400 gallons of saltwater running through my house.

[DevonM]

Good thing vinegar is relatively cheap.......................... LOL

Yeah, I will take $30 over $400 any day.

 

[CarlaW]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh economics

 

[DevonM]

I picked up a Neptune Apex controller today from Reefmissoula. Plugged it in and am just getting used to the lingo & functionality. 8 plugins to start with so I think I will tackle lighting and dosing first off. Network and email settings configured so I should be able to check in and make adjustments from anywhere. More to come...

 

[CarlaW]

Good luck Devon, sounds like to much fun .

 

[dsmhero]

Wahooo!

 

[DevonM]

Apex has been up and running for a few days now. I printed out the "unofficial" updated manual for it (157 pages) and boy are there a lot of options! I already want to buy another $500 in accessories (wireless controller for MP40s & more power strips). I must say, I really enjoy the phone app and the logs/graphs this thing puts out. I'm sure it will be helpful for figuring out the most appropriate dosing schedule.

Well we are off to Miles City in the morning so we will see how the monitoring goes from a far. When we get back I plan on setting up the first plugins for dosing and the refuge lighting.

 

[CarlaW]

Have a great trip Devon, looking forward to seeing what things look like when we come down Memorial Day.

 

[CarlaW]

I had a request to post these, so I guess I will . Thx again you 2 for havin us down, next time let me know and I will pile some wood in the back .

 

[CarlaW]

I know you are gonna ask where is Shelby? Well, I think if I would have taken her pic, I wouldn't be able to post these like I am now .

 

[DevonM]

Re-posting some of Kim's awesome shots from our last meeting. Thanks!

 

[CarlaW]

Copy cat..............................lol

 

[DevonM]

An interesting video comparing LEDs and Metal Halides. I think as LED units come down I will think about changing over... It would increase my PAR and lessen my power usage. eace:

 

[DevonM]

Well since it's summer time and I'm starting to freak out about the heat I figured that I better test my chiller (in-line Current USA 1/3 hp). I run two A/C units during the summer, one to keep the house under 73 degrees and another for those hot days that the primary A/C can't cut it. I tend to have about a 1.5-2 degree swing in the tank each day. During the winter months the tank usually sits between 75-77 degrees (heater kicks on at 75). Summer months usually run about 76-78 (chiller kicks on at 79). My chiller has not kicked on in probably two years so I thought I would test it to make sure it still worked. After kicking the chiller on for 30 minutes my tank dropped .5 of a degree. The new Apex controller helped me monitor temp with more precision (down to tenths of a degree) than my chiller unit could display (only whole numbers). So, I'm happy that all my cooling components seem to be working well and are ready for summer! :high5:

What temps do your tanks run at gang?

 

[CarlaW]

My high temp is usually about 83 Devon.

 

[DevonM]

My high temp is usually about 83 Devon.

Yeah I kind of wonder what temp I should actually have me chiller kick on at. I just figured I would set it a little higher than my normal operating temps.

 

[CarlaW]

As far as chillers go, I have not a clue, but I would think 82 would be a good choice.

 

[DevonM]

So does anyone see a reason why I should change out my refugium bulbs (T5s) if they have not burned out? I'm only trying to grow algae so run them till they die, right? I've noticed a little more hair algae growth than chaeto growth so I'm wondering if the old bulbs have anything to do with it.

 

[user 26995]

Yeah, the lighting has a lot to do with the hair algae growth. I would change them out.

 

[CarlaW]

Chaeto more than caulerpa needs the light Devon, what's a few more bucks for happy chaeto?

 

[DevonM]

Today seemed like a great day to unplug the main power source from my MP-40 pumps and let them run off the battery backup. They have been running for about 6.5 hours now with another 2 hours to go before I plug them back in for the night. :yawn: