Custom Build - Rethinking everything I think I know....

Bo.

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I actually have one of his magnets. It did not do the job. I reached out to a magnet company. He explained that because there is a magnet on both sides, they need to be an equal match.
Ah, it was worth a shot... Sorry it didn't work out
 

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looking great so far. hopefully you can get it filled & running soon . nothing beats setting back & watching the tank after all that work.
 

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Excruciatingly painful and subsequently slow. Lots of working under the stand which is murder on the neck - at least for me. Some progress was made. I found the least of all evile for the Kasa strips. Not my first choice but the cords are so short! UGH. I mounted the ATO . For whatever reason the holes for the dosing tubes in the Trigger Sapphire were too small to accommodate either the ATO tubing or the dosing tubing. That was nerve wracking drilling a new sump.
I moved both of the Sicce SDC XStream wavemakers from the 90 gallon to the new build. All of the ATO pumps and the SDC were given a good vinegar cleaning.
Tomorrow I need to go get more 1/4" tubing to finish the ATO / AWC. I hope to move the RODI from the bathroom to the stand. I think once that is done, I'll be able to route the line for the AWC into the drain. If I can that accomplished, the stand can be leveled and filled.
For now ... I'm getting an ice pack and some meds.
Thanks for checking in on me. Tomorrow is another day.
progress!
sorry about the pain.
feel better and back at it today. :)
 
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CMMorgan

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I got 6 straight hours last night! I think I am figuring out that if I take each of the meds individually and space them out by about an hour, they won't cancel each other out.... or maybe I was just that tired. Off to do my actual job!!! Hope you all have a good day!!!
 

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I got 6 straight hours last night! I think I am figuring out that if I take each of the meds individually and space them out by about an hour, they won't cancel each other out.... or maybe I was just that tired. Off to do my actual job!!! Hope you all have a good day!!!
Glad to hear it!
 
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CMMorgan

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Just got back from a client appointment and got my first X-ray knocked out. Came home to find 12 boxes from my company sitting in my driveway (thank God for my husband and his hand truck). Also have my cable clips to finish running my RODI hose. Looking like I'll have a productive night.
Bummer though, I had bought two BRS 1.1 ml dosers used on the Marketplace but I had only installed the ALK on the 90. I just tested the other one last night and the previous owner never ran clean water through it when he was done. The nozzles and tube are just compacted with calcium and it won't clean out.
So, now I have two choices, go buy the part from BRS or take it as a sign that maybe I should drop $200 or so on a 3-4 nozzle wifi doser, so I can expand to dosing trace elements and maybe phyto at a later date. I saw Coralbox has one on Reefbuilders $180 new - shipped. I watched a video that said it can mount vertically or horizontally. I've been doing BRS two part up to now but I'm actually adding corals beyond softies now, so the BRS 2 part + balling may be worth considering. I can always buy the part, too, and then resell the pair to another new reefer - pay it forward.
Thoughts??
 

sp1187

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Just got back from a client appointment and got my first X-ray knocked out. Came home to find 12 boxes from my company sitting in my driveway (thank God for my husband and his hand truck). Also have my cable clips to finish running my RODI hose. Looking like I'll have a productive night.
Bummer though, I had bought two BRS 1.1 ml dosers used on the Marketplace but I had only installed the ALK on the 90. I just tested the other one last night and the previous owner never ran clean water through it when he was done. The nozzles and tube are just compacted with calcium and it won't clean out.
So, now I have two choices, go buy the part from BRS or take it as a sign that maybe I should drop $200 or so on a 3-4 nozzle wifi doser, so I can expand to dosing trace elements and maybe phyto at a later date. I saw Coralbox has one on Reefbuilders $180 new - shipped. I watched a video that said it can mount vertically or horizontally. I've been doing BRS two part up to now but I'm actually adding corals beyond softies now, so the BRS 2 part + balling may be worth considering. I can always buy the part, too, and then resell the pair to another new reefer - pay it forward.
Thoughts??
I got nuthin'.
I'm not a doser.
 
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CMMorgan

CMMorgan

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I got nuthin'.
I'm not a doser.
My tank eats ALK like my dog steals cookies. Lately, the Calcium went off of the rails, too. Probably has a little to do with the higher levels of evaporation given it's Florida and the sump is still in the garage.
 
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CMMorgan

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So another day, another opportunity to solve a problem. I had every intention of keeping and reusing my old (very) Reef Octopus Protein Skimmer. The pump is only about a year old. That said, it just has not wanted to dial in for months, overflows constantly and it's a pain to clean out with the skimmer location in the new sump being in the back.

I found a seller here that had an RSK-600 by Red Sea - advertised as 6 months young and too small for his tank. $200 .
I jumped. I had been looking at the 300 and thought, hey, great deal for an upgrade. It has a self cleaning neck, higher capacity, good reviews and a nifty little drain hose with valve. I blame the pain meds --- I know better to measure twice, cut once.

Well, let's start with UPS beat the crap out of it and the mounting bracket for the pump lost the clips that hold the pump in place. (Probably should have been disassembled prior to shipping but still cheap plastic Red Sea.) That sent the whole pump sideways, cracking the bubble diffuser. The seller said he'd help me out with replacement parts. While waiting on that, I decided to dry fit it. This is my SMH moment. It is like squeezing back into my prom dress. The opening at the bottom of the sock holder chamber is just a few inches too low to get a good grip on the venturi and install it properly. The unit is too wide to turn it. If I try to beast it in by twisting my fingers through the sock holder, it knocks the uniseal out of place and well... that is no good.

These Trigger sumps have stupid oval sock holders that are truly incompetent engineering anyway. I knew there wouldn't be room for a filter roller but I will probably wind up using the tray option to put fleece, etc on top of the sock holders. Maybe I'll have a filter cup 3D printed to passively run carbon, etc. Even with socks .... I need another inch for that venturi or I give up on this skimmer.

It looks like it's a Dremel Saturday.... I think I'm going to just make that rectangle taller. The only side effect I can see is it may raise the water level of the sock chamber. Eh ... shorter socks or no socks fix that. I can sew.

I am so looking forward to just one thing on this build that I can just plug in, add water and be the heck done already.

Hi Ho Hi Ho ... off to Dremmel I go.
 

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CMMorgan

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Got the acrylic cut - white itchy dust is still everywhere. I'm definitely going to be changing a lot of filter floss and socks when the water drops in. I got more than half of the wire management complete. The hopefully new skimmer should fit. Tomorrow, there is a titch of wiring left to wrestle and then the RO hoses into the ATO reservoir. I should be (must be able) to fire the RODI in the morning and test for leaks. If that goes well, I can debate about starting to load water into the sump. I won't have the doser or the skimmer parts for a few weeks I guess but it's moving forward. At least I will know if anything is leaking and start equipment tests. I was not overly impressed with the install of the UV. (Lifeguard gives you zero instructions and it just did not feel the fit and finish quality I expected.)
If I am leak free .... we can start leveling and work on the canopy lighting while I wait on the parts.
I guess we'll see how tomorrow is looking. Gotta work on getting that resume in for the promotion by days end. Maybe it's good that I'm running out of things on the tank to do this weekend?
New pics coming soon.....
 
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CMMorgan

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RODI lines to the ATO reservoir working .... no leaks. 95% of wire management managed. Power tested all equipment that will run dry. Identified soon to be location for the ReefDose 4 when it arrives. Ordered three skinny jugs and Balling compound from BRS. Checkity check check check.... what is left to do until the parts are available for the skimmer and the Dose arrives? LEAK CHECK!!!
Got the bad boy wet today. Still a lot of water to make and then yeah.... sand rinsing... and canopy building.... but hey .... it's been a LONG time coming. There is finally some water in the tank. Once I get her half full tomorrow, I'll add a wavemaker and bring salinity in line. Tonight, I'm just going to be happy of I don't wake up to a puddle.
Gotta go fire up the resume writing I've dodged all day.... going to build on the positive momentum.
200.gif
 

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Bo.

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RODI lines to the ATO reservoir working .... no leaks. 95% of wire management managed. Power tested all equipment that will run dry. Identified soon to be location for the ReefDose 4 when it arrives. Ordered three skinny jugs and Balling compound from BRS. Checkity check check check.... what is left to do until the parts are available for the skimmer and the Dose arrives? LEAK CHECK!!!
Got the bad boy wet today. Still a lot of water to make and then yeah.... sand rinsing... and canopy building.... but hey .... it's been a LONG time coming. There is finally some water in the tank. Once I get her half full tomorrow, I'll add a wavemaker and bring salinity in line. Tonight, I'm just going to be happy of I don't wake up to a puddle.
Gotta go fire up the resume writing I've dodged all day.... going to build on the positive momentum.
200.gif
Nice progress!
 
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CMMorgan

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Nice progress!
THANK YOU!!!
Got that resume submitted also. Sending the PDF directly to the boss in the morning just in case the bots block me.
Overall, it's been a productive and gratifying weekend. Amazing how such a small thing can give you such a sense of accomplishment.
 
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CMMorgan

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So, feeling pretty stupid at the moment. On Sunday, I had dry fit the RSK 600 and finding it too wide for the venturi, dug out the dremel and cut out part of the divider between the sock chamber and the skimmer chamber. Unattractive but necessary evil, right?
So the box of parts from Red Sea arrived today to fix the skimmer. (The OG seller pretty much ghosted me at this point, shame but Red Sea sold me parts and shipped lightning fast.) I open the bracket package to install and realize that you can TURN THE PUMP!! OMG SMH All I had to do was turn this bracket and the venturi would fit perfectly. UGH.
Oh well.... skimmer is in the sump. Still making water as time allows.
Fish Tanks Direct called me today to let me know that the shipment of preorders should be in today or tomorrow, so my doser ought to be here by mid week at the latest. The new skinny jugs from BRS arrived today and they fit perfectly behind the sump. We'll definitely be leveled and circulating by the end of the weekend.
Feels like it's been forever.
OH --- bonus... the Tunze Eco Chic Submersible Refugium light just went back in stock, so that is coming next week.
Well... it's 8 pm, witching hour for my dog who feels like barking for no reason at 8 pm every night....
have a good evening all!!!
 
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CMMorgan

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90 pounds of Tropic Eden Pink and Meso flakes in. Rinsed pretty well - 10 pounds at a time but still looks like a swamp. I'm sure that will settle out later. I have another 30 I can add but I'm thinking that I'll hold off until after I move the live rock, that will let me place it in the right places to support the aquascape. I added a bottle of One and Only. Just added salt to another 20 gallons of RODI that I made this morning. The tank is only at 1.20, so I am raising the next 20 gallons to bring that up. I may just leave it all to settle tonight and try to get the pumps going in the morning.
Dog tired right now.... just going to let it do it's thing. Almost there ...
Not really expecting much in the way of cycle. Between transferring all of the live rock from the 90, adding the One and Only and the salt being the Syn-Biotic from Tropic Marin ... I should be starting out with a pretty substantial amount of biofiltration. Fingers crossed.... we shall see.

PXL_20210619_144623338.jpg
 
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CMMorgan

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Had a bit of an emergency today.... I added 120 pounds of sand (ten pounds at a time, as the neck would permit me). I got my salinity in check and added what I estimate to be about the last of the water. I hit the pumps, the water goes into the overflow and water water everywhere.
This Is Not Good Virtual Reality GIF by The Weather Channel

The bulkheads were not tight. I had three streams of water just running all over the floor. I'm panicking about power strips and flooding .... OMG. Then there is the obvious ... HOW DO I FIX IT NOW??!!! So, I did a little hail mary and remembered that this beast is on wheels.
I rolled that puppy out from the wall about 18", grabbed some pliers and went to town. I closed the full siphon valve just to make sure everything is holding water. After I finish dinner, I'll go see how it's looking. All praise to Footmaster and @Tidal Gardens for introducing me to those leveling casters. I know it's not intended to roll a full tank but buddy, it worked like a boss.
I also realized that my emergency drain was oppressively too low. All the water kept running straight down the emergency, so I could not even try to dial it in. I fixed that, raised it up above the teeth of the weir. Still uncertain if the secondary is high enough. I guess I'll find out. At least that one I can reach with a ladder.
 

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I'm sorry to hear of the troubles, especially after the last flood! I hope it wasn't too bad to clean up
 
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CMMorgan

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I'm sorry to hear of the troubles, especially after the last flood! I hope it wasn't too bad to clean up
Went to check it, it was still dripping. Grabbed the pliers to tighten some more - cracked the bulkhead on the emergency drain. Naturally, I have no more unions. Thankfully, I did have a spare bulkhead. With some creative elbows, I just reinstalled the emergency drain. I do not know how long I need to let that glue set before I can water test, so I guess I'll give it a rest while I google it.
Truly, I had no idea just how tight those bulkheads need to be. I was more afraid of cracking the tank by overtightening. I really did not expect those to leak. Just wow. If I did not have those leveling casters, I would have been up a creek. There is no possible way I could have gotten to that coast to cost with pliers to tighten those suckers from below. Worth every cent.
 
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CMMorgan

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Should I be using teflon tape? I just added water to the overflow box again and I still have water weeping on the threads of all three. I already cracked one overtightening and I do not have any more spares. I have to be doing something wrong. Bulkhead through the hole, then gasket, then nut .... it's not the solvent joint. what the heck?

PXL_20210619_225715647.jpg
I think I know what I did wrong. My last tank has gasket on the outside, so I just followed suit. It just occurred to me that may be the reason why his bulkhead fittings always dripped! I called a friend and he said gasket on the inside or else it will weep on the threads. Well .... CRAP! I can get unions in the morning to fix the three in the overflow but I will need to completely replace the return bulkheads. I mean --- they are not leaking (yet). Better to do this right once than have rework later, right? Dang it, Darn it .... utter frustration.
 
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A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

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