Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread

[NuclearReefs]

Most people that I know that utilize ozone do what marc said and run it over carbon,, one guy in particular I know runs it on a timer to only allow it to run 12 hours a day in 6 hour cycles. He's learned his lesson with running in 24 / 7 in a external skimmer over a Holiday vacation ( It poped the Weldon and leaked while he was gone ) and burnt up a return pump... I'll stick with UV and a good TDS meter......

[Micki]

I'm with you NuclearReefs. I like my UV and TDS.

[Travis]

[i]
Travis, got a link to that fan?[/B]

Sorry, no link. It is the same one as in the PGS link posted a few posts ago. I got mine off ebay.

[melev]

I pulled out the fish trap today since I'm not actively trying to catch a fish. However, I found a bunch of snail eggs on it which I hope came from the new trochus I introduced Saturday night. I decided to put it in the prop section of the sump so they can hatch without predation.

Coralline is growing on the back wall, with more and more dots appearing.

Last night I started a thread in this forum about the amount of animals on the glass. I counted the snails, starfish and even a bristleworm and reached 225 critters just on the front and side panel. Since I just cleaned the glass today, I'm going to assume they'll have to look elsewhere for a snack tonight.

[NexDog]

Originally posted by melev
Coralline is growing on the back wall, with more and more dots appearing.

This is a good thing?

[melev]

You know, when you don't see it for a long time, it is always nice to notice its return. Since I had issues with my Ca Reactor, I have a feeling that it will come back full force now that it has been cleaned and adjusted.

I'm ready. I got a neat scraper from RichT for my cleaning magnet which should take it right off if it gets out of hand.

[McGinnis]

Marc,
Thanks for the advice earlier. I tried again this evening with little to no success in reducing my pump noise! Man, this is frustrating. A few posts back you mentioned increasing the output PVC to 1.5", is this just the length running to OM Squirt, or all the plumbing from there on also? I can do either, but I want to get it right sooner rather than later. Thanks again for taking some time to help me.

[rdmpe]

Hey McGinnis, one other thing I've read about is that you should have a certain length of straight pipe leading to the pump intake. There is some guideline of 3 x the intake diameter or some such. So if you have an elbow right in front of the pump that could be causing turbulence in the pump that makes it noisy.

Those fans look great. I wish I would have seen those before recently adding exhaust fans to my bathrooms in the house! Mine were the most quiet that were sold at Home Depot / Lowes but they aren't remote, and they aren't silent...

[McGinnis]

Hmm, I had not heard that. I will certainly look into it. So if I have 1" PVC going in, I should have the elbow 3" or greater away? I can certainly try that also! Thanks.

[rdmpe]

I think the general rule was something like that. It came up in the sequence pump forums. Probably worth a try...

[FroMan]

Originally posted by rdmpe
Hey McGinnis, one other thing I've read about is that you should have a certain length of straight pipe leading to the pump intake. There is some guideline of 3 x the intake diameter or some such. So if you have an elbow right in front of the pump that could be causing turbulence in the pump that makes it noisy.

That is the general recomended "rule of thumb" minimum to get smooth air (gas) flow for pressurized systems (gas fired kiln). Not sure if this would apply to water flow.

The other thing to consider is that any valves (ball or gate) will have some slight back pressure. The same rue applies here also.

[McGinnis]

Going into the pump I don't have any ball/gate valves so I know the only point of back pressure would have to be the OM Squirt it's self! So many others use this exact same pump on their setup without fail, so I am baffled as to why this will not work for me!

[melev]

It isn't the OM device. That is just a nice valve switching station sending water out various outlets. I'm thinking the pump is being starved on the inlet to be honest. I would try to get 1.5" plumbing going into the pump.

I know how frustrating it is to build something over and over and over trying to get it right. However, once you resolve this you'll know how to help others with the same question in the future.

[melev]

On 3/29/05, I got this frag. It did okay, but one day disappeared. I found it later. This is the original piece:



On 9/30, it was rediscovered and mounted to a rock:



On 12/05:



Now, that isn't a lot of growth for two months, but it still is something. The better I can keep the water quality, the better growth I should be able to observe.

[melev]

My A. millepora left this puddle of tissue on a neighboring rock, and I've been watching it grow from that daily.

January 05:



May 05:



and a side view during the same month


October 05:


December 05:



So do corals grow quickly? Some do. In my experience, not so much. However, I've had water quality issues this year, and that may have stunted the growth potential perhaps. Still, it is nice to see how a coral changed over time.

[melev]

And here are some shots from this evening.

My Urchin was on the move. I took a bunch of pictures of it, but hardly any were worth looking at. It was interesting watching it move across the sand, using its spines like stilts to walk without touching the surface. It walked right over some zoos and didn't even cause those to close up. Neat!


This is a diploastrea. It has been doing well for several months. The color is a bit off. I need to reset the white balance in my camera again.


Matter of fact, I see what look like a bunch of babies. I don't know if these blow off to grow elsewhere, but I love seeing new growth.


Here's a picture from the end of the tank.


And here's a bad asterina, with a bluish hue. This is the kind that will eat SPS. It was removed from the tank after I took the picture.


Blue mandarin


Furry recovering A. millepora - I was thinking it was a green milli, but after reviewing older images from early this year, I think it might be a frag of red milli instead. This makes better sense due to its color.

[melev]

[Snakebyt]

great pics.. always good to see new growth, all i can see growing in my tank so far is xenia and cheato

[TippyToeX]

The top down pic of that mille is stunning Marc.

[Knyght]

Originally posted by Qwiv
Did you start the hood today?

Originally posted by melev
Qwiv, nope.

Ban me from your Thread if`n ya wanna Marc, *didn`t work the 1st time Just got me not welcome in his house* (as if), but I want to say something to this regard.

When, and I say when he does start on the hood. I would like the honor of cutting the first board. Even if I have to do it here and drive it to Ft. W.

Nuff said. back to your scheduled program.

[melev]

You guys can poke and prod me all you want.























The woodwork will get done when it gets done. - Marcangelo

[Knyght]

Man I love the growths shots! Tank is really making a comeback and looking even more awesome everyday

[McGinnis]

Marc,
Those are great shots, thanks for sharing! I agree with your statement that some corals do grow quickly, while others the progress can be really slow. Thanks also for the word of encouragement! I have decided to give the Mag one more chance and increase the intake plumbing to 1.5" and see what happens, but if this does not work, I will switch to a Quiet One 4000 and see what happens.

[Micki]

Marc, I'll take that growth any day! Mine just sit there, polyps retracted...

Love the pics! Thanks!!!

[gregt]

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