BornToHula Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 Made some progress on the dosing pump reservoir! I decided to go with 4 chambers. That way I will have room for both magnesium and amino acid dosing if I want to go that route. Each chamber is about 1.5 gallons. Also the battle against the mystery brown stuff continues to improve. This is the worst spot in my tank currently. Compared to how it was just a couple weeks ago: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Yeah that looks much improved now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10gReef Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I had that fuzz a while back, I added an urchin and he cleaned all up for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 I had that fuzz a while back, I added an urchin and he cleaned all up for me. Interesting, my tuxedo urchin doesn't seem to like the stuff too much (or maybe he is too small to make an impact). Astrea snails seem to work the best on it out of all my clean up crew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10gReef Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I noticed the biggest impact with a long spine urchin Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted August 23, 2016 Author Share Posted August 23, 2016 Hey! The urchin stole my zoas off the frag plug last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted August 23, 2016 Share Posted August 23, 2016 Urchins are such a great cuc addition but man they sure can tear things up! I'm glad things are starting to clear up for you, good job getting ahead of it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SChrisEV Posted August 23, 2016 Share Posted August 23, 2016 I just glue my frag plugs to my urchin to shortcut this process. Okay not really, but I've thought about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted August 24, 2016 Author Share Posted August 24, 2016 Finished the dosing pump reservoir! Doing a water test before it goes under the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SChrisEV Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 That looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Yeah, nice work on the float switch holders! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Great craftsmanship there! Now come over and make me some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted August 24, 2016 Author Share Posted August 24, 2016 That looks great. Yeah, nice work on the float switch holders! Thanks! Great craftsmanship there! Now come over and make me some! Thanks! I can make you one for the cost of materials + a frag or two . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted August 26, 2016 Author Share Posted August 26, 2016 Interestingly, now that most of the brown stuff has died off, my phosphates and nitrates still read zero. I wouldn't think there is enough algae taking up nutrients to still read zero. Maybe I should cut back on water changes/GFO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted August 27, 2016 Author Share Posted August 27, 2016 Had a problem with the Ecotech Vectra again tonight. Around 8:00 my water level alarm started going off. In the past this had meant that the Vectra's controller failed and needed to be reset. Luckily this was not the issue again - I just received and installed a replacement controller board last week. This time the pump was still running, just no water was actually being pumped through it. I went in to check the pump and the whole thing was super hot! Not burning hot, but hot enough that it was uncomfortable to touch it for long, and this was under water! I turned off the pump and gave it about 20 minutes to cool off, then opened it up and find this calcium build up causing the pump to fail: I cleaned it off using vinegar and some elbow grease. This was the first time I opened it up, so I'm not sure if the o-ring wasn't properly installed at the factory or if this will be an ongoing occurrence. It seems to be working OK now but I'll have to keep an eye on it. This pump has only been running for 3 months and already caused a ton of headaches. I'm just glad it happened when I was home so it didn't cause any issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 That's sad to hear but at least you we're there to troubleshoot. I've never really gotten calcium buildup on any of my return pumps over the years. Usually when I do annual pump impeller cleanings, it's just bacterial growth that can be easily wiped off. Did you ever overdose alk or calcium with new tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 That's sad to hear but at least you we're there to troubleshoot. I've never really gotten calcium buildup on any of my return pumps over the years. Usually when I do annual pump impeller cleanings, it's just bacterial growth that can be easily wiped off. Did you ever overdose alk or calcium with new tank? No overdose of alk or calcium. But like we discussed at C4, my dosing pumps do drip into the same chamber as the pump. I'm going to move the dosers to a different chamber and see if that helps solve it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 Here was my haul from C4: Aussie Golden Torch. It still hasn't fully come out, I don't think he's liking my tank. I've been moving him around too much and am going to let him stay here for a few days to see if he improves. Didn't write down the name of this goni. Northern Lights Hawkins Echinata FHC Boli Tri-Color 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 Red Planet EC Strawberry Shortcake Darth Vader from Reeffarmers I think this one was a Rainbow Millie from Reeffarmers He said he would write down the name of it so I didn't have to.... I have no idea what this says lol Overall I am happy with my haul, got lots of nice pieces! I feel that the corals from reeffarmers lost quite a bit of color between C4 and my tank. Hopefully they will gain some color once they settle in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Good score! I'd maybe start that gold torch in the sand bed. They are quite finicky when first added to a tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 Last night I couldn't sleep so I took a look at the tank around 1:00 AM and I caught my emerald crab eating the flesh off one of the acros! Never heard of an emerald crab doing this before or seen this one doing it before (I've had him for about 2 years), but he was definitely eating the flesh and not picking off algae or something else. Maybe he is starving since there isn't much algae for him to eat anymore? I would throw him a piece of frozen shrimp, but I never see him during the day. It may be time to trade him in to the fish store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Might be just me but I can't see the video nevermind, got it to work on my phone... hmm interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightinghippo Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 I can see it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan H Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 I don't think he's eating the acro, he's just looking for algae. They aren't exactly smart. We had an acro eating crab and trust me, you'd know if it were eating that coral. The tips would all be mangled up and what not. You can see in the video that the crab is gently trying to scrap algae with his claws, not smash the acro to get tissue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 I don't think he's eating the acro, he's just looking for algae. They aren't exactly smart. We had an acro eating crab and trust me, you'd know if it were eating that coral. The tips would all be mangled up and what not. You can see in the video that the crab is gently trying to scrap algae with his claws, not smash the acro to get tissue. There is some damage on the coral today from it, nothing bad, just a couple of spots. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and just wait to see if it happens again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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