Bonsai - BA's 34G Rimless Solana

[BattleAthletics]

Through whether it be my luck or obsession, I have been privileged to come in contact with some extremely helpful forum members to local members. I have an incredible cast of friends that have helped me out tremendously in this hobby of mine. I can only hope that I can return the favor in the future to everyone that has helped me in this amazing and expensive hobby.[/CENTER]

One night I get a text from Mark(Spirofucci)(Here and on Nano-Reef) saying that he plans to sell the system he has but doesn't want to part it out. He wants someone just to take it away completely. In shock I said sure and let me see what I can do. Fast forward to January 12th and I am at mark's house ready with a U-Haul cargo van. The tanks were not in TOTM(Nano-Reef) material and I knew that going in. It took us about 4-6 hours to load everything. We annihilated a 24 pack of beer and some of what mark had already had. About 90% of the corals didn't make it due to the stress of the shipping so I had to throw away huge chunks of colonies. Reason being that within that time that mark got sick he hadn't touched the tank and the livestock was still hanging on, 6 months no water change will do that.

I was planning on setting up both tanks but the space wasn't there and plus the stand that mark made could hold an army tank. So I ended up getting rid of the RSM. The stand I know is overkill for the tank but it has two separate sides, the right side is the sump area and the left side is the electronics area.


Equipment:
- Display Tank: Current Solana 20x20x20 Rimless Cube Tank 3 Sided Low-Iron (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25295)
- Lighting: Ecotech Radion Pro (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/catalog/product/view/id/2244/)
- Stand: 64x22x32 (From Spirofucci) (http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m569/spirofucci/IMG_0196.jpg)
- Skimmer: LifeReef SVS2-24 Skimmer (http://www.lifereef.com/lg_vnt4.gif) w/Mag 9.5 pump (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/mag-drive-supreme-9-5-pump-950gph.html)
- Return Pump: Mag 7 pump (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/mag-drive-supreme-7-pump-700gph.html)
- Sump: CLF2 Custom Sump 30x13x14 (http://www.lifereef.com/berlin.html)
- Circulation Pumps: 2 Ecotech VorTech MP10WES (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vortech-mp10w-es-propeller-pump.html) with Battery Backup (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/catalog/product/view/id/1319/)
- Heater: Finnex 300W Titanium Heater With HC810 Digital Controller (http://www.aquacave.com/Finnex-300W-Titanium-Heater-with-HC810-Digital-Controller-P2271.aspx?gclid=CN2r5-XehrwCFYNi7Aod0SoAGQ)
- Media Reactor: Two Little Fishes PhosBan Reactor w/upgraded pump (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=11586)
- Auto Top Off: JBJ ATO (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/jbj-a-t-o-water-level-controller.html)(Upgradable?)
- RODI: 5 Stage BRS Chloramines System w/Booster Pump (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-5-stage-chloramines-plus-ro-di-system-75gpd.html)

Substrate & Rockwork:
- Sand: Mix of Fiji Pink (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/fiji-pink-arag-alive-live-reef-sand.html), Crushed coral (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=7322) and Bahama
- Custom DIY rock sculpture: Inspired by Chingchai, Nineball, Crazy4Acros and Spirofucci (http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m569/spirofucci/rsmrocksculpture.jpg)
- Salt: Red Sea Coral Pro (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15483)


Livestock:
Later!


Table of Contents:

- Drilling and gluing the overflow box (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=22359687&postcount=2) -




Oh and if you are here for awesome pictures with incredible resolution, yeah im not there yet.

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[BattleAthletics]

Drilling is scary, but fun.[/CENTER]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7441/12134369553_f605c24868_c.jpg


Bulkhead installation

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5498/12134101855_079182f0e1_c.jpg


Silicone the overflow box, yeah its huge.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7393/12135101793_4b2b5d5dc4_c.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2834/12135495096_2fff48812c_c.jpg


Now to wait for it to cure.

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[BattleAthletics]

Acid Washing Dry/Live/Dead Rock

Im going to try and keep this short, not too many people in this industry are willing to use Hydrochloric Acid in their tank builds. Now I should first mention that HCL is not something you should take lightly, you should only handle chemicals that you are familiar with. I work in the chemical industry where I handle Hydrochloric Acid aka HCL(100% Strength), Hydrofluoric Acid aka HF(100% Strength) and many acidic materials. I am fortunate to have extensive training in handling materials of this strength and the knowledge to treat in case of an exposure. The muriatic acid I used was a 34% strength and the brand of the bottle was SMART brand. I had approximately 80#'s of rock initially. The rule of thumb that ive noticed many people that have done was use a 10:1 ratio of water to HCL(Muriatic Acid). Many people use 14% HCL, so be careful what you purchase, in the end the HCL might not be strong enough. I'll remind you that the proper PPE(Personal Protective Equipment) is essential in working with chemicals such as HCL. Here is a list of what I used in the acid washing process.



PPE of Choice:


Face Shield w/ respirator
Ansell ANSI Cerified Chemical Gloves
Chemical Apron or Splash Suit
A base of choice, baking soda or the equivalent in order to neutralize the acid
Now you dont have to get all fancy like I did, but I was able to man handle the rock inside the tub. Before you start the process always make sure you have no leaks in your gloves and apron/suit.




List of materials:


Muriatic Acid
PPE
A big enough tote to hold your rock
Water
Enough baking soda (Depending on the amount you are to be washing)
Stopwatch
pH paper and a pH meter


Now I had this dead rock for a couple of months now, it was live when I got it from a local reefer(originally the rock was in the bay), in order to prevent any hitch hikers and unwanted pest algea I decided to try out what vinegar would do to this dead rock. It essentially cleaned it to a certain degree, but nothing compared to what HCL did to it.

I donned the proper PPE needed for this job, I had a tote full of rock, filled it up with water and prepared everything I needed in order to ensure a smooth wash. I should mention that the pH of HCL is less that -1.0, so it will cause blisters, severe burns, tissue loss is evident and the biggest one of all is that it is EXTREMELY CORROSIVE. It also has a certain pungent smell to it. I guess im a little used to the smell of HCL.



Acid washing:


Fill up tote with rocks to wash
Add water to the tote just about 1in. above the rock line in the tote(Depending how much water you have)
Add Muriatic acid SLOWLY(Depending how much water to acid ratio 10:1)
Wait 20-35 minutes, or until bubbling has died down
Add baking soda
Test pH of the water solution
Ensure that it is around a 7
Proceed to dump neutralized water to the drain or ditch or gutter etc etc.
Take rock out of tote and rinse with garden hose, a strong pressurized nozzle is needed for this step as it ensures no rubble or granuals are left behind.
Wash down the tote very well
Let the rocks dry for 1-2 days(Sooner or later if you wish)
Mission completed
During acid wash, notice the brown organics dissolving



Before

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2832/12168412043_9ce1150cea_c.jpg


After

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7443/12168403073_d1bdfff0f1_c.jpg

After it is all said and done you can dunk the rocks in rodi and take them out after a while, or let it air dry, its a personal preference really.

Hope this helps anyone wanting to learn more on how to do an acid wash.

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[BattleAthletics]

Inspirations

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a295/ferrao11/contest%20tank/bonsai020410-1.jpg

Pisces4u (Long Gone) (http://www.nano-reef.com/user/42863-pisces4u/)


http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd250/jjjo10342/FTS1111.jpg

JJJO (Long Gone) (http://www.nano-reef.com/user/11314-jjjo/)


http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/12535189565_ed98e545a8_b.jpg

MedRed (http://www.nano-reef.com/user/44907-medred/)


http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f248/1234candt/DSPS%20bonsai%20tank/bonsai7.jpg

ChingChai (ReefCentral) (http://reefcentral.com/forums/member.php?u=54037)


http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s59/Thorly/DSC05429.jpg

Crazy4Acros (ReefCentral) (http://reefcentral.com/forums/member.php?u=61724)


http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/12535677794_6c4448dd61_b.jpg
Spirofucci (http://www.nano-reef.com/user/67128-spirofucci/)

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[BattleAthletics]

I have been working on my equipment panel and the makeshift light hanger, as opposed to hanging it from the celing. Here are some pictures of the aformentioned panel and hanger


Equipment Panel(Unfinished):

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/12516098843_1bfce86be3_c.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3833/12528335255_3906428214_c.jpg


Light Tree(Unfinished):

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/12516087623_dac08a847e_c.jpg


GFY, dosing pump holder

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2852/12515976305_0a45678ef0_c.jpg

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[BattleAthletics]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/22/azy7y7e4.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/22/bu9ebaha.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/22/heqanugu.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/22/y8unyze5.jpg

Now just have to wait for the WMX module and the Lab Grade pH Probe to get here to finish the equipment panel, I hope. I still havent updated the firmware on the APEX.

As you can see I made a sliding shelf for the containers also, behind the dosing containers is a open space that could accomodate a 18X10X14 ATO Black Acrylic container, still in the talks with Mike @ Micro-Reefs in making this happen.

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[FireWater]

Very detailed write up. Good luck with build up.

[Paul28]

Very nice Build

[Zack]

HOLY CRAP!!!!!

Any chance u can do a writeup on how you made the mount for all your tech stuff in your stand or just even more pics?

[BattleAthletics]

Thanks peeps, hopefully I can do this tank justice.

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[OUCH!]

Wow! Can't wait to see it up and running

[BattleAthletics]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/25/e7y4e2y4.jpg

Still not done with the rockscape. Scapin' is allot harder than I thought.

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[envy]

its looking good

[Scutterborn]

[Q UOTE=envy;950855]its looking good[/QUOTE]

Agreed.



-Ben-

[BattleAthletics]

HOLY CRAP!!!!!

Any chance u can do a writeup on how you made the mount for all your tech stuff in your stand or just even more pics?

Thanks Zach, sure. It's simple really.
List:
1/2in MDF board (cut to fit your sump wall)
Heavy duty drawer rollers (silver kind)
Level
Screws
A thin piece of plywood to screw into the back
Wood spacers for extra room behind your equipment panel

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[FireWater]

Rock scape looks pretty good. Same modeling as the abstract ones you pointed out.

[BattleAthletics]

Rock scape looks pretty good. Same modeling as the abstract ones you pointed out.

It's actually the same one I posted yesterday. Every tank ive had had been traditional, wanted this one different.

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[aceer15]

What kind of dosing containers are those you have? Love the measurements on the side and how slim they are


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[BattleAthletics]

What kind of dosing containers are those you have? Love the measurements on the side and how slim they are


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi acer, the ml's are etched into the acrylic, I believe fish-street has them too.

http://www.fish-street.com/liquid_box_5litres?category_id=139

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[aceer15]

Thanks! awesome looking build, looking forward to see it moving forward!

[350gt]

Nice man, real clean.

[BattleAthletics]

So in an effort to show off the sick stand that mark made, and also help other reefers visualize what the stand looks like I took some pictures to help them out since ive been asked about it on here and other forums too.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7405/12821448283_1b9b8d75cf_c.jpg
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3820/12821434073_415001d64e_c.jpg
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2809/12821429523_c9cf50f94c_c.jpg

Hope that shows how the spacing behind the equipment panel allows for a snake pit to be hidden. Not everything is actually plugged in ATM, since ive yet to update the APEX.

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[BattleAthletics]

So tank is wet, only leak check tonight. This bean animal overflow is so silent it's amazing. The mag 5 return pump is the only thing that's loud, vibration loud that is. Even with noise dampening pads underneath the pump it still is loud. I'll update more on Friday as its my day off.


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/05/ahy2avu4.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/05/hutu8age.jpg

Pictures!

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[KING]

****..Nice setup..

[350gt]

I was so happy replacing my mag 9.5 with a sicce 4 pump... Hell of a lot quieter..

[BattleAthletics]

I have a mag 5 as a return pump. And a mag 9.5 as the skimmer pump.

anyone have any quiet pumps for sale?

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[Zack]

Can't reccmend sicce enough man.

[jcnkt_ellis]

Can't reccmend sicce enough man.

+1, I just switched over to one and my ceiling fan is now the loudest thing in the room

[BattleAthletics]

Rock work broke while I was taking it out of the rodi bath. Nothing epoxy can't fix!

Front FTS
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/09/2u9yru6u.jpg

Is that a face I see?
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/09/mavamu2u.jpg

Took our the mag 7 and put a Lifegard Quietone 2300, thing is silent, love it. Now the skimmer on the other hand is noisy, even after I swapped it to a Eheim 1262(900ish GPH). Need to find a solution for this.

Also, I actually do own a bonsai tree.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/09/qahy2ebe.jpg

[FireWater]

That's cool. I had a bonsai that I kept for almost three years. Loved the shape I was able to develop. My first lab decided it needed to be on the floor one day. Great dog except for that day.

Have you tried isolating the pump with anything yet?

[BattleAthletics]

I have a noise dampening pad underneath it, I think It's the venturi that's making the loud noise. Idk I'll mess with it tomorrow.

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[BattleAthletics]

Crystal clear water.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/10/3ady7u8a.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/10/y9azy4y6.jpg


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[new2dis]

Nice job keep us updated

[BattleAthletics]

Nice job keep us updated

Of course!


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/11/yhu4yhyz.jpg

Lights on!
Also my laptop USB connection started to smoke while connected to the apex, idk how the hell I'm supposed to update it now.

Need to program my radion also.

[envy]

It looks good. Is that your only USB connection? If not get a USB 4 port connector to help till you can get that fixed.

[BattleAthletics]

No but the radion doesn't even connect to ecotechlive with my laptop USB.

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[BattleAthletics]

I didn't know about not connecting to USB Paul at Neptune Systems told me and I felt dumb, well apex is updated but had to use a 50ft ethernet cable to connect to my modem, that so much easier. Now to figure out how to use a wireless adapter on this controller.

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[BattleAthletics]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/14/7eda9ane.jpg
Hurry up and wait now. I happened to use expired live sand, crushed coral substrate, dry rock, and about 5 small pieces of live rock from a friend tank.

For those that live in Port Aransas or like their brewing house.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/14/upemy3y8.jpg

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[FireWater]

I was going to try to get a hold of you when I was down there for a class. Didn't work out as I was too busy. Funny story about the brew house. Several guys went there to eat and got sick. All next day at class there were some green people and a long line for the bathroom.


Tank is looking good.

[BattleAthletics]

I was going to try to get a hold of you when I was down there for a class. Didn't work out as I was too busy. Funny story about the brew house. Several guys went there to eat and got sick. All next day at class there were some green people and a long line for the bathroom.


Tank is looking good.

Ouch, my friend absolutely talks about it and how good the food is there. I showed him the picture and he said that he didn't know they had seafood. Yeah hit me up, I work weird hours just give me a couple days notice.

[BattleAthletics]

Cell pic of the gsp/psp.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/02/7agumadu.jpg

Up close of the clown.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/02/8ega9ydy.jpg

Pointing to its potential new home, the hammer.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/02/susudesy.jpg

[koa25]

Great pics. Looking good man.

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[BattleAthletics]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/10/y4ajy8u8.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/10/uzaga5et.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/10/da2u7unu.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/10/esezuved.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/10/pa3evugu.jpg

Anyone know what's going on with those clear looking zoas?
Got the cal alk and mg stickers in from aqua box, they make the dosing containers look really good now.
Not done yet with the left side of the stand as I'm waiting for Mike from Micro-Reefs to agree on a ato design and price.

[FireWater]

The "guts" of the system look good. Very nice job on the planning. I've always believed that it is the most important part that people don't care enough about.

I've had a couple wild palys go clear on me when they didn't have the right lighting for them.

[BattleAthletics]

Thanks, I slowly bought little things and made minor modifications compared to what I already had.

[BattleAthletics]

==(#$&@@`÷÷][®¥©~~&$@'=$#¶§×§¶°

Yesterday morning I came home to a 83.7F tank, took a bag of ice and lowered the temp about 2 degrees, I thought to myself that I'll take advantage of the time I have while everyone was asleep to update the apex again since it says it needs to be updated. Well the mother ####3r took about an hour trying to update, it was updating slowly through wired connection, and it was about 8am and now. Reluctantly I tell myself, I have to get some rest. I cancel the update and disconnect the ethernet cable and the brain and head unit won't come on. All I see is a black display head unit and a brain that won't connect to the eb8s. I've tried everything from unplugging the cords, trying to restore the factory defaults to changing the USB cables and to praying to a higher power.

FML. It's going to be Monday or Tuesday before I can get Neptune to help me out. I've also searched a bit for anyone that has possibly had the same problem I'm having but to no avail.

[Mr Cob]

Beautiful system.

I agree with John on the palys. When I have seen that it seems to most commonly be related to not enough light. Some like to be hit with some serious light.

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[BattleAthletics]

Right, they were shaded in a friends tank. I upped the radion to 75 output and hoping some of the sps come back color wise.

[ramsey]

==(#$&@@`÷÷][®¥©~~&$@'=$#¶§×§¶°

Yesterday morning I came home to a 83.7F tank, took a bag of ice and lowered the temp about 2 degrees, I thought to myself that I'll take advantage of the time I have while everyone was asleep to update the apex again since it says it needs to be updated. Well the mother ####3r took about an hour trying to update, it was updating slowly through wired connection, and it was about 8am and now. Reluctantly I tell myself, I have to get some rest. I cancel the update and disconnect the ethernet cable and the brain and head unit won't come on. All I see is a black display head unit and a brain that won't connect to the eb8s. I've tried everything from unplugging the cords, trying to restore the factory defaults to changing the USB cables and to praying to a higher power.

FML. It's going to be Monday or Tuesday before I can get Neptune to help me out. I've also searched a bit for anyone that has possibly had the same problem I'm having but to no avail.

That sucks man. :( I've had a similar problem before but I was able to run the update again and it got it somewhat stable. I then reset it to factory defaults and reloaded my config from backup. I use a Mac and the update software will detect the apex. Are you seeing the apex in the firmware update software? If so, you might try running the firmware/web page upgrade again.

On other thing to note, those are not USB cables. They're similar but not the same. I've read that using regular USB cables can damage the unit. I think it's especially true for longer USB cables.

Because of the problem I had, I've been thinking about some sort of failsafe in case it died while I was away. I've heard horror stories of outlets getting stuck on or off and the controller dying causing all sorts of disasters.

[BattleAthletics]

That sucks man. :( I've had a similar problem before but I was able to run the update again and it got it somewhat stable. I then reset it to factory defaults and reloaded my config from backup. I use a Mac and the update software will detect the apex. Are you seeing the apex in the firmware update software? If so, you might try running the firmware/web page upgrade again.

On other thing to note, those are not USB cables. They're similar but not the same. I've read that using regular USB cables can damage the unit. I think it's especially true for longer USB cables.

Because of the problem I had, I've been thinking about some sort of failsafe in case it died while I was away. I've heard horror stories of outlets getting stuck on or off and the controller dying causing all sorts of disasters.

I'll ask Neptune probably next Friday when I start a my 7 off. I can't connect to the apex even when the cable is connected.

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[BattleAthletics]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5336/13999443471_f3e5d07ea1_c.jpg
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/13979512516_ab484ed47d.jpg
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5188/14003053214_31f0e1bfde_z.jpg
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/14003050104_ac22339348_z.jpg
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2919/14023000113_ebb43e6ecb_c.jpg
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2919/13979887886_f6b27d7f09_z.jpg
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/13999797572_7435b20fe7_c.jpg
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5064/14023003613_34b9597af9_h.jpg

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[koa25]

Looking awesome man.

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[BattleAthletics]

Thanks koa

Has anyone ever used dosers to dose food as in marine snow/phytoplankton/oysterfeast/etc or any other additive other than the big 3?

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[jcnkt_ellis]

I've looked into dosing foods like that, you have to have a way to agitate the food mixture to keep it from settling and you have to have a way to keep most of them cold. You can find threads on reef central of modified mini fridges that hold the food and some sort of chemist plate that's designed to shake/stir beakers. The other problem is with a nano, there are very few dosing pumps that will dispense a small enough portion at a time, or a timer that will run a regular dosing pump for a short enough time.

[BattleAthletics]

I've looked into dosing foods like that, you have to have a way to agitate the food mixture to keep it from settling and you have to have a way to keep most of them cold. You can find threads on reef central of modified mini fridges that hold the food and some sort of chemist plate that's designed to shake/stir beakers. The other problem is with a nano, there are very few dosing pumps that will dispense a small enough portion at a time, or a timer that will run a regular dosing pump for a short enough time.

I was thinking about a stirrer and or maybe one of those electric wine coolers.

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[jcnkt_ellis]

I've seen a setup that used the electric wine cooler, they used a specimen tube with a cone shaped bottom and inserted tubing through the point of the cone so they could use an air pump to stir the mixture. It was the cheapest option I came across that didn't involve too many custom modifications.

[koa25]

This guy seems cool for something small like a food container.

http://www.marinedepot.com/chillers_coolworks_iceprobe-ap.html

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[BattleAthletics]

I fail at reefing bros and brodettes, I have about 800$+ worth of equipment that's not working right because I can't seem to fix my apex, I did get it hardwired to the modem, next week is dedicated to restoring the greatness of the reef!

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[Big_Pun]

I fail at reefing bros and brodettes, I have about 800$+ worth of equipment that's not working right because I can't seem to fix my apex, I did get it hardwired to the modem, next week is dedicated to restoring the greatness of the reef!

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what are you having probs with? I used the apex forums to get me through the learning curve

[BattleAthletics]

What happened was, I was updating the apex one day (3 months ago) wired to the modem and the update was taking too long, so I decided to unplug it after 2 hours which it shouldn't of taken and then afterwards the apex wouldn't connect or even link to the eb8s. I've tried unplugging everything connected to the brain, everything connected to the wall, even tried to update it again to no avail.

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[nanoman28g]

Looking good!

[BattleAthletics]

Ok, apex is updated, the wax is updated and linked to the radion light and pumps. Avast marine ato is on too, life got so much simpler now, the sump and left side of the stand where my ocd rolling electric panel is at is all clean looking, I talked to John Maloney from Reef Cleaners and he seems to think it's bryopsis, at least I can treat bryopsis with Kent Tech M.

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[slm222]

Looks really good man.

[BattleAthletics]

Thanks nano and slm!


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/10/uja6ypen.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/10/yjeta7et.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/10/e5e2ybyg.jpg

Sooooooooo much more cleaner.

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[Justin]

Such a nice thread man. I am really impressed with the way you organized the gear under the cabinet. Since I am in the middle of a build myself, I'm going to take some ideas from your design and incorporate them. Mainly the pull out equipment wall!

Where did you get those stickers for the Alk, Ca, and Mg? I couldn't find the website for the Aqua box company you referenced.

I also saw that you were interested in dosing liquid food into your tank. Let me tell you from experience that it is not worth it. I did what several peeps suggested and did some searching on Nano and RC and decided to go with the peristaltic pump and wine cooler combination. Although, the system worked like a champ and my NPS loved the constant food, my 40 breeder was slowly building up nutrients and I started growing some nasty algae everywhere and it eventually grew on my NPS gorgs, killing them. Some of the causes I think were:

I tried it on a 40 breeder and not with a system with more volume to handle nutrients
I dosed about 1ml every 3 hrs, so the food in the line would be warmer than the stuff in the pouch
I ran a Bubble Mac 3.5, I think I needed some much stronger
I did not run filter socks to catch leftover food, I did however run Bio pellets but that caused problems later on

Here are some links to the NPS threads I was looking at:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1760416

I followed Santa Monica's approach:
http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/184845-automatic-continuous-feeder-nano-sized/

Worked great when I had it running but nutrients got really bad. Still have the stuff if you are interested in trying it out.

[BattleAthletics]

haha, yeah those containers can be found on fish street:

http://www.fish-street.com/liquid_box_5litres



The decals I got them from aquabox, you can email them at:
sales@aquaboxaquarium.com


Tell them Hugo(BattleAthletics) sent you.

I read through the whole santa monica thread(It was long!) and following on the RC thread now and it seems like you said its not worth it, maybe to add something else but it be just a waste of space it seems. Thanks for the links JNdragon! The skimmer I have is rated for 250g(What I bought the whole setup with) I believe is a custom svs2-24 from lifereef. I think it would do good for what I need if I wanted to go that route.

[slm222]

i wanted to go that route as well, with the auto liquid feeder. but I was looking at plumbing a return line through a mini fridge that would have the mixed food and a peristaltic pump in it. the pump would put the food mixture straight into the return line.
But, I was planning for lower amounts of food. Rather than NPS I was thinking for fish. I believe that multiple little feedings throughout the day would mimic nature a little more and the fish would (theoretically) be able to get all the food. Allowing less uneaten food to get stuck in the rocks and decay. Perfect for keeping fish like anthias who need to be feed often throughout the day.

Just an idea id like to try one day and theory behind it. Based on links like Jndragon posted. Im just not sure what kind of pump could push through little Mysis and brine shrimp through it....:lightbulb: {wishing I had one of these.

[slm222]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5336/13999443471_f3e5d07ea1_c.jpg
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/13979512516_ab484ed47d.jpg
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5188/14003053214_31f0e1bfde_z.jpg
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/14003050104_ac22339348_z.jpg
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2919/14023000113_ebb43e6ecb_c.jpg
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2919/13979887886_f6b27d7f09_z.jpg
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/13999797572_7435b20fe7_c.jpg
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5064/14023003613_34b9597af9_h.jpg

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

How did you get that egg crate to stay on the side side of the tank?

[Justin]

I think liquid food will cause some serious algae problems if you do not have a pretty hefty nutrient export system;ie really overrated skimmer, Bio pellets, algae scrubber and clean up crew. I think you can set up a system with the following that could handle Mysis and slightly large particles like Rod's:

Mini fridge
5.5ml dosing pump (I'm thinking about the BRS one)
a venturi
running return line through fridge and using the dosing pump to pump 5.5ml every..say 3hrs through the venturi

Honestly, I would just probably use the Apex auto feeder and feed spectrum pellets every 3 hrs. Then supplement with Mysis once a day to treat the fishies!

[BattleAthletics]

Seems I'm having alk troubles, no matter what salt I use is around 9 and 10, cal is fine but currently I'm raising mag with Kent Tech m to reduce my bryopsis that's in the tank. I plan to buy a frag pack from Coral Gardens Aquaculture consisting of some amazing Aussie sps.


https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5552/14772718246_b4f24ff6c1_z.jpg
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https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3875/14609052839_0bced7b06f_z.jpg
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https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2918/14609049729_92160009fc_z.jpg
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https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2923/14794016941_d82a723648_z.jpg

[BattleAthletics]

How many of you have encountered a hermit crawling on the silicone all the way up the tank?
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/01/y2ybabyt.jpg

[BBQHILLBILLY]

I have. Should put a island there. Thats hard work.:)

[BattleAthletics]

I have. Should put a island there. Thats hard work.:)
I know right? How's everyone this Thursday night?

[BattleAthletics]

I need some advice, for a while now ive been thinking that my skimmer isnt as efficient as most other ones. Reading up on threads of venturi skimmers ive noticed that those that have gone with them never regret the decision to buy one.
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My skimmer is made by LifeReef, it is this one shown:
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2925/14627004830_e6ede3e6aa_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ohxdWs)
76383C26-6931-47C5-B8CC-29313C5A75F2-3341-00000193A88D54E9_zps90f4f56f (https://flic.kr/p/ohxdWs) by battleathletics (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
*
That photo isnt mine but it is a good representation of what mine looks like. Wider neck, Eheim 1262 pump, now to my question.
*
Has anyone encountered where their skimmer actually did more harm than good?
Ive been hearing that running it maybe in certain intervals would/may help out the tanks stability.*
*
Also what does everyone feed their tank? I just feed pellet to the fish since my coral stock is just mostly softies. For those with radions, have any of you turned off the green in your light fixture? Ive read on RC that someone had to do that because of algae blooms.
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Oh look at what I found?
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https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/12182878705_051d013132_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/jyyroR)
Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/jyyroR) by battleathletics (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
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https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5533/12182864215_38c129eee3_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/jyyn62)
Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/jyyn62) by battleathletics (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
*
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7359/12182856805_7a4acddf53_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/jyyjTg)
Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/jyyjTg) by battleathletics (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
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https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3745/12183479046_bdee92e67f_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/jyBvRy)
Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/jyBvRy) by battleathletics (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
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https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2877/12183285334_54dc49f4c4_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/jyAwgG)
Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/jyAwgG) by battleathletics (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
*
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3769/12182874795_da47155ac9_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/jyyqer)
Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/jyyqer) by battleathletics (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
*
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3885/14790719216_724a31db4c_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ox1iwh)
IMGP1687_zps1e5da351 (https://flic.kr/p/ox1iwh) by battleathletics (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
^^I miss that rock =(
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This is the most amazing colorful tank ive ever seen.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2937/14627054549_f990729555_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ohxtHF)
1780930_654031687967315_800470553_o_zpsea77913f (https://flic.kr/p/ohxtHF) by battleathletics (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr

[BattleAthletics]

So I'm getting out of the hobby guise. For a while at least. Planning to buy a bigger house, pay bills, etc, wish me luck!

[Justin]

Oh man. Best of luck to you!

[BattleAthletics]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/05/c1cdb995c4a43a33827ebd1a67517f86.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/05/d6da921350c41a23222b8ea408d1720b.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/05/353b9cbf34a8227c9fc26da481ab5558.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/05/7d8266a209240227a5db09b4e7e0c5f1.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/05/3431d10eb4d7e73f2773d0b28d63a3bb.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/05/e761b9ad6b1c99e4ed469fd6878fdc38.jpg

Something smaller for now.

[BattleAthletics]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/27/3a86629f99fe8a69d7ebd5aec08bfee6.jpg

Brought the evolve 8 back from retirement.

[BattleAthletics]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/9b293bc2e18e2b782cd57cc77e4ebceb.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/936c2400c1f8dcea7faba59cd939aef3.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/6a3830cbe366086f2cdad33f272aa62c.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/f476f5848817f7a0ce49ff703d30cac3.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/4a038adf3ab8f4282ff063f9a8d69e5f.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/825c2f266350c6c73a2357fec0d9425f.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/125c33377540814cc10d5cc40b982cf4.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/506055603f58ab3c03e8fec69c7cc6e6.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/af16126d181128d73d04574450ba1219.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/a57fc4e16f5e7ffd39f3b79f01efc3ec.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/4916a0293dd40793d931402f839d8aff.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/2c9f0d25a70c70b3e1da4e1845d48718.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/6e26ebd0ea6042ac694f9b0a4ce83d17.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/d99f1b90cf91a092aa9916dd5bc7b872.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/6e4388e92a5dc29d59846c1612f713e7.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/18/2050ae6fa7777546171aa1771bc37eab.jpg

[12_Egg_Omelette]

This is a sick set-up

[BattleAthletics]

Actually

[BattleAthletics]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/13/026293dc7c4c0070fca84ef9e84b5cbb.jpg

[12_Egg_Omelette]

****, just realized you're on NR as well. I didn't know you were in Tx.

[BattleAthletics]

Yeah what's your name on nr?

[12_Egg_Omelette]

same, sent you a PM