Jestersix

Derek's 225g - Magnifica / SPS Reef

derek_SR said:
So I replaced the 4-Pump versa rail with 2x Hydros Soles (AWC duty) and a Hydros Minnow (2-part duty). Mostly this was to get everything on the Hydros ecosystem, I've had my eye on the Soles for a long time.

All devices were easy to add to my existing collective - it seems the Soles require a direct power connection, although the Minnow is powered off of the BUS cable. If you are considering these pumps you're probably already familiar with the Hydros software and concept of "Schedules" so I don't bother going into that.

The Minnow is great - it's not silent but fairly quiet. Should work great for 2-part dosing duty. It comes with small barbs, so would be tricky to use RODI tubing - silicone tubing hooks right up, though.

The Soles use 1/4" John Guest fittings - just like on the Versa. However the version used on the Soles is terrible - it's EXTREMELY tight. I couldn't even get them fully seated on the first try, and have to disassemble to fitting to get the tubing back out. I finally resorted to removing the crush washer inside to get a decent, functional seal. There are a couple other suggestions on the Hydros forum to deal with this issue, but it's a huge problem IMO - shouldn't have to DIY a very standard 1/4" push-fit connection.

The other problem is the direction the fittings point- they stick out kind of cattywampus and make it difficult to keep rigid 1/4" tubing organized:

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The good news - they are super robust, solid, and well built. They are also very quiet - even at high speeds. It's a smoother sound than the Versas which get really whiny and clunky at even medium speeds.

The best part though is that (so far) they are extremely precise. The initial calibration nailed it, and every time I've tested since they are perfectly spot on. I did not have this experience with the Versas - which were often difficult to calibrate and would often drift quickly post-calibration. Very happy with this aspect so far, and they have instilled a lot more confidence in my AWC process than with the Versas, which I had to constantly monitor to avoid salinity swings. These two pumps are pushing/pulling from the garage - about 35-30ft runs of tubing.
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Could you not use the Minnow that has two dosing pumps for the AWC? Or did you go with the Soles to be able to push more water?
 
MarcosD said:
Could you not use the Minnow that has two dosing pumps for the AWC? Or did you go with the Soles to be able to push more water?
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The minnow isn’t really designed for continuous duty - the Soles are running 24/7. Minnow is more for dosing, has a lot smaller pump heads and is less robust in general. The soles are designed for AWC and Kalk and lanthanum and such.
 
My mag balled up this weekend for a few minutes. Some do this commonly, mine does it pretty rarely so I grabbed some cool pics:

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Happened to also reveal their most recent clutch of eggs:

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Also did some major rework with my aquascape, though it’s kinda hard to tell from this pic (basically the entire right side). Mag all back to normal also:

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When’s your “talk” at Kenny’s
Your inhabitants agree with your method
As always, when it comes to your tank...standing on chair, clapping
And, your fish tell me they need more headroom!
Keep doing what you’ve been doing
 
derek_SR said:
My mag balled up this weekend for a few minutes. Some do this commonly, mine does it pretty rarely so I grabbed some cool pics:

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Happened to also reveal their most recent clutch of eggs:

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Also did some major rework with my aquascape, though it’s kinda hard to tell from this pic (basically the entire right side). Mag all back to normal also:

View attachment 65865
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Literally looks like a centerfold out of a reef magazine! Professional photo work nice job!
 
MarcosD said:
Sand sifting gobies are so cool but man it sucks how they’ll rearrange your entire sand bed!
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Ehhhh, I don’t mind sand bed getting rearranged - the flow does way more damage than the goby does anyway.

The problem is they sprinkle sand over everything. It’s not an issue with small frags but once acros get larger the sand will get stuck in their branches - leading to infections and tissue loss and the accumulation of muck and crap. I have to baste off my acros in certain spots where the goby likes to do his thing almost every day. Drives me nuts!

PjFish said:
When is when?
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Maybe in the next year or so, starting to think about it a lot.
 
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