Greenhouse project
- Thread starter dendronepthya
- Start date
Great greenhouse and great thread!
Perhaps I missed it, but have you decided how you intend to supplement calcium and alkalinity?
Depending on the air turnover, your choice may impact the growing of the plants as well, either delivering extra CO2 (a CaCO3/CO2 reactor), or taking it up (limewater).
Likewise, the plants will tend to lower the air CO2, making limewater possibly a little trickier, and making a CaCO3/CO2 reactor a little easier to use from a pH perspective.
Perhaps I missed it, but have you decided how you intend to supplement calcium and alkalinity?
Depending on the air turnover, your choice may impact the growing of the plants as well, either delivering extra CO2 (a CaCO3/CO2 reactor), or taking it up (limewater).
Likewise, the plants will tend to lower the air CO2, making limewater possibly a little trickier, and making a CaCO3/CO2 reactor a little easier to use from a pH perspective.
TacoKing
New member
The only thing I'm worried about with this green house is color. Green houses in these temperate zones with large changes in sun seem to cause problems with SPS corals. You'll get a lot of browns and very little bright colors. How will you be fixing this? Running 20k lights? or some blues all the time to keep the colors in the corals?
dendronepthya
Premium Member
Thanks, everyone.
As far as the plants are concerned, I don't think anything I do will affect them much. The air circulation in the greenhouse is amazing. Gasses don't have much of an opportunity to build up.
That said, the only reason I would care about the color is to make the corals a more marketable. In reality, regardless of what color they are in my tanks, they will change once they are in the customer's tank. It may be a good thing, or a bad thing. I know I've bought Ricordea that I thought had the most amazing color and after a month it turned into the exact same color of a colony I already had.
Anyhow, when the time comes, I'll be sure to post pictures. I'm not shy
This weekend I will be making the first 750 gallons of salt water. I'll have to do some experimentation.
In the winter, I may have to add lighting if it becomes a problem. Right now in the dead of summer though, I am going to have to install shade cloths. It is unbearably bright in the greenhouse. Actually, half of the greenhouse has shade cloths (the plant side) because the orchids were getting schorched and dying. With the shade cloths, they are doing much better. Perhaps it is something you have to see in person. I don't think many corals would survive long in direct light within these tanks. We will see soon enough though, I'll be tossing in some frags that I wouldn't mind losing this weekend.
Originally I was planning on buying huge calcium reactors, but later decided to go with a much more simple and cost effective solution. I now want to just make about 20 gallons of kalkwasser each day and dose it slowly. The tanks evaporate a good amount of water, and I figured I could kill two birds with one stone so to speak.
As far as the plants are concerned, I don't think anything I do will affect them much. The air circulation in the greenhouse is amazing. Gasses don't have much of an opportunity to build up.
I hear conflicting reports about this actually. On one hand, Anthony Calfo talks about how the most spectacular colors ever come out under sunlight. Scubadude complained about some browning of the corals. I've been to Tropicorium and saw a little of both. Some corals looked amazing while others were jammed under MH lights (and still didn't look great). I guess it will have to be something I play with as I encounter it. There may be a lot of other factors involved with the setups beyond just the light that contribute to the coloration of the corals.
That said, the only reason I would care about the color is to make the corals a more marketable. In reality, regardless of what color they are in my tanks, they will change once they are in the customer's tank. It may be a good thing, or a bad thing. I know I've bought Ricordea that I thought had the most amazing color and after a month it turned into the exact same color of a colony I already had.
Anyhow, when the time comes, I'll be sure to post pictures. I'm not shy
coralfarm'n
New member
Hi
Just wanted to say your project is sweet.
I lived in akron for a year when I was a teenager its to cold for me.
I also have a greenhouse project on the way.
Man you guys went all out on the frame and covering I guess with all the cold and snow it was a good investment.This greenhouse must be more for you than profit.It will take alot of coral frags to heat that house.
keep up the great work
Rob can you email me some pics of your outdoor system?
Just wanted to say your project is sweet.
I lived in akron for a year when I was a teenager its to cold for me.
I also have a greenhouse project on the way.
Man you guys went all out on the frame and covering I guess with all the cold and snow it was a good investment.This greenhouse must be more for you than profit.It will take alot of coral frags to heat that house.
keep up the great work
Rob can you email me some pics of your outdoor system?
robwsup
Premium Member
I have no pics of it right now. It is basically a 20 gallon tub plumbed back in to my indoor 500 gallon system. It makes for good comparisons, because the only difference between my indoor corals and the outdoor corals is the intensity and duration of the light that they receive. It a very simple system.
Alright, back to Dendro's greenhouse.
Alright, back to Dendro's greenhouse.
dendronepthya
Premium Member
At last there is actual salt water in the greenhouse. It may or may not be useable though. I am experimenting with the water right out of the well. It has a TDS of 900. Yes, that's right, 900. Not only does it have a high TDS, it is visibly murky and so hard that I scouped out a cup full of calcium-like precipitate that resembled wet cornflakes.
I will likely have to buy a very expensive water purification system to get this kind of water to a reasonably pure level without completely oblitterating the filters. I was hoping to use a large DI system and recharge it periodically, however considering just how bad this water is, it would likely need recharging quite frequently. I will probably have to use a multi-stage system with the full complement of sediment filter, carbon filter, water softener, RO system, and a DI unit. A unit like that would cost a lot initially, but it would produce pure water, and require little maintenance long term.
For the time being, I am going to see if anything can survive in this dirty water of mine without much more than some carbon and a skimmer. Now for some pics.
Here is the setup as it looks today. The only difference really is the location of the skimmer, and the new output. I moved the skimmer because I wanted to have all the valves for everything on one side (airlines and skimmer). I also wanted to have a space open to set up a photography tank over the middle tank (right next to the skimmer).
I am running several large bags of carbon to hopefully clear up this water.
The skimmer was moved slightly, and the output runs to the two larger tanks. The water flows back slowly through the true-union ball valves connecting the tanks.
You can see the water flowing out to each of the side tanks.
Yum. The skimmer works.
That's all for right now. I'll be working on the shade cloths next.
I will likely have to buy a very expensive water purification system to get this kind of water to a reasonably pure level without completely oblitterating the filters. I was hoping to use a large DI system and recharge it periodically, however considering just how bad this water is, it would likely need recharging quite frequently. I will probably have to use a multi-stage system with the full complement of sediment filter, carbon filter, water softener, RO system, and a DI unit. A unit like that would cost a lot initially, but it would produce pure water, and require little maintenance long term.
For the time being, I am going to see if anything can survive in this dirty water of mine without much more than some carbon and a skimmer. Now for some pics.
Here is the setup as it looks today. The only difference really is the location of the skimmer, and the new output. I moved the skimmer because I wanted to have all the valves for everything on one side (airlines and skimmer). I also wanted to have a space open to set up a photography tank over the middle tank (right next to the skimmer).
I am running several large bags of carbon to hopefully clear up this water.
The skimmer was moved slightly, and the output runs to the two larger tanks. The water flows back slowly through the true-union ball valves connecting the tanks.
You can see the water flowing out to each of the side tanks.
Yum. The skimmer works.
That's all for right now. I'll be working on the shade cloths next.
dendronepthya
Premium Member
The water from my well is easily the strangest stuff I have ever come across. I mentioned before that it was very high in TDS and it appears that the bubbling action of the air lifts is causing a calcium-like precipitate to form (looks like soggy cornflakes). Anyhow, I got quite a shock when I went to the greenhouse the day after I mixed up the salt water. The water got unbelievably cloudy. I haven't cycled a tank in a long time, but I remember they did get cloudy for a couple days. I figured that was the source of the cloudiness, but when I looked closer, it seemed like the turbidity was caused by more precipitation. There was a very fine silt covering everything, and the skimmer was pulling out all this white chalk-like stuff. The whole 750 gallons looks like a freshly made batch of kalkwasser.
I think my fantasy of using unfiltered water is coming to an end, and I will have to start saving diligently for an expensive water purification system.
I think my fantasy of using unfiltered water is coming to an end, and I will have to start saving diligently for an expensive water purification system.
dendronepthya
Premium Member
partagas,
The well is actually rather old. I don't know if is an issue with settling or not simply because I am new to this whole well thing. This is the first place out in the country my family has ever owned. Every other place before was city water.
I really think the flakes and cloudiness come from the contact with the air from the lifts. With the TDS so high, I can imagine much of the reading is coming from calcium and magnesium that would precipitate out in the presence of an air source.
minfinger,
I'm going to have to do something, and I think part of the package will be a large powered RO system. The problem of course is that with just an RO system, the membranes would likely clog if I didn't pre-treat the water. From everything I've heard, I need to employ a sediment filter and a water softener in front of it to extend the life of the RO membranes. It would not surprise me if the 900 TDS water that is visibly murky would clog the membranes in a month. Supposedly if you prefilter the water, the life of the membranes goes up to 12 months.
The well is actually rather old. I don't know if is an issue with settling or not simply because I am new to this whole well thing. This is the first place out in the country my family has ever owned. Every other place before was city water.
I really think the flakes and cloudiness come from the contact with the air from the lifts. With the TDS so high, I can imagine much of the reading is coming from calcium and magnesium that would precipitate out in the presence of an air source.
minfinger,
I'm going to have to do something, and I think part of the package will be a large powered RO system. The problem of course is that with just an RO system, the membranes would likely clog if I didn't pre-treat the water. From everything I've heard, I need to employ a sediment filter and a water softener in front of it to extend the life of the RO membranes. It would not surprise me if the 900 TDS water that is visibly murky would clog the membranes in a month. Supposedly if you prefilter the water, the life of the membranes goes up to 12 months.
gpajon
New member
dendronepthya said:
That is why I am so thankfull to live near the coast where I can get Natural Seawater. I am investing in a gas powered pump to collect my own and save the expense of having it delivered. I can do weekly water changes with this system.
As far as your well water goes, do you think a water softner would make it a little better? It will probably extend the life of your RO membrane at the least.
dendronepthya
Premium Member
I went to the greenhouse today and the water that was unbelievably murky yesterday was crystal clear today.
Here is the cloudy version. Note, there is a pump in there about 6" below the surface:
Today, it is much easier to see:
I need to find out what is in this water that is causing the high TDS. If it is just calcium and magnesium, I think it would be kind of counterproductive to run it through about $3000 worth of water purification only to later re-add it in the form of kalkwasser. As long as there isn't any copper in the water, it may be ok.
Here is the cloudy version. Note, there is a pump in there about 6" below the surface:
Today, it is much easier to see:
I need to find out what is in this water that is causing the high TDS. If it is just calcium and magnesium, I think it would be kind of counterproductive to run it through about $3000 worth of water purification only to later re-add it in the form of kalkwasser. As long as there isn't any copper in the water, it may be ok.
dendronepthya
Premium Member
It is not really possible to have rubbermaid stock tanks stack while allowing light to get to the ones underneath. Also, the tanks are about 30" tall. The setups would be very very tall if they were stacked and had any kind of room between the tanks. I would have to service the top tanks with a ladder.
If you mean why I didn't use glass tanks, it came down to cost.
If you mean why I didn't use glass tanks, it came down to cost.
