My 500 + gallon system. Last 13 years to now. Build, Aquascaping & more. Lots of pics
- Thread starter slief
- Start date
slief
RC Sponsor
Thanks! I've been very happy with my decision to make the move. The skimmer has consistently been pulling out a gallon or more a week of some very nasty stuff. So much so that when I dump the gallon jug down the toilet, the bathroom stinks for the next hour or two. The Alpha before it did a great job but it just wasn't as consistent. It would skim great for a while until it reduced the organics and just then kind of idled along until the built back up again. A factor I largely attribute to the neck size. It was something that kept me tinkering with the skimmers stand pipe more than I should have. Had I had a higher bio load, I'm sure that wouldn't have been the case but for me, the SM250 has proven to be the better skimmer for my needs as far as consistency goes. Plus it was so much easier to dial in!
dustinkimpel
Member
How much does this run your power bill?? Very very nice by the way
slief
RC Sponsor
Thank you very much. My house is 2300 Sq Ft. I rarely use my AC but my bill is currently in the $450-$500 range during the summer and $350 range during the winter. Before my upgrades about 4 years ago, I had consistent $1100 a month power bills.
That is crazy. What is your cost per KWH?
I'm planning a 96x24x26. Lots of great information in here.
slief
RC Sponsor
I'd have to look at my bill. My issue is that because of my power consumption, I get bumped up a few tiers in Kwh rates over the baseline. As such the costs go up exponentially each tier for the associated overage.
I'm pretty easy on my power consumption with my tank now too. I really made it way more efficient in the last 4 years. The tank isn't the only high power consumption thing in my house either. My 60" Pioneer Elite Plasma and Surround processor get several hours a day in use. I'd say that is my second largest power hog next to the AC.
pmrossetti
Active member
Nice fish!!!!
jmsilhy
Member
Wow
Wow
Scott, thank you for putting this thread together, it's been a wealth of information, your experience and experiences (like the one with your kid) makes us learn more about this fantastic hobby and its ups and downs.
You are truly an inspiration, I'm moving soon to my permanent home and will start planning on my system, which hopefully will be half as beautiful as yours with some of your ideas.
Thanks!
Wow
Scott, thank you for putting this thread together, it's been a wealth of information, your experience and experiences (like the one with your kid) makes us learn more about this fantastic hobby and its ups and downs.
You are truly an inspiration, I'm moving soon to my permanent home and will start planning on my system, which hopefully will be half as beautiful as yours with some of your ideas.
Thanks!
slief
RC Sponsor
Thank you for the very kind words! I've always hoped that documenting my build as well as my experiences (both good and bad) would serve as a resource for people and also an inspiration. I'm glad you found this thread useful and inspiring. I am also sure that with enough time, reading and some funds to back it up, you should be able to have similar success. It just takes patience and good planning. When I started in this hobby, I didn't have the luxury of the internet so I learned from my mistakes. Now with all the information available on line coupled with build threads and how to's, there is a wealth of information out there to learn from other peoples trials and tribulations. It certainly can play an critical role in your planning and help you avoid mistakes. Just do your homework and read up, ask questions and then dive in!
Thanks again!
slief
RC Sponsor
No, I've got several angels and no issues with them touching my coral but I do keep my angles and the other fish well fed.
Unfortunately I did loose one of the new Potters. One of my flames was pretty relentless in harassing one of the two potters the next morning after I introduced them. The following day the flame was leaving it alone and that fish seemed fine but unfortunately one of the two Potters didn't make it and I'm not sure if it was the one getting beaten up or the other one. Either way I'm not terribly surprised. Potters tend to be more difficult largely due to the fact that they are collected in deeper water and the collection methods aren't always ideal. Couple that with the transition from one holding tank to the next and salinity changes and odds aren't always in their favor. The second Potter seems to be doing well though so time will tell. These fish arrived in 1.020 water and my tank is 1.024. I don't usually QT fish so I did a very slow 4.5 hour constant water exchange acclimation and increased the salinity by .001 per hour which I have found to work well and not stress the fish much if any. Fortunately, I didn't go into this with high expectations for these fish. That was also part of my logic behind starting with two of them. As such, the loss was less painful and not completely unexpected.
The new wrasses are doing well though and hopefully the lone Potter will thrive.
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dotcommer
Active member
What were the major adjustments you made to make such a big change?
slief
RC Sponsor
When I did my sump swap, I went from several external pumps to a pair of Reeflo gold pumps (1 return and 1 for recirc) and 3 Tunzu's (two 6205's, one 6105) pumps along with a Koralia. I switched from two 400 watt metal halides to 4 Reeftech LED's, raised my temp threshold up from 78* to allow the tank to go up to 82* during the summer and control it from there with a pair of 8" clip on fans from Walmart that turn on at 82 and blow across the surface of the tank. This eliminated the need for my chiller which is still plumbed in but has not turned on in over 2 years. My tank now maxes out at about 78 during the winter months and 82 in the summer. Before that, letting the tank manage it's own temps would have been impossible with all the external pumps. The tank probably would have hit 90+ without the chiller. My chiller was a power sucking necessity a the time that ran 14 hours a day. Because of my power usage, I was in a very high tier and charged higher rates for over usage. When I cut my tanks power consumption by over half, my bill dropped exponentially because I dropped into a lower rate tier.
End result is that my tank is happier than ever while my flow is better than ever. My power bills are manageable now too!
dotcommer
Active member
Thanks for the explanation. You removed two MH lights, are all the MH lights gone now?
I have four 400 Watt MH on my 300 Gallon DT and two 250 watt on my Frag Display along with two Panworld 250ps and a Panworld 150 return, plus more internal pumps for the Algae Turf Scrubbers and reactors etc... and I noticed a big increase in my bill. Same problem here, I jumped up to the higher tier and pay even more. Last months bill was $2,021,00 :sad2:
You ever consider getting a 3 Kw Solar array for your roof? Won't negate everything I'd wager but should generate enough power to supplement never the less. Plus you can still get the tax credit.
I'm outside Sacramento, Ca and looking into that myself since our power bill during the summer ranges from 4 to 600
slief
RC Sponsor
Damn, those are high bills! Yes, I eliminated my pair of metal halides. I also ran six 36" VHO actinic bulbs and switched to just the LED's under which my tank has thrived but I don't keep SPS and have no desire to do so.
Those Panworlds are pigs when it comes to power. Good pumps but pigs. The 250PS draws up to 390 watts and the 150 draws up to 150 watts. Between your 3 pumps your drawing about 950 watts! They also transfer a LOT of heat. If I were in your shoes, I'd ditch those panworlds and switch to Reeflo Golds. You could swap those two 250's for a single dart gold and reduce your power consumption on those two 250's by over 75%!! What are you using that 250PS for? If you are running a beckett or downdraft skimmer or need the head pressure, one Barracuda would be a suitable replacement for both 250's.. A dart could replace the 150 and you just gate it down to reduce flow. You will also drop your ambient tank temps substantially. Swapping the 3 pumps for two Reeflo Golds would reduce your power consumption by 60-705 while also improving your flow.
As for the lighting... That is an expensive proposition but if you factor the cost of the entire pump and LED upgrade, I'd bet your electric bill savings would more than cover the costs in less than a year. Like me, you are probably being penalized by excessive power usage and as a result, you end up paying higher KpWh rates for higher tiers. By reducing your consumption, your KwPh rates will drop reducing your bill exponentially.
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slief
RC Sponsor
Marine Depot is where I got mine from.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ReeFlo_E...Aquarium_Pumps-Reeflo-MM1125-FIWPEPOH-vi.html
The Reeflo Golds are now available hybrids allowing you to switch the impeller to change the flow characteristics. Marine Depot will also match pricing if you find better prices on line. Marine Depot is terribly convenient for me since they stock everything, have a no tax code you can use and include free shipping on orders over a certain price. That and they are local to me so I get everything the next day. They are my go to supplier for most things tank supply related.
