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I’m due for an update. It’s been a little while. I’ll probably try to take some new pictures today if I get a chance. Not much has changed. I’ve added and removed a few corals. But nothing really fun or exciting. Kind of just in a watching the grass grow phase. As my co2 tank is nearing empty and I’m on my last small bit of masterflex tubing I’ve been thinking about my reactor a lot. My masterflex is an old brush motor model. While I realize it’ll probably outlast me, it’s so noisy. Noisy enough that I am constantly just thinking about how nice it would be to have a silent tank. I’ve tolerated the hum for a couple years and it is just driving me up the wall now. I think my chief concern is that when this tubing is done with I have to change something. My particular unit is discontinued and takes ls15 tubing. They don’t have an identical pharmed tubing alternative, and Cole Parmer only sells this tubing in 25 foot $125 sets which I’m not wanting to pony up for. So that leaves me with some options Replace the ez load head with one that takes ls17 tubing and stock up on pharmed tubing. Pro-probably the cheapest fix Con-still have the awful noise. Pick up a kamoer Pro-quiet, relatively inexpensive Con-shoddy quality, jebao level or worse, coralvue is unaccommodating on claims Pick up a brushless masterflex on eBay Pro-silent, reliable Con-Will take some setting aside of money for a while. I’m on a budget and a purchase like that isn’t one I can just make on a moments notice. Buying a used pump is a risk as well Pick up a brand new brushless masterflex Pro-everything. Best of all worlds Con-the cost is borderline fantasy land. The buyers remorse would kill me Pick up a fuel filter and run an ac pump/needle valve old school setup. Pro-nearly a free change. Simple. Saves space Con-hit or miss if it actually works I’ve been hearing so many conflicting opinions If you run a pump and needle valve Use a prefilter Don’t use a prefilter Use a pinch valve Use a needle valve Use a return pump manifold Don’t use a manifold it’s unreliable, use a dedicated pump But most pumps that small aren’t very high quality. I’m so torn on what direction to go, but I have to make a decision soon. I’m about to cull all of my pc rainbow. Despite multiple dips and relocations, the colony and various frags tend to spiral down hill. Burnt tips, mesenteric filaments, brittle tissue, color loss. No idea what it could be, but whatever it is, it’s winning. Everything else is fine Against Ty’s best advice, I’m likely switching back to metal halides very soon. Have a pair of mint lumenbrite pendants being offered to me for free and I have ballasts as well. A pair of hamilton 14k every 9 months or so will be cheaper to run and replace than 8-54 watt t5 bulbs. I will be able to drive the par higher as well. I don’t think anyone would argue that halides don’t grow acropora lol. I like my t5’s and they’re reliable, but a canopy is a must, and I’m not up for a rebuild. I can’t really get my par in the neighborhood I’d like. I am peaking out at about 300 or so on the rocks at the highest point and 400 directly under the water surface. Likely due to the fact that the lights are 13” off the water and can’t get any closer. Shooting for 400-500 atop the rocks and higher as the branches grow upward. A free lateral move bringing me into the range I want and bringing back that zesty shimmer I’ll admit is exciting to think about. I think that about covers the update for now. I’ll post some pics later. Here’s one just for attention Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I gotta find a way to get some of these! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

How long has it been stable and how often do you clean/replace that filter? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

You think the kamoer would be able to run a fast enough effluent? Right now on my 90 gallon I’m running roughly 85 ml/min at a ph of 6.6 on my geo 618 with full media. Doesn’t the kamoer top out at 100 ml/min? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I guess I need to look harder Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Just an awful lot of “the screen stopped working after a couple weeks” and “pump just flat out stopped working after a month” type stories with coralvue and BRS being less than helpful on replacements. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I wonder where the geo reactor fits into that mix Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

So you’ve been a long time proponent of not needing a peristaltic pump on your reactor. We discussed this briefly years back. I’ve enjoyed the stability and reliability of my masterflex but the noise and inability to get the tubing it takes any longer have me at my wits end. Soooo many people report constant effluent fluctuations, valve clogging, and headaches using the push method with a conventional pump. A new masterflex is definitely not in my budget. A $2400 calcium reactor feed pump is absurd. And I’ve read nothing but horror stories about the kamoer pumps that brs and coralvue are carrying. Share with us/me how you’re able to maintain such stable alkalinity on your reactor without using a peristaltic pump, and why do you think others struggle so much with it. A mj900 sounds a lot more attractive than a faulty peri pump or a couple grand for a decent one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Maybe once a year or so. Reminds me its been a while. I think I'll clean the return and skimmer pumps this weekend

I’ve been using muriatic acid to clean my pumps for years. I do about a 1:10 mixture. Stings the nostrils. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I don’t get much coralline in my tank honestly. My Powerheads seem to always get a lot of your standard algae buildup on them. I have to clean my jebaos monthly or they drop about 30-40% flow. I am hoping swapping the cages and rotors out will do enough for monthly maintenance with a full shaft removal and cleaning of the bushings every few months. The gen 3 gyres look like they’re coming with a light shield to keep algae from building up on the cages Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Do you guys find that simply swapping the cages and rotors isn’t sufficient. Do you need to take out the impeller shaft and scrub thst too? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Christmas present to myself. Not sure if I should throw them on the tank now, or let them stay brand new for the 150 gallon? What do y’all think. My flow situation presently is ok, but I wouldn’t mind more. What do y’all think? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Easiest thing I found to do is find what someone is doing who has a tank you really admire, and pick their brain. Copy them Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Special grade or white starboard. CC is too big, finer sand makes a mess. I’ve debated going barebottom but I just love the look of sand too much Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

As suspected. Measured the entire tank at all points using the apogee qm510. I’m getting 550-600 at the surface, and 250 on the sandbed. Most points on the rocks that aren’t shaded are averaging around 300-400 par. Par is ridiculously even laterally and front to back and the only real variation I see is in vertical depth. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Took some pictures today. Same old stuff. Just improving with growth and color. Changed up the bulbs. On a quest to provide as warm of spectrum of pictures as possible to get as realistic images as I can. This is as warm of colors as I can get with my present bulb layout which is 3 Blue+ 2 Giesemann Tropic 1 Purple+ 1 Coral+ 1 True Actinic. When bulb change comes around again, I’ll be swapping the coral+ with a third 6500k bulb. I know there’s conflicting data abound, but I am a believer that hitting those certain wavelengths that this bulb does, provides some fantastic things for color development. Nick’s Purple Passion BC Acroberry PC Rainbow. Lost the green base, hoping blue tips come in. Getting about 270 par BC raging bull (still kind of dormant. Encrusting a little. Hasn’t done much, might be a dud), Hawkins finally taking off, pink lemonade, mystic blue stag out of control. Cali tort- getting almost zero flow, hence the zero growth. Love the color though Can’t decide between Millie or prostrata. Thinking the latter Top right - no idea what it is but it’s my favorite coral in the tank Left - BC Orange Fury - too polypy to see the Orange base developing Left down - Paletta pink tip Right down - Ora Laura’s purple polyp $500 efflo, sunset Millie BC Old Blue WWC Aqua Delight, WWC nuclear fission Candlelight stag Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Would it then be advisable to be immediately aggressive with the PO4 removing method of your choice, carbon use, and perhaps polyfilter, and some large water changes to immediately remove whatever that dead algae is providing the water? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Refilled the CARX media for the first time since buying it. It was about 1/4 left full and about an inch of non-dissolved powder at the bottom. Took about an hour. Was slightly less of a pain than anticipated. Up and running full of fresh media and good to go! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

New bulbs came in. Love how bright and natural it looks. Like sunlight in shallow water Will take par readings after I replace all 8 and they’ve burned in. I only swapped two out today. Spectrum shouldn’t change much from here though. The rest are duplicates. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

He’s an average size foxface. He would definitely appreciate some more space though. I’m hanging onto him and he will feel more comfy in the 150 gallon when I set that up. He’s otherwise healthy. Has his own “cave” and eats plenty. Not any signs of stress. Doesn’t fight. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

So the anecdotal comparisons I am seeing are the seneye reads about 10% low compared to the apogee 500 series. My bulbs being as old as they are should have lost abojt 20% par at this point My splash guard was covered in salt creep. Let’s call that a 5% reduction. So my reading is possibly 35% low compared to a clean fixture with new bulbs. Using that factor I come to 400/0.65 to get 615 par at the surface which seems a little more reasonable for a fixture 13” over the water. Also brings me to 350-400 mid tank which is right around where I want to be. Looks like I need new bulbs and to clean my splash shield. Another observation. The 6500k bulb puts out about 10-15% more par than the blue+ bulb. This could all make sense. Or it could be me trying to rationalize my par higher Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Sorry not under pure 6500k this time like I’ve been trying to do. Didn’t feel like getting into the cabinet and turning off the blue+ bulbs. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

No more criticism Ty. I took par readings in my tank for the first time ever. It was a Seneye so keep that in mind, but it gets pretty good reviews on it’s accuracy vs the 500 series apogee. Par was a good bit lower than expected. 8x54 watt ati sunpower mounted 13” over the water I am getting about 400 at the surface over roughly the entire footprint, with a gentle gradient down to about 100-200 on the sandbed depending on how centered I get it. Most my acros are hanging out in the 200-300 range which is much lower than I expected. Couple things. The 6500k bulb does put out a lot more par than any other bulb. I’m adding more. The splash shield was very messy with salt creep. All my blue+ bulbs are about 24 months old, and the rest range from 9-18 months. I’m going to take it down and clean the splash shield real well. Maybe order new reflectors. And new bulbs. I’ll repeat readings in a month or so Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Jebao customer service is lousy, and I have a feeling this thread would get buried on a big forum in a hurry. Question for you guys and gals As I continue to slowly build up the 150 gallon I am at a flow conundrum. Ideally, I’d get a quartet of MP60’s or maybe a pair of Gyre XF280’s. But....even being in this hobby for as many years as I have, I simply cannot reconcile the cost of those options. Having had a tunze and a vortech to kaput on me in the past, I simply don’t trust that spending 1-2 grand on powerheads will result in a “you get what you pay for” situation. I digress. 60”x24”x24”. All sps. Shooting for 100x turnover or more. Considering a quartet of jebao OW60’s Here’s my question. Can you do two master and two slaves? I understand if you set one master pump it will automatically detect any nearby controllers and any assign them as Slaves. I’d ideally like to have two masters on one side and two slaves on another that way I could program a gyre flow using the stock controllers if that makes sense. But I don’t understand how that will work logistically when setting the controllers. My apex is pushing 7 years old and I don’t expect it to hang in there much longer, won’t be purchasing a new one. So apex control isn’t something I’d like to rely on Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro