High Tide Aquatics

JVU’s RSR750

I like the zoa Alcatraz, I guess the inverted cone shape keeps them on the rock? You just have to deal with the ones that free-float once in a while?

So are your heater elements plugged into your Inkbirds, which are plugged into the Apex? This is how I set mine up, using Apex as the kill switch if the Apex temp probe temp gets too high. Curious how you are using yours.
 
I like the zoa Alcatraz, I guess the inverted cone shape keeps them on the rock? You just have to deal with the ones that free-float once in a while?
Yep, that’s the idea. Though I’m considering breaking my own rule and adding some elsewhere since I love zoas and I have a bunch I haven’t been able to place for lack of space.
 
So are your heater elements plugged into your Inkbirds, which are plugged into the Apex? This is how I set mine up, using Apex as the kill switch if the Apex temp probe temp gets too high. Curious how you are using yours.
My setup is similar, but with what I think is the opposite of your controller priority.

The forums are littered with heater horror stories, most of which have a sickeningly obvious error in hindsight. I‘ve thought a lot about this. I wanted to talk about heaters and redundancy anyway, so here’s my take:

Principles:
- 2 heaters, each of which is almost enough to heat the tank in winter by itself, and is enough the rest of the year
- Each heater has 2 controllers, one that actively controls it (primary) and one that is a fail safe to shut off if temp gets too high
- Avoid heaters and controllers with high failure rates
- Want to keep a relatively narrow temperature range, so use more accurate/reliable controller as the primary
- Frequent on/off cycles causes wear on the controller and possibly heater

I chose 78.0F as my target temperature, with range of 77.5-78.0F. This is somewhat arbitrary and could easily be a degree or two lower or higher. Stability is more important than the exact number.

I have 2 300 watt Finnex titanium heaters without integrated controllers, because 300w is slightly less than what I need in the winter, and they have a reputation for reliability. I prefer titanium to glass since they seem more solid and less likely to break. I stayed away from integrated controllers since at the time they had a reputation for poor temperature control by shutting themselves off by directly heating up the sensing element. Since then, titanium heaters with integrated controller but separate thermometer have come out and I’d consider them (as the fail-safe, not the primary).

I decided to use my Apex as my primary controller because I feel like it is more reliable overall, resistant to on/off switch degradation, more accurate for precise temperature sensing, and easier to control and monitor with Fusion. Also I have power alarms set to alert if Apex turns on the InkBird/heater but not enough wattage is being drawn (ie dead heater or InkBird). This is another reason to use the Apex as the primary. The temp probe is upstream of the heaters in my sump, along with all the other Apex probes, in my skimmer compartment. The heaters are both also in my skimmer compartment, but downstream right by the baffles to the return compartment. I could have put them in the return compartment, but I wanted them in the same compartment in case I had a return pump issue, so that it would sense the temp increase in the same compartment and shut off, rather than cook the next compartment.

I use InkBird controllers (1 for each heater) as the backup fail safe controllers, set to shut off at a temp higher than I would ever want. 82.0F in my case. I could set it lower, like 80.0F, but I was a little worried about their accuracy, and also because I put them downstream of the heaters in the baffles between the skimmer and return compartments. Also I used to run the tank at a target of 79.0F.

I also have alarms set for out-of-range temp on my Apex.

Apex for each heater is set as:
Heater1: On at 77.5F, Off at 78.0F
Heater2: On at 77.3F, Off at 77.8F

The idea is that under normal use, only Heater1 would be in use, turning on at 77.5 and off at 78.0. When Heater1 can’t keep up in the winter, Heater2 kicks on at 77.3 (along with Heater1 still on) and gets up to temp pretty quickly, shuts off at 77.8. Heater1 remains on the whole time, avoiding on/off cycles. Heater2 is used infrequently, decreasing wear/tear, and making it much less likely to fail when needed.

Each is wired as heater->InkBird->Apex. So when Apex senses low temp, it turns on the InkBird, which then powers the heater as long as it’s not over 82.0F (fail safe).

With this system, there is at least 1 backup for every system that can fail, and alarms or noticeable trends for any given failure so the equipment can be replaced before the second failure can happen.
 
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Great write up on the heaters and a beautiful tank!

I do the same thing with my apex and graters...except I don’t have separate inkbirds. Probably should.
 
Also I have power alarms set to alert if Apex turns on the InkBird/heater but not enough wattage is being drawn (ie dead heater or InkBird). This is another reason to use the Apex as the primary, so I added it above.
 
Also I have power alarms set to alert if Apex turns on the InkBird/heater but not enough wattage is being drawn (ie dead heater or InkBird). This is another reason to use the Apex as the primary, so I added it above.


Yeah that is the one benefit that I wish I had with the apex classic.
 
I decided to try to frag the blue/purple photosynthetic sponge I have, both because it’s bugging some nearby corals, and because I’d like to be able to share it with you guys.

I tried researching it online beforehand but didn’t come up with too much. With clean and sharp scissors, I cut off a part of one of the wings it is forming, and cut it into squares 0.5” to 1” each. I suspected that regular cyanoacrylate glue wouldn’t work, but I wanted to try it anyway, so I did. I also don’t know if they attach from their edge, lower surface, or any surface, so I started with their lower surface like I would with coral. I kept them in the water the whole time, I saw lots of people online saying don’t expose sponges to air.

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A couple days later, I noticed most of the sponges had detached from the rocks, but interestingly were starting to meld with each other wherever they touched. Also, the few places where they were starting to attach to the rocks were from their edges.

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So I cut up the parts where they were starting to meld together, and tried a combination of wedging them between small rubble rocks and rubber-banding them on to rocks. I also split them into 2 cups they reduce them touching and melding to together.

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We’ll see how it goes...
 
I decided to try to frag the blue/purple photosynthetic sponge I have, both because it’s bugging some nearby corals, and because I’d like to be able to share it with you guys.

I tried researching it online beforehand but didn’t come up with too much. With clean and sharp scissors, I cut off a part of one of the wings it is forming, and cut it into squares 0.5” to 1” each. I suspected that regular cyanoacrylate glue wouldn’t work, but I wanted to try it anyway, so I did. I also don’t know if they attach from their edge, lower surface, or any surface, so I started with their lower surface like I would with coral. I kept them in the water the whole time, I saw lots of people online saying don’t expose sponges to air.

View attachment 13295

A couple days later, I noticed most of the sponges had detached from the rocks, but interestingly were starting to meld with each other wherever they touched. Also, the few places where they were starting to attach to the rocks were from their edges.

View attachment 13296
View attachment 13297

So I cut up the parts where they were starting to meld together, and tried a combination of wedging them between small rubble rocks and rubber-banding them on to rocks. I also split them into 2 cups they reduce them touching and melding to together.

View attachment 13298

We’ll see how it goes...

Cool
 
I’ve had the same blue sponge for quite a while now too - one of the few things that doesn’t mind the RBTA’s... I got it to attach to rockwork a lot like a soft coral, by shoving it in a crevice. For what it’s worth, mine did not mind being out of the water for a bit, and I’ve heard the same from others who’ve kept it. Fun thing to grow, looks like a plating monti that doesn’t break when you bump into it, and nothing with stingers seems to bother it.
 
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I’ve had the same blue sponge for quite a while now too - one of the few things that doesn’t mind the RBTA’s... I got it to attach to rockwork a lot like a soft coral, by shoving it in a crevice. For what it’s worth, mine did not mind being out of the water for a bit, and I’ve heard the same from others who’ve kept it. Fun thing to grow, looks like a plating monti that doesn’t break when you bump into it, and nothing with stingers seems to bother it.
I had the same one and it’s a really hearty one. There were times I crashed the tank and was sure it was a goner but it would always come back. I want to get another when I get the new tank up and running.
 
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I’ve had the same blue sponge for quite a while now too - one of the few things that doesn’t mind the RBTA’s... I got it to attach to rockwork a lot like a soft coral, by shoving it in a crevice. For what it’s worth, mine did not mind being out of the water for a bit, and I’ve heard the same from others who’ve kept it. Fun thing to grow, looks like a plating monti that doesn’t break when you bump into it, and nothing with stingers seems to bother it.
I had the same one and it’s a really hearty one. There were times I crashed the tank and was sure it was a goner but it would always come back. I want to get another when I get the new tank up and running.
Cool. I’m sure I got it from one of you guys then. I like it a lot, my favorite hitchhiker to date, and I’m hoping to be able to share it.
 
Sept 2017

When I was thinking about what I wanted for a rockscape for this build, I decided I wanted to try having a thin layer of white sand, with flat-based rock, minimal contact with the bottom, with sweeping structures and plateaus for coral. I was also interested in some cool formations I had seen in some pics online, including the inverted-cone pukani rock, multiple arches, the oblique alley-way, and impossible seeming overhang. I also wanted no sand under structures that I wouldn’t be able to reach for cleaning.

I knew that what I wanted was way beyond my capabilities, so I asked @jestersix for help. Johnny was awesome. He prepped the rock, brought it to my house, created the ‘scape I had in mind. Everything was solid and stable. He made it look easy and was fun to work with. Highly recommended.

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If memory serves, you have very coarse sand. Do you remember exact type?
CaribSea “Special grade“

Seems like the best compromise for looking good, not blowing around with medium flow, and being relatively easy to clean
 
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