Electrobes' K.I.S.S. 40Br Thread

[Electrobes]

Well for those of you who don't remember me my name is Christian and this is me:

As you can see I am slightly disturbed, but I likey! In short I started reefing in 2003 but I moved to SC in 2007. I sold all my reef stuff and gave away my corals to friends (Good homes) and went to Freshwater for the last bit of 2007. After settling into our new home and jobs (wife is a resident physician and I basically mold acrylic boat windows for mass manufacturing boat companies).

After 2007 and some of 2008, I finally came to terms with my Reef need and decided to come back, not only to reefing but to my dear Reef Central that I have missed so much. :sad2:

I've grown all sorts of corals in my previous 3-4 years of reefing but my love for soft corals has never waned. What? A slightly veteraned reefer not doing SPS??? I know... craziness! :eek1:

I still have my tank, canopy, and stand from my previous 40Br Reef, but decided I needed a new tank as I am too lazy and not confident enough to re-silicone it myself. For 99 bucks, I feel it was worth it. Here's that pic (I know not much):

I am a member of F.E.A.R.S. (Fearing Eternally Any Reasonable Spouse). This means I was "allowed" to go back to reefing if everything was done cleanly, completely, and it looked good as stated in my contract and signed with my soul. The wife doesn't want a repeat of when I lived in Gainesville (FL) in which I had a very time consuming job and unfortunately my neatness was not at it's best

I, of course, agreed and went about planning my system, of which in some parts I will definitely need y'alls (I live in the real south now) help and opinions.

Let's get started... (I'm making the start in the next post)

 

[Electrobes]

The Ordering

The Ordering

This is the most painful part as I have ADD and patience runs thin with me :lol: Here's what I've ordered thus far:

Marine Depot:
- Salifert Test Kits: Calcium, Magnesium, Alk, and pH
- Koralia 3
- Inline TDS meter
- Spare tube kit for Aqua Medic SP-3000 Dosing Pump
- Tom's Aqua Lifter
- LifeGard Big Digital Temp Alert
- Refractometer
- Kent Marine Tech M (16 Oz)

We're in luck today as this package arrived as I was typing this, and here's the pic of the goods:

Now some of you may have some questions like why didn't I get the pH meter, or use Randy's formula for Magnesium? Why did I get a spare part for some doo-hickey? And for the love of God, why didn't I get a PS3 instead of the 360??

I'll begin in that my plan for this tank is to make it as KISS as possible. I am a DIY type of guy, but even more so KISS. I like the neatness behind it and as an added bonus people seem less confused when looking at it... great for house-sitters. And best of all? Less things to go wrong while identifying the source is easy. :dance:

This means I will be going sumpless which explains why I don't want to use a pH meter.. it would have to go into the main display. I am trying to keep as many gizmos out of view as I can. This is the part I will soon be asking your help with.

As for the other questions:
- I got Tech M as since I am starting from scratch I wanted the beginning to be as easy as possible... so I just bought Tech M for now but plan on using Randy's recipies when the build is done.

- The spare part is for my SP-3000. I am sure the tubing will need a replacement soon, and it's been nothing short of a fantastic doser. It's small size makes it easy to install anywhere and it's reliability has never failed me.

- I love my Xbox 360 and it had more games (Still does I think) that I wanted to play. If I had the time for the PS3 I would definitely have gotten one already

My other orders that are on the way:

- Hellolights: Getting 2 X 95 watt VHO kit with both bulbs being Super Actinics (All comes tomorrow). This order is in addition to the 2 X 95 Aquasuns I already have. (Pictures of that build hopefully tomorrow). As you can guess my lighting will solely be VHO as I am going mainly (if not all) softies... nice that heat will stay lower than when I had halides.

- RO/DI Unit: I ordered a 6 stage from AquaSafe Canada (I've used them before). Great price and service so using them again was a no brainer for me. The only difference this time is that the 6th stage isn't a coconut filter but an extra DI chamber which I may or may not use (Will be asking you guys about that).

Pictures coming as soon as I get these products. Next post will be the builds and plans of which I need your help with.. many thanks!

 

[Electrobes]

The Canopy and Lights

The Canopy and Lights

So as you can see from the pic my canopy is pretty standard. During my time with Freshwater the moisture must have caused some mold/something to make the underside look like this:

For this Canopy I want to make it moisture-proof. What should I use to paint the inside of the canopy with? I saw a couple threads in which Killz Latex paint was used.. would this be the best path to take for my situation?

My wiring at the time was pretty ghetto, what can I say... freshwater didn't give me the enthusiasm like reefing does! That block of wood under the end cap is there because I forgot to get a real one. :hmm2:

Like a moron I forgot to order a small bracket for one set of end caps from Hellolights this time around. At this rate, though I would rather have everything uniformed, I am going to have to make a DIY acrylic bracket or a wood one. We'll see tomorrow if my order comes in as planned.

I think I am going to stick the ballasts in the stand as I don't have a sump there and moisture is kept at a minimum. I do need a light for the stand area though.. any suggestions?

Unfortunately there are some holes in the canopy that I stupid put there while trying to stick on a ballast poorly during my freshwater time. What's the best way to fill those in?

Many thanks for reading!

Next is the minor room modification and RO/DI plans.

 

[Electrobes]

The Room and the RO/DI

The Room and the RO/DI

First off, when we moved into our new home in SC I actually was given a "fish room" by the wife. I was happy... even if it was going to be freshwater Well now it'sa reef room, but things had to change in part because the tank sat opposite of the wall that had the laundry room next to it. I will try to explain:

You see that white column in the middle there? To the left of it you see a door that is the garage. To the right of that door (And to the left of that column) is the "Closet-sized room" where the washer and dryer are. This is where the RO/DI will be going with the solenoid valve(s). I need to remove that left white basket to have plenty of room for the unit.

The room to the right of the white column is the tank room (The reef room now).

My freshwater tank was on the right wall of the tank room. Here is the room BEFORE the mod:

The tank is on the right, but now I need it on the left side of the room so it would lean against the wall that the closet-sized laundry room laid next to.

The wife says all the paintings and pictures have to switch walls, but that the holes must be filled and painted over. So off to Lowes I went to get the stuff and voila:

Now it needed to be wiped down and the paintings needed to be put on the other wall:

 

[Electrobes]

Next post will be for the Kalk Reactor I made

 

[john76]

looking good so far

And my 360 is in the shop.... but I still won't buy a PS3 lol

 

[Rustylugnuts]

Lookin good so far . I have to say I love the simple route. My 29 was as ghetto as they come. No canopy just t-5 HO's sittin on a glass lid, heaters, filters n powerheads just hangin out for all to see. None too pretty but very easy to run and it kept the critters happy. I'm guessin this 40 will look a lot better than that.
As far as hiding equipment in-tank goes I think I've seen someone here on RC silicone in a sheet of black acrylic to partition off the back few inches of the tank. That might be a good solution if you want to stay sumpless. (cmon go grab a 30 gallon and cram it into that stand you know you want to ) Ill be tagging along to see how it goes. Kinda reminds me that I've taken pictures of my build and how lazy I've been not to post it! Anyway have fun and reef on.

 

[dwd5813]

did you make that stand and canopy or did you buy it somewhere? where? (if not diy)

 

[Electrobes]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12255408#post12255408 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by john76
looking good so far

And my 360 is in the shop.... but I still won't buy a PS3 lol

Man I feel bad for you guys, and I cross my fingers it doesn't happen to me. My friend here in the middle of nowhere SC RROD'd the first one after a year, then the next two RROD'd in a span of a month!

 

[Electrobes]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12255430#post12255430 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rustylugnuts
Lookin good so far . I have to say I love the simple route. My 29 was as ghetto as they come. No canopy just t-5 HO's sittin on a glass lid, heaters, filters n powerheads just hangin out for all to see. None too pretty but very easy to run and it kept the critters happy. I'm guessin this 40 will look a lot better than that.
As far as hiding equipment in-tank goes I think I've seen someone here on RC silicone in a sheet of black acrylic to partition off the back few inches of the tank. That might be a good solution if you want to stay sumpless. (cmon go grab a 30 gallon and cram it into that stand you know you want to ) Ill be tagging along to see how it goes. Kinda reminds me that I've taken pictures of my build and how lazy I've been not to post it! Anyway have fun and reef on.

I remember my ghetto days, but to be honest it wasn't the set up itself being ghetto, it was all the reef stuff on the table next to it, on the floor, etc. Wife damn near killed me... :eek1:

This time around I got a small closet space for the reef stuff, and the tank will have room under the stand, no sump for me buwahaha! I'm sure I will grip about it down the road :lol:

Post those pictures! I love reading build threads... I think I like the equipment and set up more than the corals themselves!

 

[Electrobes]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12255445#post12255445 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dwd5813
did you make that stand and canopy or did you buy it somewhere? where? (if not diy)

I wish I had the carpentry skills to make a stand and canopy but alas I got mine from a deal I made with a LFS in Gainesville FL where I lived the last 7 odd years. I tried looking around for the brand but I can't see it anywhere. My apologies

 

[Electrobes]

The DIY Kalk Reactor

The DIY Kalk Reactor

I mentioned earlier that I love DIY projects and this hobby has no shortage of that fun to be done. The sad part is that even though I have the money, I still prefer to DIY.

The Kalk Reactor, one of the oldest, most beloved, and long lived instruments for us reefers to this day. I was going to make mine out of acrylic (Makes sense considering my access to acrylics) but unfortunately we don't use acrylic tubing.. it would have to be ordered (No biggie).

But as usual my lack of patience was getting to me and I decided to buy one from Acryliccity, as I did the first time I used a Kalk Reactor. Their unit is very fairly priced and worked well for me. I then come to find out that the store is closed until JUNE... poop! :eek1:

I was then considering the ordering of the acrylic tube until I decided just to use PVC. I figured I would eventually do one of two things:

1) Use the PVC Kalk Reactor long enough and just know when I needed to refill it or...

2) use my PVC Kalk Reactor for a little while and then just build my acrylic one since I'd have the benefit of time on my side.

I found DJFrankie's Sulfur Denitrator plans here on RC and modded it slightly for use as a Kalk Reactor: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1288082

First the materials pic:

I glued both the bottom flange and the top:

I then measured and marked where I was going to created a hole for the output of the powerhead, and then made the hole. After that I cut a 2.5 inch piece of .5 inch CPVC and a .5 inch elbow and glued it to the body of the reactor:

So far so good:

 

[Electrobes]

and it continues...

and it continues...

Next step was to cut the piping for the powerhead and glue them, and then glue that structure to the body of the Reactor:

And of course I needed to drill holes for the input of the fresh water and the output of the reactor, and install the NPTs:

And tadaa! We have ourselves a PVC Kalk Reactor:

Next post is about Filtration... mainly things I'd like to hear your thoughts on... Thanks!

 

[dwd5813]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12256037#post12256037 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Electrobes
I wish I had the carpentry skills to make a stand and canopy but alas I got mine from a deal I made with a LFS in Gainesville FL where I lived the last 7 odd years. I tried looking around for the brand but I can't see it anywhere. My apologies

no worries. i have a 40B that i need a stand for, and i'm thinking about diy, but i too lack the carpentry skills. or i should say that i lack the experience to know if i could really pull it off, lol. i've looked in a couple places but been unable to find a stand besides a metal one. i guess i'll have to actually ask somebody at the lfs :lol:

 

[Electrobes]

Recap on my questions

Recap on my questions

I figured after posting so much it'd be a bit hard to find my questions... so here we are a recap:

- For this Canopy I want to make it moisture-proof. What should I use to paint the inside of the canopy with? I saw a couple threads in which Killz Latex paint was used.. would this be the best path to take for my situation?

- I do need a light for the stand area though.. any suggestions?

- Unfortunately there are some holes in the canopy that I stupidly put there while trying to stick on a ballast poorly during my freshwater time. What's the best way to fill those in?

 

[Electrobes]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12256291#post12256291 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dwd5813
no worries. i have a 40B that i need a stand for, and i'm thinking about diy, but i too lack the carpentry skills. or i should say that i lack the experience to know if i could really pull it off, lol. i've looked in a couple places but been unable to find a stand besides a metal one. i guess i'll have to actually ask somebody at the lfs :lol:

So long you don't become one the the stories on this thread! http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1145724 :lol:

 

[dwd5813]

:lol: i like to think i know enough to keep me outta there.

 

[Electrobes]

RO/DI Plans

RO/DI Plans

I decided to talk about the filtration in the post after this... since my RO/DI will have to be done first

So I have a couple of options for my RO/DI set up and the tank. What is set in stone (plan-wise) is that the RO/DI will be in the laundry room and will easily reach the tank via going through the wall. The question is HOW should I have it attached to the tank. My thoughts are:

Option One: I could have the RO/DI plumbed directly into the Kalk Reactor (I'll tee it off with a valve so I can use it for water changes without a problem). If I employed this method I would have the float switch in the tank directly, and it would control TWO solenoid valves (I already got them). I would not feel secure with only one solenoid valve when the RO/DI unit is directly plumbed into the Kalk Reactor. I would feel a whole lot safer with two.

Option Two: I would have the Kalk Reactor in a container. I would also have two flaot switches instead of one... one would be in the main display and activate my doser pump to pump freshwater from the container into the Kalk Reactor, and the other float switch would be in the container and activate the two solenoids controlling the RO/DI.

I'm leaning towards Option Two as I have the materials (Actually, I need to get another float switch!) and if both solenoids fails it would flood my tiled house as opposed to my reef tank.

Anyone have a different idea or agree with one of the options?

 

[Electrobes]

Filtration

Filtration

This topic will prob be the hardest for me more so because of theological reasons as opposed to actually setting it up.

The goal of my tank is for it to be Softie tank. I tend to read a lot about reefing. Randy's articles alone could keep me sitting for days, not to mention Boreman's writings, and the many.... MANY others that contribute to this great hobby of ours. :rollface:

In a very general sense softies are interesting in their uptake of nutrients and their defenses. Before I get into that I wanted to list some inspirational tanks that led me to some of my optional schemes of filtration:

Muchoreef: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/totm/index.php This tank is nothing short of phenomenal and if anything is to shock people it would be his filtration methods. His skimmer was a modded skilter (Even he had to joke about this) and he ran a carbon insert in a AquaClear 300. The carbon was run continuously.. but the skimmer was actually running for everyother week, for a week!

nvert: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/totm/index.php Though our coral preferences are a bit different his tank is without question an inspiration to all smaller tank owners.

I am still re-learning a lot of the things I've forgotten over the last year. If reefing has taught me anything.. research goes a loooooong way to saving you from trouble, money loss, and even heart break. My goal is like an other aquarist, it's to keep my corals happy by knowing exactly what their species or general family needs.

As of right now I am thinking of the following method. I'd definitely like to hear what you guys have to say about it:

Method in mind: I am going to begin by the day I collect my rock and sand (Hopefully around April 12th, same day my RO/DI arrives). When I get back, I will already have a vat set up with actinic lighting only and a Kalk Reactor (Wanted to try this out). I'll place the rock in the vat and seed it with a chunk of live rock. The sand will go into the tank also seeded with some live sand.

After the rock and sand is all cured up into the main display it goes. I will wait for about a week or and see how the tank does in that time. If all looks good (By eye and testing) I'll introduce livestock slowly, start out with a sixline (Only wish I want) and eventually add my wife's fish list... ::squirms:: damsels. She loves the Neon Blue Velvet... don't ask.

As the livestock is slowly being introduced to my tank, I will start doing my regulatory 25% monthly water changes. As things progress and all is good I will start to introduce the corals. I need to come up with my wish list soon, but in reality I am the type of guy who is more of a spur of the moment buyer. If I see something I like and I know it would do well in my tank, I'll get it.

After a couple of corals and my tank is getting fully matured into a reef it is now when I come to the harder part. My water changes will always be the monthly 25%, but now is when I need additional filtration.

I was debating just going with carbon and DIYing a chamber in the AC500 (Which would house the heater). I was going to use the aqualifter to slowly (2x per day) filter the tank. I realized this probably wouldn't be enough. Even if I used a phosban reactor with carbon it prob wouldn't be enough for a fullly fledged reef.

I then thought about a skimmer. I convinced myself it would take away too much from the soft corals, but looking at some non-hard coral tanks out there I wonder how much water that holds (no pun intended). I looked at some skimmers and if I were to go with one it would prob be this one as it is highly regarded and has a chamber for carbon... even if it isn't as effective as a phosban reactor would be: http://www.aquacave.com/octopus-han...kimmerbr-with-filter-system-bh-100f-1013.html It looks really promising and if I only needed it some of the time I could just cut the air easily enough.

What are y'all thoughts on this timeline/method??

 

[MeuserReef]

Re: RO/DI Plans

Re: RO/DI Plans

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12257747#post12257747 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Electrobes
The question is HOW should I have it attached to the tank.

Option One: I could have the RO/DI plumbed directly into the Kalk Reactor (I'll tee it off with a valve so I can use it for water changes without a problem). If I employed this method I would have the float switch in the tank directly, and it would control TWO solenoid valves (I already got them). I would not feel secure with only one solenoid valve when the RO/DI unit is directly plumbed into the Kalk Reactor. I would feel a whole lot safer with two.

Option Two: I would have the Kalk Reactor in a container. I would also have two flaot switches instead of one... one would be in the main display and activate my doser pump to pump freshwater from the container into the Kalk Reactor, and the other float switch would be in the container and activate the two solenoids controlling the RO/DI.

I'm leaning towards Option Two as I have the materials (Actually, I need to get another float switch!) and if both solenoids fails it would flood my tiled house as opposed to my reef tank.

Anyone have a different idea or agree with one of the options?

Take the BLUE pill Christian!... the BLUE pill!!!

I have my ATO setup like this and its awesome. As long as your RO/DI has a pressure shut-off valve, you can use one of these <a href=http://www.toofishy.com/product.php?productid=18680> FLOAT VALVES</a> to act as a mechanical safety should your electric solenoids fail. Of course, hiding it may be a challenge since there will be no sump!

I use two 12V float switches (wired in series) to control two 120V solenoids (also plumbed in series and switched via a 12V relay). The output from my RO unit goes into my Kalk reactor, which allows me to dose my tank w/ kalk whenever its top-off time.

All of this (except the float valves.... duh!) are in my laundry room, which is on the other side of the wall that my tank sits against. The waste water from the RO goes down the washing machine waste water drain, although some folks use it to fill their washing machine or to water their plants/lawns.

To prevent "short-cycling" on the RO unit (caused by the float switches bobbing up and down all day) I control the power to the ATO by a el-cheap-o mechanical timer. It comes on 5 times a day and remians on for a MAX of 15 min at a time.

Ps... thanks again for the CO2 setup!