Blaxsun's Abyss: Red Sea 750XXL
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blaxsun
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August 1. Head Height, Flow & Optimizing Water Levels
Since this question seems to come up about once a day I thought I'd include a detailed step-by-step-guide on pump head height, flow and optimizing water levels in your overflow and sump. Although I have a Red Sea tank this will apply to any turn-key aquarium with an external sump, ie: Cade, Innovative Marine, Waterbox, etc.
Tank Flow Rates
The general rule is 3-5x for return pumps (total) and 10-20x for wavemakers (again, total). This is not a set minimum/maximum and will vary greatly depending on your tank depth, type of return outlet, rock scape and sand (bare bottom and FOWLR tanks will usually have less limiting factors and higher flow).
Pump Speed & Performance
The maximum speed for all return pumps is rated at 0 head height. Head height is the distance between the water level the pump is pumping to the water level of the return outlet(s). All pumps have a performance range - which diminishes the longer the distance and height.
Performance chart for Red Sea's new ReefRun series of return pumps.
Head Height Calculation
There is a very complex formula for calculating head height, but this is a simplified formula that you can use in absence of an actual flow meter.
• (1x vertical feet) + (1x # 90° turns) + (0.5x # 45° turns) + (0.1x horizontal feet)
For example, on my Red Sea 750XXL the head height is calculated as follows:
• (1x 4.5) + (1x 3.0) + (0.5 x 2.0) + (0.1x 3) = 8.8ft (approximate)
Finding the corresponding height on the chart this works out to roughly 1,950Gph (since the performance of my Sicce SDC 9 is the same as the Red Sea ReefRun 9000). Since I run my return pump @43%, this yields a net of 839Gph. In reality, though - it's always less (dirty impeller, accumulated debris inside plumbing, minor miscalculations, etc.) so it's advisable to take another 10% off to reflect this. Thus, I'm getting somewhere around 750Gph.
Optimizing Tank, Overflow & Sump Levels
In order to optimize your water levels, perform the following steps after filling your tank with water but before filling or connecting your ATO.
1. After filling your display tank, overflow and sump with saltwater, sand, rocks, etc. open your gate valve all the way. The water level in the sump should be about 1-2" above the baffle in the return chamber. Have additional premixed saltwater to top up as needed.
2. Set your desired pump speed using the above formula to arrive at the 3-5x flow target for your tank. Note that this will vary based on the depth of your tank, type of sand, etc. This may require a bit of trial and error, so be prepared to adjust the pump speed accordingly.
3. As your pump starts running, it should be able to keep up with the flow through the overflow piping. You may need to add some additional saltwater to account for volume in the pipes, etc.
4. Slowly (as in 1/4" turn, waiting a few minutes) start closing the gate valve. When the water level in the overflow nears or reaches the edge of the emergency overflow - stop.
5. Add additional saltwater as required to bring the water in your sump to the desired level.
6. Now connect/fill your ATO/RO reservoir.
Since this question seems to come up about once a day I thought I'd include a detailed step-by-step-guide on pump head height, flow and optimizing water levels in your overflow and sump. Although I have a Red Sea tank this will apply to any turn-key aquarium with an external sump, ie: Cade, Innovative Marine, Waterbox, etc.
Tank Flow Rates
The general rule is 3-5x for return pumps (total) and 10-20x for wavemakers (again, total). This is not a set minimum/maximum and will vary greatly depending on your tank depth, type of return outlet, rock scape and sand (bare bottom and FOWLR tanks will usually have less limiting factors and higher flow).
Pump Speed & Performance
The maximum speed for all return pumps is rated at 0 head height. Head height is the distance between the water level the pump is pumping to the water level of the return outlet(s). All pumps have a performance range - which diminishes the longer the distance and height.
Performance chart for Red Sea's new ReefRun series of return pumps.
Head Height Calculation
There is a very complex formula for calculating head height, but this is a simplified formula that you can use in absence of an actual flow meter.
• (1x vertical feet) + (1x # 90° turns) + (0.5x # 45° turns) + (0.1x horizontal feet)
For example, on my Red Sea 750XXL the head height is calculated as follows:
• (1x 4.5) + (1x 3.0) + (0.5 x 2.0) + (0.1x 3) = 8.8ft (approximate)
Finding the corresponding height on the chart this works out to roughly 1,950Gph (since the performance of my Sicce SDC 9 is the same as the Red Sea ReefRun 9000). Since I run my return pump @43%, this yields a net of 839Gph. In reality, though - it's always less (dirty impeller, accumulated debris inside plumbing, minor miscalculations, etc.) so it's advisable to take another 10% off to reflect this. Thus, I'm getting somewhere around 750Gph.
Optimizing Tank, Overflow & Sump Levels
In order to optimize your water levels, perform the following steps after filling your tank with water but before filling or connecting your ATO.
1. After filling your display tank, overflow and sump with saltwater, sand, rocks, etc. open your gate valve all the way. The water level in the sump should be about 1-2" above the baffle in the return chamber. Have additional premixed saltwater to top up as needed.
2. Set your desired pump speed using the above formula to arrive at the 3-5x flow target for your tank. Note that this will vary based on the depth of your tank, type of sand, etc. This may require a bit of trial and error, so be prepared to adjust the pump speed accordingly.
3. As your pump starts running, it should be able to keep up with the flow through the overflow piping. You may need to add some additional saltwater to account for volume in the pipes, etc.
4. Slowly (as in 1/4" turn, waiting a few minutes) start closing the gate valve. When the water level in the overflow nears or reaches the edge of the emergency overflow - stop.
5. Add additional saltwater as required to bring the water in your sump to the desired level.
6. Now connect/fill your ATO/RO reservoir.
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blaxsun
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August 2. Set Phasers to Kill
I recently updated my custom UV setup post with some additional information on the setup and the UV radiation levels (µw/cm2) I'm achieving, so if you're looking for full details and images on my setup it's worth a quick read. With some of the recent discussions focusing on UV flow rates and UV exposure I thought some of the specific details on my setup might be beneficial.
UV Sterilization Levels (µw/cm2)
The AquaUltraviolet 57-watt UV sterilizer I use is rated for parasite control at 90,000 µw/cm2 @1,006Gph (this is for sterilization - not kill). I run my Sicce SDC 6.0 between 45-60%, which using a generous head height of 3ft works out to between 475-633Gph, or:
• 45% = 475Gph or ~200,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
• 60% = 633Gph or ~150,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
• 85% = 897Gph or ~105,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
• 100% = 1,055Gph or ~90,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
I like to err on the side of caution, so I know the head height I calculated is more than what it actually is - so at a bare minimum I'm getting 1.5-2x the typical UV sterilization exposure for parasites. I've read conflicting statements on how much UV radiation exposure is required to outright kill parasites - anywhere from 180,000 µw/cm2 all the way up to 280,000 µw/cm2 (@Jay Hemdal).
Most of the time I run my Sicce SDC 6.0 @60% to achieve a balance between tank turnover (3x) and UV radiation (1.5x parasite minimum).
I recently updated my custom UV setup post with some additional information on the setup and the UV radiation levels (µw/cm2) I'm achieving, so if you're looking for full details and images on my setup it's worth a quick read. With some of the recent discussions focusing on UV flow rates and UV exposure I thought some of the specific details on my setup might be beneficial.
UV Sterilization Levels (µw/cm2)
The AquaUltraviolet 57-watt UV sterilizer I use is rated for parasite control at 90,000 µw/cm2 @1,006Gph (this is for sterilization - not kill). I run my Sicce SDC 6.0 between 45-60%, which using a generous head height of 3ft works out to between 475-633Gph, or:
• 45% = 475Gph or ~200,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
• 60% = 633Gph or ~150,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
• 85% = 897Gph or ~105,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
• 100% = 1,055Gph or ~90,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
I like to err on the side of caution, so I know the head height I calculated is more than what it actually is - so at a bare minimum I'm getting 1.5-2x the typical UV sterilization exposure for parasites. I've read conflicting statements on how much UV radiation exposure is required to outright kill parasites - anywhere from 180,000 µw/cm2 all the way up to 280,000 µw/cm2 (@Jay Hemdal).
Most of the time I run my Sicce SDC 6.0 @60% to achieve a balance between tank turnover (3x) and UV radiation (1.5x parasite minimum).
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blaxsun
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August 3. PSA: Test Your Battery Backup (power outages)
So as I was on my way out the door the power utility guys had just showed up to replace my meter, resulting in a ~1 hour power outage. This is probably the longest (at least that I'm aware) extended power outage that I've experienced in over 2 years, so I thought this would be a good forced trial run of everything.
The good news is that (almost) everything came back up without a hitch - nothing overflowed, etc. I wasn't home to test whether my IceCap Battery Backup worked, but I think the battery is pooched (next time). What didn't come back up was one of my Radions. Completely dead - no LEDs, lit buttons, etc. The light on the power brick was blue. This was the newest G5 XR15, too - just a few months out of warranty (figures). Bah, ***...
Moriarty - Meet Sherlock
Before deciding to call EcoTech I figured I'd do some research on my own and low and behold there's some sort of issue with Radions sporadically not coming back on after power outages. So we're definitely onto something here. I found a few random threads that indicated the problem wasn't with the power brick - and that they managed to fix the issue by repeatedly plugging and plugging it back in.
This seemed, well, kind of extreme - and as I have about as much chance of reaching into the back of my cabinet to find that specific outlet as I do finding the wrong one, I decided to test a hunch. So I unplugged the power to the brick and waited for the blue light to completely die (this takes a minute or two). Immediately after reconnecting the AC power cable, guess what - the frikkin Radion lights back up. There's an hour of my life I'm not getting back anytime soon - but maybe this will help someone else out.
..........
PSA: How to Unf**k Your EcoTech Lights After a Power Outage
This is for those rare situations where your EcoTech Radions show no power despite a blue indicator on the power brick.
Step 1: Unplug the AC plug on the power brick.
Step 2: Wait 1-2 minutes for the blue indicator light on the power brick to fade to black.
Step 3: Plug the AC plug back into the power brick.
Also note that this is an excellent opportunity (if you haven't already done so) to navigate to the (...) icon in the upper right, click on Settings, Troubleshooting and then Backup Configuration (and then Backup).
So as I was on my way out the door the power utility guys had just showed up to replace my meter, resulting in a ~1 hour power outage. This is probably the longest (at least that I'm aware) extended power outage that I've experienced in over 2 years, so I thought this would be a good forced trial run of everything.
The good news is that (almost) everything came back up without a hitch - nothing overflowed, etc. I wasn't home to test whether my IceCap Battery Backup worked, but I think the battery is pooched (next time). What didn't come back up was one of my Radions. Completely dead - no LEDs, lit buttons, etc. The light on the power brick was blue. This was the newest G5 XR15, too - just a few months out of warranty (figures). Bah, ***...
Moriarty - Meet Sherlock
Before deciding to call EcoTech I figured I'd do some research on my own and low and behold there's some sort of issue with Radions sporadically not coming back on after power outages. So we're definitely onto something here. I found a few random threads that indicated the problem wasn't with the power brick - and that they managed to fix the issue by repeatedly plugging and plugging it back in.
This seemed, well, kind of extreme - and as I have about as much chance of reaching into the back of my cabinet to find that specific outlet as I do finding the wrong one, I decided to test a hunch. So I unplugged the power to the brick and waited for the blue light to completely die (this takes a minute or two). Immediately after reconnecting the AC power cable, guess what - the frikkin Radion lights back up. There's an hour of my life I'm not getting back anytime soon - but maybe this will help someone else out.
..........
PSA: How to Unf**k Your EcoTech Lights After a Power Outage
This is for those rare situations where your EcoTech Radions show no power despite a blue indicator on the power brick.
Step 1: Unplug the AC plug on the power brick.
Step 2: Wait 1-2 minutes for the blue indicator light on the power brick to fade to black.
Step 3: Plug the AC plug back into the power brick.
Also note that this is an excellent opportunity (if you haven't already done so) to navigate to the (...) icon in the upper right, click on Settings, Troubleshooting and then Backup Configuration (and then Backup).
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blaxsun
10K Club member
August 4. Zoning With Zeo
As many of you know, I run a Nyos Torq reactor with Nyos zeo. The 2.0 Torq body holds approximately 2,000ml of zeo rock (which is the recommendation for a 200-gallon system). I replace the reactor with fresh zeo approximately every 2-3 months, and have begun rinsing the black sponge filters on both of my reactors to ensure higher water flow. Some of the advantages of running zeo:
• It's naturally pure, high-quality and free of additives (stability, growth for corals)
• Simple and safe nitrate reduction (and some indication of ammonia and phosphates as well)
• Prevention and removal of unwanted algae plagues (maybe this has been my silver bullet all along?)
Over the past 2 years I'd been stockpiling all my old zeo after thoroughly rinsing it several times, leaving out in the sun to dry for a day or two - and then rinsing and drying again. This only works in summer months, though - and what with all the forest fire smoke this year I was looking for a better all-year round solution - and I found one online. After thoroughly cleaning the zeo, preheat your oven to 350°F, lay some baking paper over a baking sheet and spread the zeo rocks out evenly in a single layer. Set your timer for 30 minutes, remove, let cool for 15-20 minutes and then re-seal in the original container. Voila!
Each baking sheet holds approximately 2,000ml of zeo rock, and if you have a convection oven you can do up to 4,000ml in one go. The following images show the before and after, and you can see a noticeable difference (especially in the pan on the left). While zeo isn't incredibly expensive as an ongoing cost, it's one of the easiest to recycle, recharge and reuse.
Before...
...After (note the color change).
As many of you know, I run a Nyos Torq reactor with Nyos zeo. The 2.0 Torq body holds approximately 2,000ml of zeo rock (which is the recommendation for a 200-gallon system). I replace the reactor with fresh zeo approximately every 2-3 months, and have begun rinsing the black sponge filters on both of my reactors to ensure higher water flow. Some of the advantages of running zeo:
• It's naturally pure, high-quality and free of additives (stability, growth for corals)
• Simple and safe nitrate reduction (and some indication of ammonia and phosphates as well)
• Prevention and removal of unwanted algae plagues (maybe this has been my silver bullet all along?)
Over the past 2 years I'd been stockpiling all my old zeo after thoroughly rinsing it several times, leaving out in the sun to dry for a day or two - and then rinsing and drying again. This only works in summer months, though - and what with all the forest fire smoke this year I was looking for a better all-year round solution - and I found one online. After thoroughly cleaning the zeo, preheat your oven to 350°F, lay some baking paper over a baking sheet and spread the zeo rocks out evenly in a single layer. Set your timer for 30 minutes, remove, let cool for 15-20 minutes and then re-seal in the original container. Voila!
Each baking sheet holds approximately 2,000ml of zeo rock, and if you have a convection oven you can do up to 4,000ml in one go. The following images show the before and after, and you can see a noticeable difference (especially in the pan on the left). While zeo isn't incredibly expensive as an ongoing cost, it's one of the easiest to recycle, recharge and reuse.
Before...
...After (note the color change).
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blaxsun
10K Club member
August 5. Slug Life
This is our abalone slick. Slick has been alive and kickin' since last March, so in slug years he's doing really, really well. It's hard to make a direct size comparison, but he's between 4.5-5" in length (the adjacent large trochus snail is probably 3/4" to 7/8" in width. Our resident abalone is one of our favorite inverts and a very effective part of our cleanup crew. No one messes with slick! There's an urban legend that abalone don't survive or thrive in high nutrient environments, so Slick's continued existence should dispel any notions of that...
"Slick", "Kong" (a massve 3.5" trochus snail) and "Dr.Evil/Fat Bsatard" (a pair of 10-12" black sea cucumbers) are part of the Dark Universe that is The Abyss.
Apologies for the poor quality, but Slick only comes out at night... mostly.
This is our abalone slick. Slick has been alive and kickin' since last March, so in slug years he's doing really, really well. It's hard to make a direct size comparison, but he's between 4.5-5" in length (the adjacent large trochus snail is probably 3/4" to 7/8" in width. Our resident abalone is one of our favorite inverts and a very effective part of our cleanup crew. No one messes with slick! There's an urban legend that abalone don't survive or thrive in high nutrient environments, so Slick's continued existence should dispel any notions of that...
"Slick", "Kong" (a massve 3.5" trochus snail) and "Dr.Evil/Fat Bsatard" (a pair of 10-12" black sea cucumbers) are part of the Dark Universe that is The Abyss.
Apologies for the poor quality, but Slick only comes out at night... mostly.
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blaxsun
10K Club member
August 6. Battery Backup
I recently ordered a new CyberPower UPS battery backup system (CP1500AVRLCD3, $227.99 CAD on Amazon) to augment my existing IceCap Battery Backup v3 that I run for my ReefWave45s. It has 6 surge protected/6 non-protected outlets, a battery capacity of 1,500VA and a maximum output of 900 watts. Which is perfect for my applications.
I get approximately ~17.5 hours of runtime off the IceCap battery for the ReefWaves. I've plugged the charger for the IceCap into the CyberPower to extend this as well as power anything else that I need to in a pinch (it has a pair of handy USB ports). Based on the battery size for the CyberPower, I estimate I can probably power the ReefWaves for 3-4 days. Or run both the ReefWaves and main Sicce SDC 9.0 return pump at reduced power for close to a day. Options!
The great thing about the CyberPower (or any UPS, really) is that you can run any AC or DC equipment off it - you don't need a specific EcoTech or IceCap battery.
I recently ordered a new CyberPower UPS battery backup system (CP1500AVRLCD3, $227.99 CAD on Amazon) to augment my existing IceCap Battery Backup v3 that I run for my ReefWave45s. It has 6 surge protected/6 non-protected outlets, a battery capacity of 1,500VA and a maximum output of 900 watts. Which is perfect for my applications.
I get approximately ~17.5 hours of runtime off the IceCap battery for the ReefWaves. I've plugged the charger for the IceCap into the CyberPower to extend this as well as power anything else that I need to in a pinch (it has a pair of handy USB ports). Based on the battery size for the CyberPower, I estimate I can probably power the ReefWaves for 3-4 days. Or run both the ReefWaves and main Sicce SDC 9.0 return pump at reduced power for close to a day. Options!
The great thing about the CyberPower (or any UPS, really) is that you can run any AC or DC equipment off it - you don't need a specific EcoTech or IceCap battery.
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blaxsun
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August 7. The Great Drift
I typically (manually) recalibrate my Neptune Trident after replacing reagents. I didn't last time as the numbers were close (or so I thought) and I was just topping up with some old reagent. Here were the numbers the Trident were reporting as of today and what the Hanna checkers came back with.
Alkalinity ... 8.61dKH (Hanna = 8.55dKH; within ±0.7%)
Calcium ... 472ppm (Hanna = 433ppm; +8.2% off)
Magnesium ... 1346ppm (Hanna = 1500ppm+; -10.3% off!)
The Trident always seems to be fairly consistent with respect to alkalinity and calcium is not bad (anything in the 400-500 range is fine). Not sure what's going on with my magnesium, maybe I screwed up the Hanna test last time (or this time) - but I'm going to chalk this up to user error on my part. I dose very little magnesium, so when it tested low last time I'd manually added around 50ml over a week and this apparently led to the higher test results today.
Everything is doing awesome; no coral bleaching or unexplained mass invert deaths (in fact, snails are motoring around at a rapid pace, so...) The Red Sea titration test came in lower than the Hanna, and as it's been fairly consistent I'm going with that number.
I typically (manually) recalibrate my Neptune Trident after replacing reagents. I didn't last time as the numbers were close (or so I thought) and I was just topping up with some old reagent. Here were the numbers the Trident were reporting as of today and what the Hanna checkers came back with.
Alkalinity ... 8.61dKH (Hanna = 8.55dKH; within ±0.7%)
Calcium ... 472ppm (Hanna = 433ppm; +8.2% off)
Magnesium ... 1346ppm (Hanna = 1500ppm+; -10.3% off!)
The Trident always seems to be fairly consistent with respect to alkalinity and calcium is not bad (anything in the 400-500 range is fine). Not sure what's going on with my magnesium, maybe I screwed up the Hanna test last time (or this time) - but I'm going to chalk this up to user error on my part. I dose very little magnesium, so when it tested low last time I'd manually added around 50ml over a week and this apparently led to the higher test results today.
Everything is doing awesome; no coral bleaching or unexplained mass invert deaths (in fact, snails are motoring around at a rapid pace, so...) The Red Sea titration test came in lower than the Hanna, and as it's been fairly consistent I'm going with that number.
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blaxsun
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August 10. You Had One Job China...
Anyone else see a problem with these "reef-safe" seaweed clips? Not that the fish cared - food is food (however it's presented). This looks like it's going to be somewhat messier (and splashier) until the Ocean Nutrition (actual "reef-safe") clips arrive and I can place it further down the tank.
F-F-S, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what might be wrong with this picture... Any bets on how long these will take to start rusting?
Anyone else see a problem with these "reef-safe" seaweed clips? Not that the fish cared - food is food (however it's presented). This looks like it's going to be somewhat messier (and splashier) until the Ocean Nutrition (actual "reef-safe") clips arrive and I can place it further down the tank.
F-F-S, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what might be wrong with this picture... Any bets on how long these will take to start rusting?
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blaxsun
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August 11. The Blair Fleece Project: Part I
So this is a project I started up earlier this week for my own edification, and I thought I'd share the results for anyone else interested. I'm calling this the "Blair Fleece Project"...
TLDR: How to recycle your used fleece rolls. Maybe...
Truer words have never been said.
Step one: Let your wife know you're doing a "load of laundry" and ask her for some machine settings for delicates. Best to do this over text when she's not home. If she inquires, "fish stuff" should suffice for now... Note: at this point, safety (and marriage) not guaranteed.
Step two: Proceed to the next step on an empty stomach (not for the queasy). I rank unravelling the used fleece roll into the washer somewhere between raw sewage and day old baby diapers. I gagged. Several times. And that smell lingered in the washing machine, laundry room and most of the house for the better part of the day. There are simply no images that can adequately portray step two.
Step three: The actual wash. I ran two cycles with a scoop of Oxyclean and vinegar on delicates, heavy load, extra water in the tube and extended rinse. The smell only marginally improved after each. For the third and final cycle, I used straight bleach (no vinegar!) on the same settings. This seemed to have the desired effect - although I'm not sure if 2 washes with bleach would've achieved the same results (or better).
Step four: Dry. Remove all of your (washed?) fleece to let dry on a drying rack. You could also probably do this outside- but the weather has been hit and miss this week (and I didn't want any of the effects from excess humidity/forest fire smoke). I left my pile of fleece for several days to thoroughly dry out.
Step five: This final step will help redeem you in the eyes of your wife or significant other. A thorough cleaning cycle on the washing machine with bleach to remove any and all traces that you were ever here. Probably essential for long-term survival...
Voila! The end result... If you notice any dog hair it's because, well - it's everywhere...
So this is a project I started up earlier this week for my own edification, and I thought I'd share the results for anyone else interested. I'm calling this the "Blair Fleece Project"...
TLDR: How to recycle your used fleece rolls. Maybe...
Truer words have never been said.
Voila! The end result... If you notice any dog hair it's because, well - it's everywhere...
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blaxsun
10K Club member
August 11. The Blair Fleece Project: Part II
And on to part two... This next phase involves another set of hands (child labor with specific instructions is helpful as I wasn't able to guilt/involve my wife with any indentured servitude here...)
TLDR: How to re-roll and re-use your old (cleaned) fleece rolls. Maybe...
Man oh man, what have I gotten myself into here...
After about 5 minutes of hunting, I've found 1/2 ends! Some success!
15-20 minutes later and I've managed to completely unravel everything!
I reused the old cardboard fleece cylinder but instead of reapplying more glue I just used a liberal amount of green painter's tape.
Slow and steady wins the race (the fleece is really fluffy and soft - hope this doesn't pose issues later...)
And the finished product! Yes, I'm fully aware that my "wrapping" skills are somewhat lacking. Although it felt fairly tightly wrapped, I think the fleece has "fluffed up" quite a bit in the machine wash. It's also expanded and contracted a bit on the edges, although the "painter roller" effect is probably more due to my efforts (or lack thereof). This will still fit on the start spool just fine.
..........
Blair Fleece Project: Outstanding Q&A:
Q: Will the fleece stay on the roll?
A: Yes. Despite slight variations on how straight it went onto the roll - it's solidly held in place on the cardboard spool. I also use green painter's tape on the plastic waste spool as I find this is where the fleece occasionally comes loose and shows up as a jam/failure.
Q: Will the recycled fleece roll fit in the ReefMat? (as it's noticeably wider)
A: Maybe. I may have to jury-rig something or just leave it lying in the maintenance position.
Q: Will it feed straight? What about jamming?
A: Probably. As long as it's on straight for both the start/waste spools, it should be fine. There are enough built-in guides on the ReefMat to compensate (fingers crossed). As for jamming, that's an open question right now as the fleece is noticeably thicker (fluffier). I can see it possibly folding slightly along the edges, but only time will tell.
Q: How effective will it be at keeping the tank clean?
A: No idea. This is a massive WAG at this point.
Q: Assuming it's still somewhat effective, will I see more or less fleece usage?
A: Again, no idea. I can't tell if the fleece was stretched out (I didn't re-measure) or if I'll see more usage because it's less effective.
And on to part two... This next phase involves another set of hands (child labor with specific instructions is helpful as I wasn't able to guilt/involve my wife with any indentured servitude here...)
TLDR: How to re-roll and re-use your old (cleaned) fleece rolls. Maybe...
Man oh man, what have I gotten myself into here...
After about 5 minutes of hunting, I've found 1/2 ends! Some success!
15-20 minutes later and I've managed to completely unravel everything!
I reused the old cardboard fleece cylinder but instead of reapplying more glue I just used a liberal amount of green painter's tape.
Slow and steady wins the race (the fleece is really fluffy and soft - hope this doesn't pose issues later...)
And the finished product! Yes, I'm fully aware that my "wrapping" skills are somewhat lacking. Although it felt fairly tightly wrapped, I think the fleece has "fluffed up" quite a bit in the machine wash. It's also expanded and contracted a bit on the edges, although the "painter roller" effect is probably more due to my efforts (or lack thereof). This will still fit on the start spool just fine.
..........
Blair Fleece Project: Outstanding Q&A:
Q: Will the fleece stay on the roll?
A: Yes. Despite slight variations on how straight it went onto the roll - it's solidly held in place on the cardboard spool. I also use green painter's tape on the plastic waste spool as I find this is where the fleece occasionally comes loose and shows up as a jam/failure.
Q: Will the recycled fleece roll fit in the ReefMat? (as it's noticeably wider)
A: Maybe. I may have to jury-rig something or just leave it lying in the maintenance position.
Q: Will it feed straight? What about jamming?
A: Probably. As long as it's on straight for both the start/waste spools, it should be fine. There are enough built-in guides on the ReefMat to compensate (fingers crossed). As for jamming, that's an open question right now as the fleece is noticeably thicker (fluffier). I can see it possibly folding slightly along the edges, but only time will tell.
Q: How effective will it be at keeping the tank clean?
A: No idea. This is a massive WAG at this point.
Q: Assuming it's still somewhat effective, will I see more or less fleece usage?
A: Again, no idea. I can't tell if the fleece was stretched out (I didn't re-measure) or if I'll see more usage because it's less effective.
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Projects with Sam
5000 Club Member
Also may be worth talking to Steve at precision converting about his custom cut filter paper. I get 100yards of 100 micron at 5" wide from him for a fraction of production filter floss rolls. whether it'll work in a RollerMat is another question.
Projects with Sam
5000 Club Member
he'll cut whatever width you want. it comes on a 2" cardboard roll. Its a little flimsier then some of the filter floss out there but Its at least on par with Klir paper. I think its 100 micron.
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blaxsun
10K Club member
August 13. Reef Fish of The Abyss
I thought I'd throw together this handy Reef Fish of The Abyss chart to better illustrate my tank inhabitants, approximate size in relation to one another and what level of the tank they typically hang out in.
Surprisingly enough, they all get along really well. And for those curious, yes - my Midas blenny is that color.
Addendum: Forgot to add my beautiful Jade wrasse and Mandarin dragonets... Fixed!
I thought I'd throw together this handy Reef Fish of The Abyss chart to better illustrate my tank inhabitants, approximate size in relation to one another and what level of the tank they typically hang out in.
Surprisingly enough, they all get along really well. And for those curious, yes - my Midas blenny is that color.
Addendum: Forgot to add my beautiful Jade wrasse and Mandarin dragonets... Fixed!
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blaxsun
10K Club member
August 15. Surviving My First Power Outage
TLDR: I came through intact, no issues.
So this is the first (unplanned) power outage I've had in several years (I had a planned one a few weeks ago for just an hour, and the odd on/off flicker once or twice when I wasn't home) - at least since I got the larger Red Sea tank, anyway. As it just so happened, I was mid-sentence on R2R when everything went out, which gave me front row seats to see how everything performed. Everything came back up without any issues - except for the fourth Radion XR15 that gave me trouble last time (all I had to do was unplug the power brick, wait a few minutes and plug it back in).
I have a triple redundancy system (details follow) that worked like a charm.
• Level 1: IceCap v3 battery backup - this powers a pair of Red Sea ReefWave45 gyres. According to the specs, I should get ~17.5 hours on both (but I suspect it's less).
• Level 2: A CyberPower UPS 2.5Ah battery backup - the IceCap battery backup is plugged into the CyberPower UPS to extend runtime.
• Level 3: A Ego 150w inverter that lets me use any of my 2Ah-5Ah Ego batteries. I hooked up a Sicce Nano Voyager 2000 to this to a) augment the flow and b) see how long I could run a 3w pump on it.
The power outage only lasted about an hour but everything worked as advertised (the IceCap even throttles down the speed to the Red Sea pumps). I also learned that the Ego Inverter has a 5w minimum and will shut off after 1 minute, so I had to plug my iPhone in to charge to keep it on (I should probably buy another Sicce Voyager Nano 2000).
TLDR: I came through intact, no issues.
So this is the first (unplanned) power outage I've had in several years (I had a planned one a few weeks ago for just an hour, and the odd on/off flicker once or twice when I wasn't home) - at least since I got the larger Red Sea tank, anyway. As it just so happened, I was mid-sentence on R2R when everything went out, which gave me front row seats to see how everything performed. Everything came back up without any issues - except for the fourth Radion XR15 that gave me trouble last time (all I had to do was unplug the power brick, wait a few minutes and plug it back in).
I have a triple redundancy system (details follow) that worked like a charm.
• Level 1: IceCap v3 battery backup - this powers a pair of Red Sea ReefWave45 gyres. According to the specs, I should get ~17.5 hours on both (but I suspect it's less).
• Level 2: A CyberPower UPS 2.5Ah battery backup - the IceCap battery backup is plugged into the CyberPower UPS to extend runtime.
• Level 3: A Ego 150w inverter that lets me use any of my 2Ah-5Ah Ego batteries. I hooked up a Sicce Nano Voyager 2000 to this to a) augment the flow and b) see how long I could run a 3w pump on it.
The power outage only lasted about an hour but everything worked as advertised (the IceCap even throttles down the speed to the Red Sea pumps). I also learned that the Ego Inverter has a 5w minimum and will shut off after 1 minute, so I had to plug my iPhone in to charge to keep it on (I should probably buy another Sicce Voyager Nano 2000).
TheWB
Valuable Member
I use my Ego batteries with an inverter in this situation as well. Works well in a pinch. Well worth the investment if you already have the Ego equipment and batteries.August 15. Surviving My First Power Outage
TLDR: I came through intact, no issues.
So this is the first (unplanned) power outage I've had in several years (I had a planned one a few weeks ago for just an hour, and the odd on/off flicker once or twice when I wasn't home) - at least since I got the larger Red Sea tank, anyway. As it just so happened, I was mid-sentence on R2R when everything went out, which gave me front row seats to see how everything performed. Everything came back up without any issues - except for the fourth Radion XR15 that gave me trouble last time (all I had to do was unplug the power brick, wait a few minutes and plug it back in).
I have a triple redundancy system (details follow) that worked like a charm.
• Level 1: IceCap v3 battery backup - this powers a pair of Red Sea ReefWave45 gyres. According to the specs, I should get ~17.5 hours on both (but I suspect it's less).
• Level 2: A CyberPower UPS 2.5Ah battery backup - the IceCap battery backup is plugged into the CyberPower UPS to extend runtime.
• Level 3: A Ego 150w inverter that lets me use any of my 2Ah-5Ah Ego batteries. I hooked up a Sicce Nano Voyager 2000 to this to a) augment the flow and b) see how long I could run a 3w pump on it.
The power outage only lasted about an hour but everything worked as advertised (the IceCap even throttles down the speed to the Red Sea pumps). I also learned that the Ego Inverter has a 5w minimum and will shut off after 1 minute, so I had to plug my iPhone in to charge to keep it on (I should probably buy another Sicce Voyager Nano 2000).
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blaxsun
10K Club member
August 19. Stay Puft
This will be my second attempt at a pufferfish (my LFS got in several Saddleback Valentini pufferfish and my son picked out the largest/most active).
We're calling this one "Puft" (Ghostbusters fan).
No pictures of him acclimating, but everything went well and he immediately made friends (no cleaner wrasse to harass him this time). He spent the night sleeping on one of the gyres. Cute little guy!
This will be my second attempt at a pufferfish (my LFS got in several Saddleback Valentini pufferfish and my son picked out the largest/most active).
We're calling this one "Puft" (Ghostbusters fan).
No pictures of him acclimating, but everything went well and he immediately made friends (no cleaner wrasse to harass him this time). He spent the night sleeping on one of the gyres. Cute little guy!
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blaxsun
10K Club member
August 21. Stay Puft'in
Just a quick snapshot of "Puft". Puft has taken extremely well to the tank - and the other reef inhabitants have all displayed an inquisitive nature (no harassment). The first night he hung out on top of the gyre and then in the corner the next day, but several days later and he's taken to roaming several feet from his 'security blanket' (fish bond with the strangest inanimate objects).
He seems to really like hanging out near the temperature probe in the far right corner and when the autofeeder triggers he speeds into the rocks (though I did find he's particularly fond of just about any kind of pellet - dispensing it with a quick blender-like action). I picked up some Clam on a Halfshell and Silversides which I plan to start appeasing him with over the coming days and weeks (just have to distract the other 'pigs' with food elsewhere).
Stay Puft little guy!
Just a quick snapshot of "Puft". Puft has taken extremely well to the tank - and the other reef inhabitants have all displayed an inquisitive nature (no harassment). The first night he hung out on top of the gyre and then in the corner the next day, but several days later and he's taken to roaming several feet from his 'security blanket' (fish bond with the strangest inanimate objects).
He seems to really like hanging out near the temperature probe in the far right corner and when the autofeeder triggers he speeds into the rocks (though I did find he's particularly fond of just about any kind of pellet - dispensing it with a quick blender-like action). I picked up some Clam on a Halfshell and Silversides which I plan to start appeasing him with over the coming days and weeks (just have to distract the other 'pigs' with food elsewhere).
Stay Puft little guy!
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