Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank) - split
- Thread starter nineball
- Start date
Hi Peter,
Here is my DIY auto feeder, capable of delivering frozen and liquid food anytime and for an extended time, all off the shelf parts, controlled by my Apex and very reliable.
1. In fridge sump consisting of an open and upright 4" pvc pipe standing a bit higher than my other sumps so it won't ever overflow, located just before my return pump
2. Hole drilled from the freezer compartment to the cooler compartment to accept a pvc pipe for delivery of frozen food to the 4" pvc sump. I make my own food consisting of various other frozen foods but mostly mysis, reefroids and garlic.
3. Rotating food bin that drops frozen food into the pvc pipe for delivery
4. Small hair dryer (green in picture) that turns on for 1 minute, directed down the shoot, so food does not stick to side walls of pvc food holders.
5. Liquid food in cooler dispensed into 4" sump via peristaltic pumps. I'm using Reef Nutrition products, combining oyster and rotifeast into one bottle, the other is phytofeast. I checked with Reef Nutrition, they said one can combine products except for phytofeast due to ph.
This is the food bin made from a brute trash can lid and individual compartments comprised of sections of pvc pipe glued over drilled out holes of the same lumen size, center is cut to accept the top of the timer pictured below, note it just sits on the timer so it can be easily lifted off and cleaned if necessary:
This is the stand (turned upside down) for the food bin, made from another brute trash can lid, the pvc supports are glued down to the fridge, note the cut out on the right to allow food to drop through:
The food bin turns via a pool timer (very rugged), since the food holders are equally spaced the time it takes to dispense food is constant so it can be controlled, it sits in a hard plastic holder which I made from the plastic enclosure that came with the timer, it too is glued down to the fridge
Last edited:
psusocr
Active member
thanks psusocr
what this allows me to do is periodically feed at night while automatically turning off the skimmers and also feed when I'm away (can feed frozen foods once a day for over a month, or twice a day for two weeks if needed)
and no daily smell on my hands!
It is , without a doubt, an awesome system , and as you said the importance for me would be when i am away to be able to feed...well done
Peter, your tank is fantastic. Just WOW.
I current own 3 Orphek PR-156W-UV (with 4 UV LEDs) over my 180g tank. Are you talking about the same fixture or it's a different version customize only for you ?
So for the color of the LED is perfect but one extra fixture (for a total of 4) should be better to have a nice light coverage.
Best Regards!
Christian
I current own 3 Orphek PR-156W-UV (with 4 UV LEDs) over my 180g tank. Are you talking about the same fixture or it's a different version customize only for you ?
So for the color of the LED is perfect but one extra fixture (for a total of 4) should be better to have a nice light coverage.
Best Regards!
Christian
nineball
Active member
Christian, does your unit have for red led's as well? and can you dim both channels?
Peter
nineball
Active member
thanks psusocr
what this allows me to do is periodically feed at night while automatically turning off the skimmers and also feed when I'm away (can feed frozen foods once a day for over a month, or twice a day for two weeks if needed)
and no daily smell on my hands!
Elliott, That is incredible. Are you sure you don't have a Delorean to go with it?
Seriously that's great work. I like that you can feed often. I'm convinced that its better for all the life in the tank.
Well done.
Peter
JasonBJones
New member
Peter, Shawn, Dave, Drago, Steve, and all the members of this community,
This thread has consumed much of my free time for the last month and a half as I endeavored to read every word. Much deserving praise has been lavished on you, Peter, the team you have assembled, and the incredible community created in this thread; every word well deserved. I would echo the sentiments expressed by so many as I cannot express them as eloquently. I would, however, like to speak on the two aspects of this build that have touched me the most.
First, your performance as the CEO of this project has been astounding. When I began reading the thread I had my doubts about the outcome. You had the foresight to know what you did not know and to outsource much of the work, but you still lacked the knowledge of whom to hire to assemble the best team. I was concerned you were unwittingly setting yourself up for failure. But your continued insistence on gaining knowledge and creating best practices led to the assembly of a truly world class team, which in turn led the creation of a world class tank. Well done! To me, this thread has been as much about building an aquarium as about how to be an effective leader. Thank you.
Second, your insistence on best practices and not current trends is worthy of applause. I have been in this hobby a long time and watched a number of individuals (myself included) chase the latest and greatest trend. Often times those trends are created by marketing hype that belies the lack of scientific foundation for the claims. Your insistence on the scientific principles behind every piece of equipment and maintenance philosophy is something we could all benefit by adopting. It is easy to believe that money and the most expensive equipment will create a flourishing tank, but hard to remember that a properly designed and maintained system can be much more effective.
I am sad to have caught up with the thread as it means I must now wait for the updates in real time. However, I am inspired by the work of the entire team and have already changed a number of features of my next tank as a result. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this tank.
This thread has consumed much of my free time for the last month and a half as I endeavored to read every word. Much deserving praise has been lavished on you, Peter, the team you have assembled, and the incredible community created in this thread; every word well deserved. I would echo the sentiments expressed by so many as I cannot express them as eloquently. I would, however, like to speak on the two aspects of this build that have touched me the most.
First, your performance as the CEO of this project has been astounding. When I began reading the thread I had my doubts about the outcome. You had the foresight to know what you did not know and to outsource much of the work, but you still lacked the knowledge of whom to hire to assemble the best team. I was concerned you were unwittingly setting yourself up for failure. But your continued insistence on gaining knowledge and creating best practices led to the assembly of a truly world class team, which in turn led the creation of a world class tank. Well done! To me, this thread has been as much about building an aquarium as about how to be an effective leader. Thank you.
Second, your insistence on best practices and not current trends is worthy of applause. I have been in this hobby a long time and watched a number of individuals (myself included) chase the latest and greatest trend. Often times those trends are created by marketing hype that belies the lack of scientific foundation for the claims. Your insistence on the scientific principles behind every piece of equipment and maintenance philosophy is something we could all benefit by adopting. It is easy to believe that money and the most expensive equipment will create a flourishing tank, but hard to remember that a properly designed and maintained system can be much more effective.
I am sad to have caught up with the thread as it means I must now wait for the updates in real time. However, I am inspired by the work of the entire team and have already changed a number of features of my next tank as a result. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this tank.
nineball
Active member
Jason, I am always humbled when someone has the fortitude to join this community by plodding through the long history of this build. I/we all thank you for your persistence and your praise. There will be continuing updates so stay tuned........ However I liken your experience to the recent trend for folks to skip a real time TV series in order to wait for the DVDs to come out so they can go on a viewing binge without any commercials. In that vein i do recommend using the website (petersfishtank) and following up on either the best practices or the specifications links for access to the worthwhile science behind this build.
Peter
Briney Dave
New member
Peter, thanks again so very much for sharing all of this with us! I was still on the fence about LED lighting but after seeing the amazing results you have been able to produce there is little doubt about the "best practice".
Now all I have to do is fine a mega grant for a poor teacher LOL
My real question(s) are about how you used the "mud" in your mangrove system: did you use it straight up or mix it. And I really want to create a tangle of roots but still not have a good way to mount the trees to create the long root growth without the trees falling over all the time. Any suggestions?
My goal is to create a mangrove micro-environment for the students to study but any nutrients that are taken out of the system a nice bonus
Now all I have to do is fine a mega grant for a poor teacher LOL
My real question(s) are about how you used the "mud" in your mangrove system: did you use it straight up or mix it. And I really want to create a tangle of roots but still not have a good way to mount the trees to create the long root growth without the trees falling over all the time. Any suggestions?
My goal is to create a mangrove micro-environment for the students to study but any nutrients that are taken out of the system a nice bonus
nineball
Active member
nineball
Active member
The Miracle Mud was used straight out of the bag. Mr. Wilson will probably offer some advice on how to plant to get the root growth you want. We tried after the fact without success but the trees are doing extremely well just in the mud......
Peter
Robb in Austin
New member
That sedan is SEXY!
JasonBJones
New member
Peter,
I was just wondering if there were any plans for Steve to share information on this thread regarding his methodology, the reasons behind it, and the changes he has made to your tank? I know I have benefited tremendously from the other members of the team sharing information, and I am very interested in learning from Steve as well.
Thanks.
I was just wondering if there were any plans for Steve to share information on this thread regarding his methodology, the reasons behind it, and the changes he has made to your tank? I know I have benefited tremendously from the other members of the team sharing information, and I am very interested in learning from Steve as well.
Thanks.
Briney Dave
New member
thanks for the knowledge sir!
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