Dotcommer's Reef - 300 Gallon 10' x 2' x 2' Mixed Reef Build, Scottsdale AZ

[dotcommer]

you may have trouble with food settling at the bottom of the reservoir

here is mine, which is shallower and a little longer to allow food to flow out

You bring up a very good point. Once I start using it, I can easily remove it and see if I start having food settling on the bottom. If so, I will have to modify it to something like yours.

We are also adding some stabilizers to the tray system to keep from having a gap from the top rotating Plexiglas to the bottom stationary Plexiglas.

I will post some more pics when we have it done.

 

[Elliott]

You bring up a very good point. Once I start using it, I can easily remove it and see if I start having food settling on the bottom. If so, I will have to modify it to something like yours.

We are also adding some stabilizers to the tray system to keep from having a gap from the top rotating Plexiglas to the bottom stationary Plexiglas.

I will post some more pics when we have it done.

sounds like a good plan

 

[dotcommer]

Its been almost a month since my last update, so I thought it would be a good time to let everyone know the latest.
This update will come over a few days since there has been a lot done.

Automatic Frozen Fish Feeder:
I went on vacation for a week and it worked good but there were some modifications that had to be made prior to leaving. I had a person watching my tanks, and the modifications worked as intended, but I had to make some modifications when I got back into town.
One issue we had was the Plexiglas we used was too thin and when the blow dyer came on it started to warp the Plexiglas. We went ahead and purchased some 1/4" Plexiglas and just installed it the other day. It seems to be working good.

Another problem we had was the water level in the large cylinder tube that the food gets dispensed into.
The refrigerator sits right next to the sump, and the cylinder tube acts like a second sump. The return pump was draining the cylinder tube to quickly even when turned down, thus creating a siphon and causing the pump to suck in air.
We ended up putting a tee in before the cylinder in hopes more water would go directly to the return pump, but that didn't work either. The temporary solution we created was to throw a small pump in the return section of the sump and have it pump water directly into the cylinder tube (see pic below). Not the best solution, but it worked great while I was on vacation and plan is to modify it in the upcoming months since it's not the right way to do it.

Here is an updated pic of the entire top section of the feeder set up

For those who noticed in the pic above, I have clams in the refrigerator sitting in a container.
I took a major risk to get the one fish that I have wanted for a long time, but knew it was hard to keep and I didn't have the right setup prior to this tank.

Do you know what fish the clams are for?

My gamble paid off and its been a month now and the fish is doing amazing well, except he really only likes clams. So my goal is to get him eating regular food soon, since he goes through 3 clams a day.

I will give you an update about him and the other live stock currently enjoying the march larger tank.

 

[Newbie Aquarist]

Its been almost a month since my last update, so I thought it would be a good time to let everyone know the latest.
This update will come over a few days since there has been a lot done.

Automatic Frozen Fish Feeder:
I went on vacation for a week and it worked good but there were some modifications that had to be made prior to leaving. I had a person watching my tanks, and the modifications worked as intended, but I had to make some modifications when I got back into town.
One issue we had was the Plexiglas we used was too thin and when the blow dyer came on it started to warp the Plexiglas. We went ahead and purchased some 1/4" Plexiglas and just installed it the other day. It seems to be working good.

Another problem we had was the water level in the large cylinder tube that the food gets dispensed into.
The refrigerator sits right next to the sump, and the cylinder tube acts like a second sump. The return pump was draining the cylinder tube to quickly even when turned down, thus creating a siphon and causing the pump to suck in air.
We ended up putting a tee in before the cylinder in hopes more water would go directly to the return pump, but that didn't work either. The temporary solution we created was to throw a small pump in the return section of the sump and have it pump water directly into the cylinder tube (see pic below). Not the best solution, but it worked great while I was on vacation and plan is to modify it in the upcoming months since it's not the right way to do it.

Here is an updated pic of the entire top section of the feeder set up

For those who noticed in the pic above, I have clams in the refrigerator sitting in a container.
I took a major risk to get the one fish that I have wanted for a long time, but knew it was hard to keep and I didn't have the right setup prior to this tank.

Do you know what fish the clams are for?

My gamble paid off and its been a month now and the fish is doing amazing well, except he really only likes clams. So my goal is to get him eating regular food soon, since he goes through 3 clams a day.

I will give you an update about him and the other live stock currently enjoying the march larger tank.

Is the fish a CBB? And what do you mean the much longer tank? Are fish coming from one or your going to one?

 

[Elliott]

the material I used for the feeder tray came from a Brute trash can lid, I've not had any warping from the hair dryer

the reservoir inside the fridge is designed different from yours, it's a little longer and the in/out lines are lower, allowing for water to accumulate and rise in the tube and not draw air, it also sits about 3-4" below the level of the other sumps, while rising above all other sumps to avoid possible flooding

 

[dave.m]

Just a question on the autofeeder: why do you have the melting tube inside the fridge? Wouldn't the food blocks thaw faster outside the fridge portion? Having the melting chamber outside the fridge would also have less of an effect on the sump water temperature so that your flow-through would have a greater warming effect on the food block.

Dave.M

 

[Elliott]

Just a question on the autofeeder: why do you have the melting tube inside the fridge? Wouldn't the food blocks thaw faster outside the fridge portion? Having the melting chamber outside the fridge would also have less of an effect on the sump water temperature so that your flow-through would have a greater warming effect on the food block.

Dave.M

the frozen block of food starts to melt within seconds and is completely melted within a few minutes, I've not noticed any lowering effect of tank temperature, the volume of water inside the fridge is relatively small compared to the total water volume, the fridge reservoir resides last in the line of sumps, just before the return pump

there are several additives being delivered (frozen food, liquid foods and amino acids) so the mixing reservoir volume aids in mixing and allows direct visualization to confirm no residue buildup (important!)

 

[dave.m]

Okay, just curious about the general design. I am thinking of one of those little cube freezers that could be put on a high shelf above a tank in a fishroom, so no need for the fridge portion.

Dave.M

 

[Centralreefs]

That is awesome

 

[dotcommer]

Just a question on the autofeeder: why do you have the melting tube inside the fridge? Wouldn't the food blocks thaw faster outside the fridge portion? Having the melting chamber outside the fridge would also have less of an effect on the sump water temperature so that your flow-through would have a greater warming effect on the food block.

Dave.M


Originally Posted by Elliott - the frozen block of food starts to melt within seconds and is completely melted within a few minutes, I've not noticed any lowering effect of tank temperature, the volume of water inside the fridge is relatively small compared to the total water volume, the fridge reservoir resides last in the line of sumps, just before the return pump

there are several additives being delivered (frozen food, liquid foods and amino acids) so the mixing reservoir volume aids in mixing and allows direct visualization to confirm no residue buildup (important!)

I couldn't have said it any better

What's really nice about this system, is when the food drops into the tube, the frozen foods floats on the top of the water like an ice cube in a glass. As the food thaws, it slowly sinks to the bottom of the tube and then is sent to the DT via the return pump. This creates a slow feeding that takes sometimes upwards of 10 minutes to dispense all the food. The food is all broken up by the time it gets to the DT, thus allowing all the fish to get food instead of one fish stealing the cube and taking off.

I also like the ability to drop some frozen food in, then sit back on the couch and watch the fish eat, instead of standing in front of the tank feeding them.

 

[dotcommer]

Is the fish a CBB? And what do you mean the much longer tank? Are fish coming from one or your going to one?

The fish is a beautiful Moorish Idol. He is super healthy and getting fatter each day. I have fish coming from my 90 gallon, but I decided to hold off on the tangs, angels and trigger fish, so the MI would have no issues with getting used to food etc..

Here is a video of the MI with a display of all different types of food trying I was trying to get him to eat. ( The video is a little long, but I created it to post on youtube for anyone searching on how to get a MI idol to eat. Its my experience and hopefully can help others)

Its been over a month now and the streamer is much longer now. I will post some pics.




So the big gamble was to not QT the Moorish Idol and put him directly into the 10' long 300 Gallon display tank and risk a disease outbreak that could cause me to remove the fish and let the tank sit empty for 8+ weeks.

Since I only had two clown fish and two Bartlett Anthias in the DT, I purchased the MI and decided to put him directly into the 300 Gallon and bypassed the QT process. My thinking was to provide him the best possible chances of survival and put him in a large empty tank of which he would not have to deal with any aggressive established fish. I could take my time and try to get him to eat since MI are very difficult to acclimate especially the larger ones.

It all paid off, no disease outbreak, he is super healthy and eating clams like a pig. He is also eating some nori as well. I am hoping to slowly get him to start eating frozen over the next month of two.

As of the last few days, I just added a pair of decent sized Blue Throat Triggers and a 5" Lamarcks Angel fish from my 90 Gallon. Interestingly, the Moorish Idol is ruling the tank. He put the Triggers in their place when he is eating his clams and nobody is trying to mess with him.

It's such a beautiful fish and just watching him swim freely across a long DT is incredible. The MI definitely needs a long tank to swim around in to be happy. I only wish my 10' was longer now.

 

[dave.m]

I also like the ability to drop some frozen food in, then sit back on the couch and watch the fish eat, instead of standing in front of the tank feeding them.

For this type of feeding, especially smaller particulate food, I totally agree this looks to be a great way to go. However, in my experience you must continue to hand-feed your fish so that they associate a human presence near the tank with food. Otherwise you get a tank full of fish who hide when people get too close to the tank.

Dave.M

 

[Newbie Aquarist]

The fish is a beautiful Moorish Idol. He is super healthy and getting fatter each day. I have fish coming from my 90 gallon, but I decided to hold off on the tangs, angels and trigger fish, so the MI would have no issues with getting used to food etc..



Here is a video of the MI with a display of all different types of food trying I was trying to get him to eat. ( The video is a little long, but I created it to post on youtube for anyone searching on how to get a MI idol to eat. Its my experience and hopefully can help others)



Its been over a month now and the streamer is much longer now. I will post some pics.









So the big gamble was to not QT the Moorish Idol and put him directly into the 10' long 300 Gallon display tank and risk a disease outbreak that could cause me to remove the fish and let the tank sit empty for 8+ weeks.



Since I only had two clown fish and two Bartlett Anthias in the DT, I purchased the MI and decided to put him directly into the 300 Gallon and bypassed the QT process. My thinking was to provide him the best possible chances of survival and put him in a large empty tank of which he would not have to deal with any aggressive established fish. I could take my time and try to get him to eat since MI are very difficult to acclimate especially the larger ones.



It all paid off, no disease outbreak, he is super healthy and eating clams like a pig. He is also eating some nori as well. I am hoping to slowly get him to start eating frozen over the next month of two.



As of the last few days, I just added a pair of decent sized Blue Throat Triggers and a 5" Lamarcks Angel fish from my 90 Gallon. Interestingly, the Moorish Idol is ruling the tank. He put the Triggers in their place when he is eating his clams and nobody is trying to mess with him.



It's such a beautiful fish and just watching him swim freely across a long DT is incredible. The MI definitely needs a long tank to swim around in to be happy. I only wish my 10' was longer now.

Great video. I forgot I had clam on the half shell so I can try it on the MI I have in my QT tank now. Thanks.

 

[dotcommer]

For this type of feeding, especially smaller particulate food, I totally agree this looks to be a great way to go. However, in my experience you must continue to hand-feed your fish so that they associate a human presence near the tank with food. Otherwise you get a tank full of fish who hide when people get too close to the tank.

Dave.M

I agree, and I still haven't figured out how to fit a live clam through this feeder system yet . I'm Italian and I love food, and I tend to feed on the heavier side. So I am constantly in front of the tank tinkering with it and give a few extra pinches of food here and there.

 

[dotcommer]

Great video. I forgot I had clam on the half shell so I can try it on the MI I have in my QT tank now. Thanks.

My MI loves clams, the problem is getting those damn clams open. I did a quick search on you tube to see if there is an easy way to get them open and I guess they make this tool that is sold at culinary stores that is specifically for opening up clams. Since I am doing it three times a day, I think I need to get one. For now, I am using a box cutter and a flat head screw driver.

 

[Newbie Aquarist]

My MI loves clams, the problem is getting those damn clams open. I did a quick search on you tube to see if there is an easy way to get them open and I guess they make this tool that is sold at culinary stores that is specifically for opening up clams. Since I am doing it three times a day, I think I need to get one. For now, I am using a box cutter and a flat head screw driver.

Old school clam opener. Sweet.:blown::blown::blown:

 

[dotcommer]

Picked up this great rainbow anemone a few weeks ago.

 

[dotcommer]

This is a pic from when I first put him in the tank.

 

[SPotter]

Love it!!!!

 

[dotcommer]

I picked up some nice corals while in San Diego on my vacation from AquaSD. They have a real nice shop, pretty impressive.

Summer Haze Chalice