drummereef's 180g in-wall build
- Thread starter drummereef
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mattsilvester
Team RC
I would disagree that waves in the ocean along reefs do tend to slow down at night. This might not be the case all the time, but my rational behind it, is to give my fish that are trying to sleep a calmer environment to do so. I also believe this may give corals more of a chance to eat at night as well. Is it fact....I dunno....does it sound hypothetically able to work in my mind...yes
I live in Thailand, and have spent quite a lot of time on island with reefs; invariably (unless of course its story etc.) the ocean is much smoother in the morning, with waves (albeit it small waves) building throughout the day.
So, I would conclude that yes, the reef is calmer at night.
That being said, it is probably like 10% calmer - if even that.
should we slow pumps in our reef tanks at night - well as much as we try to replicate nature as much as possible, we need to acknowledge that our tanks are a compromise - a compromise in many ways. One of those compromises is that between the needs of corals and the needs of our reef fishes. In out 10sq.ft or so of reef, we try to replicate the high flow turbulent conditions of upper reefs - but our tanks lack the 2m+ gorges and crevices and niches of a natural reef which are quieter and calmer. On natural reefs, this is where many of the fish go to sleep ..... in our openly aquascaped reef tanks, where we do our utmost to eliminate deadspots, no such quite spots exist.
To that end, if one considers the compromise between the fishes health and that of the corals, I think it would be reasonable to reduce flow at night by say 30% - maybe even 50%.
110galreef
New member
Hole saw, slowly and straight and you should have no issues.
drummereef
Team RC
Thanks aquaph8!
I tend to agree with this theory. I've slowed my night flow down ~30%.
That's what I would think to do, but... NextReef said their reactors are extruded acrylic that has been annealed after fabricating. For some reason they are saying it's really brittle stuff and the hole saw might cause the acrylic to heat up too much and cause a crack, or a lot of crazing around the hole. Thoughts?
drummereef
Team RC
Goofing around with some bio pellet reactor mod designs today. This one is plumbed very similar to the Reef Dynamics reactor, but a few changes to accommodate the pump I will be using. The barbed fitting on the TEE at the bottom is the feed, and the quick connect at the top is the effluent. What do you think?
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psteeleb
Team RC
I like the idea of the valve to throttle the circulation but it would be better for the pump if it could be incorporated on the discharge rather then the inlet.
Also given the elbow right before the outlet the flow will not be consistent, there will be a higher velocity coming off the back side of the elbow then the near side. This may cause one side to tumble more then the other, it could create a dead zone or the whole media may in turn circulate around a water jet (example; water jet up one side and the media piles up on the other flowing back into the water jet.
A cone bottom would help or adding something to the center bottom to help divert the flow evenly
Also given the elbow right before the outlet the flow will not be consistent, there will be a higher velocity coming off the back side of the elbow then the near side. This may cause one side to tumble more then the other, it could create a dead zone or the whole media may in turn circulate around a water jet (example; water jet up one side and the media piles up on the other flowing back into the water jet.
A cone bottom would help or adding something to the center bottom to help divert the flow evenly
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drummereef
Team RC
Thanks for the ideas Pete.
I had the same concern about the valve being on the suction side, but after contacting Jeff at Reef Dynamics, he said since the "feed" to the reactor was below the valve it would keep the pump flooded at all times. When the valve is turned down it would divert suction to the feed, when turned up it would limit flow-through - essentially it would balance itself either way. This is how he plumbs their reactors. Thoughts?I still need to address how I'm going to disburse flow after the elbow at the bottom of the reactor for sure. I've seen one variation of a cap on the elbow with a bunch of holes drilled in it to help even out the flow pattern. Unfortunately, I can't find any pics on how Jeff addresses this since the pics of his reactors are all full of pellets. :lol:
psteeleb
Team RC
Thanks for the ideas Pete.
I agree things should ballance out and I'm not concerned about the throughput flow. My concern is more with a restricted suction can cause pump cavitation. After some more thought it probably isn't an issue as it's recirculating creating as much back pressure on the discharge as there is pull on the suction.
As a general rule, to reduce pump stress and potential cavitation, you want to control flow on a pump on the discharge side.
drummereef
Team RC
Definitely, this is what I've always known to be true as well.
Check out this video... very interesting the way he has these plumbed. I just wish I knew what fitting he uses inside the reactor to get that nice of tumble. :spin1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJllUN2xAs4
drummereef
Team RC
If I really wanted to trick it out, maybe I could find a way to add this to the elbow inside the reactor... http://www.avastmarine.com/ssc/do/product/Biopellet-Mixing-Nozzle Might help to disburse the flow more evenly and not have to worry about a potential dead spot.
drummereef
Team RC
OK, one more question... I'm going to use a Mag 3 that I have here for the recirc pump. It has both 1/2" NPT on the ins/outs. Would it be sufficient to keep the plumbing 1/2" since it's a recirc and there's minimal plumbing length? The original down-tube that came with the reactor is 1/2" so I don't see why it would be a problem, but just checking.
psteeleb
Team RC
I would just keep it 1/2".
also look at a side out elbow for your feed, not that it maters from flow but may save a little foot print space. It's a standard elbow with a threaded connection coming off the turn. It forms a corner shape but with one connection threaded. You can find them at most hardware stores.
drummereef
Team RC
Great! I need to order the true union ball valve so I wanted to get the right size.
And excellent idea on the side out elbow. So instead of the Tee I will use one of those. If I can get a slip x slip x fpt it would even be better, that way I can just insert my tubing adapter directly into the fpt side. Perfect! :thumbsup:
psteeleb
Team RC
if you don't see them in the regular pipe section of the hardware store, check the sprinkler supply section; they look like this:
drummereef
Team RC
if you don't see them in the regular pipe section of the hardware store, check the sprinkler supply section; they look like this:
Indeed, I will definitely look for those. Here's an updated Sketchup. The reactor is to scale but the pump, valve and plumbing are not to scale in the drawing. I think it's close but a little tweaking will obviously be needed once I start putting it together. Definitely a cleaner look with the side out elbow for sure.
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drummereef
Team RC
That is a good idea Chebby, but I would have to make a platform for the reactor to sit on - if I'm reading your description correctly. And I'd still need to plumb the suction side somewhere to recirculate which is the end goal.
cromedogg33
Member
Brett,
Have you checked out the new cadlights design?
I think I finally understand what you are trying to accomplish by doing something similar to the reef dynamics one. I have been trying to think if there was anyway possible to use a manifold and I don't think it's possible.
I just hate the fact you would have to use another pump.
Have you checked out the new cadlights design?
I think I finally understand what you are trying to accomplish by doing something similar to the reef dynamics one. I have been trying to think if there was anyway possible to use a manifold and I don't think it's possible.
I just hate the fact you would have to use another pump.
tylersarah
Member
We have a purple spiny urchin in a 120 that we feed algae strips to weekly- he loves it.
drummereef
Team RC
I have looked at the Cad Lights reactor online. I think what Pete was saying about it was that it's more diverted flow vs total control, from a design standpoint. A true recirculation would allow separate effluent control, which I don't think it has. Besides, I don't think I have the vertical space needed for a design like that. I wish there was a way to plumb it to recirc off the manifold too, but I'm afraid there isn't anyway to do it. Another pump doesn't bother me since I will still use the manifold for my other "passive" reactors.
I think sticking with a more straight forward design is probably best. I went back and reviewed the original video where I got the plumbing idea from. So I've edited down my design and was able to eliminate a few fittings and turns in the pipe. Overall, I think this is the best design so far. Smallest footprint and minimal plumbing involved.
Here's the video of the original Reef Dynamics design. Skip to 7:50 to see a shot of the whole reactor. I've simplified the output side of the plumbing since my Mag 3 can be turned up on it's side, so even less plumbing is necessary.
The only thing I will probably add is a threaded valve on the top of the reactor just in case I need to do minor adjustments in flow on the output, but I think flow-through will be mostly controlled from the valve on the manifold. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMx4HOsG3Rc&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL83D55831BE01D992
And the latest design.
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