Building My 375gal Glass Reef

[jnarowe]

That is looking really good Tom. For me, two skimmers that can each handle 75 - 100% of the system running together is much netter than one. The reason being is that pumps fail, skimmers need to be cleaned, etc. and every time they are down for a period of time. For instance, when I clean my skimmer, it takes anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours to come back up to production. With two, it wouldn't matter. ORP would be more stable (and higher IMO )

I have had failures that took my skimmer offline for multiple days as well. That is usually when some event happens or I make a mistake causing stress on the reef, while being stuck with no skimmer. I think that is a rule.

 

[GlassReef]

I needed to find a way to keep snails, small fish, etc. from being swept through the overflow into the sump. I had decided quite a while ago to use Gutter Guard:

I just wasn't sure how to use it in the best (and easiest) way. So... I cut some strips of 3/8" black acrylic scrap and glued them together in an "L" shape:

Using an industrial strength double sided tape, I taped the acrylic strips to the top of the tank frame so the one leg of the "L" hangs over the edge (on the outside of the tank) where the overflow slots are located. I placed the strips so that the leg has a small space between it and the outside of the tank. The space is just wide enough so that the Gutter Guard can be slid up into it. I cut the Gutter Guard just a little wider than the overflow slot and high enough so that, when fitted into the space, it's just long enough to cover the overflow slot with a little extra hanging over. I can then "push" the GG through the slot so that the bottom of the Guard is in the tank while the top remains in the space between the acrylic an the tank frame. This causes a tension on the GG which holds it very firmly in place - but it can easily be taken out for cleaning.

Sorry the pic is not more clear. Taking pictures of black objects against other black objects is, well ....

 

[GlassReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14454664#post14454664 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
... For me, two skimmers that can each handle 75 - 100% of the system running together is much netter than one. The reason being is that pumps fail, skimmers need to be cleaned, etc. and every time they are down for a period of time. For instance, when I clean my skimmer, it takes anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours to come back up to production. With two, it wouldn't matter. ORP would be more stable (and higher IMO )

It's great to see someone on my side on this, Jonathan! That aside - I must admit that the first couple of times I cleaned them I did both - then the light went on.

------------------------------------

1000 posts !! - whoopie for me

 

[jnarowe]

yeah, I hear ya on that! :lol:

 

[rpeeples]

Holy Orca's!! Why would 2 not be better than 1 and why would 3 not be better than 2 other than electrical consumption. I'm not an expert but if the entire purpose of a skimmer is not remove waste then how could 2 skimmers be bad?

Mike might give you a heck of deal if you just wanted to throw a 3rd one on the system just for sh_ts and giggles.

Continued astonishment of your ingenuity...."why buy when you can build" should be your mantra.

What a treat Keep on building my friend!

 

[GlassReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14455612#post14455612 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rpeeples
Holy Orca's!! ... Mike might give you a heck of deal if you just wanted to throw a 3rd one on the system just for sh_ts and giggles.

:lmao: - and thanks!

 

[Rouselb]

Tom - Did you increase your flow through the sump when you added another skimmer? Is the flow related to the skimmer output? or in your situation, skimmers output?

 

[GlassReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14461404#post14461404 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rouselb
Did you increase your flow through the sump when you added another skimmer? Is the flow related to the skimmer output? or in your situation, skimmers output?

The flow through the sump is handled by a Dart. Instead of being fed directly by the overflow, each skimmer is fed by it's own Eheim 1062. Source for the two pumps is the oveflow area of the sump. I tried feeding from the overflow directly, but I had too many problems when I needed to shut the return pump down. It seems to be working out very well the way it is now - each skimmer is processing approx. 700 GPH. Skimmate production proving to be very constant and easy to control.

 

[Rouselb]

I meant something different. I agree that feeding by overflow is never constant. My skimmer is rated for roughly 800 gph, so my main pump is pushing close to that through the sump after head loss. If i was to add another skimmer that handles an additional 800 gph then i was thinking i would need to increase return pump flow so that the sump had 1500-2000 gph going through it at one time. Was this the case for you?

 

[GlassReef]

Rouselb - the problem never came up as the Dart is managing approx. 2600 GPH. That said, if I was going to add a 2nd skimmer and the flow necessary for the two skimmers was higher than the flow of the existing return pump - I'd upgrade the return pump.

If you don't mind - how do you have the battery backup for your Tunzes set up?

Thanks

 

[Rouselb]

Okay, thats what i thought, just wanted to make sure we are on the same page. You being the king of dual skimmers and all. I have a BK-SM200 for my 200, but im planning my 375 and im thinking of just adding a BK 250 internal.

 

[GlassReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14463421#post14463421 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rouselb
... I have a BK-SM200 for my 200, but im planning my 375 and im thinking of just adding a BK 250 internal.

That sounds like a great idea! I'm just at the beginning with this dual skimmer thing, but it's definitely looking like it has a lot of positive points. I wouldn't suggest it for a setup with a 55gal tank, but when you've got a system with hundreds of gallons it makes sense.

 

[jnarowe]

Actually, if the sump level stays the same (which it should minus evap), the flow through the sump should have no bearing on whether the skimmer feed pump (or pumps) could supply enough water for skimming. The two really aren't related, unless the skimmers' output is going somewhere other than the same sump.

 

[Rouselb]

Its not the flow through the skimmer, its the processing efficiency of each. If each skimmer can handle 800 gph then two would handle 1600 gph. This would mean that you would maximize the potential efficiency of each skimmer if you were supplying roughly the same raw water.

 

[jnarowe]

yeah, I understand what you guys mean, but it's not necessarily a one-to-one relationship. And there are plenty of discussions about re-skimming the same water, lost efficiencies etc. If you are going to be worried about that, then each skimmer should be in its own sump, with perhaps a third some for discharge.

 

[GlassReef]

Did a little work on the plumbing, today. I mentioned that I will be doing daily automated water changes - also that I'll be dosing ALK , Calcium, and Magnesium directly (instead of using a calcium reactor and adding Kalkwasser). I'll be using 1/4" PEX (Icemaker) tubing to remove SW from the overflow section of the sump as well as add fresh SW to the return section. PEX will also be used to pump the additives to the sump.

I needed a way mount the tubing in the sump, but I didn't want to make it permanent - so I came up with some tubing holders using Jaco connectors.

Since the water changes involves opposite ends of the sump, I made two single clamps for that. The three additives (Alk,Calc,Mag) can all be added at one location so I made a triple clamp. The clamps serve to hold the tubing to the sump's Euro-bracing.

I made the clamps out of 3/8" acrylic sheet, 1/4" Jaco fittings, and 1/4"-20 nylon thumbscrews:

I drilled out the Jaco fittings so that the 1/4" tubing will pass completely through the fitting. That allows the tubing to go all the way down into the sump.

The clamps are held onto the sump's Euro-bracing by tightening the thumbscrew(s).

Here's a single clamp:

And here's the triple clamp for the additives:

Yes, I know. I didn't take the trouble to polish the edges of the acrylic. My a-retentiveness does have it's limits.

This is how they look installed:

BTW: the 6" acrylic tube sitting in the sump is used to stop any wave motion around the ATO float valves. There are two 3/8" holes drilled at the bottom of the tube to allow the water level in the tube to rise and fall. Works real well. The ATO has only 1/8" difference between "full & fill".

Here's a close-up:

 

[Ed Reef]

Nice work Tom as usual. Very neat

 

[mflamb]

That is really cool!!!

 

[jnarowe]

great job.

 

[wildcats]

The clamps are well done, but since you will be adding the additives daily, how will you be adding them? What's on the other end of the tubing? Peristalic pumps?

What were your thoughts in deciding not to automate the process and opting for manual?