals. I should have just bought the par meter. I still only have a few frags in the tank (a mix of LPS and SPS), since there's not much point in adding more until I get the lights the way I (and more importantly the corals) like them.

I've been monitoring the humidity in various places around my house and determined that a fan setting of 58% is about as good as I'm going to get, at least during this summer of never-ending rain. I'll keep watching it through the fall and winter to see if/how things change.

I've been fighting with cyano, which is a pain. I did a blackout recently which didn't help much. I don't want to reduce my feeding anymore since I feel like the fish have to hunt around for food as it is. I've recently started running GFO in one of the reactors, and I'm hoping that clears it up.

I've also been slowly adding livestock. I've currently got a few fish going through TTM. Once that is complete, I'll QT them for a few weeks. A while back I added five banggai cardinals. From watching them swim, I believe there are 2 pairs and 1 third wheel who swims all alone and stares at his/her reflection in the glass all day. One of the pairs has been acting odd lately, and today I noticed that the male has a mouth full of eggs!!! I'm not at all prepared to raise them, but my daughter is really excited so I may give it a try if he doesn't swallow them. I can always move him to the QT when things are a little further along.

That's all for now. I'll try to post an update if I become a fish daddy.

- Ivan

[IvanTheTerrible]

Well that didn't take long. The cardinal swallowed the clutch after only 3 days. Not a completely unexpected result, but still a little disappointing. Hopefully, he will get the hang of it.

If you don't have an aquarium controller/monitor on your system, you should definitely consider getting one. My Apex prevented what could have been a significant issue for me today. At some point, my GFO reactor developed a leak at the shut-off valve. It was a small leak and not in an easy spot to see, so it could have been leaking for a while. The water was dripping between the back wall of my stand and back of my sump tank, making it impossible to see the puddle without crawling over the sump and looking down into that small gap (less than 2 inches wide). The bottom of my stand is slightly sloped, so the water was running along the sump and towards the front of the stand, where the Apex leak sensor sits. The drip was much slower than the output of my ATO, so it didn't affect the water level in the sump.

Today, I woke up and found a text message alert from the Apex on my phone. I went downstairs to investigate and found a very small puddle surrounding the leak sensor in the sump area. Since the Apex shuts off the return pump when it senses a leak, the puddle was small and the leak was no longer active. I cleaned up the puddle, started the return pump, and started investigating. It took me a while to find the leak. I didn't see any salt creep or any other signs that could help pinpoint the problem. Eventually, I stumbled on the leak. A few quick turns of the wrench and everything was good.

I have no idea when the leak started. I started running GFO three weeks ago, so it wasn't leaking before that. Since the leak was slow, it's possible that it has been dripping and evaporating for a while and the ATO was keeping the sump water level constant. I checked my SG today and it was 1.025, down slightly so I'm guessing it didn't start leaking last night. Regardless, this is just one more example of how a controller/monitor can prevent major issues with your tank. Had the Apex not alarmed, it would have been a while before I noticed the small puddle in my sump area. Since I don't regularly check SG it could have been quite low before I knew anything was wrong.

- Ivan

[acer]

yep- have had that happen on many reactors. SO now, with my new setup - the GFO reactor is inside the sump - so if it leaks the water drips into the sump. I agree it is always good to have a controller - for many reasons. This ,as well as pure laziness, is the main reason I have not yet built a manifold to put reactors on from the main pipe from the return pump. Reactors seem to be the main area that develop leaks for me - probably do the same thing you did- not tighten enough as I am afraid of over tightening and breaking it.

[IvanTheTerrible]

Originally Posted by acer

yep- have had that happen on many reactors. SO now, with my new setup - the GFO reactor is inside the sump - so if it leaks the water drips into the sump. I agree it is always good to have a controller - for many reasons. This ,as well as pure laziness, is the main reason I have not yet built a manifold to put reactors on from the main pipe from the return pump. Reactors seem to be the main area that develop leaks for me - probably do the same thing you did- not tighten enough as I am afraid of over tightening and breaking it.

I would like to have my reactors in the sump, but don't want to give up the real estate. Originally, I was going to have them located over the sump so that drips weren't an issue but I didn't like the location when I test fit them. I guess I'll live with the occasional drip for now.

As far as updates go, I'm still playing with the intensity of my lights. I think I'm pretty close, as the corals seem much happier. The duncan is growing a couple of new heads so that is a good sign. The GFO seems to be working and the algae is slowly losing ground. I've also been slowly adding livestock. I added a one spot foxface and a midas blenny. Both are awesome fish. They add a lot of color and personality to the tank, especially the midas blenny. It has been harassing the firefish a little lately, but nothing too extreme. It's currently the biggest fish in the tank, so I think it wants to show everyone who is boss on occasion. I ordered a few tangs from LA tonight, so he won't be the bully for long. I'll post a few pictures as soon as I teach the fish to hold still and smile.

- Ivan

[IvanTheTerrible]

So, the cardinals are still doing their thing. Hopefully, he'll figure out how to be a daddy and quit swallowing the eggs.



Received a shipment from LA this morning.





So far, everyone seems to be adjusting well. I'm hoping they can get along for a couple of weeks in a 20 gallon tank. Not much room to swim, but they are pretty small so I think they'll be OK. Still trying to get a good picture of the midas blenny and foxface.

- Ivan

[acer]

When I said reactors in sump I really meant above it so the bottom of the reactor touches the waterline in the sump. So, they don't take any real estate in the sump- but if they leak - they drip into the sump.

[IvanTheTerrible]

I love adding new fish to the tank. It's always fascinating to me to see the other fish react to the new guy. I've got to watch this play out a couple of times lately.

While the tangs were going through TTM (and almost finished), I got a notification from LA that they had schooling bannerfish in stock. I've been searching for these fish for about nine months, so I quickly put in an order for two. Hindsight being 20/20 I should have ordered at least one more, but it's too late now. They were out of stock again less than two hours after I got the email. I didn't want to try adding the bannerfish to the DT after the tangs were established, so I decided to leave the tangs in the QT and hope aggression wouldn't be an issue.

The bannerfish came through TTM fine. They love mysis and eat like pigs. Since the tangs were in the QT, they had to go straight to the DT after the TTM. I would have really liked to observe them for a couple of weeks but I was out of tanks. My QT is a 20 long, so I was pushing it with four tangs in there. Adding the bannerfish would have really been asking for trouble. So, they went into the display tank last night. They immediately headed for the rocks and found a good spot to hide. Less than an hour later, they were both out swimming around and completely freaking out every other fish in the tank.

I planned to give them a couple of days before adding the tangs to the tank. I've been keeping an eye on the tangs to make sure aggression wouldn't be an issue. At first, everything was cool but slowly they got more comfortable with their environment and started to quarrel. The lieutenant tang is by far the biggest and would hog the nori anytime it was added. The other three fish had to wait until he was finished before he would let them have a bite. If that was the worst aggression I would have been ecstatic, but two days in a row I found the kole tang hiding in the false overflow. The kole tang is by far the smallest of the four tangs, but it's still way to small for him in the overflow. I can only assume that some aggression was going on and it was the only safe place available. Also, this morning I noticed that the lieutenant tang has a wound on his head. I don't know what happened and it doesn't look too serious but it's another sign that things are getting testy in the QT.

So, the kole tang went into the DT this evening. After a few minutes of hiding, he was out and about investigating his new home. This really messed with the other fish. The bannerfish were pretty timid and didn't push it if one of the other fish was defending "their" territory. The tang seemed oblivious to the other fish and investigated every inch of the tank. This really bothered the other inhabitants. Even the clownfish tried to defend their home. The little tang held his own and was whipping his tail around like crazy. I was a little worried that things were going to get serious but they worked it out before anyone was bloody.

It's been a great two days watching all of the fish adapt to the newcomers. They're slowly getting used to each other and the establishing new swimming patterns and new territories. I can't wait to add the other tangs in a few days and watch the whole thing play out again.

[acer]

Yep- even with a isolation tank,etc. it does not help with a new fish getting picked on and not eating when first put into a display community tank. My next build/ project is to make a plexiglass fish holder that will be see thru- with many holes in it for water flow. I will make it so it fits in the front/top open area of my tank and have some type of clamping system so that is it secure ( maybe runners hat rest on the front/back euro-braces). It will be large enough ( maybe about 9 x 9 x 9) to put one piece of 4-5 inch 90 pipe in it so the fish inside it will have a place to hide during its stay. It will also have a removable mesh covering so no fish can jump in or out of it. I figure it will take about a week for the fish to be seen enough so when it is released it will not get picked on much. I think this is a necessity item when you are adding a tang with tangs or angels with angels. Since I now have a very aggressive pygmy Angel and white faced powder brown tang- it will be needed when I want to add a new fish. I have looked to purchase something like this and have not found it - found a few things that are close ( insect holders) , but not quite.

[RedStangGA]

Originally Posted by acer

Yep- even with a isolation tank,etc. it does not help with a new fish getting picked on and not eating when first put into a display community tank. My next build/ project is to make a plexiglass fish holder that will be see thru- with many holes in it for water flow. I will make it so it fits in the front/top open area of my tank and have some type of clamping system so that is it secure ( maybe runners hat rest on the front/back euro-braces). It will be large enough ( maybe about 9 x 9 x 9) to put one piece of 4-5 inch 90 pipe in it so the fish inside it will have a place to hide during its stay. It will also have a removable mesh covering so no fish can jump in or out of it. I figure it will take about a week for the fish to be seen enough so when it is released it will not get picked on much. I think this is a necessity item when you are adding a tang with tangs or angels with angels. Since I now have a very aggressive pygmy Angel and white faced powder brown tang- it will be needed when I want to add a new fish. I have looked to purchase something like this and have not found it - found a few things that are close ( insect holders) , but not quite.

Like this?

https://www.marinedepot.com/Marine_D...iABEgL2cPD_BwE

[acer]

Close - yes- but again, there is no way to secure it to the top of the tank , have you actually had any suction cups holders work when you have any weight in it ( I want to put a piece of PVC in it for a hiding place) and I also have pretty good tank flow which would be hitting the box? I have not had good luck with suction cups - so the poor fish would be floating all over the place as the flow in the tank would be pushing the box all over the place. The vision seems a bit limited because of the design of the hole/slats- so the fish looking in would not see the new inhabitant well. But , close - I could figure out an option - maybe glue some type of holder/brace on it and clamp it onto my Eurobrace.

[IvanTheTerrible]

Well, the plan is to move the other tangs to the DT in the morning. Hopefully, the other fish and bigger tank will be enough to eliminate pressure on the kole.

I've also got a cardinal missing. I had 5 which seemed to be two pairs and one fifth wheel. Something happened to one of the pair members, so now I've got one pair and two others. I'm not sure what happened to the 5th one or where it went. I've searched everywhere and can't find it (dead or alive). I've checked the overflow, pipes, sump, everything. It's like it just disappeared.

- Ivan

[IvanTheTerrible]

OK, quick update.

Never did find the missing cardinal. Just disappeared into thin air.

All of the tangs are adjusted to the big tank and are everyone is doing well. The 4 tangs, 2 schooling bannerfish, and foxface constantly hang out together. There are some rare squabbles, but nothing serious. I also added a cleaner shrimp and a watchman goby, which might be the last fish I add. It's fun to add new fish, but after a while all of the transfers, equipment cleaning, feeding multiple tanks, etc. gets a little old. It's nice to be done with all of that.

The coral frags seem to be happy, and most are starting to grow. I'm still battling some algae issues, but I think I might be winning (at least for now).

- Ivan

[iced98lx]

Sounds like a good update! Photos might help us conceptualize

[vitodog]

If you don't mind, and I know this question may sound like its coming out of left field, but can you tell me what size was the Yellow Watchman as indicated by the distributor (Sm, Med or Lg)? I am having the hardest time finding a Yellow Watchman large enough to survive being placed in my tank (125g). All of my fish have reached adult size. Thank you.

[acer]

Pics, pics, pics....

[IvanTheTerrible]

Originally Posted by acer

Pics, pics, pics....

Originally Posted by iced98lx

Sounds like a good update! Photos might help us conceptualize

Yes, pics. I will try to get a few tomorrow. It's been a while since I had the DSLR out, so it might take a few tries.

- Ivan