A CORAL PICTURE

CHEATO REACTOR

Hi there everyone.

I have decided to experiment a bit and add a refugium/reactor to my system.

I will be converting a Skimz FM fluidized reactor that I have had sitting around my workshop by wrapping some lights around it.This way it will serve a purpose instead of just gathering dust.

I purchased what I needed from CPS Warehouse and with all the pretty decorations on show it was easy to get my wife to go with.

I decided on this led strip  that comes in a 5m roll. Just perfect for the size of the reactor body.  These strips can be shortened if you have a smaller reactor . Alternatively sections can be joined if more lights are needed . Just be sure to use a driver that can cope with the additional load of 4,9 watts per meter.

I also purchased a  24 Watt driver whilst there as it had the correct plug to connect. This just made the whole project a lot simpler.

This is a picture of the reactor shortly after testing:

And this is a picture of it connected to the system with a starter culture of algae basking in the glow.

I have it running on a reverse lighting cycle and hope it will help towards stabilizing PH levels overnight.

I am looking forward to seeing how this performs.

I have heard some reports of reactors cracking 😱 but after feeling the temperature of the led's  my guess is that the risk would be minimal.😎

I am hoping the algae will take off so that the pellet reactor I am currently running can be taken offline for good.

Update to follow.

Happy reefing !

TANK PICTURE 25.08.17

MORE "TOP DOWN" PICTURES

TANK "TOP DOWN" PICTURES

TANK PICTURE 12.7.14

A side pic after doing some cleaning today.

A TANK CLEAN UP DONE !

Hi All

Did some long overdue tank maintenance .......

TANK ROOM

This is the new Tank Room with the SPS dominated tank on the left of this picture and the soft coral tank on the right. The systems are run as separate entities being controlled by my Profilux II.

BLOG IS STILL ALIVE !

Hi there all fellow reefers.

I was surprised to find that my blog still existed,and that I have neglected to post updates.

There has been many changes and multiple tank incarnations in between.

Details to follow soon.

TANK IS STILL DOING WELL

Nothing much to report , tank still doing well and livestock is thriving.

A TANK UPDATE

The tank is starting to run well.

I am busy fine tuning and tweaking but mostly things are good.

I am dealing with some micro bubbles that are currently spoiling the appearance of the display.
Algae is also beginning to grow on all the surfaces as the tank is going through various cycles . I have been blasting rocks clean with a powerhead with a pop bottle and filter wool and this is showing some positive results.

The redox has been climbing steadily and is encouraging. I am thinking of adding ozone at some future date but a bit of reading is required first.

Happy reefing.

TANK PICTURE 27.10.11

Tank Front

Tank Side

Sump/Technique

REEF SHOPS IN MONTREAL

STILL UNDECIDED

I really don't know if I should do the change over to the new sump system ;-)

It seems to be a real catch22 - do it now and the redo it all again in 4 weeks.

Or choose not to and then run the risk that it does not work as it is supposed to and then have the potential chaos to put a stop-gap in place to keep things running.

There is still additional drilling etc needed - and this can only be done after the change - I would prefer to do that now whilst all tools are at hand.

Guess that answers my own question . :-)

PREPARATION FOR MOVE

I am getting things ready for the future move to our new place.

I have identified - what I think is a nice spot for the tank - this is a large covered patio.

The tank should be visible from all sides and shielded from the elements nicely.

I have also constructed a sump that will fit in the cabinet and as a result a remote sump will not be required anymore. This makes for a much neater and cleaner appearance.
I have not fitted it as yet - I am debating whether to wait for the move - or to do it now to ensure it functions correctly and then disassemble it all again when we move.

Decisions,decisions.

Happy Reefing

PROBE CALIBRATION OUT ?

I refer to the salinity variation experienced as per my post below.

I have since re-calibrated the salinity probe and whilst the readings are closer to what I would expect it is still little out of whack.

I will double check with a spare hydrometer that I know is 99.9% accurate.

Happy reefing !

UPDATE !!

I upgraded the firmware on my Profilux II a while ago and battled to reconnect via the RS232.
This resulted in me being unable to use old sensor calibration data and had to do all afresh.
I guess in the process the maximum on time of the auto top-up was shortened to a few seconds.
This meant that the top-off timed out before all evaporation could be replaced.
Due to a busy schedule I only picked up on it a number of days later when the return pump started sucking in air.

I immediately made the required corrections and slowly added fresh water to correct sump level.

All went relatively well - but noticed that salinity sits at 30 instead of 50 . I am a bit perplexed about this. Could not figure out how this might have happened.

CLAM LOSS !!!

I am sad to report the loss of my squamosa clam.

I have had this specimen with me for a number of years and early last week was still well.

I have been battling phosphate in my tank and use phosguard(Seachem) in a fluidized container.

I am unsure as to whether this brought the sudden demise on......................

I will miss it :-(

SCRAPER

A FEW MORE PICS ;-)