saintsreturn
Well-Known Member
Good luck with the battle. The tank looks amazing!
EVB's Red Sea Max S 650 LED
- Thread starter emvanburen
- Start date
emvanburen
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emvanburen
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Thanks. Today was pruning day.
Also added Heliopora but didn’t get a pic. Here is a FTS.
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emvanburen
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Heliopora and my new fish!
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emvanburen
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General updates:
I really went after the "Kenya Tree" as there are two trunks and they are just overwhelming the left side of the tank. I really just need to remove the back trunk - I think very soon.
Xenia war continues to wage on. I have been using a mixture of Aiptasia-X, tweezers, and tongs to gain an upper hand. I'd say it is under control, but still too widespread. I've been removing zoa colonies and tweezering, using tweezers or tongs on large stalks I can't easily take out of the tank, and squirting everything else with AgentOrange (A-X).
Green Star Polyps - have really taken off. They are controllable via the Laser, which stops them in their tracks.
Aiptasia - also really doing well. Spreading like mad. If only I liked them and wanted them...They are resistant to the laser, and to AgentOrange. My attempt with a Copperband and a matted file fish both ended badly, for the fish...
Sand - getting a bit of brownish algea - started vacuuming the sand to try and either help extract nutrients, or at least mix/extract the algae. I think I enjoyed my auto water change too much and missed out on sand maintenance.
Equipment: The NYOS skimmer which I had so much hope for had to go. It would not restart reliably. and the pump is inside and a pain to get to to clean. Ecotech told me that stopping daily was outside of their usage parameters. Gone!
Replaced with a ReefOcto 150-INT which has an external (removable!) DC controllable pump. Now, when I add Reef Energy, I can drop the pump automatically to 30% and not skim it out, or overflow the container. When I idle the COR pump, I can drop the skimmer to 30% and not overflow the container....it's great- so far.
Corals: Growing ok-to-well - with Chalices, Montis Stylo and Seris, and branching Acros leading the pack. Color is bland. I have been reducing my Alk down to 8 - hopefully now that I am there, a month of stability should improve coloration. Tank is running w zero nitrate and .03-.1 phosphate.
Fish: the regulars are all doing well. The bangaii cardinal has fit right in. Clowns keep laying eggs. Chromis are at a steady population. Tangs are...obnoxious. But pretty.
Lessons learned: make sure to teach family members how to report and silence an alarm when you are stuck on a plane without wifi. Never let anyone else touch the APEX itself. And do not let children you wish to keep insert aquabus cables into the variable speed ports in lieu of aquabus ports. And have a sense of where you can get a stand alone APEX2016 head unit really quickly....
Despite the stress- the tank was fine for the three days without the Apex - thankfully.
In all seriousness, I would also double check all APEX FALLBACK statements. I had decided to put my heaters OFF for fear of overheating - mistake - better to put at least one ON and let the onboard thermostat control temp in an APEX-out condition.
Anyone want to buy a repaired APEX 2016 head unit (Seriously...) - will work with your old EB8s just fine.
I really went after the "Kenya Tree" as there are two trunks and they are just overwhelming the left side of the tank. I really just need to remove the back trunk - I think very soon.
Xenia war continues to wage on. I have been using a mixture of Aiptasia-X, tweezers, and tongs to gain an upper hand. I'd say it is under control, but still too widespread. I've been removing zoa colonies and tweezering, using tweezers or tongs on large stalks I can't easily take out of the tank, and squirting everything else with AgentOrange (A-X).
Green Star Polyps - have really taken off. They are controllable via the Laser, which stops them in their tracks.
Aiptasia - also really doing well. Spreading like mad. If only I liked them and wanted them...They are resistant to the laser, and to AgentOrange. My attempt with a Copperband and a matted file fish both ended badly, for the fish...
Sand - getting a bit of brownish algea - started vacuuming the sand to try and either help extract nutrients, or at least mix/extract the algae. I think I enjoyed my auto water change too much and missed out on sand maintenance.
Equipment: The NYOS skimmer which I had so much hope for had to go. It would not restart reliably. and the pump is inside and a pain to get to to clean. Ecotech told me that stopping daily was outside of their usage parameters. Gone!
Replaced with a ReefOcto 150-INT which has an external (removable!) DC controllable pump. Now, when I add Reef Energy, I can drop the pump automatically to 30% and not skim it out, or overflow the container. When I idle the COR pump, I can drop the skimmer to 30% and not overflow the container....it's great- so far.
Corals: Growing ok-to-well - with Chalices, Montis Stylo and Seris, and branching Acros leading the pack. Color is bland. I have been reducing my Alk down to 8 - hopefully now that I am there, a month of stability should improve coloration. Tank is running w zero nitrate and .03-.1 phosphate.
Fish: the regulars are all doing well. The bangaii cardinal has fit right in. Clowns keep laying eggs. Chromis are at a steady population. Tangs are...obnoxious. But pretty.
Lessons learned: make sure to teach family members how to report and silence an alarm when you are stuck on a plane without wifi. Never let anyone else touch the APEX itself. And do not let children you wish to keep insert aquabus cables into the variable speed ports in lieu of aquabus ports. And have a sense of where you can get a stand alone APEX2016 head unit really quickly....
Despite the stress- the tank was fine for the three days without the Apex - thankfully.
In all seriousness, I would also double check all APEX FALLBACK statements. I had decided to put my heaters OFF for fear of overheating - mistake - better to put at least one ON and let the onboard thermostat control temp in an APEX-out condition.
Anyone want to buy a repaired APEX 2016 head unit (Seriously...) - will work with your old EB8s just fine.
Last edited:
SPR
Well-Known Member
Thank for the update.
I’ve always used the Aiptasia X and never had any issues wiith it. But you have to be very stealthy and hover the needle just far enough away so they don’t close up. And the squirt!
I’ve actually got a large Aiptasia with white tips growing at the side of my tank and it looks quiet nice so I’ve left it alone, for the time being!
I would watch out for possible issues (cyno bacteria etc) if your running at zero Nitrate as it can cause problems at that low level so I would maybe feed a little more, but it depends on your own goles etc.
I’ve never cleaned my sand, ever, but what’s the brown stuff on the sand. Have you got any closeups of it ? It looks from a distance like what I had (and @Pancho75) but the pictures aren’t clear.
I’ve always used the Aiptasia X and never had any issues wiith it. But you have to be very stealthy and hover the needle just far enough away so they don’t close up. And the squirt!
I’ve actually got a large Aiptasia with white tips growing at the side of my tank and it looks quiet nice so I’ve left it alone, for the time being!
I would watch out for possible issues (cyno bacteria etc) if your running at zero Nitrate as it can cause problems at that low level so I would maybe feed a little more, but it depends on your own goles etc.
I’ve never cleaned my sand, ever, but what’s the brown stuff on the sand. Have you got any closeups of it ? It looks from a distance like what I had (and @Pancho75) but the pictures aren’t clear.
emvanburen
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emvanburen
Well-Known Member
Cor pump stalled yesterday, while i was away sharkfishing with my 12 year old.
It apparently reduced power to barely circulating water. No alarm. But there was a red triangle in the Neptune app indicating something was amiss.
Water level lowers and surface skimming all but stops. Scum forms on surface.
Water level in sump rises. Ato stops (good). Skimmer overflows (bad - but it’s how I realized something was wrong). Salinity increases as Evap occurs.
Got home this afternoon. Swapped out pump for the ...spare(whew)... and we are back running. Soaking old pump in vinegar now.
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It apparently reduced power to barely circulating water. No alarm. But there was a red triangle in the Neptune app indicating something was amiss.
Water level lowers and surface skimming all but stops. Scum forms on surface.
Water level in sump rises. Ato stops (good). Skimmer overflows (bad - but it’s how I realized something was wrong). Salinity increases as Evap occurs.
Got home this afternoon. Swapped out pump for the ...spare(whew)... and we are back running. Soaking old pump in vinegar now.
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emvanburen
Well-Known Member
The sharks were fun! Having fun in DC?
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Pancho75
Well-Known Member
A lot of fun!!! I am a big history fan so I am having a blast here... my feet are killing me haha....
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emvanburen
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Good! Today was not too hot!
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Pancho75
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emvanburen
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Went to watch the fireworks tonight and I was melting!
Tank made it through 6 days without me and not one alarm or issue. And the Dinos are receding. Hopefully they are either bored with me or the non-zero nitrate is helping. I think I need to pull my chaeto- the light is already off on it so no need right?
And I think I’m going to put the nitrate on a doser channel. I’m using more of it than no pox so better used for nitrate. So bizarre the relationship between no3 and po4...
In other news, neighbor built huge blue basketball court behind my backyard. Loud and blue. We installed 15 arborvitae trees to screen. Landscaper said we should pull down some old but ugly trees that weren’t helping so the new trees could get some sun. So we did.
Now the afternoon sun is heating my house. Cannot win.
Mounted icecap fan in light rail. Seems to work really well. Tomorrow will make it look more pro.
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emvanburen
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Hello everyone! In between college visits, Scandinavian vacations and work, the tank progresses. The fan addition was a huge success. Painted black, it holds the temp perfectly.
Battle with Xenia trending in my favor since the addition of a hemostat instead of tweezers. The rings on the handles make dropping it into the tank less likely and much easier to hold. Shocker since it was made to be used inside of people! Serrated jaws grab Xenia well. Much harvesting has occurred.
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Battle with Xenia trending in my favor since the addition of a hemostat instead of tweezers. The rings on the handles make dropping it into the tank less likely and much easier to hold. Shocker since it was made to be used inside of people! Serrated jaws grab Xenia well. Much harvesting has occurred.
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emvanburen
Well-Known Member
My battle with dinos is over. I’ll credit removing my chaeto and dosing neonitro to stopping them. Brown snotty slime, gone.
Red slime battle occurring- Cyano. Possible that the nitrate is causing this although it’s only at 1-2 ppm. Basting, vacuuming etc underway. I also added a spare mp40w I had to the back to increase flow.
Most stony corals growing well and in need of pruning which will happen shortly. Also may need to relocate some as they are growing into each other.
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Red slime battle occurring- Cyano. Possible that the nitrate is causing this although it’s only at 1-2 ppm. Basting, vacuuming etc underway. I also added a spare mp40w I had to the back to increase flow.
Most stony corals growing well and in need of pruning which will happen shortly. Also may need to relocate some as they are growing into each other.
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emvanburen
Well-Known Member
The reef octopus skimmer is fantastic. Cleaning the pump is super simple as it just unscrews without having to remove the skimmer column. Controllability via apex during feeding keeps it running without overflows. Love it.
Likewise loving the COR. The stall mode is great for feeding as it keeps the food in the tank without traumatizing the sump.
All that notwithstanding, still not loving coloration of corals. Alk at 8 and fairly stable. Some blue tips on one acro, my birdsnests are getting deeper color but not there. Greens are awesome across the board.
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Likewise loving the COR. The stall mode is great for feeding as it keeps the food in the tank without traumatizing the sump.
All that notwithstanding, still not loving coloration of corals. Alk at 8 and fairly stable. Some blue tips on one acro, my birdsnests are getting deeper color but not there. Greens are awesome across the board.
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emvanburen
Well-Known Member
I’ve been ICP testing. Had high chromium for two tests. Took apart an island and found some foil pieces in the sand - maybe from food packs - maybe something else. Regardless, recent test shows no chromium. So that’s good. Other things look fine. All thoughts comments and questions welcomed.
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