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Hey I was wondering why didn't u just replace the whole outlet to a gfci instead of the plug u got its cheaper I believe as well
Ludnix's 50g Cube
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ludnix
Valuable Member
I guess it's just laziness really. I had previously replaced this outlet with a new one a few months ago before the tank was here, so I don't really have a good excuse for not doing that! It would look cleaner and protect both outlets which ideal though so maybe it's time to replace it! That said I have been really happy with the shock buster brand plug-in GFCIs, I have used them on the 120g, the 14g biocube and now the 50g without ever having a false trip which most people seem to complain about with a GFCI protection. It has saved my butt with the 120g when I had an equipment failure in the sump so I can't complain about their function, but that bright yellow brick is unsightly and only protects one outlet...
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ludnix
Valuable Member
I've been monitoring the parameters with a focus on alkalinity lately. I am trying to dial in the dosing pumps so I've been making some small incremental changes. I'm currently dosing Soda Ash solution form BRS for 4 minutes ever 12 hours. Calcium remains too high to dose currently.
I've been feeding Rod's food every 3 days to all the corals and fish, they are loving it! You can see some real improvement in coloration and feeding response in all the corals with exception of the kryptonite caulestra which appear to be still adjusting.
I've been feeding Rod's food every 3 days to all the corals and fish, they are loving it! You can see some real improvement in coloration and feeding response in all the corals with exception of the kryptonite caulestra which appear to be still adjusting.
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ludnix
Valuable Member
I found a branch had broken on the blue polyp digitata:
It unfortunately landed on the Scroll coral below and left a little burn. This is the second time this coral has been burned so I'm confident it will recover, but I wish it could catch a break for a while.
I picked up a new tongue coral from the shop:
It has some damage and exposed septa but they are pretty hardy I think it will recover. I know the exposed septa don't always heal over and can become unsightly so we'll see how nicely it can recover.
It unfortunately landed on the Scroll coral below and left a little burn. This is the second time this coral has been burned so I'm confident it will recover, but I wish it could catch a break for a while.
I picked up a new tongue coral from the shop:
It has some damage and exposed septa but they are pretty hardy I think it will recover. I know the exposed septa don't always heal over and can become unsightly so we'll see how nicely it can recover.
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ludnix
Valuable Member
An updated FTS!
The tongue coral didn't seem to recover well so I ended up scoring along the septal ridges to encourage new buds. You can see it hanging out in a newly shaded area on the left front.
I ended up puttying and rearranging some of the rocks on the left to create a bigger arch. I am happier with the whisker coral's location now. It could have been good real estate for SPS, but I think it balances the tank better and provides a better view of the movement in the tank.
I'm pleased with the coloration of these guys now. I wish the Montipora would grow as fast shelving out as it is encrusting, but that's not currently the case. The back side has a beautiful purple new edge not seen in the photo.
I love this view from the side. There are some awesome yellow sponges growing in the nooks and crannies of the rockwork here. I have been feeding really heavy in the new tank, but have slowed it down a bit lately. I am mainly getting a few small clumps of bryopsis and sponge growth as a result, but nothing too severe.
I also am excited to share that I picked up 3 engineering gobies from the local fish shop. They have made a cave under this rock on the right side of the tank. They hold their own against the hawkfish when it's feeding time and are eating pellets and Rod's Food eagerly. I'm looking forward to watching them grow and their stripes changing with time. They not moving much sand yet, but I epoxied the rocks together in anticipation of them moving ALL of the sand.
This is a photo I found of one of the three I had kept in the 120g about 8 years ago.
The tongue coral didn't seem to recover well so I ended up scoring along the septal ridges to encourage new buds. You can see it hanging out in a newly shaded area on the left front.
I ended up puttying and rearranging some of the rocks on the left to create a bigger arch. I am happier with the whisker coral's location now. It could have been good real estate for SPS, but I think it balances the tank better and provides a better view of the movement in the tank.
I'm pleased with the coloration of these guys now. I wish the Montipora would grow as fast shelving out as it is encrusting, but that's not currently the case. The back side has a beautiful purple new edge not seen in the photo.
I love this view from the side. There are some awesome yellow sponges growing in the nooks and crannies of the rockwork here. I have been feeding really heavy in the new tank, but have slowed it down a bit lately. I am mainly getting a few small clumps of bryopsis and sponge growth as a result, but nothing too severe.
I also am excited to share that I picked up 3 engineering gobies from the local fish shop. They have made a cave under this rock on the right side of the tank. They hold their own against the hawkfish when it's feeding time and are eating pellets and Rod's Food eagerly. I'm looking forward to watching them grow and their stripes changing with time. They not moving much sand yet, but I epoxied the rocks together in anticipation of them moving ALL of the sand.
This is a photo I found of one of the three I had kept in the 120g about 8 years ago.
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ludnix
Valuable Member
I have been learning how to design 3d models and print them on my 3d printer. One of my first reef projects is a light shroud for my AI hydra 26HD fixture. I absolutely love this fixture, but I feel like I could improve my living room experience by making a shroud that fits the light and blocks stray light from hitting our eyes when we are watching a movie.
I made the design in Tinkercad, this has to be some of the easiest software to work with if you're new to CAD like me. It's a series of boxes that have been set to specific dimensions and then some of the boxes turned into "holes" to remove material from other boxes. I wanted to continue this design to include some cool artwork on the front top portion of the front. If the designs were cut out of the front they would appear black when mounted on the light. I didn't end up feeling that artistic to come up with the graphic so I just went plain for my first version.
From tinkercad it was exported as a .obj and then imported into my printing software. Then it's off to the printer!
Printing in PLA/PHA since I'm still testing the idea out. This material would not be suitable in the tank as it would probably be eaten up by bacteria ala biopellets.
And out of the printer and onto the fixture!
It ended up being a tighter fit than I had intended but it can be taken on and off easily enough still. Most importantly though there's no more light bleed into our eyes when we sit on the couch!
You can download the 3d print file here: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/33481
I made the design in Tinkercad, this has to be some of the easiest software to work with if you're new to CAD like me. It's a series of boxes that have been set to specific dimensions and then some of the boxes turned into "holes" to remove material from other boxes. I wanted to continue this design to include some cool artwork on the front top portion of the front. If the designs were cut out of the front they would appear black when mounted on the light. I didn't end up feeling that artistic to come up with the graphic so I just went plain for my first version.
From tinkercad it was exported as a .obj and then imported into my printing software. Then it's off to the printer!
Printing in PLA/PHA since I'm still testing the idea out. This material would not be suitable in the tank as it would probably be eaten up by bacteria ala biopellets.
And out of the printer and onto the fixture!
It ended up being a tighter fit than I had intended but it can be taken on and off easily enough still. Most importantly though there's no more light bleed into our eyes when we sit on the couch!
You can download the 3d print file here: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/33481
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ludnix
Valuable Member
Water change day! I tried out using the Wet Vac to suck the detritus out of the sump and found it to be fairly successful. My wet vac is pretty small so it filled up in less than 30 seconds. I would normally siphon out detritus, but my sump is so low in the stand that I can't get a siphon going for long.
Here's a view of the sump, I'm mulling over the idea of running a mini-fuge in the middle chamber. It's so small I'm not sure it'll be that effective for nutrient export, but it might provide a good place for microfauna to breed.
I ended up moving my top off-line from the sump to my overflow. To attach it to the glass I decided to 3d print a mount instead of buying something. This took about 10 minutes to print, I think I could have gotten better quality by printing more of them though. It friction fits onto the glass and works perfectly.
While spying on the tank at night with a flash light I found this Ball Anemone growing in my zoanthids. I'm excited to see a new type of animal appear that I didn't have purchase. As I understand it they are not actually anemones, but in the mushroom family.
Thanks for reading!
Here's a view of the sump, I'm mulling over the idea of running a mini-fuge in the middle chamber. It's so small I'm not sure it'll be that effective for nutrient export, but it might provide a good place for microfauna to breed.
I ended up moving my top off-line from the sump to my overflow. To attach it to the glass I decided to 3d print a mount instead of buying something. This took about 10 minutes to print, I think I could have gotten better quality by printing more of them though. It friction fits onto the glass and works perfectly.
While spying on the tank at night with a flash light I found this Ball Anemone growing in my zoanthids. I'm excited to see a new type of animal appear that I didn't have purchase. As I understand it they are not actually anemones, but in the mushroom family.
Thanks for reading!
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ludnix
Valuable Member
I wanted to update that you can download the file for the Hydra light shroud here on Myminifactory.com:
https://www.myminifactory.com/object/33481
If you have any questions feel free to ask in this thread. I think you can take this same design to pretty much any LED fixture that is bleeding a lot of light at a higher angle and make the tank more enjoyable to look at. I find it's helping draw the eye towards the corals and fish with them being the brightest object in the room now instead of it being their light!
https://www.myminifactory.com/object/33481
If you have any questions feel free to ask in this thread. I think you can take this same design to pretty much any LED fixture that is bleeding a lot of light at a higher angle and make the tank more enjoyable to look at. I find it's helping draw the eye towards the corals and fish with them being the brightest object in the room now instead of it being their light!
Mattyice008
Well-Known Member
Dang, I wish I had one of those light shrouds, seems perfect for what I need. Hey, I was wondering if you could give me the specs on your light schedule? I have pretty much the same exact build as you. Thanks!!
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ludnix
Valuable Member
Here's my light schedule, I was trying to emulate the Radeon AB+ schedule:
My printer is out of action until monday but I could print another in White and ship it priority mail for anyone who can't print their own. I would suggest black as a color as well but I don't currently have any of that filament.
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Mattyice008
Well-Known Member
I'd take one for sure, hit me up whenever you could make it happen. I run a similar schedule.. Whites maxing at ~40%, I've had the uv lower though. More ramping as well. How far from the water is your light?
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ludnix
Valuable Member
I measured my light this morning and it's 10" off the water surface. That height was definitely incidental though, I just bent the flex arm to get the light as centered a possible so I didn't really choose the height or have many options for changing it without moving the light forward or backward at the same time.
Wow. Well done!
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ludnix
Valuable Member
May 2017 update!
I received some more frags (some are more colonies) from a fellow club member! I've set my lights to acclimation mode for the next 3 weeks to accommodate the corals' sudden change of scenery. The AI hydra is set to 50% intensity and will automatically ramp it back up to 100% over the next 3 weeks. Looking forward to seeing the changes on some these corals and how the tank itself responds to the decrease in light temporarily.
This is a Green Stylophora:
ORA Laura's Purple Polyps:
UC Wild Orchid:
Red Planet Table Acropora:
Some very dramatic mushrooms, I didn't intend for them to appear in a soap opera, but the lighting demanded it:
This is a green tabling acro, loved the color and I can't wait to see how it compares to the green slimer I have. I know the growth shape is going to be very different.
Bird of Paradise, one of my favorite corals!!!
This is growth update on the purple rim Montipora. It's getting a great purple edge on the front now, it's had it on the back for a while.
I'm fairly certain this Tricolor Valida now that the axial polyps have gotten that slightly yellow coloration. From Yellow to purple to green it sounds like a tri-color to me.
I received some more frags (some are more colonies) from a fellow club member! I've set my lights to acclimation mode for the next 3 weeks to accommodate the corals' sudden change of scenery. The AI hydra is set to 50% intensity and will automatically ramp it back up to 100% over the next 3 weeks. Looking forward to seeing the changes on some these corals and how the tank itself responds to the decrease in light temporarily.
This is a Green Stylophora:
ORA Laura's Purple Polyps:
UC Wild Orchid:
Red Planet Table Acropora:
Some very dramatic mushrooms, I didn't intend for them to appear in a soap opera, but the lighting demanded it:
This is a green tabling acro, loved the color and I can't wait to see how it compares to the green slimer I have. I know the growth shape is going to be very different.
Bird of Paradise, one of my favorite corals!!!
This is growth update on the purple rim Montipora. It's getting a great purple edge on the front now, it's had it on the back for a while.
I'm fairly certain this Tricolor Valida now that the axial polyps have gotten that slightly yellow coloration. From Yellow to purple to green it sounds like a tri-color to me.
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An updated FTS!
The tongue coral didn't seem to recover well so I ended up scoring along the septal ridges to encourage new buds. You can see it hanging out in a newly shaded area on the left front.
I ended up puttying and rearranging some of the rocks on the left to create a bigger arch. I am happier with the whisker coral's location now. It could have been good real estate for SPS, but I think it balances the tank better and provides a better view of the movement in the tank.
I'm pleased with the coloration of these guys now. I wish the Montipora would grow as fast shelving out as it is encrusting, but that's not currently the case. The back side has a beautiful purple new edge not seen in the photo.
I love this view from the side. There are some awesome yellow sponges growing in the nooks and crannies of the rockwork here. I have been feeding really heavy in the new tank, but have slowed it down a bit lately. I am mainly getting a few small clumps of bryopsis and sponge growth as a result, but nothing too severe.
I also am excited to share that I picked up 3 engineering gobies from the local fish shop. They have made a cave under this rock on the right side of the tank. They hold their own against the hawkfish when it's feeding time and are eating pellets and Rod's Food eagerly. I'm looking forward to watching them grow and their stripes changing with time. They not moving much sand yet, but I epoxied the rocks together in anticipation of them moving ALL of the sand.
This is a photo I found of one of the three I had kept in the 120g about 8 years ago.
Hey man great build! Really well done!
U was wondering if you had a specific name on that green monti you mentioned and pictured above. I have the same one in my 32g cube but have not yet been able to specifically identify it.
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ludnix
Valuable Member
Thanks DaNkness!
I think it's ORA Brett's Purple Rim Cap:
http://www.orafarm.com/product/bretts-purple-rim-cap/
Is that the one? There is also a variety that is just green with no purple.
bubblemytip
Active Member
Curious, but to replicate the AB+ schedule using a hydra, wouldn't you have to compensate for the different number of diodes, the wattage assigned to each colour, etc, in order to get the levels of each spectrum right? I think you could effectively run about an equivalent of 60-70% power of the AB+ schedule.Here's my light schedule, I was trying to emulate the Radeon AB+ schedule:
My printer is out of action until monday but I could print another in White and ship it priority mail for anyone who can't print their own. I would suggest black as a color as well but I don't currently have any of that filament.
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