Wen’s 280 Build

[Wen]

Adding 40lbs sand today in prep for jawfish release Wednesday.
Dry aragonite, rinsed till clear with hose, rinsed again in rodi and then will be mixed in with existing sand to a few places.

 

[Wen]

Experimenting with Orphek lenses on my iPhone.

Fallow tank is done Wednesday, woohoo!

Reverse aquaman (?)

CC Walt Disney surrounded by CB cream sickle milli, slimer and unknown wild acro.

i don’t know name of this monti, but it’s looking good.

This acro has Had a rough road, and has turned from smooth brown to this. ? Red planet? Idk

classic war coral

 

[Gablami]

corals look great! Your iPhone photos look look like slr photos. So I’m gathering that the ugly phase you had earlier has passed?

 

[Wen]

corals look great! Your iPhone photos look look like slr photos. So I’m gathering that the ugly phase you had earlier has passed?

Still fighting terrible hair algae outbreak, but think I’m winning. Sand bed has a couple Cyano patches...phosphates keep bottoming out.

I’m hoping that with fish now in, phosphates will rise and the tangs will aid in algae control.

i’m struggling with flow pattern. The tank is so tall for debris to move from sand bed up almost 3’ to overflow. Any suggestions?

 

[rds85]

I think you torch garden is awesome. Looks likes those Florida Palms!

I can barley seem the hair algae in the photos. A small urchin can help you with that, but urchins have some small annoying risks. Might be worth it though.

Um... photo with the fish in is required after such a long fallow period.

For the flow. Can you mount your gyre lower on the tank? If so can you take the little plastic flow deflectors and "flip them" or reattach them 180 degrees from what you current have setup making the default flow pattern a little more "uplifting"?

 

[Wen]

I think you torch garden is awesome. Looks likes those Florida Palms!

I can barley seem the hair algae in the photos. A small urchin can help you with that, but urchins have some small annoying risks. Might be worth it though.

Um... photo with the fish in is required after such a long fallow period.

For the flow. Can you mount your gyre lower on the tank? If so can you take the little plastic flow deflectors and "flip them" or reattach them 180 degrees from what you current have setup making the default flow pattern a little more "uplifting"?

I will move gyre down like you suggested. Thx

Pic of gha.
Terror tangs going in soon...Bristletooth and Caribbean Blue, then I’ll take FTS.

Ran the apex awc for first time today...scary, but seems to be going well. Do you or @Gablami use the Apex water change program? I’m planning to use it every other wc.

 

[Gablami]

I will move gyre down like you suggested. Thx

Pic of gha.
Terror tangs going in soon...Bristletooth and Caribbean Blue, then I’ll take FTS.

Ran the apex awc for first time today...scary, but seems to be going well. Do you or @Gablami use the Apex water change program? I’m planning to use it every other wc.

Do you mean AWC with a dos? Or using water level sensors and a separate pump? How are you doing your AWC?

I used a dos for awhile, and then a masterflex peristaltic pump. And now I’ve changed to a non-AWC design.

 

[Wen]

Do you mean AWC with a dos? Or using water level sensors and a separate pump? How are you doing your AWC?

I used a dos for awhile, and then a masterflex peristaltic pump. And now I’ve changed to a non-AWC design.

Yes, AWC with dos. Why did you switch?

I need to double check the configuration (for correct gallons) and add a RO line filter thing to protect against getting a clog in the waste water that empties above a bathroom into a waste water line.

 

[Gablami]

It's a long discussion. No concrete reason. I just became increasing uncomfortable with the idea of salinity drifting slowly. And your RO lines will need decalcifying periodically because they can clog.

With one Dos head, you can do some pretty nifty tricks with one way valves and do have the AWC only take up one head. This hinges on the fact that you can program one head to move clockwise to dose, and counterclockwise to drain, and have the one way RODI valve redirect "dirty" water to the drain.

 

[this is me]

The corals look great!
mom tempted on some jawfish. Afraid they might make a mess with the sand. What’s your experience with them?

 

[squidsreef]

Good choice on the substrate. Can't wait to see you add the jawfish. The tank looks great!

 

[rds85]

I will move gyre down like you suggested. Thx

Pic of gha.
Terror tangs going in soon...Bristletooth and Caribbean Blue, then I’ll take FTS.

Ran the apex awc for first time today...scary, but seems to be going well. Do you or @Gablami use the Apex water change program? I’m planning to use it every other wc.

I currently use the dual head DOS for AWC system and have been very happy with it. I even added one more to make it AWC change the display and coral QT at the same time. IT was scary for about a month. Now I just need to make sure to not get complacent and clean the tubing as @Gablami said. I do check my salinity twice week as is. So I make small adjustment within my storage salt water and not in the display if that makes sense.

 

[Wen]

The corals look great!
mom tempted on some jawfish. Afraid they might make a mess with the sand. What’s your experience with them?

In my experience, they are very tidy- unlike sand sifters. Sure they dig a burrow, but sand gets spit back out onto the sand.

 

[Wen]

thanks @Biglew11, installed filter before atk float valve.
what kind of hitch hiker nem is this?
General Tso inspecting gha.
High hat offers great movement patrolling the sand bed.

 

[this is me]

Looks like a bead anemone.

 

[Wen]

Finally got back to tank maintenance: siphoned couple gallons of dead gha out and let the AutoWaterChange do the rest. Nice.

Spotted a dead ruby crab this morning which has caused me concern. It is dead (for sure) and not molted. Halloweens and skunk pair still acting normal, but thinking about doing an icp test to be safe.

Debating on if I should change out the DI resin on 1 canister or wait till both expired. ?

 

[Gablami]

I would swap that out. Usually when one is almost done, I move the secondary to the front and fill up a new one for the back.

 

[Wen]

I would swap that out. Usually when one is almost done, I move the secondary to the front and fill up a new one for the back.

I’ll do it, thanks.

 

[Wen]

Worked through an “over current” and then “dry” error on one of the cor return pumps.

Now on to addressing the tiniest of microbubbles. I have tried locklines underwater, skimmer off, chiller/uv manifold off, alternated each return off...there are no microbubbles in fuge or going through bubble trap chamber prior to return chamber..so it has to be pin holes in return lines that are not underwater.
After close inspection, there is a little bit of salt creep in ️ areas. Think I could coat those spots with silicone? Where else would tiny bubbles come from?

 

[Gablami]

Are you sure that it’s micro bubbles? Can you catch some in a container and do they go away? Or do they settle? Can you see they coming out of the return in the DT? If they are micro bubbles, I doubt it’s coming from the tank plumbing there with salt creep.