Lots of water, or What the heck are you thinking

[Northside Reef]

so I have a few questions for you... do you plan on keeping yours in the light or dark? and do you plan on insulating it?

pretty much right where they sit.

My one question, how in the worls did you caculate the drain down volume for the sump in the event of a power failure

I just calculated it as though the tubing was square so (in inches) Height x Width x Length /231 should be close enough. also there is a floor drain right next to the sump that I will plumb over to incase I was wrong.

Hope this dont end on bad terms. I see your point but also the guys bring up some valiuable info. Have to tank good opinions with the bad. And there are alot of different people reading and trying to understand so your going to have to repeat or explain. Your money do what u want with it but people just trying to help. Good luck ill be following along.

You are right of course and maybe yesterday was a bad day but the humidity thing was becoming a dead horse that if I do stay with this thread I no longer intend to address. If my plan does not work I will step up and say so however.

With that much water in the system, do you anticipate doing less water changes since you'll only have a 280g reef with 75% non-reef water in the system?

I do plan to do water changes right now I do 10% per week I hope to be able to do fewer and I will base it on tank volume not system volume. so 10 % of the 280

How much flow are you going to have through those sumps. I would just be worried about oxygen levels getting low if the flow through isn't great enough. Although I would guess that the macros could also help take care of that issue too. I like it.

in the main tank there should be adequate surface movement to keep DO at the right levels. Also there will be 2 MRC 3 skimmers (one on each reservoir) that should also help in this area.

 

[moumda]

Great looking settup! My only comment is to plumb the skimmer diredtly from the overflow from tank to improve skimmer performance. Please do post pics when done!

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I didn't think it was overboard.
I already have a 129g & a 150g sump for my next tank. I think the 150 will end up being a frag tank, the 129g a sump, then I'm going to need a fuge. I already "passed" on a 750g that was for sale.....too small!! :lol:

Good luck, the more threads I see like this, the more I learn

 

[eidillitih]

I got some good advice I think over at TCMAS about taking one of the fuges down and making it a frag tank I like the idea. I think I can put it over the sump there is a lot of room there. I just need to modify the deck a bit.

Now this is what I was talking about. With all that space, ditch a refugium and add a frag tank. great!! keep us posted.

Yes, I am jealous, I've been thinking myself sleepless trying to figure out how can I add a frag tank to my current system and when I seen this thread and all the space and no frag tank, I'm think "3 refugiums, reservior, and sump. all add up to over 1000gals but no frag tank! man, Noway I wouldn't have one setup with all that space."

Anyway Good Luck

 

[VegasMike]

I hope you didn't take my post as critical in any way, just telling what I did to adress humidity issues. You are just addressing them in a different manner and I will be curious to see how it turns out. Being in Minn and putting most of the water volume in the basement should help in temp control.

The only thing I am jealous about is the fun you get to have in setting up the tank - and maybe having a basement as you don't see too many of those here in Las Vegas .

As for all the refugium/sump/frag tank talk. I have found that I rarely do anything in my sump, work wise, on a regular basis other than change out carbon monthly. I harvest macro algae out of the refugium monthly and feed my refugium fish every couple days. If I hadn't put the fish in the refugium, I would hardly touch it either. I just had to put a pair of Clakii's in there and a Chysurus Angel. The Chysurus had black Lympho when I got him and I wanted him somewhat isolated. He healed up within a weak and I have just been too scared to add him to the main tank. So, I have this awesome fish that no one gets to see....

I digress. Enjoy setting up the new tank as I feel that is a major part of the fun in this hobby. Were there things I would have done differently with my 750 gallon system? Sure. The two major ones would have been to run a drain line closer to the sump or refugium to plumg into for water changes and to have gone bare bottom from the start. I don't have much sand anymore, maybe 1/2" to 1" in the front 12" of the tank, but that's all. For a drain, I teed off with a valve and a barbed fitting so that whenever I do a water change, I have to remove the little round grate over the floor drain stick the tubing into the drain and turn the valve until the refugium gets down to a marked level. I then close the valve open another one, flick a switch and 50 gallons of water is transferred from my salt water mixing container to the refugium/system. The water change takes about 15 minutes, but I could have made it a bit easier.

Let us all know if you have any questions because one thing is certain, somebady has probably come across the situation before.

Have fun,
Mike

 

[Northside Reef]

Great looking settup! My only comment is to plumb the skimmer diredtly from the overflow from tank to improve skimmer performance. Please do post pics when done!

yes both over flows (that a are not detoured to the refugiums) are plumbed direct to the intake of the pump to the skimmer. although part of that water is diverted to keep the reservoirs recirculating

Drawing from page one.

Mike I had no problem with your input. You were speaking from direct experience and that is a valuable commodity.

I was shorted on a few fitting from MD (cant find 2ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ male nipples at HD) I hope to get them in this weekend. I should have checked the box sooner I guess. I have one of the reservoirs roughed in. I see I have a couple things to change form my original plan. I hope to have it circulating soon.

300 gallons will take a bit to make though at 40 gallons per day, better then 7 days just to fill one reservoir.. lol if I make all my water myself it will take over a month 24/7 to fill this entire system.

 

[melev]

Sounds like you need a new RO unit. Lots of people buy the 100gpd units on Ebay for under $90.

 

[GregM779]

I just received my RO/DI from Ebay Monday, got it from FilterDirect, they were very quick to respond with any questions I had. My tap water had a TDS reading of 360 after the filter it was 2. I ordered the $90 model (RD-100)

 

[Northside Reef]

Sounds like you need a new RO unit

Yeah I was thinking the same thing..

on a side note. Marine Depot really came through. I did not even email them until 8:00 PM last night about the missing fittings. UPS just dropped off the four I needed. totally made my day.

 

[wonrib00]

Now that is customer service. Tell us more about the main tank. What are your plans? Lighting? SPS? BB/DSB? Closed loop?

 

[Northside Reef]

OK I am going to get another RO/DI unit but I have a question about these ones on ebay for $90.00.

How good are they?

I spent more then twice that for my SpectraPure MPDI-40 did I just pay too much or is there a quality difference I should consider?

I like the idea of getting another Spectrapure that way I only have to keep one set of new cartridges on hand for both units, but not if I am paying that much more for the unit when I can get the same thing for less..

But I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t want to go cheap if there are other factors that I should consider.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Northside Reef]

Now that is customer service. Tell us more about the main tank. What are your plans? Lighting? SPS? BB/DSB? Closed loop?

I have a 125 set up now that has 3 250 watt DE HQIââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s, MRC-2 skimmer, MRC CR-4 calcium reactor, 2 Tunze 6100 power heads with controller. All of which is moving to the new tank.

The MRC-2 is going to be upgraded by adding a 12ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ riser and a second becket. Andy says that that will be a bit larger then an MRC-3. I will have the updated skimmer and a new MRC-3 on one of the reservoirs each.

I plan to add a Nilsen reactor but it is not a number one priority atm.

The 125 is mostly SPS a few LPS and some Zoanthids. The new tank will have more SPSââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s.

The closed loop is going to be an Oceans Motions 8 way run by a Sequence Hammerhead.
I talked to Paul about a custom 6 way for the return as well. I plan to use his revolutions on the 6 way.

Each 6100 puts out about 3,100 GPH but they will not both be at full speed at the same time more like 100%/50% and back and forth. So a bit over 4,500 GPH between them.
The CL off the hammerhead is about 5,500 GPH at 0 head. I will have marginal lose due to the OM and fittings, but I should be close to that amount.
My return should add an additional 2,500 GPH according to the head lose charts and the guys at MDM. So total tank flow is in the neighborhood of 12,500 GPH.

I plan to go BB I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t like seeing the sand from my SSB flying around my tank, and I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t trust myself to maintain a DSB. So BB with a few remote DSBââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s.
The thing I like about this setup is it is modular every component can be cut off from the main system.

I am sure once the major portion of this upgrade is done I will add other gadgets but for now that is the nuts and bolts of the system.

 

[mickey57]

...I likes'

.................Mickey

 

[Lebowski_]

Cool idea. Cant wait to see some pics

--Dan

 

[Northside Reef]

OK I am going to get another RO/DI unit but I have a question about these ones on ebay for $90.00.

How good are they?

I spent more then twice that for my SpectraPure MPDI-40 did I just pay too much or is there a quality difference I should consider?

I like the idea of getting another Spectrapure that way I only have to keep one set of new cartridges on hand for both units, but not if I am paying that much more for the unit when I can get the same thing for less..

But I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t want to go cheap if there are other factors that I should consider.

Any help would be appreciated.

Mark I was looking at your site I thought I remembered that you sold these things. The one I see on your site looks a lot like the Spectrapure I have. Are they interchangeable? (can I interchange the cartridges?)

 

[wonrib00]

I went with the el cheapo ro/di unit from ebay, and I love it. I can't see why people are paying two or even three times that ammount for units that do the same things. My tap water was at 413 ppm, first couple of weeks, 0ppm, it has now leveled out at 4ppm. I have had the unit for 13 months.

 

[elephen]

tagging along....

 

[jimsta]

I went with one of the ones from ebay and I also very pleased with it, its givin me no probleems and very simple to use.

 

[Earl n Jenn]

Believe it or not, I have seen this exact plumbing before. Only I think I was at Sea World!! Just Kidding.. Go for it man. If this works...You are my hero. If not, That basement will be one large aquarium.... Win-Win situation..

 

[melev]

I received your email, and will reply there. I'm not a sponsor of RC.