Perseverance Reef

[Fishy888]

lol ok I guess you don’t have a build thread but I thought for sure you did. You ought to start one. You’ve got some really good insights. People could learn from you.

 

[Reefering1]

lol ok I guess you don’t have a build thread but I thought for sure you did. You ought to start one. You’ve got some really good insights. People could learn from you.

I appreciate where you're coming from but idk bro-

 

[That Crusso Kid]

Never forget, @Fishy888, that @Reefering1 has a code he lives by...

 

[Fishy888]

Things are about to get real at Perseverance Reef! In the wake of hurricane James it seems like coral frags of all shapes and sizes are floating towards the reef! Color sticks! They should reach the reef in a week.

This is a great gift from a great friend! It’s also a belated birthday gift you could say. There are 12 frags. All SPS! I’m excited and nervous at the same time.

I mean, conditions have been pretty steady state. No ALK fluctuations, same for CAL. MAG never moves. Even nitrate and phosphate are pretty steady state. I’ll up my testing game though. I don’t expect any surprises though.

My nervousness comes from the fact that even though these frags should thrive in this system, I still worry because this person went through an awful lot to make this happen! I don’t want to disappoint them or myself honestly, but especially not the person doing this for me. I’m probably being paranoid though. I often overthink things. But most of you know that already.

My game plan is to make some temporary places with shade. There are a few already but I want to make sure there are enough for each frag. There are 12. There needs to be ample space between them. They also need to be as close to their ultimate spots as I can get them while not blasting them with light.

I have a large, fairly thin and flat piece of rock that, with a couple of smaller rocks, can be made into a “tent”. I might have some others too if need be.

Things will be very different, and some things I’ve gotten away with thus far are things I’ll have to stop doing. Things like topping off more frequently using less water. I plan on getting an ATO kit very soon. I’ll also need to do smaller, more frequent water changes. I’ve been doing that lately though, especially with moving the tank a few days ago. There are other considerations too but those are the biggest ones right now.

It’ll be a while before I have to supplement but not a super long while. Of course, usually Kalkwasser or a two part solution is the way to go. Which one depends on how much ALK demand there is. I use Reef Crystals so I’m pretty sure ALK won’t be much of an issue. That is to say that water changes should take care of ALK for quite some time to come, even when CAL might have to be supplemented. That’s at least a few months down the road though.

 

[Fishy888]

I did my testing for today.

ALK - 8.75 dKh - Salifert
CAL - 440 ppm - Salifert
MAG - 1275 ppm - Salifert
NO3 - 54.9 ppm - Hanna
PO4 - 0.193 ppm - Hanna
Phosphorus - 63 ppb

My nitrates have been coming down slowly. I stopped carbon dosing when the black cyano started taking over. Now that it’s pretty much eradicated I’m thinking about starting back up again but with a lower dose. I’m not sure that the carbon dosing caused the problem but that’s a fire I don’t want to rekindle!

I’m going to try and test everything every other day for the next couple of weeks. That way I’ll be able to really watch closely how my element and nutrient consumption changes now compared to when the new corals get introduced. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes before consumption of the big 3 as well as NO3 and PO4 increase and to what levels.

I’m not one to chase numbers but I’m going to increase MAG a bit. 1300 is where I’d like to be. I’m also going to try and drop my nitrates some more but slowly. Water changes should take care of both MAG and NO3.

 

[Reefering1]

What bulbs are you running there? We need to find you some proper pendants...

 

[Fishy888]

What bulbs are you running there? We need to find you some proper pendants...

I’m just running 400W 6500k generic grow lamps. I plan on upgrading from what I have but right now I’m limited financially. As it is I’m about to drop $200 on a much needed new wave maker and another bucket of salt. Technically it’s my Christmas present. In January or February I’m going to be getting some LED strips. They’ll be capable of simulating sunrise and sunset, as well as thunderstorms and the like. I want them mainly for the blue light. They’ll be in addition to the halides.

 

[Reefering1]

I’m just running 400W 6500k generic grow lamps. I plan on upgrading from what I have but right now I’m limited financially. As it is I’m about to drop $200 on a much needed new wave maker and another bucket of salt. Technically it’s my Christmas present. In January or February I’m going to be getting some LED strips. They’ll be capable of simulating sunrise and sunset, as well as thunderstorms and the like. I want them mainly for the blue light. They’ll be in addition to the halides.

What socket does the bulb use?
Are you good with tin snips and working with sheet metal? I think i have the layout/ design to make your own lumenarcs(ill have to look).
Just feels like there's a decent amount of light not being directed into the tank. Heck, you use mirrors or even foil to "round out" the open end of your current reflector..
I have several caymans Just sitting here, that im not using, but those are for double ended bulbs(hqi)...

 

[Fishy888]

I’ve gone back and forth in this thread about getting an ATO. My biggest fear has been the idea of solenoids failing, leaky connections and gallons of water spilling everywhere.

With the corals I’m getting, an ATO is not optional. It’s a necessity. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I’ve settled on a DIY design. Considering I have everything I’d need to make it, it’s go time!

It’ll be a gravity fed reservoir. It’ll literally sit on supports in the sump. Yup, I’m about to make a gravity fed ATO out of a 5 gallon bucket. Thank you BRS for giving me the idea, and IO for the bucket! Win-win.

I’ll need to drill a couple of holes, one for the short line and one for the long line. When the water level in the sump drops the siphon in the short line breaks and releases enough water to close off the air supply to the short line which stops the flow of water.

The bucket will sit on top of supports in the sump. It’ll have plumbing in the top to make filling the reservoir easy. Now I just have to get on it.

I might break down and buy some rigid airline tubing but it’s so crazy expensive that I’m going to try it without first. If I can bunch both lines together and use some PVC pipe to force the hose to stay straight at all times, it’d beat paying 30 bucks for rigid tubing. If it doesn’t work out I’ll just buy the rigid tubing.

 

[Fishy888]

What socket does the bulb use?
Are you good with tin snips and working with sheet metal? I think i have the layout/ design to make your own lumenarcs(ill have to look).
Just feels like there's a decent amount of light not being directed into the tank. Heck, you use mirrors or even foil to "round out" the open end of your current reflector..
I have several caymans Just sitting here, that im not using, but those are for double ended bulbs(hqi)...

I might have a pair of tin snips. I’d just have to find aluminum sheeting. I’d love a pair of good Lumenarc style reflectors! I use mogul lamps.

I agree regarding the ends of the reflectors. These reflectors were always meant to be temporary. I know they kind of… stink, but they’re better than bare bulb… barely. Fortunately I can adjust the fixture up and down if I need more PAR or less.

 

[Reefering1]

I’ve gone back and forth in this thread about getting an ATO. My biggest fear has been the idea of solenoids failing, leaky connections and gallons of water spilling everywhere.

With the corals I’m getting, an ATO is not optional. It’s a necessity. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I’ve settled on a DIY design. Considering I have everything I’d need to make it, it’s go time!

It’ll be a gravity fed reservoir. It’ll literally sit on supports in the sump. Yup, I’m about to make a gravity fed ATO out of a 5 gallon bucket. Thank you BRS for giving me the idea, and IO for the bucket! Win-win.

I’ll need to drill a couple of holes, one for the short line and one for the long line. When the water level in the sump drops the siphon in the short line breaks and releases enough water to close off the air supply to the short line which stops the flow of water.

The bucket will sit on top of supports in the sump. It’ll have plumbing in the top to make filling the reservoir easy. Now I just have to get on it.

I might break down and buy some rigid airline tubing but it’s so crazy expensive that I’m going to try it without first. If I can bunch both lines together and use some PVC pipe to force the hose to stay straight at all times, it’d beat paying 30 bucks for rigid tubing. If it doesn’t work out I’ll just buy the rigid tubing.

I just use float valves, connected directly to rodi unit, on both my systems. The 180 has been running for about 10 years and the pond about a 15 months, no issues ever. It does consume di resin though(tds creep). Ive been considering gravity feeding them from a brute to cut down on the constant on/off of the float.

 

[Reefering1]

I might have a pair of tin snips. I’d just have to find aluminum sheeting. I’d love a pair of good Lumenarc style reflectors! I use mogul lamps.

I agree regarding the ends of the reflectors. These reflectors were always meant to be temporary. I know they kind of… stink, but they’re better than bare bulb… barely. Fortunately I can adjust the fixture up and down if I need more PAR or less.

Try redirecting some light spill with aluminum foil, it will help. Ill try to find the instructions/ cut design.

 

[Reefering1]

if troylee wasn't so busy, we could try to get him to make them. He has in the past... if i can't find the instructions, ill ask him- he may have it..

 

[Fishy888]

if troylee wasn't so busy, we could try to get him to make them. He has in the past... if i can't find the instructions, ill ask him- he may have it..

That would help a lot too. Either way it would be awesome!

 

[Fishy888]

Looking back at my test results from 2 days ago, ALK was 8.15 dKh, not 8.75 dKh.

I tested NO3, PO4 and ALK yesterday.

Nitrates were 60.3 ppm
Phosphorus was 56 ppb
Phosphates were 0.172 ppm
ALK was 8 ppm

Today’s test results are as follows:

Nitrates 61.3 ppm
Phosphorus 49 ppb
Phosphates 1.50 ppm
ALK 8.15 dKh
CAL 440 ppm
MAG 1250 ppm

I’m not quite sure why PO4 suddenly dropped that much over the last couple of days. I have an idea as to why nitrates rose. I kicked up some junk while working in the sump. The levels only went up by one point from yesterday to today so I feel better about that. As for the discrepancy with MAG from 2 days ago, I’m really not sure what happened there. I’ll test it again tomorrow and see what it looks like. For the most part though the numbers are encouraging.

I started a light carbon dosing regimen today. I’m dosing 2 tbsp of vinegar spread out over the course of a day. When the black cyano issue began, I was swinging for the fences trying to drop my nitrates quickly. My rationale was that I only had soft corals. I didn’t want to do water changes if I didn’t really need to in order to save some money.

Dosing 9 tbsp per day of vinegar dropped my nitrates from over 100 ppm down to about 75 ppm. I then performed a series of water changes that brought them down to about 55 ppm. I also cleaned the sand bed and scrubbed the rocks. That brought my NO3 back up to about 65 ppm. It’s no surprise considering how much crud the sand bed trapped. I went through six 15 inch long filter socks in 3 days of intense sand bed cleaning. That’s how bad things were!

I did a little more cleaning of the sand bed last night. It’s not nearly as bad as it was. Pretty soon I will likely never have to clean the sand manually like I’ve been doing. It appears I’ll be getting my Jebao SCP-180 for Christmas. It’s likely I’ll get to open it early. Very early. Hopefully it’ll arrive some time in the first week of December. I’ll run it at the same flow rate as my SCP-120 initially, ramping it up slowly but steadily. Most likely it’ll be over a period of months, but when all is said and done, the flow from just the SCP-180 will be 100x! I’ll also run my SCP-120 for as long as I can get out of it.

All things considered the numbers are looking good! That’s without an ATO! Hopefully tomorrow or Monday I’ll get the time to make my ATO. I just have to decide how I’ll support the ATO over the sump. I have an idea but I need to see if it’s feasible and safe.

 

[Fishy888]

I’ve made good progress on the ATO reservoir.

I’m going to install a bulkhead in the lid and run a PVC line out from the ATO reservoir to the outside of the left hand side of the stand due to the tight fit under the stand. I’ll have a ball valve I can use to cut off any air that tries to enter from the top, thus maintaining the vacuum in the reservoir.

I haven’t had time yet to do my testing for today yet but if time allows I’ll test and post my results here this evening.

 

[Reefering1]

Ok. Here's what I can come up with so far(couldn't find the actual stencil file )

Patent-

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/57/4b/51/01426296d3d3c4/US6042250.pdf

Better option available now for $22 each(24x24x5 reflector)!! -

https://www.htgsupply.com/products/hy-mini-sunsoaker-reflector/

 

[Fishy888]

Ok. Here's what I can come up with so far(couldn't find the actual stencil file )

Patent-

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/57/4b/51/01426296d3d3c4/US6042250.pdf

Better option available now for $22 each(24x24x5 reflector)!! -

https://www.htgsupply.com/products/hy-mini-sunsoaker-reflector/

Thank you! I’ll check those out!

 

[Fishy888]

Unfortunately my corals won’t be able to be shipped out until next week. The good news is that it gives me a little more time to get my skimmer moved to the right side of the sump, the ATO to the left hand side of the sump and some extra testing in.

New test results will have to wait until tomorrow. I’m going to see about hanging the ATO in its place tomorrow as well.

Let’s just say that I know enough about the situation, and especially the person sending me the corals, to know they’re the real deal so I’m not worried. If I didn’t know this person from Adam it’d be different. It’s not a decision they made lightly and I hope everything goes ok for them.

The coral is still coming. The extra time could make a world of difference too. As good as my parameters have been, they can always use improvement. I’ll always feel like that though. I’m more worried about the temperatures, especially at night, at that point than anything else. The point is, everything is okay still. Great things are coming, even if delayed a week.

 

[Fishy888]

Today was a day of shenanigans. Some were committed by me but some were perpetrated by good ol’ Murphy. I’d like to break Murphy’s law but fortunately for me, I still won.

I went to pick up my PVC pipe and fittings, as well as a hole saw kit so I could hang the ATO. I got stranded there. In our neck of the woods, our transit system started a service where they’ll take you to your destination, kind of like a taxi service. The thing is, they only pick you up if they’re heading that way. I would have had to wait 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours to be picked up! I decided to walk home, 5 feet of 1 1/2” PVC pipe and 5 feet of of 3/4” PVC pipe in one hand, the fittings in the other. It worked out ok in the end and I got much needed exercise! It was a beautiful day for it!

Back to actual build related goodies, I got the ATO reservoir hung tonight.

The pipes look skewed in the image but they’re actually pretty straight. Not perfect but pretty close. I do have a lot of cabling as you can see but I’m going to tidy all that up before my shipment arrives.

The next step is to get a 3/4” bulkhead installed in the lid. Then I need to cut the 3/4” pipe, solvent weld everything. After that I’ll fill it and get it going.

Anything that needs to be done that might cause rapid parameter changes is going to be done before the new corals arrive. That includes a bit of an overhaul of my electrical system. I still have power strips under the stand. I’m going to add real outlets on the posts holding up the canopy. One is already in place on the right hand side. I’m going to add one more on the right hand side and two of them on the left hand side. This way, anything electrical will be situated well above the water line so if there’s a flood, there won’t be a fire on top of it.

I’m excited to get these things done. My reef has been pretty steady parameter wise all things considered, but having a working ATO is going to be a game changer! Once I get the new wave maker I’ll have it made! So will my corals!