Higher Thinking

45 minutes ago, SuncrestReef said:

Excellent Apex integration technique!  Mind if I share this on a Neptune forum?  I'm sure you're not the only reefing parent out there that could benefit from this extra layer of security.

John posting my Apex moves on the Neptune forum?! That's like Connor McGregor asking to post my MMA videos on his ig account. 😆. By all means, thanks man!

And I'm sure you know, but I just used the universal 24v input to wire the magnetic lock and a breakout box for the bottom. 

59 minutes ago, Parzifal said:

 Nice!!  Good call.  Aside from the drowning, all those cords are tempting to start playing with and she may think a bristle worm sounds like a good snack!

 

doors look great and the lock position is a good idea. She’s gonna love playing in there with you!
 

 

Exactly! Cords, water, so much good stuff to explore unsupervised! Thanks!

12 hours ago, Emerald525 said:

That’s great that you are thinking about those things. Kids can drown in as much as a bucket of water. Also very wise of you to realize the more you can take relying on humans the better. To err truly is human. 
 

It’s so nice to see you so involved in her life too. Shiloh’s going to have a healthy self esteem for sure !🥰

Thanks for the kind words!

19 hours ago, albertareef said:

Pretty slick solution!  Kind of fortunate you had set the whole thing up remotely in the closet - much easier to secure. 

Yup. Definitely super convenient just having the two doors that connect to each other. Thanks man!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not one that gets too caught up in over reacting to various fears and hysteria. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, right? 😉 I have to mentally work hard to not just shrug off a lot of common dangers. Not sure if I'm reckless or just really easy going. However, if there is something that is the LEADING cause of death amongst young children, I feel like I should probably take that seriously. 

Drowning. Not only is it the leading killer for young children, it is totally preventable. My little baby will be crawling around exploring soon and having an open sump water source seems more on the reckless side. So this is my solution to keep the kid from falling into the sump. 

I didn't want something that was dependent on me remembering to flip a lock. I'm far too forgetful for that. I wired a magnetic lock and programmed it through the Apex to open when I push the unlock button. It's a pretty simple setup. When I push the button, the lock disengages for 10 seconds and then re-energizes. So whenever I close the door, it automatically is locked. Simple, clean, and effective (assuming I close the doors when I'm done, of course). 

The locks are rated for like 400 pounds, but those little screws will rip out way before that. What it will do is prevent a curious little hand from managing to pull open the doors. 

And here's a couple baby pictures, just because. 

Welcome to the club! Nice little operation you got there!

On 6/3/2021 at 1:25 PM, Knuckledragger said:

Calibration will occur soon! Hopefully this weekend. I am hopeful to see it make some corrections.

My unit did the very same thing. Super high calcium upon first being set up. After calibration it was right where I expected. 

Nice work! As long as the sump can hold the overflow volume during power outages, you're good to go!

5 hours ago, ibondy said:

Apex is using REST API and you can interface with it. I created a custom scheduler for Trident as I found built in schedules limited for my needs. I also wrote a scheduler to dump Apex data into RavenDB to get my own reporting. There is a lot you can do if you are willing to put time into it and create code.

That's crazy. You actually reprogrammed the Trident to run tests on whatever schedule you choose? That's some next level stuff. Do you test more or less than the "required" intervals?

3 hours ago, Emerald525 said:

Thanks again @Higher Thinkingand @Gumby for taking time out of your Memorial Day weekend to help move the Red Sea Reefer 350 to its new home. They showed up on time and your help was very much appreciated. Also shout out to @Sirenafor making the delicious breakfast burritos. 
 

 

Yes, breakfast burritos were 🔥. When I got home I was so happy I took an extra one to go. Perfect afternoon snack. Thanks Kim for organizing that. Smooth operation!

7 hours ago, SuncrestReef said:

There is some programmability, but not quite what you described.  IOTA outputs don't support Apex profiles, so the ability to "ramp" is not so simple.  You can program specific speeds, but not a smooth transition from let's say 10% to 50% in a single transition.  Example:

Set 50
If Float OPEN Then 10

This would run the pump at 50% under normal circumstances, but if the float switch indicates low water, it will instantly change the pump to 10% until the float detects water, then it will immediately revert to 50%.

You can "simulate" a ramp using a series of virtual outputs, but it's not an elegant solution.  The example below would ramp from 10% to 50% over 5 minutes in 10% increments when the float switch detects low water:

[Speed10]
Set OFF
If Float OPEN Then ON
Min Time 004:00 Then OFF

[Speed20]
Set OFF
If Output Speed10 = ON Then ON
Defer 001:00 Then ON

[Speed30]
Set OFF
If Output Speed20 = ON Then ON
Defer 001:00 Then ON

[Speed40]
Set OFF
If Output Speed30 = ON Then ON
Defer 001:00 Then ON

[Return_Pump]
Fallback ON
Set 50
If Output Speed10 = ON Then 10
If Output Speed20 = ON Then 20
If Output Speed30 = ON Then 30
If Output Speed40 = ON Then 40
 

 

Excellent explanation. Apex wizardry, indeed. Thanks!

So could you use a Sicce pump with variable speed? E.g. run at 10% when the return pump firsts turns on and then slowly ramp up. Or even slow down if the sump starts running dry and a float valve is triggered. 

My real good friend across the street works for First Call. They did everything for me. Installed ductwork (use to have cadet heaters), put in furnace, and did AC. Fantastic work. If you're in Portland or surrounding area I'll give you a contact number. They're definitely not the cheapest, but their reputation and work is rock solid. Google them. Unfortunately, I can't add anything to the list you provided. 

On 5/6/2021 at 12:16 AM, For the love of Chungus said:

Thank you. I really appreciate it! It mentions on the link that they recommend a tank size of 75 gallons for one Oscar to have a tank mate. Would you agree with that and keep an Oscar by himself if he is in a 65? 
Thoughts about them being on their own? 

Chungus will be upgrading but is currently in a 65. I want to do what is best for him and open to any advice! 
 

Thanks!! 
 

- Amy 

I'm a little out of my league with Oscars, as to tank size, temperament, etc. You might Google around and see if you see the same advice from multiple sources. If there's a common thread of advice that is usually more reliable than testing something off just one website. Of course checking in with a local freshwater shop will be helpful as well. 

I second checking if The Wet Spot. They typically have an incredible selection. The majority of folks on here have saltwater tanks, but I know there's some of us with both 🙋. 

https://www.buildyouraquarium.com/oscar-tank-mates/

That's a link I found that seems to have some good intel (full disclosure, I didn't read all of it). You may want to add some decorations in there to help break up the space. That might alleviate some aggression when trying to add new tank mates. 

Best of luck!

The calcium reactor is now gone! Now I gotta deal with that old car battery...

Ok, world. Y'all drive a hard bargain. Free or I'll just throw the whole thing in the ocean with my old car batteries. 😆

4 minutes ago, The ReefBox said:

I’ll take it

4 minutes ago, The ReefBox said:

With frags!!

Sounds good. I'm around all day tomorrow, after about noon and most of Sunday. Other than that, most any weekday evening works too. 

I don't know how much is there. Could be 40 feet, maybe 30, who knows? At any rate, this stuff is usually more than $1.5 per foot, I think. Free to a good home. If you got a frag to offer I'll take that, but nothing required. Contact pickup in Scappoose (people need handshakes!). 😁 

5 hours ago, stillc said:

Hi everyone, my name is Casey I'm new to this forum.

I’m a freelance editor. I like history and horror movies. I might be geeky but I do my best to improve my communication skills. I'm really bad at self presentation as I don't know what to say. When I was a teenager I had a small turtle family, but a lot of time passed since then. Now I'm about to get my firs big fish tank. 

Welcome to the club. What are your goals and plans with the new tank?

On 2/25/2020 at 12:14 PM, GreenJeans said:

3 buttons and two switches...what should I use it all for?

I was going to have 1 button for 5minute feed mode and another button for a 10 minute feed mode

One switch to toggle "maintenance mode", and another toggle for "oh god what's happening, go into safe-mode"

 

That leaves an extra button and an extra toggle switch free! What would you use them for?

You could use a bottom to pause your dosing (if you dose, of course). There will be times when you want to make sure that the system doesn't dose anything (like swapping out solutions). You can set you button to pause dosing for X minutes. Or similarly, and this is what I do, you can use it to pause an auto water change system. Whenever I replenish the 50 gallon drum and batch up new salt water, I push a button and then the DOS pauses auto water change for 4 hours. This gives the new saltwater time to mix thoroughly before going into the system. 

7 hours ago, The ReefBox said:

I remember someone starting to propagate Berghias recently. Did this ever happen? I have a friend in need!

There's a thread above yours with a member looking for aiptasia for their breeding nudis. Y'all should become friends 😁

I have the most highest endest ever birds nest coral. 1.25"!

Text sent on cardinal fish, file fish, and yellow tang.