Official TPA Acan Grow Out Competition Thread 2020

[Snappy]

It’s my targeted spot feeding. It’s nearly an hour process. I turn all water circulation off and target feed each mouth in my tank with precision with frozen food slurry and turkey baster. Then I wait 20-30 minutes, and turn on water fan without the pump running. This turns the tank into a snow globe of frozen shrimp. Then I turn the water fan off and let everything settle again. Repeat process a couple times before circulating the water with the pumps again. It essentially target feeds everything 3x within the hour, but would be difficult to do in a tank larger than 30 gallons. 

My acans and favites grow large and fast. My tanks specialty. 

[obrien.david.j]

This sounds like awesome automation for Apex to help with.   I'll press a button, all pumps off.   Slurry Feed every head as you describe.  Then walk away.   automation will handle the re-mixing, and then going back to normal.   @SuncrestReef, can you turn this into a program, that I can trigger with one of my external push buttons?

Input push button is Swx11_2

Pump outlet is PUMP_FRAG

• Fallback ON
• Set ON
• If Swx11_2 CLOSED Then OFF <<-- turn this into Off for 60 minutes please

Powerheads (MP40s) are MP40_FRAGE_L and MP40_FRAGE_R

• After Swx11_2 CLOSED, needs off for 30 minutes.  Then ON 5 minutes, OFF 10 minutes, ON 5 minutes, OFF 5 minutes.   Then back to normal programming. (which would be some kind of ON)

 

 

[SuncrestReef]

4 hours ago, obrien.david.j said:

This sounds like awesome automation for Apex to help with.   I'll press a button, all pumps off.   Slurry Feed every head as you describe.  Then walk away.   automation will handle the re-mixing, and then going back to normal.   @SuncrestReef, can you turn this into a program, that I can trigger with one of my external push buttons?

Input push button is Swx11_2

Pump outlet is PUMP_FRAG

• Fallback ON
• Set ON
• If Swx11_2 CLOSED Then OFF <<-- turn this into Off for 60 minutes please

Powerheads (MP40s) are MP40_FRAGE_L and MP40_FRAGE_R

• After Swx11_2 CLOSED, needs off for 30 minutes.  Then ON 5 minutes, OFF 10 minutes, ON 5 minutes, OFF 5 minutes.   Then back to normal programming. (which would be some kind of ON)

There’s no easy or elegant way to do this in Apex programming other than a series of virtual outputs each with different Defer timers with one triggering the next:

Timer1  = 60 minutes
Timer2  = 30 minutes
Timer3  = 5 minutes
Timer4  = 10 minutes
Timer5  = 5 minutes

[Timer1]
Set OFF
If Swx11_2 CLOSED Then ON
Min Time 060:00 Then ON

[Timer2]
Set OFF
If Output Timer1 = ON Then ON
Defer 030:00 Then ON

[Timer3]
Set OFF
If Output Timer2 = ON Then ON
Defer 005:00 Then ON

[Timer4]
Set OFF
If Output Timer3 = ON Then ON
Defer 010:00 Then ON

[Timer5]
Set OFF
If Output Timer4 = ON Then ON
Defer 005:00 Then ON

[PUMP_FRAG]
Fallback ON
Set ON
If Output Timer1 = ON Then OFF

[MP40_FRAGE_L]
Fallback ON
Set ON
If Output Timer1 = ON Then OFF
If Output Timer2 = ON Then ON
If Output Timer3 = ON Then OFF
If Output Timer4 = ON Then ON
If Output Timer5 = ON Then OFF

[MP40_FRAGE_R]
Fallback ON
Set ON
If Output Timer1 = ON Then OFF
If Output Timer2 = ON Then ON
If Output Timer3 = ON Then OFF
If Output Timer4 = ON Then ON
If Output Timer5 = ON Then OFF

All 5 of these virtual outputs must be set to AUTO, but you can then remove them from your dashboard to avoid all the clutter if you choose.

 

(sorry for taking this thread off topic...I can move this post to the Equipment forum if requested)

[obrien.david.j]

2 hours ago, SuncrestReef said:

There’s no easy or elegant way to do this in Apex programming other than a series of virtual outputs each with different Defer timers with one triggering the next:

Holy smokes, you weren't kidding.   It took me three tries to make sure I followed this flow.   

Ya, no one said Apex programming was straight forward.  Such lack of basics.

Thanks for the help.   Punch Line - I'm going to try it!

[obrien.david.j]

I've forked the Apex Programming of this feeding discussion to a different thread.   Any follow up on that topic should goto This thread;

 

 

 

[badxgillen]

So with Coral Reef Tankers going from 5 to 10 polyps and Snappy growing 6 from 3 means we have two contestants who made a doubling growth rate for their frag. Basically we have two winners and I cannot think of a tie breaker, so...

Prize corals for all!

I will see what frag packs we can offer these Acan Farmers here. You two have preferences between SPS, LPS, Zoas, or softies, maybe an assortment?

[CoralReefTankers]

Awesome, thanks for the fun competition and congrats @Snappy!

I would be down for some LPS or a LPS/Zoa mix.

Thanks again

[Snappy]

Very cool! Fun competition and gave me something to do during isolating times. Congrats back @CoralReefTankers. Thanks for all you do @badxgillen. I’d love an LPS or something branching and or SPS. Possibly hammer? I had a tank complication last week that really threw a wrench into things. Many corals died. Many/most are damaged. My acan is alive and mediocre. A week ago it was massive and thriving like everything else. I’ll need to wait a few weeks or month for everything in my aquarium to heal before I add new stuff to it. 

[obrien.david.j]

Thanks all for this grow out.  Fun, but also Very educational to compare what I experienced with what others were able to achieve - real time.   Helps!