d2mini's "Essential Focus" Mixed Reef Build

[Reefahholic]

I dunno, that doesn't make sense to me.
Reef Rock 2.1 is manufactured by mixing reef substrate, that is a mixture of sand, coral pieces, shells and more, with a cement mixture.
I bet it just needs a curing period.
I just checked mine and it's .055 ppm

Yeah, it's definitely weird. Did you see the YouTube video I did when I tested the rock? Check it out. I scraped it.

I just did a 35/G water change and it went from 0.32 to 0.16

Tomorrow it will be back at 0.4 lol

 

[d2mini]

Seem's like it's been one thing after another with this tank.
Major things I've posted here, minor things I haven't bothered with.
After a year now, I still don't feel like I could leave the tank for a long weekend.
And now I can show you what happens when your skimmer hose slightly detaches from the pump in the middle of the night. :mad:

The other day I was emptying the skimmer cup using the valve at the bottom. I usually tilt the skimmer slightly to make sure I drain as much as possible. This time there was suddenly a fountain of water spraying up out of the sump. Pulled the plug and investigated and found that the tube and clamp seemed loose at the pump side. I tightened the clamp (or so I thought) and got it running again.

This morning I wake up, walk out into the tank area and it's too quiet. The tank isn't running. Get close and step in a puddle of water. Crap. Open the doors and there is at least a gallon of water in the sump tray and water everywhere else in the stand. Walls, ceiling... and then I see dangling power adaptors. The water sprayed all over a standard APC surge protector (which was still on btw) and a few of the sockets were completely melted. Two power adaptors fell off, leaving their prongs inside the melted sockets. One of them powers my Profilux external "Touch" display, which is daisy chained before my water change station and ATO powerbar so that was down too. Both vortechs were plugged into this power strip but luckily the Ecotech battery backup was going, because the GFCI circuit that this power strip and the Powerbar that runs my system pump was tripped.

Got things mostly cleaned up before leaving for work. At lunch I bought a new surge protector.
This evening I finished cleaning up, installed the new surge protector and everything is plugged back in and running.
Except for one MP40 which is tripping the GFCI if I plug it in. The prongs on the plug are black so it seems it got damaged too.
The culprit was the hose between the pump and skimmer intake. The barb on the Waveline pump seems a bit lower profile and the hose was just a bit not tight enough, and apparently the clamp too. Luckily I had some silicone tubing that seems to be a hair tighter and it's softer so the clamps really seemed to clamp it down tight.
Fingers crossed.

Thankfully though... that is all that happened.
I have a new power adaptor on the way from GHL (kudos to them for jumping on this asap for me, including driving to the post office since they missed today's pickup), and I'll pick up a new power cable for the Vortech.
For now its running off the battery backup.
This could have been A LOT worse.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

dang dude, you got lucky....if you want to call it that

 

[reefwiser]

Man I hate when that happens. On my next tank I am wiring up all electric powerbars in the garage where my water change tanks are. Then using water proof electrical tape to wrap all electric connections under the tank itself

 

[Velcro]

Seem's like it's been one thing after another with this tank.
Major things I've posted here, minor things I haven't bothered with.
After a year now, I still don't feel like I could leave the tank for a long weekend.
And now I can show you what happens when your skimmer hose slightly detaches from the pump in the middle of the night. :mad:

The other day I was emptying the skimmer cup using the valve at the bottom. I usually tilt the skimmer slightly to make sure I drain as much as possible. This time there was suddenly a fountain of water spraying up out of the sump. Pulled the plug and investigated and found that the tube and clamp seemed loose at the pump side. I tightened the clamp (or so I thought) and got it running again.

This morning I wake up, walk out into the tank area and it's too quiet. The tank isn't running. Get close and step in a puddle of water. Crap. Open the doors and there is at least a gallon of water in the sump tray and water everywhere else in the stand. Walls, ceiling... and then I see dangling power adaptors. The water sprayed all over a standard APC surge protector (which was still on btw) and a few of the sockets were completely melted. Two power adaptors fell off, leaving their prongs inside the melted sockets. One of them powers my Profilux external "Touch" display, which is daisy chained before my water change station and ATO powerbar so that was down too. Both vortechs were plugged into this power strip but luckily the Ecotech battery backup was going, because the GFCI circuit that this power strip and the Powerbar that runs my system pump was tripped.

Got things mostly cleaned up before leaving for work. At lunch I bought a new surge protector.
This evening I finished cleaning up, installed the new surge protector and everything is plugged back in and running.
Except for one MP40 which is tripping the GFCI if I plug it in. The prongs on the plug are black so it seems it got damaged too.
The culprit was the hose between the pump and skimmer intake. The barb on the Waveline pump seems a bit lower profile and the hose was just a bit not tight enough, and apparently the clamp too. Luckily I had some silicone tubing that seems to be a hair tighter and it's softer so the clamps really seemed to clamp it down tight.
Fingers crossed.

Thankfully though... that is all that happened.
I have a new power adaptor on the way from GHL (kudos to them for jumping on this asap for me, including driving to the post office since they missed today's pickup), and I'll pick up a new power cable for the Vortech.
For now its running off the battery backup.
This could have been A LOT worse.

Yea, I use a Jebao DC pump with my lifereef. There isn't a "perfect" size silicone hose to connect to any of the included pump barbs. I used a connector that fits the 1" silicone VERY snuggly... like I have to really force it on. None of the plastic rachet clamps fit on there so it's just holding on to the barb by itself. I can't really even get it to come off easily. That being said, I'd really like to find a hose clamp that fits since it'd be absolute chaos if that hose ever came off.

 

[Reefer525XL]

Yea, I use a Jebao DC pump with my lifereef. There isn't a "perfect" size silicone hose to connect to any of the included pump barbs. I used a connector that fits the 1" silicone VERY snuggly... like I have to really force it on. None of the plastic rachet clamps fit on there so it's just holding on to the barb by itself. I can't really even get it to come off easily. That being said, I'd really like to find a hose clamp that fits since it'd be absolute chaos if that hose ever came off.

Use a zip tide for the time being till you find a clamp

 

[d2mini]

dang dude, you got lucky....if you want to call it that

Ya man... real lucky. ;Nailbiting

Man I hate when that happens. On my next tank I am wiring up all electric powerbars in the garage where my water change tanks are. Then using water proof electrical tape to wrap all electric connections under the tank itself

This is why I miss my garage fish room!

 

[Second Shot]

Use a zip tide for the time being till you find a clamp

They also sell a small tool that tightens them up real snug.

 

[reefwiser]

Here is the type of tape I use to waterproof connections.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Scotc...r-Mastic-Electrical-Tape-50727-BA-5/202195402

 

[d2mini]

On a lighter note, here's Wally busted on tank cam when I was checking in yesterday.

 

[d2mini]

Here is the type of tape I use to waterproof connections.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Scotc...r-Mastic-Electrical-Tape-50727-BA-5/202195402

Ed, where exactly do you use this stuff?

 

[revhtree]

Dang man that was a close call huh?!

Cute puppy photo!

 

[reefwiser]

We use it on wash down motor leads. When you wire a motor we wrap the wire connections up with it. It is sticky and will seal it's self up.
I will be making an extension cord and where you plug in the cord for say a pump I will just wrap this around the connection and seal it up.
They use pressure washers to clean here in the food plant if we didn't do that we would have a mess every time they clean.

 

[d2mini]

I've got crabs on my fuzzy ball... sponge!

 

[Mattres]

Stunning pictures as always mate!
I've always loved the fact that you have such diversity in your tanks. Always something to catch your eye and make you wanna look a little deeper.

 

[trinisteve]

Nice crabs!
This is a product of your lightroom tips. An interesting bugger that I rarely see.

 

[d2mini]

Stunning pictures as always mate!
I've always loved the fact that you have such diversity in your tanks. Always something to catch your eye and make you wanna look a little deeper.

Thanks!

Nice crabs!
This is a product of your lightroom tips. An interesting bugger that I rarely see.

Funny how they almost always seem to be just within the shadow areas and upside down. I have a bunch though and sometimes they are out in the light like the pic above.
Nice job lifting those shadows and showing some color/detail.

 

[Raptor3084]

Beautiful reef tank.

 

[revhtree]

I've got crabs on my fuzzy ball... sponge!

Great shots!

 

[Reefahholic]

Man, you keep hitting some bad luck streaks. Keep your head up bro.

That thing got fried. Could have burnt the whole house down!!! You were definitely lucky!