JapanReef - 450 gallon In-Wall system

[melev]

You're too kind. Some type of strainer inside the overflow that fits into the Durso would help, but it would be one more thing that needs to be cleaned out from time to time as well. Right now I have everything open and no microbubble problems. Still, I like seeing solutions like the one you came up with, and will surely keep this in mind when this problem arises with others.

 

[NexDog]

Thanks for the input - much appreciated. I have two 1.5" drains in each overflow. One is cut off halfway and handles most of the flow. What I did was choke off the flow underneath with a ball valve until the amount of flow was just too much for the pipe and caused the water level to rise and the rest is handled by the durso standpipe handles the rest. So all the air is coming down that durso. Maybe I will try a 1" durso then....

But I think my ultimate solution is to feed my returns direct into my Deltec 902 skimmer. This would improve skimmer performance and elimate another pump. I think in teh end I might have 2 skimmers - one for each drain - and run one wet and the other dry and maybe ozone in one too.

I'm happy to take it slow to get a near-perfect system running. I still have major power issues to resolve. One of my halides is so dim and I'm positive it's a power issue rather than a bulb/ballast issue. Waiting on some experts to come round and look at that. The microbubble issue does need to be resolved too but it will in the end.

So my rock has been curing in tubs for just over a week. Every 2 days I test the ammonia level in my tank and if it's zero as it has been been, I add a few kilos. I've been adding it to the skimmer section of the sump and skimming super wet hoping to pull out the nastiness. I've probably added about 10kg so far.

 

[enamdjd]

microbubbles

microbubbles

I also have 1.5" dursos and Hayward double union ball valves right after the drains exit the bottom of the tank. I tried restricting the flow by closing down the Haywards but still one is left with the actual cross-sectional volume of a 1.5" drain pipe. The air in my case was secondary to the turbulence and contact time within the 1.5" flexible PVC pipes after the water exited tank. By simply placing 1.5" to 1" reducers at the end of each drain pipe, just before the water exits into the filter bags in the sump, I was able to back up the water, fill the space within the 1.5" drain lines and decrease the "vortex flow" down the drain pipes. In doing so, I was able to decrease the air inclusion into the water within my drain lines as the water makes its journey downward. I hope this helps and serves to eliminate any additional major plumbing.

 

[corwando]

Sir,

I run a sequence 5000SEQ22 as my return pump for my 120g. My sump is a custom acrylic 80g set in my basement. I very few microbubbles, if any, mostly caused by my euro-reef skimmer. I did a few things to stop microbubbles from the drains-

1. I put two large 1-1/2" gate valves on the drains coming from the tank just before the sump. At the inlet of the drains, I oversized the standpipe and drilled the standpipe with a ton of holes to prevent fish from taking a ride.

2. I installed two "safety drains" or non-functioning drains to prevent flooding if one of the gate-valved drains becomes clogged. They are a lifesaver! They are adjusted to be just above the tank water level but still below the top of the tank.

3. I backed up the flow in the drains by slowly closing the gate valves. Air never makes it to the sump!

The only thing I do is adjust the gate valves periodically. It's a pain, but worth it with the flow I'm pushing. My pump pushes over 3000 gph!

This idea has been discussed at length in another thread. Do a search for it. It works, and if properly tuned, the noise of the overflow is a great alarm. In fact, I have a very silent tank because of it.

Do whatever you feel like, though.

 

[NexDog]

Re: microbubbles

Re: microbubbles

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6677764#post6677764 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by enamdjd
I also have 1.5" dursos and Hayward double union ball valves right after the drains exit the bottom of the tank. I tried restricting the flow by closing down the Haywards but still one is left with the actual cross-sectional volume of a 1.5" drain pipe. The air in my case was secondary to the turbulence and contact time within the 1.5" flexible PVC pipes after the water exited tank. By simply placing 1.5" to 1" reducers at the end of each drain pipe, just before the water exits into the filter bags in the sump, I was able to back up the water, fill the space within the 1.5" drain lines and decrease the "vortex flow" down the drain pipes. In doing so, I was able to decrease the air inclusion into the water within my drain lines as the water makes its journey downward. I hope this helps and serves to eliminate any additional major plumbing.

So I could just put 1.5" > 1" bushings on the drains right before they drain into the sump? That would be most helpful and easier to do than swapping out all the plumbing.

 

[NexDog]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6679121#post6679121 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by corwando
Sir,

I run a sequence 5000SEQ22 as my return pump for my 120g. My sump is a custom acrylic 80g set in my basement. I very few microbubbles, if any, mostly caused by my euro-reef skimmer. I did a few things to stop microbubbles from the drains-

1. I put two large 1-1/2" gate valves on the drains coming from the tank just before the sump. At the inlet of the drains, I oversized the standpipe and drilled the standpipe with a ton of holes to prevent fish from taking a ride.

2. I installed two "safety drains" or non-functioning drains to prevent flooding if one of the gate-valved drains becomes clogged. They are a lifesaver! They are adjusted to be just above the tank water level but still below the top of the tank.

3. I backed up the flow in the drains by slowly closing the gate valves. Air never makes it to the sump!

The only thing I do is adjust the gate valves periodically. It's a pain, but worth it with the flow I'm pushing. My pump pushes over 3000 gph!

This idea has been discussed at length in another thread. Do a search for it. It works, and if properly tuned, the noise of the overflow is a great alarm. In fact, I have a very silent tank because of it.

Do whatever you feel like, though.

I've seen the threads on this method but it's more messing around than I want to do.

 

[bigeyetuna]

I too have Micro bubble problems and it is very annoying to see in the display tank. Thanks all for the useful information in this thread!

Also very interested in seeing more pictures, AWESOME TANK SETUP!!!!!

 

[NexDog]

So I got my rock 2 weeks ago and it was shipped from Okinawa which is just south of here. I took some pictures at the time and it's only taken me 2 weeks to get them scanned in uploaded. Damn, I need a digital camera bad.

So it came in 3 boxes. One box had big pieces and the other 2 contained smaller.

Here is how much rock I got:

The rock is really colourful. Lots of pink, purple, red, green and yellow. Basically every colour coraline you can get....

Even had a big clam shell which will look nice in the aquascape.

 

[NexDog]

Each box had a freebie. I got an acro colony, a sun coral and a huge Deresa clam. In he bag:

The acro is in the tank now as well as the clam. Not a big fan of sun coral due to the maintenance involved so have it in the sump for easy feeding. It is yellow and orange and I've never seen a bright yellow before so I think I'll make an effort with this one.

I've been curing the LR in these 2 plastic tubs.

I have about a third in the tank already and will be aquascaping at the end of this month. This month I'm going to hook up at least one CL and the CL in the prop section (which I've decided to do in soft PVC). And then hook up the drains to teh skimmer which should increase performance and eliminate microbubbles.

And March I'll begin to stock hardcore.

 

[melev]

Those are some very cool freebies! And the rock looks very nice, very natural-shaped.

 

[NexDog]

I think I might do half the aquascape tomorrow. I have enough rock in the tank to do one island. My aquascape probably won't be as ingenious as some as it will be 2 formations above each rack (quite high) with a back wall connecting them that I want to high back CL inlet/outlets.

I took out all the new rock today and gave it another scrub and inserted more in the skimmer section.

 

[Bax]

Beautiful rock NexDog!

That's great that you can get natural LR from such a close source, it's like Florida aquacultured rock here on the east coast ... only much better!

 

[NexDog]

MDP is sending mre down some frags in the morning. In the box is an orange monti cap, 2 frags of metallic green Monti digitata, pink birds nest, pink zoos with clove polyps and a frag of the Red People Zoo. Thanks Matt!!

 

[melev]

Laurence, I'm a little bit concerned that you are adding livestock too soon to your tank. All the rock that was shipped was exposed to air for a while, right? You might get a small cycle, something you should test for.

I'm excited for you to get livestock too, but the rock should be already in the tank by now, and water tests should indicate all is well.

Perhaps you've already given this some thought, but others reading might figure they could do exactly what you are doing and set up a reef tank virtually overnight.

 

[NexDog]

It's all good, Marc.

I got the rock 2 weeks ago and put it in the tubs. Every few days I've been scrubbing a few pieces and placing it in the skimmer section and skimming really wet. I test the water before I add more rock too.

My thinking is that by adding it slowly I'm giving the bio-filter a chance to catch up and it seems to be working. If I had added as much rock as I've put in in one go I'd have gotten a cycle for sure. The curing rock stinks so bad.

So it's thought through. And I've had the YT, Coral Beauty, Clowns, Chromis and pair of gobies in there for over a month now too. I am taking it very slowly really.

 

[melev]

You know what? I totally forgot that you posted that it took you two weeks to get the film developed and scanned in. In my mind, I saw pictures of new LR on newspaper, and then your next post was about livestock coming in. My mistake. (Going off to start the coffee maker now....)

 

[NexDog]

Also, the frags will all go in the prop section until the aquascape it built. I know it may seem a bit premature but if I continue to add the rock the way I have I don't see an issue.

 

[NexDog]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6722669#post6722669 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
You know what? I totally forgot that you posted that it took you two weeks to get the film developed and scanned in. In my mind, I saw pictures of new LR on newspaper, and then your next post was about livestock coming in. My mistake. (Going off to start the coffee maker now....)

Hehe, I see how that would seem a bit bizarre. Pretty much everything I do is fully researched and while I'm no expert on reefkeeping I do understand the concept of shipped rock = die off = ammonia = bad.

 

[melev]

I was pretty sure you did. But again, the silent readers do tend to copy others, especially if it looks like they are successful. As dutiful hobbyists, we have to keep that in mind and provide them with the safest and most effective method that will assure them success in their own tanks.

Looking forward to the pictures of your new corals. In two weeks, right?

 

[tony13]

enamdjd

Sorry to go off track but how long did you have to wait to get your tank?, the reason I ask cause I'm going on four month's and still can't get a straight answer from them. I've been told this week three weeks ago but I've heard it before and am getting nervous.
Tony