SuncrestReef's Red Sea Reefer XL 425 build

SuncrestReef · Aug 17, 2018

NY_Caveman said:
Just curious, how long does the process take with the photo stacking? It seems the Lobo was a first attempt, But how long for that one? Are you manually, painstakingly creating the image or is software accomplishing the overall final focus?

Thanks!

EDIT: never mind. Just reread the original post on this. Sounds like the software gets it done itself.

Yes, the Helicon software is pretty cool and works quickly. I'm doing a 2 step process:

1. I plug the camera into my laptop with a USB cable. Then using Helicon Remote, the software controls the camera focus and shutter. It automatically takes all the photos and changes the focus between each shot. You first set the near focus point and the far focus point, and tell it how many shots you want to take. From there it does the rest.

2. You open all the photos in Helicon Focus, and then click the Render button. The program overlays each photo one by one to compose the final shot, and it takes about 1 minute for a 10-photo image. They have 3 different algorithms to pick from and I've found some work better than others depending on the original photos.

All told, I can set up the camera, take the photos, and produce the final result in under 5 minutes.

NY_Caveman · Aug 17, 2018

SuncrestReef said:
Yes, the Helicon software is pretty cool and works quickly. I'm doing a 2 step process:

1. I plug the camera into my laptop with a USB cable. Then using Helicon Remote, the software controls the camera focus and shutter. It automatically takes all the photos and changes the focus between each shot. You first set the near focus point and the far focus point, and tell it how many shots you want to take. From there it does the rest.

2. You open all the photos in Helicon Focus, and then click the Render button. The program overlays each photo one by one to compose the final shot, and it takes about 1 minute for a 10-photo image. They have 3 different algorithms to pick from and I've found some work better than others depending on the original photos.

All told, I can set up the camera, take the photos, and produce the final result in under 5 minutes.

Oh wow, I did not realize the software controls the image gathering as well. Pretty cool. Glad I asked. Looks like you may be stealing some “Picture of the Month” contests in the near future.

Hulley · Aug 17, 2018

SuncrestReef said:
Yes, the Helicon software is pretty cool and works quickly. I'm doing a 2 step process:

1. I plug the camera into my laptop with a USB cable. Then using Helicon Remote, the software controls the camera focus and shutter. It automatically takes all the photos and changes the focus between each shot. You first set the near focus point and the far focus point, and tell it how many shots you want to take. From there it does the rest.

2. You open all the photos in Helicon Focus, and then click the Render button. The program overlays each photo one by one to compose the final shot, and it takes about 1 minute for a 10-photo image. They have 3 different algorithms to pick from and I've found some work better than others depending on the original photos.

All told, I can set up the camera, take the photos, and produce the final result in under 5 minutes.

That's amazing. I bought a Canon 80D not too long ago to play with and can see making photography a serious hobby, there's so much to learn that I really need to get with a pro to help me out. I can't wait to see the difference in photos.

SuncrestReef · Aug 17, 2018

Here are a couple of new additions: An Oregon Tort and a Super Freak mushroom.

SuncrestReef · Aug 21, 2018

Like most Reefer owners, I have been experimenting with different types of filter socks. Red Sea ships the tanks with 225 micron mesh socks. These are very easy to clean because they are very thin, but they build up detritus both inside and outside the mesh fabric, so if you don't swap them frequently all the exterior detritus falls off into your sump when you remove them. Next I tried the felt filter socks. These definitely trap all the detritus inside, but cleaning them is a major pain. At $10 per sock, it's not economical to just throw them away after one use.

My latest experiment is with Red Sea's media filter cups. I'm filling the cups with a foam block at the bottom, and topping it off with bulk filter fiber. I plan to just throw away the filter fiber every few days, and rinse out the filter foam.

Here are links to each of the products I used:
Filter cups: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/4-filter-media-cup-red-sea.html
Filter fiber: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00176AZ4C
Foam blocks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074757NS3

I trimmed down the foam block with scissors to fit into the slotted bottom of the cup.

Here's the finished product with the foam at the bottom and the filter fiber on top.

After a few weeks of experience I'll post an update on the performance of this setup.

Antics · Aug 21, 2018

I'm curious about the performance of the cups. Thanks for giving a detailed look and future review.

SuncrestReef · Aug 22, 2018

More day/night comparison photos:

Day:

Night:

Day:

Night:

NY_Caveman · Aug 22, 2018

SuncrestReef said:
More day/night comparison photos:

Day:

Night:

Day:

Night:

Literally night and day difference. Both awesome.

SuncrestReef · Aug 22, 2018

This might be the prettiest frag I've purchased so far!

mta_morrow · Aug 22, 2018

SuncrestReef said:
This might be the prettiest frag I've purchased so far!

Nice acan! Do you know the name?

SuncrestReef · Aug 22, 2018

mta_morrow said:
Nice acan! Do you know the name?

I don't know the name. Maybe I should post it in the LPS forum to see if someone can ID it.

SuncrestReef · Aug 25, 2018

Here's my latest addition, a Citrus Mistress Montipora:

Hulley · Aug 26, 2018

Very nice, love the shot!

GoPitt88 · Aug 26, 2018

Awesome picture!! What kind of camera do you use?

SuncrestReef · Aug 26, 2018

GoPitt88 said:
Awesome picture!! What kind of camera do you use?

I normally shoot with my Nikon D610 using a Nikon 200mm macro lens (see post #202 about this setup), but my wife took that camera on her trip to Africa for a few weeks so I've been stuck using my old Nikon D80 with the same 200mm macro. The photo clarity didn't compare, so I just rented a Nikon D850 for the weekend to try it out, and that's what I used for the Citrus Mistress shot above. I'm impressed with the results, but they're not that much better than the D610, so I doubt I'd spend the $3200 to upgrade to the D850.

It's pretty amazing how much they've increased sensor sizes over the years:

D80 = 10 MegaPixels
D610 = 24 MP
D850 = 45 MP

SuncrestReef · Aug 28, 2018

Here's an update on my previous post about switching from filter socks to filter cups:

So far I have mixed feelings about the filter cups. After the first two days, I noticed water was overflowing the filters. The filter fiber wasn't particularly clogged, but there just wasn't enough flow through the cup to handle the volume of water. I ended up removing the sponge filters from the bottom of each cup and just leaving the filter fiber in place. That allowed the water flow to pass completely through the cup and stopped overflowing.

I've found the filter fiber needs to be replaced about every 3 days. Again, the cups started overflowing once the fiber was clogged. Changing out the fiber is a simple process, and the convenience of just throwing it away is nice. But I'm not convinced that the fiber is as effective as a traditional filter sock. I've noticed my skimmer is filling up faster than normal, so I'm guessing more detritus is making its way into the skimmer chamber than before.

Here's a photo of the filter fiber after 3 days:

I'm going to keep using the filter cups for a couple weeks to see if I notice any problems or differences in my water parameters.

Lilmatty5dimes · Aug 29, 2018

Wow outstanding build. Love how organized the sump area is. I've always told myself I would do it on the next build. Lol great coral and fish selection so far.

SuncrestReef · Aug 29, 2018

Lilmatty5dimes said:
Wow outstanding build. Love how organized the sump area is. I've always told myself I would do it on the next build. Lol great coral and fish selection so far.

Thanks! Glad you like it.

I’m starting to think about redesigning my manifold plumbing for several reasons:

I never ended up using the biopellet reactor, so it’s wasting valuable space.
The pipe leading down from my UV sterilizer prevents me from moving the skimmer, so it’s really difficult to pull out the sliding filter sock trays. To do so, I need to tilt the skimmer over which causes it to overflow unless I first shut it off.
I’m considering getting a calcium reactor, but don’t have room in the sump area, and I don’t really want to place it externally.
The COR-20 pump only produces about 400 gph through the manifold with all the head pressure, so I’m considering separate pumps for the manifold and the return line.

Overall I’m still happy with how things turned out considering this is my very first aquarium, but I have learned a few things now that it’s been running for a while. I’m in no big rush to make these changes, but will probably do so before the tank reaches one year old.

I’ll be sure to post any plans and progress as it happens!

SuncrestReef · Sep 2, 2018

My wife was in Africa for a couple of weeks and took our Nikon D610 camera on her trip. While I missed my wife, I also missed the camera! But now that she's back (along with 4,000+ photos of elephants, rhinos, lions, zebras, cheetahs, and so many other great shots), I can get back to shooting macro shots of my corals. Below are some full-frame shots, each followed by a 100% crop showing details:

California Tort: