The week after MACNA (Monday, Oct. 8) saw a few updates:
Main System Updates:
Frags were still being relocated to where they need to go and figuring out how much room to leave for growth. The Phosban 550 reactor came in earlier than expected so I got that online. I followed Marc's instructions from a Reefaddicts and also ran about 5 gallons of RO through to rinse out the GFO. The 550 definitely has more capacity than I need but I think the 150 would have been too small. The 550 has a nice small footprint and seems to working well. The manifold feed from one of my return lines works great and my theory that I would get some back-siphoning that would keep the reactor going in a power out situation worked out as expected. Hence, I'll have one return pump going in a power outage situation but the reactor(s) will still be running via gravity feed thanks to the check valve on the second return line.
The skimmer was still breaking-in and not completely consistent yet but I had it dialed in pretty well so far. I like the remote pump control on the Powercone 200iS and I still have a gate valve available on the outlet to fine-tune if needed. The Powercone uses a relatively low water level so I need to raise it about 1.5" so I used some spare flex tubing until I got a skimmer stand from Marc at our most recent local club meeting.
My wife noted that water changes take a lot less time with the manifold outlet for water changes. All I do is set the Apex to a feed mode where the appropriate equipment is off except the return pump that goes to the manifold with the water change connection. Unplug that return pump and wait a few minutes for water to back siphon through a return line to fill the sump up to within a couple of inches of the top. Close the valve to the chiller, connect my water change hose, open that valve, and plug in the pump again until the return section is empty. Close up the water change valve, open the chiller valve again, and then fill the sump from another trashcan with my new saltwater. Plug return pump back in and cancel the feed mode. While things are pumping away, I empty out the skimmer and clean out the collection cup. It takes more time think of what I did and to type all that up than to actually execute it for a 20 gallon water change.
Additional Equipment:
I should be getting my Phosban 150 this week for running carbon. I should also be getting my second Breakout Box and reed switches for wiring up the cabinet lights to activate automatically when the appropriate doors are open. No more reaching into the stand to find a switch on a light! Once that goodness arrives, I should be done with wiring and hooking things up for a bit.
I also went ahead and ordered another MP40W ES (from a fellow R2R member) to put on the center section of the back wall so I can experiment with different flow and then setup my WXM Apex module to control all three MP40s. Because I want to maintain some lower flow sections, a fourth MP40 would be too much internal flow I think.
QT System:
I figured I should take a quick point and shoot picture of the QT as it sits:
It is a standard 40B with live sand, live rock, a CPR HOB fuge with sand and macro, and an AquaC Remora Pro HOB skimmer. The sand is new and seeded with a couple cups of live sand from my old 70g. The live rock is leftover from my cooking and curing process. The skimmer and fuge came from my 70g so basically I am using the same filtration from my 70 on a tank about 1/2 the size.
The stand needs to finished and I need to get some sort of basic sump in place. I'll re-use the overflow box and return line from my old tank and then then drop the skimmer and heater into the sump. There is a small 1/10hp chiller that will be connected in-line with the Mag 9.5 return pump that was on my 70g as well. I've got a Koralia from the 70g to provide some extra flow. Recycling my old equipment made setting up this QT system pretty easy.
I didn't want to skimp on the QT system and by using some of the same equipment, my QT also acts as a source of back-up components for my main tank. I've got a JBJ ATO and aqualifter to handle top off and another Bubble Magus triple doser setup for dosing. If I find a deal on a used Apex I'll probably get that too, just to have spare components and more control over the QT system. The doser will be necessary to maintain stable Alk, Ca, and Mg levels when I QT new corals (I probably have enough corals as it is, but y'all know how that goes when you see that piece you really want or someone offers you a great deal at a frag swap or . . .) For that reason, I also need to get another AI Vega to pop over the QT so that I can support corals and acclimate corals while they sit in QT.
I made the decision to go with an observation QT setup for a few reasons. First, I want to QT anything that goes in from this point forward whether it be new macro algae, a new fish, new SPS, or other inverts. I also did want to go through hyposalinity for fish which would entail keeping up on all types of filtration, ammonia control, and that would not be useful for inverts and corals. I also did not want to go with a copper treatments that would require constant monitoring of copper levels and that would also not be useful for inverts and corals. I think a more natural environment with lots of rock for fish to hide is also probably less stressful on them. Time will tell if this is a good approach or not. Obviously, if fish comes down with ich or something else while in QT I'll have to break out the other 40b to do hypo or copper treatment.
As of now, the fish in QT will stay there for a full 6 weeks to let ich manifest itself if it is present. So the new additions (tangs) will be able to go in around mid-November. This also gives me a chance to watch them and see how they behave and figure out what they like to eat and don't like to eat.
More UPS Goodies:
UPS, i.e. Santa in brown, just dropped off some cooling fans, second temp probe for PM2 and salinity probe temp correction, vortech foam covers, and breakout box for cabinet light switching.
Second Breakout Box is now in the cabinet along with the temp probe for the PM2 so that the salinity probe will be temperature corrected. I haven't had a chance to mess with the fans yet but that is lower on the priority scale. Once the reed switches come in for the cabinet doors and the third MP40 arrives I can finally be done with wiring stuff up!
Phosban 150 reactor arrived on Tuesday so I am finally running
BRS Rox carbon. Two sets of sponges were not enough to keep the carbon from getting through so I stuffed a little filter floss at the top of the reactor. With the lower flow, I'm hoping the filter floss will last for about 2 weeks without getting too clogged up so that I can just change it out with the carbon.
A local club member stopped by in the evening and was kind enough to show me a few photography tricks and let me try out a couple of different lenses. For now, here is a better FTS:
Now, if you have managed to read through this novel of a build log you are caught up with where I am today. This ends the compressed timeline of what actually took about a month to accomplish. From here on out, I will make real-time updates as things progress.
Current list of action items include:
1. Install new skimmer stand
2. Install second Breakout Box and reed switches for cabinet lighting control
3. Finalize Apex programming for switches
4. Clean-up wiring
5. Wait for and install third MP40W-ES
6. Learn to use and program Apex WXM module
7. Get another AI Vega or two for the QT
8. Get sump for QT and complete QT build
9. Take some time to actually sit back and enjoy the tank
10. Take some better photos!
