Okay well it has been quite a while since the last update and I have got a good amount more done.
I started by getting the reactors filled with media. I used ROX carbon in one and GFO in the other and all seems to be working well. I love how simple these
BRS reactors are they make it super easy to clean and maintain and flush the new media.
I also have been having some issues with my overflow nothing like flooding or anything. It is just so powerful that it keeps sucking down my critters. I was working on the aquarium the other day and realized I couldn't find my large Clownfish so I looked around and thought maybe he is in the sump, and sure enough there he was chilling in the filter sock. Very stressed out and a little beat up (probably from trying to get out of the sock which probably reminded him of a net).
What I think happened is that when he was sleeping (which is always near the weir of the overflow box) he got spooked and went over the falls and got sucked up by the pipe. She hasn't done it since so I think that this was a onetime thing. She got her top fin a little scuffed up but other than that she is fine.
Now I also got my CUC added to the system and they are going to work on the diatom outbreak and really cleaning things up. Which makes it a lot easier on me since I don't have to clean the glass as much.
I was also able to add the coral from my QT tank that I had been using as a temporary home during the build.
However with this CUC being added the snails like to move all over that tank and in the weir and the overflow box so it was going to happen and the snails have been getting sucked up the pipes. Which again is not big deal since I have a failsafe bean system however it is frustrating because when they do get sucked up (3 at a time sometimes) they clogged the siphon pipe and make the open channel kick it which is good and prevents flooding. However it does make the system get noisy since the open channel is having to take over. So I have had to take the elbows off the overflow 3 times now because of these snails.
I am going to be making a snail guard for the elbows of the overflow system I will use a hole saw and cut out some egg crate to fit inside and silicone it to the elbow so no more fish/snails get any free roller coaster rides.
And I also have the controller completely set up and online!!! Oh boy does it rock. I was able to drill some holes for these cable guides I got off McMaster Carr to keep everything tidy of course. I also was able to barrow a label maker from work and got all the cables labeled. I also had to buy some extension cords since some of the power cords (lights, korallias) are not long enough to be feed through.
Also I had ordered some Cheato with my CUC but it has not been doing very well at all so I took it out and threw it away. All that it seemed to do was slowly fall apart and leech back into the main tank so that I had little Cheato strings floating around, so to the garbage it went.
And finally I have some big news I am going to be building an ATS to add to my tank. For those of you that may not know about this lesser know filter system it is called a Algae Turf Scrubber. The idea behind it is that you will have a screen that is illuminated by lights and has water passing over it. Well with these lights shining on the screen it makes the algae want to only grow there since it is such an easy place to thrive. Therefore it wants to only grow there and removes that algae from you display tank. I know it sounds crazy but for about $15 in parts I think it is worth a shot. Not to mention I know two local reefers who runs these on their tanks (one uses only this for his filter w/ some live rock, the other uses a skimmer and this) and they look GREAT.
