Rhodes19
Well-known member
Hi Krish,
Thanks. I'll check out the calculator and test for Mg and Sr tonight.
Thanks. I'll check out the calculator and test for Mg and Sr tonight.
Rhodes19's 180 build
- Thread starter Rhodes19
- Start date
Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Ok, mg tested 875 ppm. Time to figure out mg/L.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Ok, I guess ppm = mg/L. Need to pump the mg up to 1200-1350. I have some Reef advantage magnesium so I'll follow the directions and use that.
Guerry
Well-known member
Hey Chris hows your mag coming? I'm installing new fixture this weekend so there will be three 250 ballast and three 400watt ballast sitting on the self. Let me know if you want to get any of them
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Ok, I've changed some things around at home and at work so I've hadn't had much time to be on line. Its been a while since I updated my build so here we go.
To start with I got a Reef Octopus BR 140 bio pellet reactor from Bulk Reef Supply and set it up about 4 weeks ago now and it seems to be working. I was fighting gha only in one corner of my tank and it was under the 250 MH. I was pulling the gha out and was doing some water changes but I could not beat it. My phos was 0.09 (hanna checker) and my nitrates were below 12 (Tetra labs go from 0 to 12.5 in the first color step). After about 2 weeks of running the reactor with only half of the recommended pellets (trying to avoid a bacteria bloom) I started to notice a change in the gha. It started to turn brown and started developing bubbles on it. It seems to tear a lot easier when I pull on it and when I put the siphon hose on it when I do wc, it it siphons the brown and the bubbles off leaving more of a thin, lightish green thread than a bushy clump like before. Based on that, I'd say its working but I still have some more time to go. Ok, time for pictures.
Reef Octopus bio pellet reactor.
Outside the sump
Feed line is coming off the return.
I put better conduit support since I took the picture.
To start with I got a Reef Octopus BR 140 bio pellet reactor from Bulk Reef Supply and set it up about 4 weeks ago now and it seems to be working. I was fighting gha only in one corner of my tank and it was under the 250 MH. I was pulling the gha out and was doing some water changes but I could not beat it. My phos was 0.09 (hanna checker) and my nitrates were below 12 (Tetra labs go from 0 to 12.5 in the first color step). After about 2 weeks of running the reactor with only half of the recommended pellets (trying to avoid a bacteria bloom) I started to notice a change in the gha. It started to turn brown and started developing bubbles on it. It seems to tear a lot easier when I pull on it and when I put the siphon hose on it when I do wc, it it siphons the brown and the bubbles off leaving more of a thin, lightish green thread than a bushy clump like before. Based on that, I'd say its working but I still have some more time to go. Ok, time for pictures.
Reef Octopus bio pellet reactor.
Outside the sump
Feed line is coming off the return.
I put better conduit support since I took the picture.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Effluent being directed to the skimmer in take.
Here is the reactor running. The pellets clumped a bit at first and some floated to the top in the beginning but over time the clumps broke up and most of the pellets that floated to the top sank to the bottom.
Here is the reactor running. The pellets clumped a bit at first and some floated to the top in the beginning but over time the clumps broke up and most of the pellets that floated to the top sank to the bottom.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Here is the green hair algae at 2 weeks after I started the bio pellet reactor. Sorry, no before pictures (wasn't proud of the gha).
Here is the gha 3 weeks after starting the bio pellets.
I meant to take pictures of the gha after I did the wc yesterday but forgot.
Here is the gha 3 weeks after starting the bio pellets.
I meant to take pictures of the gha after I did the wc yesterday but forgot.
Krish
RF STAFF
I'd throw that rock back in the ocean :lol:. Hope you get it sorted out Chris. I know my first battle with hair algae when I first signed up here in 2003 made me give up the hobby for about 2 years and then I came back and was better prepared LOL! Is that media some sort of phosphate media? Also, what flow did they recommend for it because I know with alot of the different types of media that go in reactors they require very minimal flow to where the media doesn't churn and bump into itself which practically destroys it so I was just curious.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
I had to make another box for the 2nd MH because the other box got tossed . Anyway, its only temporary until I can get a canopy made.
Same ballast, same bulb, different pendent. There is an obvious difference in intensity in light. I had to move the frogspawn, hammer head and fungi because they were shrinking up and loosing their color.
. Anyway, its only temporary until I can get a canopy made. Same ballast, same bulb, different pendent. There is an obvious difference in intensity in light. I had to move the frogspawn, hammer head and fungi because they were shrinking up and loosing their color.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Here is a couple of pictures of my green acro and frag. They are both under the same MH light (the first MH not the new one) and I think I'm getting better polyp extension. It also looks like the polyps maybe becoming a darker green. I think I can attribute this to the bio pellets.
Frag.
Frag.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Here are the newer additions to my corals. A friend gave me a gift certificate to a lfs and these are what I brought home.
Cynarina (button coral).
Neon green torch coral.
I also picked up a nice mummy eye chalice and a Tyree sunset monti frag from a local reefer but I forgot to take some pictures. Maybe tonight.
Cynarina (button coral).
Neon green torch coral.
I also picked up a nice mummy eye chalice and a Tyree sunset monti frag from a local reefer but I forgot to take some pictures. Maybe tonight.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
My wife gave me a nice little present the other week for the aquarium stand. It's a nice little mermaid that sits on the ledge. Its rather cute so I put her front and center.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
I'd throw that rock back in the ocean :lol:. Hope you get it sorted out Chris. I know my first battle with hair algae when I first signed up here in 2003 made me give up the hobby for about 2 years and then I came back and was better prepared LOL! Is that media some sort of phosphate media? Also, what flow did they recommend for it because I know with alot of the different types of media that go in reactors they require very minimal flow to where the media doesn't churn and bump into itself which practically destroys it so I was just curious.
Hi Krish,
That thought crossed my mind for sure LOL. I'm seeing a good change in the gha so that's good. I would really hate for it to take over. The BRS pellets are 100 % natural Polyhydroxyalkanoates. Not sure what that means and one day I'll sit down and research it but its supposed to offer a source of carbon for the bacteria. Kind of like vodka dosing but with polymers. The flow they recommended was enough flow to make them gently tumble.
Krish
RF STAFF
Nice! Well good luck with it! You can use that GHA to work for you as well. It uses excess nutrients (nitrates, phosphates etc) for it's growth so as it grows and binds up all of these excess nutrients, just trim it back which will export the excess nutrients out of the system which will help some. Hopefully it will subside soon!
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Here are the 2 new corals I forgot.
Mummy Eye
Sunset monti (left of the Seasons Greeting monti)
I thought I would add these pictures of a reddish monti and an Idaho grape monti starting to intertwine with each other. Kind of cool looking.
Mummy Eye
Sunset monti (left of the Seasons Greeting monti)
I thought I would add these pictures of a reddish monti and an Idaho grape monti starting to intertwine with each other. Kind of cool looking.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Nice! Well good luck with it! You can use that GHA to work for you as well. It uses excess nutrients (nitrates, phosphates etc) for it's growth so as it grows and binds up all of these excess nutrients, just trim it back which will export the excess nutrients out of the system which will help some. Hopefully it will subside soon!
Thanks. Well, if all goes well, the bio pellets will remove the excess nutrients and I won't have to harvest the gha. If the gha keeps degrading at the rate it is now, I shouldn't have any in the tank in an other month or so.
Smitty222
Member
Love the stand, it turned out pretty nice!
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Thanks Smitty.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
Ok, up date time.
First, lets start with the dirty water storage containers. I was using 2, 32 g Brute trash cans but I wanted to make my sw in 50 g batches so I started looking for 55 g drums. I found a few but they were used for detergent and I really didn't want to mess with it. Some one local has a bunch of 60 g pickle barrels which according to they guy, can only be used once by law. So, I got 2 of them, one for fw and one for salt. I cleaned them out with bleach and rinsed numerous times. The plan was to build a stand with the fw over the sw for gravity feed and to have the bottom one just off the ground high enough so I could gravity feed a 5 g bucket. Only problem with that is that the barrels are either to tall or my garage ceiling is to short. So for now, I have a 60g barrel for sw mixing on the ground and a 32 g Brute next to it for fw (easier to get into and scoop out water with a small bucket). Here are the pickle barrels.
The label says 60 g
The solid piece is the top to the barrel, the ring screws over the lid to the barrel, and the mesh thing sat on the bottom of the barrel to keep the pickles off the bottom.
When I pulled the 32 g Brute I was using for sw, I noticed it was rather dirty. I'm not sure what's its from though.
White hard stuff on the bottom and black film (?) on the sides.
I'm also noticing a little bit of a funky smell from the 32 g Brute fw container. As soon as I can figure out how to use both pickle barrels, I'll get rid of the 32g.
First, lets start with the dirty water storage containers. I was using 2, 32 g Brute trash cans but I wanted to make my sw in 50 g batches so I started looking for 55 g drums. I found a few but they were used for detergent and I really didn't want to mess with it. Some one local has a bunch of 60 g pickle barrels which according to they guy, can only be used once by law. So, I got 2 of them, one for fw and one for salt. I cleaned them out with bleach and rinsed numerous times. The plan was to build a stand with the fw over the sw for gravity feed and to have the bottom one just off the ground high enough so I could gravity feed a 5 g bucket. Only problem with that is that the barrels are either to tall or my garage ceiling is to short. So for now, I have a 60g barrel for sw mixing on the ground and a 32 g Brute next to it for fw (easier to get into and scoop out water with a small bucket). Here are the pickle barrels.
The label says 60 g
The solid piece is the top to the barrel, the ring screws over the lid to the barrel, and the mesh thing sat on the bottom of the barrel to keep the pickles off the bottom.
When I pulled the 32 g Brute I was using for sw, I noticed it was rather dirty. I'm not sure what's its from though.
White hard stuff on the bottom and black film (?) on the sides.
I'm also noticing a little bit of a funky smell from the 32 g Brute fw container. As soon as I can figure out how to use both pickle barrels, I'll get rid of the 32g.
Rhodes19
Well-known member
The next update is my aptasia zapper. I got the idea from Paul B. It was fun to make and it works pretty well. A lot of times though the aptasia goes back into the rock quicker than I can zap it. LOL
Here is the completed zapper. It's not as good as Paul's but it's functional. I used a 36" long acrylic tube, a 12V DC 300mA transformer, 24 gauge wire left over from a garage door opener (was going to use 24 gauge speaker wire but the coating on it was so sticky, I couldn't feed it all the way into the tube), a momentary contact switch, a film container, a spring from one of my wife's pens, a grounded down sewing needle from my wife's sewing room, and graphite from a carpenter's penile, and some goop. Oh, by the way, my wife doesn't know about the pen and needle, so if you don't tell her, I won't tell her.
Here is the completed zapper. It's not as good as Paul's but it's functional. I used a 36" long acrylic tube, a 12V DC 300mA transformer, 24 gauge wire left over from a garage door opener (was going to use 24 gauge speaker wire but the coating on it was so sticky, I couldn't feed it all the way into the tube), a momentary contact switch, a film container, a spring from one of my wife's pens, a grounded down sewing needle from my wife's sewing room, and graphite from a carpenter's penile, and some goop. Oh, by the way, my wife doesn't know about the pen and needle, so if you don't tell her, I won't tell her.
