picture the reef
New member
Qwuintus, just noticed your avatar. Are you connected with Benchmade. If so pm me. The moderators may become upset if we discuss in open forum.
A pair of EcoWheel tanks in the making
- Thread starter Putawaywet
- Start date
qwuintus said:
Depends on the material that it is made of. Turf algaes will colonize many surfaces to varying degrees so it's hard to say for sure. But the principle is pretty basic. Wet it with used saltwater, expose it to light, and nature will do the rest.
Might prove an interesting experiment though to have a large bio wheel illuminated as it turns to see what types and to what concentrations the algae will grow. About the only concern I'd have would be how well the material they used would hold up to the maintenance that is required during the harvesting or nutrient export part of the equation.
Brett
Geez... must be nice to be so popular that you can afford to turn business away 
After several calls and conversations with DLM I just can't seem to get a quote out of them. Even though I keep hearing they do small jobs like this all the time for home tanks and can turn something like this out in a week, all I'm hearing when I call back about that estimate is how crazy it's been this week, or how they're trying to finish up this huge order by Friday yada, yada, yada.
Even C.O.S.T. of Wisconsin who was originally interested enough to return my call and promise an estimate after hearing what I was looking for never got back to me. "No problem, we do stuff like this all the time, give me a few days to get an estimate together and call you back...." Yep, never heard from them again.
So, while I'm going to keep hammering on DLM I'm not the type to sit around waiting on others to get their you know what together. I've already ordered the stuff I need to do my own casting and if need be I'll fabricate the whole thing myself. Guess you can never learn to many skills in this hobby.
So if that turns out to be the case that blows my timetable all to heck!
One thing is for sure.... wish my H.S. shop class would have offered something really useful instead showing me how to make those darn fruit bowls or signs with your family name routed out. Something like acrylic fabrication or carbon fiber layup sure would have been nice
Brett
After several calls and conversations with DLM I just can't seem to get a quote out of them. Even though I keep hearing they do small jobs like this all the time for home tanks and can turn something like this out in a week, all I'm hearing when I call back about that estimate is how crazy it's been this week, or how they're trying to finish up this huge order by Friday yada, yada, yada.Even C.O.S.T. of Wisconsin who was originally interested enough to return my call and promise an estimate after hearing what I was looking for never got back to me. "No problem, we do stuff like this all the time, give me a few days to get an estimate together and call you back...." Yep, never heard from them again.
So, while I'm going to keep hammering on DLM I'm not the type to sit around waiting on others to get their you know what together. I've already ordered the stuff I need to do my own casting and if need be I'll fabricate the whole thing myself. Guess you can never learn to many skills in this hobby.
So if that turns out to be the case that blows my timetable all to heck!
One thing is for sure.... wish my H.S. shop class would have offered something really useful instead showing me how to make those darn fruit bowls or signs with your family name routed out. Something like acrylic fabrication or carbon fiber layup sure would have been nice
Brett
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What kind of wheel would be used for ANY swimming pool?
Ahhh, I think you are talking about a pleated pool filter cartridge. Its polyester, so would be fine, but not sure how it'd hold up to the algae being yaked off of it. They work great for bio-wheels, though. We made one out of a smaller filter once.
Ahhh, I think you are talking about a pleated pool filter cartridge. Its polyester, so would be fine, but not sure how it'd hold up to the algae being yaked off of it. They work great for bio-wheels, though. We made one out of a smaller filter once.
About every week to 10 days give or take.
Or whenever I remember to.
Whichever comes first
Brett
Or whenever I remember to.
Whichever comes first
Brett
matt & pam
Member
Brett,
Are you manually topping off evaporation, or have you automated? Where have you placed heaters, pH probes, etc.?
Are you happy with the egg crate you added to the eco-wheel?
Your tank looks great. Hopefully one day I'll get my tank going.
Thanks.
Matt
Are you manually topping off evaporation, or have you automated? Where have you placed heaters, pH probes, etc.?
Are you happy with the egg crate you added to the eco-wheel?
Your tank looks great. Hopefully one day I'll get my tank going.
Thanks.
Matt
qwuintus said:
If you read the first few posts I made on page one of this thread you'll find a relatively detailed answer to that question.
Brett
Are you manually topping off evaporation, or have you automated?
Still manually topping off with Kalk. I have 2 5gal jugs each tapped with a spigot that I just swap out every 2-3 days. When the water level begins to look a little low I just open the tap and drip some kalk for a few hours. There's a part of me that says there's a bettwer way, and another part that allows me to sleep soundly at night knowing that in spite of the labor, it's relatively idiot proof.
Where have you placed heaters, pH probes, etc.?
My heater is hidden in one of the influent boxes. No probes. I guess I'm one of those old school guys who just breaks out the test kits when things start looking a little "off". You know it's one of those.... "My star polyps have been closed all day wonder what's bothering them" kind of things. And as for powerheads - why would you want any of those? IMO, that would be kinda counter productive and defeats one of the biggest benefits of a system like this. Besides, there go your bragging rights
(Secrets be told, I did consider it briefly at the beginning - kinda hard to put blind trust in a couple corner influent boxes but eventually the design wins you over and you realize it is indeed working) No doubt I could probably get more growth from a larger turnover, but then again, the same could most likely be said if I upgraded my lighting to 400w bulbs. Are you happy with the egg crate you added to the eco-wheel?
Yes, it's packed with sponges, tube worms and other misc. organisms. It's defintely looking like I had hoped, but to be honest, I still have no way of honestly judging how well it is working. However, it also adds more places for aiptasias to grab onto and the little buggers are defintely making the most of the situation. So far, none in my displays inspite of the hundred or so going like gangbusters in the filter. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Your tank looks great. Hopefully one day I'll get my tank going.
Thanks, it's definitely a labor of love. I spent many years planning for this system and it feels really good to finally have it all coming together. I think what really helps, at least for me, is that the journey is as much of the process as the end result is. I thoroughly enjoy designing and fabricating so my ideas fuel the fires so to speak. As much as I enjoy the tank as it sits, I'm constantly thinking "what next?". But with that being said, it also feels really really good to know 99% of the work is behind me rather than the other way around.
So, all I can say is don't lose sight of the big picture and try to keep things in perspective. You'll have yours up and running before you know it and you can pick up where I leave off.
Brett
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matt & pam
Member
no plans for power heads. However am thinking about a litermeter or similar peristaltic pump for top off.
picture the reef
New member
Matt, As I told you in one of my pm's to you the Litermeter in conjunction with a Kalk reactor is some of the best money I have spent on the tank.
Update 08/29/04
Made the most of my vacation last week and spent a good deal of time working on the tank.
I somehow managed to get the wheel assembly up and out of the filter box and all I have to say is.....
Not again anytime soon sports fans!!!!!!
Just the fact I got it out of there was a miracle in itself. I literally spent an hour and a half muscling my way along, cursing and swearing that I was never going to do this again.
Then, after I decided to use my brain instead of my brawn, I somehow cultivated an idea that showed promise. And although I didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t break any speed records, the wheel was out and sitting on a plastic tarp just in time for me to take a break for lunch.
The remainder of the day was spent disassembling, scrubbing and generally cleaning as much of the wheel that I could (sans areas where the algae is cultivated.) before it was placed in a Rubbermaid trash bucket filled with tank water to keep it wet until I finished everything else up.
After that is was just a matter of scrubbing down the inside of the acrylic filter compartment, removing the bioballs and eggcrate and siphoning any detritus in the bottom of the filter.
The eggcrate and Matala was inspected for any aiptasia and those that were found were injected with straight Strontium via an insulin syringe. (Still missed quite a few though)
The nice thing was I really didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t have to have the filter offline all that long as it still moves water without the wheel assembly in place. I merely shut it down while scrubbing and siphoning the interior and then turned it back on while I was dinking with everything else.
I made the decision to not put the bioballs back into the filter as they were pretty packed with aiptasia and I really didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t want to take the time to try and eradicate them without killing the bacteria and any other benneficial organisms. So I just tossed them in the rubbermaid trash can for safe keeping. (Running the filter w/o the bioballs is giving me a small amount of microbubbles in both of the tanks, but itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s not really something that appears to bother much of anything. In all honesty, you really have to get up pretty close to see them at all. But yes, theyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re there if you look hard enough.)
After everything was back together (only took 45 minutes this time to get the wheel assembly back in) I swapped out both PC quads above the EcoWheel for a couple fresh bulbs and did a 50 gal H20 change before calling it a day.
One thing that I want to note is during all of this I had the opportunity to inspect the wheel bearings for wear and other than a couple scratches that I wrote off as being caused from an errant grain of sand or two, there is no visible signs of wear. However, I did find a pretty good buildup of sludge/slime on the inside of the uplift tube which no doubt is probably something that is pretty consistant throughout the rest of the pipes. Most of you know what Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m talking about - that brown coating that you can see when you dissemble you piping. So, as much as it was somethng I expected, it was still a bit disheartening to see it in person and know that it was putting a dent into my overall flow numbers.
The next several days were spent scrubbing and vaccumming all the influent/effluent boxes as well as the inside of the tanks themselves to remove all the accumulated crud that had built up over the past year. I thne did another water change and added a cannister filter filled with carbon.
After everything was said and done, the Xenia growing up the side wall was gone, as were the 2 large Sarcophytons (Toadstool leathers) that were just getting too large for the space that was available. So I found them a new home with some trusted friends. A bunch of other smaller misc. pieces that just never really seemed to fit in with the game plan also went home with my neighbor.
I made the decision to break up one of the orange Montiââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s, mounting the 3 pieces in various locations throughout the tank.
I also ordered some of the new IceCap reflectors for my T5 lights and swappped out the TEKââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s that were on there previously. I really like these new reflectors and from what I can tell, they are every bit comparable to the TEKââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s with an added plus of a really simple, but trick bracket on both ends that is designed to reinforce the reflector and reduce the twisting and flexing.
While the canopy was off for the reflector swap I took the opportunity to clean my MH pendants, reflectors, glass shields, fans etc. I also added another coat of polyurethane to areas that were looking a little beat up from all the salt exposure.
Also got around to finishing up all the leftovers in the Reef cabinet (misc carpeting, wire wraps, replaced batteries in lamp timers, etc.) including retrofitting my IceCap 660 ballast into the spare Sunlight Supply ballast box that I aquired the beginning of the year. Although it turned out to be several hours of work, it was a pretty straight forward DIY that gives me 3 matching ballast boxes inside my stand and eliminates the ghetto mess I initially tossed together to get the T5ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s up and running.
I did run into a pretty significant problem while crawling around under the middle cabinet - it seems that I missted 1 very important glue joint afterall. Specifically, one of the joints that feeds directly into the air injection site on the uplift. And of course, much to Mr. Murphyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s enjoyment, I discover this the day after I had drained, cleaned and refilled the filter box. So, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m now between a rock and a hard place because as soon as I seperate the joint the airflow comes to a screaching halt allowing the water to come racing down out of the filter that sits directly above, or either of the two tanks that feed the uplift. Been studying the situation for the last several days trying to come up with a way to glue it together without flooding my nicely carpeted cabinet. think Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m going to have to keep working on this one for a while
The lowlight tank took another step foward as I received a quote last week for the new project that is in the works. Of course it also came with the caveat that he is extremely backed up due to some approaching deadlines and employees that are off due to illness. But promises were made that I would be happy with the results if I was willing to be patient. So, the saga of the tank that just ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œwonââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t beââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ appears to be forever ongoing.
FWIW, I currently have one of the new IceCap 70w MH pendants on order for this tank to see what kind of point source lighting I can get without pounding the tank with massive amouts of light. Itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s supposed to be here is another week or so, so Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll have to wait and see how it looks. From what Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m reading on the initial testing, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s supposed to pack a pretty good punch, but throw a relatively narrow spread of light. Apparently, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s caught the attention of the nano tank folks who think it has merit for their smaller tanks.
Other than that, the system is looking really good on itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s one year anniversary and Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m currently shopping for a few last ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œmust haveââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ corals or gorgs to fill in some of the last remaining spaces. kijnda hard to believe itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s only been a year and Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m extremely close to being out of room.
Also, as I write this Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m looking back on all the time and money that I have put into this project, along with all the work Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve accomplished and all the custom stuff that Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve had to fabricate and I canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t help but wonder.....
Made the most of my vacation last week and spent a good deal of time working on the tank.
I somehow managed to get the wheel assembly up and out of the filter box and all I have to say is.....
Not again anytime soon sports fans!!!!!!
Just the fact I got it out of there was a miracle in itself. I literally spent an hour and a half muscling my way along, cursing and swearing that I was never going to do this again.
Then, after I decided to use my brain instead of my brawn, I somehow cultivated an idea that showed promise. And although I didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t break any speed records, the wheel was out and sitting on a plastic tarp just in time for me to take a break for lunch.
The remainder of the day was spent disassembling, scrubbing and generally cleaning as much of the wheel that I could (sans areas where the algae is cultivated.) before it was placed in a Rubbermaid trash bucket filled with tank water to keep it wet until I finished everything else up.
After that is was just a matter of scrubbing down the inside of the acrylic filter compartment, removing the bioballs and eggcrate and siphoning any detritus in the bottom of the filter.
The eggcrate and Matala was inspected for any aiptasia and those that were found were injected with straight Strontium via an insulin syringe. (Still missed quite a few though)
The nice thing was I really didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t have to have the filter offline all that long as it still moves water without the wheel assembly in place. I merely shut it down while scrubbing and siphoning the interior and then turned it back on while I was dinking with everything else.
I made the decision to not put the bioballs back into the filter as they were pretty packed with aiptasia and I really didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t want to take the time to try and eradicate them without killing the bacteria and any other benneficial organisms. So I just tossed them in the rubbermaid trash can for safe keeping. (Running the filter w/o the bioballs is giving me a small amount of microbubbles in both of the tanks, but itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s not really something that appears to bother much of anything. In all honesty, you really have to get up pretty close to see them at all. But yes, theyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re there if you look hard enough.)
After everything was back together (only took 45 minutes this time to get the wheel assembly back in) I swapped out both PC quads above the EcoWheel for a couple fresh bulbs and did a 50 gal H20 change before calling it a day.
One thing that I want to note is during all of this I had the opportunity to inspect the wheel bearings for wear and other than a couple scratches that I wrote off as being caused from an errant grain of sand or two, there is no visible signs of wear. However, I did find a pretty good buildup of sludge/slime on the inside of the uplift tube which no doubt is probably something that is pretty consistant throughout the rest of the pipes. Most of you know what Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m talking about - that brown coating that you can see when you dissemble you piping. So, as much as it was somethng I expected, it was still a bit disheartening to see it in person and know that it was putting a dent into my overall flow numbers.
The next several days were spent scrubbing and vaccumming all the influent/effluent boxes as well as the inside of the tanks themselves to remove all the accumulated crud that had built up over the past year. I thne did another water change and added a cannister filter filled with carbon.
After everything was said and done, the Xenia growing up the side wall was gone, as were the 2 large Sarcophytons (Toadstool leathers) that were just getting too large for the space that was available. So I found them a new home with some trusted friends. A bunch of other smaller misc. pieces that just never really seemed to fit in with the game plan also went home with my neighbor.
I made the decision to break up one of the orange Montiââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s, mounting the 3 pieces in various locations throughout the tank.
I also ordered some of the new IceCap reflectors for my T5 lights and swappped out the TEKââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s that were on there previously. I really like these new reflectors and from what I can tell, they are every bit comparable to the TEKââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s with an added plus of a really simple, but trick bracket on both ends that is designed to reinforce the reflector and reduce the twisting and flexing.
While the canopy was off for the reflector swap I took the opportunity to clean my MH pendants, reflectors, glass shields, fans etc. I also added another coat of polyurethane to areas that were looking a little beat up from all the salt exposure.
Also got around to finishing up all the leftovers in the Reef cabinet (misc carpeting, wire wraps, replaced batteries in lamp timers, etc.) including retrofitting my IceCap 660 ballast into the spare Sunlight Supply ballast box that I aquired the beginning of the year. Although it turned out to be several hours of work, it was a pretty straight forward DIY that gives me 3 matching ballast boxes inside my stand and eliminates the ghetto mess I initially tossed together to get the T5ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s up and running.
I did run into a pretty significant problem while crawling around under the middle cabinet - it seems that I missted 1 very important glue joint afterall. Specifically, one of the joints that feeds directly into the air injection site on the uplift. And of course, much to Mr. Murphyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s enjoyment, I discover this the day after I had drained, cleaned and refilled the filter box. So, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m now between a rock and a hard place because as soon as I seperate the joint the airflow comes to a screaching halt allowing the water to come racing down out of the filter that sits directly above, or either of the two tanks that feed the uplift. Been studying the situation for the last several days trying to come up with a way to glue it together without flooding my nicely carpeted cabinet. think Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m going to have to keep working on this one for a while
The lowlight tank took another step foward as I received a quote last week for the new project that is in the works. Of course it also came with the caveat that he is extremely backed up due to some approaching deadlines and employees that are off due to illness. But promises were made that I would be happy with the results if I was willing to be patient. So, the saga of the tank that just ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œwonââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t beââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ appears to be forever ongoing.
FWIW, I currently have one of the new IceCap 70w MH pendants on order for this tank to see what kind of point source lighting I can get without pounding the tank with massive amouts of light. Itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s supposed to be here is another week or so, so Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll have to wait and see how it looks. From what Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m reading on the initial testing, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s supposed to pack a pretty good punch, but throw a relatively narrow spread of light. Apparently, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s caught the attention of the nano tank folks who think it has merit for their smaller tanks.
Other than that, the system is looking really good on itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s one year anniversary and Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m currently shopping for a few last ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œmust haveââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ corals or gorgs to fill in some of the last remaining spaces. kijnda hard to believe itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s only been a year and Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m extremely close to being out of room.
Also, as I write this Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m looking back on all the time and money that I have put into this project, along with all the work Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve accomplished and all the custom stuff that Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve had to fabricate and I canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t help but wonder.....
My god, what on earth was I thinking???
So until the next update, here are a few pics of everything after all the maintenance was finshed and everything was all back together......
Brett
So until the next update, here are a few pics of everything after all the maintenance was finshed and everything was all back together......
Brett
Here's a really nice rock I stumbled across while at the LFS one day. One of those in the right place at the right time sort of things.
And here's a shot of my purple-tipped acro growing into my plating montipora. Coral agression is really a pretty cool thing... first the Monti bleaches a 1/8" or so amount of tissue along the adjacent edge and then a week or so later the skeleton has just dissolved to allow the acro the space it needs. The acro is literally dissolving the montipora skeleton as it advances. Which so far, appears to be acceptable with the Monti who just keep growing in every other direction except towards it's neighbor.
A nice straight on shot of the tank taken with full lighting and no flash.
And the same angle wih the flash
And one at an angle with flash
Closeup of left side showing some additions and changes
If for no other reason than I think it's a nice shot of my bubble.
And lastly, the tank with a peek at the (almost) finished cabinet
And here's a shot of my purple-tipped acro growing into my plating montipora. Coral agression is really a pretty cool thing... first the Monti bleaches a 1/8" or so amount of tissue along the adjacent edge and then a week or so later the skeleton has just dissolved to allow the acro the space it needs. The acro is literally dissolving the montipora skeleton as it advances. Which so far, appears to be acceptable with the Monti who just keep growing in every other direction except towards it's neighbor.
A nice straight on shot of the tank taken with full lighting and no flash.
And the same angle wih the flash
And one at an angle with flash
Closeup of left side showing some additions and changes
If for no other reason than I think it's a nice shot of my bubble.
And lastly, the tank with a peek at the (almost) finished cabinet
picture the reef
New member
Brett, which bulbs did you replace the PC's in the wheel tank with? Brand, Color temp, etc.?
Chris still had some CSL's in stock so I had him send me 4 of the 10k's
I originally started out with 10's because CSL goofed and shipped my unit with those instead of the 5500's. Once Chris got some 55's he sent me some of those, but after I put 2 of those in I started losing all of the green algae in favor of that short red velvet stuff which was slower growing and harder to harvest.
So... I'm now mixing 1 5500 with 1 10,000 and so far that seems to be working well.
Also, FWIW, from a side by side comparison as I was switching them out the quads lose a lot of intensity after about 6 months which is how long the ones I was taking out had been in there.
Brett
I originally started out with 10's because CSL goofed and shipped my unit with those instead of the 5500's. Once Chris got some 55's he sent me some of those, but after I put 2 of those in I started losing all of the green algae in favor of that short red velvet stuff which was slower growing and harder to harvest.
So... I'm now mixing 1 5500 with 1 10,000 and so far that seems to be working well.
Also, FWIW, from a side by side comparison as I was switching them out the quads lose a lot of intensity after about 6 months which is how long the ones I was taking out had been in there.
Brett
picture the reef
New member
Brett, very interesting since the first ones I got were the 7100/ 10k combination lamps. All I have ever had was the reddish algae. Where did your starter algae screen come from. Mine came from IA and when I asked about replacing the bulb the 5500's were suggested to me. What do you think?
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