Building Big Bertha: 800G - Page 26

ruby1sam · #**626** 11/01/2007, 10:29 PM

I looked to see if there was any updates I may have missed and saw you said that you were switching your MH out. How come? for one they should still be good at 8 mos and 2 isn't there only fish in there? Why don't you wait to switch them when you get coral in there and save some dough?

johnstelting · #**627** 11/02/2007, 10:24 AM

Hey....... tried to send you a PM but your mailbox is full........ wonder why?

Would love to see your tank....... I live in Colorado Springs.

send me an email when you have time.

thanks

stelting@comcast.net

bbrantley · #**628** 11/02/2007, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ruby1sam
I looked to see if there was any updates I may have missed and saw you said that you were switching your MH out. How come? for one they should still be good at 8 mos and 2 isn't there only fish in there? Why don't you wait to switch them when you get coral in there and save some dough?

The MH's are over a year old when I swapped them; sorry if that is misleading. I switched 3 of the 6 at first to observe the difference; there was a significant visible spectrum shift. I think the shift was helping the algae grow.

Ben

bbrantley · #**629** 11/02/2007, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by johnstelting
Hey....... tried to send you a PM but your mailbox is full........ wonder why?

Would love to see your tank....... I live in Colorado Springs.

send me an email when you have time.

thanks

stelting@comcast.net

Fixed! It never warned me...

You're welcome to visit. Also, I'll be hosting the NCAS meeting in the early new year, tentatively Jan 26, so you're welcome to come then and hang out with a bunch of others!

Jar*Head · #**630** 11/02/2007, 08:57 PM

hmmm, about this time next year Colorado will have another large tank set up by Aurora

. Will hit you up for advice bbrantley

. Not as big as your but close enough....

bbrantley · #**631** 11/20/2007, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jar*Head
hmmm, about this time next year Colorado will have another large tank set up by Aurora . Will hit you up for advice bbrantley . Not as big as your but close enough....

Sounds good sir!

A quick update: I came home from a 5-day trip and all the hair algae was gone! I have some much shorter, dark algae growing on most of the rocks now, but it's much less distracting and obnoxious. I can't tell if something radically changed in the tank (chemistry still seems fine and unchanged) or if the tangs just got really hungry and mowed down the rest of it. (There was QUITE a lot before I left, however.)

Anyway, they now eat up any nori that I stick in the tank instead of ignoring it for a week at a time, so that's kind of fun. I think I probably need to increase the feeding (I do three times a day right now with mostly flake and pellet food) though... sound reasonable?

Ben

adams0816 · #**632** 11/20/2007, 01:19 AM

Ben let the tangs do there job first,when they run out of algae then feed them. By the way I'm looking foward to seeing your tank in january.

Jar*Head · #**633** 11/20/2007, 01:27 AM

Hello Ben, have you ever thought about using Wavebox?

bbrantley · #**634** 11/20/2007, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jar*Head
Hello Ben, have you ever thought about using Wavebox?

I have, but I don't think it's an option for my tank. I have a coast-to-coast overflow on the end, and I'm pretty sure that would absorb all the wave action (and make a lot of noise while it was at it).

Ben

erics3000 · #**635** 11/20/2007, 08:33 PM

Any new pics?

kar93 · #**636** 01/04/2008, 03:15 PM

any updates?

bbrantley · #**637** 01/04/2008, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kar93
any updates?

Never thought you'd ask!

Bertha is alive and well. She made it through two weeks on complete automation, though I'm not particularly pleased with the auto-feeder's job during that time. (But, really, who is? Autofeeders don't work very well.)

I am redesigning the layout of the secondary tanks and water storage vessels in the room based on a variety of factors I uncovered while trying to work in the room with them arranged the way they are today. One of the main drivers was my fear that my plastic tank racks are not strong enough. I have procured several industrial-grade steel stands that are more than adequately strong, but I left them outside over the holidays, and now they are covered in four feet of snow/ice block!

Progress has been incredibly slow, but the fish are all doing well. Stable at 11 chromis, 3 stars, 7 tangs, and one firefish now for about four months.

Ben

jnarowe · #**638** 01/04/2008, 03:55 PM

good to hear it is going well!

20 20 · #**639** 01/04/2008, 03:55 PM

What's an update without pics?

new_world_disor · #**640** 01/04/2008, 07:23 PM

WOW. ur tank is.... jaw dropping. ./ i think your skimmer is bigger than my current project :P

Tonyzoo · #**641** 01/04/2008, 07:47 PM

Hi BBrantly, I just spoke with Scott at aquarium specialty because I'm interested in buying the BK 500 external. He pointed me in your direction and I can see why. ;p...anyway, before I purchase it I was hoping for some feedback. Thanks

bbrantley · #**642** 01/04/2008, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 20 20
What's an update without pics?

Why do I get this peanut gallery comment every time?

I cleaned the entire glass today, so I will take a picture in a few minutes for you. You better be the first one to comment and thank me, though!

bbrantley · #**643** 01/04/2008, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by new_world_disor
WOW. ur tank is.... jaw dropping. ./ i think your skimmer is bigger than my current project :P

Just be glad you don't have to empty and clean a skimmer the size of your project.

B

bbrantley · #**644** 01/04/2008, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tonyzoo
Hi BBrantly, I just spoke with Scott at aquarium specialty because I'm interested in buying the BK 500 external. He pointed me in your direction and I can see why. ;p...anyway, before I purchase it I was hoping for some feedback. Thanks

Hi Tony,

I am very happy with it. It is my first real skimmer, and it wasn't hard to set up. It runs predictably and like a workhorse, or at least it has been for something like 9 months now. I have very low bioload right now, but it is still sucking everything out of the water.

The downsides are that there is no manual (I need to check with Scott and see if anything has changed in that boat), so it is hard to know what the appropriate maintenance routines are. Also, it is definitely hard to get down into the skimmer body to clean it... impossible, in some places, even. I have seen people clean using an acid, but even that will be tricky on a skimmer this large without some help. (It is bulky and heavy and it will be hard to turn it over and drain it.)

Ben

bbrantley · #**645** 01/04/2008, 08:30 PM

Two questions for the peanut gallery:

1. My powerheads/pumps are dying. Not the ones that run the system 24/7, thankfully, but the spare ones I've been using for maintenance. I had a MAG 15 that was three years old that died, and I replaced it with another of the same model. I used it once, for about 3 minutes, and then put it away. The next time I took it out, it was dead. No humming, nothing.

The same thing happened with a cheaper powerhead I bought. (Not sure what model.) It worked the first time, and I used it to blow off rocks for about 15 minutes. Now, same thing: it's dead. I took the shroud off and the impeller seems okay. Plugging it in produces nothing.

Are these things fused? Am I just getting unlucky?

2. I noticed some tiny white things growing on a few of my rocks today. Most are on the underside or in the shade. They do not blow off, which is how I found them in the first place -- I thought they were large sand grains at first! They look like little flower buds, almost, but closed up sorta. They're probably no more than 1 or 2mm long. I might have fifty or 60 on a rock in a couple places. Do I need to bust out the macro lens to get an ID, or does anyone know what these are already?

Thanks,

Ben

chris wright · #**646** 01/04/2008, 08:49 PM

G'day Ben,

I'm not going to annoy you with update requests

As for your pumps I'd say just plain bad luck. As you know, sometimes things just don't work. Is it in warranty? Send it back if you can.

As for the white dots, you would be best to post a picture, if you can get a good one that is. I'd imagine that it will be hard due to the angle by the sound of it.

Cheers

jnarowe · #**647** 01/04/2008, 09:34 PM

I just had an octo NW pump totally fuse and I couldn't believe that could happen with a magnetic drive pump.

How about this?

That's an MJ1200 mod with a pipe fitted in the end. This bad boy is wicked powerful. We call it the Reef Blower.

AquariumSpecialty · #**648** 01/04/2008, 09:48 PM

I will pester Klaus again for a BK Ext. manual. We have manuals on the mini's and the internals but not the externals. Glad to hear the skimmer is performing nicely Ben.

bbrantley · #**649** 01/04/2008, 09:59 PM

I took some pictures like I promised.

First, the weird little white things. Any idea what these are?

Fish and algae:

The one, lonely coral!

Ben

bbrantley · #**650** 01/04/2008, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jnarowe
I just had an octo NW pump totally fuse and I couldn't believe that could happen with a magnetic drive pump.

How about this?

That's an MJ1200 mod with a pipe fitted in the end. This bad boy is wicked powerful. We call it the Reef Blower.

I saw your Reef Blower a while back, and it so happens that I just placed an order for two sets of these suckers. I suppose the pipe fitting part will be easy enough to do myself.

Ben