Tank looks awesome. Sounds like the ATS is really working for you. Makes me want to give it a try. I see your Convict Tang is still doing well. I tried one a wile back and he did not make it. Should have added him first I guess.
LowersMyBP's Latest Tank (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter LowersMyBP
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The way LED's work, they do put out significant heat and the heat has to go somewhere... once it leaves the heatsink normally it would enter the air in the house and then on its way out, but if there is no room for heat exchange it will start accumulating, once an equilibrium is reached the heat sink will no longer transmit the heat to maintain the balance, the temp will keep rising.
I have mine set at 700ma and only on Aluminum U channels, no fan.. they get pretty warm but the colder basement allows heat exchange.. the rising warm air itself helps setup a slow air current...
I have mine set at 700ma and only on Aluminum U channels, no fan.. they get pretty warm but the colder basement allows heat exchange.. the rising warm air itself helps setup a slow air current...
First full week on the 180G. Nitrates steady at 10-25. Haven't tested phosphates, hate that test. Little skimmer pulling stuff out, not as much as I used to with the big one. Would like to see nitrates move down a step before I take it off line... I have cut my GFO run time from 8 hours to 2 hours per day.
Filled up about half the cottage cheese container. It was stiffer, stringier stuff this week, not quite as slimey. Seems to be working well, just have to trust that I sized it right and take the leap in a week or two to fully turn off the little skimmer and GFO.
Filled up about half the cottage cheese container. It was stiffer, stringier stuff this week, not quite as slimey. Seems to be working well, just have to trust that I sized it right and take the leap in a week or two to fully turn off the little skimmer and GFO.
mapierce7
Senior Member
Really really really good build. Keep us posted on the ATS, and keep the update pictures coming. How are all the yellow tangs getting along?
BashfulBacterium
Senior Member
Seems like everything is going good, great tank!
veloboy
Senior Member
James, how are the SPS so far? Any change in color or otherwise? Algae color looks nice deep green. Keep us posted....
I moved the copperband to another tank. He just was never going to be comfortable with all of these tangs in the tank. Especially with that blasted convict. So then I added a blonde Naso, sweet.
I pulled the skimmer out on 8/11. Since then, I have continued to do two water changes a week
I think I have cleaned the scrubber 3 or 4 times, none of the times has been stellar. Half a cottage cheese container at best. I am still skimming with a little diablo skimmer. I have been testing my nitrates daily, which is just a joy. Once you settle on a color with the test kit, it is hard to convince yourself the next day that it has moved down to the lower color. Hard to say if my nitrates have moved from 25 to 10 or not. I think they have, I hope they have.
I gave up GFO after a week or two with the scrubber and I have adjusted the scrubber in a couple of ways. 1. I am now up to 12 hours a day (from 9) with the scrubber lights on. 2. I have put a larger pump on. 3. We lowered the fins so that it sits deeper in the sump, this has made taking the screen in and out much easier and will allow for cleaning. Increase to 12 hours and the larger pump were done in the last week, so I am hopeful that come Thursday, I have a cottage cheese container that is FULL of algae...we shall see.
Here are some pics from today...Decided to scrape the glass so that I could feel like my tank was clean. I have no visible algae growing. Just a small touch of red slime which seems to be lessening. Otherwise, if my wife hadn't completely changed my camera settings, I think it would look like all of my SPS colors were still the same...
To confuse the matter, I believe these black shell-less snails have developed a taste for SPS zooanthelle (sp?) algae. In particular, blue stuff. I have been finding them on corals in the morning and removing them.
They look kind of like this:
http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/scutus
Not all of them are after my SPS, I just remove the ones I find on the corals...they have been in my tank forever, I just think some of them are developing a taste
The polyps on this undata are a concern. Used to be blue, they are certainly brown now
I pulled the skimmer out on 8/11. Since then, I have continued to do two water changes a week
I think I have cleaned the scrubber 3 or 4 times, none of the times has been stellar. Half a cottage cheese container at best. I am still skimming with a little diablo skimmer. I have been testing my nitrates daily, which is just a joy. Once you settle on a color with the test kit, it is hard to convince yourself the next day that it has moved down to the lower color. Hard to say if my nitrates have moved from 25 to 10 or not. I think they have, I hope they have.I gave up GFO after a week or two with the scrubber and I have adjusted the scrubber in a couple of ways. 1. I am now up to 12 hours a day (from 9) with the scrubber lights on. 2. I have put a larger pump on. 3. We lowered the fins so that it sits deeper in the sump, this has made taking the screen in and out much easier and will allow for cleaning. Increase to 12 hours and the larger pump were done in the last week, so I am hopeful that come Thursday, I have a cottage cheese container that is FULL of algae...we shall see.
Here are some pics from today...Decided to scrape the glass so that I could feel like my tank was clean. I have no visible algae growing. Just a small touch of red slime which seems to be lessening. Otherwise, if my wife hadn't completely changed my camera settings, I think it would look like all of my SPS colors were still the same...
To confuse the matter, I believe these black shell-less snails have developed a taste for SPS zooanthelle (sp?) algae. In particular, blue stuff. I have been finding them on corals in the morning and removing them.
They look kind of like this:
http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/scutus
Not all of them are after my SPS, I just remove the ones I find on the corals...they have been in my tank forever, I just think some of them are developing a taste
The polyps on this undata are a concern. Used to be blue, they are certainly brown now
acharpenter
Pitas' Pita
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Lovely frogspawn ; )
Also loving the Midas!
Also loving the Midas!
tommylee22
Senior Member
Looks great james!
veloboy
Senior Member
Nice James. Looks like your SPS might be needing more room soon, time to get rid of the softies!:biggthumpup:
Matt D.
TCMAS Free Thinker
James, your tank is inspiration. I'd love to be half as successful as you.
180
Very nice rock work What will your next upgrade be
Very nice rock work What will your next upgrade be
BashfulBacterium
Senior Member
Wow I just realized that was a picture I was about to grab off Google Images for my Club Ad.....what a coincidence! :look:
That tank has definitely gone a long way and hope those shell-less snails don't cause too much havoc.
That tank has definitely gone a long way and hope those shell-less snails don't cause too much havoc.
Not much going on. ATS still not great, waiting till end of January to make a decision on that or biopellets. Tank will be 2 years old at that point.
In the meantime, working on a new water change station. I bought a 105 indelco tank at the swap. Those are nsf #2 or whatever the heck it is that we want, right?
The mandarins do the dirty dance once in a while during the water changes after dark, that is lots of fun. I also saw the male banggai do a 'shiver and nip' deal the other night. I can't tell if he is holding eggs or not. No action on the clowns that I have noticed.
Oh, my diamond goby seems to have a tumor. Been waiting for over a month for him to explode...not yet.
Here are a few crappy pics.
Look, you can see all 10 tangs...kind of.
Goby tumor, via dirty glass.
In the meantime, working on a new water change station. I bought a 105 indelco tank at the swap. Those are nsf #2 or whatever the heck it is that we want, right?
The mandarins do the dirty dance once in a while during the water changes after dark, that is lots of fun. I also saw the male banggai do a 'shiver and nip' deal the other night. I can't tell if he is holding eggs or not. No action on the clowns that I have noticed.
Oh, my diamond goby seems to have a tumor. Been waiting for over a month for him to explode...not yet.
Here are a few crappy pics.
Look, you can see all 10 tangs...kind of.
Goby tumor, via dirty glass.
I'm not worthy :bow::bln-wow::bow:
I have been running the ATS since mid august. After 3 or 4 weeks, I looked at things with Grigor and decided I need to bring GFO back online as my phosphates were going up. I also have been running that little DIABLO 160 Skimmer the whole time. So, I have three things: ATS, Skimmer, GFO. Hmmm...Got to thinking that Bio pellets would require less regular maintenance than the ATS, and be easier to maintain as the ATS is in there tightly, so I have a bio pellet reactor running in a tub to try to 'seed' the pellets. I have tried to set it up with a 'recirculating' mod like Jacob has done, so when I do put it online, I can control the amount of flow through it so I don't take any nutrients out of the water too quickly. Hoping in 2-6 weeks to be able to make the change.
The other things of note include the sort of 'accidental' trapping and removal of my convict tang. After I was able to extract him, I tried to get him to a good home and I did, but the stress of the move took him out. A reefkeeper I call 'obi wan kenobi' received the fish and he said it died thick/fat as ever with no sign of any disease on him. Very sad. This, however, allowed me to add back a copperband butterfly and I have also added a purple tilefish. I had a tilefish for 4-5 months last year and it finally got through my screen. So, I rebuilt my screens as such: I cut eggcrate to fit the opening in my canopy on the back. I zip tied window screening to the eggcrate. I then siliconed the eggcrate into the gaps in the canopy. In the corners, I cut out some eggcrate and cut a slit in the screen to allow cords through. If he gets through this, I give up.
I don't have all of the sexiest corals in the world, but I like what I have. I also really like my fish.
In the meantime, here are a few pics.
The other things of note include the sort of 'accidental' trapping and removal of my convict tang. After I was able to extract him, I tried to get him to a good home and I did, but the stress of the move took him out. A reefkeeper I call 'obi wan kenobi' received the fish and he said it died thick/fat as ever with no sign of any disease on him. Very sad. This, however, allowed me to add back a copperband butterfly and I have also added a purple tilefish. I had a tilefish for 4-5 months last year and it finally got through my screen. So, I rebuilt my screens as such: I cut eggcrate to fit the opening in my canopy on the back. I zip tied window screening to the eggcrate. I then siliconed the eggcrate into the gaps in the canopy. In the corners, I cut out some eggcrate and cut a slit in the screen to allow cords through. If he gets through this, I give up.
I don't have all of the sexiest corals in the world, but I like what I have. I also really like my fish.
In the meantime, here are a few pics.
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