Congrats Patrick - very cool !
Chipmunk's 10g Office Tank
- Thread starter chipmunkofdoom2
- Start date
Congrats Patrick - very cool !
Oxylebius
Well-Known Member
@chipmunkofdoom2 More live rock would help with the bacteria filtration in the tank.
How's the aquarium gig going for you? Learning lots that you can share with us?
How's the aquarium gig going for you? Learning lots that you can share with us?
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
Thanks Glenn, it's a great opportunity and I'm really enjoying it so far. And thanks Oxy. I think I'm doing okay now. I finally seem to have the algae under control, and I'll do a followup post in the next few days about where my personal tank is.
I've learned some interesting stuff at the aquarium. Most of it doesn't really apply to reefs, unfortunately, but it's still interesting. I'm assigned to the Living Seashores exhibit. It's a touch tank that showcases Atlantic rays, skates, horseshoe crabs, sea stars and jellies. It's mostly colder water stuff, with our main pool being kept around 65* (it took a while to get used to putting my hands into cold water... I'm used to my reef at home, where the water is usually warmer than the air, not much colder!). But it's still great to be there. First of all, my badge gets me into the Aquarium 24/7, which is nice. Second, there's no way I'd be able to adequately care for some of these skates and rays at home, so it's a great experience.
I have learned a few things that are pretty interesting though.
First, the Aquarium makes their own salt mix. They have a group dedicated to piecing together the individual components to make the mix, such as the NaCl, calcium, magnesium, carbonate, and various trace elements. Another group is responsible for ensuring that the mix produces consistent seawater.
Second, there are salt water supply lines in almost every back room area. Just about anywhere in the Aquarium, you have several thousand gallons of new seawater ready to be used. Simply twist the PVC ball valve on and you've got saltwater (note to self, must do at home).
Third, for the most part, the Aquarium uses regular pool pumps to move water in their huge closed loop systems. You could walk into any pool store and buy the kinds of pumps that are used on all the systems I've come in contact with. I thought this was very interesting, especially when we're so careful with everything we put in our tanks being "aquarium safe." When I asked my primary aquarist if we ever worry about rust/corrosion or toxic minerals leeching into the water, he said no. He also said that some of these pumps have been in service for years. He mentioned that some newer pool pumps are coming with ceramic shafts, much like the aquarium pumps.
Fourth, I don't really work with the few systems at the Aquarium that have live corals, but I do know that at least in the coral displays, we use Lanthanum chloride to control phosphates. Not sure the exact method, just saw that note on one of the SOPs for the reef tanks.
I'll try to think of anything else interesting that I see/learn, but that's it for now.
I've learned some interesting stuff at the aquarium. Most of it doesn't really apply to reefs, unfortunately, but it's still interesting. I'm assigned to the Living Seashores exhibit. It's a touch tank that showcases Atlantic rays, skates, horseshoe crabs, sea stars and jellies. It's mostly colder water stuff, with our main pool being kept around 65* (it took a while to get used to putting my hands into cold water... I'm used to my reef at home, where the water is usually warmer than the air, not much colder!). But it's still great to be there. First of all, my badge gets me into the Aquarium 24/7, which is nice. Second, there's no way I'd be able to adequately care for some of these skates and rays at home, so it's a great experience.
I have learned a few things that are pretty interesting though.
First, the Aquarium makes their own salt mix. They have a group dedicated to piecing together the individual components to make the mix, such as the NaCl, calcium, magnesium, carbonate, and various trace elements. Another group is responsible for ensuring that the mix produces consistent seawater.
Second, there are salt water supply lines in almost every back room area. Just about anywhere in the Aquarium, you have several thousand gallons of new seawater ready to be used. Simply twist the PVC ball valve on and you've got saltwater (note to self, must do at home).
Third, for the most part, the Aquarium uses regular pool pumps to move water in their huge closed loop systems. You could walk into any pool store and buy the kinds of pumps that are used on all the systems I've come in contact with. I thought this was very interesting, especially when we're so careful with everything we put in our tanks being "aquarium safe." When I asked my primary aquarist if we ever worry about rust/corrosion or toxic minerals leeching into the water, he said no. He also said that some of these pumps have been in service for years. He mentioned that some newer pool pumps are coming with ceramic shafts, much like the aquarium pumps.
Fourth, I don't really work with the few systems at the Aquarium that have live corals, but I do know that at least in the coral displays, we use Lanthanum chloride to control phosphates. Not sure the exact method, just saw that note on one of the SOPs for the reef tanks.
I'll try to think of anything else interesting that I see/learn, but that's it for now.
Cheers for the great update Patrick - very interesting !!! 24/7 access rocks !!!
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
Welp.. looks like I missed my tank's 1st birthday! Not sure the exact date I actually set the thing up, because as you all know planning a while.. but still. Happy birthday tank!
At any rate, I figure it's time for an update. No new livestock since my last updates. I'm still working on some algae problems and am kind of putting off new additions until I really get that figured out. All the livestock is still doing well, although the SPS are not really growing much (hardly surprising, given the algae problems probably mean high N/P, but I digress). I had the algae under control for a while, but work has been keeping me busy, along with volunteering at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I'm working hard at getting the algae under control and am trying to finding a good tank maintenance schedule to keep it at bay. I'm currently doing 50% water changes twice a week, as well as changing the GFO weekly (1 cup).
I've made a few equipment updates. First, I got a Reef Keeper Lite, mainly for temperature regulation. It has been working well, and I sleep a lot better at night knowing I have a backup to the heater's built-in thermostat. One unexpected plus of having the RLK is the feeding mode. I put my return pump and MP10 on the RKL and just put it in feed mode when it's time to feed. It's much nicer not having to shut off the surge protector every time I feed. Now, the RKL turns the pumps back on if I forget to cancel the feed mode. I also added an old overflow box to my QT tank, which now has a 10g sump as well (total volume of 20g). This helps keep things a bit more stable.
I also have two planned equipment updates that I'm pretty excited about. The first is my dosing pumps. I DIYed my pumps, and they're a mess. If I'm honest, this wiring nightmare is probably not the safest. I finally found a good enclosure size and have ordered a few project boxes, in which I can put all the components.
Scary, no?
The second upgrade is to my battery backup system. It is also a mess. I have a battery, to which is attached an inverter and a battery maintainer. Into the inverter is plugged my DIY transfer switch, which is also plugged into the wall. The output is a single outlet, into which I have plugged a surge protector. It's also a mess, although probably less of a safety hazard. I've since been drawing up some scale ideas for putting all these parts in to a nice metal enclosure. There will be two things coming out of the box: first, a single plug that will go into the wall. This will supply utility power to the system. The second will be a pair of battery clamps to connect to the battery. That's it. The unit will have an outlet on it, into which I can plug whatever equipment I want. This is a bit more of a project, but one that I think is worthwhile. It's almost to the point where I wonder why I didn't just buy an inverter/charger, but I stand with my decision, because with this system I can update any of the parts at any time. If the inverter/charger broke, I'd have to throw it out and buy another. Anyway, I'm very excited about that update and hope to share more about that later on down the road.
At any rate, I figure it's time for an update. No new livestock since my last updates. I'm still working on some algae problems and am kind of putting off new additions until I really get that figured out. All the livestock is still doing well, although the SPS are not really growing much (hardly surprising, given the algae problems probably mean high N/P, but I digress). I had the algae under control for a while, but work has been keeping me busy, along with volunteering at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I'm working hard at getting the algae under control and am trying to finding a good tank maintenance schedule to keep it at bay. I'm currently doing 50% water changes twice a week, as well as changing the GFO weekly (1 cup).
I've made a few equipment updates. First, I got a Reef Keeper Lite, mainly for temperature regulation. It has been working well, and I sleep a lot better at night knowing I have a backup to the heater's built-in thermostat. One unexpected plus of having the RLK is the feeding mode. I put my return pump and MP10 on the RKL and just put it in feed mode when it's time to feed. It's much nicer not having to shut off the surge protector every time I feed. Now, the RKL turns the pumps back on if I forget to cancel the feed mode. I also added an old overflow box to my QT tank, which now has a 10g sump as well (total volume of 20g). This helps keep things a bit more stable.
I also have two planned equipment updates that I'm pretty excited about. The first is my dosing pumps. I DIYed my pumps, and they're a mess. If I'm honest, this wiring nightmare is probably not the safest. I finally found a good enclosure size and have ordered a few project boxes, in which I can put all the components.
Scary, no?
The second upgrade is to my battery backup system. It is also a mess. I have a battery, to which is attached an inverter and a battery maintainer. Into the inverter is plugged my DIY transfer switch, which is also plugged into the wall. The output is a single outlet, into which I have plugged a surge protector. It's also a mess, although probably less of a safety hazard. I've since been drawing up some scale ideas for putting all these parts in to a nice metal enclosure. There will be two things coming out of the box: first, a single plug that will go into the wall. This will supply utility power to the system. The second will be a pair of battery clamps to connect to the battery. That's it. The unit will have an outlet on it, into which I can plug whatever equipment I want. This is a bit more of a project, but one that I think is worthwhile. It's almost to the point where I wonder why I didn't just buy an inverter/charger, but I stand with my decision, because with this system I can update any of the parts at any time. If the inverter/charger broke, I'd have to throw it out and buy another. Anyway, I'm very excited about that update and hope to share more about that later on down the road.
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
I received the project box I ordered yesterday, so last night I put together a final version of my dosing pump. The box is about 6"x4"x2". If I'm honest, I don't actually need all that space, but there are a few circuit boards in there and having the flexibility is nice. Here are the end results:
Here's it next to an Xbox controller for size comparison.
Overall I'm very happy with the results of this project. Raw materials costs were just over $27, and the most expensive parts were the pump and case respectively. The various electronics inside that I've experienced the most failure with have been $1 - $5 parts. Overall, it's been a very, very low cost and reliable dosing solution.
Here's it next to an Xbox controller for size comparison.
Overall I'm very happy with the results of this project. Raw materials costs were just over $27, and the most expensive parts were the pump and case respectively. The various electronics inside that I've experienced the most failure with have been $1 - $5 parts. Overall, it's been a very, very low cost and reliable dosing solution.
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
I snapped a few pictures of the filefish at the National Aquarium during my shift this morning:
I had never considered filefish in a reef before, but these two have a ton of personality. They're orange filefish and they're about 2 feet long. They're in a tank with some fairly aggressive tankmates and they have trouble competing for food, so we've gotten into the habit of handfeeding them. When we climb behind the enclosure to feed, they come to the surface by the ladder and "spit" water at you, as if to say "hey buddy, I'm hungry!"
These guys are my favorite out of all the animals I have in my gallery.
I had never considered filefish in a reef before, but these two have a ton of personality. They're orange filefish and they're about 2 feet long. They're in a tank with some fairly aggressive tankmates and they have trouble competing for food, so we've gotten into the habit of handfeeding them. When we climb behind the enclosure to feed, they come to the surface by the ladder and "spit" water at you, as if to say "hey buddy, I'm hungry!"
These guys are my favorite out of all the animals I have in my gallery.
Oxylebius
Well-Known Member
That is very cool. I love file fish!
I was just at the National Aquarium last month. While at the aquarium I was able to watch the puffers being hand fed in the huge mixed reef tank. Apparently, they have trouble competing for food as well?
I had forgotten that you work there. A colleague of mine dives there from time to time cleaning the tanks, human squeegee
not sure if you know the divers or not. I had applied and made it to the last round of interviews (3 people out of 150ish) for an aquarist position at Monterrey Bay Aquarium. This was a couple decades ago. If I had gotten that job I most likely would have been in a different career then I am now. It was great to see the behind the scenes of some of their exhibits.
It sounds like the job is going well for you?
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
It’s funny you mention the puffers @Oxylebius , we actually have two in this community tank and they have some trouble competing for food as well. I usually hand-feed them a few pieces as well if they’ll come up to the surface. I think they’re starting to learn that behavior just like the filefish. There are two spadefish in the tank and they are the bullies. Everyone else has trouble eating because those two spades are so aggressive. My primary aquarist has been trying getting them moved, but I don’t think we have any space for them anywhere else.
I don’t know any of the divers personally, I work in the Living Seashore exhibit which is a few floors up from the Blacktip Reef on the main level. I truthfully don’t know where the divers even get dressed; that place is an absolute labyrinth behind the scenes. I’ve been there for a few months now and just now am figuring out how to get my work done. I did sign up for an open water certification class though. I’m hoping that once I get certified and get some dives under my belt that I can dive the tanks as well.
I had a similar experience getting this position at the National Aquarium. I’m only a volunteer, but the process of getting this position was incredibly difficult. I applied in March of 2016 and didn’t receive a response until October of that year. I had two rounds of interviews, had to pass a background check, had to attend several in-person orientations and took several hours of online training. I had four apprenticeship sessions in my gallery before I was certified as able to do my work. They don’t mess around, even when they’re not paying you.
Regardless, I’m happy to have the opportunity. We actually only have two displays that have live coral, but there’s still a lot to see. We have a lab where we culture our own jellyfish for the exhibits, and we actually have a small coral propagation tank behind the scenes. Sadly, I don’t think any of these corals are on display. There are a few stunning stylophora (although they could be pocillapora), as well as several varieties of incredibly beautiful acropora. There’s lots of cool non-reef stuff too. We have a huge snapping turtle in a pool in the backup areas, she must be a good three feet long from head to tail. My badge gives me 24 hour access, so any time I feel like going and strolling around the Aquarium I can. There’s a sort of other-worldy beauty and tranquility to the place when you look out over the Blacktip Reef before the lights come on, or walk through the galleries before open when no guests are there yet.
There are so many amazing things behind the scenes that I’d love to share pictures of, but unfortunately, we have to get written approval from our volunteer supervisor before posting any pictures of non-public areas to social media.
I don’t know any of the divers personally, I work in the Living Seashore exhibit which is a few floors up from the Blacktip Reef on the main level. I truthfully don’t know where the divers even get dressed; that place is an absolute labyrinth behind the scenes. I’ve been there for a few months now and just now am figuring out how to get my work done. I did sign up for an open water certification class though. I’m hoping that once I get certified and get some dives under my belt that I can dive the tanks as well.
I had a similar experience getting this position at the National Aquarium. I’m only a volunteer, but the process of getting this position was incredibly difficult. I applied in March of 2016 and didn’t receive a response until October of that year. I had two rounds of interviews, had to pass a background check, had to attend several in-person orientations and took several hours of online training. I had four apprenticeship sessions in my gallery before I was certified as able to do my work. They don’t mess around, even when they’re not paying you.
Regardless, I’m happy to have the opportunity. We actually only have two displays that have live coral, but there’s still a lot to see. We have a lab where we culture our own jellyfish for the exhibits, and we actually have a small coral propagation tank behind the scenes. Sadly, I don’t think any of these corals are on display. There are a few stunning stylophora (although they could be pocillapora), as well as several varieties of incredibly beautiful acropora. There’s lots of cool non-reef stuff too. We have a huge snapping turtle in a pool in the backup areas, she must be a good three feet long from head to tail. My badge gives me 24 hour access, so any time I feel like going and strolling around the Aquarium I can. There’s a sort of other-worldy beauty and tranquility to the place when you look out over the Blacktip Reef before the lights come on, or walk through the galleries before open when no guests are there yet.
There are so many amazing things behind the scenes that I’d love to share pictures of, but unfortunately, we have to get written approval from our volunteer supervisor before posting any pictures of non-public areas to social media.
Florida Sunshine
Member
Many years ago a group of RS members took a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium together. It was loads of fun to meet each other in person and to see the Aquarium. You should organize a trip to the National Aquarium. I would be up for it.
StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
Wow, welcome back bob ,!
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
@BEELZEBOB! Welcome back! It has been a while, how are things?
@Florida Sunshine that sounds great, I don't know how many RS members we have in the area, but we should do that some time. I'm only about 45 minutes away from the city
@Florida Sunshine that sounds great, I don't know how many RS members we have in the area, but we should do that some time. I'm only about 45 minutes away from the city
Florida Sunshine
Member
We came in from all over the place. I flew up from Florida and Woodstock came up from N.C. There were probably about 10-12 of us in the group and was a lot of fun.
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
Well I'm down to go whenever anyone in the area would like. I actually don't get free tickets until way late in my volunteering tenure.. also, I don't get to take people into the backup areas without express written consent of the management, which is hard to get (lame). But I'm down to meet up with fellow RSers!
Anyway, in terms of my tank, I've made about a million and a half changes in the past few weeks and haven't been keeping my thread updated. I'm going to do this in a few chunks as to not write a novel.
Long story short, I went ballistic in my quest to conquer my nutrient issue and made some radical changes. I upgraded my stand so I could fit a larger sump. I bought a decent needlewheel skimmer to go in the larger sump. I started dosing an organic carbon source again, and all these changes are paying off big time. The algae is literally melting off the rocks. It's funny, I did 50% water changes every 3 days for weeks straight, and I've seen more progress in the first 3 days of carbon dosing than I did that month of 50% water changes.
I think all this points to phosphates bound to my live rock as being the culprit. My hypothesis is that the organic carbon dosing is using nearly all of the nitrates as they become available, which is limiting algae growth based on nitrogen. After nearly all the algae is gone from the rocks, I'm going to start testing phosphates. I expect then I'll see substantial phosphate levels. Since organic carbon dosing removes far more nitrogen than it does phosphorus, even though the phosphates are in the water, they likely will not be used for algal growth because of the lack of nitrogen. At any rate, that's down the line after the nuisance algae has almost completely receded.
For today, I'm going to share some updates on the stand I built. I posted earlier in the thread about how I built a stand out of 2x4s for my QT tank. I decided to finish the stand and move my main DT to it so that I could fit a larger tank underneath for a sump. My old stand would only hold a bucket, which didn't have enough room for a decent skimmer.
Here is the original stand, unfinished:
I added some 1/4" plywood, trim, and filled the seams (rather inexpertly, I admit, but I was just trying to get things done):
Then I just primed and painted with some semigloss black. It turned out pretty well actually, you can see a lot of the grain:
And finally, the DT on the new stand:
There are more updates to cover, including the new skimmer and my unexpected transition to T5 lighting. But like I said, I'm keeping the updates relatively short, so that's all for today.
Anyway, in terms of my tank, I've made about a million and a half changes in the past few weeks and haven't been keeping my thread updated. I'm going to do this in a few chunks as to not write a novel.
Long story short, I went ballistic in my quest to conquer my nutrient issue and made some radical changes. I upgraded my stand so I could fit a larger sump. I bought a decent needlewheel skimmer to go in the larger sump. I started dosing an organic carbon source again, and all these changes are paying off big time. The algae is literally melting off the rocks. It's funny, I did 50% water changes every 3 days for weeks straight, and I've seen more progress in the first 3 days of carbon dosing than I did that month of 50% water changes.
I think all this points to phosphates bound to my live rock as being the culprit. My hypothesis is that the organic carbon dosing is using nearly all of the nitrates as they become available, which is limiting algae growth based on nitrogen. After nearly all the algae is gone from the rocks, I'm going to start testing phosphates. I expect then I'll see substantial phosphate levels. Since organic carbon dosing removes far more nitrogen than it does phosphorus, even though the phosphates are in the water, they likely will not be used for algal growth because of the lack of nitrogen. At any rate, that's down the line after the nuisance algae has almost completely receded.
For today, I'm going to share some updates on the stand I built. I posted earlier in the thread about how I built a stand out of 2x4s for my QT tank. I decided to finish the stand and move my main DT to it so that I could fit a larger tank underneath for a sump. My old stand would only hold a bucket, which didn't have enough room for a decent skimmer.
Here is the original stand, unfinished:
I added some 1/4" plywood, trim, and filled the seams (rather inexpertly, I admit, but I was just trying to get things done):
Then I just primed and painted with some semigloss black. It turned out pretty well actually, you can see a lot of the grain:
And finally, the DT on the new stand:
There are more updates to cover, including the new skimmer and my unexpected transition to T5 lighting. But like I said, I'm keeping the updates relatively short, so that's all for today.
Florida Sunshine
Member
Looking good!
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
Definitely. Nice stand!
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
Thanks @Florida Sunshine and @Pat24601
My only regret is that I didn't do a fine finish sand after I painted.. the paint is rough, and whenever I wipe down the stand I get a ton of fibers stuck in the burrs. At any rate, I still need to build a door eventually.. maybe I'll give it a finish sand at that time.
My only regret is that I didn't do a fine finish sand after I painted.. the paint is rough, and whenever I wipe down the stand I get a ton of fibers stuck in the burrs. At any rate, I still need to build a door eventually.. maybe I'll give it a finish sand at that time.