BobbyV's Marineland 300DD Starphire Project

[BobbyV]

I got some new treats via Fed Ex today - can't wait to buy another skimmer! Going with the Super Reef Octopus XP 5000 INT SSS.

250 Self Cleaning Head and Waste Container - the idea is to make this system as automated as possible - not need to wrestle the skimmer head off anymore - just empty the waste container every week or so. Easy -

I also went with the GEO 818 Calcium Reactor - I will pair the reactor up with a 20lb CO2 Tank and Plant Aquarium Digital Regulator - I am a big believer in setting it up and forgetting about it. In about 6 months I will probably need to refill the CO2 Tank and Replace check on the Calcium Extra Course Media - again keep it easy!

Placed behind the Calcium Reactor on a DIY stand is the Modular Refugium. A 30 gallon tank that I will drill on the very end and place a strainer and bulk head. Allowing gravity pour into the sump. This "pour" will be controlled by the reeflo dart pump through a separate line of the manifold. No over flooding possible - when the pump stops the pour stops! Pour is controlled by water flow from the line into the refugeium.

Once in a while I will scoop a cup out of pods and pour into the main display and watch the wrasse go crazy!!

 

[BobbyV]

I have completed the manifold. So far I have successfully connected the Bio Pellet Reactor and the Jumbo Carbon Reactor.

The far end to the left - this open connection will go directly the chiller and the chiller return will drop into the modular refuge.

 

[BobbyV]

It has been a little while since I have posted to my build thread. Me and the new Mrs have been on Honeymoon after the wedding. We were in Italy & Greece. By the way, yes the food and wine is much better out there.

I have ordered and been delivered a few more items as a result of the Labor Day Sale 10% off extravaganza.

- Tunze Osomolator

- Neptune Apex with two Lab PH Probes which I will hook up to my local wireless internet connection for text message or email alerts.

- 9 30 pound bags of Tropic Eden Reef Flakes (I will use about 7 for the 300 DT and 2 extra bags for any type of future frag tank ideas. It was on sale and free shipping, why not buy a couple extra bags?)

- Reef Octopus XP 5000 SSS. (purchased on 09/02/12 still not drop shipped from Coral Vue - what is the hold up? :mad2

Pictures to post soon on all the new additions set up and mounted.

In addition - I was thinking of the best way to mount my three Radions over the tank. Current USA has these bent metal tubing solution that can be attached behind the tank which comes right over so the lights can eventually be suspended. Pretty good solution for $80 bucks I think. When you do the math, a tube roller is $40 and of course I would more than likely screw up the first bend in the learning curve orientation. Plus the details mentions mounting hardware accessories.

http://www.current-usa.com/accessories/hanging-kits

In regards to the Calcium Reactor, apparently it is recommended to put the return in area where it can "gas off". I am using the separate refugium idea which is perfect. All the excess CO2 will promote the Micro Algae to thrive keeping the slime by product contained in the refugium.

I am going to use 3 gallons of extra course ARM Calcium Media.

Still haven't purchased the CO2 Tank and regulator. However at the rate I am going, I am probably going to wait till the Monday after Thanks Giving Sale and buy the fancy Planted Aquarium Electronic model with the LCD 8 digit counter. Tank would need time to cycle and skimmer to be broken in by then anyway.

 

[rogergolf66]

Tagging

 

[Vpham97]

I have the hanging kit you linked in use in my room. You may want to try a different brand that's adjustable or roll and paint your own, especially with your deep dimension.

 

[BobbyV]

Thank you for the advice Vpham97 - I know what you mean - I may mod it a bit wider or further forward to the front of the tank. I just need to have it as a brace secured to the back so I can finally push back the tank against the wall and start adding the sand and water!!!

 

[BobbyV]

Installed the hanging brace. It was worth the money. Exceeded my expectations. The brace actually has a pully sysyem threaded in the inside of the metal tubing to adjust your slack.

In addition, I added the sand to the tank.

Reef Flakes or "Tonga Flakes" are worth all the hype you hear on the forum. The grain size is perfect for an SPS high flow tank. Also a few shades of pinks can be found in the batch. Very high quality athestically pleasing sand. This tank only took 5 30 lbs bags. I have 4 extra unopened stored away for future projects.

Pondering for about 15 minutes as to how to mount these massive power supplies and batter back ups from EcoTech. Came up with a rack/wall so that they are easy to access if one fails over time. What is nice about the battery back ups is that you can daisy chain them. So you only have to plug one into your power outlet to save on plug space.

I show only one Radion power supply mounted, I will mount the other two above this single example when I make the switch from the 120.

I only care about having power to the MP60's for flow if power goes out. Yes, I know I mounted them upside down. Makes the connections for easier access when I stuff in the GEO 818 Calcium Reactor and other MISC. Plus, keeps the connections high and dry.

 

[albano]

FWIW...IME...it should only take a few months (or less) for that check valve to be useless! Make sure you have enough room in the sump, to handle any backflow!

 

[BobbyV]

Thank you for your message Albano - however when you send out an opinion, please provide further details as to why you think so - so that other following along can learn. (including me).

Do you have experience in this particular check valve?? Appears to be very sturdy and highly recommended.

What does: "FWIW...IME..." Translate to??

 

[Postal]

What does: "FWIW...IME..." Translate to??

For What It's Worth...In My Experience

 

[albano]

For What It's Worth...In My Experience

correct

Thank you for your message Albano - however when you send out an opinion, please provide further details as to why you think so - so that other following along can learn. (including me).

Do you have experience in this particular check valve?? Appears to be very sturdy and highly recommended.

Yes I had those valves on my previous system...(if fact, since I'm a hoarder...I still have them sitting in my shop)
Within ~6 months, due to a power failure, they failed and my basement sump overflowed! I did open them up and clean them...but I never trusted them again. The 'return' water should have been the 'cleanest' water in the tank, but the tiniest bit of dirt/sediment was enough to stop/slow the valve from closing properly.

 

[BobbyV]

Hmmm please recommend a good check valve. I thought the piston type would actually provide the highest reliability.

 

[Nwest]

are you using these to stop flow coming back into the sump if power goes out? If so all I did was put 2 little holes in the the return pipe inside the tank so when water level drops it starts to suck air and breaks siphin and no more water. You can put it as high or as low as you want to set the level of water being let back into the sump. I can take pictures if need be to understand a little better...

 

[naterealbig]

Bobby - Unfortunately there is no such thing as a good check valve. There are 'better' or 'worse' but none that eventually wont fail. May not be tomorrow, next week, or this year, but trust and believe, it will eventually. Others have made very good recommendations regarding cautioning against the use of check valves. While there is not scientific evidence or proof that a check valve will fail 100% of the time, given enough anecdotal evidence, you can typically regard it as a rule.

Check valves, regardless of the brand, make, model, components, reviews, assembly process, or otherwise, CAN AND WILL FAIL. All that is up to the aquairum owner to decide, is how much time, money, and frustration they are willing to put forth to clean up the aftermath when they do.

Even siphon breaks can fail, and I have seen enough instances where I have stopped relying on them. The only way to be 100% safe, is to position your return appropriately, and ensure that your sump is large enough to contain the water draining back from the display in the event the return pump stops.

If you are still serious about relying on a check valve to prevent the water from overflowing the sump (which I and others will highly recommend against), then you should step it up a notch with the check valve. Bring the toys back to Home Depot or Lowe's, and stop by your nearest Pinch A Penny or Lesies. Ask them for a 1.5 inch, spring-loaded, swing style check valve, made by a company called Jandy. This is the best valve you can buy for this application, and will run you between $60 & $80. These can be taken apart easily for cleaning an parts replacement, and would be the only check valve I would even THINK about using.

Even these valves fail (Trust me, I replaced 3-5 a week while working as a pool equipment tech/installer) will require weekly dis-assembly and cleaning. Good luck.

 

[BobbyV]

Nice post Naterealbig - point well taken! Thank you Nwest for throwing in some good karma with the info.

Well - I guess I will be testing to see if my sump is big enough in a worst case scenario - if not - then I will be putting in a new sump.

I checked the water volume of each overflow chamber. I filled up the chamber half way and pulled out the drain pipe - it only fills up my sump 1.25 inches. So calculations, entire chamber is 2.5 inches. Rounding up to 3 inches to be conservative. Then if I experience complete disaster if both chambers completely empty = 6 inches. Throw in an extra inch for peace of mind = 7 inches of water raising in the sump based on a complete Armageddon. I simply will not let my water level raise higher than 7 inches in the sump under normal operation.

Finally I have my new booster pump on sending in fresh RO into the tank. Look at that stream! Computer reads 2 PPM going IN and 0 coming OUT!

Time to sit back and enjoy a couple of Germany's finest (Frosty cold that is)! :beer:

 

[naterealbig]

Bobby, I promise you will be happier in the long run. I don't recall exactly what your return looks like, but.... On my 150, I am running a return pump that pushes about 2000gph to the display after head loss, and drains into a 25 gallon ( I know, it's tiny for a 150 ) sump. All I had to do was adjust my return such that it was very close to the top of the water.

When the return pump turns off, it almost immediately sucks are in, and the siphon breaks. My sump level maybe raises 1.5 inches when the return is de-energized. It should be very easy to do with a larger sump, even with a bigger display tank. Keep up the good work.

I'm assuming the numbers you tested when draining the overflows are without the check valve in service? If so, you are already where you need to be.

 

[BobbyV]

Yep - no check valve in service during calculations. I am all dialed in. Thank you for the tip!

 

[BobbyV]

Keeping on track with the sump and new skimmer.

Finally the XP 5000 SSS came in - apparently I got one of the last ones. They are on back order from Coral Vue till end of November.

Fits PERFECT in the sump.

I have about 2 inches of spare room for water height after the pump turns off and everything is drained.

I have the skimmer in 9 inches deep.

I also got a little 1.5 gallon $12 hang on refugium that I will fill to the top with Miracle Mud and run with an Aqua lifter to trickle in some additional elements between water changes. Barely fits as you can see.

 

[BobbyV]

Back to the light rack for the radions.

To my surprise everything went together smoothly.

I simply purchased from Home Depot 72 inch metal rails that have pre drilled holes.

I also picked up a solid piece of aluminium to use as a spacer/supporter.

Painted it all black with some Black Rust proof spray paint.

Drilled some holes in aluminum an spaced them exactly 7 inches in width. Screwed in some screws with nuts.

Radions fit perfect! I only have one up to show as an example. Hangs about 6 inches above the water. I will install the new TIR lens kits so increase the spread. I can always choke back on the slack to raise a bit higher if need - but the best part about Radions is that I can also adjust the intensity if 6 inches is too close.

Saved some good money with this DIY method - whole rack came out to about $125 and 30 minutes of time. (not counting paint drying time of course)

Keep in mind, my rocks are scooted toward the back of the tank. Also the middle peaks of each rock is directly under the fixture. My calculations I will have about 8 inches of spread from either side about this light fixture with the new TIR lens installed. Should work out ok. This would be a good problem if my SPS reach further than 8 inches toward the middle of the tank.

 

[Nwest]

Do you think that will give you enough spread of light to the front of the tank?

PS that aerial shot makes me completely jealous of that depth.. ITS CRAZY!!