700 gallon tank, or how i spent my daughters inheritance

[MSX-Jeff]

Variable Frequency Drive = a controller that can alter the speed of a 3 phase pump by altering the frequency of the electricity that is feeding it. Don't worry, they come in models that accept single phase 110v input current, so you can plug it into your house outlets.

It is a pretty slick way to have a "wavemaker". You can use the wet end from a sequence pump, replace the stock motor with a comparable 3ph motor with the same frame size, and get yourself a VFD controller and make waves by ramping up and down the speed of the pump to match the frequency of your tank...you can also use the VFD to save electricity by lowering the operating voltage to the point where the motor is "almost" slipping phase.

There was a good thread awhile back by liveforphysics that explains it in more/better detail...I'll try and dig up some links for you

 

[Reefski's]

i looked at the tank just after sunrise and this is what i saw. not very good pictures.

it is 3" long, black with a little blue at the edges, white tips on the antenna and a white stripe on the upper back in the shoulder area.

i have never seen it before. i haven't added new rock to the tank in about 9 months.

what does it eat?

for now i have taken it out of the tank until i know it is safe to put back.

 

[melev]

Looks like a Shield Limpet. I have one in my quarantine tank that keeps algae at bay.

 

[Reefski's]

actually i have seen it before. about three years ago. it was MUCH smaller and i don't remember the Cirata(sp). i haven't seen it since.

i just looked in "Reef Invertebrates" by Bob Fenner and Anthony Calfo. on page 203 there is a picture of what looks to be the same creature. they say it is inclined to graze live coral as well as algae.

they are nocturnal. i just happened to see it at sunrise today.

maybe it wasn't the urchin after all that has been grazing the corals.

there was another small frag that had three small branches that was just gone one morning.

Carl

 

[Reefski's]

it is unlikely to have eaten the corals. this is the one it likely is.
http://www.seaslugforum.net/display.cfm?id=9034

primarily sponge eater.

ID by Dr ron Shimek


Carl

 

[FishyBiz]

Reefski's
Its defiantly a Limpet. I call them Fleshy Limpets. I used to have one in my SPS reef for many years. He was great at eating algae.
No worries. Keep him in the display.

 

[Reefski's]

did you see it eating algae? dr Shimek says they are sponge eaters.

 

[hidnReefAquatic]

that is alot of work to do all that construction, i really must comend you pretty inspiring

 

[Reefski's]

thank you.

i put the snail back in the tank.

i am building the next phase of the tanks evolution.

i have been working on a surge using the Borneman design as seen in his book. we did testing today.

the first flapper was too flexible and would only open a bit and not pop open to allow the surge.

so i got another one that was more rigid and voila. it popped open.

the failed test


successful test


it took about 50 seconds to flush and 2.5 minutes to fill. it may fill faster when installed as the garden hose is restricting the flow. it is only 5/8" and the mag 24 is 1". it maybe somewhat offset by the greater head pressure of it's final resting place.

the surge is going to go in a closet a few feet above the tank.

Carl

 

[erics3000]

It is hard to tell in the video... but were you happy with the pressure. The pipe in the tank on the bottom is all the 90's and the s so it will have an air break? It just seams that would kill a little pressure from the surge.

 

[Reefski's]

it had a good amt of flow. we shall see about it once it is hooked up. it will be about three feet above the tank i think.

no air break needed.

according to Eric Borneman the outflow into the tank needs to be submerged otherwise there is not enough back pressure and the flapper may not open. that is why you need the P trap also.

Carl

 

[salty joe]

I played around with one of those surge devices on my 75. I never could quite get it to be bubble free.

American Standard has a tower type "flapper" that has a much larger diameter than the standard flapper. If you can't get the surge you are looking for with your current setup, it might be an option.

 

[rEd86]

Interesting. I built a surge device for my 75g tank when I first got into the hobby 12 years ago. Instead of a float, I used a suction principle to start the surge. I drilled a 1 1/2" hole in a 5 gallon bucket and had the PVC pipe coming into the bucket ending in "U shape" pointing down. A small pump filled the bucket and as the water rose in the pipe, it eventually spilled over the U and back into the tank. Once the flow was fast enough, the suction kicked in and emptied most of the 5 gallons.

It was effective but a Frankenstein contraption. I didn't know about bulkheads back then so I just applied heavy silicon as a seal. It was in the basement so I didn't care and actually used the bucket handle to hang the contraption from the rafters.

So does your surge device generate a lot of noise? It looks like the flap closes in the video before you're allowing any air to get sucked in so there wouldn't be much noise. I have thought of building something similar out of acrylic but I am worried that it would sound like a toilet flushing every 2-3 minutes. Since my tank is now in the living room I don’t think my wife would appreciate that!

--Ed

 

[Reefski's]

it seems to be very quiet, but then i was out in the driveway. it may be different in the house. there were a few bubbles at the start. the closet it will be in is insulated.

 

[BigTuna321]

:thumbsup:

 

[Reefski's]

i have an Aiptasia problem, in the main tank the Copperband Butterfl has eaten that were there but in the sumps they are a multiplying.

so i bought some berghia and started a culture system in a 20 gallon rubbermaid in one of the other tanks. the only circulation is an airstone.

i change about 6-7 gallons per day by just overflowing it back into the main system.

beghia dinner or is that diner?

 

[Reefski's]

here is how the Montipora Verrucosa (sp) looked when i first got it in june 2008.

it has grown quite a bit but now the polyps obscure the skin.

why? higher light to lower light?

higher flow to lower flow?

high PO4?

???

 

[Reefski's]

i still have lots of algae in the tank. however the Lawnmower Blenny and tangs keep it cropped like cows in a field.

i have read this is also true for the reefs. more algae than corals.

they also like to eat the dark purple stuff whatever that is. it looks somewhat filamentous, not cyano like.

Carl

 

[Reeftanks6]

Beautiful tank!

 

[erics3000]

thanks for the info.