Kaplanm

I bet they'd stop harassing us if we rolled our own, affordable, ARC reef controller. If we could hijack the APEX hardware interface they could keep using all their old equipment. Dev would probably take what, a year of spare time work?

I've got a stash of Kalkvasser I could spool up if necessary.
So far for testing supplies I've got the Redsea Pro test kit for all the basics (pH, Alk, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate)

Then I've got the Salifert kits for PO4, Mg, and Ca.

I'm equipped with a Refractometer for keeping track of salinity.

At some point I want a full blown reef controller, but an APEX system kinda fell out of my budget at this point. I may build a custom rolled one built off an android platform. I'm a software engineer so the software should be the easy part. It's the hardware interfaces that'll be trickier.

I've got a Durso Standpipe for my drain so I'm not *too* worried about flow. I can also give it a whirl and if it's giving me issues, I'll swap it out.

I finally am doing it! I've got my 60 gal bow front ready to rock and roll. Here's what I've got equipment-wise.

60Gal DSA Bowfront and Stand

Eschopps 75 Sump

2x Hydra 26's Lights

Reef Octopus NWB110 Skimmer

EHEIM COMPACT+ PUMP 3000 Return Pump

VORTECH MP40W ES Power Head

I've got 43lbs of Base Rock in there at the moment, I'll be adding about 40lbs of live rock to that in a few days.

60lbs of Bimini Pink from Caribsea live sand. This'll be going in at the same time as the live rock.

So far I've had a few issues with plumbing, which thanks to you guys have been resolved. It doesn't bother me, simply because I'm sick of wrestling with plumbing, but yes I know that the 2 returns are of unequal height. I'll be supplementing the Loc-Line on the tall one so that both of them wind up at the same height in the tank.

I spun up the skimmer last night, works beautifully. Tonight I'm going to epoxy some of the rock underneath that big plate on the left so as to make sure the whole thing doesn't implode when we put water in.

On the right, I'm planning on getting some more live rock to jack that plate up higher. Then the for ground will get some nice caves.

I'm planning on putting some Acropora on the plate on the right. I've not tried doing any of the SPS yet, and with the hardware I've got I should finally be able to give it a whirl. I also want to get some LPS corals perhaps in the forground where they won't have to fight against the current so much. Otherwise I'll stick an Anemone there.

For livestock it's still up in the air. I like Inverts of all sorts so I know I want to factor those in. I think I want a Yellow Diamond Goby, and I'd love to get a Flame Angel, but I know they can be about a 50/50 in terms of reef safety. To me the corals are much more important.

What do people think? Anything I've missed, any amazing recommendations?

That was the hose I was supplied with the plumbing kit I bought with the tank. Is it possible to cut it down and still mate it to the coupling at the other end, or do I need to go and buy a whole new hose and start from scratch.

That is one of the few pieces that actually is easy to remove and replace.

I think I'm going to wind up going halfway between the 2 options. I'm going to pull the existing return pipe out and tack on a small spacer on the bottom. Yeah I know it'll reduce flow some, but breaking this down is *seriously* a nightmare. (My fault. Next time I'm going all hard PVC, this flex tubing seems to be more of a pain wrangle than straight pipes)

I'll post pictures later tonight of the train-wreck of a piping system I've got installed on this.

The one was really easy. I had to nip about a 1/2" from the top strainer bit. The other one I'm concerned about.

What do people thing, can I cut this box down, or should I just pull the whole thing and start over? I really don't want to compromise the tank structurally.

That would prove problematic at this point. Both ends of the pipe are welded, and while the bottom is threaded in my infinite wisdom I've made it nightmarish to pull the bulkhead back out.

At this point, simply grinding down the plastic plate for the overflow box would be easier.

Unless someone has a really compelling reason why I shouldn't pull about an 1/8" off the overflow box.

I think I've identified the issue, I'll have to break down some of the plumbing to fix it. It looks like my return pipes are just a hair too short and the black return box on the back is pressing them up just enough to prevent a clean seal.
I'll break it down and take a Dremel to the black box to free up the 1/8" I need.

We'll see how that works later this afternoon.

I have all 3 gaskets on the inside, maybe it's just that last turn with channel locks that I need.

I've got a drilled DSA 60gal Bowfront. I've spent the past work getting my plumbing assembled and now that it's all together I finally go to test the seals on my bulkheads and all 3 fail, spectacularly. (Thank goodness for my empty sump!) It's not a leak, it's gush.

Do I need to Teflon tape the threads that the bulkhead nut tightens over?
I've got the bulkheads as tight as I can by hand, do I just need to try and get in there with a pair of channel locks and crank it down harder? I don't want to crack the glass on my tank.

Big thanks in advance, I'm really excited to get water in my tank this weekend!

I'm going to forgo feeding for the next day or so.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I don't have the capabilities for a proper reactor so it's a retrofit into an existing overflow filter.

I've Recalibrated my refractometer just in case. Value is spot on, but I'll take a sample to my LFS to be vetted.

I did a 60% + water change things seem to have perked up.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I've been bringing it down. It started at around 1.030. Weekly I push it down another thousandth of a point.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Last measured PO4 came out to .25ppm, that was on Sunday. I can reflex now, but presume it's unnecessary as odds are it's still high.
I just got some GFO that I was about to start to knock that down.

Ammonia: 0.0

Nitrite: 0.15

Nitrate: 20

Salinity: 1.027
pH: 8.1

Temp: 78.2

The tissue at this point has gone almost entirely flaccid.

I've a Torch in my tank that's been seemingly healthy for quite some time. Suddenly today its tentacles started retracting, turning dark purple and then bursting leaving behind a series of stringy filaments connected to the base. Is there something that can be done, or is it too late to salvage it and I should pull it before it kills off the whole tank?

Thanks for the tip. They had plenty of the gold Rams Horn snails, but apparently were wedded to either the blue or red morphs.

Any chance anyone has any to sell, or knows where we could procure some?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I am getting a dwarf puffer in short order and am starting a small tank to breed live snails for food in. I really want to breed some Rams Horn snails, with a strong preference for any of the "decorative" colored breeds. That, however, is not a requirement. I'm more than happy to pay for them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to give it a go. I'll report back in a few weeks.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I've got a 5 gallon nano, and I have a tiger pistol shrimp paired with a Randalls goby. Additionally I have an issue with aiptasia that I simply can't eradicate.

Would it be possible to introduce a peppermint shrimp to the mix, or will the pistol turn it into caviche right quick?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Where do you source your rock from? Is it natural, maricultured, or manufactured?

You should use straps to support the "dangling" end of the rigid plumbing.  You also might want to consider adding a manifold so you can tap off the return flow to feed reactors and such.

What is a manifold?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I497 using Tapatalk HD

Please explain why you think its not possible to configure rigid PVC directly from the return pump outlet?

I believe that model has a barbed outlet designed for flexible tubing.

That is correct. Reasonably, assuming I use clamps to hold the hose on, how likely is a failure with hose barbs and vinyl tubing?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I497 using Tapatalk HD