Mastiffsrule’s 180 Build. Now with colony growth pics.

[Mastiffsrule]

Quick update.

3/4 of plumbing done.

Today

Now have both returns on 1 side and drains on the other running herbie
I have the Maxspect Jump plumbed in an pumping. Small leak in bulkhead, but this is still rough stage. I need to cut in a wye fitting to plumb in the UV.
The Maxspect is quiet, I messed with the pulse a bit and it delivers as advertised. But that is a super small Quick look.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

The UV is plumbed. Getting leaks from 2 threaded fitting . One leaving gate valve and other entering the bulkhead. I always use the recommended pvc pipe dope. For some reason can’t get it right so need to get some tape Monday. So for now have the gate closed, but everything else is running fine.

been playing with the maxspect a bit. Gotta say I like it.

Working on getting pics together soon

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I plugged in the uv, got some pics. This is the before UV pics. We will see uv affects first hand

Almost done, final update coming in week or so, then no more re-dos

 

[tuesdayd]

So what's the verdict?

How much flow do you have running through the UV? Is that the only thing the jump pump is running?

 

[Mastiffsrule]

So what's the verdict?

How much flow do you have running through the UV? Is that the only thing the jump pump is running?

So, I’m liking the Maxspect. It took over the Ehiem job without a hiccup, no problem And stronger. I have it running the Aqua uv split off the main return line with a gate valve for flow. i have about 400-500 to the uv. I have the pump set at 17 out of 20 power wise and still very strong out of the main return.. No noise. For the price on a controllable dc pump impressive so far.

My real test is long term. I buy stuff, put it in my tank and never clean it. If it can last years with little to no cleaning I know it is the bomb. The Ehiem was 10 years plus and was cleaned less than 10 times.

That said, great expectations so far for this pump. Looks like a highly underrated player.

 

[tuesdayd]

Thanks for the info! Other than fish, that may just be my next purchase. And the jet engine look is cool!

Now, if I could pick your brain on the UV a little? I was looking at the flow grid in the instructions which lists several flow rates depending on desired results, but all of these values are independent of tank size.

Yet in the FAQ it says flow should be three to five times tank volume. So unlike the chart, flow would vary depending on tank size - 300-500gph for a 100 gal tank, 600-1000gph for a 200 gal tank, etc.

Well, what has me concerned is the part below the grid saying higher kill rates at the lower flow "will destroy the planktonic food supply for the reef." Yikes!

I noticed you're running 400-500 through your 180 which would be roughly within the three to five times guidance listed in the FAQ, but considerably lower than the rates listed in the grid.

The contradictions in the owners manual really have me scratching my head. Any insight you could provide would be most appreciated.

Thanks, Nick

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Thanks for the info! Other than fish, that may just be my next purchase. And the jet engine look is cool!

Now, if I could pick your brain on the UV a little? I was looking at the flow grid in the instructions which lists several flow rates depending on desired results, but all of these values are independent of tank size.

Yet in the FAQ it says flow should be three to five times tank volume. So unlike the chart, flow would vary depending on tank size - 300-500gph for a 100 gal tank, 600-1000gph for a 200 gal tank, etc.

Well, what has me concerned is the part below the grid saying higher kill rates at the lower flow "will destroy the planktonic food supply for the reef." Yikes!

I noticed you're running 400-500 through your 180 which would be roughly within the three to five times guidance listed in the FAQ, but considerably lower than the rates listed in the grid.

The contradictions in the owners manual really have me scratching my head. Any insight you could provide would be most appreciated.

Thanks, Nick

Hey Nick,

It does get confusing and I’m not the best expert on UV. What i did come up with was flow has a lot to do with it like you mentioned. The lower the flow and the stronger the lamp means the smaller the organism it will affect. I ended up calling BRS because what I read in the manual was a little confusing.

This was my take away. Again, not 100% sure I am correct here. The higher the flow thru the UV, it will reduce contact time and the effectiveness off the uv. With higher flow it will affect organisms in the 30-40k um range. That should clear water and help blooms. When you slow flow to 400-500 gph and rate the uv for tank size you will affect organisms that help control Dino, that is the 60-75k. Past that you get into beneficial algae at 90um.

It is always better to oversI’ve the uv, Then you can control it thru flow , or even thru a time.

I think @Peace River is a lot better than I am at uv

 

[Peace River]

There is a lot that goes into UV sterilizer including wattage, dwell time, flow rate, and intended purpose (clarification, treatment, prevention, etc.). In brief, moderate exposure of the water to UV (including time and intensity) kills the algae and clarifies the water (especially helpful as a short term solution to algae blooms), whereas much higher exposure is necessary to deal with fish disease. Like @Mastiffsrule suggested, the dwell time of the water in the UV chamber raises the effectiveness for that bit of water that is in the chamber. Flow lets more water move through the UV chamber. Therefore to treat all of the water in the tank there is an optimal zone for flow, dwell time, and intensity depending on the purpose of the UV and the level of sterilization that is desired.

Here is a post by @SPR1968 that provides additional details that you may find helpful:

Hello all

Hi all, I just found your forum. I have a question, I have a 20 gallon mini reef it's been up for 7 months and doing good, my question is... Is it okay to run a U/V sterilizer in the tank to keep out pathogens in the water? Or should I just run it on occasion

www.reef2reef.com

 

[tuesdayd]

Thanks for the detailed info, reefers.

And it looks like I just hijacked your thread a little bit, mastiff...apologies!

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Thanks for the detailed info, reefers.

And it looks like I just hijacked your thread a little bit, mastiff...apologies!

Anytime, no apologies necessary. The more info we put into a thread the better.

 

[CoralVue_Marketing]

I got all my plumbing, new maxspect jump pump and Aqua UV ready. So for the 2 Nd time in less than a year time to redo plumbing. After this no more. pics to come this weekend

Started my install of the new Aqua UV and Maxspect Jump today.

I bough a 1 in bulk head socket from brs 3 weeks ago to help make this easy. Walked by it on the counter every day for weeks. Started the projects and guess what, couldn’t find the da

Quick update.

3/4 of plumbing done.

Today

Now have both returns on 1 side and drains on the other running herbie
I have the Maxspect Jump plumbed in an pumping. Small leak in bulkhead, but this is still rough stage. I need to cut in a wye fitting to plumb in the UV.
The Maxspect is quiet, I messed with the pulse a bit and it delivers as advertised. But that is a super small Quick look.

ng thing.

So 3 hours today spent looking around, all i was able to do was cut out my old return line and rough in the new lines. I swear I turn a 3 minute job into a 3:hour tour.

So, I’m liking the Maxspect. It took over the Ehiem job without a hiccup, no problem And stronger. I have it running the Aqua uv split off the main return line with a gate valve for flow. i have about 400-500 to the uv. I have the pump set at 17 out of 20 power wise and still very strong out of the main return.. No noise. For the price on a controllable dc pump impressive so far.

My real test is long term. I buy stuff, put it in my tank and never clean it. If it can last years with little to no cleaning I know it is the bomb. The Ehiem was 10 years plus and was cleaned less than 10 times.

That said, great expectations so far for this pump. Looks like a highly underrated player.

Thank you for sharing your experience using the new Maxspect JUMP pump! Got a pic of installed? ;Woot We'd love to re-share it on our social media!

They've got some more products on the way in the JUMP series:

Maxspect Jump LED Light Reimagines the Ethereal Fixture | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The Maxspect Jump LED 165 is a new lighting fixture which aims to deliver a great and affordable reef aquarium light. The MJL-165 shares a lot of similarities with the Maxspect Ethereal LED but like…

reefbuilders.com

Maxspect Jump Protein Skimmer, the Smaller Aeraqua Duo | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The Maxspect Jump protein skimmer is a new, forthcoming entry level version of Maxspect’s award-winning Aeraqua Duo protein skimmer. Maxsepct developed such a novel and sophisticated foam fractionator…

reefbuilders.com

We're testing out the skimmer now!

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Thank you for sharing your experience using the new Maxspect JUMP pump! Got a pic of installed? ;Woot We'd love to re-share it on our social media!

They've got some more products on the way in the JUMP series:

Maxspect Jump LED Light Reimagines the Ethereal Fixture | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The Maxspect Jump LED 165 is a new lighting fixture which aims to deliver a great and affordable reef aquarium light. The MJL-165 shares a lot of similarities with the Maxspect Ethereal LED but like…

reefbuilders.com

Maxspect Jump Protein Skimmer, the Smaller Aeraqua Duo | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The Maxspect Jump protein skimmer is a new, forthcoming entry level version of Maxspect’s award-winning Aeraqua Duo protein skimmer. Maxsepct developed such a novel and sophisticated foam fractionator…

reefbuilders.com

We're testing out the skimmer now!

it’s been great. I just need to finish cleaning up the cabinet This weekend and I put up the pics

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hello everyone,

Today is the day I can finally say my old tank new is finally all new and done. No more messing around.

It started with Dino and a bulkhead leak over a year ago, now today.

This is my upgrades and my thoughts on each.

1. Bashea 36ss sump. Built like a tank and euro-braced . Got a free t-shirt. Color is a plus. Several holes for cord, probe, and dosing tube management, Skimmer chamber is huge, maybe could have used some space for a refuge section but they do have other sumps for that. They have a bubble trap chamber before the return chamber with spaghetti type media in it. It is a great design as a pod hotel, but mine doesn’t come out so no way to clean. I think it comes out on other versions. Kinda like a square sponge.

2. X1 kamoer doser and containers. I will start by mentioning this is my first doser, so this is how much I like this product. I purchased 3. Alk, calc, mag. $59 each. I picked up their jugs also, I think $30 each. That was all I needed for 2 part dosing and mag. These doser are solid, feel well build, not lightweight plastics. The jugs also, not flimsy plastic. The dosers daisy chain so only 1 plugs in and the rest attach to each other. The app is super easy to use. The down side, the hose they use is not standard doser size. I could only find it on amazon so I bought a few packs. Also, if power goes out the dosers stop work. There is no WiFi capability on the X1. You will need to reconnect with the app, and recalibrate. So back to the begging, as I mentioned I never used dosers so if I could anyone can. And for around $300

3. Maxspect Jump 8. This replaced my workhorse 10 year old Eheim 1262. I could have put a bullet in that and it would have kept going (do not try at home). I cleaned that pump maybe 10 times. This is my first DC pump. I got it for more power to run a Uv and a quieter pump. This is only about 2 months now but this pump is impressive. They have 4 models, a 6,8,10,12. The 6 and 8 use the same body size and the 10 and 12 use the same body size. I went with the 8 for my 180. I plumbed it with a wye fittining. One return to the tank. One to the UV. The pump has its own controller. Adjustable from 1-20 with 3 wave setting. The pump is more than enough to push the us and return. On rthe other modes it has an amazing pulsing mode that simulate the beach fairly well. Not sure about compatibility with other controllers and only time will tell long term. Like other DC it is dead silent.

AND my final review of new equipment is

4. Aqua UV 57 . I used to run uV long ago. My 180 has had a Dino issue when this all started and was always light milky. When I started treatment it became algae and cyano. I figured cannot hurt to put a uv on to help combat any free floating algae or other nuisance issues. Found a good deal on the aqua. Solid build, plumbing wa straight forward. The instructions for me were a big confusing on flow rate, but a little research took care of that. The uV was the last thing I put on just recently before finishing tidying up the cabinet. The first 2-3 days not much, seems once I made a few adjustments to balance the flow on my return the tank cleared up. Since my tank has been crystal. Algea has been way down. I cannot see any down side on this since it did what I wanted, clarified the water and reduced the algae.

So here it is, thanks for reading

 

[Salty Lemon]

Hello everyone,

Today is the day I can finally say my old tank new is finally all new and done. No more messing around.

It started with Dino and a bulkhead leak over a year ago, now today.

This is my upgrades and my thoughts on each.

1. Bashea 36ss sump. Built like a tank and euro-braced . Got a free t-shirt. Color is a plus. Several holes for cord, probe, and dosing tube management, Skimmer chamber is huge, maybe could have used some space for a refuge section but they do have other sumps for that. They have a bubble trap chamber before the return chamber with spaghetti type media in it. It is a great design as a pod hotel, but mine doesn’t come out so no way to clean. I think it comes out on other versions. Kinda like a square sponge.

2. X1 kamoer doser and containers. I will start by mentioning this is my first doser, so this is how much I like this product. I purchased 3. Alk, calc, mag. $59 each. I picked up their jugs also, I think $30 each. That was all I needed for 2 part dosing and mag. These doser are solid, feel well build, not lightweight plastics. The jugs also, not flimsy plastic. The dosers daisy chain so only 1 plugs in and the rest attach to each other. The app is super easy to use. The down side, the hose they use is not standard doser size. I could only find it on amazon so I bought a few packs. Also, if power goes out the dosers stop work. There is no WiFi capability on the X1. You will need to reconnect with the app, and recalibrate. So back to the begging, as I mentioned I never used dosers so if I could anyone can. And for around $300

3. Maxspect Jump 8. This replaced my workhorse 10 year old Eheim 1262. I could have put a bullet in that and it would have kept going (do not try at home). I cleaned that pump maybe 10 times. This is my first DC pump. I got it for more power to run a Uv and a quieter pump. This is only about 2 months now but this pump is impressive. They have 4 models, a 6,8,10,12. The 6 and 8 use the same body size and the 10 and 12 use the same body size. I went with the 8 for my 180. I plumbed it with a wye fittining. One return to the tank. One to the UV. The pump has its own controller. Adjustable from 1-20 with 3 wave setting. The pump is more than enough to push the us and return. On rthe other modes it has an amazing pulsing mode that simulate the beach fairly well. Not sure about compatibility with other controllers and only time will tell long term. Like other DC it is dead silent.

AND my final review of new equipment is

4. Aqua UV 57 . I used to run uV long ago. My 180 has had a Dino issue when this all started and was always light milky. When I started treatment it became algae and cyano. I figured cannot hurt to put a uv on to help combat any free floating algae or other nuisance issues. Found a good deal on the aqua. Solid build, plumbing wa straight forward. The instructions for me were a big confusing on flow rate, but a little research took care of that. The uV was the last thing I put on just recently before finishing tidying up the cabinet. The first 2-3 days not much, seems once I made a few adjustments to balance the flow on my return the tank cleared up. Since my tank has been crystal. Algea has been way down. I cannot see any down side on this since it did what I wanted, clarified the water and reduced the algae.

So here it is, thanks for reading

You are such a tease. Wonderful pix!

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Wanted to post my “I am at a happy where I can just maintain and build from here“ tank pic.

I read my build from the beginning just now, and feel horrible what it took to get here. Lost my 3 long time (8+ year) tangs and went thru some others just due to my poor planning. Same for coral. I had not lost a fish in so long I guess I forgot lessons learned in the past, but have since remembered.

Todays happy tank, ready for growth. Or just leave as is. Sometimes if everything is happy, why mess with it? This guy will agree

 

[Mastiffsrule]

X

 

[Mastiffsrule]

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I just uploaded a decent Maxspect jump return video. If any wants to see what one of these can to check it out. I put it thru the paces. This is the 8 model on a 180, using a wye fitting to also pushing aqua UV 180 with plenty of power.

thanks to #jeff@coralvue this product is way under talked about if that’s a thing. More should be picking it up. And always @Peace River . He knows.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

 

[Difrano]

Wow read the whole thread! What a journey. Your tank looks awesome now. Keep going strong!
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