My 500G Osama Reef-2

[Osama]

Now try turning off one of the return pumps while the skimmer is off.

Will do .. sump is not big enough to hold water off skimmer and one pump off... so I will prepare to have replacement water on hand.. It is aggravating to have such a nice looking cabinet/DT and be distracted by bubbles!!! It will get resolved somehow someday. Have to keep a positive outlook..

 

[Osama]

Are these connections good candidates for air/bubbbles

Are these connections good candidates for air/bubbbles

I am reviewing the construction pictures I have and wonder if these type of black connectors could be contributing to the bubbles as they may not be air tight or? At the connection with the main hdr, they are out of the water.

 

[dave.m]

Turn off whichever pump drives those outputs an see what becomes of your bubbles. Are they all on just one pump? If there is more than one pump it would be easier to see if the connectors you are concerned about are the culprits.

To answer your question, yes, any connection that could suck in air might be the source of your micro-bubbles. Try wrapping the male end with Teflon tape. Smear a bit of silicone on the Teflon tape with your finger to ensure a good seal.

Dave.M

 

[Osama]

Thanks Dave Appreciate the input and will report back in a few days as I need to plan a water change as I expect to loose water from DT due to small sump and I plan on shutting skimmer and one pump then the second pump
I do have a separate pump feeding each of the two DT main headers

 

[Osama]

Bubbles Won't go away

Bubbles Won't go away

Dave & Steve and ALL : Decided to do it today before Mother's day celeb (our children on their way over). Skimmer off and one of two main pumps off. One MT pump running and one pump feeding the fuge & frag tanks running and it discharge in same sump. Still have bubbles though of lesser amount. I will next shut the second pump (MT Right) off and restart the first pump (Office Left side MT-Left)

 

[Osama]

Bubbles Won't go away

Bubbles Won't go away

Dave & Steve and ALL : Decided to do it today before Mother's day celeb (our children on their way over). Skimmer off and one of two main pumps off. One MT pump running and one pump feeding the fuge & frag tanks running and it discharge in same sump. Still have bubbles though of lesser amount. I will next shut the second pump (MT Right) off and restart the first pump (Office Left side MT-Left).
I did shut off the second pump and restarted the first . Still bubbles coming in but lesser than before.
I hope Matt can use this info and seal first all the points of air infiltration and check for any other in leakage and then determine what needs to be done for skimmer if anything...
Thanks guys now we know that we have air in-leakage somewhere and skimmer needs to be adjusted as well... Children arrived no updates till much later ..I think .. Happy Mother's Day to All Mothers out there supporting our crazy hobby!!!

 

[Newbie Aquarist]

I noticed that the pumps are really close to each other. Could they be competing and all pumping at the same time could be causing the bubbles?

 

[Osama]

I noticed that the pumps are really close to each other. Could they be competing and all pumping at the same time could be causing the bubbles?

Thanks Wayne for participating. Have four pumps and limited sump size. So I am stuck with the pumps being as close as they are but some other issues need to be addressed first then we can determine if more needs to be done even if that requires sacrificing the frag tank because of a possible under-sizing of the sump if that is causing the bubbles !! It is an advantage in a way to have hired a Professional who is responsible for the system, as I am not qualified to engineer the system. I do OK at running it afterwards and at enjoying and sharing with my experiences... I think I have in leakage from the two main header in some of the joints not all and that the skimmer is producing too many bubbles that may not be dissipating before getting into the return pumps. I think after shutting off skimmer and individual pumps and observing the situation for bubbles that Matt (Profesional LFS and system designer & Installer) can now do the same thing and fix each of the problems as he observes them.

 

[Osama]

Xenia on the move

Xenia on the move

I like the return plenum to have various corals on them. Here is a picture of one xenia making the move. I have several that have already moved onto the plenum

 

[Osama]

Latest Beautiful tank framing

Latest Beautiful tank framing

Matt our professional installer is doing a great job on the tank enclosure and here are the latest two pictures. We have some issues that are being tackled by Matt in a very professional manner and we hope he can resolve those. More on that in a week or two. I & wife love this setup, after 20 years with smaller tanks we now have one big beautiful tank and a temporary 65g quarantine tank that will house all new fish before they move to the 500g MDT then we plan on taking that 65g tank down

Here is what we consider, the secondary tank view from my home office side .



This will be the primary view from the Family Room side. Note the enclosure panels are NOT yet attached in their final position. Work in progress and will be connected this coming Tuesday



Hope you like the setup as much as we do and Thanks for viewing
Will post pictures later on of our corals that are doing great in a newly established tank. This also is work in progress by myself and spiritual support from wife

 

[dave.m]

Why not re-dedicate the 65 gal to something that can't go in the reef, like a seahorse or anemone display. Or perhaps something more interactive like a peacock mantis?

Dave.M

 

[Osama]

Why not re-dedicate the 65 gal to something that can't go in the reef, like a seahorse or anemone display. Or perhaps something more interactive like a peacock mantis?

Dave which 65g are u referring to Dave: One is a sump second is a fuge third is a frag or it can be a display tank for anemone or seahorse or??... I like at least for now to have a frag tank to exchange with fellow hobbyist rather than going into the display tank to do the fragging. In past I had a group of 6-12 local hobbyist and we met at my place almost regularly and exchanged or traded or bought frags from each other. Marion & I really enjoyed that group it was a wonderful way to establish local friends who are in the hobby. Marion will host donuts bagels tea and we all had fun for 2-3 hrs.... I tend to like sometime in the future to have seahorses and anemone. Maybe the seahorses can go in the sump as it is full of live food already!! Just a follow-up thought to your beautiful suggestion Thanks for your ideas, pls keep them coming

 

[dave.m]

Osama, I was referring to the 65 gal QT you said you planned to eventually take down.

Dave.M

 

[Osama]

Sorry Dave Misunderstood.... I am planning to focus on one main display that is my new setup. At my age I have almost enough energy to keep up with one tank.. Had five tanks at one time and that was too much. I like the idea of having seahorses. In the past I could not keep them alive but this sump of less than 6 months is really full of life!!! so maybe I will try seahorses again but not before the tank is running and fully loaded with corals & fish

 

[Osama]

These crabs pulled off my SPS

These crabs pulled off my SPS

I pulled a small crab in Dec and another one this week off my SPS. Was not sure if they are the so called OK crabs that reside in the coral or not. No visible damage on my coral. I played it safe (I think) and removed them while I could.
Did I do the right thing? Pls let me know what U think
Crab removed in Dec 2013



Crab removed in May 2014

 

[dave.m]

Look at it this way: there is nothing mandatory about keeping them whether they did harm or not. The corals will survive in your tank without the crabs, and it is the corals, after all, that are your focus of interest.

Dave.M

 

[Osama]

Thanks Dave I felt I did the right thing, with a bit of guilty feeling, But not knowing if they could or could not be harmful I chose the path of playing it safe for the corals and fortunately this time the crabs were visible and within reach in a big tank...

 

[Osama]

Are Filter socks & pads the better way to go

Are Filter socks & pads the better way to go

Because of bubbles in my DT we are exploring the use of filter socks & pads. Are they the best way to go for reef tanks. I personally like to avoid them and in my past 180g & 320g had extremely good success without them. Let me know your thinking on using them or not and thanks. I will avoid using them if at all possible!!
These filters also trap the good pods from the DT & from my sump and add to the negative aroma in the tank room in a very short time. Take a look at what I picked off the filter pad for showing:

 

[dave.m]

That really depends on how many particulates your tank generates. Pads and socks can really help clean up your water so that more light reaches your corals. They do increase maintenance as you have noted.

If your water is very clear I would not rely on pads and socks just to fix micro-bubbles. I would change the plumbing to get rid of the bubbles.

Dave.M

 

[Osama]

Dave: Matt (Designer Purchaser Installer) is working on revising flow in the sump. Will report on that after Tuesday. Otherwise after we control the bubbles the water column is extremely clear and the whole system looks great with the clarity of starphire glass. We just need to conquer the bubbles issue..