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alexcyf

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Posts posted by alexcyf

    Red Sea Peninsula 500! DIY projects galore

    in Members Tank & Specs

    Posted

    924537262_nodino.jpg.824ed2159cafa567624d620acf4c2116.jpg
     
    Hey guys, update on the holding tank dino situation. Its day 7 since i've actively started battling dinos in the tank. Don't want to jinx it, but there was no sign of them today minus some dusting on the UV intake pump in the background. i'll keep observing and prolly post what i did for the benefit of anyone else who is probably fighting ostreopsis dinoflagellates too. 
     
    1672336654_topview.jpg.bb25389e446ea06d8afe49f13ef9f59b.jpg
     
     On to today's topic, saltwater mixing station
     
    720381478_2drums.jpg.53b11cf88492964ff84f96339052aa6f.jpg
     
    Picked up these 2 drums used from carousell for $70 each. They're 250litres. Initially wanted to just get the standard 120 litre size, but figured it'll be good to have the capability to almost do 100% water change on the peninsula if there's ever a need for it. 
     
    I sanded the left 1 down as i wanted to paint it a different colour. Much harder than i thought, took about 4 coats and still not very smooth finish. 
     
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    I opted to use standard bulkheads from Hai Cheong plastics (google them) and use silicon to seal it up. The "correct" way is to use uniseals (can find on shopee and aliexpress) that go over the hole and the pipe is just pushed and sealed into place by friction alone. 
    2027956117_drumdone.jpg.ec7966ad6a0061f05d03ac65b0ad867e.jpg
    Used a Jebao 8000 as its rated to also work wet or dry. Not going to cover the plumbing much as you can find a ton of examples on youtube. 
     
    What works locally, 32mm diameter all around. total set can be found in Hai Cheong for around 50 to 60 bucks. Measure twice, cut once. 
     
    Here's the saltwater side getting filled by the RO side. 
    59271385_drumoworking.jpg.ea8cdec626a31d59426da4e804cfa936.jpg
    The wire you see goes down to a used jebao wavemaker. That white RO line is connected to the top of the barrel for future AWC capability. Same on the RO side for the ATO.
     
    Yes, the ATO reservoir for the peninsula is a 250L barrel. 
    1556542293_ROside.jpg.9b29a84157e50910f04e83ae1bf3cd91.jpg
    The end is simply tied off to an elbow to help anchor the end of the RO tube near the bottom of the tank. (learned from youtube also)
    The power to the Jebao pump and wavemaker is controlled by wifi switches so i can turn them on or off via my smartphone or google assistant. 
    Works like a charm. Did a 90% waterchange (i'll cover why i had to do such a large WC in a later post) in under an hour? Seriously, i cannot imagine doing a WC with buckets of RO, mix in stalk, then change,  ever again. 
     
     

    It’s a cool diy mixing station! Nice read :)

    Can share the final shot of the drums and pipes?


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    Recommendation for dosing system

    in New to the Marine Aquaria Hobby

    Posted

    Depends on what you are dosing, as well as the dosing requirements such as frequency, quantity, number of channels required, and also how smart you want the doser to be.

    Jebao dosers are definitely one of the cheapest in the market, and has a very good price value. Of cuz, there’s always a higher probability that it may spoil earlier than other brands


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    • Like 1

    Small Frag or Large Frag/Colony

    in General Reefkeeping_

    Posted

    There’s many reasons, but I think for Sps, one of the reason maybe is that it’s easier for sps frags to get used to the flow (perhaps light too) in the new environment and grow with respect to the flow patterns and light intensity in the tank. While different parts of the colony, especially bigger colonies, may not enjoy the flow and light that much. At times area with dead spots may stn and affect the health of the overall colony.

    On top of that, the shape of the colony that eventually form from the frag will also look more natural in the tank.


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    Alex’s Wonders In A Box

    in Members Tank & Specs

    Posted

    Thanks for all the interest!

    Just want to share a little more on the fish room!

    Here is my 3 feet quarantine ios tank with its own circulation separated from the main display. A simple system with a dymax led light and aquarium fan (to keep the water temperature below 30)

    b3bed0949460782664a5ea6b5509f6c9.jpg

    The only “link” to the main tank is a drainage pipe that allows me to top up the QT tank with saltwater from the main system. In case I need to do water change and my main system is not having any issues, I can use back some waste water instead of making new water.

    As you can see, the QT is already operational, with a school of Anthias and a couple of tangs serving their 2 weeks QO. Added some pvc pipe and terracotta pots to give the fishes some “security”

    b3d42fb698f5264e287ea9f5b07bd9ab.jpg

    Above is a closer view of my maintenance section. You can see the small basin that is installed in the crawl space. Managed to find a basin from taobao that fits the small space and serve the purpose (simple washing, water inlet and drainage).

    This area is also where I house my 5 stage RODI and water drums, salt, hoses etc. The drawer under the staircase also keeps other smaller equipment in an organized fashion.

    A reefer was asking if this room is air conditioned.. haha it’s not so I have a fan to keep me from sweating while doing my chores!


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    Alex’s Wonders In A Box

    in Members Tank & Specs

    Posted

    Very good write up Alex! Always looking forward for your tank thread.

    But I just want to ask why you didn’t put the UV output straight to your main tank to ensure better effectiveness (Correct me if I’m wrong)?

    Because by releasing it your sump and return pump take the water from you sump and passing thru your UV again then your UV will only mainly kill water that go thru your sump and not fully.

    This is just my thoughts. I used to do the same as you but in the end I went to cut and put a T pipe on my return pump to hook up my UV output.

    Btw have you thought of any ways to increase your PH of your tank?


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    Hey Darren!

    That’s something I did not consider actually! Been focus on reducing the number of pumps and I did not consider this.

    Maybe I can add in a new tee on one of the return pipes, but probably have to think through on the back flow issues to be safe. Perhaps for now, I try to direct the outlet towards my secondary return pump inlet instead haha.

    The only way that I am trying is pulling air from outside cabinet direct to skimmer. I am also considering CO2 scrubber but long term media cost is also something to think about.


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    • Like 1

    Alex’s Wonders In A Box

    in Members Tank & Specs

    Posted

    Think from the photos, you may be able to tell that I like things neat and organized.

    Last post tonight is to illustrate this point..

    Here’s a picture of my controller console / power supply panel. Ie my attempt to hide messy wirings and centralized the controllers that I always need to adjust. Especially since I have equipment from different brands and not all are on app/wifi control.

    c16ca273b5f2e7b20482a964e0e35917.jpg
    e78518f9c42d1ac8b335103b90143834.jpg

    And my mini storeroom under the stairs. No more nagging from wife taking up real estate in the living room and a little work station to do my reef chores!

    567b7f316d75bdd7bdae23d8c0c1434c.jpg

    Looking forward to comments and more suggestions!


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    • Like 1

    Alex’s Wonders In A Box

    in Members Tank & Specs

    Posted

    Preventing a Disaster

    Some may recall that I had a major tank crash for my mixed reef. So there are some things that I broke my piggy bank for, to prevent another heartbreaking incident..

    Battery Backup

    Definitely something that is worth getting, considering the cost vs any expensive fish or coral that you are getting. So I went with the Battery Backup from ecotech, mainly due to its compatibility with my Vectra. When power goes off, the Vectra will maintain sufficient circulation for both my display and frag/lps tank while help arrives. Some may ask why didn’t I chose to power my wavemakers instead, since the battery can last much longer.. guess I only need a few hours window and the return pump will keep both my tanks circulated.

    c3e2c7c673c8a471683f168e2d673dc3.jpg

    By the way, I also get sms alerts from my iSocket that helps me monitor my tank temperature too.875e7feda0fd4836f18dfcc9efe76560.jpg

    Aquarium computer

    With more and more sophisticated monitoring and automated equipment, and more tech savvy Reefers, it’s time to also jump onto the bang-wagon to get my self an APEX 2016.

    First, the APEX comes with a few lab grade probes to monitor some key parameters, specifically Tank salinity, temperature and ph, on an app, for me. By the way, managed to get a nice holder to hold all the probes for me.

    3c00a100014b3af50b5e2309c263da0f.jpg

    A very important function that APEX plays, is that it helps control my equipment for me, based on manual configurations, like timing, or parameter based settings like ph, temperature etc. The computer sends the signal to the Apex energy bar to off or on specific equipment based on the configured settings. For example, as per mentioned in my previous post, the additional ph probe I installed into my CR helps me cut the Solenoid power when ph is less than 6.3.

    7a3dbe95496e634b30c2e147eda98e2d.jpg

    The APEX also controls my macroalgae reactor photo period and my UV Sterillizer based. Oh yes, to prevent wipe of fishes due to diseases, I also installed a Aqua ultraviolet 25W uv Sterillizer from rms. The uv sterillizer also keeps the water crystal clear and is definitely something Reefers should consider for their tanks.

    d87ed71bc042ed156b31353ad2566823.jpg

    By the way, chaeto growth is looking good hur :)


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    Alex’s Wonders In A Box

    in Members Tank & Specs

    Posted

    Maintaining Alkalinity

    With a larger setup, I ditched my usual practice of using dosing since it’s too troublesome and costly to sustain the dosing.

    Therefore I invested in a big ass Calcium Reactor from Skimz, CM202. Lucky I still managed to squeeze it into my sump. First time using a CR and really big thanks to Heng and Leon who has been sharing with me useful tips to install and manage this set of equipment.

    So let’s talk about the whole setup and hopefully Reefers who are thinking about installing a CR, instead of a dosing pump, can find some useful information here.

    7889ac28545271c9eb22dfbaa1e5e764.jpg

    Essentially, a CR uses carbon dioxide, that forms carbonic acid, to melt the calcium media at a regulated rate. This in turns releases a balanced portion of dkh and calcium into the tank which helps you maintain 2/3 of your big 3 parameters at the same time.

    Of cuz, you will need a CO2 canister and a Solenoid to regulate the discharge of CO2 to maintain the ph at the right acidity, usually 6.5-6.8. (By the way, any lower, you will risk melting the pump components) I chose the Art Pro Series which looks pretty sleek and easy to use. You will also need a ph controller to help you cut the power of the Solenoid when the ph is out of range. For this, I am using APEX which I will share more on subsequent post.

    Btw, I ditched the bubble counter (which helps you visually track the rate of CO2 release into the reactor) since CM202 already has a bubble counter.

    If you look at the picture of the Solenoid and Canister below, the right gauge shows you the remaining CO2 in the canister and left gauge shows the pressure which I set at around 20psi. Big knob controls pressure and small metal knob by the side controls the amount of CO2 released.

    06d4ac6529f423e69989193318669619.jpg

    Here’s the complicated tubes on top on my CR. Just glad that Heng set up everything for me nicely. In case you are wondering what is the small chamber of coral chips for, it’s to increase the PH of the water before it goes into the tank.

    1d154737fca3a1a8b0e50ae6e04e1e71.jpg

    But having a CR definitely will lower the PH of your tank. My lowest is currently at 7.86 but it’s bound to lower further as my uptake gets higher with more livestock. Have been also figuring out how to keep it higher or closer to 8.3.

    Most common methods are to reduce the CO2 in your tank water, other than hoping my chaeto take up more CO2 at night (as I run it reverse light period) I am also trying prevent my skimmer taking air only within my tank cabinet/fish room, by running a hose that pulls air from my living room directly to one of my skimmer air intake. Will share again if this keeps increase my ph.


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