Lol! Thanks! We have lots of the coloured PVC in stock, it's got a nice shiny finish to it, it looks so much better than the industrial stuff. All the fittings have tapered edges too which makes it look much more 'fitted' for lack of a better term. Im glad I redid the plumbing at the same time, it was totally worth it.

Yeah, I noticed those fittings look really nice, but you need gate valves, ball valves, and reducer bushings. :) I did all my plumbing in SCH80 which looks pretty slick too, but yours looks a lot brighter.

If you found reducers like these, that would be sweet. (I linked instead because the pic is huge)

I didn't need to use reducers anywhere on the system, but a gate valve would be much easier to adjust for the beananimal overflow. I find the ball valves work ok, and are a lot cheaper. Plus I can dial it in with the Vectra now, so a gate valve isn't as important.

If you need plumbing, email me and let me know what you're looking for and I'll package discount your order for you.

A few pics of my fish in the new setup, I also have a pair of clown fish and will try to keep this as my bioload for a while. I've got to get my dosing system online and get the frags up in the rock work. Still lots of work to do!

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psnitwukot.jpg

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psrp1cu6cl.jpg

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psr9qilhpq.jpg

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...pscdtzqhfu.jpg

Wow, great fish photos!!!

Sorry, my comments were for your website, not your tank. I do need a reliable source for gate valves and bulkheads (for my business), but I get the rest of my plumbing from a local plumbing store. :D

Whaat did you use to treat the aptasia?

Over the years i've tried the aip-zapper, super glue tombs, kalk paste, biological options, but the best method i've found is manual removal with a sharpened flat-head screw driver. A matted filefish also works wonders but they'll also go after every other type of anemone in the tank too. A sharpened screwdriver and aggressive coral cutters are my weapons of choice.

Just picked this up the other day. Pink with yellow eyes, blue rim chalice. Its about 5"x4" after fragging it up.

It looks awesome under the Radions! Though not very happy right now after being fragged and dipped.

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0qnyncvd.jpg

Things are really starting to look good. The difference in growth from the Kessil's to the Radions is very noticeable. My zoanthids are covering over their frag plugs so fast I could frag them all again after just a month. The new pink chalice I fragged last week has already encrusted over and started growing at a shocking rate, possibly rivalling a hollywood stunner!

I got a new chalice that has really interesting colours, it's sort of purple/blue with green dusting and pink eyes, it's my new favourite! The rasta's I got from Kooka (thanks Phil) are already growing fast, 2 new heads!! and an old Seasons Greetings monti is coming back to life and sprouting little red polyps all over the place! I thought it was a goner, but new lighting seem to resurrect it.

Thanks to everyone who's come and picked up some frags and helped me empty the old system. Hopefully I'll have lots of new frags soon!

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psp16jxbaj.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psqsz0iney.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...ps00tomvar.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psust8e9fm.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...pspdgzjgi5.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psv7yz51og.png

I just got two beautiful colonies but im unsure of their exact ID. I think the yellow/blue tip colony is an tenuis and the pink/purple colony is a microlades? Both are from Australia im told. Anyone have a more accurate ID?

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psng17znzx.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psb0swsaen.png

I had quite a specific hit-list of SPS that I wanted to keep in this setup and im pleased to have been able to get most of them. I added a couple colonies this week, which im super pleased with. I picked up an Acropora Microclados which is a pale pink with white polyps right now, im hoping it's a strawberry shortcake, but until it colours up a bit im not sure. It looks awesome as is with the white polyps, so it's win win however it turns out. Here's my current acro list:

Acropora Yongei (Bali Green Slimer)
Acropora Microclados (possibly a Strawberry Shortcake, yet to colour up)
Acropora Granulosa (Northern Lights - love this one and its huge at least 7" across)
Acropora Tenuis (Blue Ice Tenuis)
Acropora Caroliniana
Acropora Carduus (Mr. Pacman)
Acropora Hyacinthus (Red Planet)
Acropora Secale (Grape Vine)
Acropora Robusta (electric green but instantly browned out in ReVive coral cleaner)
Acropora Plana (Purple Highlighter)


http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psv0oo1igm.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psjb54l0a1.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psjsyuftds.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...pswpghf1da.png

Im really finding AquaticLog helpful in keeping track of my tank parameters, the app is awesome and really easy to update (I should note that I am not a sponsor of, nor am I sponsored by AquaticLog, I just really like the site and being able to explore other members tank photo's, very inspirational). I know Apex Fusion offers measurement tracking as well, but I really like the photo profile options in AquaticLog. It's a lot of fun seeing your system profile photo log! This is actually where I first noticed Albert's (notclear) tank, it's a pretty awesome system.

My profile link is in my signature below. (http://www.aquaticlog.com/aquariums/darkwingduck/4)

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psynj27jyo.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psjq2ybk8n.png

nice!, aquatic log looks cool, very organised.

The tank looks super clean. Nice new corals

Yeah, it's pretty cool. It sends me updates to do water changes, check my alk etc, I like that it keeps me on track with my tank. But the photo/tank galleries are so cool to look through and see other builds, I find many of them very inspirational.

Thanks! I think it might be a little too clean, im getting some red slime on my rock work, which I find I get if i over do it with the ZeoStart3. It's new rock though, so who knows, im running my 'code red protocol' for the slime and hopefully it'll be gone soon. :D

So after running the Vectra for a few months now i've found a few helpful features that fit my setup better than I could have expected. The simplest and most helpful feature is the control EcoSmart LIVE via the ReefLink offers over the pumps flow output.

QUIET NIGHT TIME FLOW MODE: (reduces overflow noise and power consumption)
Through EcoSmart LIVE I can calibrate and reduce the pumps flow so that during the night time hours the return flow slows, which significantly quiets the water noise in the external overflow. And while lowering the water level in the overflow box, it doesn't go slow that my beananimal drain (full siphon) siphons more water than available and gets really noisy. This is huge for me because my tank is in my home office 2 doors from my bedroom and overflow box gurgling is the number one reason I get hit in the face with a pillow every other night. (see graph below, super easy to setup and just)

Detritus Flush/Feed Mode Cleanup: (increases return flow in sync with Vortechs to remove detritus)
I have only tested this a couple times and haven't yet set it to run daily as i've been playing around with all the other pump features. But you can also use EcoSmart LIVE to set 'points' throughout the day where the calibrated flow raises to full power (which again, doesn't overload you drains because you calibrated it to your system) to flush your system of uneaten food, flakes, detritus etc. When you sync this with your Vortech's (having 2 is really the best for this) you can create a veritable washing machine effect in your tank to clean every available crevice and cranny of detritus, and man does this work well! M1 pump goes into full power, vortech's sync and ramp up and up comes the dirt! At first I was worried about my corals getting bashed around, but they reacted well and seemed fine with the extra turbulence.

SOFT START: (keeps pump/returns quiet on start up)
The feed mode option is great, but I still get more flow than I'd like since I had to dial it in with my beananimal overflow to keep the overflow running silent all the time. So I just shut the pump off for feedings as usual, and the soft start feature (automatically) gently ramps it up again to get the overflow running, which takes about 30 seconds from start to finish and it's crazy quiet as it gets running (the pump I mean). This is nice, because it doesn't wake me up when it gets running again after a power outage in the night or disturb me when it starts after a feed mode and im on the phone (home office). I can barely hear it.

There are more things I like about the pump, but I won't go on. It's near silent operation is why I got it, but it's proven to be more of a benefit to my system/life than I had hoped. 5/5 from me.

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psxkwoui9m.png

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psvwyp3d5v.png

Thanks for the review on the Vectra! I like the feed mode and the tank flush sounds pretty cool too. I'm not a fan of Vortechs though so I wouldn't make use of that. Maybe the new QD will win me over.

I just downloaded that app too. I've been looking for an app to record params.

The app is very handy! - The QuietDrive's definitely won me over. I traded my old Vortech's a few years back for Tunze's chasing silence (and liked them a lot on the APEX), but now switched back to Vortech's because of the QuiteDrive's, increased power and I find the wide flow on the Vortech's better for my tank dimensions/rockscape.

I just wish you could "point" them.

I can't get in to the app...it's asking for a username and password. No option to sign up.

That's kind of the point, it's such wide, turbulent flow, you don't need to 'point' them. I get full coverage across my 20" wide, 20" deep tank with the MP40QD. With 2 of them, I have them at max 55% and get strong wide, random turbulence, no pointing needed. I was constantly adjusting my Tunze's as things grew in or moving them trying to reduce detritus build up in low flow spots, the laminar flow was hard to control on my setup/rockscape. I just find the Vortech's so effective without much effort on my part. Win win.

I guess you have to sign up online first to use the app.

My tank is same height and width. Ime, he lack of pointing ability blows the sand around a lot worse. That's my main reason right now. I'm liking the Gyre, but it lacks control flexibility. It's deadly silent though. :)

I'll try online. ..Thx!

Sand is always an issue when any type of flow hits the sand bed, especially the smaller grain sizes. I have the Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand and the vortech's create nice waves in it that make it look more natural. I like it anyway. Thus ends my pitch for the Vortech's. :D

I have same sand. I'm sitting at 75x turnover, and the sand barely stays in place! I've been eyeing up the QDs though. :D

Hi Elliot!
What setting are you using for your vectra?
How high do you have it turned on to. Is heat an issue?
I want to use two vectra in my system tied to two mocean spray devices but I am worried about heat.
Do you use two drain lines as your sump drain or just one.
I want an XMN device to surge my vortec pumps every fifteen minutes for maybe two minutes or so

I was worried about heat too, but it only uses 80w on max output, and as I have it set, it only uses around 52w. So it's more efficient than the Eheim 1262 I had. Heat is not an issue at all.
When you calibrate the pump, it sets itself up within the flow capacity of your system and then gives you a percentage range within that calibration setting to use. So you could use it on a 20 gallon tank, or a 200 gallon tank. Its incredible, and you have a lot of control over the calibration, so you can really set it up any way you like (flow/power wise).
I have a beananimal drain system, so my 1 x 1" drain line at full siphon can handle over 3,400 GPH, but I run it at a lot less than that to maximize skimmer efficiency and to make the system absolutely, hear a pin drop, silent. :D

SO two drains can handle 3400 gph

2 standard non-siphoning drains? it would depend on the size, and orientation of the pipes. i.e. a 90 degree bend and a horizontal run at any point in the drain line could cause a 'backup' and limit the amount of air/water able to flow through. PM me your plans and I'll take a look.

Here's a quick pic update. I've been playing around with coral placement a lot, so things still need to settle and grow in, and there's a few corals to place still. But you get the idea of where it's heading, things are really taking shape now. A few corals didn't photograph well in this setting, and there's a few not shown. I'll try to do a full photo list soon.

I've also been battling a major 'brown slime' bloom (possibly dino's) for the last month. Long story short, i've been manually removing them once a week during regular water changes. For the last week i've been using Korallen-Zucht's Coral Snow in line with Brigthwell's MicroBacter7 and that seems to have done the job. Ultimately the algae is using up nutrients, which is a good thing, so I let it run it's course and try not to freak out while manually removing it so that it doesn't negatively effect my corals. In a more established tank, I might do other things too. But as the tank is so new, I let it balance itself out with little to no change in husbandry, accept the addition of the Coral Snow and MB7.

Feb 15th 2016 FTS
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...pspv2njg3p.png[/url]

Bali Green Slimer (Acropora Yongei)
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...pscpv7waqk.png[/url]

Superman/Bullseye Rhodactis
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psmj2jch9k.png[/url]

Grape Vine acro (Acropora Secale)
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...ps68iuxam5.png[/url]

Yellow Highlighter (Acropora Caroliniana)
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psyd6uzjrx.png[/url]

Mr.Pacman (Acropora Hurlock)
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psscto98nm.png[/url]

Purple Highlighter (Acropora Plana)
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psqpiptzpb.png[/url]

Tear Drop Tridacna Clam
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psw0lvapm6.png[/url]

Rasta's (Zoanthids)
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psgzhb7kpc.png[/url]

Superman/Bullseye Rhodactis
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...pskzwdl9bg.png[/url]

Superman/Bullseye Rhodactis
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...pstnpjw0l2.png[/url]

Mr.Pacman (Acropora Hurlock)
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psrnlifwzb.png[/url]

Used to be neon yellow, now neon green (Acropora Vermiculata)
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psp3l37iim.png[/url]

Chilli Pepper Monti (Montipora sp.)
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2lypqodd.png[/url]

Yellow Nebula Yuma Mushroom
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psnegj1ahe.png[/url]

So this week I switched to the wide angle 120˚ lenses on my Radions. After taking some PAR readings, I switched back to the standard 80˚ lenses as the PAR was so low on the wide angles, even at 100%. As I have 3 x XR15PRO's above my tank, the standard lenses do the trick and I get great coverage and now great PAR too!

Below are my readings/settings. Im running them at 70% right now, but you can see what sort of PAR range I have up to 100% intensity. Obviously there is some variation in the readings as you go further toward the back glass/front glass. But all these readings were taken within the 6" center of the tank (front to back). PAR readings on the Apogee MQ-200 actually read <2% low, according to the manual.

At 70% they are incredibly bright already! I really love the Radion's. Im getting good growth from my SPS and i've kept colouration on 95% of them, but still expect to see improvements in colour as my SPS settle in and light intensity/feedings increase.

70% INTENSITY:
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0je30bi6.png[/url]

100% INTENSITY:
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psu37ikvlf.png[/url]

I also took a few readings at 100% on all channels just to see what the difference would be. The Radion XR15PRO's put out a LOT of PAR. However, I dont think many aquarists will run all channels on 100% percent as we tend to favour the blue 20,000k look over the bright 5,000k sunshine look. Though for heavy SPS tanks it may be worth ramping up to the 100% on all channels for an hour or so a day just get that extra bump in PAR. How effective, necessary or worthwhile that would be, i don't know. But I like that it's an option.

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psqsg70mpv.png[/url]

My actinic settings on Radion XR15PRO's. In person the tank is a brilliant blue with serious pop on the coral colours, the picture doesn't really show how bright and blue it is, but you get the idea. PAR readings are low but acceptable given the color spectrum.

With the UV channel set to 0% the sand bed reading drops from 50 to 10. The other readings stay around the same and drop very little.

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...ps65be8pou.png[/url]

What program did you use to make the picture.
Wasen't it a pain to change the lens

I did it all in Pages on my mac. Changing the lenses took me about 2 minutes on each unit. It's really easy.

Really you can do that much on pages

I like Radions best of all the LEDS today, but I can't say that you're getting "a lot of PAR". Imo, a lot of PAR is 550+. Indeed, for a "nano" fixture, it's good bang for the buck.

I'm really happy you posted this though because I've been toying with removing a couple T5s from my roster and sliding in a couple XR15PRO.

Interestingly, the XR15PRO are 85 watts each I believe? So you're using 255 watts. I'm getting about 30% more PAR wih my T5 fixture and I'm using 234 watts. I was thinking I would be gaining PAR if I replaced a couple T5s with Radions, and maybe I would, but it wouldn't be any more efficient. Hmmm...

Edit: I keep thinking this is a 36" tank, but you're covering 48" and I'm covering 36" so that throws my calculations way off. However, my tank is 3" deeper too. Though i think you'd be better off wih 4 instead of 3 ...oh for heck this isn't working analytically...nevermind. :lol:

A lot of PAR is above the 400 range in my mind too, now that you say it. But I am impressed with the Radion XR15PRO's and the PAR output, especially at 100%, they are powerful little fixture. The addition of a 4th may be necessary as I fill in the tank and things start growing in. I certainly would like to have MORE PAR available, but the real question is, is it needed? My SPS all seem very happy, have good colour, acceptable growth and don't seem short of light. Coral placement is a little more important given there are some lower PAR areas in the back of the tank, but I dont see that as an issue right now. Maybe a T5 or two would bump PAR, growth and colour better than a 4th Radion?

T5 PAR Readings / XR15PRO Radion & T5 PAR Readings
 

Ok Myka, maybe this will help. So here are a couple more readings of 2 x 48" 54w T5's on their own and with my 3 x XR15PRO Radion's.

I expect the T5 readings to be a little better once I have them spilt, front and back but they are pretty close with them both mounted at the back of the tank because the reflectors do most of the work. Anyway, you get a general idea of whats what. You literally just add the PAR of the T5's to the PAR of the Radion's, the increase is pretty straightforward.

With that in mind, I would expect 4 x T5's with the same bulb combo to produce 300 PAR mid-tank and 150-160 PAR on the sand bed. But where the Radion's give you wide variations in PAR numbers throughout the tank based on the lenses used, the T5's provide consistent PAR throughout the whole tank, front to back (only minor changes in PAR).
Adding 2 x retrofit T5's to a couple of Radion fixture's is a cheap way to boost PAR numbers and maximize coverage. Possibly adding improvements to growth and colouration to any SPS that were in lower PAR areas. A T5/LED combo fixture seems to be the fool-proof way to go if you're chasing PAR readings.

I personally love my Radion's and have not yet seen any need to turn the T5's on. Everything seems healthy, growing and colourful and I really like the shimmer in the tank. Though I will run the T5's later in the year for a few months to see if I can actually see a noticeable difference in growth or colouration, just for funzies. :D


T5's ONLY
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psmyucvr79.png[/url]

T5's & Radions
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psinova74h.png[/url]

Radions ONLY
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0je30bi6.png[/url]

PAR READINGS NOTE: I've read on RB and several other forums that the Apogee MQ-200 readings are up to 25% less than actual PAR from LED's given the meter's fixed calibration settings (SUN or ELECTRIC). So all the above readings could be up to 1.25x higher than shown.

I have to say I do like the PAR range you're getting with the Radions + (only) 2 T5s regardless of the possible err on the measurements. That range is pretty close to what I'm getting from my 36" ATI 6-bulb dimmable T5 fixture.

Is high PAR needed? Well, that depends. First, not every tank is the same, and for reasons that we as a reefing community don't seem to fully understand, some tanks require more or less PAR to achieve the same thing. My guess is that flow, nutrition in the water column, and parameters have a lot to do with it. There are a lot of variables even in tanks that we think are essentially very similar. Do you need PAR over 400 (or 550) in a mixed reef? That's probably not a good idea because more LPS would be bleached by that amount of light. If you have a dedicated SPS tank then maybe you do "need" that much PAR. I've seen SPS tanks in the 550-700 μmol m-2 s-1 and SPS tanks in the 250-350 μmol m-2 s-1 range that essentially produced the same thing - a beautiful, colorful SPS tank.

I never like to feel like I am being limited by my light fixture though. I'm running my fixture right now only at 100% blues, and 60% whites. For whatever reason (flow? nutrition? parametes? or?), I am not able to increase the intensity of the lighting and achieve better results.

I agree with you on the above, lots of variables involved to achieve success. Im currently ramping my intensity up 5% per week and seeing how it goes colour/growth wise. You just have to be willing to put the time in to test things out on your system to see what works best.

My tank parameter stay pretty consistent week in week out:
Alkalinity - 9.9-10.8 dKH
Calcium - 400-440
Magnesium - 1400+
Phosphate - 0.04 (Hanna ULR Phos Checker)
Nitrate - 0

I've also started dosing AcroPower this week, so we'l see how that affects things. Reef Roids and Oyester Feast have been added twice a week for night time feedings for the last couple months with good results. Im really working on getting my Microclados and Granulosa to colour up. Everything else looks awesome already.