Kikobananas Mini Underwater World

pokmingsheng · May 8, 2011

I've decided to go for Reef Octopus as my skimmer...

Got my new toy today..

here are some pictures of it

pokmingsheng · May 8, 2011

I love everything about this hobby, EXCEPT for rock scaping!

and so i worked until 4am..

to try to achieve something decent...

do give me your inputs on this...

i've still got lots of rocks here from XS-XL,

kindly advice on how can my scape be improved on further...

Many thanks and Goodnight guys..

Sad night for me as a Liverpool fan to see Chelsea handing the EPL title over to Man Utd...

19 times surpassing Liverpool's record of 18..

But they deserved it this season...

Time to sleep... Zzzzzz....

pokmingsheng · May 8, 2011

NSW will come later today..

i'll try to further improve on my scape..

sand will also be going in...

today will mark the first day of cycling,

and three to four weeks of mental torture..

:pinch:

lcf425 · May 9, 2011

So far all looks great kiko^^

mengyang_neo · May 9, 2011

Nice scape bro, but like not much space for coral, maybe u add some flat piece on the top so that next time easier to place coral. =)

pokmingsheng · May 9, 2011

So far all looks great kiko^^

thanks dude.. some minor problems cropping up.. sigh..

Nice scape bro, but like not much space for coral, maybe u add some flat piece on the top so that next time easier to place coral. =)

got it.. will try to add more flat pieces inside.. but too many flat pieces would look quite un-natural as well...

lcf425 · May 10, 2011

what problems? Let me guess is it due to the tank ?

pokmingsheng · May 10, 2011

what problems? Let me guess is it due to the tank ?

problems with tank more or less settled...

now facing problems with linking up my own equipments..

trying to figure out the best way i can link everything up..

pokmingsheng · May 10, 2011

some questions i have...

1) can the skimmer output be fully submerged under water? will it affect the performance in anyway?

2) i turned on my chiller (Resun CL650) at about 6pm yesterday... temperature was around 34degrees.. at 10pm, managed to only chill down to 30 degrees... i kept it on until 12am, but it remained at 30degrees... if im not wrong this chiller should be powerful enough to chill a 4x2x2 tank... considering getting an external temp controller, heading down to Sim Lim later to take a look...

3) i linked another pump, to the UV first before entering the chiller... the pump has a flowrate of 1800L... i understand its too powerful for my UV to be effective... and yes i do have a spare seperate pump that is slower for the UV... but if its possible to link up both in one pump, wouldnt it help me in saving electricity, more effecient this way?

4) temperature in my cabinet is very high.. i feel the heat when i open the cabinet.. i believe it is the chiller's (outside the cabinet) hot air that is entering the cabinet thru a hole at the back... advisable to place a mini fan inside the cabinet to blow the hot air out?

sigh.. :pinch:

desideria · May 10, 2011

some questions i have...

1) can the skimmer output be fully submerged under water? will it affect the performance in anyway?

2) i turned on my chiller (Resun CL650) at about 6pm yesterday... temperature was around 34degrees.. at 10pm, managed to only chill down to 30 degrees... i kept it on until 12am, but it remained at 30degrees... if im not wrong this chiller should be powerful enough to chill a 4x2x2 tank... considering getting an external temp controller, heading down to Sim Lim later to take a look...

3) i linked another pump, to the UV first before entering the chiller... the pump has a flowrate of 1800L... i understand its too powerful for my UV to be effective... and yes i do have a spare seperate pump that is slower for the UV... but if its possible to link up both in one pump, wouldnt it help me in saving electricity, more effecient this way?

4) temperature in my cabinet is very high.. i feel the heat when i open the cabinet.. i believe it is the chiller's (outside the cabinet) hot air that is entering the cabinet thru a hole at the back... advisable to place a mini fan inside the cabinet to blow the hot air out?

sigh..

I don't think your skimmer output should be submerged in water as it may not allow the water to flow "through".. I don't know how to phrase myself right but this is my own personal point of view. perhaps other more experienced reefers can weigh in

Not to sure on the chilling abilities of a Resun CL650 but I have a feeling it's probably underpowered for your tank.... remember how my own Arctica 1/4 HP took 1.5hour ( on bad days) to chill down 0.6 degrees and I think our system size is relatively the same minus 50-70L , be prepared for more heat. Especially with the weather nowadays getting CRAZY.

Instead of putting the UV before the chiller, why not hook up the UV after your chiller instead.. i.e hook it up to the chiller output... so the water would have slowed down already after being cooled by the chiller?

You can try the fan but it's merely circulating the warm air in the cabinet or warming up your living room. You have to live with the heat in one way or another as I think there is no window nearby for you to direct the heat out?

good luck ignatious and I hope you resolve your issues!

Solo77 · May 10, 2011

Answers to yr questions;

1. Seems ok for me.

2. I can loan u my ext. Controller to test yr chiller.

3. Link to yr fr where possible but choking might blow yr uv bulb.

4. Install clip-on fan as wat I did for my MH. Yes, it doesn't cool but disperse the heat. Problem with standalone chiller.

tunicate · May 10, 2011

Hey bro, for (3) I think the UV is doing more harm than good by restricting water flow in chiller. Why don't you temporarily unhook the UV to see if the situation improves?

yellowtang · May 10, 2011

i will not use the uv.

mike

oceanviper · May 10, 2011

HELLO FELLOW REEFERS!

nice to be back reefing after a good break..

i've been very busy with exams and assignments,

so i took the chance to decom and upgrade my tank..

i've been waiting for the arrival of my tank for a long time already..

and its finally here today....

sump and pipings will be done within the next few days,

and my 1month of cycling will start next Monday..

some pictures of its arrival today

Hi bro...

How much you spend on the tank and cabinet sets?

pokmingsheng · May 12, 2011

I don't think your skimmer output should be submerged in water as it may not allow the water to flow "through".. I don't know how to phrase myself right but this is my own personal point of view. perhaps other more experienced reefers can weigh in

Not to sure on the chilling abilities of a Resun CL650 but I have a feeling it's probably underpowered for your tank.... remember how my own Arctica 1/4 HP took 1.5hour ( on bad days) to chill down 0.6 degrees and I think our system size is relatively the same minus 50-70L , be prepared for more heat. Especially with the weather nowadays getting CRAZY.

Instead of putting the UV before the chiller, why not hook up the UV after your chiller instead.. i.e hook it up to the chiller output... so the water would have slowed down already after being cooled by the chiller?

You can try the fan but it's merely circulating the warm air in the cabinet or warming up your living room. You have to live with the heat in one way or another as I think there is no window nearby for you to direct the heat out?

good luck ignatious and I hope you resolve your issues!

just to play safe, i've decided to get a longer pipe for my skimmer so that the output will not be fully submerged..

Chilling time improved significantly after i removed the UV..

the reason why i placed the UV after the chiller cos it'll be quite pointless for the chilled water to enter the UV and get 'heated' up again...

i've not sat down to really time how long does it take to chill down 1 degree, but the situation seemed to be improving...

as for the heat, i guess i've to live with it..

still cracking my head hard if i should replace my chiller with a compressor..

the biggest problem is the location of where i can place it..

Answers to yr questions;

1. Seems ok for me.

2. I can loan u my ext. Controller to test yr chiller.

3. Link to yr fr where possible but choking might blow yr uv bulb.

4. Install clip-on fan as wat I did for my MH. Yes, it doesn't cool but disperse the heat. Problem with standalone chiller.

is it "user friendly" to hook it up? haha..

i'll monitor the chiller's performance and i'll see how..

thanks for offering..

Hey bro, for (3) I think the UV is doing more harm than good by restricting water flow in chiller. Why don't you temporarily unhook the UV to see if the situation improves?

i will not use the uv.

mike

i've removed the UV..

the performance of the chiller seem to have improved.

:ThanxSmiley:

Hi bro...

How much you spend on the tank and cabinet sets?

PM you..

pokmingsheng · May 12, 2011

Skimmer at work

i've since turned it off during this cycling period.

Lights up..

:groupwavereversed:

thinking of adding more rocks to make the scape higher,

but i'm quite reluctant to 'disturb' the current scape

Day 1 of Cycling: 09 May 2011

the start of 3-4 weeks of mental torture.. :pirate:

pokmingsheng · May 12, 2011

anyone knows how to 'tune' a skimmer to ensure it performs most efficiently?

i just randomly adjusted the air intake to a point when the skimmer doesnt 'overskim' until the collection cup overflows.

is that the right way?

tunicate · May 12, 2011

Water level should typically be at the neck of the skimmer, but such things are quite personal. Each will adjust till the preferred kopi-O colour.

tunicate · May 12, 2011

If you're getting moisture from the splashing in the filter sock, can make use of a disposable bowl cover(from hawker center take-away), cut a hole in the middle & fit over your filter sock.

pokmingsheng · May 30, 2011

Water level should typically be at the neck of the skimmer, but such things are quite personal. Each will adjust till the preferred kopi-O colour.

If you're getting moisture from the splashing in the filter sock, can make use of a disposable bowl cover(from hawker center take-away), cut a hole in the middle & fit over your filter sock.

ok got it.. thanks for the advice