Virgil's 125 Gallon Dream Reef
- Thread starter vdf8ball
- Start date
Glad to hear about the tank doing well and that you worked out the salinity situation. Tangs, I don't remember seeing any pictures of tangs. Now your on the hook for tang shots and a FTS.Keep up the good work.
Thank Chris. The tank is doing well. Numbers are good and everything on the back wall is getting cleaned up nicely. I see critters all the time and all seem well but it appears I have not worked out the salinity issue. It's back to 1.020. It's gotta be something with the ATO! I'll look into cleaning the sensor but it's only been up and running 2 months. Anyway, here's a FTS. Sorry for the poor quality but I'm still trying tofigure that out too ;-)
I'll never win photo of the month but here's a shot of the Power Blue Tang with the Yellow Tang close by. The photo isn't the best but they are really pretty
Virgil, congrats on the Tangs, they look really nice, the tank is looking awesome, thanks for sharing
Thanks Juan
lsmile:I gave my legs a rest and skipped training this evening. Spent it listening to the Celtic game on TV and watching the tank. I picked up the camera and made a simple change
with my settings and was amazed at the difference. :bouncer:
As an example of the varied life forms on the TBS live rock, this hard rubbery thing was protruding from the rock and I never realized it was alive until one day I saw it open up. The Anemone seems to like the area and usually covers it up but in this pic it's visible at the base of the nem. I'm not sure what it is but I like seeing it opened up. The Urchin barely visible in the background was another hitchiker
In this photo, I'm trying to capture this crab. There's several of different sizes and colors that hang out in the rocks. This guy is an inch and a half at least and very stealth like
Here's more off the incredible TBS rock
Well race season is in full swing and has my undivided attention so I apologize for being absent from my thread. While I'm busy with bike stuff, I'm still dedicated to my aqauarium and have been diligently tending to my husbandry duties. All is well for the most part and the tank inhabitants seem to be happy and doing well.
I do have a couple of issues I'm dealing with. One is the room my tank is housed in has a heat retention problem.....it gets hot and affects the tank temp by way of the ATO water. My chiller is housed in a stand under the ATO resevoir and the lack of ventilation allows the heat to kinda just sit in the room. This results in my tank temp hovering around 78 degrees and sometimes as high as 80. The chiller (set at 76) is on a lot as a result adding to the room heat. I need to get an air conditioner installed. I'm thinking that will help to the load off the chiller? Any thoughts?
My other issue involves my refugium. I had it iinstalled as an after thought so it's not the typical set-up. As a result, I believe my problem is based around the lack of adequate water flow. I've added a small pump for circulation but I still get this purple slime like algae on the sand and rocks. It gets really ugly if I let it go 3 or 4 days without cleaning up. I'm thinking I may need to break it down and totally reconfigure it by adding baffles. Although I see a lot of life within, this stuff also gets in the chaeto and makes the whole thing look ugly........I need some help figuring this out if anybody's out there. Thanks
Oh yeah, I also have a decent video I'm trying to upload. Eventually, I'll get it done for all to see
I do have a couple of issues I'm dealing with. One is the room my tank is housed in has a heat retention problem.....it gets hot and affects the tank temp by way of the ATO water. My chiller is housed in a stand under the ATO resevoir and the lack of ventilation allows the heat to kinda just sit in the room. This results in my tank temp hovering around 78 degrees and sometimes as high as 80. The chiller (set at 76) is on a lot as a result adding to the room heat. I need to get an air conditioner installed. I'm thinking that will help to the load off the chiller? Any thoughts?
My other issue involves my refugium. I had it iinstalled as an after thought so it's not the typical set-up. As a result, I believe my problem is based around the lack of adequate water flow. I've added a small pump for circulation but I still get this purple slime like algae on the sand and rocks. It gets really ugly if I let it go 3 or 4 days without cleaning up. I'm thinking I may need to break it down and totally reconfigure it by adding baffles. Although I see a lot of life within, this stuff also gets in the chaeto and makes the whole thing look ugly........I need some help figuring this out if anybody's out there. Thanks
Oh yeah, I also have a decent video I'm trying to upload. Eventually, I'll get it done for all to see
maybe just toss some turbo or margarita snails in the fug, let them keep it clean. Also the point of the fug/sump is to grow yuck stuff to help keep the tank water clean and all that so the display can stay looking pretty. Mine is pretty nasty, I have filimentis and hair algae growing like wild fire in there. I wipe down the glass every other water change or so but otherwise I just let it go. For the most part algae grows like that because 'A' there are enough nutrients in your water and light to support it and 'B' the flow is slow enough not to hamper it. Adding more flow might help some but really just means the fug is grown some more filtration stuff for you to reduce the nutrients in the water so that less algae grows in the display. So I wouldn't worry to much if it gets kind of ugly that is its purpose. At least as long as it is closed up most of the time, which seems like how you have yours setup.
The heat problems sounds like trouble, bummer you can't vent the chiller out a window or doorway to get the heat out of the room. Good luck working that one out, I'm sure an A/C unit that kicked in when the room temp got above a certain point would help the situation, course that might negate the need to have a chiller on the tank
The tank looks great, glad your keeping up with your husbandry duties, tank to slack of some husbandry duties definitely need to be maintained.
The heat problems sounds like trouble, bummer you can't vent the chiller out a window or doorway to get the heat out of the room. Good luck working that one out, I'm sure an A/C unit that kicked in when the room temp got above a certain point would help the situation, course that might negate the need to have a chiller on the tank
The tank looks great, glad your keeping up with your husbandry duties, tank to slack of some husbandry duties definitely need to be maintained
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jpsika08
Well-Known Member
Virgil,
Glad to hear all is doing well including yourself
Good advice from Chris in regards of the CUC in the fuge.
For the heat in the room, maybe an Air Exchanger can help you solve this, here is a link to on of these devices, it even runs cheaper than the A/C I think:
Broan-Nutone AE60 Air Exchanger CFM Bathroom Exhaust Fan
Good Luck
Glad to hear all is doing well including yourself
Good advice from Chris in regards of the CUC in the fuge.
For the heat in the room, maybe an Air Exchanger can help you solve this, here is a link to on of these devices, it even runs cheaper than the A/C I think:
Broan-Nutone AE60 Air Exchanger CFM Bathroom Exhaust Fan
Good Luck
+1 ^, I was thinking the same kind of thing, if the problem is air circulation then you might not need and A/C but some kind of exhaust fan, like what Juan is pointing out. In any event let us know what you end up doing. By the way forgot to mention it on last post but the tangs look great, very nice looking fish, I want to get a yellow and/or royal blue for my tank really bad. I have to start saving up to replace my lights so probably no more fish or corals for the tank for a few months though
maybe just toss some turbo or margarita snails in the fug, let them keep it clean. Also the point of the fug/sump is to grow yuck stuff to help keep the tank water clean and all that so the display can stay looking pretty. Mine is pretty nasty, I have filimentis and hair algae growing like wild fire in there. I wipe down the glass every other water change or so but otherwise I just let it go. For the most part algae grows like that because 'A' there are enough nutrients in your water and light to support it and 'B' the flow is slow enough not to hamper it. Adding more flow might help some but really just means the fug is grown some more filtration stuff for you to reduce the nutrients in the water so that less algae grows in the display. So I wouldn't worry to much if it gets kind of ugly that is its purpose. At least as long as it is closed up most of the time, which seems like how you have yours setup.
The heat problems sounds like trouble, bummer you can't vent the chiller out a window or doorway to get the heat out of the room. Good luck working that one out, I'm sure an A/C unit that kicked in when the room temp got above a certain point would help the situation, course that might negate the need to have a chiller on the tank
The tank looks great, glad your keeping up with your husbandry duties, tank to slack of some husbandry duties definitely need to be maintained
Thanks for your input Chris! You continue to be a valuable source of "anti panic" for me. It's a relief to know that the fuge is acting and looking like it should. I do keep it concealed but i was wondering if it should look bad to be effective, which is does and it is so I guess all is well. I hadn't put a CUC in there because I was thinking they would simply crawl out but I guess they'd stop at the waterline......I'll get some turbos this weekend and let them do the magic for me, see what happens.
I guess I always knew I needed air conditioning in the aquarium room. The room usually gets hot during the summer months naturally but fans and an opened door worked well enough. With the chiler running as it is, the fans do nothing but move hot air around and it's not close to being summer type hot in there yet. Bummer....working it though
Virgil,
Glad to hear all is doing well including yourself
Good advice from Chris in regards of the CUC in the fuge.
For the heat in the room, maybe an Air Exchanger can help you solve this, here is a link to on of these devices, it even runs cheaper than the A/C I think:
Broan-Nutone AE60 Air Exchanger CFM Bathroom Exhaust Fan
Good Luck
Thanks Juan........I'm still looking into the air exchanger vs conditioner but it sounds like the exchanger would work for the entire house rather than the 25 x 25 foot room attached to my detached garage. I'm leaning more towards the conditioner because I'd need to cool the room during summer months anyway.
Someone suggested a "swamp cooler" rather than an air conditioner so I'm looking into that as well. I'll keep you both posted on the results. Thanks for your valued input
+1 ^, I was thinking the same kind of thing, if the problem is air circulation then you might not need and A/C but some kind of exhaust fan, like what Juan is pointing out. In any event let us know what you end up doing. By the way forgot to mention it on last post but the tangs look great, very nice looking fish, I want to get a yellow and/or royal blue for my tank really bad. I have to start saving up to replace my lights so probably no more fish or corals for the tank for a few months though
One day Chris, I'll have a tank as well stocked as yours and Juan's. I don't think I'll get many more fish though........I'm really wanting a Mandarin Goby so I can hardly wait unti the system (including refugium) matures to the point where I can add him with the confidence that he'll have plenty of goods within the rocks to keep him healthy. I saw the tangs and loved the vibrant colors. The Powder Blue Tang will be the "big fish" of my reef for as long as he's healthy ;-)
Robzilla
Active Member
Make sure you don't use Nerite Snails....those guys will climb right out of your tank. I have a lid and I still find them on the floor.
+1^, yeah I don't see the purpose of nerites, the ones that I got spent all their time being rescued from the ground outside my tank even with the lid. I think a few turbos would be a good idea though. Like I said before my current personal favorite are the margarita snails cause the can right themselves if they get flipped over. But I've seen the astrea snail flip themselves over a few times, long as they don't get the tip of their shell stuck in a nook of a rock. I don't know that the fug/sump 'should' be ugly to be doing its job, just that if it is it isn't a big deal. I'm sure having a good CUC in the fug/ sump area would be nice and help keep it from smelling to bad and decrease the amount of time you need to spend cleaning it. In any event hope tossing in a few turbos helps clean up the problem for you. Keep us posted.
redneckgearhead
Active Member
What kind of bulbs are you using over your refugium? I would remove the one on the left. I'm not sure its needed. It might just be adding heat.
nightfire76
Active Member
i never clean my sump lol the walls are covered in red and other junk....cheato always gets covered in cyano or what have you and the DT looks good....minus some bubble algae here and there at times....every system is different and one with a clean sump/fuge might do better then one with out and vise versa....if the DT looks good then let it be
Hi Chris, it's your long lost cycling friend who also has a reef system ;-) Yeah it's been a while and I apologize for ailienating everyone these past few months but I have to admit to being a little discouraged with my heat problem I was having in the aquarium room. My tank temp sometimes got up above 85 degrees and i didn't want to do a lot to it until I got cool the room. I'd considered several things including putting the chiller outside even though I really didn't like the idea of doing so. I eventually got a "mini-split" a/c system for the room which is basically a ductless central air system for one room. I'll try to take a photo and post later this evening. This thing works really good, is quiet and keeps the room nice and comfy. It has been much needed for quite some time and I finally found the extra monies to get it done. Now I feel like I can move forward with some degree of confidence ;-) More tank info to come (gotta get back to work)
I ended up putting a couple of turbo snails in and they did the job in a couple of hours. It's been clean ever siince and I do absolutely nothing to it.