Budget Greenhouse Project
- Thread starter hamburglar
- Start date
hamburglar
New member
Pending DOOM!!!!
How dramatic! Actually what you see here is going to be the eventual death of this system.
I cannot remember how much detail I went into about the bulkhead in the center of the pool. Anyway, the bottom of these pools are textured with Ã"šÃ‚¼ inch raised bumps all over. I had to try to make a flat surface to attach the bulkhead in the center. I put down about Ã"šÃ‚½ tube of silicone and put a large neoprene circle down to create the flat surface. I then drilled a hole in the entire mess and installed the bulkhead.
That has held just fine until about 2 weeks ago. I noticed a drip coming from around the bulkhead hole. I cannot see exactly where it is coming from, but I am pretty sure it is from the center of the tank. Luckily, I did put extra silicone all over the place and I tried to make silicone drip edged to ward off possible running water from leaks. Well, one of the drip edges is catching the water and dropping it straight down into the sump pool. This is helpful, but it will probably not last forever. I was hoping that the leak would seal itself up, but this has not happened in 2 weeks time. It is dripping at a rate of 2-3 drips per second.
Wood rot is going to catch up to me now. I new that the system would not last more than a couple of years, but will the possibility of running water over the wood, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s days are really getting numbered. The solution of removing the tank and resealing is not feasible. The pools and the stand are too large to fit through the greenhouse door. I would be required to drain the tank, and lift the greenhouse off of it. This is too much of a pain in the rear, especially since I am thinking about making a larger system in the next year anyway. I will just ride this thing out a little longer, and see how long it lasts.
How dramatic! Actually what you see here is going to be the eventual death of this system.
I cannot remember how much detail I went into about the bulkhead in the center of the pool. Anyway, the bottom of these pools are textured with Ã"šÃ‚¼ inch raised bumps all over. I had to try to make a flat surface to attach the bulkhead in the center. I put down about Ã"šÃ‚½ tube of silicone and put a large neoprene circle down to create the flat surface. I then drilled a hole in the entire mess and installed the bulkhead.
That has held just fine until about 2 weeks ago. I noticed a drip coming from around the bulkhead hole. I cannot see exactly where it is coming from, but I am pretty sure it is from the center of the tank. Luckily, I did put extra silicone all over the place and I tried to make silicone drip edged to ward off possible running water from leaks. Well, one of the drip edges is catching the water and dropping it straight down into the sump pool. This is helpful, but it will probably not last forever. I was hoping that the leak would seal itself up, but this has not happened in 2 weeks time. It is dripping at a rate of 2-3 drips per second.
Wood rot is going to catch up to me now. I new that the system would not last more than a couple of years, but will the possibility of running water over the wood, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s days are really getting numbered. The solution of removing the tank and resealing is not feasible. The pools and the stand are too large to fit through the greenhouse door. I would be required to drain the tank, and lift the greenhouse off of it. This is too much of a pain in the rear, especially since I am thinking about making a larger system in the next year anyway. I will just ride this thing out a little longer, and see how long it lasts.
rustybucket145
New member
Ouch!!! That has to hurt. Better hope no pumps go out while you're not there. I wonder if the saltwater has begun to deteriorate the plastic of the pool?
Well I'm sorry to hear about it, maybee it will self seal. But in any case it might go out tomorrow, or it might last for years. Be sure to take pics if anything goes terribly wrong (hopefully it won't). It has been great keeping up with your thread. I'll be sad to see it end. Many lessons learned.......
Well I'm sorry to hear about it, maybee it will self seal. But in any case it might go out tomorrow, or it might last for years. Be sure to take pics if anything goes terribly wrong (hopefully it won't). It has been great keeping up with your thread. I'll be sad to see it end. Many lessons learned.......
rick rottet
reefkeeper// propagator
can you drain the top pool and reseal it inside the greenhouse?
hamburglar
New member
Rick,
Not very easily. I would have to drain it, remove the sand, remove the bulkhead/neoprene/silicone, and redo it. It took 2 weeks for the silicone to dry the first time.
This just simply exposes another flaw in the system. As much as I like the swimming pools, it is just not a good idea to try to put a bulkhead through the bottom of them.
For those of you wonderingââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.the pools are holding up exceptionally well. I have not noticed the slightest bit of color fading or brittleness in them. It seems as though the polycarbonate panels on the greenhouse are blocking the UV that you would expect to damage the pools over time. I am very pleased with the poolsââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.enough to probably use them again in another outdoor system. I mean, come onââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦$10 tanks that are the perfect depth. It doesnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t get much better than that. I would just put my plumbing through the sides of the tank next time. The sides are reasonably flat (except for the curvature) and you could repair a leak better than on the bottom.
Over all, I am not upset with this scenario. I wanted this greenhouse to last for 2 years, and it may still. I am learning a lot from this and I am going to drag it out a little longer. This just gives me an excuse to start planning #2.
Redoxââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve had trouble reaching you by email. Give me a shout sometime so we can talk about those fiberglass tanks you are using. I might need about 8 of them. (sorry everyone for the personal communication on the thread)
Not very easily. I would have to drain it, remove the sand, remove the bulkhead/neoprene/silicone, and redo it. It took 2 weeks for the silicone to dry the first time.
This just simply exposes another flaw in the system. As much as I like the swimming pools, it is just not a good idea to try to put a bulkhead through the bottom of them.
For those of you wonderingââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.the pools are holding up exceptionally well. I have not noticed the slightest bit of color fading or brittleness in them. It seems as though the polycarbonate panels on the greenhouse are blocking the UV that you would expect to damage the pools over time. I am very pleased with the poolsââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.enough to probably use them again in another outdoor system. I mean, come onââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦$10 tanks that are the perfect depth. It doesnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t get much better than that. I would just put my plumbing through the sides of the tank next time. The sides are reasonably flat (except for the curvature) and you could repair a leak better than on the bottom.
Over all, I am not upset with this scenario. I wanted this greenhouse to last for 2 years, and it may still. I am learning a lot from this and I am going to drag it out a little longer. This just gives me an excuse to start planning #2.
Redoxââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve had trouble reaching you by email. Give me a shout sometime so we can talk about those fiberglass tanks you are using. I might need about 8 of them. (sorry everyone for the personal communication on the thread)
hamburglar
New member
Ok guys,
I decided to take a day off from the day job and play outside some. I placed an order with my favorite snail source and added a couple of things for the greenhouse. As well as standard snails and crabs I put in some Condylactus Anemoneââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s. Okââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m know theyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re not coralsââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦..but how many of you have tried to get them to thrive and split under natural sunlight???? Yea, I thought so. Anyway, I will let everyone know how they do under a 30% shade cloth with a single 400Watt 14K MH for 6 hours per day.
I also ordered some fish primarily for my indoor system, but one bi-color blenny looked a little weak, so I put him in the greenhouse tank so that no one would pick on him.
Oh, and I have a picture update for you. I took a picture of a Montipora that was turning purple a few weeks ago. Anyway, I took another picture today to show how the purple color is spreading. You may need to go to my gallery to see them right next to each other.
See you all soon!
Chris
I decided to take a day off from the day job and play outside some. I placed an order with my favorite snail source and added a couple of things for the greenhouse. As well as standard snails and crabs I put in some Condylactus Anemoneââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s. Okââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m know theyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re not coralsââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦..but how many of you have tried to get them to thrive and split under natural sunlight???? Yea, I thought so. Anyway, I will let everyone know how they do under a 30% shade cloth with a single 400Watt 14K MH for 6 hours per day.
I also ordered some fish primarily for my indoor system, but one bi-color blenny looked a little weak, so I put him in the greenhouse tank so that no one would pick on him.
Oh, and I have a picture update for you. I took a picture of a Montipora that was turning purple a few weeks ago. Anyway, I took another picture today to show how the purple color is spreading. You may need to go to my gallery to see them right next to each other.
See you all soon!
Chris
hamburglar
New member
H20ENG,
Good Idea! It is sch40, but a crank or two could not hurt. I will see if I can bend myself in the correct position to do this. Swimming trunks may be required, but heck.....it is summer time after all.
Good Idea! It is sch40, but a crank or two could not hurt. I will see if I can bend myself in the correct position to do this. Swimming trunks may be required, but heck.....it is summer time after all.
hamburglar
New member
I'm going to give it a shot. What were you feeding yours Triterium, or anyone else? Shrimping season is aproching us fast here in coastel NC. I'm thinking about saving a bag of shrimp to feed these suckers about once per week.
RedSonja
Premium Member
Just a thought, can you cram some marine epoxy in where it is leaking. The same stuff that is used to mount frags onto liverock. Or would that not stick to the plastic kiddie pool? Draining that sucker to repair it would be a major PITA, sorry to hear it's being a PITA.
Oh there is also that black "emergency plumber repair" tape, it sticks pretty good and AFAIK is reef-safe.
See, I'm lazy, and I try to figure out easy ways to do things.
Also hamburglar the RARE meet that was originally scheduled for yesterday has been rescheduled for today at 6pm. I just realized it this morning. I don't think we're gonna go to it though, we have a lot to do around the house, including tank maintenance and water changes and stuff.
-Sonja
Oh there is also that black "emergency plumber repair" tape, it sticks pretty good and AFAIK is reef-safe.
See, I'm lazy, and I try to figure out easy ways to do things.
Also hamburglar the RARE meet that was originally scheduled for yesterday has been rescheduled for today at 6pm. I just realized it this morning. I don't think we're gonna go to it though, we have a lot to do around the house, including tank maintenance and water changes and stuff.
-Sonja
hamburglar
New member
I'm being lazy today. Just working on my retail site a bit. Got some ribs and a brisket on the smoaker out back
I'm not sure exactly where it is leaking. Due to the wooden disk that allows the tank to spin sitting on top of a stand/track, I cannot see much of the bottom.
The top (tank side) of the bulkhead is under about 3 inches of southdown sand.
I'm not in emergency mode quite yet. I'll probably try to crang that bulkhead one time if i can get a wrench to it. It might be impossible to reach.
I'm not sure exactly where it is leaking. Due to the wooden disk that allows the tank to spin sitting on top of a stand/track, I cannot see much of the bottom.
The top (tank side) of the bulkhead is under about 3 inches of southdown sand.
I'm not in emergency mode quite yet. I'll probably try to crang that bulkhead one time if i can get a wrench to it. It might be impossible to reach.
reefsahoy
I can see thru you!
hey hamburglar, I was reading you thread and thought of some suggestions.
1. for cooling your system, is it feasible to drop your tank into another filled with water and plumbed with a well pump? if so you could run the well pump every so often and do heat transfer with well water which runs low 70ties here in florida? That will also be cheaper if you have several tanks because to exchange of water wuold only take a couple of minutes by a well pump. This will also heat up your water in the winter. I know this sounds crazy but in our plant nursery the water is actually warmer than ambient air temp and thus warm up the plants in the winter as long as there is no freeze warning.
2. When you added your halides/chillers did you take into consideration the humidity you stated over the winter? corrosion and wet electric/ mechanical parts?
3. My parents run a 100 acre nursery and they use the light to their advantage. first they use direct sun to get rapid growth, then before they are ready to sell they adjust the amount of light to get the plants to the desired color. obviously there is some time associated to this but if you can adjust your lighting it may be more economical. free sun light for rapid growth, then metal halides to color up the corals.
1. for cooling your system, is it feasible to drop your tank into another filled with water and plumbed with a well pump? if so you could run the well pump every so often and do heat transfer with well water which runs low 70ties here in florida? That will also be cheaper if you have several tanks because to exchange of water wuold only take a couple of minutes by a well pump. This will also heat up your water in the winter. I know this sounds crazy but in our plant nursery the water is actually warmer than ambient air temp and thus warm up the plants in the winter as long as there is no freeze warning.
2. When you added your halides/chillers did you take into consideration the humidity you stated over the winter? corrosion and wet electric/ mechanical parts?
3. My parents run a 100 acre nursery and they use the light to their advantage. first they use direct sun to get rapid growth, then before they are ready to sell they adjust the amount of light to get the plants to the desired color. obviously there is some time associated to this but if you can adjust your lighting it may be more economical. free sun light for rapid growth, then metal halides to color up the corals.
hamburglar
New member
Reefsahoy,
1 Great idea about using nested tanks with well water circulation for cooling. Unfortunatly for me, I am on county water (expensive) and it would cost me about $1000 to drop in a well. I do believe that this would work to some capacity....just depends on how much water you are willing to pump.
2 I waterprofed exposed electronics with a silicone spray.
3 I believe that you are correct in theory. We should be able to grow big brown corals under natural sunlight and then use artificial lighting to then get them to color up. What I found out in my situation was that my polycarbonate greenhouse panels are blocking some spectrum of light that sps requires for survival. I was killing just about all my sps varieties until I addred the metal halide.
1 Great idea about using nested tanks with well water circulation for cooling. Unfortunatly for me, I am on county water (expensive) and it would cost me about $1000 to drop in a well. I do believe that this would work to some capacity....just depends on how much water you are willing to pump.
2 I waterprofed exposed electronics with a silicone spray.
3 I believe that you are correct in theory. We should be able to grow big brown corals under natural sunlight and then use artificial lighting to then get them to color up. What I found out in my situation was that my polycarbonate greenhouse panels are blocking some spectrum of light that sps requires for survival. I was killing just about all my sps varieties until I addred the metal halide.
Nano_reeflover
Reefer
Any updates?
hamburglar
New member
Yes, Redox is correct. I have the system still running because there are some critters still in there. As soon as I sell them Iwill be taking this system down.
That leak has never gone away, and I also feel like I have learned as much from this system as i can without making very drastic changes.
I will have a closing message with a review at a later date. I'm already running plans through my head about greenhouse project number 2. Not sure when it will be, but I'm holding onto most of my equipment for the time being.
That leak has never gone away, and I also feel like I have learned as much from this system as i can without making very drastic changes.
I will have a closing message with a review at a later date. I'm already running plans through my head about greenhouse project number 2. Not sure when it will be, but I'm holding onto most of my equipment for the time being.
