My 40 breeder "blog" - PIC INTENSE - Page 8

H20ENG · #**176** 02/24/2007, 01:57 AM

So Your town was in the news the other day....
Something about a guy with a sword kicking in some guys door who was watching porn, thinking he was saving a screaming damsel in distress

I knew I recognized the name

Nice full tank shots!

perpetual98 · #**177** 02/24/2007, 09:05 AM

Yeah, that dude was surreal. There's a big part of me that thinks the whole thing was staged just to get some attention. Who needs to listen to porn that loud anyway? lol

perpetual98 · #**178** 02/28/2007, 01:25 PM

02/28/07

Did some water tests yesterday. I haven't done them in a couple weeks.

Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 1
Ammonia: 0
pH: 8.3
Calcium: 450

My calcium was running low the last couple weeks when I tested, so I've been dosing about 10mL of Kent Liquid Calcium twice a week. It's brought the Calcium level back up to 450 from about 300-350.

Everything is doing fantastic. Some of the zoos that I got from 30mini have gone from 2 polyps to what appear to be 7 polyps in the last week or so. The new ones are TEENY though, so I can't be too sure.

I'm also dosing 10mL of Seachem Reef Plus twice a week too. I've never dosed anything before, so this is all new to me.

Also, I placed my order for my controller. Set me back WAY too much, but I had some funds in my paypal account, and I'll also sell off my other Milwaukee pH controller and my Milwaukee ORP controller to recoup some of the money. I'll have another level controller too, come to think about it. We'll have to see what the new controller all does. I think I'm going to set up a dedicated PC for it in my office so I can do trending.

30mini · #**179** 02/28/2007, 01:26 PM

I'll take the controller!!!

perpetual98 · #**180** 02/28/2007, 01:27 PM

Which one? lol

30mini · #**181** 02/28/2007, 01:29 PM

pH

perpetual98 · #**182** 02/28/2007, 01:30 PM

You've got first dibs. I'll need to figure out the new controller before I get rid of this one though. Is that ok?

30mini · #**183** 02/28/2007, 01:30 PM

yep!! I have time!

yettihead · #**184** 03/07/2007, 01:25 PM

Eric,

Which controller did you end up buying?

Chad

perpetual98 · #**185** 03/07/2007, 03:58 PM

The Biotope controller by RC-Squared. I'm hoping that it ships this week yet.

K9 · #**186** 03/10/2007, 10:27 AM

Eric,

I've just read all (currently 8) pages of this thread so far, and the tank looks wonderful! Truly an inspiration to DIY'ers everywhere. I'm in a current debate as to wether or not I should setup a 40g breeder or a standard 75g. Problem is, my wife and I are in an apartment for probably the next 2 years until we buy a home. After seeing your build, I'm leaning towards the 40B now because it will cost less money to setup/run than the 75g, and also be easier to break down and move when the time comes. Also, a 40B would make a nice sump for when I construct an in-wall 75-125g (not sure on size yet) tank for whatever home we buy. Again, great work thus far!

-Ted

perpetual98 · #**187** 03/10/2007, 11:43 AM

Thanks Ted! I like your idea of setting up a 40B and then using it down the line for a sump. That's using your noodle!

I'll bring my good camera to work one of these days and take some more pictures. Everything is doing great! My only setback to date really is a zoo-munching nudibranch invasion that I'm keeping my eye on. Haven't lost any zoos yet that I can tell, but they've been irritated, that's for sure. All the SPS are doing well too. I've had one millepora that I've had forever with very little polyp extension just take off in this tank. It's also completely changed color to a greenish with your typical millepora polyp extension from a pale white/yellow with little to no PE.

Eric

perpetual98 · #**188** 04/09/2007, 12:29 PM

Ok, just thought I'd update everyone who cares.

In the past few weeks I received my Biotope controller from RC-Squared. It's pretty slick thus far. I still haven't wired my topoff into it yet, but that's mainly because I've been lazy. It's running my lights and fans, and the heater and fans in the stand. It's also monitoring tank pH as well as controlling my calcium reactor. When I get the ambition, I'll wire the float switches into it and also plum my Ozone into it.

The tank is running amazingly well considering I haven't done much to it. To be honest, I haven't done anything close to a water change yet. I did a couple tiny water changes, but nothing that I would consider much of an impact. One of them was about 5g and that was because the pump to the HOB fuge wasn't working right and the water in there got stagnant. The next one was when I added my calcium reactor and mixed up some fresh SW to fill the reactor. I changed 2g from the tank with the SW that I had left.

Coral is all growing like crazy, some frilly mushrooms that I've got have split from 1 to 5. Either they're happy, or they don't like where they are and are motivated to move.

The Calcium level has been between 400-450 since the beginning. I was dosing about 20mL of Liquid Calcium per week before I got the reactor going, and none since and the level hasn't changed. I'll be tweaking that setup though to get optimum calcium levels though.

Here's the water test today (Haven't done a test in about a month)

Nitrite: 0.05
Nitrate: 1
Ammonia: 0
pH: 8.3
Calcium: 450

I keep meaning to bring my good camera to work, but it always slips my mind. I know that I've gotten some good coral growth on some corals and it would be cool to compare.

Eric

perpetual98 · #**189** 04/09/2007, 12:46 PM

Ok, I took a couple pictures with my crappy camera. The first is a growth picture/comparison. It's even more growth than I thought!

And this is just a cool picture.

morello · #**190** 04/09/2007, 03:10 PM

i've also just read this from start to finish great to see a tank in the making but i wish i was as handy at DIY as you!! does your overflow box gargle much? and can we see a pic of the sump?

planning my tank at the moment, was gonna go for arcadia luminare 250W + 24w T5's but thinking of going the DIY route to keep costs down

will have to find somethin here in the UK ballast wise and brush up on DIY to possibly make a hood for them. well done on the thread mate keep it up

30mini · #**191** 04/09/2007, 03:16 PM

Those zoas you got from me are growing like crazy!! Very nice picture!!

perpetual98 · #**192** 04/09/2007, 03:34 PM

Morello, my tank is in my office at work, and it's rather loud. Probably louder than I'd want it to be if it was in my living room. I can back the fans off and quiet those down. The overflow is kinda loud, but I think it's because I'm running too much water through it. If I crank the return pump down or switch to a smaller pump, I'm sure it would be much quieter.

Here's a picture that was somewhere else in the thread I think of my sump.

nebraskareef · #**193** 04/09/2007, 07:18 PM

I've never seen this before.

This thing is awesome, you really went all out and it shows!

perpetual98 · #**194** 04/13/2007, 04:07 PM

Ok, I'm not sure if this will work, but here goes....

Zoomable FTS

drauka99 · #**195** 04/13/2007, 04:09 PM

it works an it looks good, how r the corals growing? the moving light still working well?

perpetual98 · #**196** 04/13/2007, 04:11 PM

They're growing well. It's always hard to judge how well things are growing until you see some growth picture comparisons.

It's the same thing when people see your kid and are like, "Wow, they've really grown" and you being the parent are like, "Really?"

morello · #**197** 04/17/2007, 03:25 PM

really coming along, cool zooming pic

can see the white growth tips on your acro's there all looks very healthy

why 3 clowns? or do i mean how

perpetual98 · #**198** 04/17/2007, 03:29 PM

I'm pretty sure that I got the last 3 clowns that they had in the tank at the LFS that day. I generally assume that at least 1 wasn't going to make it, and if one died I'd still have a pair. So far they've all lived, and I think I can even see them pair off. They were all teeny when I got them, not 2 of them are noticeably larger, so I'm just going to assume that the biggest one of the larger pair is the female.

I was going to order some more stuff online today, but the place I usually get stuff from was out of cleaner shrimp and candy-cane pistol shrimp. I think a few shrimp will add some nice movement/excitement to the tank without adding a fish bio-load.

morello · #**199** 04/17/2007, 03:34 PM

cool, we have tanks with 10+ clowns in at work and have to split them up after a day or 2 when the fights start to break out lol

my reef tank still in the planning stages cant wait to get it built, might end up converting one of my trops before lol

REDDAWG43 · #**200** 04/17/2007, 03:45 PM

I have had 3 clowns in a 65g tank for 5 months now and no fights, plus I have a friend that has 3 clowns in a 40g octogon tank. Those I know have been together for over 2 years and no fights.