impur
GO DUCKS!!!
Snapped a couple pics of the diatoms and algae growing for the fun of it. I ordered my snails on Tuesday and they still have not arrived. I am anticipating a box of death but we shall see....
impur
GO DUCKS!!!
Thanks! I absolutely love the LEDs, they look so good in person. I couldn't be happier.
Also my snails came this afternoon! Smelled pretty bad, but looks like most of them made the trip so thats good news! I floated them for 15 then dumped them all in the tank per the instructions from reefcleaners, then I had to head back to work. So many extras in there, my package was supposed to have 26 of the small ceriths, and I got at least 50.
Also my snails came this afternoon! Smelled pretty bad, but looks like most of them made the trip so thats good news! I floated them for 15 then dumped them all in the tank per the instructions from reefcleaners, then I had to head back to work. So many extras in there, my package was supposed to have 26 of the small ceriths, and I got at least 50.
Good to hear that your snails made it in. John is always good about adding extras to the order.
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impur
GO DUCKS!!!
haha good one Mallorie 
I'm gonna pickup some hermits this weekend.
Barb - yah he sure is, this was my 2nd order from him. Happy both times, though this one took an extra day so I was a bit worried.
I'm gonna pickup some hermits this weekend.Barb - yah he sure is, this was my 2nd order from him. Happy both times, though this one took an extra day so I was a bit worried.
impur
GO DUCKS!!!
Snails are going to town on the diatoms. My nitrates are down to 5ppm. I have some type of algae growing out of the rocks, and also on the glass. Some appears to be hair algae, the other type looks like some sort of bryopsis to me. It is just a few individual long strands that look like feathers. I started to manually remove it and I'll just monitor it until the cycle is over and Hydroxs dosed. I should have the Hydroxs this week so by next weekend I hope to add some corals to this badboy 
I decided to get my ATO installed. Here are pics. Its just a float switch wired into an extension cord, an aqualifter and a 5gal tank. Just stuff I had laying around
You can see here where i spliced the float switch into the extension cord. This way I don't have to cut the cord on the aqualifter. I will eventually install a relay inline here.
5gal res
Moldable holder. Just a few seconds in boiling water and it will mold to anything. 2 spots for float switches, one for a backup
Float switch installed
I had a tough time coming up with a way to hold the tubing for the incoming FW. There is a spot in the first chamber of the biocube where a filter pad of some sort slides down some built in grooves before the water goes into the second chamber. Turns out the moldable holder fits in the groove perfectly. So this is what I came up with. I used the blue tee because I have a bunch of them.
Test and good to go
I decided to get my ATO installed. Here are pics. Its just a float switch wired into an extension cord, an aqualifter and a 5gal tank. Just stuff I had laying around
You can see here where i spliced the float switch into the extension cord. This way I don't have to cut the cord on the aqualifter. I will eventually install a relay inline here.
5gal res
Moldable holder. Just a few seconds in boiling water and it will mold to anything. 2 spots for float switches, one for a backup
Float switch installed
I had a tough time coming up with a way to hold the tubing for the incoming FW. There is a spot in the first chamber of the biocube where a filter pad of some sort slides down some built in grooves before the water goes into the second chamber. Turns out the moldable holder fits in the groove perfectly. So this is what I came up with. I used the blue tee because I have a bunch of them.
Test and good to go
Mike&Terry
Wrasses, Angels, & Tangs, Oh My!
Glad to see you got your ATO setup. We're hoping to get ours done this weekend.
-M&T
-M&T
impur
GO DUCKS!!!
Yah it was getting old dumping in a cup of water every day, ATO is the way to go. Especially if you have an 11m old running around all evening when you get home. I kept forgetting to topoff DOH!
bige - thanks, it was a fun project and I absolutely love them. Have I said that before? lol
I rec'd my shipment of Hydroxs, so the first dose went in last night. Pretty odd stuff, looks like ashes. I decided to keep the lights off for the next week while i dose it, hopefully that will let things balance out a little more and the few clumps of bryopsis will go away. Next weekend I will do a WC and introduce my first few corals
None of the cerith snails in my order from ReefCleaners survived, so i'll need to go buy some this weekend. Those little ones just can't do the same job, though they do a better job of getting into the nooks and crannies.
bige - thanks, it was a fun project and I absolutely love them. Have I said that before? lol
I rec'd my shipment of Hydroxs, so the first dose went in last night. Pretty odd stuff, looks like ashes. I decided to keep the lights off for the next week while i dose it, hopefully that will let things balance out a little more and the few clumps of bryopsis will go away. Next weekend I will do a WC and introduce my first few corals
None of the cerith snails in my order from ReefCleaners survived, so i'll need to go buy some this weekend. Those little ones just can't do the same job, though they do a better job of getting into the nooks and crannies.
Yah it was getting old dumping in a cup of water every day, ATO is the way to go. Especially if you have an 11m old running around all evening when you get home. I kept forgetting to topoff DOH!
bige - thanks, it was a fun project and I absolutely love them. Have I said that before? lol
I rec'd my shipment of Hydroxs, so the first dose went in last night. Pretty odd stuff, looks like ashes. I decided to keep the lights off for the next week while i dose it, hopefully that will let things balance out a little more and the few clumps of bryopsis will go away. Next weekend I will do a WC and introduce my first few corals
None of the cerith snails in my order from ReefCleaners survived, so i'll need to go buy some this weekend. Those little ones just can't do the same job, though they do a better job of getting into the nooks and crannies.
Sorry to hear the ceriths didn't make it. For awhile I had been wondering about mine they had all disappeared under the sand and hadn't seen them for awhile. Finally have some that have been surfacing.
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Poor guys I always feel bad when something dies...impur
GO DUCKS!!!
I picked up some ceriths from my LFS to replace the ones that did not survive the trip from Reef Cleaners, as well as some blueleg hermits. Tonight I will do a WC and add some carbon to remove the Hydroxs from the water column, then this weekend I will be adding my first few corals!!! Very excited
I am pretty impressed with the Hydroxs. The day I added it, there were hundreds of hydroid jellyfish larvae on the walls of the tank, at least hundreds. The outnumbered the pods by at least 2 to 1. I don't know where they all came from, my concern has always been the white polyp kind. But they were 50% gone by the 2nd treatment, and by the 3rd I could not find a single one.
My next step is using Hydroxs as a dip to prevent any type of hydroid from entering this tank. If that kills the coral, so be it. This is my last attempt to create a hydroid free tank, as I have almost given up the hobby because of this pest. So I am crossing my fingers that my plan works.
I am pretty impressed with the Hydroxs. The day I added it, there were hundreds of hydroid jellyfish larvae on the walls of the tank, at least hundreds. The outnumbered the pods by at least 2 to 1. I don't know where they all came from, my concern has always been the white polyp kind. But they were 50% gone by the 2nd treatment, and by the 3rd I could not find a single one.
My next step is using Hydroxs as a dip to prevent any type of hydroid from entering this tank. If that kills the coral, so be it. This is my last attempt to create a hydroid free tank, as I have almost given up the hobby because of this pest. So I am crossing my fingers that my plan works.
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Nameless Ghoul
Active Member
Like the ATO. I hadn't planned on doing one, but I'm starting to get tired of the constant manual top offs. Haven't decided on gravity ATO, or the kind you have. How difficult was it to splice the flat valve into the extension cord? Just not sure if I want to go that route.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2
impur
GO DUCKS!!!
Very easy. Just cut one side of the extention cord wire, strip the insullation back and wire nut each side to one of the float switch leads.
It is recommended to have a relay involved due to voltage spikes when the circuit is closed. It can spike up to 10 times the wattage pulled. The float switch I use is rated for 50w, and the aqualifter is rated at 3w. So theoretically if the most extreme spike goes thru the float switch, it should still have plenty of cushion to handle it.
I use a similar setup on my main display, though I utilize the relay plus another float switch which is flipped over and sits higher above the water line. This way, if the main float switch fails in the closed position the water can only rise as far as that upper float switch and it will shut off as its pushed up. Hope that makes sense.
It is recommended to have a relay involved due to voltage spikes when the circuit is closed. It can spike up to 10 times the wattage pulled. The float switch I use is rated for 50w, and the aqualifter is rated at 3w. So theoretically if the most extreme spike goes thru the float switch, it should still have plenty of cushion to handle it.
I use a similar setup on my main display, though I utilize the relay plus another float switch which is flipped over and sits higher above the water line. This way, if the main float switch fails in the closed position the water can only rise as far as that upper float switch and it will shut off as its pushed up. Hope that makes sense.
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impur
GO DUCKS!!!
Couple pics to show it better. Again this is probably how it should be setup, but i've run an ATO with just the float switch and aqualifter for a few years on my QT tank with no problems.
2 float switches. The one on the right has the float flipped over, so as it hangs down it keeps the circuit closed.
Relay and my DIY project box
2 float switches. The one on the right has the float flipped over, so as it hangs down it keeps the circuit closed.
Relay and my DIY project box
Mike&Terry
Wrasses, Angels, & Tangs, Oh My!
I picked up some ceriths from my LFS to replace the ones that did not survive the trip from Reef Cleaners, as well as some blueleg hermits. Tonight I will do a WC and add some carbon to remove the Hydroxs from the water column, then this weekend I will be adding my first few corals!!! Very excited
I am pretty impressed with the Hydroxs. The day I added it, there were hundreds of hydroid jellyfish larvae on the walls of the tank, at least hundreds. The outnumbered the pods by at least 2 to 1. I don't know where they all came from, my concern has always been the white polyp kind. But they were 50% gone by the 2nd treatment, and by the 3rd I could not find a single one.
My next step is using Hydroxs as a dip to prevent any type of hydroid from entering this tank. If that kills the coral, so be it. This is my last attempt to create a hydroid free tank, as I have almost given up the hobby because of this pest. So I am crossing my fingers that my plan works.
So sorry you've had to deal with hydroids. In all the years we've been in the hobby, we have never had them (knock on wood), but it is good to know that Hydroxs will take care of an outbreak if we ever do encounter them.
-M&T
impur
GO DUCKS!!!
Thanks. I have had them in my display for about 7 years now, and I am just done with them. Everything says they will go away on their own, well 7 years later and I'm tired of waiting lol So I bought this biocube to use as a transition tank for my upgrade. I entered it in this contest just kinda for fun since it coincided with my setting up the biocube, but I am still gonna try and win!!
Anyway my plan is to transfer my corals to this tank after going thru dips in the Hydroxs. Then I can safely monitor them, remove any hydroids that might have gotten thru my defenses, and finally transfer them to my next display. Its going to take awhile, my display is a 60gal cube with 20gal frag tank that is packed full. But I'd rather do it right and eliminate the hydroids all together than do if fast.
One thing to remember regarding the Hydroxs is that you can't just dose a tank full of corals, I think it would kill them. I am doing some tests to see just how much and for how long the corals can be subject too they Hydroxs though, so I will hopefully know that in a month or 2.
Anyway my plan is to transfer my corals to this tank after going thru dips in the Hydroxs. Then I can safely monitor them, remove any hydroids that might have gotten thru my defenses, and finally transfer them to my next display. Its going to take awhile, my display is a 60gal cube with 20gal frag tank that is packed full. But I'd rather do it right and eliminate the hydroids all together than do if fast.
One thing to remember regarding the Hydroxs is that you can't just dose a tank full of corals, I think it would kill them. I am doing some tests to see just how much and for how long the corals can be subject too they Hydroxs though, so I will hopefully know that in a month or 2.
