Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread

[gregt]

This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...55#post5744055

[tang_man_montreal]

I think the Aquatronica is considerably more expensive if you take into consideration the additional components necessary to control 20 pieces of equipment.

[jeffbrig]

In my 250, I'm happy with individual timers and controllers for each piece of equipment. I keep my lights on individual intermatic in-wall timers (at least until their actuator fails), a ranco temp controller for the chiller, and run a separate pH meter. I find that's all the automation I need. If I want another feature like turning off the lights if the water gets too hot, I'll get another temp controller and wire some relays into the lighting circuit.

I write embedded software for a living, so I know how easy it is for someone to screw up a little bit of code. Unless you have a truly flawless design for handling crashes, missteps, and recoving gracefully, something WILL happen and make you fall flat on your face. I've spent well over ten grand on my tank, and I still can't justify the cost of these all-in-one controllers. They're just a problem waiting to happen,. And when something goes wrong, it can affect everything, not just one piece of equipment.

[melev]

Thanks for all your input thus far. I don't want to turn this into a AQ bash-fest, because this is simply an issue that needs resolving rather than venting hatred against a specific device. I've had zero problems with x-10 modules, but my setup is rather simple - http://www.melevsreef.com/power_panel.html Still, the simplest solution might just be to buy a battery back up to plug the AQ power supply into. I think I asked how much power it draws, and it was quite low (under 10w perhaps), so a UPS would keep it on time and at the same time protect it from surges. I actually have a huge unused APC 1500 UPS that just needs a couple of new batteries, and I could plug in my AQ II into that.

[rjwilson37]

Marc, you are right on that, but also they do need to fix the issue. We all buy surge protectors, not knowing that it may not work for the unit because the power shift causes it to loose time rather than work entirely the way it was designed to.

[angelfishlover]

YAY FINALLY SPLIT!

[Travis]

Melev, sorry to have contributed to taking the thread off course. I would like to add 1 last thing before shutting my mouth. In the year that I ran my aquacontroller pro, I never really found anything wrong with the unit itself. The time resetting when the power goes out is an annoyance, yes, but it won't hurt the tank any. If anything, it will just screw up the light schedule until you get home to reset the time. The problem lies in the X-10 technology.

Now back to the regularly scheduled program...

[melev]

Okay, as Travis pointed out, it is time to get this back on track...

Goodies I brought home from MACNA:

300w Hydor submersible heater for the reef tank.
7.5w Hydor heater for Casper's tank - it looks like a credit card.
My new MASNA 2006 Calendar! If you want one, you can order them via the MASNA store at MASNA.org (Discounted rates apply to members/masna club members)
ROWAphos Sponge for Casper's tank - why not?
ChemiPure for Casper's tank - maybe I'll use it, maybe not.
Neptune System's ORP probe for the Aqua Controller II - mine had to be replaced.
Sequence Dart - Premium Aquatics had a MACNA pricelist, and I got mine for $175 out the door.
50g bag of Seachem's Reef Salt
A 73gph Microjet to replace the Sen 30 pump in Casper's tank one day.
Tropic Marin A- elements
Tropic Marin K+ elements
Tropic Marin Pro-coral Iodine (Lugol's solution)
Tropic Marin Elimi-Aiptas to kill aiptasia
8 lbs of CaribSea ARM (aragonite reactor media) for my Calcium Reactor
8 lbs of CaribSea Nitrate Sponge - new product I'm going to be testing
and a new t-shirt for every day of the week.

[jnb]

me too

[Travis]

Just couldn't come home empty handed huh?

So what are the plans for the Dart?

[melev]

Okay, here's my new bounty. I figured you guys prefer pictures over verbage.



The new Sequence Dart pump is my backup pump for if/when the current one fails. The Dart uses 160w of power, and I've been meaning to buy one for some time now. With the price at the show, it was a no-brainer for me. It comes with the saltwater seals, a 2 year warranty, and fittings for 1.5" or even smaller (for some reason) input. My sump is already set up to accept a 2" bulkhead, so reducing it is unnecessary. Currently I'm using the Little Giant Model OPWG-46 with the other 1.5" bulkhead.



The new 2006 Calendar - Contact your club if you want them to order some in as this will save on shipping costs. In case you didn't know, the images were submitted by RC members & MASNA members in a contest earlier this year, and MASNA worked really hard to have them in time for the conference. DFWMAS purchased 20 - which will be made available to our membership.



This salt sample was in my suitcase, but the tabs inside the suitcase pokes holes in to the plastic bag. I had some salt leak onto my stuff, but it wasn't too bad fortunately. These were handed out to attendees. It added some weight, but somehow I didn't have to leave it behind at the airport.



Here are my two new heaters by Hydor. Last year, their vendor would hit the heater on the counter loudly to prove it wouldn't break. Fortunately this year, the vendor thought that was annoying and instead talked about his products.

[melev]

Here are my Tropic Marine samples. The vendor and I discussed the adding of essential elements, and after we talked he told me to try these out in my tank and see if I see the difference. I'll be watching for results, and report later what appears better or unchanged. Basically as we spoke, his thoughts seemed reasonable to me, and not like he was pressuring me into using his or another product.



You can never have enough junk to throw at an aiptasia, right? I was all out of Lugol's solution, so this was fortuitous timing.



Marineland gave me a choice of fake plants at the end of the day, and I took one in case I decided Casper needed something to hitch to one day.



I also picked up a replacement pump for her tank, because eventually it will fail. Yes, I said her. Someone informed me that Casper was most definitely a girl. Amazing.



Here's some ChemiPure and some new food that Boyd Enterprises is going to be offering soon. The unlabeled sample was given to me to try out in my tank. Apparently Anthony Calfo liked it, I was told.



The new phosphate absorbing sponge by ROWAphos is out. It comes in square or round pieces, to put in a filter. The box was a little beat to death by the airline...

[melev]

It is always good to have what you need well before you need it. Purchasing an extra container of ARM for my Ca Reactor seemed prudent. This is made by CaribSea. Next to it is not a container of mustard-based media, but rather something new they've created to absorb nitrates. I'll have to contact them again to get all my facts straight, but I remember that they said NOT to run it stand-alone. It must be followed up by calcium (ARM) to get the proper reaction. I'll detail this later in my thread when I actually set it up.



The new ORP probe is installed on the tank, and is supposed to work right out of the box. If any of you have any input on that, please speak up. The current reading is 225, which is quite low if I recall correctly. I don't have any calibration solution for it, and Curt told me I didn't need any. Is this something that will go up over the next few days as it settles in?

[melev]

Here are the t-shirts I scored. Premium Aquatics has been promising me a shirt ever since last MACNA, including via my online orders during the past 12 months. I was really going to give Jeremy a hard time and ask for more than one, just because I had to wait so long. After all, my old PA shirt has all kinds of reefing stains on them. My plan was to take one, say thank you and then later appear for a new one knowing full well he'd mention I already had one. "That was for Monday..." would be my reply. Anyway, he gave me two, so one is for MACNA XVI and one for MACNA XVII I guess.



Seachem treated me right as well.



Icecap gave me a shirt as well, but when I got home I found out it came from a different vendor.





HelloLights had a great shirt.



And Sanjay Joshi was there demanding one on Friday.



Lastly, if I'm posting on RC, you can bet I'm in uniform. Thanks JohnL.

[angelfishlover]

WOW! YOU SCORED ALOT OF STUFF THERE! Arent they hosting MACNA in Houston next year?

[melev]

So by now, I'm betting you are just about screaming at your screen "but what about the corals?!"



I figured if I could line the bucket with some type of insulation, and put newspaper or packing peanuts in the base and on top, they corals would be pretty darn safe against the rigors of air travel. Plus, with a water tight lid, I was hoping to keep the pressure within the bucket stable and avoid burst bags. Last year, I had my frags in a styrofoam lined box, and all was well, but I just figured the bucket would be even more bullet-proof.

One vendor gave me some foam sheeting he didn't need, and I used that to create a layer around the perimeter. Dr Mac (Pacific East Corals) bagged up all my corals well, and I was able to slip the bags down into the bucket, keeping them from shifting.



This is how my stuff looked when I arrived at home.



All the bags were still holding water, and the temperature seemed pretty darn good. I floated them in my sump.



Now before I continue, I'd like to mention what exactly happens at the security gate when you come to the airport with a plastic bucket. I figured they'd be leary, and I was very specific to not x-ray my little reeflings. It actually caused quite a stir, and I soon had 5 TSA agents all wiping things down, putting on gloves and preparing to dissect the contents cautiously. For some reason, my bucket had some type of residue that can be found in gun-powder and thus they were even more cautious. They wanted to know where I got the bucket, where I've been, etc. I was happy to answer all their questions, and explained what all the corals were as they peered into the bagged objects. All of them got a business card for my website, so they could learn more about the hobby. Frankly, I was surprised they'd not seen more corals coming through their gates during that day, with everyone flying home from the conference.

Seachem gave me their empty bucket from many they'd brought to display within their booth. From what I could tell, it had never been used before. TSA informed me that many things that are common cleaners can come up quesitonable in their scans. I honestly don't know what the detected exactly, but they mentioned something like DDT a couple of times.

American Airlines only allows two items of luggage, and a carry on. I arrived at the airport with my suitcase, a bucket of frags, a box holding a sequence pump, a box holding ARM media and more, and my camera bag. The maximum weight you can check is 50 lbs and for every additional piece, regardless of weight or size/shape, you have to pay $80!!!!!! As I stood at the curb scratching my head with the Skycab guy, I suggested I put all my stuff in a big box instead. Of course, they don't just have boxes there, but somehow I got lucky and discovered a big empty box 75 feet away next to a trashcan. In went the pump, the ARM, the Nitrate Sponge, and some other odds-n-ends, and we taped up that box so it would survive the trip. The Skycab guy never lifted my suitcase, and never knew I had my bag of salt in there. If he had, I think that 50 lb thing would have come up. I tipped the nice man $5 for his help, and headed into the airport to deal with my bucket of frags.

I think I was the only guy in the terminal walking around with a bucket, so I got a few stares. Getting on the plane, I was able to put my bucket up front in a spot for odd shaped carry-on stuff, and all the frags were nice and safe.

So here are the frags.

[Chris@IceCap]

Dr. Foster & Smith and Live Aquaria graciously donated the tanks for our booth (one which was fully stocked and operational) as well as hundreds of their Sohal Tang t-shirts. All of these items including the 3 lighting systems was donated (Raffle Items) from the IceCap booth.

Dr. F&S and Live Aquaria didn't have booths at this years MACNA, but were well attended by their directors, and donated thousands of dollars to the show. The IceCap booth served as their outlet to support the hobby.

Chris
IceCap Inc.

[melev]

I forgot to mention when I got my box at the luggage pickup point, it was also thoroughly inspected by TSA. Their tape was on everything. They'd even looked at the Sequence Dart. I hope you guys feel safer when you travel, because they were being very cautious with my box contain a cylindrical metal object and two containers of media. Btw, I'm not trying to test the system or cause a stir. My name and phone number were printed on the box, to help avoid causing more panic. Rather than create a panic, answer any questions you can and provide all the information they need to make this as painless as possible. After all, we all just want to bring home our new stuff, and depending on how we act, we may make it either easier or harder for another hobbyist in the future.













All the frags have been in my sump since late last night, but I'm going to see about mounting them this evening. I didn't want to start handling and gluing them after all they've been through over the past few days. Remember, they were handled before the conference, packed up and unpacked, then placed in a new tank for 4 days, then handled again during rebagging, packed in a box (or bucket in my case), then traveled to their new home only to be acclimated yet again and removed from their bags.

[melev]

Nicholas - yes, it will be in Houston next September. You should be able to go to www.macnaxviii.com right now to get more information.

Chris - hey, thanks for visiting my thread and clarifying that point. Your booth definitely attracted the many attending, as it did last year. I'll be talking more about that new product we got to drool over, and if you see any of my comments need correcting and can do so without breaking any RC Sponsor rules, please do chime in. If you can not, PM me and I will make the corrections myself.

[original-reefland]

Oh man... this just hurts. I had to work overtime and was unable to make the drive down to DC to check out the show.

Glad you had a good time.

[melev]

Rich, you gotta go next year.

[original-reefland]

Originally posted by melev
Rich, you gotta go next year.

This one was within driving distance which makes it a bit more affordable. Getting to Texas next year might not be possible for me.

[angelfishlover]

Lol I looked on the macna 2006 site and my birthday is one of those days! Well, I guess I know what I want then!

[Lunchbucket]

ok so what are all the frags?


you don't have them still bagged up do you??

Lunchbucket

[steve68]

Marc u scored with the dendrophyllia?
u are so lucky by the time i got to them they where all sold
it is a dendrophyllia right?