Austin goes Rimless - Dudester's 203g mixed reef - Page 20

mcrist · #**476** 10/12/2007, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dudester
Currently I'm working through a problem with my OM 4-way. Previously I had the Barracuda CL pump dialed down a bit, and with the anticipation of adding corals I opened it up full bore. This caused some sand to fly, which resulted in a clicking sound from the 4-way. I figured some sand got in the drum, but when I tried to take it apart I couldn't get the drum out of the unit. I spoke with Paul on the phone (great guy) and he gave me some tips, but no success yet. I'll work through it again tomorrow at a better hour when I can call him again for more assistance. [/B]

I had the same problem with my 4-way and sand. So much so that I removed the drum and had the unit off for several months. I felt that it was a total waste of money then someone on Reef Central said that I should call Paul again. I did and he sent me a new drum free of charge. I haven’t had a problem since. Now I love the unit and Paul has great customer service.

javajaws · #**477** 10/12/2007, 07:49 AM

Now that you've got light it'll be fun watching all the stuff you don't want in your tank grow out of nowhere!

Of course, the only way around that is to cover up every square inch of your rock with frags!

On the OM 4-way: I've got one of the earlier versions (before Paul re-designed the drum) and I haven't had any problems at all. Of course, I don't have any sand in my tank either...

chetm2 · #**478** 10/12/2007, 01:54 PM

The tank looks great and I love the aquascape. For the problem with the OM I've found that using a wooden dowell inserted into the bottom then push down on the outside of the OM and the drum pops out the top. I used a 12" long piece of wood and it always pops right out. That is the biggest pain with the OM. I'm taking all my sand out because of the same issues. And More Pictures!

CoralGeek · #**479** 10/12/2007, 02:17 PM

Looks awesome!

Slakker · #**480** 10/13/2007, 08:07 PM

Post more pics please!!!

I love the tank...I am contemplating going rimless with my nano, but am having a hard time finding a dealer around here who can order ADA, and I really can't afford to do anything custom at this point...perhaps i'll just have to drool over yours in the meantime

Dudester · #**481** 10/14/2007, 01:39 AM

melev - Won't be long my friend, won't be long.

fisheebill - I'm fairly certain that the clownfish are very happy in their new home. The smaller male didn't eat at all the first day, and he only picked at a few tiny morsels on day two. Today (day 3) he attacked his meal like the dude that he is, and I'm no longer worried about him. The female never skipped a beat, eating hungrily since the first day. The corals are also quite happy under their new light and flow. Everything I moved over is at the substrate level to avoid bleaching them with the new lighting, and I'll spread them around eventually.

Bax - When wasn't it fun?

javajaws - No sand?

Yuck!

mcrist and chetm2 - Thanks for your suggestions regarding the 4-way. I may need to replace my drum as well. I was totally unable to remove the drum from the housing, so I had to separate the unit from all of the return plumbing. Paul had told me to use a 3/4" MPT fitting and use that to self tap into the top of the drum, then remove it that way. I tried this, but the drum material actually smoothed out the threads on my PVC fitting. I then did something similar to what you did, chetm2, and pounded it out with a dowel (I used a piece of 3/4" PVC pipe). There wasn't much sand in there at all, at least I thought not. But I guess it was enough to cause a jam. Here's what the drum and housing looked like.

I've reinstalled the 4-way but without the drum for now. Paul's been atypically unavailable, but I plan to speak with him on Monday to work out a solution. Even though there's no sand blowing around currently, I'm a little reluctant to put this drum back in considering the difficulty I had removing it.

CoralGeek and Slakker - Thanks for your encouragement!

So aside from my activities with the closed loop, I've been busy with other things as well. John (thedude) came over and we were unable to make my Red Dragon return pump work properly. I partly wish he would have pointed out something obsurd that I did wrong, but I'm also glad I didn't overlook anything obvious. I've got a thread on one of the other forums where a lot of folks use these pumps, and hopefully I'll get an answer soon. In the mean time the sump return is only via an Eheim 1262 that first passes through a chiller.

We also changed the aquascape ever so slightly, but it made a huge impact on the overall look. The large rock topping off the center island was moved onto the top of the cave on the left side of the tank. This rock now breaches the surface and by moving it out of the center, it provides an entirely new sense of depth to the tank. No photos yet, unfortunately, but they are forthcoming. It's amazing how much moving 1 rock can impact the entire tank. Great suggestion John, thanks!!!!

After looking at the lighting more carefully, I'm not happy with the color. There's too much red/pink in the center, and the rear is too dark. I'm going to move the lamps around a bit until I get the color I'm looking for. I'm not going to trade out any lamps yet, as I want to give them time to burn in a bit before making my final judgement.

The last bit of news regarding this system is that it has a new occupant. It's one of my favorite fish of all time, a copper banded butterfly. John had it at Kingfish (his shop) for several weeks and he had it eating PE mysis. I saw it at the shop weeks ago and really liked it. John told me it had an awesome personality and he would know, as he is The Fish Whisperer. Oh, and as a bonus, it ate all of the aiptasia out of the tank John held it in. It hid in the rocks of my tank for only about 20 minutes, then it was roaming about as if it had lived there for years. I fed it PE mysis and it attacked! I already love this fish.

In other news, I spent the last several hours taking down my 30g cube. I'll probably use the ReefKeeper controller until the one I ordered arrives. Pumps and reusable equipment are soaking in vinegar, and the tank and sump/fuge are emptied and sitting outside hoping for some rain tonight. I rinsed out all of the LR and it is sitting outside to get cooked by the Texas sun. I may use it later for rock rubble and mounting frags, but I'm not sure how to be totally sure that bryopsis won't emerge. I would think keeping it dry and outdoors for several weeks would do the trick?

jnarowe · #**482** 10/14/2007, 01:05 PM

I love my CBB too. He's got a lot of spunk. Hangs with the tangs like he belongs there.

melev · #**483** 10/15/2007, 12:01 AM

While I'd like to say the bryopsis will die for sure in the sun, I'd hate to hear from you later about how a few spores apparently survived and reasserted themselves in your tank.

Then again, rather than doing that, why not put the rock in a vat with circulation, a skimmer, no light, and dose Kent's Tech M to nuke the bryopsis that way? There's quite a thread about how people have had good success killing it that way.

I need to get John to whisper me up a good CBB. I'd be willing to drive down just to get one that will live happily ever after in my reef. I've got PLENTY of aiptasia for one. A few sections of my tank look like it has Yellow Polyps, if it weren't for the fact that they are actually aiptasia.

After cleaning your OM 4-way, I'm sure the drum will fit and work correctly. You could even lightly sand it to smooth any rough areas. Since it isn't something you take apart regularly, you can probably expect it to be difficult and will require the dowel treatment. A friend of mine couldn't get his drum out either, but I've not had a chance to tell him about your solution.

Bax · #**484** 10/15/2007, 06:53 AM

I don't have an OM devise myself, (yet) but I can see how these drums probably need a break in period to smooth out and work to their own fit, I would think a little very careful, light sanding (maybe fine steel wool) would be helpful. I am sure Paul from OM will have a suggestion or two.

mcrist · #**485** 10/15/2007, 08:09 AM

I would definitely call Paul at OM before sanding the drum.

chetm2 · #**486** 10/15/2007, 12:34 PM

Glad you got it out. Mine always works fine after cleaning out the sand but any little sandstorm and they start clicking again. My drum looked like yours when I took it out and it works fine now. I guess you could go with a little bigger grain size but it doesn't look as nice as the sugar size stuff. I bet if you leave it running without the drum for a while the sand will settle and you won't have the big sand storm when you put the drum back in.

GMFett · #**487** 10/15/2007, 01:18 PM

post some damn pictures!

Dudester · #**488** 10/15/2007, 06:08 PM

melev - I was considering cooking the rock the traditional way as you suggested, but the energy of the sun is free and requires no time in maintenance. I doubt any bryopsis spores would survive after several months of exposure to air, but maybe I should inquire in the Marine Plants & Macroalgae forum (consider it done). I've been following the Mg thread and quite frankly I'm a little underwhelmed with the results. I certainly wouldn't consider it a cure, but rather a temporizing measure at best. Time will tell.

Bax, mcrist and chetm2 - I spoke with Paul today, and he's sending me a new drum that has a slightly smaller diameter, thereby allowing some sand to get through. The only downside to this will be that a small amount of water will flow through all 4 outlets at all times, but the volume should be negligible.

GMFett - Chill Bro, they're coming

.

gkarshens · #**489** 10/15/2007, 06:10 PM

I would think a small amount of water should make no real difference at all.

ambulldog615 · #**490** 10/18/2007, 12:12 AM

Looks great! Can you point me in the direction on where you bought your silicone from and what kind it is?

Dudester · #**491** 10/19/2007, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ambulldog615
Looks great! Can you point me in the direction on where you bought your silicone from and what kind it is?

Not sure of what you mean by this?? I haven't bought any silicone.

I hooked up the Tunze Wavebox 2 nights ago. I've got a 1" wave throughout the entire tank, and I really like it. I'll need to eventually shoot a video so everyone can see how it looks on my tank. I think it looks great with the rimless tank, no sea sickness whatsoever. I'm also incredibly impressed at how it detracts so little from the aquascape. You would think that being at the front of the tank would make it incredibly noticable (which it is!), but with the rocks (and eventual corals) to the rear of the left side of the tank, the eye is actually drawn away from it. There's no way I'll be able to capture what I'm describing with photos, but I'll do my best when I get home from work tonight.

GSMguy · #**492** 10/19/2007, 09:14 AM

video and pictures please

wave action must be hypnotizing in a rimless

Bax · #**493** 10/19/2007, 02:25 PM

Yea Dude! We've got to see the wave on vid!

Dudester · #**494** 10/22/2007, 01:13 PM

I had a reasonably productive weekend, along with a lot of fun outside the aquarium world. I'll limit this update to events around the tank.

Carbon was changed for the first time in my fluidized reactor, and I did my first 5% water change, along with siphoning of the sand.

I received a new drum for my 4-way from Paul. The circumference has been machined down a bit to allow for some sand to escape and not clog the drum. I haven't installed it yet, still waiting for things to settle a bit inside the tank.

I changed the lamps around on my Powermodule, as I was unhappy with the band of pink in the center. I also felt like the rear of the tank was too blue/dark. I like it as it is now, but I'll have to look at it a while before I decide to keep it this way or not. The setup is now as follows:

front
blue plus
aquablue
super actinic
pro color
blue plus
aquasun
aquablue
super actinic
blue plus
aquasun
rear

If you recall, I've had a Red Dragon 6.5m3 as a return pump, but it hasn't been plumbed in due to troubles dialing it down and with bidirectional flow through the intake. I finally inspected the interior of the pump and I found a black "X" written with permanent marker on the impeller. I don't know what this means, but it gives me some concern. To rule out a plumbing problem as the source for the pump's failure, I hooked up a Mag12 to the exact same return plumbing I had been using for the RD, and the Mag pump works just fine. I guess I could just continue to use this pump, but I really don't like them all that much. I'll probably replace it with a RD4.5 pump, as the 6.5 created way too much flow through the sump anyway.

Lastly, I have a short video illustrating the wave action on the tank. You'll also see how the aquascape is changed, with the highest peak (now breaching the surface) now located on the left side of the tank. The video, while being of extremely poor quality, also shows off my CBB and my beloved clown pair, as well as the few corals I moved over. The video gives a much better sense of depth of the aquascape than photographs could.

Anyway, ENJOY THE VIDEO

thedude15810 · #**495** 10/22/2007, 01:29 PM

I'm glad to see the copperband is still begging and behaving like a little dog.

Wavebox + rimless = too cool

jnarowe · #**496** 10/22/2007, 01:54 PM

Nice vid. I guess you don't get sea sick!

"X" marks the spot? Sounds like a "special" pump to me...

hansmatt · #**497** 10/22/2007, 02:05 PM

Dudester,
So, aside from the remixing of the light specrum, how do you like the ATI light? How is the noise? Heat? Is the form-factor what influenced you, low heat, t5's, all? How are the reflectors? Any idea about comarison to the icecap reflectors? Is the ATI "overdriven"?
I'm looking at the 6x54 for my 90g reef. I like the low profile, and heat. Replacing a 4x110 vho icecap setup, and hope that I'll have a bit more light (though less wattage)
thanks

CAreefer · #**498** 10/22/2007, 02:05 PM

Mike, I've seen 3 different impellers from RD pumps, albeit they were needlewheels, but they all had hand written marks of some sort on them. Each one is CNC cut and then inspected. Perhaps the mark of the inspector? An e-mail to the place where you bought it should get you a replacement if it is indeed faulty.

CAReefer

ps. 4 months to the day, my tanks getting loaded onto the delivery truck at AE as we speak. Woo Hoo... Finally.

hansmatt · #**499** 10/22/2007, 02:06 PM

Dudester · #**500** 10/22/2007, 02:37 PM

thedude15810 - The CBB is already my most loyal pet. I think he deserves a dog's name, but unfortunately my 4 yo daughter has already named him.

jnarowe - Nope, I've never been sea sick. And I've spent plenty of time in the open water, in rough seas at that. Did the video induce a little nausea in you? I'm interested not to criticize, but I think the wave looks great and I can't relate to those who may be a little sensitive to that type of movement.

CAreefer - Thanks for information regarding the marking of the impellers. I had already sent an email to the retailer before I posted that, yet I hadn't heard anything back from them. I'm not being critical of them, just posting what I saw. I believe your explanation makes a lot of sense, and I truly hope the pump is in good working order. Still, it doesn't explain why it won't work when plumbed into my system. I've already ruled out a plumbing problem on my end. Oh well, I'm sure with time I'll get to the bottom of it. Oh, and congrats on getting your new tank. Four months eh? I told you not to hold your breath, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait!

hansmatt - I think the Powermodule is a spectacular fixture. With the fans running at the recommended speed they're very quiet. The heat is easily offset by the fans and the fact that I have an open-top system. You could always mount a fan over your tank if you wish, but thus far I haven't had the need. I purchased this fixture based on it's appearance, low energy use, relatively low heat production, and flexibility with respect to lamp choices. The reflectors are amazingly, well, reflective. The ballast is not overdriven, no need. I cannot give you any lighting comparison as this is only the 3rd lighting array that I've ever used. I can only tell you that I'm extremely happy with it thus far.