Blaxsun's Abyss: Red Sea 750XXL

[Petcrazyson]

You should've seen what I pulled out of the filter sock I used to filter the sump while I was scraping (I completely filled three 100-micron sock filters).

 

[blaxsun]

What has been seen... cannot be unseen!

 

[blaxsun]

Feb 26. Abyss: Custom UV/Ozone/Skimmer/Reactor Setup
Since I seem to get asked this question often enough, I thought I'd create a separate post and link it to the main page on my build thread. Ideally, running a manifold (Red Sea or any tank) gives you the optimal setup and the most flexibility. For those of you (like me) who just went with the stock plumbing because many of these components were an afterthought and trying to size metric-imperial (and vice versa) is a PITA, read on...



Custom UV Setup (closed loop)
I've mounted (and this is the only place I drilled into my cabinet) a AquaUltraviolet 57-watt UV (3/4" barb model). Upside down. And yes, this is not the recommended position (while it works, there's a few things you have to do to properly prime it to avoid air pockets). Water is drawn from the media chamber and returned to the skimmer chamber; in this manner, UV-filtered water can never return through the weir back into the media chamber. Along the left you can see my Poseidon 200 ozone system that feeds into the top (not bottom) of my Nyos Quantum 160 protein skimmer. Despite being slightly undersized for my stocking, the ozone actually destroys a lot of skim on contact - so I typically get a week (sometimes more) between collection cup empties (and I do recommend buying an extra collection cup to make swaps easier).



Skimmer, Ozone and Reactors
Here you can see the Nyos Quantum 160 skimmer, Nyos Torq 1.0 reactor (Phosi-Ex/carbon) and Nyos Torq 2.0 reactor (Zeo) in the back row along with some of my ad-hoc wiring in the upper right. You know you're older if you can remember Radio Shack (bonus points if you still have Radio Shack components). Since both reactors are very low wattage I have them running off a single Neptune outlet with a manual power toggle (orange lights) for quick maintenance. In the front is the Red Sea ReefMat 1200 I've been running for a good 12+ months now (having upgraded from the original ReefMat 500 I went with).



Dedicated UV Pump
In the bottom middle is the Sicce SDC 6.0 pump that provides flow for the UV. I run it at 60% which is a bit less flow than the minimum for parasites (best guestimate is around 150,000 µw/cm2 of radiation exposure). In the lower left corner are all my Neptune probes and I now run the Innovative Marine Helio 350-watt heaters and temperature probe on the front of the glass of the first chamber. The cord is from one of the two Maxspect XF330 gyres I added to the main chamber to increase circulation and flow. Addendum: I've since replaced these with a single Sicce XStream 5000 rated for 1,320Gph.
..........

UV Sterilization Levels (µw/cm2)
The AquaUltraviolet 57-watt UV is rated for parasite control at 90,000 µw/cm2 @1,006Gph (this is for sterilization - not kill). I run my Sicce SDC 6.0 between 45-60%, which using a generous head height of 3ft works out to between 475-633Gph, or:

• 45% = 475Gph or ~200,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
• 60% = 633Gph or ~150,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
• 85% = 897Gph or ~105,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure
• 100% = 1,055Gph or ~90,000 µw/cm2 of UV exposure

I like to err on the side of caution, so I know the head height I calculated is more than what it actually is - so at a bare minimum I'm getting 1.5-2x the typical UV sterilization exposure for parasites. I've read conflicting statements on how much UV radiation exposure is required to outright kill parasites - anywhere from 180,000 µw/cm2 (some other UV manufacturers) all the way up to 280,000 µw/cm2 (recommended by @Jay Hemdal, but I can't find his original post).

Most of the time I run my Sicce SDC 6.0 @60% to achieve a balance between tank turnover (3x) and UV radiation (1.5x parasite minimum). The odd time where I'm potentially treating a sick or using medication (which has only happened once or twice) I'll drop it down to 45% for a few days to a week during the course of treatment. I can of course just as easily ramp it up to 85% or even 100% without impacting the minimum sterilization requirement.

 

[Mschmidt]

I built my stir plate with radio shack parts (at least the ones I bought)

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I built my stir plate with radio shack parts (at least the ones I bought)

I miss Radio Shack

 

[crusso1993]

I miss Radio Shack

I had missed them too when they closed all the stores in Chicago. I used “in Chicago” because, unbeknownst to me, they are still in business. Shortly after moving to Cape Coral, FL I went out cruising around and drove past one. I said to my wife, “Was that a Radio Shack we just drove past?” She said, “I don’t know but I did see a Home Goods in that plaza!” I promptly turned around and went back to the plaza. BINGO! I couldn’t believe it. It was a Radio Shack. I took a quick picture and texted it to one of my friends in Chicago. Turns out there are several of them in not too large an area. Score!

 

[Projects with Sam]

I had missed them too when they closed all the stores in Chicago. I used “in Chicago” because, unbeknownst to me, they are still in business. Shortly after moving to Cape Coral, FL I went out cruising around and drove past one. I said to my wife, “Was that a Radio Shack we just drove past?” She said, “I don’t know but I did see a Home Goods in that plaza!” I promptly turned around and went back to the plaza. BINGO! I couldn’t believe it. It was a Radio Shack. I took a quick picture and texted it to one of my friends in Chicago. Turns out there are several of them in not too large an area. Score!

jealous!

 

[blaxsun]

Mar 2. The Land of the Living Skys
One reason I love my fish tank is it allows me to feel like I'm right by the ocean - even though I'm land-locked on a plateau 1500km from the nearest shoreline. I stumbled across this photograph today (not taken by me) which was a nice reminder why I tolerate 4-6 months of snow/mud and -40°C temperatures!

"Land of the Living Skies"... indeed. Caribbean sunsets ain't got nothing on us...

 

[blaxsun]

March 9. New Toys: Neptune Liquid Level and Multi-Surface Sensors
As the first of many (small) planned upgrades this year, I replaced my older Neptune leak detection sensor and Neptune optical sensor in my RO reservoir (which I could never get to trigger properly for some reason). I opted for the 15" LLS which just fits in the IM Hydrofill reservoir (almost reaches the bottom). Re-programming took all of a minute to find the new code. I gifted my old leak detection sensor to a friend so they can monitor their tank while on holidays and placed the new one in the same location.


Bonus: The control panel now displays the water level at a quick glance when you login!

 

[crusso1993]

March 9. New Toys: Neptune Liquid Level and Multi-Surface Sensors
As the first of many (small) planned upgrades this year, I replaced my older Neptune leak detection sensor and Neptune optical sensor in my RO reservoir (which I could never get to trigger properly for some reason). I opted for the 15" LLS which just fits in the IM Hydrofill reservoir (almost reaches the bottom). Re-programming took all of a minute to find the new code. I gifted my old leak detection sensor to a friend so they can monitor their tank while on holidays and placed the new one in the same location.


Bonus: The control panel now displays the water level at a quick glance when you login!

Nice but will it wash the car?

 

[blaxsun]

March 10. My Precious...
So I'm removing the old seaweed rocks (as I've done several times a week for the past few years) and I see this flash and a feel a quick nick on my finger. I can't tell if my Sailfin "Finn" bit me or got me with his tail (cut was horizontal), but this is the first time any of the tangs have gone 'rogue'. Algae eaters and their precious seaweed!

 

[blaxsun]

Nice but will it wash the car?

It will not. Fortunately, there is a very large manual car wash only 2 blocks from where I live. Right now we are just transitioning from the fourth season "Winter" into the fifth (unofficial) season "Mud". "Spring" implies flowers and all that warmer stuff. This is not that...

 

[blaxsun]

March 11. New Toys: Reefeco Stink Sink
Another one of my planned upgrades - especially since we detected an slight ozone order a few weeks back and had to temporarily disable the Poseidon. The Reefeco Stink Sink just plumps down on top of your skimmer lid and uses activated carbon to eliminate any skimmer odors (or in my case, excess ozone).

Strangely enough, the smelliest component in my sump (other than the ozone) is the used ReefMat fleece roll - but here's hoping this helps with overall odors in the sump (which to be honest, aren't too bad).


The Stink Sink hardly adds any heigh and is easy to remove when emptying the skimmer collection cup. I didn't measure how much activated carbon it holds, but probably close to 500ml for the Nyos Quantum skimmer 160 I'm using it with.

I ordered the optional ozone hardware - so props to Reefeco for being progressive enough to anticipate this need for ozone users in advance.
..........

I wanted to give a big shout out to Peter @Reefco for going above and beyond! In addition to giving me a head's up that UPS would probably try and hose me on customs and duties (they did ), he shaved down some smaller ozone screws to use as pins for aligning the Sink Sink on my Nyos skimmer (the Nyos having thinner alignment slots than any other skimmer). He didn't even charge me anything extra. And my wife enjoyed the Swedish "fish".

 

[Rennurdoar]

March 9. New Toys: Neptune Liquid Level and Multi-Surface Sensors
As the first of many (small) planned upgrades this year, I replaced my older Neptune leak detection sensor and Neptune optical sensor in my RO reservoir (which I could never get to trigger properly for some reason). I opted for the 15" LLS which just fits in the IM Hydrofill reservoir (almost reaches the bottom). Re-programming took all of a minute to find the new code. I gifted my old leak detection sensor to a friend so they can monitor their tank while on holidays and placed the new one in the same location.


Bonus: The control panel now displays the water level at a quick glance when you login!

How do you like the Apex salinity probe? I'm debating getting one but was reading they were always low or off. Do you seem to have any issues with yours? I mainly want to use it for monitoring over accuracy anyway, but it'd be nice if it was fairly accurate. Some of the reviews made me think if it was worth getting.

 

[blaxsun]

How do you like the Apex salinity probe? I'm debating getting one but was reading they were always low or off. Do you seem to have any issues with yours? I mainly want to use it for monitoring over accuracy anyway, but it'd be nice if it was fairly accurate. Some of the reviews made me think if it was worth getting.

I love it. I've found mine (at least) is bang-on in terms of accuracy. It's always within 0.1-0.2ppt of my calibrated refractometer. Whatever (minor) issues I've run into I've always been able to resolve (including a nifty factory reset that Neptune passed along).

I'm not hyper concerned about my salinity; as long as it's between 35.1ppt and 36.1ppt I (and the fish) are generally happy campers.



Here you can see the salinity reading for the past week (the drop is because I removed a few gallons of water to re-dose some corals). Otherwise it usually stays within 0.1-0.2ppt

 

[Rennurdoar]

I love it. I've found mine (at least) is bang-on in terms of accuracy. It's always within 0.1-0.2ppt of my calibrated refractometer. Whatever (minor) issues I've run into I've always been able to resolve (including a nifty factory reset that Neptune passed along).

I'm not hyper concerned about my salinity; as long as it's between 35.1ppt and 36.1ppt I (and the fish) are generally happy campers.



Here you can see the salinity reading for the past week (the drop is because I removed a few gallons of water to re-dose some corals). Otherwise it usually stays within 0.1-0.2ppt

Great, and catching up on some of your build now. Love how you have your thread formatted for ease of following Think I will end up grabbing the probe. I currently just use my TM Hydrometer to check, but that can be a pain haha

 

[blaxsun]

March 12. You Win Some - You Lose Some

Late Friday when I returned home from errands my wife let me know that our pair of torches had each lost a head (recessed, white). Completely out of the blue. I initially though one of this fish had been picking at it and decided to sleep on it.

Next day the beautiful dragon soul torch had lost another head and was showing signs of BJD (quick removal and "smell" test confirmed the worst). I dipped both (separately) in Reef Primer, q-tipped off as much 'goo' as I could on the dragon soul and placed them apart in the tank to wait. The purple tip torch survived minus a head but the dragon soul was completely infected and had to be tossed (really sucks, as I'd grown it from a single small head to four large heads).

I'm not entirely sure what happened. I've pretty much ruled out a fish (directly, anyway) and the corals had been doing fantastic. I had the ozone off for a week due to a leak so it's possible that was a contributing factor - but I've only had the ozone less than 4 months. The only thing I can think of is that one of the damsels had been on a 'digging' frenzy and in the course of excavation sprayed a bunch of sand (and whatever else it stirred up) in, on and around the torches. I made a point of basting that area and cleaning off the torches - but maybe I didn't act fast enough.

Euphyllia seem to be really (really) bad for this. More so than any other LPS coral. Especially if you have them clustered together.

 

[blaxsun]

Mar 23. Abyss: Custom ATO/Dual RO Reservoir Setup
As with my ozone setup, I also get asked a lot about my RO/ATO setup (this will also be linked to the main page). Details follow...

First and foremost, I'm running a dual RO-reservoir setup that is ultimately gravity fed for reliability (more on this later). There are several levels of redundancy and notification (mainly through the Neptune Apex).

Let's start with the primary reservoir. This is an 15-gallon Innovative Marine Hydrofill glass AO reservoir. It has a red float indicator (bottom right) and the black drawer pulls out for easy filling (there's even a bottle "notch" to rest the neck of plastic jugs).



To the right of this is the Neptune FMM module. It has 4 optical ports, a port for the pump, 2 AquaBUS ports and an AC port to provide power for the Neptune PMUP pump. The first two are assigned to the pair of optical sensors with the ATK kit.



In the third optical port I'm using the new Neptune LLS 15" to give me an accurate RO reading. On the floor is the new Neptune LDK sensor taking up the fourth optical port on the FMM.



The orange RO tubing and two black cables for the optical sensors feed in through the back of the Red Sea cabinet and are magnetically affixed to the internal Red Sea 7-gallon RO reservoir. Thus, this gives me a total of ~22 gallons of RO. The two optical sensors provide a low/high reading with the float serving as an emergency backup - so there's triple redundancy here.



This reservoir (please excuse the salt spray on the underside - I assure you the RO reservoir is pristine otherwise) is then gravity fed to another float in the return pump chamber.



With this setup there are only two (2) extremely minor failure points. First, the spout on the internal 7-gallon RO reservoir can become clogged. This actually happened the other day (I think something may have fallen in the reservoir and clogged it), but was incredibly easy to troubleshoot (when I removed the hose no RO water came out; a quick cleaning with a toothpick resolved the issue).

The second is the gravity fed float in the return pump chamber which can under some conditions become clogged. I have removed and cleaned this every six months and have yet to find any kind of buildup, so these are both exceedingly rare.

Why the dual RO reservoir setup? First and foremost, it gives me +50% capcity (which together lasts almost 10 days). Second, the optical sensors for the Neptune ATK are immersed in RO water - so there's no salt creep, snails, etc. that can interfere with their operation. And they never need to be cleaned, either.

This is what the ATK portion of my Apex Fusion control panel looks like (open = dry, closed = wet).



And this is the custom programming I implemented for my ATK setup in Fusion.

Note that there's "Off" and then there's "Off!". The latter being line #8 in the above code, which is a safety "kill" code in Fusion. If the pump runs for more than 10 minutes (regardless of whether it's filled or not) it disables the ATK program (changing it from "AUTO" to "OFF"). Meaning it won't run until such time as you login to Fusion and manually reset it to AUTO.

By default Neptune configures this for 6 minutes, so when you're implementing your own ATK setup you'll probably want to play around with this (a friend's tank is set to 4 minutes because it's a much smaller gravity fed reservoir and another friend's is set to the default of 6 minutes).

Feed Mode D is maintenance mode on my tank which is why I temporarily turn the ATK off. If the LLS in the external RO reservoir (ATK_RO) reads less than 1.0" of water it also temporarily turns the ATK off (but I still have the 7 gallons of gravity fed RO - so this is more a reminder that I need to fill the main RO reservoir up again).

 

[Projects with Sam]

Mar 23. Abyss: Custom ATO/Dual RO Reservoir Setup
As with my ozone setup, I also get asked a lot about my RO/ATO setup (this will also be linked to the main page). Details follow...

First and foremost, I'm running a dual RO-reservoir setup that is ultimately gravity fed for reliability (more on this later). There are several levels of redundancy and notification (mainly through the Neptune Apex).

Let's start with the primary reservoir. This is an 15-gallon Innovative Marine Hydrofill glass AO reservoir. It has a red float indicator (bottom right) and the black drawer pulls out for easy filling (there's even a bottle "notch" to rest the neck of plastic jugs).



To the right of this is the Neptune FMM module. It has 4 optical ports, a port for the pump, 2 AquaBUS ports and an AC port to provide power for the Neptune PMUP pump. The first two are assigned to the pair of optical sensors with the ATK kit.



In the third optical port I'm using the new Neptune LLS 15" to give me an accurate RO reading. On the floor is the new Neptune LDK sensor taking up the fourth optical port on the FMM.



The orange RO tubing and two black cables for the optical sensors feed in through the back of the Red Sea cabinet and are magnetically affixed to the internal Red Sea 7-gallon RO reservoir. Thus, this gives me a total of ~22 gallons of RO. The two optical sensors provide a low/high reading with the float serving as an emergency backup - so there's triple redundancy here.



This reservoir (please excuse the salt spray on the underside - I assure you the RO reservoir is pristine otherwise) is then gravity fed to another float in the return pump chamber.



With this setup there are only two (2) extremely minor failure points. First, the spout on the internal 7-gallon RO reservoir can become clogged. This actually happened the other day (I think something may have fallen in the reservoir and clogged it), but was incredibly easy to troubleshoot (when I removed the hose no RO water came out; a quick cleaning with a toothpick resolve the issue).

The second is the gravity fed float in the return pump chamber which can under some conditions become clogged. I have removed and cleaned this every six months and have yet to find any kind of buildup, so these are both exceedingly rare.

Why the dual RO reservoir setup? First and foremost, it gives me +50% capcity (which together lasts almost 10 days). Second, the optical sensors for the Neptune ATK are immersed in RO water - so there's no salt creep, snails, etc. that can interfere with their operation. And they never need to be cleaned, either.

This is what the ATK portion of my Apex Fusion control panel looks like (open = dry, closed = wet).



And this is the custom programming I implemented for my ATK setup in Fusion.

Note that there's "Off" and "Off". Line #8 is a safety "kill" code in Fusion. If the pump runs for more than 10 minutes (regardless of whether it's filled or not) it disables the ATK program (changing it from "AUTO" to "OFF"). Meaning it won't run until such time as you login to Fusion and manually reset it to AUTO.

it would be nice if it sent an email and made me a latte when it did that too! Impressive!

 

[blaxsun]

it would be nice if it sent an email and made me a latte when it did that too! Impressive!

You have the option to include email alarms, but I found when the LLS dropped below 1" I was getting constantly spammed. So no emails (and definitely no latte, lol).