Fishroom Reality Check
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Bill Howard
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Just read through this whole thread, great job, looks fantastic! Just wondering, how do you like the DCP-18000? I purchased this same pump for my 150 build w/basement sump.
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I think it’s great. It’s running at 83%, pushing 850gph up one floor and over 20 feet, and 350gph to my fuge.
But it’s only been running a few weeks, soon don’t know about longevity. But at $135, if I get 2-3 years out of it, I’m good
But it’s only been running a few weeks, soon don’t know about longevity. But at $135, if I get 2-3 years out of it, I’m good
Victoria M
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Neil, this is truly lovely, but your couch is facing the wrong way.
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Neil, this is truly lovely, but your couch is facing the wrong way.
Lol, thanks. We have another 3 seater opposite the tank that people fight over...
After I put the tank in and fitted the frame, my wife asked why I’d left the extra 2 feet on each side. Said I should have tried harder to convince her to go to an 8 foot tank, lol. When I told her the price jump, she said 6 feet will be great [emoji3]
Victoria M
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Just spent the morning reading your thread. nice way to just chill this morning. Lots of comments brewed in my head but I saved them for the end. Love how your double doors are angled. I have two walls like that in my house, and I just enjoy that it is non perpendicular = interesting. I enjoy hermits, but they are comical turds. I am getting an urchin today. Thanks for the inspiration. I placed likes all over your thread. The pillow...As your thread continued, I presume your wife did not find the carcass? ya know? as in you did not get killed in yer sleep. This thread needs more pics of babies. I am taking my rebuild just as slow, so very glad to see someone else too. dubs is a cool guy, glad to see him here too. I will continue to follow this fun build. ;Happy
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Few pics for @Victoria M ...
Thanks for the comments, And appreciate you reading the thread. I’ve enjoyed reading yours too.
I had a very specific vision for the angled doors, and initially my contractor said it would be too difficult. So I spent 4 hours drawing the literal framing plan on the floor with chalk, with all the angles needed included. All it needed was the corner ripped off a 2x6 and it would have worked. He did it his own way once he saw the angles and did it a different way. But it looks great, glad I insisted.
The pillow... oh, yeah. She saw me unpacking the reactor and commented that “you can buy that floss stuff at Walmart for $6 a bag... cheaper than buying a new pillow... [emoji6]” so I think she caught me out but didn’t really mind. Close call
My wife has always wanted an urchin ever since she stabbed herself in the knee at 35feet deep while scuba diving Catalina islands almost 6 years ago. Cool little guys. There little beaks leave cool patterns on the diatoms on the glass
Dubs is a nice guy- we’ve been sharing ideas back and forth for a few months and it’s cool to see him implementing them. He gets to test the V1.0... ill copy once he debugs everything [emoji3]
Thanks for the comments, And appreciate you reading the thread. I’ve enjoyed reading yours too.
I had a very specific vision for the angled doors, and initially my contractor said it would be too difficult. So I spent 4 hours drawing the literal framing plan on the floor with chalk, with all the angles needed included. All it needed was the corner ripped off a 2x6 and it would have worked. He did it his own way once he saw the angles and did it a different way. But it looks great, glad I insisted.
The pillow... oh, yeah. She saw me unpacking the reactor and commented that “you can buy that floss stuff at Walmart for $6 a bag... cheaper than buying a new pillow... [emoji6]” so I think she caught me out but didn’t really mind. Close call
My wife has always wanted an urchin ever since she stabbed herself in the knee at 35feet deep while scuba diving Catalina islands almost 6 years ago. Cool little guys. There little beaks leave cool patterns on the diatoms on the glass
Dubs is a nice guy- we’ve been sharing ideas back and forth for a few months and it’s cool to see him implementing them. He gets to test the V1.0... ill copy once he debugs everything [emoji3]
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Got a chance to fix my plumbing blooper on the fill station. I’ve moved a valve and added an ‘aux out’ for NSW
After the valve, I added a union, then on the other half, I put in a hose barb and hose, and on a spare coupling I put a banjo quick release
I can then just switch them out if I need to fill a bucket, or add the hose to wherever I need it.
After the valve, I added a union, then on the other half, I put in a hose barb and hose, and on a spare coupling I put a banjo quick release
I can then just switch them out if I need to fill a bucket, or add the hose to wherever I need it.
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Sure thing. I actually just went back to look if I had done a write up of the finished station, but I’m not sure I did.
Rodi is hooked up to the cold water line under the sink. I actually ran new lines for the sink since I didn’t have basement rough in. Under the sink is a ejector pump and ‘sump bucket’ that shoots waste water up 10 feet to my main plumbing stack. My water change plumbing is also tied into this, the plumbing for which actually go through the cabinet for the rodi water barrel. Rodi waste goes into the same stack via a small saddle clamp valve thing.
2 x 55 gal blue barrels. Top is plumbed into RODI, and is sitting on a reinforced corner cabinet I pulled out of my kitchen a week after we bought the house. I added 3/4 inch plywood to three sides, and a plywood top. It’s sitting in a few concrete blocks for extra height. Internal storage gives me space for salt and a few sundries.
Rodi out for top offs etc
Lower barrel is salt water. Recirculation pump is a $40 1800 gph eBay that takes 1” unions. There a 150w jager heater in there too.
I crank this valve until rodi fills the lower barrel up to a check mark, dump in 3.5 lbs of salt and get 1.022 every time.
That upper valve is my sump refill line.
This is a quick overview- anything specific you need?
Victoria M
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What a beautiful baby!
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Wife commented “I know you said it’s in the ugly phase, but does it have to look so neglected?” So I cleaned the front glass with a point of sale tiny little magnet. Took 25 mins...
Gonna get me a tunze care magnet, strong version. Maybe speed the process up a bit
Compare to FTS on 11/22...
Gonna get me a tunze care magnet, strong version. Maybe speed the process up a bit
Compare to FTS on 11/22...
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So- ups delivered my IM hydrofill ato controller and pump from BRS. I’ve had my eye on it since my apex crapped out, and pulled the trigger during the sales after thanksgiving.
Umm, IM, you couldn’t have included 10 feet of hose so I could hook it up out of the box? I guess I’ll need to wait until I can get to the store.
Other niggles-
The included ‘hanging’ bracket for the pump only work on rimless tanks. Who has a rimless sump? Feels a bit off excluding probably half your customer base.
It’s a brushed aluminum sticker, not actual brushed aluminum. My bad, I guess, for expecting it not to be all plastic.
The controller is light enough that the supplied 1” strip of Velcro should hold it. If you have a smooth cabinet. And not matt painted plywood with a rough texture. Guess I’ll bust out the 3m tape and hope I never need to move it.
Controller plug isn’t grounded. Interesting choice for an item used in a humid and potentially damp environment.
The pump socket is a three prong outlet, if you wanted to use a grounded pump. But the controller is plastic, and doesn’t have a ground, so it isn’t *really* grounded then, is it?
The pump is 12v, non grounded. With one of those typical angled ac/dc converter sockets. So you get a funny loop in the cables when you connect it to the controller pump pigtail.
Things to like-
The pump is a diaphragm pump, has an included one way valve, runs dry, low voltage.
Sensors are titanium prongs, no moving parts. I used the same style at work for biofermentation of bacteria and know they have an incredible working life.
TBD once I can get to a store to buy hose and some clamps.
Sorry- kinda grouchy with a bruised shoulder after a fall last night and the fact my batch of ‘cycled filters’ (currently in the sump) I plan to use for my QTs have turned into diatom magnets after I cleaned the glass yesterday. Noob error on my part.
Oh, and the replacement 10 g I bought two weeks ago to replace the 6 week old 10 g that developed a leak, is also leaking. I’m guessing at this point something I’m doing during handling is screwing them up, but it’s not like it’s the first time handling tanks. They do feel a little thin, even for 10g though. Maybe they are just more fragile than they used to be.
Good news though- my lfs might be getting a Randall’s goby in next week, so I might be getting him in sooner rather than later.
That eye spot on the dorsal fin is pretty cool looking
And algae barn ‘clean’ chaeto and some free brine shrimp turn up tomorrow. Since I’m paranoid, the macro is going into a 5 gal bucket of sw with a powerhead and a grow light for 16 days for QT. Not taking my chances
Umm, IM, you couldn’t have included 10 feet of hose so I could hook it up out of the box? I guess I’ll need to wait until I can get to the store.
Other niggles-
The included ‘hanging’ bracket for the pump only work on rimless tanks. Who has a rimless sump? Feels a bit off excluding probably half your customer base.
It’s a brushed aluminum sticker, not actual brushed aluminum. My bad, I guess, for expecting it not to be all plastic.
The controller is light enough that the supplied 1” strip of Velcro should hold it. If you have a smooth cabinet. And not matt painted plywood with a rough texture. Guess I’ll bust out the 3m tape and hope I never need to move it.
Controller plug isn’t grounded. Interesting choice for an item used in a humid and potentially damp environment.
The pump socket is a three prong outlet, if you wanted to use a grounded pump. But the controller is plastic, and doesn’t have a ground, so it isn’t *really* grounded then, is it?
The pump is 12v, non grounded. With one of those typical angled ac/dc converter sockets. So you get a funny loop in the cables when you connect it to the controller pump pigtail.
Things to like-
The pump is a diaphragm pump, has an included one way valve, runs dry, low voltage.
Sensors are titanium prongs, no moving parts. I used the same style at work for biofermentation of bacteria and know they have an incredible working life.
TBD once I can get to a store to buy hose and some clamps.
Sorry- kinda grouchy with a bruised shoulder after a fall last night and the fact my batch of ‘cycled filters’ (currently in the sump) I plan to use for my QTs have turned into diatom magnets after I cleaned the glass yesterday. Noob error on my part.
Oh, and the replacement 10 g I bought two weeks ago to replace the 6 week old 10 g that developed a leak, is also leaking. I’m guessing at this point something I’m doing during handling is screwing them up, but it’s not like it’s the first time handling tanks. They do feel a little thin, even for 10g though. Maybe they are just more fragile than they used to be.
Good news though- my lfs might be getting a Randall’s goby in next week, so I might be getting him in sooner rather than later.
That eye spot on the dorsal fin is pretty cool looking
And algae barn ‘clean’ chaeto and some free brine shrimp turn up tomorrow. Since I’m paranoid, the macro is going into a 5 gal bucket of sw with a powerhead and a grow light for 16 days for QT. Not taking my chances
IgnatiusRath
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I love Randall's Goby's; really I love pretty much all the goby's. They're about my favorite fish species.
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So I stop procrastinating and ordered a classic Neptune apex head unit on an RMA exchange for the lite that died 6 weeks ago. Not an exchange, but I pretty decent discount on a new full head unit.
Kinda had to do it since the electrical and sensor plan in the fishroom was apex-centric. Will be good to get monitoring back up.
Hooking up the final parts of the ATO tonight- float valve and rodi connection for the ATO container. I decided to use a 20g tank I had sitting around rather than try to adapt a brute 20g. I’d rather not drill holes in a $27 brute when I have a $20 tank doing nothing. Pics tonight.
Onyx Picasso clowns finish copper tonight- into a fresh tank tomorrow for observation. They don’t appear to have any issues, so holding off on prophylactic fluke treatment for now. They already had a ruby reef rally bath for 90 minutes on day 1, so I’m not too worried they are harboring anything.
Disappointed in my Algae barn order. The chaeto arrived fragmented and cold- heat pack either didn’t activate, or not fully activate. It got pretty hot after I shook it after arrival so idk. The clean chaeto also had a snail attached, so glad I was QTing for 16 before it hit the sump.
I submitted a support ticket and they are sending out some fresh stuff, but I might have to wait as the website showed out of stock the day after I ordered the original
Kinda had to do it since the electrical and sensor plan in the fishroom was apex-centric. Will be good to get monitoring back up.
Hooking up the final parts of the ATO tonight- float valve and rodi connection for the ATO container. I decided to use a 20g tank I had sitting around rather than try to adapt a brute 20g. I’d rather not drill holes in a $27 brute when I have a $20 tank doing nothing. Pics tonight.
Onyx Picasso clowns finish copper tonight- into a fresh tank tomorrow for observation. They don’t appear to have any issues, so holding off on prophylactic fluke treatment for now. They already had a ruby reef rally bath for 90 minutes on day 1, so I’m not too worried they are harboring anything.
Disappointed in my Algae barn order. The chaeto arrived fragmented and cold- heat pack either didn’t activate, or not fully activate. It got pretty hot after I shook it after arrival so idk. The clean chaeto also had a snail attached, so glad I was QTing for 16 before it hit the sump.
I submitted a support ticket and they are sending out some fresh stuff, but I might have to wait as the website showed out of stock the day after I ordered the original
