A Reef Tank in the Desert - +/- 1,400 gallon system
- Thread starter danfeig
- Start date
danfeig
.Registered Member
Such an awful storyWe're getting some rain this morning finally, hopefully it's giving the firefighters some help.
Brett, I am glad that I missed the 113 degree weather! Hopefully the monsoons haven't been too bad!
danfeig
.Registered Member
My Big Scare #!
My Big Scare #!
So three weeks of being gone is almost up and it hasn't been without a few glitches/scares.
Last week, I get woken up by my house sitter at 12:30, 9:30 PM Tucson time that my skimmer had been going a little nuts. My Skimmate Locker Bucket filled up 2 1/2 gallons since it was emptied the previous day. She adjusted the skimmer as I had showed her and then started looking for a culprit.
She then noticed my large Bubble Coral was all deflated... I called Dan & Justin to let them know and see if they could come by the following morning. Well, Dan called up my house sitter who sounded absolutely panicked that something was wrong. The next thing I know, Dan & Justin are making a late night house call.
It was nothing, although I had difficulty falling asleep for a few hours...
A Turbo Snail must have knocked over the bubble and mixed up the sand. Which in turn send the skimmer a little amuck. Dan & Justin placed the bubble in the sand upright and it began to open back up (inflate) immediately.
They emptied the skimmers, checked all my parameters and I was good to go!
My Big Scare #!
So three weeks of being gone is almost up and it hasn't been without a few glitches/scares.
Last week, I get woken up by my house sitter at 12:30, 9:30 PM Tucson time that my skimmer had been going a little nuts. My Skimmate Locker Bucket filled up 2 1/2 gallons since it was emptied the previous day. She adjusted the skimmer as I had showed her and then started looking for a culprit.
She then noticed my large Bubble Coral was all deflated... I called Dan & Justin to let them know and see if they could come by the following morning. Well, Dan called up my house sitter who sounded absolutely panicked that something was wrong. The next thing I know, Dan & Justin are making a late night house call.
It was nothing, although I had difficulty falling asleep for a few hours...
A Turbo Snail must have knocked over the bubble and mixed up the sand. Which in turn send the skimmer a little amuck. Dan & Justin placed the bubble in the sand upright and it began to open back up (inflate) immediately.
They emptied the skimmers, checked all my parameters and I was good to go!
danfeig
.Registered Member
My Big Scare #2
My Big Scare #2
So the weather in Tucson has been really hot and humid the past couple of weeks. Real hot, 113 degrees hot!
All of a sudden my new (one month old) A/C system in the fish room has not been working as well. I kid you not! Last week my low temperature in the fish room was 75 degrees, this week the low has been 78.3 and a high of 82. The fish tank temperature has hit 80.6.
My house sitter ended up having the A/C contractors over to house twice this week and this afternoon it was decided that they need to install a larger system. So Friday morning, they will be back out installing a much larger Mini-Split that will actually shut off when the proper temperatures are met. This will prevent my system from running all the time which should bring down my electric bills too.
My Big Scare #2
So the weather in Tucson has been really hot and humid the past couple of weeks. Real hot, 113 degrees hot!
All of a sudden my new (one month old) A/C system in the fish room has not been working as well. I kid you not! Last week my low temperature in the fish room was 75 degrees, this week the low has been 78.3 and a high of 82. The fish tank temperature has hit 80.6.
My house sitter ended up having the A/C contractors over to house twice this week and this afternoon it was decided that they need to install a larger system. So Friday morning, they will be back out installing a much larger Mini-Split that will actually shut off when the proper temperatures are met. This will prevent my system from running all the time which should bring down my electric bills too.
Osteoclast
New member
I probably would have flown home after Big Scare 1 let alone 2. It is a good thing you have a strong team at home. I would consider a bonus for all concerned! Happy 4th!
danfeig
.Registered Member
Believe me, I tossed and turned until I knew things were okay.
danfeig
.Registered Member
It always happens when you are on vacation. Too bad, your internet connection doesn't allow for a webcam. Leave an Ipad for the house sitter and do face time to check on things.
Thanks! That is a great idea. I will have to consider that next time! Which is only 10 days from now!
danfeig
.Registered Member
I did!
They put in a larger system on Friday and it seems to be working great! I have the room temperature set at 71 degrees and my tank is staying between 75-77. The nice thing about this unit is that it shuts off when the temperature is reached.
I am having a few other issues with the tank that I will try to update everyone on tonight!
laabcbigbee
New member
I am sure it is in this thread somewhere, and I apologize now for not being able to find it, but what are the current dimensions of your fish room? Also, what features would you have if you were planning on building a new one?
Thank You
Thank You
That is a good thing.
If it is a smaller separate unit you may consider leaving the fan on "ON". that will keep the air moving around the room instead of slowly building up/down when the unit is not running.
Most people think in the "ON" position that it will not cycle, but the cycle of AC/HEAT is separate from the fan position.
jjk_reef00
New member
Glad you got the AC fixed because it is really hot out there!
Can you tell us more about the new unit you are getting?
I would love to know the unit, size, and any other specifics about why your AC guy thinks this will work better. Did they consider a second AC system instead of a mini-split (I know that may not be possible because of ductwork)?
Can you tell us more about the new unit you are getting?
I would love to know the unit, size, and any other specifics about why your AC guy thinks this will work better. Did they consider a second AC system instead of a mini-split (I know that may not be possible because of ductwork)?
danfeig
.Registered Member
Thanks Ericd000!
Absolutely! Use whatever ideas or processes as you see fit! If you have any questions or need to bounce an idea off me, don't hesitate!
danfeig
.Registered Member
My Fish Room is just over 200SF. It was my wife's office before I took it over. If I was to design a new house and properly plan out a fish room, it would probably be 300 - 400 SF. It would be designed with plumbing, drains, more dedicated circuits, exhaust fans, a couple grounding rods, built in shelving, tiled walls...
danfeig
.Registered Member
Thanks guys!
Worm, the fan is always running and the A/C cycles on and off. I am still trying to dial in the temperature on the unit to keep the tank between 75-77.5. I've been going back and forth between 70-72 degrees for the room temperature.
Ed, I never did consider adding a second unit. The mini split is a ductless unit per say. The blower is in the room and the condenser is on the roof. It is a Mitsubishi unit that I believe is rated for 800-1000 SF. We went with the larger size so that it would not be running all of the time. It works amazing!
My wife has even been going in the Fish Room after being outside as it is the coolest room in the house!
jjk_reef00
New member
That is funny, next thing you know she will be decorating it for you!
o2manyfish
o2manyfish
I see three bags.. A trio of Interruptus ?
