SubzeroLT

Just starting the hobby, so I only have simple corals but i'll take some photos tomorrow.

Decided to write a short review on a recent purchase…. Really excited to try the new Aqua Illumination Hydra HD. According to information from AI’s website, the new “Hydperdrive” allows users to get the most of their LEDs. One can re-distribute total available power from other channels to ‘overdrive’ certain channels that need more than 100%. For example, most folks tune down the Red, Green or White channels. This power can then be channeled into the higher demand channels like Blue. The Hydra26 is rated 90W compared to Hydra 52 135W (50% more powerful even with 4 clusters of LED instead of 2). Externally, HD & non-HD versions look the same. Both come with 80deg lenses. Back when I started, Ken (Madpetz) advised to go with 2x Hydra26 as it provided better spread over the tank area. Original Setup : Lights : 2x Hydra 26. Tank : 3x1.5x1.5ft Wavemaker : 2x Ecotech Marine MP10wES, 1x Jebao RW4 Tank age : 1yr. Mixed reef of SPS & LPS.....still learning about reefing. Unboxing the Hydra26 HD Comparing the Hydra26 with Hydra26 HD. The main difference is replacing 1 White LED with Blue. I replaced the lights on the right side with the Hydra26 HD to have an apple to apple comparison. Left side of the tank remains the original Hydra26. Color wise, the HD versions have a greater emphasis on blue with the additional Blue LED. It’s also capable to overdrive the blues to bring out the fluorescence of the corals. This picture could not capture the colors but you need to see it in person to see the improved difference in colors with the Hydra HD. I didn’t tell family members I made a change but they commented ‘somehow the right side looks nicer’. Corals seem to be happy with nice healthy polyp extensions. Hydra 26HD setting: PAR measurement: A slight drop in PAR but not very significant. PAR levels are good enough for the current mix of SPS/LPS. Overall Verdict: Impressed with the improved colors. No regrets getting the Hydra26 HD. If budget allows, I may get the upgrade kit for the left side when it’s available. Details on setup: The instructions on the quick start guide was perhaps too brief & does not mention much. I’d like to share some points during the setup process to link the Hydra to your home WiFi 1) Use a laptop’s wifi, find the Hydra’s WIFI signal & select it. 2) Then key in the Hydra’s local web address as mentioned in the instructions sheet. 3) It gets you to this web page. To link it to your home wifi, select “Choose Network”. Select your home wifi & enter your wifi password. From here, it’s easy to setup the light timing/profile. As I had another Hydra26 in the mix, I attempted to load the setting file over. From the old Hydra, download the .aip settings file. Then on the Hydra HD, upload the .aip file. And the starting point ramp profile is setup. A check on the detailed setting however shows that the Blue is at 0%. This is probably because the firmware calls the Blue channel slightly differently now. It would have been nice if every channel could be ported over. But it’s also not an issue to just change it manually.

Lovely colors indeed!! Thanks for sharing.

Quite hard to find recently indeed. Very nice!! All the best with it.

I kept a portion in the fridge (enough to last a week). Balance I put in the freezer. I feed only about 1/4 teaspoon each time. So it can last quite long. Its around $3.30-$3.50 depending on which LFS you go to.

The packaging didn't state the size but I took a look under a scope this morning since you asked about it. Sizes seem to around 0.5mm to about 1+mm.

Noticed that the water in the feeding tube can get quite stagnant. Drilled a small hole below the water line to allow some flow. Read up about the importance of HUFA (Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids) in the reef system and how many systems are lacking it. I feed mostly pellet food & regular Hikari frozen mysis shrimp (not some other branded 'fortified' type). Anyway, just sharing something that I got recently. Cyclops are a type of zooplankton & supposed to be a very good source of HUFA. Got this small can from C328. Smells damn fishy. Fishes & corals love it. Some fishes took about 2-3 feedings before they realize its a food source. Nevertheless, they love it now. Feeding it about 3-4 times a week. Just pour into the tank. Nitrates not spiking & appear to be stable at ~ 1ppm. Some new toys. Will update shortly.

Your tank is doing very well. Thanks for sharing

Drooling!

You can feed live brine shrimps. If you are one the west side, C328 typically has shipment of it on Mon,Tues-Friday around 5.30pm. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice! Plenty of space Started using the calcium reactor yet?

Aquamarin has it. Think it's $5+ to $7+ depending on size Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I believe that oiling & greasing it is a common practice but worried it'll get messy. Not easy to find the 'typical design' 316 SS hinges. The more common 304SS will rust after a while. I'll make some calls. The Neverwet liquid repellent idea sounds interesting, any thoughts on how long it'll last? Other options : - Easier to find a "butt hinge" in 316SS. This is the type of hinge typically used for main doors in houses. Downside is that there will be a bigger gap on the cabinet door if a mortise is not cut - Paint. Think i saw some pics in the members section with painted hinges.

Try feeding them more. Aside from good water quality, apparently 'over feeding' them tends to encourage splitting.

Very nice. Congrats!!

Looks good! Do update as it progresses..... Same tank size as mine.

My cabinet door hinges are rusting beyond hope. What's the best practice to prevent/minimize rusting? Also, are there better grade hinges available? (eg stainless steel? Or any shop that sells better grade ones?)

Sulfur reactor updates : Quite happy to be able to maintain around 2-5ppm nitrates even with feeding frozen mysis or Henry's reef Gourmet every 1-2 days. Not fantastic but good enough. One major pain in the butt is that ORP needs to be around the -170mv range. It should not go too low else hydrogen sulfide forms (toxic). So i decided to add a solenoid valve (US$5+) to open a secondary drip release so that it always maintains around this range. This is really useful when overseas with no one available to 'tune' the gate valve. Apex programming [NReactor_RF] Fallback OFF Set OFF If ORP > 200 Then ON If ORP < 170 Then OFF

Was away on an 8 day overseas trip & let the tank run automatically on its own. Thank goodness for the Apex Neptune that made it easier. Aside from the regular ATO & auto feeder, 2 additional things done for this trip : - Used a Tom's aqua lifter to empty the skimmer cup - Closed loop control on the drip rate of the nitrate reactor to maintain ORP levels in the -170mv range Just got back yesterday. Generally OK - one wavemaker got jammed probably due to coralline algae. The low flow again caused an outbreak of cyano which now needs to be dealt with. Some photos : Leopard Wrasse - a recent purchase from Aquamarin. Its getting along well with the other wrasses & also the leopard wrasse from LCK And a very clean wavemaker after a thorough vinegar soak Blotchy Anthias....Got it from Ah Beng in May (1"). Grown a bit so far. Top view of the porcelain crab hosting one of the 6 anemones in my tank. Some pods from the frag tank Harvesting pods

Thanks

Nice shot of the yellow tang:) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hope the ramp on/off is doing OK after the channel change? ....and plenty of space in your tank to stock up indeed

Can get from Prestech. Can cut to any length. (http://www.prestech.com.sg/). Email them for quote.

Your tank is probably made of glass. Acrylic will not bond to silicon. And acrylic glue will not bond glass. You will probably need to get glass sheets to make your sump. They should be in the same price range $10 per sheet. Design wise, your design looks ok. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The life of the cartridge really depends on your usage. As a rough guide, change the carbon & sediment filter set once a year or when chlorine is detectable (think it's around $25 for the set). RO membrane every 2 sets of sediments filter = about 2 years. DI resin refill every 6 months or when TDS is 'high'. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk