Basement Remodel... Ohh & a 320+ Gallon - 96x30x26 In-Wall SPS Tank

[KniLLifer]

Yes I agree.. She won.

Very nice...

What is the level now?

How are all the other levels?

Did you do any bacteria in a bottle?

Hi worm.

As soon as the tank was filled I used 64oz of Dr. Tim's one and only nitrating bacteria and dumped in 5 Chromis, (1) looked a little beat up when I got him home and unfortunately perished on Day 5. I monitored my Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrate for 2 weeks and below are my results: (I'm still testing twice a week but the results are stable at 0 for most parameters).



I since added (3) yellow tangs (3) Pajama Cardinal and a pair or ORA Black Picasso Clowns. Everything is doing great aside from a slight brown fuzzy algae on the rocks. The GFO is keeping up with the PO4 which I still think is leaching out of the rock hence the algae is only growing on the rocks.

I will post my equipment room updates later today as well as some more pictures (better pictures).

Thanks,

 

[worm5406]

How is your lighting and schedule?

 

[Oldude]

I filled the tank which took 3 days (400 Gallons almost to a T) and had my wife aquascape the left side and I did the right side. She won!

I like the way the aquascape looks different throughout. It should make for a cool 'coralcsape' once it has grown in.

 

[Newbie Aquarist]

Your wife may have won the aquascape challenge but not by very much. When all that coral grows in, wooooooooooooooooooo that's gonna be a sick tank.

 

[KniLLifer]

How is your lighting and schedule?

This has been an evolving subject. Im still getting use to the Reefbreeder LED's and cant seem to find a sweet spot. I have the urge to crank them up but I have bleached some of my SPS even running at 60% Blue and 20% white. I have since the frags down or over away from being directly over the fixtures. Its seemed to help and they are starting to get their color back. These lights are very strong and spotty. You have to be careful of SPS placement.

Currently, I'm running the following schedule:

 

[KniLLifer]

I like the way the aquascape looks different throughout. It should make for a cool 'coralcsape' once it has grown in.

Thank you, my wife has always done a great job with all my tanks. What made aquaskaping difficult is the fact that I don't have front access to the tank. Everything has to be done from the back. Its hard to tell if it looks good unti you climb down and go around to the front. Kind of a PITA if you know what I mean.

 

[KniLLifer]

Temperature + Winter + Electrica Heaters = $$$

Temperature + Winter + Electrica Heaters = $$$

Well, As you know I'm in Michigan and the tank is in the basement. I have been battling high electric bills since the tank came online. I have (2) 500 Watt heats that run 13 Hrs a day to keep the tank at 76 degrees. You can do the math but that' about $60 per / moth just to heat the tank.

I have been looking into using a closed loop hot water tank system and thanks to some local reefers I made the plunge and installed it last weekend. It consists of picking up a hot supply line somewhere in your house, running it through a solenoid valve (on / off control) then a recirculating pump through a coil of PEX in your sump and back to the drain of the Hot Water Tank.

When I had the electric heaters, on average they would turn on for 75 minutes to heat the water from 76.0 to 77. It would take roughly 50 minutes for the tank to cool back down to 76 and the cycle would start again. I don't have my apex graphs saved showing this but that was the norm. I installed the hot water loop and the 2 Watt Solenoid valve and the Watts recirculating pump turn on for 6 minutes twice an hour and keep the tank steady at 76.8 degrees.
My Apex PM2 module and second temp probe should be here this week so that I can monitor the display tank temperate as well as the sump temperature.

I'll have to see my next electric and gas bill and will post my estimated saving here.

Here are some pictures:



Fish Room:


Solenoid Valve and Watts Pump:


Coil:


Let me know what you think.



Here is my fish room:

 

[dave.m]

Way too clean and tidy. I'm afraid I just can't relate.

Dave.M

 

[eb2292]

This build is freaking awesome.

 

[rickcasa]

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This corner to me is incredibly clever. So well thought out and such excellent use of space.
Please, please give more details and parts list of your heating system. Oh, and the rest of the build...genius!
I will be diligently following and thx for sharing!

 

[Spectre2006]

What are your PH's running at, Mine is in my basement as well and close to furnace, high CO2, low O2, PH's stay in 7.9 or lower, helps when I open windows but cant do it in single digit temps outside.

 

[2k3sgm]

Spectre,
If you can get the air intake of your skimmer drawing from outside. I had pH troubles until I did this. My sump is also in the basement and my pH is now consistently 8.2 - 8.4.

Knillifer,
Build looks real nice and welcome to the recirculated hot water tank heater club. When I did it there was no change in the gas bill, you figure the water heater is going to keep that tank of water warm regardless if anyone uses it. May as well use that stored energy to heat the tank.

Brian

 

[Spectre2006]

Spectre,
If you can get the air intake of your skimmer drawing from outside. I had pH troubles until I did this. My sump is also in the basement and my pH is now consistently 8.2 - 8.4.

Knillifer,
Build looks real nice and welcome to the recirculated hot water tank heater club. When I did it there was no change in the gas bill, you figure the water heater is going to keep that tank of water warm regardless if anyone uses it. May as well use that stored energy to heat the tank.

Brian

Whats the diameter of the line your running outside. If too small the skimmer runs into issues. The basement drops in temp real fast when even a small slit is opened for the line.

Can you post a pic?

Chris

 

[KniLLifer]

What are your PH's running at, Mine is in my basement as well and close to furnace, high CO2, low O2, PH's stay in 7.9 or lower, helps when I open windows but cant do it in single digit temps outside.

My PH fluctuates between 8.1 night and 8.2 day. No issues there. I'm at the opposite side of the basement from the furnace room.

 

[Spectre2006]

My PH fluctuates between 8.1 night and 8.2 day. No issues there. I'm at the opposite side of the basement from the furnace room.

A wall divides the unfinished and finished portion of basement, the sump is in with the furnace for mine.

 

[KniLLifer]

Spectre,
If you can get the air intake of your skimmer drawing from outside. I had pH troubles until I did this. My sump is also in the basement and my pH is now consistently 8.2 - 8.4.

Knillifer,
Build looks real nice and welcome to the recirculated hot water tank heater club. When I did it there was no change in the gas bill, you figure the water heater is going to keep that tank of water warm regardless if anyone uses it. May as well use that stored energy to heat the tank.

Brian

Thanks Brian.

To add to the hot water tank subject, this is not just a winter savings for me. I think I will need to heat the tank all year round.
Aside from the LED's that don't put out much heat I don't have any other factors heating the water as all my pumps are external. My basement was a cool 68 to 70 degrees in the heat of the summer.

 

[KniLLifer]

What are your PH's running at, Mine is in my basement as well and close to furnace, high CO2, low O2, PH's stay in 7.9 or lower, helps when I open windows but cant do it in single digit temps outside.

I ran my 120 gallon tank at 7.8 to 7.9 PH for years. Are u seeing any issues or just would like the PH to be in the 8's?

I wouldn't focus too much as long as u are in the 7.8's and up.

 

[Mrbh22]

I love the fish room. Are the white backround panels removable? So you can enjoy the tank while you are in thr fish room as well

 

[KniLLifer]

I love the fish room. Are the white backround panels removable? So you can enjoy the tank while you are in thr fish room as well

Yes they are Velcro'ed to the tank trim and the back is painted black which gives me nice textured black back ground in the tank.

 

[KniLLifer]

This corner to me is incredibly clever. So well thought out and such excellent use of space.
Please, please give more details and parts list of your heating system. Oh, and the rest of the build...genius!
I will be diligently following and thx for sharing!

Ahh, fellow Canuck, Go Leafs!!

Parts list of heating system:
-(1) Watts Brass & Tubular 500-800 Hot Water Recirculating Pump
-(1) 110V Normally Closed Water/Air/Gas Solenoid Valave - ebay it!
-(1) 100 foot roll of 1/2" pex water suppluy line
-(?) Fittings to tie into a hot supply copper line already in the house. (Best would be furthest from the Hot Water Tank) so that you have hot water at those far fossits where you have to run them for 2 minutes to get hot water.
-(?) Fittings to tie back into the drain of your hot water tank. You will have to remove the current spiggot thats there and T into it.
-(?) Fittings to adapt to the Watts pump and solenoid valve from your supply line.
-(?) Fittings to go from copper to PEX. I used Shark Bite push lock fittings.
-Contoller to turn the solenoid valve and pump on/off at the same time within a 0.1 degree interval.
-Some way to make an efficiant coil out of the PEX. I used (3) x 1" ID x 8" long PVC pipe that I drilled 5/8" holes in 1 inch apart and pulled my PEX line through each hole, one at a time to make a coil. Wear gloves and be patient as this was the most difficult part. I have 8 loops of PEX x 18" diamater which = 38 feet.
-Pipe inslulate the whole assembly to save heat loss.
-(1 or 2) Friends where at least (1) is a pipe fitter to help you sweat some copper and lots of beer.

Cheers, PM me if you would like more details.

You can always search for Hot Water Tank Closed Loop Heat Reef and find more theads on it.

Thanks for looking