Building My 375gal Glass Reef

Hey Tom,

Does your ATO system take water directly from your RO/DI or from the FW storage tank?

Also, does your FW storage tank stink at all? I'd like to do the same setup as yours but have concerns about bacteria growth in the FW storage tank. I have these concerns since the water is free of chlorine combined with the fact that those big storage tanks will probably not going to be cleaned out on a frequent/regular basis. I am thinking it might be a good idea to run ozone in the bottom of a full tank of RO/DI for about 15 minutes every 12 hours to keep the water somewhat "sterile". What do you think?
 
stealle said:
Hey Tom,

Does your ATO system take water directly from your RO/DI or from the FW storage tank?

Also, does your FW storage tank stink at all? I'd like to do the same setup as yours but have concerns about bacteria growth in the FW storage tank. I have these concerns since the water is free of chlorine combined with the fact that those big storage tanks will probably not going to be cleaned out on a frequent/regular basis. I am thinking it might be a good idea to run ozone in the bottom of a full tank of RO/DI for about 15 minutes every 12 hours to keep the water somewhat "sterile". What do you think?
Click to expand...
The sump ATO takes water directly from the FW storage tank.

The FW storage tank (after 1 year) is Spic and Span (for you younger folks that means very clean) :). The water has no smell at all. I assume it stays so because of the fact that all the water entering the tank is absolutely pure - well as pure as we can get it (TDS = 0). Possibly it stays so clean because there's nothing for bacteria to exist on? In any case, no problems with FW.

The SW tank is a different story! I have to clean it out about once every 4 months. It never smells but it does get "dirty". Possibly nothing harmful, but I clean it out anyway. :D
 
GlassReef said:
...
The SW tank is a different story! I have to clean it out about once every 4 months. It never smells but it does get "dirty". Possibly nothing harmful, but I clean it out anyway. :D
Click to expand...

Does that involve you disconeccting the plumbing, trying to scrub with vinegar/water, etc? Thanks for the info...
 
Exactly! I take the tank outside, shoot it with a pressure washer, scrub it with a mild clorine bleach solution, then rinse it real well. I let it dry overnight. If I can't smell bleach the next day, I hook it back up. If it still smells I wait a little longer.
 
Thanks for the response Tom, I appreciate it. Sorry to have you go over information you've already touched on but wasn't sure where to look as your thread has become so large and has split a time or two.

I'm working on something similar myself but don't have quite the space available as you do to house my water storage vessels.

On another note, I saw that you have a Lyretail Anthias undergoing the change into male. I have the same thing happening in my tank right now as well and was curious how far along yours is in its transition? Mine has been working on it for a few months now and is ever so slowly developing the darker purple coloring of the male species.

It's had the elongated dorsal fin for some time now, it's just the coloring I'm/he's waiting on now. Be curious to here its progress from you when you get a chance.

Thanks,

Dave
 
To Make a split system chiller is no big deal , but you need a licensed AC Tech to remove the charge , and recharge the unit with refrigerant .

Basically you just need a window airconditioner , a chiller barrel , matched to the size of the window unit you are going to use . A 6,000 BTU (1/2 hp) window unit , will need a chiller barrel rated for 6,000 BTUs . Have the AC Tech remove the charge , and then you remove the evaporator coil , and save the capillary tube . Once that is done ,you bypass the controlls , so when your temp controller brings the chiller on line , it is on max all the time . The window unit is mounted outside the house , with the front (where the evap. coil was removed ) facing the outside wall of the house . Now you need to connect copper tubing to the lines that were connected to the old evap coil . this tubing needs to run inside the house , to where you will have the chiller barrel located (somewhere very close to your sump ) . After these connections are made , and you make sure you don,t have any leaks , you need to have the AC Tech charge ths system . The Liquid line will have the capillary tube attached to it just before it enters the chiller barrel , and the hot gas line will be attached to the exit side of the chiller coil . The chiller coil is the Titanium inside the chiller barrel . This is the coil that the refrigerant will pass through . The tank water will pass around this coil ,and have the heat removed by the refrigerant . The hot gas will return to the compressor , where it will be compressed back into a liqued . As the refrigerant is being condensed back into a liqued it is having the heat removed , by a fan pulling outside air through the condensing coil as the refrigerant runs through the coil . The 6,000 BTU split chiller I had only pulled 4.5 Amps . , and it worked great . Ted
 
reefrubble said:
To Make a split system chiller is no big deal , but you need a licensed AC Tech to remove the charge , and recharge the unit with refrigerant .

Basically you just need a window airconditioner , a chiller barrel , matched to the size of the window unit you are going to use . A 6,000 BTU (1/2 hp) window unit , will need a chiller barrel rated for 6,000 BTUs . Have the AC Tech remove the charge , and then you remove the evaporator coil , and save the capillary tube . Once that is done ,you bypass the controlls , so when your temp controller brings the chiller on line , it is on max all the time . The window unit is mounted outside the house , with the front (where the evap. coil was removed ) facing the outside wall of the house . Now you need to connect copper tubing to the lines that were connected to the old evap coil . this tubing needs to run inside the house , to where you will have the chiller barrel located (somewhere very close to your sump ) . After these connections are made , and you make sure you don,t have any leaks , you need to have the AC Tech charge ths system . The Liquid line will have the capillary tube attached to it just before it enters the chiller barrel , and the hot gas line will be attached to the exit side of the chiller coil . The chiller coil is the Titanium inside the chiller barrel . This is the coil that the refrigerant will pass through . The tank water will pass around this coil ,and have the heat removed by the refrigerant . The hot gas will return to the compressor , where it will be compressed back into a liqued . As the refrigerant is being condensed back into a liqued it is having the heat removed , by a fan pulling outside air through the condensing coil as the refrigerant runs through the coil . The 6,000 BTU split chiller I had only pulled 4.5 Amps . , and it worked great . Ted
Click to expand...


Wha? :crazy1::crazy1::crazy1:
 
Hey Ted - thanks for the explanation. I appreciate you taking so much time.

BTW - Ted is an old hand at AC, so he might have used some terms not all of us will immediately recognize. :) I'll try to go over the points Ted went over with me on the phone.

Basically, what we're gonna do is buy a normal window AC - rated at 6000 BTU (that's roughly equivalent to a 1/2 HP chiller). We'll remove the evaporator coil - that's the part that cools the air - and replace it with titanium tubing in the shape of a coil. It's this coil that the refrigerant flows through. The coil is placed in a PVC tube, through which the aquarium water is pumped - this is the chiller barrel.

The window AC goes outside. The chiller barrel goes inside, somewhere near the tank. The two are connected with copper tubing so that the refrigerant can flow from the AC to the barrel.

The most important thing! as Ted already mentioned, at the beginning of his post - before you remove the evaporator coil from the AC unit you need licensed AC Tech to remove the charge - get the gas out. The same guy has to recharge the thing when your all done with attaching the new chiller barrel to the AC unit.

Ted, jump in if I oversimplified anything. :)

Of course, the purpose of the whole exercise is to eliminate my current chiller's exhause heat from the fish room.
 
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Ted, thanks a lot for the explanation.
Tom, thanks a lot for the translation!

So, the connection (copper tubing) between the AC and the chiller barrel is a welded joint?
 
so, Tom, you are planning to replace your current chiller with a window unit and a chiller barrel? how does the cost compare to the chiller? is sizing a setup like this comparable to sizing a chiller?
 
Tom , Thank you . You sure made that a lot more clear . I am better at doing the job than I am writing about it.


andrewz , I hope I was some help .

Ted
 
Elliott said:
so, Tom, you are planning to replace your current chiller with a window unit and a chiller barrel? how does the cost compare to the chiller? is sizing a setup like this comparable to sizing a chiller?
Click to expand...
Morning, Elliott! Well, my local AC expert tells me that a 6000 BTU window unit is the approx. equivalent to a 1/2HP chiller. I will probably go with an 8000 BTU unit just to be on the safe side and minimize run times. :)

As far as cost is concerned, we get decent, off the shelf, brand name units, at the local Big Boxes for about $125 - $150. The chiller barrel will be about $250. Let's call $100 the price for refrigerant and misc items. So, all up, we're talking $500. My current "aquarium chiller" cost me $1000!
 
Tom, any updates on the Dino-problems? I have a mild outbreak myself also, and have had some before. Never found a good solution for this problem. Do you notice an improvement with the methods you use now?

Leonardo
 
noobtothereef - not so well (see below)

Leonardo - the fight hasn't been going well, at all. I've tried a number of things - from constant manual removal and shortening my lighting period, to raising the pH (a little). To be honest, I've been scared to get too radical. My corals all have 9 months growth behind them and I've been afraid of damaging them. Three days ago I began (trying) to hold the pH at 8.55 using a combination of kalkreaktor and a kalk slurry. This has proved to be a very difficult endeavor. Check out my thread in the Chemistry Forum

BTW - Leonardo, what kind of an effect on SPS/LPS do you think 36 hours of complete darkness would have?
 
Tom, I have turned off all my lights and wrapped the display with blankets to achieve total darkness several times, each time for 3 full days or 72 hours, with no ill effects on LPS/SPS/Softies, water was crystal clear though! :D
 
Elliott said:
Tom, I have turned off all my lights and wrapped the display with blankets to achieve total darkness several times, each time for 3 full days or 72 hours, with no ill effects on LPS/SPS/Softies, water was crystal clear though! :D
Click to expand...
Exactly what I wanted to hear - thanks, Elliott!

These dinos are terrible! I can't get rid of them. Never had a problem with them before - close to 30 years with tanks and no dinos. Then, when I set up the "perfect" system - bammm!!

BTW - why did you have to darken your tank(s)?
 
I had to go dark due to an algae bloom each time. Most recent was a slow build up of dissolved organics in my DE pool filter that resulted in an explosion of Bryopsis and Cyanobacteria, however after backwashing the filter more often along with dark periods the issue is finally resolving quite quickly. So, beware of any mechanical filtration such as filter socks or even macroalgae that can trap detritus. This latest episode my nitrates and phosphates were near zero, still the algae continued to bloom until I removed the source of the dissolved organics in the DE filter.
 
Bryopsis can be a real bear. Year ago I had an out break and every rock in the tank looked like a Chia Pet!

Interesting about your filter. I've got some places in my system I should probably give a second look.

Anyway, glad to hear you've got your problem under control.
 
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