700 gallon tank, or how i spent my daughters inheritance
- Thread starter Reefski's
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Reefski's
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i took some PAR readings yesterday.
sunny Sunday morning, 9:30am.
one end of the tank varied continually between the readings you see. PAR 648-754
the other end of the tank was only about 100 at this time. over the day it went back and forth as the sun varied throughout the shaft.
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=par648.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/par648.jpg" border="0" alt="PAR 648"></a>
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=par754.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/par754.jpg" border="0" alt="PAR 754"></a>
there are a few monti cap and Pocillapora frags in the tank. i cleaned my existing tank and a few frags got created and i didn't have anywhere to put them so they are checking out the new tank.
Carl
sunny Sunday morning, 9:30am.
one end of the tank varied continually between the readings you see. PAR 648-754
the other end of the tank was only about 100 at this time. over the day it went back and forth as the sun varied throughout the shaft.
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=par648.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/par648.jpg" border="0" alt="PAR 648"></a>
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=par754.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/par754.jpg" border="0" alt="PAR 754"></a>
there are a few monti cap and Pocillapora frags in the tank. i cleaned my existing tank and a few frags got created and i didn't have anywhere to put them so they are checking out the new tank.
Carl
Hooked_on_Phish
New member
Carl, can you give a bit more detail about your light shaft. Is it completely straight? Or is it at a slight angle to reflect the light down the shaft?
I love the idea, and am tinkering with idea for my fish room.
Also would this work as a good reflective material? http://www.hydroponics.net/c/54
Thanks,
Frank
I love the idea, and am tinkering with idea for my fish room.
Also would this work as a good reflective material? http://www.hydroponics.net/c/54
Thanks,
Frank
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
My mother is looking into one of these: http://windausenergy.com/
The verticals have many advantages over the usual ones, including ease of upkeep, generation at lower wind speeds and all directions, cost, etc. You might want to check them out.
Or, there is also this...
http://poormanguides.com/index3.htm
^^^ make a 1kw turbine for $150... lol.
Reefski's
Active member
the shaft is strait. except the top that is angled like the roof for the skylight. the part nthat is still to fill in at the bottom with the doors will be angled in slightly.
the light reflects just fine down the shaft which is about 14 feet long.
i don't know anything about mylar. it is a lot cheaper than what i used and much thinner also.
i'm here most of the day today and trying to take hourly readings. will post tomorrow.
Carl
the light reflects just fine down the shaft which is about 14 feet long.
i don't know anything about mylar. it is a lot cheaper than what i used and much thinner also.
i'm here most of the day today and trying to take hourly readings. will post tomorrow.
Carl
ReefTECK
New member
Does the light just come through the skylight in a yellowish color or is there some organic load because of the new live rock?
Amazing par readings, if it is still a little yellow imagine what it will be when you get this thing rolling and have the tank lights on!
Are you going to be using ozone for this tank?
Amazing par readings, if it is still a little yellow imagine what it will be when you get this thing rolling and have the tank lights on!
Are you going to be using ozone for this tank?
Reefski's
Active member
the skylight is clear acrylic.
the water is definitely not clear yet. probably not for a long time. i have a lot more rock to get in the tank.
i just hooked up a temp sump with skimmer, carbon, and ozone.
what tank lights? the sun may be enough! at least most of the year. after all there are many cloudy days in the tropics.
i won't have final sign off on the house for another couple of months, at which time i can do the real sump in the garage.
Carl
I just wanted to say that this is one of the coolest projects I've seen on here, and since it hits a lot of the design goals I have for my dream monster, I'm paying close attention. Perhaps most encouraging is the fact that "near Venice Beach" isn't that much further south than Columbus OH, where I live, and I wanted to use a skylight as a primary light source too, supplemented by "green-powered" traditional light sources as needed. You look to be getting good light!
I also was thinking about setting up a geothermal chiller (and/or heat pump, depending on what I actually need), since I hope to use geothermal to condition my home when we actually get it built.
Your koi pond is interesting too - do you have a link to information about that build as well? We have a large man-made pond on our farm, but I think I'd like a nicer koi pond in a more structured garden at some point.
I also was thinking about setting up a geothermal chiller (and/or heat pump, depending on what I actually need), since I hope to use geothermal to condition my home when we actually get it built.
Your koi pond is interesting too - do you have a link to information about that build as well? We have a large man-made pond on our farm, but I think I'd like a nicer koi pond in a more structured garden at some point.
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
That's one of the projects that I'm working on. My geothermal guy says it'll be easy to turn the aquarium into just another zone in the house. All he needs is some sort of signal from the aquarium (such as you'd get from a heating/cooling controller) to let the geothermal unit know when the aquarium needs heating or cooling. Titanium heat exchangers (check out Ebay, for example) are readily available and not that expensive any longer.
Reefski's
Active member
i don't know know anything about geothermal. i considered trying to use it but it seemed to complicated and i couldn't find anyone who was doing it. i read a very long thread here about it but no one really seemed to have a viable system.
i could use my water storage container in the yard with a closed loop running through a heat exchanger, hmmm... future use?
PAR values over the day
7am 30
9am 150-180
10am 500-600
11am same
12pm 550-650
1pm 290-300
2pm 85-90
3pm 60-70
4pm 20-25
this is at one spot in the tank. other places have different lighting. when it was high at the measured spot it was lower elsewhere and VS,
i have some algae growing on the rocks.
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=algaeonrock.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/algaeonrock.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
I have a new 4" friend to help with the algae, also a Diadema urchin
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=seahare.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/seahare.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
i could use my water storage container in the yard with a closed loop running through a heat exchanger, hmmm... future use?
PAR values over the day
7am 30
9am 150-180
10am 500-600
11am same
12pm 550-650
1pm 290-300
2pm 85-90
3pm 60-70
4pm 20-25
this is at one spot in the tank. other places have different lighting. when it was high at the measured spot it was lower elsewhere and VS,
i have some algae growing on the rocks.
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=algaeonrock.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/algaeonrock.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
I have a new 4" friend to help with the algae, also a Diadema urchin
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=seahare.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/seahare.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Hooked_on_Phish
New member
The different par readings throughout the tank make me wonder about how evenly the light is coming down the shaft. That’s why I asked if it had a slight draft in it to angle the light down the shaft.
It would be interesting to see if a slight draft would change the amount of light you can send down a shaft or not.
Carl, can you give me some information on the material you used for your shaft? I think the Mylar would work, it is pretty thin as you said, but it should be easy to work with.
It would be interesting to see if a slight draft would change the amount of light you can send down a shaft or not.
Carl, can you give me some information on the material you used for your shaft? I think the Mylar would work, it is pretty thin as you said, but it should be easy to work with.
Reefski's
Active member
the light is strongest where the sun is directly reflected. there is still three sides open the last two feet. that spills a lot of light into the room. i will be finishing this with doors and the same reflective material. this last part will be angled in about 6".
the info about the material is at the beginning of the thread. they make one that is a hammered type that would disperse the light better. maybe i should have used that.
Carl
the info about the material is at the beginning of the thread. they make one that is a hammered type that would disperse the light better. maybe i should have used that.
Carl
Hooked_on_Phish
New member
Last edited:
just for reference using a ground loop for cooling, here's a TOTM using one
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/totm/index.php
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/totm/index.php
Reefski's
Active member
i got up about 4am this morning and as i sometimes do i got my flashlight and magnifying glass to look in my tank/s. i didn't need a magnifying glass to see this creature.
is it bad? what does it eat?
it is about 10-12".
fortunately i could take it out pretty easily. later would not be so good.
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=IMG_5265.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/IMG_5265.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
here it is out of the tank. i still have it in the tupperware container floating in the sump.
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=IMG_5266.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/IMG_5266.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
i also found a couple of rocks that had "tentacles" sticking out of them. kind of hard to see in the photo but there is one center bottom on the rock and upper right on the rock.
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=unknownwormsinrock.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/unknownwormsinrock.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
it is no big deal to remove this rock which i think i will do. i saw one the other day in another rock but couldn't find it this morning.
could these be babies of the bigger one?
they are only out at night and actively move.
Carl
is it bad? what does it eat?
it is about 10-12".
fortunately i could take it out pretty easily. later would not be so good.
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=IMG_5265.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/IMG_5265.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
here it is out of the tank. i still have it in the tupperware container floating in the sump.
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=IMG_5266.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/IMG_5266.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
i also found a couple of rocks that had "tentacles" sticking out of them. kind of hard to see in the photo but there is one center bottom on the rock and upper right on the rock.
<a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/?action=view¤t=unknownwormsinrock.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/unknownwormsinrock.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
it is no big deal to remove this rock which i think i will do. i saw one the other day in another rock but couldn't find it this morning.
could these be babies of the bigger one?
they are only out at night and actively move.
Carl
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