--75g Barebottom/Starboard Reef Project--

[arconom]

QUOTE]Originally posted by Travis
Here is a link to where to buy the materials and a good tutorial.

Another thing you can do is control the amount of flow coming from your feed pump with a valve, similar to how a calcium reactor is run. Set it to a slow drip that is just higher than your evaporation rate. So when the pump comes on, it is only a slow drip. If it sticks on for any reason, it will be nearly impossible to overdose the kalk. [/QUOTE]

Where is the link?

Also didn't your Kalk Reactor have a knob on it to adjust flow in?? Mine does I will show a picture in 2 minutes.

Travis if I read this thread and saw what you were saying about the" Kalk Reactor not closing" I think I would have not bought it. I can't believe they didn't seal it.

I was in the process of setting the reactor up today. I'm still not done.

Travis did you run your Kalk Reactor 24/7? It says to in the instructions. But I went out and bought a digital timer to make it turn on for 5 minutes and then off every so often.

I'm going to post in the Deltec Forum to see if it's just better to run the reactor all the time.

It's incredible how the stir/Vibrator bar keeps the Kalk on the bottom and the liquid on top.

Jay no Orange Digi No biggy. I'm happy with the digis you gave me. I thought i had some Orange ones also. I loved the polyps on them.

Where are some good sites that sell Frags that use 10k Bulbs?

 

[Travis]

Ooops, I have a habit of forgetting to post links. www.floatswitches.net Click on the auto top off section.

Yes, mine had a ball valve on it but I ran it wide open because I fed it with a LMIII. I did run the stirrer 24/7. If you don't, you will not get a good mix as the water will form a channel through the kalk instead of mixing with it.

Looks like that skimmer on the right is still breaking in.

 

[arconom]

Well for my sump I know I want 2 effluent holders. I want 3 Probe holders. 2 float switch holds and I assume tond of baffles since I will have water coming in from the 1st floor. I guess he will put the PVC with slits in it?

Also it has to work on my current 75 gal.

I wish I was good with Cad for designing. Which company will talk to me on the phone and actually listen to me and help me with the whole process?

 

[Travis]

arconom, I drew up a diagram for a really nice (IMO) dual float switch holder setup in MS paint. It is what I gave to the fabricator to use for making them on my sump. Unfortunately, I can't get the pics up right now because they are too large for RC and my web space is maxed out until I find a new service. Shoot me a PM with your email and I'll email it to you. FWIW, they are designed for the float switch setup from floatswitches.net.

The only above listed fabricator that I'm not sure if he will do custom sump work is MRC. I know for a fact that the others will. Take your time and do some research on what you want in your sump. You can talk to any of the above listed and I know they will all be helpful but it is up to you to do the research first and know what you are wanting. Make sure you oversize your skimmer chamber because you never know if you will be upgrading your skimmer in the future. Be sure to add lots of baffles to control microbubbles. Consider an extra enclosed, but accessible compartment for your drain lines to eliminate salt creep. It looks like you have already considered probe and float holders. A sump is a complicted piece of equipment to design but if you do it right, you will be able to use it for years to come without having to modify it or replace it.

 

[arconom]

I sent you my E-mail Travis

Updates

Well as you all know I have bought 2 Deltec products. The APF600 skimmer and the Deltec Kalk stirrer. The APF600 pump was not working properly and I was sent a new one. I received it today. As I write this the Deltec is breaking in. Lets just say Deltec support is #1

With a CL using a Dart and a Tunze Stream, I still have 2 dead spots on the left and right side of my tank. The lower half.

I might wait until Icecap releases there new Powerhead. In the mean time I have to come up with something. I need alot more flow on the bottom half of the tank. I need the detritus to stop finding places to settle.

I E-mailed Marc AKA Melev about building me a sump. I guess he's been busy I will wait for his reply.

I also plan on upgrading my lighting with in the next few weeks.

Its either 2 ROIII pendents on the bluewave7 or the Maristar fixture which uses the RO reflectors.

I have heard the fans make alot of noise on the Maristar. Also they use T5s I want VHO's but they only come with T5's

I know it sounds crazy but all of my test out corals including the Tort are encrusting there bases extremely fast.

There have been no new additions of corals since Jay gave me some of his frags.

I am currently looking to buy 10-15 frags before it starts getting cold out. I am having a hard time finding sites that use 10k to represent there corals.

I guess in the end it won't matter because I will be using the Phonenix 14k bulbs on my 120

 

[masterswimmer]

Erik,
You sound like you're still in the fact gathering stage. Do yourself a favor and at least look at this:

http://lifereef.com/frame.html

I've got the lifereef sump and skimmer. His custom work is excellent. On the bottom of the linked page is another link to his custom sumps. Check it out.

Russ

 

[Lunchbucket]

well where are the pics of the skimmer???

Lunchbucket

 

[arconom]

There is some in the Deltec forum. I will post new pictures here tomorrow.

Russ I will check them out.

Erik

 

[Lunchbucket]

deltec forum...guess i will go there. but you can't just post them here if they are already online

Lunchbucket

 

[disbjohn]

I've been following this thread for awhile now and I have to say awesome job so far. Marc (Melev) is usually good about returning emails and such. He does get pretty swamped with emails. I have to say that I am very pleased with the custom sump he built for me and at a good price.

 

[Travis]

I found that you have to keep sending melev emails and pm's. He is not ignoring you, I think he just gets so many that he forgets to answer them all.:lol:

 

[melev]

I'm subscribed to this thread, and just replied to acronom's email. It is rediculous that I can't keep up with them, but many emails I get are not a nice easy "yes" or "no" reply. Often times I'm having to describe in detail the solution to their question or help them decide on what they really want to get out of their system.

Each day I tell myself "Tomorrow, no RC or DFWMAS forum posting until this email is caught up." And each day I end up saying that again, and again, and again. I just whittled away 25 emails from the 700 waiting.

 

[arconom]

I just talked to Marc on the phone. Once again I have alot on my mind but go blank when I talk to people on the phone.

Marc will be taking care of the situation

Also Marc likes his skimmers internal. I finally got my skimmer out of the sump to go back in I'm not sure about it but maybe if I decide one day to go internal I can.

 

[arconom]

Also I am debating if I should buy the Maristar Fixture with 2 250DE and 2 54w T5's this uses the RO technolgy in the fixture

The package's from Reef Geek

Reef Optix III Plus - 250W HQI Pendants, Blue Wave VII MH Ballast: 2-250W HQI with dual switches and dual power-cords for independent control of each bulb, and two Phoenix 250W 14000K+ Double Ended Metal Halide Bulbs

589.00$$

---------------------------------------------------------------------
48" Maristar Kit: 2-250W MH & 2-54W T5 HO - Black

1,025$

 

[arconom]

 

[arconom]

 

[melev]

Eric, I have a suggestion. Since you are so adverse to putting the skimmer in the sump, why don't you put it up on a stand over the sump? Or on a shelf over the sump? I can make an acrylic stand easily, and made one for my Ca Reactor to keep it out of the water. http://www.melevsreef.com/280g/280g_sump.html

You have a ticking timebomb on your hands, I assure you. If that skimmer goes crazy and your system loses water, the additional non-stop flow of kalkwasser will indeed kill your livestock. Having the skimmer above the sump (since you don't want it in the sump) will allow the fluid to simply reenter the system and your top off will never occur.

I flooded my fishroom so many times during the first 9 months, I honestly can't count them all. My skimmer was external, and it would go nuts for no reason at all. My top off is a 10g container of RO/DI water or kalkwasser, depending on my mood. A flood would pour across the fishroom floor, then find its way into the garage and down the driveway. I'd usually only discover the problem when I saw the driveway! Since my system was roughly 300g of water, 10g of top off didn't do any damage. Your method is much more risky because you have no failsafe.

If you used an Aqua Controller ($200 to $500) with a pH probe, it could sense the rise in pH and turn off an X-10 module that would go to a solenoid switch in your water line. pH rises too high, no more water is added. This is an expensive but workable solution. The better solution is to put that skimmer in the sump. Cheaper too.

Btw, I'm thinking about a Kalk stirrer now. I was reading another thread and that person is going to drip in kalk from the stirrer, but top off with RO/DI water. They would be independant of each other and this lessens the risk of disaster.

 

[Travis]

It looks like you have NOG already. Congrats! And what's with the "woosie" amount of kalk in the stirrer? J/K Come on man, dump a bunch in there and you won't have to keep refilling it. I used to dump 2 liters of pickling lime in my KM500s every month or so. These are great kalk stirrers and they can hold and process a lot of kalk.

 

[arconom]

Marc that sounds like a plan I will give you the exact measurements of the base of the skimmer when I get home.

 

[arconom]

Marc that sounds like a plan I will give you the exact measurements of the base of the skimmer when I get home.