Bringing the reef into the classroom... 16g BioCube (now a Nuvo 40)

[Vinman]

I received the package from Apogee Instruments the other day. Super excited to use the PAR meter to map out our tank. They sent me the SQ-520 Full Spectrum USB PAR meter and the waterproof wand that goes with it. I’m going to work with my 4th grade gifted students to map out the BioCube and then I’m going to have them research the corals and decide whether or not any of them need to be moved. I can’t wait. I think it’ll be so much fun!
I also got over to WWC and picked up the frag pack they donated. They gave us a frag of Eagle Eye Zoas, Hollywood stunner Chalice and Neon Turbinaria. With these in the tank I now have the following:
Frogspawn
GSP
Devil’s Hand
Mushrooms
Zoas
Chalice
Turbinaria

Does this mean we have a true mixed reef?

So the Hollywood looks beautiful and seems to be doing great, the Eagle Eyes are open but the polyps on the Turbinaria have not fully extended. I don’t know much about this sps coral. I’ll have to measure my PAR levels and figure out if it’s in the right place. Next purchase is a nano sized frag rack. I glued the whole plug for the Eagle Eyes in the tank. I didn’t have snippers or my Dremel at school to trim the plug. It would have been easier to leave it in a frag rack. Now I have to pop it off the rock, trim the plug and glue it back.

My dipping skills are so-so. However I am proud of my ability to pick tiny organisms off the frags. I used a syringe with a needle like tip to suck them off the frags. I don’t think they were “pests,” probably pods but I wasn’t sure. Here are the new additions in all their glory. Oh, I love the CaribSea Frag Zone rocks. I glued the chalice to one and it looks great.

Here’s the latest FTS

Looks great I see you raised the devil's hand....the close up photos are nice.
Have you hooked up the protein skimmer?

 

[reefiniteasy]

No protein skimmer yet. I requested the IceCap Nano skimmer from CoralVue as part of the CoPilot program but it is currently out of stock, so I'll have to wait a little bit. I did however receive a couple of ICP test kits from them to try out. I plan on taking samples of the aquarium water, my RODI reservoir water, and our classroom sink water.

I increased the intensity of the Kessil A80 from 75% to 80%. My goal is to gradually increase it to 100%. I also adjusted the color of the aquarium so it isn't as blue. I also reset the 1K Gyre to 10% continuous. Anything over 10% intensity is too strong for the clownfish. I've noticed that when flow is too strong and they are tired, they let themselves get sucked to the lower overflow so they can rest. As soon as I lowered the flow they spent more time out and about the aquarium.

My parameters on Friday were
1.026sg
pH - 8.15
NO3 - 5-10ppm
Alk - 8.5dKH
Ca - 450ppm
Mg - 1440ppm
PO4 - .18ppm

Once I have a skimmer installed I expect NO3 and PO4 will drop considerably.

I tested out the PAR meter with the software on the computer. Hopefully this week the kids and I can map out the tank. I also installed a titanium grounding probe.

 

[reefiniteasy]

I got into my classroom this morning and felt inspired. I pulled up my big boy pants and decided to finally change the tubing on the micro chiller. I was very nervous and was sweating profusely throughout the process. I had to manage unmounting the chiller from the wall and removing the hoses from the aquarium without dripping water into the chiller electronics. It actually went pretty well until I went to clean the Rio 180 pump. IT was disgusting. When I removed the impeller cover the o-ring practically disintegrated. I cleaned the pump and put it all back together however there is now a slight vibration as the cover is not seated tightly. I ordered a replacement pump. I ordered A Since Syncra Nano 110gph pump. This particular pump has an output that rotates 180 degrees so I can mount the pump to the glass and have the output exit vertically. The Rio was 120gph but I am sure the Sicce will be fine.

I then removed the Tunze return pump. I figured if I'm already in the return chamber, why not clean that too. Holy crap! It was filthy. 9 months of gunk. I took it out cleaned it the best I could and reinstalled the pump. It all went smoothly except I had to use my acrylic rod to re-seat the pump as my arm doesn't fit in the chamber. I decided to also order a new return pump. I went with the Sicce Syncra Silent 1.0 (251gph). The Tunze needs a deep clean so I can swap them out. It is also a minor upgrade in mph from 210 to 251.

We had some amazing coral growth over the weekend. The Turbinaria is finally settling in. The polyp/tentacle thingies have started to extend and it's growing out onto the rock. It is really a neat coral to watch. The Devil's Hand seems to be finally settling into its new home back in the corner of the aquarium where nothing can bother it. The Eagle Eyes have two brand new polyps. Super exciting. The GSP are growing like wild fire. The Hollywood is also showing some outward growth. The only concerning issue was the two heads on the left of the frogspawn barely extended today. The right two heads were fully inflated and extended all day. It appears to be healthy. I'm not all that concerned. I have a strong feeling that a hermit could have been climbing on it this weekend. They tend to do that with the corals.

I tested today. Alk- 8.1dKH, Ca - 440ppm, Mg - 1440ppm. I'm going to test Alk every day this week. This will help me figure out what I need to dose. I lost .4dKH in 3 days.

I also picked up some TDS calibration fluid so I can calibrate my AutoAqua S3 TDS Meter. My next project is cord management. It's too messy for me.

 

[fishguy242]

hi read intro,skipped to end,can't find nemo?

 

[fishguy242]

awesome tank,awesome reason to do it,the reef kids are our future

 

[Vinman]

I got into my classroom this morning and felt inspired. I pulled up my big boy pants and decided to finally change the tubing on the micro chiller. I was very nervous and was sweating profusely throughout the process. I had to manage unmounting the chiller from the wall and removing the hoses from the aquarium without dripping water into the chiller electronics. It actually went pretty well until I went to clean the Rio 180 pump. IT was disgusting. When I removed the impeller cover the o-ring practically disintegrated. I cleaned the pump and put it all back together however there is now a slight vibration as the cover is not seated tightly. I ordered a replacement pump. I ordered A Since Syncra Nano 110gph pump. This particular pump has an output that rotates 180 degrees so I can mount the pump to the glass and have the output exit vertically. The Rio was 120gph but I am sure the Sicce will be fine.

I then removed the Tunze return pump. I figured if I'm already in the return chamber, why not clean that too. Holy crap! It was filthy. 9 months of gunk. I took it out cleaned it the best I could and reinstalled the pump. It all went smoothly except I had to use my acrylic rod to re-seat the pump as my arm doesn't fit in the chamber. I decided to also order a new return pump. I went with the Sicce Syncra Silent 1.0 (251gph). The Tunze needs a deep clean so I can swap them out. It is also a minor upgrade in mph from 210 to 251.

We had some amazing coral growth over the weekend. The Turbinaria is finally settling in. The polyp/tentacle thingies have started to extend and it's growing out onto the rock. It is really a neat coral to watch. The Devil's Hand seems to be finally settling into its new home back in the corner of the aquarium where nothing can bother it. The Eagle Eyes have two brand new polyps. Super exciting. The GSP are growing like wild fire. The Hollywood is also showing some outward growth. The only concerning issue was the two heads on the left of the frogspawn barely extended today. The right two heads were fully inflated and extended all day. It appears to be healthy. I'm not all that concerned. I have a strong feeling that a hermit could have been climbing on it this weekend. They tend to do that with the corals.

I tested today. Alk- 8.1dKH, Ca - 440ppm, Mg - 1440ppm. I'm going to test Alk every day this week. This will help me figure out what I need to dose. I lost .4dKH in 3 days.

I also picked up some TDS calibration fluid so I can calibrate my AutoAqua S3 TDS Meter. My next project is cord management. It's too messy for me.

I got into my classroom this morning and felt inspired. I pulled up my big boy pants and decided to finally change the tubing on the micro chiller. I was very nervous and was sweating profusely throughout the process. I had to manage unmounting the chiller from the wall and removing the hoses from the aquarium without dripping water into the chiller electronics. It actually went pretty well until I went to clean the Rio 180 pump. IT was disgusting. When I removed the impeller cover the o-ring practically disintegrated. I cleaned the pump and put it all back together however there is now a slight vibration as the cover is not seated tightly. I ordered a replacement pump. I ordered A Since Syncra Nano 110gph pump. This particular pump has an output that rotates 180 degrees so I can mount the pump to the glass and have the output exit vertically. The Rio was 120gph but I am sure the Sicce will be fine.

I then removed the Tunze return pump. I figured if I'm already in the return chamber, why not clean that too. Holy crap! It was filthy. 9 months of gunk. I took it out cleaned it the best I could and reinstalled the pump. It all went smoothly except I had to use my acrylic rod to re-seat the pump as my arm doesn't fit in the chamber. I decided to also order a new return pump. I went with the Sicce Syncra Silent 1.0 (251gph). The Tunze needs a deep clean so I can swap them out. It is also a minor upgrade in mph from 210 to 251.

We had some amazing coral growth over the weekend. The Turbinaria is finally settling in. The polyp/tentacle thingies have started to extend and it's growing out onto the rock. It is really a neat coral to watch. The Devil's Hand seems to be finally settling into its new home back in the corner of the aquarium where nothing can bother it. The Eagle Eyes have two brand new polyps. Super exciting. The GSP are growing like wild fire. The Hollywood is also showing some outward growth. The only concerning issue was the two heads on the left of the frogspawn barely extended today. The right two heads were fully inflated and extended all day. It appears to be healthy. I'm not all that concerned. I have a strong feeling that a hermit could have been climbing on it this weekend. They tend to do that with the corals.

I tested today. Alk- 8.1dKH, Ca - 440ppm, Mg - 1440ppm. I'm going to test Alk every day this week. This will help me figure out what I need to dose. I lost .4dKH in 3 days.

I also picked up some TDS calibration fluid so I can calibrate my AutoAqua S3 TDS Meter. My next project is cord management. It's too messy for me.

All the woodworking I've been doing. I believe all you need Is a wood box type bench to put next to the tank that will cover up all that stuff. And people can sit next to the tank.

 

[reefiniteasy]

All the woodworking I've been doing. I believe all you need Is a wood box type bench to put next to the tank that will cover up all that stuff. And people can sit next to the tank.

I’m going to have to build something. My wires are getting out of control.

My new return pump and chiller pump came in. I disassembled the chiller again in order to get to the return pump. I pulled the Tunze pump out and swapped it with the Sicce 1.0. Way more flow than the Tunze. I think it’s 50gph more. I then attempted to put the Sicce Nano pump in the same chamber as the return pump but it wouldn’t fit. I had to take the Elbow from the Rio and attach it to the output of the Sicce pump and bam, it fit the chamber. Everything went well except for dropping a suction cup on the bottom of the chamber. I had to get my music teacher to stick her long skinny arm down into the chamber. My fat arm gets stuck.

Then around lunch time I installed the IceCap K1-Nano Protein Skimmer. The fit and finish is amazing. It really is a beautiful piece of equipment. I had a micro bubble issue when I first started the skimmer. Micro bubbles were escaping where the pump connects to the skimmer body. At this point the skimmer pulled a yellow liquid skimmate. It smelled awful. I then decided to remove the skimmer and disassemble it to try to get rid of the micro bubbles. It worked. However when I reinstalled the skimmer it was acting finicky and I couldn’t get consistent foam again. I decided to mount the skimmer with the magnet just under the tank rim so there would be consistency every time it is removed and put back. I shut the skimmer off for the night. Tomorrow I will run it all day and monitor it for any issues. So far I am pleased with the skimmer. Only time will tell as we move forward.

The frogspawn is fully extended again. Finally back to normal. The little tentacle things were fully extended from Turbinaria and the Eagle Eye Zoa polyps now have definitive color.

 

[reefiniteasy]

The skimmer is working great but I’m still too nervous to leave it running at night. I’ve decided to push my water change back a week. Things are going very well and I think the skimmer will help me prolong my changes.

I also got back my ICP results. Very neat! Everything looks great. We tested the aquarium, the RODI storage and our classroom sink water. The tank needs iodine but I’m very nervous about dosing that. I’m also not sure I like the amount of copper in our tap water. After reading directions for several iodine additives I’m not sure how to measure such a small amount for my aquarium.

 

[fishguy242]

hi excellent little squirt of iodine until you get a test and a feel for it

 

[reefiniteasy]

So I left the protein skimmer running all night Thursday. Everything turned out alright. I left it on for the weekend so we will see what happens. On Friday my PO4 was higher than I like so I did a water change. The tank is thriving. I still have that whispy, wavy, white stuff growing under things in shaded spots. It is even on some corals. It doesn’t seem to be affecting anything and the clowns will even eat it sometimes. I still don’t know what it is.

I took home my Tunze pump and the Coralife pump to run in a bucket of citric acid. It’s been going since 8am. Hopefully in another couple of hours I can rinse the pumps and they’ll be as good as new.

 

[fishguy242]

hi did you take pic of white stuff ,most likely sponge pic will help

 

[reefiniteasy]

hi did you take pic of white stuff ,most likely sponge pic will help

Here are a couple pictures. I know whatever it is isn't bad because everything is growing great and the clowns occasionally eat it. Just curious!

So the protein skimmer has been running for a little over a week nonstop. Still pulling a very wet skimmate, but it is definitely working. I came in the other day and the skimmer was off. Some of the dwarf Cerith snails got into the pump and some even made it up into the reaction chamber. They stopped the pump. I had to disassemble the skimmer to get them all out. I learned that I have to turn the skimmer off during feeding, otherwise the collection cup fills up quick due to the skimmer being in the display. I always put the gyre into feed mode but I think I'm going to shut the return pump as well from now on during feeding.

 

[fishguy242]

hi possible sponge, eggs?

 

[Vinman]

Sponge IMO

 

[reefiniteasy]

So they are painting the interior of my school this summer. I already took down our cichlid aquarium and crayfish aquarium. Next is the tropical tank. The turtle is coming home, we’ll put his tub on the patio. Now for the reef, we are setting up a WaterBox Cube 20 at home. We will transition the corals and fish from the BioCube at school to the WaterBox. Then in the fall I can use pieces from the WaterBox to repopulate the BioCube. So here is what we have so far for the Cube.

WaterBox Cube 20
Sicce 1.0
Eheim 75watt ThermoControl-E
Kessil 160we with A-Series arm
CaribSea LifeRock
CaribSea Reef Sand
Fritz TurboStart900
XP-Aqua Duetto
IceCap K1-Nano Skimmer
Custom stand I’m working on

I think I like that rockscape the best.

The BioCube is doing great! Two more polyps have popped up on the Eagle Eye Zoas, frag had 3, now we’ll be at 7. Skimmer is kicking but! I now have the A80 at 90% intensity. Corals seem to love it!

 

[reefiniteasy]

What a week. It was Spring Break but my entire week was spent moving habitats and supplies from the classroom to the house. On Thursday I moved the RODI system and plumbed it into the garage. Surprisingly it went very smoothly. I can now divert water off the cold line on our garage sink. I also installed the 100gpd membrane and a new cartridge of DI resin. I currently get 3ppm out of the membrane and 0 from the resin. I still have to plumb the waste line into the drain of the sink and set up my XPAqua Flood Guardian. I then want to get a bigger reservoir than the 20 gallon Brute garbage can. I’d love to store more water. It would make things much easier.

On Friday I then moved the BioCube home. It only took two buckets. I made 8 gallons of fresh saltwater that morning. I broke the large rock structure and put the top ring in a bucket with the frogspawn island, the clownfish, and all the corals. It fit perfectly. The second bucket held the large rock. I had to have it filled entirely so I sealed the bucket with a lid to prevent spilling. The BioCube sat buckled in the front seat. Everything made it home safe and sound with no casualties.

I am slowly accumulating all I need for the WaterBox Cube. I decided to go with a Kessil A160 with the adjustable mount. Really didn’t like the idea of the gooseneck, especially after having one with the A80. I also decided to go with the InTank Media tower like I have on the cube. I’m also using a Sicce 1.0 and one of the new Eheim digital thermostat heaters. The stand is coming along slowly. A lot was put on hold because of this virus thing and schools shutting down.

I did set up my workspace on the dining room table directly across from the cube. It’ll be some visual motivation for the weeks of virtual teaching ahead.

Next step is to work on cord management.

 

[Vinman]

I always keep my tank buckled up when my driving around with my reef...lol. glad you made it home without skipping a beat.

 

[fishguy242]

nice job,nice pics,would love to see clowns ! stay safe happy reefing

 

[reefiniteasy]

With this online digital teaching stuff there is no time for anything. The tank is doing well. I stopped using the IceCap Gyre 1K. I wanted to run an experiment to see how things would fare without the flow from the gyre. Maybe it’s been too much all this time. Everything is full and extended to the max. The Turbinaria has been open more than I’ve ever seen. Everything just seems happy. Flow seems to be perfect with just the Sicce 1.0 return pump. Phosphate is out of control though, it’s at .24. Going to have to do a few back to back water changes.

 

[Vinman]

Wow! Nice job Alex! Love those clowns I wish they would wallow around in that frog spawn