Luc Vogels's 600+ gallon CoralCare Reef

[Luc Vogels]

Hi Luc nice setup you got there. Looks great! I'm also preparing to build a calcium reactor and was wondering how you connected the valves and the co2 hose connector at the bottom of the reactors in a watertight way since it is not a flat surface. Did you glue it or used some kind of rubber washer for sealing? Hope you can share some details.

I also live in Holland so maybe you willing to share the store you bought the parts?

Thanks and keep posting updates

I will try to make some pictures. But the process is relative straight forward because the buttom part of the tube (+cap) is thick and hence you have sufficient material to create a thread (1/4"). The thread is making sure the connection is water tight (and not the seal/area between the tube and connector. I used some thread seal tape (Teflon tape) to ensure it is and remains water tight.

 

[Azaqua]

Thanks. That would be great. Nice cabinet outside. What are your plans for keeping everything at the right temperature in it? Isolation and/or heating? Maybe you can try to transport the excess heat of the tank to the cabinet ;Pompus
greetz

 

[Luc Vogels]

Some recent shots of the tank.
It is doing very well and did not run into any issues in the past months.
Let's hope this will stay this way .

 

[lavoisier]

Your hard work and perseverance has really paid off. Congratulations on a wonderful reef.

 

[maroun.c]

Looking amazing Luc.
Well done

 

[Luc Vogels]

Your hard work and perseverance has really paid off. Congratulations on a wonderful reef.

Looking amazing Luc.
Well done

Thanks you very much !!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I am getting there . I needed to cover almost two years of progress which I did not share in this topic yet.


I maintain my alkalinity with a calcium reactor and this one is large enough to maintain stable values. The dosing pumps are used to dose all kinds of trace elements. I will make a list of what I am currently dosing.

But youre still adding calcium and Mag - yes?

 

[Luc Vogels]

But youre still adding calcium and Mag - yes?

Nope that is the advantage of a balanced calcium reactor with Coral bones as media.
It makes sure a correct balance between calcium and magnesium is reached in the aquarium.
Next to this I dose about 10 other elements such as strontium, iodine, fluorine, iron, molybdenum....
Each 3-6 months I send out an ICP test. Based on this data (which goes back 6 years already) I determine if i need to change the dosage of the elements. By sticking to a constant maintenance and dosage schedule this stability can be reached quite easily. There are better alternative methods ( in example Triton Core) with which you are able to achieve even better growth and colorization. But with this maitance schedule I know exactly what I am doing (and know what to do if something goes wrong).

 

[ksed]

Corals look beautiful!
Are you still running the Jebao for your return pump?

 

[Luc Vogels]

Corals look beautiful!
Are you still running the Jebao for your return pump?

Yes! Still going strong

 

[ksed]

Wow! How long has it been running for now?

Yes! Still going strong

 

[Luc Vogels]

Wow! How long has it been running for now?

Honestly... no clue. I would say at least 4-5 years.
I have two pumps in my setup and they never failed.
But I must say the flow dropped a bit over the years. I have an Apex Flow meter installed on it and the number is decreasing by the year (could also be some dirt in the pipework but also suspect the pump a bit).
Nevertheless this is a very decent pump for its costprice!

 

[Luc Vogels]

Some more updates about the automated Phyto plankton reactors.
The hardware is finished and I am also finalizing the software routines.
This weekend I will start the first dosage cycle in my tank.
Looking forward to learn what this will bring for my tank.

 

[SeaMonkeys]

Your tank and setup look amazing. I did wonder though how will you address temperature issues in the exterior automatic feeding station? I am looking forward to seeing how well this works for you and if it is a viable option.

 

[jacky.l]

In China, I can only buy coralcare v1

 

[CoralVue_Marketing]

In China, I can only buy coralcare v1

I believe China is the next market for the CoralCare Gen2 after the US.

 

[Bpp124987]

Amazing. The whole thing. Whole journey.
What’s the process flow for the phyto and zoo? What are you delivering to each of those reactors?

 

[jacky.l]

I believe China is the next market for the CoralCare Gen2 after the US.

Looking forward to Gen2.

 

[CoralVue_Marketing]

Looking forward to Gen2.

At first, everybody's going to be talking about the homogeneous blanket of light the CoralCare produces. But the ace up its sleeve may very well be that it is completely silent. No fans, no noise, nothing. Nothing to clean, nothing to replace, nothing to distract or annoy you. It's not something you can experience in a picture, video, or even at an event. But search "fan noise" on Reef2Reef and you'll discover that even lights considered to be 'best in class' are driving hobbyists bonkers.

 

[jacky.l]

At first, everybody's going to be talking about the homogeneous blanket of light the CoralCare produces. But the ace up its sleeve may very well be that it is completely silent. No fans, no noise, nothing. Nothing to clean, nothing to replace, nothing to distract or annoy you. It's not something you can experience in a picture, video, or even at an event. But search "fan noise" on Reef2Reef and you'll discover that even lights considered to be 'best in class' are driving hobbyists bonkers.

I agree. I already have three CoralCare V1. Very quiet.