Weekend Update

 

"Go Big Money, Go!"

I had a busy weekend, but I made some time for the aquarium. I mounted all my electrical components to the wall to keep them a little farther away from the tank (to hopefully prevent them from getting wet). I cut a piece of plywood about 24" x 15", painted the board to match the color of my wall, and mounted my Reef Keeper modules (except the head unit) and my aquarium's uncontrolled power bar to the board.

I reconnected my Reef Keeper Lite and was pleasantly surprised to see that even after a week, the internal memory had kept all of my programming. A couple updates to some timers and a new float switch added to this display tank as overflow protection (if the float on the display aquarium is turned on, my return pump will turn off), and we were back in business.The RKM-Net module connected to the system and my network with absolutely no trouble. I just plugged it back in and I was able to start viewing stats from my phone.

Wires will be cleaned up... I promise.

After mounting everything to a board and then to the wall, I started to route cables the best I could. There's still a lot of wires that I need to permanently route by either bunching together the wires or attaching directly to the board, however I'll have to tackle that job for a later day. In the picture below, you can see what it looks like now with out the wiring being cleaned up. The wiring will be channeled between the modules and bundled together to create a cleaner look. The blue "tags" are labels for each cord so that I know what every plug does. Although the picture does it little justice, the new setup is sadly much better than what I had before, and after cleaning up the wiring, should look really nice. At the top of the board, I will likely mount my Ecotech Marine Vortech controllers with Velcro. With these mounted, I'll still have a few extra inches to allow for future upgrades.

Vortech Controllers Join The Party...

Tank is looking better with RKL running the show.

...and the tank overflows.

I heard some water dripping and happened to glance over; water was almost to the top of the display tank, and some had splashed out. I don't know if the ATO float switch got stuck, or something backed up in the overflow box, but I had to act quick to drain water out of the tank, stat.

After I shut off the return pump, i drained some water from the sump. I went to investigate the overflow box. With my hand in the water, i touched my arm to my light fixture and - Zaaaap! I got a nice little surprise. It wasn't a full jolt, but it was a tingle. At this point, I realized something else was very wrong.

Upon closer inspection, I could see that water had dripped out of the tank from the side, casually cascading onto my electrical components, all conveniently located in one place. My GFCI was soaked, and dripping water, and there were splashes on other components. To be safe, I unplugged everything, and said goodbye to the GFCI. I'll be running everything in emergency mode to see what I can salvage.

I'm seriously rethinking this tank setup. Right now, anything looking DRILLED is looking good...

Turkey Nap and Random Photos

Testing: You can do it!!

Water testing is easy and really only takes a few moments. A basic test kit isn't out of reach for any hobbyist, and you'll be surprised at the price of some entry level kits.

I use the API tests. Yeah, yeah, yeah... these tests get a bad rap by many hobbyists. Personally, I think they're great. I'm not looking for lab grade scientific testing... I barely passed chemistry in high school; I'll leave the hardcore testing for the chemists. What I want is an easy to use and affordable test kit. Yeah, the more expensive kits can be a little more precise, but I'm looking for ball park figures. I know my tank and I keep up with water changes. Why kill myself over a fraction of a fraction of a percentage?

Don't get me wrong, there are some really nice liquid test kits, and I'm a big fan of the Hannah Checkers; both are still relatively easy to use and can provide the accuracy that puts some hobbyists at ease. For simplicity and budget's sake, you can't go wrong with the API Salwater and API Reef Master Test Kits.

I've tested today using my API test kits and a Salifert Magnesium Test kit. I am happy with the levels as I had lower Calcium recently, and I'm trying to keep my Alkalinity low due to the use of biopellets on my system. I've posted the test results below:

Ca: 440
Alk: 8 dkh
Mag: 1500
pH: 8.2
Nitrate: 0 ppm

Levels look good, biopellets seem to be working well... Photos soon!

New frags from Garrett's Acropolis

I got to see something really special today; Garrett's Acropolis. Steve was kind enough to show us his impressive coral propagating system. Located outdoors, his system utilizes natural light and under 600 watts of electricity to run! It's a beautiful system, with healthy, beautiful, and a good variety of rare corals.

I opted for some easier to keep acros, green slimer, a monti, and a birds nest (Ora birds of paradise) coral. I also got a blue Xenia frag!

You can see some great pictures of Garrett's Acropolis featured on Marine Depots Featured Tank for July 2011. Marine Depot also posted a video to their YouTube channel. I've posted it below:

You can also view more on Garrett's Acropolis on his official website at www.garretts-acropolis.com.


Finally, here's some pictures of my tank and the new frags (Taken with my iPhone, sorry. I'll get some with the DSLR soon).Until next time...

 

Digital Aquatics RKM-Net Module

I got a new module for my Reef Keeper lite! The RKM-NET module will allow me to monitor my aquarium when I'm away from home, and recent updates to the software allow me to control my channels remotely.

The install isn't any more difficult than say, a webcam or home-network router, however it's definitely going to be a challenge for anyone who is not comfortable with computers.


I have some more tinkering to do, but so far I'm really happy with the new capabilities!

Check out the pictures and screen shots below. I'll post more info soon!