Terry's 180 SPS Peninsula Upgrade

[Terry4505]

Thanks guys.

Last of the major purchases (for now). I picked up my protein skimmer tonight, I also did some cord management and got things cleaned up a bit:

My only complaint is that the skimmer is far from silent. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't matter. But because the tank is in the living room and the stand is wide open (for now) everything is heard.

 

[ReeferEric]

Just caught up, love the updates! Nice work, keep it up.

 

[mcdonaldtj]

Thanks guys.

Last of the major purchases (for now). I picked up my protein skimmer tonight, I also did some cord management and got things cleaned up a bit:

My only complaint is that the skimmer is far from silent. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't matter. But because the tank is in the living room and the stand is wide open (for now) everything is heard.

This is an awesome tank, I understand your concern with the skimmer and I find the same problem with mine (200sss elite) It isnt from the motor it is from the air coming in through the muffler. I was running PH about 7.8 to 7.9 and wanted higher so I added a tube to the output of the muffler and sent it outside, my tank is next to an outside wall. This mod quieted down my tank significantly and my PH stays a steady 8.1 to 8.3, major difference. Does your skimmer have the DC motor I am not sure of the classic series? Looks awesome.

 

[Terry4505]

No, it is not the DC motor.

The noise is definitely from the air draw, not from the pump itself. I just keep reminding myself that the sump is moving to the basement soon (maybe sooner), so it won't matter.

On a different note, I am on Day 3 of the Red Sea reef mature program and I am experiencing a ***** bacteria bloom, which is to be expected as I am adding a ton of bacteria to the system. The water was crystal clear yesterday, and very cloudy today.

 

[Terry4505]

Cycle is well under way. The glass is absolutely covered with pods.

I received a shipment of some Black Friday goodness today:

I also mounted my WAV pumps and got them ready for the Apex:

And a current shot of the tank from my view in my favorite chair (you can see the tree lights reflected off the glass:

 

[Terry4505]

Couple of quick updates...

I am on Day 6 of the Red Sea Reef Mature program and it is going swimmingly (see what I did there...?) I am loving it. The tank glass is covered with pods and the tests are reading exactly as Red Sea says they should. Tomorrow is my first water change.

I picked up my Apex yesterday, got it updated and connected to Fusion and fired up the Neptune WAVs. I was worried about two pumps being enough to move water to the end of a 6-foot tank. I was wrong. These things move a TON of water and so far they are dead silent. I am going to have to mess with the programming to get them to do what I want, but I am picturing the two of the alternating back and forth.

The tank is coming along well:

 

[Terry4505]

Tank is continuing to hum along. I added the first part of a clean up crew today. 5 trochus snails, 5 blue leg hermits (small) and a blue knuckle crab because I liked him.

I also was able to get my foscam up and running to I can monitor the tank remotely. I also added the video feed to my Apex Fusion dashboard, which is friggen sweet:

 

[Terry4505]

I think I have made a decision.

I had Radions and T5s on my old and tank loved them. I wanted to try out Kessil A360Wes on this tank. I was going to try to blend Kessils and Radions over the same tank, and I just don't think it is going to work. I don't like having to navigate two systems with the lights, it's not like logging into ESL and just making changes and having them work.

I am going to go with 3 Kessil A360Wes, and sell the Gen 3 Pro Radion I picked up. I have an old MH/T5 fixture I picked up, I am going to mount the Kessils where the MHs were. There are 4 60" T5s in the fixture which should be more than enough. It even comes with fans and moonlight LEDs, which is pretty sweet. The Kessils will extend down a few inches below the fixture, as it is only about 2.5" thick, but I am totally fine with it. I might even try to bend the bolts I use to attach the Kessils, so I can angle the two on the ends towards the middle a bit. We'll see.

I also added two Blizzard clowns from my old system today and a frag of Green Slimer and a Duncan coral. Reef mature program is humming along, tests look good, 0-Nitrites, 0- Ammonia, 10- Nitrates.

I am mixing up a barrel of Red Sea Coral Pro salt (what I will be using). I used plain old IO for the cycle, just to save some $, but will be shifting over to the good stuff from here on out.

(I started typing this yesterday, I added some frags from the old system and a tiny Hippo Tang, which is my favorite fish since. No more additions for a while):

And the Apex stuff in its temporary spot:

The wires are a mess, but everything is running. The Apex is controlling the skimmer, return pump, auto top off, heater and webcam for now. I bought the leak detection monitor, but haven't programmed it yet. I am also going to get the Salinity probe/PM2 and AFS at some point.

And my view as I type this (can't see the two pugs pugging out on my lap):

 

[Terry4505]

The tank is in full-diatom bloom and I am starting to consider calcium and alkalinity solutions.

I think long-term I am going to go with a calcium reactor. I've never had one before, but I think it is the best possible solution, since I am going to have a lot of SPS, and keeping up with two-part can get crazy when you are doing 150+ mls a day.

I am also considering nutrient reduction methods. I am in need of some reactors, and I need to plumb in a manifold off of my return. Projects, projects, projects.

 

[Terry4505]

I am a strong supporter of the Red Sea reef mature program after having gone through it. I didn't think in 21 days it would be possible to have a tank with so much life in it. The glass is absolutely covered with pods.

I am in the middle of a full-on diatom bloom. There are patches of brown on the rocks and the sand bed. I am slowly adding to the CUC. I also plumbed in a manifold off of my return pump with 3 1/2" outlets. Two are currently being used for a full sized and mini- BRS reactor. The full-sized is running carbon and the mini is running 4 TBS of GFO. I want to cut off any nutrient problems before they start.

I also modded my skimmer for a float switch in the cup, to shut it down via the Apex in the event of an overflow (I came home to one the other day, and want to avoid the issue in the future).

 

[Newtybar]

A bit off topic, but I like your cement counters!

Are you going to integrate some cable management to clean up the wiring or eventually install panels for the stand?

 

[Terry4505]

Thank you. They came out better than I had hoped.

Eventually, the sump is moving to the basement, so I am not being overly picky about organizing the cords. I haven't really made up my mind about what to do for sides on the stand. I might just make up something out of some pine boards or something for the short term.

The tank is humming along. I added a pair of platinum clowns, a small hippo tank and the start of the CUC. The Hippo didn't make it. I'm not sure what the problem was, but the clowns are thriving.

I picked up an old MH/T5 light, gutted the MHs out and am adding 3 Kessil A360Wes where the MH were. I am loving the look of the tank with the Kessil and the T5.

 

[Terry4505]

Here's an exciting update. My Kessil/T5 hybrid is 2/3rds of the way complete.

I picked up an old MH/T5 fixture and gutted the MH components and wired in Kessils. My 3rd should be here next week, along with the Kessil-Apex cable so I can control everything through the Apex.

I am absolutely thrilled with how it looks. As happy as I was with my old Radion/T5 hybrid. I just love the look and function of LEDs with T5:

I am also getting crushed by this diatom bloom. I suppose this is just a part of a new tank..? I haven't started from scratch in 10 years, but everything I read says it will go away eventually. I have some conchs, snails and hermits all doing their thing.

 

[ps2cho]

Yep, just let it run its course, don't fight it. That was a mistake I did for 6 months...Don't overdo the water changes trying to get rid of it -- it'll clear by itself with time.

 

[Terry4505]

I dealt with the surface scum issue today. Or at least started to...

I plumbed 3/4" pipe around the top of the tank, tucked under the trim and T'd in the loc line returns on the far end. This was just a test run, as I am planning on painting it all black, but I wanted to make sure things fit before I finalized anything.

I could not be happier with how it came out. Once everything is black, it will be virtually invisible.

I was thinking about drilling small holes in the thin part of the top trim so I can inconspicuously zip tie the pipes to the trim, is this a bad idea?

Should I move the WAV pumps down so they are supporting the gyre, instead of fighting the returns?

 

[Newtybar]

Your scape is looking REALLY good!

 

[macscale]

Wow! Great thread! As far as the flow goes, I usually don't see a problem with the different forces running against each other, as it usually helps disperse the flow. If you see a dead spot or other issue, then I would move it, other wise you can leave it. I love the kessil/t5 hybrid you have going! Think I might try to get one going. As far as the trim. I am not sure what instability it could really cause, so I can't help you there. Great job! I really commend all your work!

 

[Terry4505]

Thanks guys! I am keeping them as is for now. The WAV pumps go off (or super low) at night, which gives the return pump the chance to push all of that surface scum down the overflow.

The Kessil/Apex cable arrived today and for the life of me, I cannot figure it out. When I plugged the Kessils into the cable, the both came on 100% and will not respond to any control through Apex fusion. I tried the VS 1/2 and 3/4 outlets, tried unpluggling an repluggling everything. No luck.

I ultimately just went back to the Kessil controller out of frustration...

 

[FrankAbagnale]

It's been awhile since I programmed my Kessil's to my Apex, but are you programming both the intensity and color?

 

[FireEMT]

It's been awhile since I programmed my Kessil's to my Apex, but are you programming both the intensity and color?

I am also programming my Kessils and they seemed to work well as long as I followed the instructions that Neptune put together specifically for Kessil. I would love to see someones schedule if they have a successful one. I am just guessing right now.

Thanks guys! I am keeping them as is for now. The WAV pumps go off (or super low) at night, which gives the return pump the chance to push all of that surface scum down the overflow.

The Kessil/Apex cable arrived today and for the life of me, I cannot figure it out. When I plugged the Kessils into the cable, the both came on 100% and will not respond to any control through Apex fusion. I tried the VS 1/2 and 3/4 outlets, tried unpluggling an repluggling everything. No luck.

I ultimately just went back to the Kessil controller out of frustration...

Your tank looks great. I love the hybrid fixture that you made. Do you have plans for a skin around the stand yet?