How not to build a 750/1500 gallon build thread-Khaosinc 3/5/71-8/30/11

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1399906&highlight=volcano+skimmer

This thread is the Volcano Skimmer thread. It may give you some ideas. This was one of my favorite threads, contentious at times but a good read. I discovered Hahnmeister on this thread. Followed him for a while

Marty



khaosinc said:
LOL, actually I was trying to build a somewhat overkill/overbuilt skimmer to handle about 2000 gph. The base was a 50 gallon acrylic tank, and I was planning on 4 recirculating 'stacks' each running a bubble blaster 5000. I stumbled over a great deal on a skimmer a fair bit bigger than mine and between those 2 I should be good to go for a while... See when it gets here. Its sitting at a friends place who has a big mill at the moment. I'll post pics of the fiasco when I get over there.

I still might build it for fun if I stumble over some cheap pumps.

Just up from my nap, be back playing with the 300 soon enough.
Click to expand...
 
I've read through that thread, this was a concept thats been floating around in my head for a while that I haven't seen done. Mostly having alot more water volume to skim and using more than 1 neck/head. Basically as soon as I scrounged the top piece of acrylic, I was going to cut the top off the 50 and replace it with 4 6-8" pvc stacks with a gasketed flange base mounted to solid acrylic. then put those cheap plastic tanks that you see at yard sales for $1 on the top for the head. rig all 4 with drain holes to a 5 gallon bucket and a couple of baffles at the end to keep any yuck in the skimmer. My big hold up was getting the pumps. Cleaning was just unbolting the 'stacks' from the tank and draining. Easy access, and an easy measured 50 gallon water change, pn the off chance I get around to one. Sizing would have been simple add on slip fit pieces.
 
well... leaking is all fixed, return pump is plumbed in and the wall is installed. suppose I should finish painting that wall...

Not overly happy about it but I think it will be ok once it grows in. Think I may have scored some sweet eel mates as well. we shall see...

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should start filling tommorow, then comes the fun of tearing the sump apart to try and get the eel out.
 
Hey Kev
Try using PVC in the tank with the eel. Once he goes in the PVC use gloves or something to cap one end off and raise the open end of the PVC up first then just dump him into the new tank. Its worth a shot to keep from having to tear apart the sump unless your looking forward to the destruction part :)
 
LOL easier said than done... he's in a 300 gallon tank full of live rock. I suspect alot will have to come out... I'm planning on swiping some for the new tank anyway as well as some of the sand. I'm thinking of moving the cryptic zone to the 100 gallon rubbermaid (less light to get in) and just putting a DSB in there with a few rocks and stock it with massive amounts of scavengers. Maybe even try a horseshoe crab or something. Always wanted one.

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I put a shrimp out last night he hasn't touched yet, he might still be full.

the new 300 is seeing water now though.... should be full and mixxed by morning if I have enough salt...

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well, it would have been full, but apperently some unnamed kitty decieded to play with the water line, so theres a bunch on the floor instead...

almost there. Needs some more flow, still cloudy

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And I now know at least one thing linka like to eat. I had got some steamer clams at the store for the eel, tossed some of the happier ones in the tank and were doing well...

once was a fluke, here he is again with a different one..
005.jpg
 
well it is up and running on the main system Took every last bit of salt I had to get it up where I wanted. hope I don't need some in the near future...

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frag/grow out side just some old eggcrate things I built that I wasn't using. Make something proper when I have some more $$$
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Eel side.. still not happy with the wall. hope I can get it to color up/grow stuff soon.

003.jpg
 
Something is very screwy with either my system or my test kit.

My neibors kid was over doing my water testing and either my test kit is shot or something is really wrong with my system. Ammonia and nitrates are off the scale high, but all the corals look fine and no fish are missing. The shrimp,starfish, and everything else seems to be fine as well that I could see. Not unusual for me not to see things for a week or so. haven't been able to locate the new kit I bought. I know its around here somewhere. Could anything mundane spike tests like that. I just added 300 gallons of new water to the system, maybe something in the pipe glue or spray foam if I didn't wait for it to cure long enough.

Gonna have to give up and take the stupid stop shaking pills so I can retest tonight I guess
 
could be possible that when you took up that sand bed and moved it all around it could have released a ton of junk into your system.
Love your build by the way keep up the great work. And glad to see your doing ok.
 
that was a few weeks ago and when she did the tests last week everything was fine? I went ahead and tore the sump apart mostly to confirm it wasn't the eel dead but he's fine. I was surprised. Only took me about an hour to catch him

got a couple cool pics from the cryptic zone as well...

some red tube and beige tube like sponge
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yellow ball sponge (theres a bunch of these)

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another shaped red one..

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there was a bunch of white root looking stuff as well, but I was busy chasing this little guy at the time...

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well, if nothing else... I should have my extra waste problem taken care of... I'm about 6' for size reference.

5 ehiem 1262's... should make some bubbles...

Despite what the guy who tried to low bid him worse than I did said, lamarine23 is great to buy from and my only complaint is that he packed everything too well, and thanks to an excited dog, I'm gonna be picking up packing peanuts for a month....

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One of the things I do every night is look at this thread to see what you did last night/this morning...Let's have an update! You must have been fixing or tearing something apart;)
 
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