Actually I just realized I could put another vent into the mechanical room and use a servo to open and control then vent. When open it would allow the exhaust fan to suck from the rest of the house and not outside if i have the fresh air make up. Obviously I'd only want to do this on the worst days at it wastes energy imho, but it would work...
600 gal display/900+ gal build thread in the Chicago 'burbs.
- Thread starter wmilas
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EnglishRebel
Retired Rebel Reefer
Ever the innovator. 
Is there a time when you're not thinking of ways to improve your setup -- in bed maybe? No don't answer that. :lol:
Is there a time when you're not thinking of ways to improve your setup -- in bed maybe? No don't answer that. :lol:
EWC88
New member
I just want to say this was my first time looking at this thread and I went page to page and my jaw the whole time was on the floor, I am amazed by all your work! What you've done is almost exactly what I planned to do for my basement when I get a house. Everything is just gorgeous, all the detail you did is just great! There are 2 questions I just have. One being in your study, were does that window look out to? Also in your fish room, were your fump, frag tank, and fish quartine tank is, I see you have the top tank (I believe sump) drains into the middle tank (frag tank) but were does that drain into? The bottom tank then into the bigger sump or does it go right from the frag tank to the bigger tank?
Once again amazing and can't wait till its all done!
Once again amazing and can't wait till its all done!
The window looks out nowhere right now. Its a window well (below grade). Next summer (or the summer after if I'm busy) I'm planning on pulling the ugly metal "well" structure out, digging the back of the well out at a 45 degree angle, and putting in some type of sure or tite lock stones so the well terraces down to the window. That way I can see out and I can add some nice flowers.
Btw I garden in the summer. And no I'm not a pansy... I'm 6'2" 225
As far as the 3 tanks stacked. This is how it works.
# Top tank is the refugium
# Middle tank is the fragment tank
# Bottom tank is a dedicated quarantine tank.
On the side coming off the output of the top tank is a manifold with 3 exits all controllable by ball valves. I can drop water directly back into the sump, into the middle, or into the lower or any combination there of.
The middle tank has an output directly to the sump.
The reason I might want to bypass the middle tank directly to the sump is if when the middle frag tank goes into quarantine and I want to remove it to the main system.
The reason I can dump water to the lower tank is just for ease of fill up when I start a quarantine in it.
The bottom tank has no exit back into the system since there never is an instance when that water should be mixed.
The middle and bottom tanks both have dedicated pumps that pump directly out to the drain. They also have dedicated heaters for when they are removed from the system to keep the water warm. They also have (or will have, the floats just came in) dedicated top offs.
Also the salt mixing tank has a manifold so I can dump fresh saltwater directly into the middle and bottom tanks when they are being quarantined, and of course into the sump for normal operation.
Hope this helps.
Btw I garden in the summer. And no I'm not a pansy... I'm 6'2" 225
As far as the 3 tanks stacked. This is how it works.
# Top tank is the refugium
# Middle tank is the fragment tank
# Bottom tank is a dedicated quarantine tank.
On the side coming off the output of the top tank is a manifold with 3 exits all controllable by ball valves. I can drop water directly back into the sump, into the middle, or into the lower or any combination there of.
The middle tank has an output directly to the sump.
The reason I might want to bypass the middle tank directly to the sump is if when the middle frag tank goes into quarantine and I want to remove it to the main system.
The reason I can dump water to the lower tank is just for ease of fill up when I start a quarantine in it.
The bottom tank has no exit back into the system since there never is an instance when that water should be mixed.
The middle and bottom tanks both have dedicated pumps that pump directly out to the drain. They also have dedicated heaters for when they are removed from the system to keep the water warm. They also have (or will have, the floats just came in) dedicated top offs.
Also the salt mixing tank has a manifold so I can dump fresh saltwater directly into the middle and bottom tanks when they are being quarantined, and of course into the sump for normal operation.
Hope this helps.
EnglishRebel
Retired Rebel Reefer
Wmilas
I don't know if you've polished out the scratch yet but check this YouTube video of "The LA Fish Guys". The guy is a laugh but he has an acrylic expert removing a scratch on a tube aquarium (don't laugh at the fake rubber "corals" though).
Scratch Removal
BTW When they installed this tank one of the guys used a box cutter to remove the cardboard around it. He didn't own up to it but when they reviewed the video later you could see what he did. Muppet. :lol: The tank itself was $25,000. :eek2:
I don't know if you've polished out the scratch yet but check this YouTube video of "The LA Fish Guys". The guy is a laugh but he has an acrylic expert removing a scratch on a tube aquarium (don't laugh at the fake rubber "corals" though).
Scratch Removal
BTW When they installed this tank one of the guys used a box cutter to remove the cardboard around it. He didn't own up to it but when they reviewed the video later you could see what he did. Muppet. :lol: The tank itself was $25,000. :eek2:
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All the Koralias are in the tank now. Its boarding on too much flow. I keep tweaking them to try and get the sand to stay put. I unplugged two of them to let things settle and then I'll try again.
It looks like the end side that's not viewable is naturally going to have more flow, and the other side is going to have less.
If it comes down to it I might have to move one of the pumps over to the viewable side and stick it up in a corner. I really don't want to do that though.
It looks like the end side that's not viewable is naturally going to have more flow, and the other side is going to have less.
If it comes down to it I might have to move one of the pumps over to the viewable side and stick it up in a corner. I really don't want to do that though.
paulthomas
Premium Member
I'm sorry to ask you this as I'd bet it was stated earlier. What type/brand of sand did you use?
Thanks,
Paul
Thanks,
Paul
I used Seaflor Special Grade Reef. Its a little on the larger side and its not perfect for a DSB. However I don't necessarily want a DSB in my main tank, just a good 3 inches of sand... I like the look. I also wanted to start with a substrate that wouldn't blow around like a sandstorm with flow when I started.
I always have the ability to add smaller grains once the sandbed gets seeded and gets a bit "clumpier"
I always have the ability to add smaller grains once the sandbed gets seeded and gets a bit "clumpier"
FiSHy sAy HeY
New member
wowza!
EnglishRebel
Retired Rebel Reefer
Haffs09
You may also want to check out the Fantech heat recovery units if you're going to have a dedicated equipment room and want to keep the humidity low. I have one of these hooked to a humidistat. Fantech HRV
Just a thought.
Sorry Wmilas -- hope you didn't mind me butting in.
jacksandgo
New member
great thread.
Sandstorm has settled down. All the Koralias are on. I just want to say, I know it hasn't been long with them so far, only 3 weeks with teh magnum 8's (and 3 4's in the fugue/frag) and just a couple of days with the magnum 6's, but I'm really impressed. I looked for threads with people using these and I'm not seeing any. I'm wondering if people just wrote them off without actually trying them.
The units are well built, the plastic is thick and heavy, the magnets feel heavy, the flow is strong. Its not as wide spread as a vortech, but wider then a tunze.
Anyways, the skimmer is producing buckets of foul smelling goop. Something is alive. I dosed a large amount of DT's Phytoplankton about a week ago and the amount of skimmate has been kicking up ever since. Its so foul I went out and bought some pantyhose I'm going to try and cut up and fashion a carbon air cleaner to go over the vent holes on the ATB. The problem is the ATB is so huge, its going to be hard to stretch the hose that wide...
The Cyano is turning a darker red, more like a brown. There is still growth but the growth has slowed. I'm seeing light purple coralline spots popping up here and there, which is always a good sign
The units are well built, the plastic is thick and heavy, the magnets feel heavy, the flow is strong. Its not as wide spread as a vortech, but wider then a tunze.
Anyways, the skimmer is producing buckets of foul smelling goop. Something is alive. I dosed a large amount of DT's Phytoplankton about a week ago and the amount of skimmate has been kicking up ever since. Its so foul I went out and bought some pantyhose I'm going to try and cut up and fashion a carbon air cleaner to go over the vent holes on the ATB. The problem is the ATB is so huge, its going to be hard to stretch the hose that wide...
The Cyano is turning a darker red, more like a brown. There is still growth but the growth has slowed. I'm seeing light purple coralline spots popping up here and there, which is always a good sign
Robb in Austin
New member
Insert
this thread is useless without pics smilies
here
of the sandstorm that is.
this thread is useless without pics smilies
here
of the sandstorm that is.
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