5 year old Greenhouse Update

badguitarist said:
The biggest benefit is the wonders of natural sunlight for the animals that love it! That's the short and simple answer anyways...
Click to expand...

It's really the only answer. And the benefit is that you don't have to pay electricity bills for sunlight, buy new suns when you add tanks or replace the sun every year.

Jeff
 
Love this thread. One quick suggestion that I think anyone with a greenhouse should consider: an in ground sump. Everyone talking about difficulties of temp control should look into one. A big plastic holding tank (like for agricultural use) is not that expensive, and it is not that difficult to dig a big hole in the ground and drop it in. Cone bottom is best, because that way it will be self-cleaning and won't require much maintenance. Does an amazing job buffering against temp swings in summer AND winter - and because it is mostly underground it doesn't take up much space. An 8' tank sunk 6' into the ground will do an amazing job and save you a ton on heating and cooling.

Something like this...
 
There's another collateral benefit to sunlight, namely heat. It's the light rather than air temperature that heats my greenhouse for 9 months of the year. The light itself is a bit of a menace. I spend a lot of effort shading correctly.

I have a 1000L in-ground sump in my greenhouse. I don't think it provides much temperature buffering. I measured the temp the other day and it was pretty much the same as ambient air temperature (warm) and not ground temp (cool). It wasn't circulating with the rest of the system at the time. I think you need a higher surface area to volume ratio to get decent geothermal cooling/buffering.

In fact it was a bit difficult to put in the ground. It took four of us to schlep it into place. It also required a cement shell to make sure it didn't collapse inward.
 
i love the greenhouse. it might have been in the posts but i didnt see it do uall sale coral online or just at the greenhouse. my wife runs her family owned and operated pet store out of richmond ky i was interested to see how uall done uralls sales or if uall would even sale to pet stores
 
I think there might be some salt in the air or something. In time I think the plants will all be moved out.

try olander they take salt well
 
@aquaenthusiast - Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it.

@coraltastic - I sell online retail mainly.

@sc9854 - The plants are getting squeezed out LOL. Right now we are putting together a 5th system that is going to be 800-gallonish. It will consist of eight (8) 30-gallon tanks, two (2) 240-gallon tanks, and a 150-gallon sump. I'll post a pic when I get a moment.
 
Here are the pics of the stands taking shape. I need to find another five drilled 30-gallon breeders as well as an acrylic fabricator to put together the 240-gallon tanks.

img_7849.jpg


img_7852.jpg
 
Than,

Thanks for the beautiful pictures and a great looking video. I have a greenhouse with the 8mm double wall polycarbonate and am considering adding a second layer, but worry about light transmission. If each layer has 85% transmission, two layers should have 60%. Did the light reduction have any effect on your animals?

I am also planning on a basket of orchids above the tank and the effect of salt spray. Do you think a misting device would keep the leaves and soil washed clean?

Thanks.
 
@dave willmore - I would not worry about light transmission. I have two layers right now, and if it didn't cost a fortune, I'd put on a third layer just for kicks. Actually, with the two layers we have now, in the summer we have to add several layers of 50% shade cloths, and still some corals look like they are overexposed.

As for the orchids, I don't know. A misting spray sounds like a good idea, because here the plants get very dry in the summer. You probably would not need it so much in the winter.
 
The elegances imported from Australia are actually quite hardy. There was a 10 year gap where I stopped collecting elegances because of the problems the Indonesian ones were having. These recent ones are fine. We've even cut some with a band saw and they survived.
 
dendronepthya said:
@dave willmore - I would not worry about light transmission. I have two layers right now, and if it didn't cost a fortune, I'd put on a third layer just for kicks. Actually, with the two layers we have now, in the summer we have to add several layers of 50% shade cloths, and still some corals look like they are overexposed.

As for the orchids, I don't know. A misting spray sounds like a good idea, because here the plants get very dry in the summer. You probably would not need it so much in the winter.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this information, I will try to put up a second layer before next winter. Out here the polycarbonate costs about 80 cents per square foot, so it is not very expensive compared to glass. I agree with your analysis of atmospheric humidity in the winter, it may be so humid inside that I create my own rain.
 
What are some of the signs your corals show when they receive too much light? Are there any corals that can be used to monitor light (if htey do well the light is OK)?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

sauceyreefOG
New (but old) Member - Hello!
Replies
10
Views
183
Reefing102
Reefing102
H
25 year old yellow tang dying :(
Replies
10
Views
430
sallypur
S
H
High ammonia in 24 year old tank
Replies
15
Views
368
brandon429
brandon429
Guygettnby
How old of a tank to buy?
Replies
8
Views
155
griss
griss
C
RSM Max Nano XL Plan / Build
2
Replies
21
Views
566
griss
griss
Back
Top