Stella's Salty 20g

Edit
emitter and collector were swapped, this is correct.
***dang***

good things come in threes... last attempt

 

Edit
emitter and collector were swapped, this is correct.
***dang***

good things come in threes... last attempt

View attachment 459525

The 10k resistor (R3 in my schematic) is a pull down resistor for the gate of Q2. Is it ok for the base of the pnp transistor to be pulled to ground also?

 

The 10k resistor (R3 in my schematic) is a pull down resistor for the gate of Q2. Is it ok for the base of the pnp transistor to be pulled to ground also?

According to the simulation it will work but I don't think it can simulate a floating input.

Click on the H to toggle the input.

https://www.falstad.com/circuit/cir...74+205+377+4+24+R3 x+134+175+164+178+4+24+U4

 

According to the simulation it will work but I don't think it can simulate a floating input.

Click on the H to toggle the input.

https://www.falstad.com/circuit/circuitjs.html?cct=$+1+0.000015625+10.20027730826997+50+5+43 t+352+192+400+192+0+-1+4.999999999798651+-1.049995645985291e-10+100 f+224+320+304+320+0+1.5+0.02 R+400+112+400+48+0+0+40+5+0+0+0.5 w+400+176+400+112+3 w+352+192+304+192+3 w+400+208+400+256+0 r+304+192+224+192+0+1000 L+224+192+160+192+0+1+false+5+0 r+400+256+400+320+0+470 w+304+304+304+240+0 w+304+240+464+240+0 w+464+240+464+112+3 w+224+192+224+320+0 g+368+384+368+432+0 w+304+336+304+384+0 w+304+384+368+384+0 w+400+320+400+384+3 w+400+384+368+384+0 R+464+112+464+48+0+0+40+12+0+0+0.5 r+224+384+224+320+0+10000 w+224+384+304+384+0 x+412+316+484+319+4+24+buzzer x+311+342+343+345+4+24+Q2 x+175+374+205+377+4+24+R3 x+134+175+164+178+4+24+U4

Wow! This is awesome! Thank you! Just read some stuff about transistors. Turns out I was supposed to learn how to use those first before mosfets! Haha! This would be a lot better than leaving the coil of the relay powered all the time.

According to the simulation it will work but I don't think it can simulate a floating input.

Click on the H to toggle the input.

https://www.falstad.com/circuit/circuitjs.html?cct=$+1+0.000015625+10.20027730826997+50+5+43 t+352+192+400+192+0+-1+4.999999999798651+-1.049995645985291e-10+100 f+224+320+304+320+0+1.5+0.02 R+400+112+400+48+0+0+40+5+0+0+0.5 w+400+176+400+112+3 w+352+192+304+192+3 w+400+208+400+256+0 r+304+192+224+192+0+1000 L+224+192+160+192+0+1+false+5+0 r+400+256+400+320+0+470 w+304+304+304+240+0 w+304+240+464+240+0 w+464+240+464+112+3 w+224+192+224+320+0 g+368+384+368+432+0 w+304+336+304+384+0 w+304+384+368+384+0 w+400+320+400+384+3 w+400+384+368+384+0 R+464+112+464+48+0+0+40+12+0+0+0.5 r+224+384+224+320+0+10000 w+224+384+304+384+0 x+412+316+484+319+4+24+buzzer x+311+342+343+345+4+24+Q2 x+175+374+205+377+4+24+R3 x+134+175+164+178+4+24+U4

I am now thinking I should have just used another mosfet instead of the 12v relay for the pump.
I am also starting to think about whether I could make a whole new controller using a microcontroller like an attiny85 or something like that programmed accordingly. I don't know programming that well at all but I have messed around with arduino before.

 

I am now thinking I should have just used another mosfet instead of the 12v relay for the pump.
I am also starting to think about whether I could make a whole new controller using a microcontroller like an attiny85 or something like that programmed accordingly. I don't know programming that well at all but I have messed around with arduino before.

Yes, having the coil powered all the time is not good. Using a PNP transistor or P-channel MOSFET might work but not sure. The pull down resistor on the base/gate made me thinking, a PNP base/gate should be pulled to V+. It would be a task for a breadboard test. Hooking all up and hoping the magic smoke doesn't appear and all works as intended under various conditions. My understanding of electricity is still 50% voodoo, 30% experience (I know it works but not why) and 20% knowledge.
Transistors or MOSFET do basically the same thing. So your build is not bad. I think MOSFETs are just better to switch high loads faster and they are more expensive. But for a custom build at this scale, who wants to be a bean counter over a few cents.
Yes, an Arduino Nano would be great. I would just fear it would go out of control and all the sudden you spend days and nights building a full aquarium controller, the Stellex Poseidon. LOL.

 

Yes, having the coil powered all the time is not good. Using a PNP transistor or P-channel MOSFET might work but not sure. The pull down resistor on the base/gate made me thinking, a PNP base/gate should be pulled to V+. It would be a task for a breadboard test. Hooking all up and hoping the magic smoke doesn't appear and all works as intended under various conditions. My understanding of electricity is still 50% voodoo, 30% experience (I know it works but not why) and 20% knowledge.
Transistors or MOSFET do basically the same thing. So your build is not bad. I think MOSFETs are just better to switch high loads faster and they are more expensive. But for a custom build at this scale, who wants to be a bean counter over a few cents.
Yes, an Arduino Nano would be great. I would just fear it would go out of control and all the sudden you spend days and nights building a full aquarium controller, the Stellex Poseidon. LOL.

Oh yeah! Even with the type of electrical I do all the time at work, after years, 50% is still like voodoo!
Stellex Poseidon! That's great! I have definitely thought about that before but force myself to start small and build from there. If not I go down the rabbit hole and don't come back for days until it's figured out.

 

Yes, I have followed some threads over at PT were a guy was building a Arduino based controller. It was already at some thousand lines of code. Problem with jumping onto something like this is, troubleshooting is a PITA. I’d rather stick with something commercial for this but the DIY itch is always there.

 

Well folks, is anyone else wondering what else is going on with the tank, other than the ATO of course? JK... I love the ATO, but I'll leave that talk to the guys.

So, how about a photo drop?

Here, I'm trying to show off the montI caps. FINALLY!!! The green one is starting to plate. It's looked healthy enough all this time, but it hasn't acted like a cap until recently.


I'm also really loving the little chalice, who almost died in the dark, but is now showing some truly excellent colors and is healthy again up here in the light.



Super happy that the trumpet is now a 3 header ( Culprit ), but I really hope for this guy to turn into a little ball of polyps one day... kinda like a smaller version of Inappropriate Reefer's.

It's hard to get a good pic of the Duncan these days. Big daddy polyp covers everyone when the flow is off and the darn camera will hardly focus when the flow is on. Hmm, I have trouble with that anyway due to shaky hands.




Again, calling on Culprit ... it's hard to photograph, and to that end, yes, the photo is heavily edited, but guess who's got at least a half-dozen pups growing.



My fairy garden is growing pretty fast these days. Perhaps it's liking the alk dosing... yep, the reef tank wants a teaspoon per day to keep alkalinity a bit under 9 dKH.



The green mille is doing lots of encrusting, as is the jedI mind trick monti. The stupid RFA is still right up front... Yeah, I think he's pretty, but real estate is dwindling up front. I want the nem moved, but have thus far been unsuccessful in that effort.



Le Fishies




And someone else has graced us with his presence today.
Poor Scorch. He's terrified of the clown and hides all the time. I see him every few days and do my best to make sure he gets food... even going so far as to squirt it into his lair sometimes. I still hope he'll get used to things one of these days, and I'm glad to report that he's shown himself several times today.

Strangely enough, the goby is the most aggressive fish in the tank. He's attacked the clown several times, but it's more funny than worrisome. The clown acts like he doesn't give a . He doesn't even fight back, just keeps doing his clowny thing. The clown doesn't seem aggressive to Scorch, more like he comes to check things out when Scorch appears, but the firefish can't handle the clown's approach. Anyhow, I tried getting a video of the goby going after the clown. That didn't work out, but here's a little tank tour.

 

Meeee... boring coral pictures...

Just kidding

 

Love the pictures! Makes me so jealous lol

 

Simply gorgeous Stella.

 

I was hoping a photo dump was coming soon. . Everything and everyone looks so good! #goals lol.

 

Thanks so much everyone!

Well, since I'm currently most excited by the green MontI cap, I thought it deserved a better picture.




Got this guy a while ago and while it had changed slightly, it was like it wasn't even a cap. It encrusted onto the rock and maybe got a little gnarlier but it didn't plate. Funny, I kinda thought it wasn't a cap when I brought it home, but the reefer I got it from swore it was. I believed him of course, but it's great that this guy is finally living up to his name.

 

Following

 

Is this thread dead? I hope not. Not a whole lot has been going on but things are going pretty good.

First, Scorch has eaten with the others twice now. This is a HUGE step for my guy, who still hides a lot. He's getting braver though and at least makes several appearances per day lately. The clown seems like he gives Scorch his space for the most part, but if he even turns towards Scorch, the firefish darts. Funnily enough, the ywg always flares and acts threateningly towards Scorch, but the firefish could give a about the goby. I've seen the goby go so far as to stand guard outside Scorch's hole, and I'll admit to flicking the glass in this instance, making the goby go back to his own hole. I love all the fish, but I won't have that business... and yeah, Scorch is still my favorite. I'm really hoping he continues to improve.

Yay! I am finally done testing for calc, alk, and mag every day. We've got the dosing recipe figured out, and I'm still testing twice a week to stay on top of things. Shhh... it's early days yet, so don't tell, but Jguercio is talking about DIYing an auto doser. That will be awesome!

Ugh, since adding the 2 newest fish, diatoms grow on the sand between water changes. The chaeto is also growing like mad and nitrates are still zero. I'd hoped things would balance out and the diatoms would quit by now, but it just doesn't look like that's happening. I'm again thinking about a conch, but idk. Don't have the best luck with snails honestly. I'm down to one nassarius... and he's the sixth one since starting the tank, though he seems very healthy. He's a strange one, climbs the glass and falls off all the time. Do trochus tend to have a short lifespan in reef tanks? I think they actually like colder water, and none of mine have ever lasted more than 8 months or so.

Aaannd... pics will have to wait. Water change day is tomorrow and I'm not sharing dirty sand pics.

 

Aw, hopefully Scorch gets some confidence. He needs to show that goby who's boss

And don't even ask, of course you should get a conch!

 

I feel like snails are a catch 22, I have random luck with them. My original trochus is alive after 6 months. I have lost 3 trochus and around 4 turbos. The three nassarius I have do the same thing they randomly go up fall down and then dig themselves somewhere new. A conch may work but locally have not found any small enough.

 

I'm so glad that Scorch has been getting braver! I'd bet moey the goby is more aggressive towards him and Scorch doesn't care because they're both gobys. At least the clown is nice and not being a aggressive clown like some are.

OoooooOoooo I want to see the Auto Doser but I'll keep it a secret

Wierd about the snails, but I'd say probably snails don't have the longest lifespan. I think I've kept most of mine. Id guess that some are older/sicker then others at the LFS. I'll tell you a scret though, 've pretty much stopped buying Trochus and only get Astrea now... way cheaper and they still work really hard. Mabye not as hard but when I can get 6 for the same price.... they make up for it lol. I've also found out I really love my hermits, one-two bigger red legged, and lots of little blue legged. The blue legs just are so small they can't do anything, and are perfect for crawling into the rock and getting everywhere I can'tget. I think I'll also be trying out a bunch of ceriths with the JBJ. After talking too some really good reefers, they've all said a huge varied CUC is the best. I'm all for the tiger conch I loooove mine! Super cute and keeps the sandbed sparkling.

 

Hmm, been thinking about crabs, even though they make me very nervous. Heard another story about a rogue, coral munching emerald the other day... and have also found some truly excellent reefers (reefweeds & reefing randy on IG) who tell me they wouldn't have a tank without them.

Anyway, do you think your tiny blue guys munch on gha Culprit ? I don't have much, but of course, the little I do have grows right between the shrooms and I can't get to it with toothbrushes or fingers. I've really angered the shrooms in trying a couple of times, but still can't get to the root of it.

 

I've had the worst luck with emeralds, they always die after a few months. Great little guys when they're alive but, I may try again one day but imo those are the riskiest. Do need to use them to get rid of some bubble algae.

Yes I definitely think hermits but the tiny blue guys but especially the big red munch on it. You have to have a good amount though, one or two won't do it as they're so small. I'd suggest them highly.

 

Well, we'll see if I can get J to agree... as I'm not the only anti-crab person around here. I need mysis too, and I've got a bad rap with hubs for going to the LFS for dry goods or food and coming back with a live bag, lol.

 

Can’t wait for pics

Glad you’re seeing Scorch out more! Its very sad and frustrating when your favorite fish gets bullied into hiding... My Blenjamin gets special treatment too lol.

I’m 100% for an emerald! I almost never see my gal but she cleans up the tank nicely and I never once see her on the corals.

 

I like cerith snails. Mine are always sifting through the sand or munching the front glass. They’re not very fast, but they might help with your sand if you don’t want to get conches.

My emerald crab cleans the rocks and coral. I’ve seen him picking cyano off of things, which scared me at first, but he’s never damaged a coral.

 

Thanks Lchi. The situation with Scorch is sad and frustrating, particularly because I just don't know what to do. I love the clown and think he's probably hardy enough to withstand a little time in a breeder box or a few days back in qt... but I just don't think either would be a solution to the problem. In fact, I think it would be worse for him to remove his fear, only to bring it right back.

Sorry guys, the emerald is probably my most feared 'reef-safe' crab. The tank actually stays pretty clean and I'm just not willing to risk one of those yet. My previous zoa issues likely have something to do with that decision, as I do not want to lose a single polyp I shouldn't even really be complaining about diatoms because this bout has nothing on a real diatom bloom. Still, I don't like looking at it.

The gha among the shrooms is also a smallish spot but it grows tall out of narrow crevices, and of course, drives me nuts. The fam says, no big deal, the ocean isn't algae free, so why worry about such a small spot? Because I worry that it aggravates the shrooms and slows spreading/multiplying.

 

Photo drop!!! All of these were taken today.






Sorry, this one is extra bad. It's dark under that ledge and I overexposed this one a bit to show shrimpy.

 

There's more.




This one is called Jason Fox Special Porites, and it is my very first SPS coral. It started out as a chip no bigger than my thumbnail... and I broke it in half a week in when defragging it! I think I cried a little, lol. No worries though! It healed right up and grew, grew, grew. See the hump in the upper center? That's the original part, and it was cracked right down the middle. Glued the two pieces right next to each other. First, it healed. Then, it began encrusting and has a ton of growth now. Look how it encrusted right over a tube worm! Crazy corals, lol.


This is a very hungry Regal Platygyra. She looks much better under blues but was fat and happy today under whiter light.

The mean little yummy colored galaxea. Love that purple and turquoise. Love him! This guy is a ton of fun to feed. Squirt it with some roids and those tentacles look like they're going haywire. Really need to get him on a bigger rock, as this is the only frag plug that's not on the frag rack. I think he'd plate out on his own, but I wanna lift him up a bit to make vacuuming easier.

 

Beautiful as always stella1979!

 

Dang it, stella, you’re so good at reefing. Your ability to grow things is truly amazing though, seriously. And look at Scorch! Great photos!!!

 

Absolutely gorgeous. Your tank is looking aboslutely packed! Another year and it'll look like its been running for 5 years. So good to see scorch again! And yeah gotta love the galaxea, feeding them is a bunch of fun. He'll plate out on his own if you let him, but if you put him on the rockwork he'll sort of encrust/bunch like an acan. It looks really cool but I haven't because of the aggression and its been so happy on the sand.

 

LOVE it, Stella! Everything is so gorgeous!

 

Absolutely gorgeous. Your tank is looking aboslutely packed! Another year and it'll look like its been running for 5 years. So good to see scorch again! And yeah gotta love the galaxea, feeding them is a bunch of fun. He'll plate out on his own if you let him, but if you put him on the rockwork he'll sort of encrust/bunch like an acan. It looks really cool but I haven't because of the aggression and its been so happy on the sand.

Aww, thanks bud. That means a lot coming from my favorite scaper!

Uh, yeah, there's no way the galaxea is going on the scape, lol. Just gonna get him on a rock so he'll sit a little higher, but he'll stay in the sand.

THANK YOU Penguin!

 

Dang it, stella, you’re so good at reefing. Your ability to grow things is truly amazing though, seriously. And look at Scorch! Great photos!!!

Almost missed seeing this! Oh my, you've touched my heart with your kind words. Thank you Lchi!

 

It looks so good! I love the pictures

 

It looks so good! I love the pictures

Thanks Val! I can agree that it looks good, but I definitely don't love my pics. I need a darn camera!!! And... a tripod so I don't have to rely on my shaky hands, lol.

Seriously though, thank you, everyone, for all the kind words. I've been a little embarrassed to share in the past, but I know that you all know that things look a sight better irl. Thanks to everyone's reassurance, I am no longer shy to share my bad pics.

 

Your pics are a lot better than mine, Stella! I'm jealous of all those corals

 

Well, I've definitely mentioned this before, but in case penguin02 and anyone else might not know, I'd say that 70% of my coral came from a few weekends absolutely glued to a computer on a live sale. I take it quite seriously. Hardwiring into the internet rather than using a WiFI connection and completely ignoring my family for 30 hours over two days. A few frags came from the LFS. The Duncan was one of the first, a tiny $10 single head, (fast growers, highly recommended to new reefers), and Ricordia Florida are cheap in Florida. Most of the euphyllia came from a local fellow reefer, who was unloading parts of huge colonies, and he hooked it up with a few SPS too. Find your local reefers! They are the ones who will give you the best price locally. But... live sales can be cheap too. All those acans, favias, favites, platys, chalices, and most of the SPS pieces came from WWC live sales. The Rainbow MontI was $10!! The JF Special Porites pictured above was $5. The frags are tiny, but many go for less than $15 and all of them are super healthy with excellent color. And, of course, I can't neglect good ol' Culprit who was brave enough to put coral in the mail with the promise that I would do the same, and we'd see what happened. Gotta thank him for the zoas, galaxea, and disco shrooms! The point is, I think a tank can be filled on a budget.

 

How do you hardwire into the internet rather then Wifi? Something I need to do as I watched a live sale recently and there wouldbe 10 new posts by the time I refreshed!! Lucky on the Duncan, My lfs sells all LPS for $35 unless they're absolutely tiny, think tiny frags of chalice, ect, or coming back from dying.

Totally agree on the local reefers, I've got all my corals except for the Pulsing Xenia, Duncan, and the Yuma from local reefers.

 

Just use an ethernet cable to plug the computer (laptop in my case) into a router, or a network switch, which is just a little box connected to the router that gives us more hardline inputs. We used to have this old, big switch with lots of ports, but errr, it was old, and the internet provider, (Comcast) just hooked us up with a new little one for free, (not that they aren't robbing us.)

Hrmmm, I failed to mention that we have a pretty decent connection speed at 150mbps per second, and that certainly helps. However, as fast as I can refresh, there are always multiple new posts too. Also, there's plenty of competition with people with faster speeds than mine. Our own Nanologist could beat me any day with his speeds.

You're also dealing with the load the required websites can handle. Sometimes, a live sale will overload R2R or WWC, but all you'll see is that pages aren't loading. It's frustrating for many, and there's always plenty of complainers on a sale thread. I just see it as, you win some, you lose some. I've lost many more than I've won, but that doesn't make me unhappy with my score.

 

Unfortunately, my LFS has crazy high prices ($30 dollars for my tiny trumpet frag and $40 dollars for my dying GSP) and I've been unable to find any local reefers so far. The next LFS is 90 minutes away, so this one is our only real option.

 

So, why not a live sale then penguin02 ? With those prices, for unhealthy corals, I would really say it's your best option. Shipping can seem a bit hard to swallow, but it's comparatively cheap when you look at other online sellers, especially if you pay for shipping before the sale and save $5. Did I mention the freebie that's also available with live sales? Sometimes it's a t-shirt or a sample of coral food, but sometimes, like this last sale, the freebie is a frag. That's how I got my orange leptastrea... it was a free frag that I got with a WWC live sale order.