Addiction wins, 450 gallon system begins

[vessxpress1]

"Plus I'm trying to decide whether I should run with a clean, black background or let the pink stuff fly? Dunno...."


This has got to be a tough decision. I'm amazed by anybody who can keep their glass perfectly clean to keep the black background showing, but I don't think I could even keep it clear on my 38. It would take so much time. I couldn't even imagine on something like this!! I struggle to keep the front clean.

Like has been said, if it's better for the tank, maybe just save yourself the time and aggravation and let it fly. This tank is/will be amazing either way. Awesome set up. Great work.

 

[Hop]

vessxpress1: Thanks... I don't know, I look at Weatherson's tank and really like how clean it looks

jnarowe: I started the website when I used to have time:lol:

I did snap some pics, but they are pretty boring. No fancy reactors, chillers and it looks as though I need more knobs and gate valves strategically placed so the room looks important But this really is a simple set up designed with volume in mind to ease the amount of time spent on the tank...

So, I'll give a run down on how things work, in case anyone really wanted to know

Here is the MRC 50 +/- gallon sump. The 2" you see on the right side is where the tank drains into the sump. The tank is about 24 linear feet away from the sump. In the same chamber as the water drains from the tank, is the intake for the skimmer. I got my PCX-55 fixed and am currently running it for my MRC MR3 Skimmer. There is a heater that I've never plugged in and the gravity fed top off float is seen on the left. I use a Blue Line pump pressure rate pump for my return. The DJ power center is use to turn the pumps on and off and power the quarantine tank when it is being used.

Next up is an MRC MR-3 skimmer. I've upgraded the air intake, added a u-tube mod in the skimmer body and added a 12" riser. So far this thing rocks! I do have a second beckett that I'm going to be adding and replacing the PCX-55 pump with something closer to 1700 GPH @ 4' of head. This will likely take place in the next six months as the tank get more corals.

Here is the cheap, but handy wetroom sink. The RO/DI is a 100 GPD unit bought from RC's own melev. Great little unit. I fill my 44 gallon RO/DI storage tank about one to two times a week. I have the parts to automate the RO/DI. but thought that if I did that. I might not go into the wetroom enough to check on things.

This is my redneck RO/DI and SW storage system. Again, nothing fancy and no pumps. The RO/DI unit fills the top 44 gallon Brute and there is a float switch on it to keep from flooding. On the backside of the bottom of the top Brute is the RO bulkhead which gravity feeds top off water to the sump. The lower Brute is the SW mixing container. Just a few twists of the ball valves and I can fill the lower Brute. Then add salt and a 330 GPH powerhead keeps everything stirring around. I can also turn the ball valves and get salt water or RO/DI at anytime to fill what ever needs to be filled.

Last is a top-down pic of the 100 gallon refugium. Not too much to this except about 100 lbs of live rock and a couple wads of cheato. I keep one ball of cheato in a floating basket near the lights and a second I just let grow where ever it wants to go

 

[jnarowe]

Nice to have all that head room in your fish room. I can't get so much stacked up. Where did you get the floating basket? That's a great idea. Skimmer looks great, if a little too clean. I should probably be cleaning mine more! I am thinking about installing a wet neck wash down system...yes, laziness is the mother of invention. Sump is too clean BTW. Who do you think you are, melev???

 

[Hop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7409788#post7409788 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
Nice to have all that head room in your fish room. I can't get so much stacked up. Where did you get the floating basket? That's a great idea. Skimmer looks great, if a little too clean. I should probably be cleaning mine more! I am thinking about installing a wet neck wash down system...yes, laziness is the mother of invention. Sump is too clean BTW. Who do you think you are, melev???

Yeah, the ceiling in the garage is 10', so that made things nice. It helped me shrink the footprint of the room. knowing I could go up.

I stole the floating basket from the kitchen. It was actually just a plastic strainer that had a nice hollow lip on it. I think the wife got it from Wal-Mart or Target...

I was actually thinking that the sump and skimmer were dirty Skimmer is definitely getting cleaned later today and the sump will get a good sponge bath tomorrow or next weekend when I do a water change

And no, I'm not melev. He knows what he is doing... I'm just riding on a wing and a really big prayer:crazy1:

 

[melev]

Very nice review of your equipment.

If you want to install a Neilsen reactor, please consider setting it up to drip into the system rather than be your auto top off. If the auto top off ever goes crazy and does add non-stop kalkwasser, you'll have serious issues as pH will sky rocket. I'm thinking about adding one myself, but will just let it drip in the tank to raise pH a point or two during the summer. I'm still on the fence about it, but I know it won't be tied into my top off system.

 

[Hop]

melev: So not knowing exactly how these things work, could I, in theory;

Use a 5 gallon bucket filled with RO/DI gravity fed to the reactor and then feed the sump (bear with me here). In reading the instructions on the unit it said that the more often the solution is stirred, the more potent the output... So for instance, could I stir the mix more frequently, use less water and still maintain the calcium level I desire, while only filling the bucket maybe one to two time a week... And then rely on my current system for top off, or is this stretching it?

 

[Hop]

Fooling around:

 

[jnarowe]

Wow! Much better. I can't wait to try it out. There are some good photography links/articles on melev's site BTW.

 

[jgsensor]

If your skimmer a sump are dirty, I must be in trouble.

 

[jnarowe]

:lol:

 

[Hop]

Whew, Ok so I just came in from cleaning my skimmer, what did I miss:eek1:

jgsensor "If your skimmer a sump are dirty, I must be in trouble."

jnarowe " :lol: "

Guess I'll leave the sump til next week

 

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7409985#post7409985 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hop
melev: So not knowing exactly how these things work, could I, in theory;

Use a 5 gallon bucket filled with RO/DI gravity fed to the reactor and then feed the sump (bear with me here). In reading the instructions on the unit it said that the more often the solution is stirred, the more potent the output... So for instance, could I stir the mix more frequently, use less water and still maintain the calcium level I desire, while only filling the bucket maybe one to two time a week... And then rely on my current system for top off, or is this stretching it?

Yes, that would work fine. Your Neilsen reactor should only turn on for 1 minute every 12 hours. If you are dripping it, it really shouldn't be a problem. Be sure to get a needle valve to control the drip precisely. Brent Barr (BarrAquatics) recommends this. That is how I'll set up mine if I do so.

I'm not even sure if I would have it running 24/7 or mainly only at night perhaps. And if so, how would I regulate when it drips and doesn't drip without my interaction daily?

 

[Hop]

Well now that my Devil's hand is doing pretty well... My GSPs are acting up. They didn't come out at all on Monday and since then only a few have come out and then every so often, the few that are out, retract. I've been looking to see if something is bothering them, but everything seems fine...

I don't know, I was planning on running to the new store this weekend and doing some serious shopping, but I may wait and make sure everything is OK in the tank first... So far everything is testing normal

 

[Toddrtrex]

I wouldn't be too concerned about the GSP just yet. The few I still have left do that from time to time. They are one of the hardiest corals I have ever had. Back in the day, I bought some, along with a fish. It was winter time, I guess I didn't have the heat on enough in the car. The fish didn't make it. (the water was really cold) I still placed the GSP in the tank. A week later, they were all open, none the worse.

 

[Dudester]

I've been wondering the same thing about GSPs, Hop. Mine "act up" as well. They'll often go several days without extending despite stable water conditions, then for no good reason they'll re-emerge. I can't tell you why it happens, but I can tell you that as long as the purple base material appears healthy and is not shedding, the polyps will return.

 

[Hop]

Whew, That's good to hear! Everything has been so stable since the start I thought something was going downhill. I thought I read somewhere that Xena and GSP are a good indicator as to system health as they are the first to show signs... Maybe I am mistaken, I've read so much in the last few years it's a big blur at times

Thanks!

 

[Dudester]

Todd, we must have posted nearly simultaneously. I guess by "hardest" you intended to say "hardiest" eh?

 

[Toddrtrex]

Whatever are you talking about, looks fine to me


(thanks, love the edit feature)

 

[Hop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7433417#post7433417 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
Whatever are you talking about, looks fine to me


(thanks, love the edit feature)

Don't tell him about non the worse... He might change that too

 

[Toddrtrex]

LOL dang it. Spell check doesn't seem to find words that were spelled correctly but make no sense.