Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread - Page 24

Dan of NJ · #**576** 08/05/2004, 09:42 PM

Marc, I'm really enjoying this thread. Get work, and yes, you are amazing to have accomplished all this in 14 days. Tank looks great and fish look happy.

melev · #**577** 08/05/2004, 09:47 PM

I was about to email Curt, but decided to study the controller a bit better. Initially, I tried plugging it in and it did nothing. Opening up the battery compartment cover, I saw the battery was in backwards / not connected. I corrected that, but it was still dead. Using a fresh 9v battery, it came to life, with a "Power Failure Jan 01 at 00.00.00" message on the screen.

So next I reconnected the three probes I have (pH, ORB, and temp) and couldn't get the screen message to change. Next I got the 9v transformer plugged in, and the window lit up nice and bright. I still can't change the screen's message, but I have hope. This is what I see.

Thoughts, comments, instructions?

melev · #**578** 08/05/2004, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by minfinger
Marc,

Very nice corals. I'm loving the size of that tank too much!!!

OH BTW: An answer to your riddle:

It will stay nicely in my Prop tank.

melev · #**579** 08/05/2004, 09:53 PM

Thanks Dan of NJ.

curthendrix · #**580** 08/05/2004, 10:16 PM

Melev,

Mine does the same thing when there is a power outage. Try going through your timer program menu and back to "run". Should work.

Curt

melev · #**581** 08/05/2004, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by curthendrix
Melev,

Mine does the same thing when there is a power outage. Try going through your timer program menu and back to "run". Should work.

Curt

Can you tell me how? I need a basic tutorial, because I've not seen any response by any of the buttons. I've even tried combinations of buttons, or holding one button for a while expecting a new menu to appear.

dsaxman · #**582** 08/05/2004, 10:41 PM

Marc,
First of all - WOW, awesome.. been watching through the whole process. Can't wait until you get more LR in there and lots of new corals to fill it out.. although there's something to be said for a tank that isn't maxed out (with plenty of room for those tangs to swim in!)

As far as your Aqua Controller questions - found the manual on Neptune's site.. you need Acrobat to view it.. http://neptunesys.com/AquaController2.pdf

Once again, awesome build-out and transplant! Now, if only I had a wall to do the same thing in my house.. ;-)

-Steve

curthendrix · #**583** 08/05/2004, 10:53 PM

Sounds like it may be a controller problem and not simply a function of the power outage. The controller should respond to the pressing of the buttons. I can usually run the "self test" mode and get mine back online or run thru the timer program. I see you have the website for the manual....all the luck!!

steve68 · #**584** 08/06/2004, 05:59 AM

Marc the way i check my fluent PH out of the reactor is i just fill a cup with the fluent that comes out & take the PH out of my sump & stick it in there & i see the Ph of the fluent,i have a milwaukee controller & it works great my PH in tank is 7.9 to 8.3 & the fluent that comes out is 6.5, i run 4 bubbles per sec & 50ml per minute.
hope this helps but if i read right u'r PH probe shuts down at 7.5 right?

dajum · #**585** 08/06/2004, 07:59 AM

Steve68,

How long does your CO2 tank last running 4 bps? How big is the tank? Seems like at that rate it wouldn't last too long.

Dave

melev · #**586** 08/06/2004, 08:42 AM

Steve, I have the same thing. I have a Milwaukee pH Controller, and it feels like it is working backwards. When the pH gets too high, it shuts off the CO2. You'd think it would work the opposite. It is very confusing for me, but somehow it made more sense last night.

Effluent is 6.9 currently
Tank is 7.93

I'll have to figure out how to measure how much is coming out per minute. I think I've got something to measure the output in ml. I'll try to count the bubbles, but like right now, the CO2 is off again. It seems to be off whenever I check it, but maybe that means everything is working correctly and protecting my system.

melev · #**587** 08/06/2004, 08:45 AM

Okay, my effluent is 6 ml per minute. So I need to increase the output to something higher, right? How did you come up with 50 ml per minute? Is that based on tank size / volume?

joefish · #**588** 08/06/2004, 09:07 AM

melev · #**589** 08/06/2004, 09:29 AM

Okay, for now, I've got my effluent at 50 ml per minute. The pH Controller shuts off the CO2 at 7.0, and when it is running, I get 70 bubbles per minute.

Next step is to measure the alk and ca output.

kwl1763 · #**590** 08/06/2004, 09:29 AM

Marc it will all depend on your tank as far as the amount. There is a balance between the bubble rate and the flow. The effluent should be about 6.9 out of a single chamber so your balance is good. If you find it is not maintaining your calcium and alk levels you need to turn both the effluent drip rate and the bubble count up. Important thing is to keep the effluent pH correct.

I run about a bubble a second and 15mL per minute but this will vary greatly depending on your tank (both size and livestock). I have always heard a good place to start is 20 bubbles per minute and 5mL per minute drip rate but since your tank is so huge I think you could double that and see where that gets you. Just test religously because you don't want to overdo it. Once you get it dialed in it is the greatest thing ever. I test calcium and alk maybe once every 3 weeks now and it is always bang on.

It is very odd that it would shut the CO2 off at high pH. That is not right so something is indeed set up backwards as you surmised.

dajum, I doubt his CO2 gets used up near as fast as you think. I would guess it still takes at least 3 months for a 5lb tank and longer if he has a bigger tank. Mine is at about 1/4 that rate and I have been running it for 6 months now (10lb tank) and it is still about 2/3rds full.

Just FYI I know a guy in Houston who has a double chamber that runs at least 500 bubbles per minute (hard to tell at that rate) and has over 100mL per minute output (can't really call it a drip rate at that point) but he has a 440 gallon jammed with SPS. It takes him about 2 months to go through a 20lb bottle.

My tank also has a spot for your "problem" tri-color.

Gary Day · #**591** 08/06/2004, 09:31 AM

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.htm

Marc,
This might help.
Gary

melev · #**592** 08/06/2004, 09:34 AM

Thanks Keith. The way the controller works is when the pH rises in the reactor and its effluent, the CO2 is stopped. (Now that I'm trying to type it, it doesn't make sense again!) Anyway, as new water is pumped into the reactor from the sump, the pH changes. When its effect is noticed by the controller, it releases CO2 again.

When are you coming over? I want to build my DJ center, and would like to bounce some ideas off of you. One thing that I'm hoping to accomplish is to put all the outlets inside a box, with openings along the sides to feed in the cords. That way I can keep water off the outlets as much as possible. I can't decide if I want a wooden panel/door, or perhaps a piece of colored acrylic.

Also, last night a friend made the suggestion that my front panel rise upwards rather than flip up. I already know how I can make it, but I'm not sure what type of hardware I need to raise a door up and have it stay in place until I lower it again. Old-style windows used counter-weights to balance against the weight of the windows, but that wouldn't work too well in this application.

melev · #**593** 08/06/2004, 09:50 AM

Thanks Gary. It sounds like quite a project getting it fine tuned over the next few days.

melev · #**594** 08/06/2004, 10:42 AM

Hungry fish! I just tried to clip some nori to the glass for the tangs to eat this morning, and the Naso ripped it right out of the clip. I tried to reclip it again, and immediately it was torn from that spot. Finally I just held it for a few minutes while the tangs ate from my hand. How cool is that?!

webpolk · #**595** 08/06/2004, 11:06 AM

That is pretty damn cool Mark. I love when my fish feed from my hands. Tank is looking great, when are you setting up tours for all the dallas peeps?

Thanks,
Steve

melev · #**596** 08/06/2004, 12:13 PM

I've been doing individual tours lately. Cathy just stopped by with her husband, giving me a bunch of little pieces of LR. It filled a salt bucket about 1/3 full, so maybe 20 lbs worth. I'll use those as filler and to mount corals upon.

I was looking at the empty 55g and found a couple of nassarius near the surface of the water, as well as a tiny peppermint shrimp. All those days with no circulation, and they were still active. I put them in the 280g, along with a few tiny turbo(?) snails I found in the sump. These guys are the shape and size of a BB. I also recovered about 8 hermits from the 29g, and tossed them in as well.

willra · #**597** 08/06/2004, 01:32 PM

Looks awesome. Wow, 6 tangs! I especially like the Pacific Blue tangs. Great tank dimensions btw. Are the three clowns getting along ok? Also, what type of molding are you planning for the canopy cover?

Will

melev · #**598** 08/06/2004, 04:18 PM

I'll probably post a sketch of what it will look like. I don't have the ability to make cool Visio drawings, or any drawings for that matter, via computer. I've never learned it and now isn't the time to start. Maybe in the future though.

I have a couple of ideas in mind, but I'm pretty much convinced of what the end result will be.

There are 3 little ocellaris and the large female percula. With the large female ocellaris gone, the 3 babies are very polite to the percula now.

weatherson · #**599** 08/06/2004, 04:26 PM

Marc,
Let me know if I can help with the drawing. That's another area I've somewhat mastered during this project of mine.

Joseph

melev · #**600** 08/06/2004, 04:37 PM

I could send you my sketch and you could convert it to a masterpiece, eh?

Hey, my tank is super clear right now. Nary a microbubble in sight. It looks awesome. Especially since the back wall has no coralline. You've been telling me that you like your back wall nice and clean, and I may join on that bandwagon. A cleaner magnet would be nice, but I don't know if it will work with the mirror finish applied to the back.