My 54G Mixed Reef (pic intense)

[Avast Marine]

As promised here is the Automatic Water Change!

The first part of the system is a mixing tub that has two pumps. One is a maxijet 400 to circulate and the other one is a quiet one 1000 that is plumbed to the tank.
In this photo you can only see the quiet one but, it is the important one.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58279226@N00/185084426/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/78/185084426_9a7d4a17cd_o.jpg" width="600" height="449" alt="wc1" /></a>

This is connected to 1/4" id braided hose and runs up to the emergency overflow of my equipment sump. There is a stockman style cut out on the pipe and the water is actually pumped via the tube into the pipe below the water line of the equipment sump. Because I am using the restricted drain method, if I were to pump water into this sump directly my water level would rise before the drain could catch up and the skimmer would overflow.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58279226@N00/185084427/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/62/185084427_4c49a812d6_o.jpg" width="600" height="449" alt="wc2" /></a>

This is the maximum amount of water I can have in my system without a overflow.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58279226@N00/185084428/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/1/185084428_fbbcee1e16_o.jpg" width="600" height="449" alt="wc3" /></a>

And this elbow in the middle facing up is where water will go in the event of a overflow, rather than the floor.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58279226@N00/185084430/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/62/185084430_03c7bb48c1_o.jpg" width="600" height="449" alt="wc5" /></a>

That is the system. Heres how it works.
Water is happily mixing away in the bucket. In the evening when I feed I press the feed button on my aquacontroller. This turns on the quiet one pump and starts pumping new water into the system. The flow is set to add 1 gallon per minute approximately (not really important you'll see why in a minute) and the pump turns itself off after that minute is up. So now I have one gallon too much in the system.

For these pictures I am actually using 4 gallons of added water so it is easy to see what is happening.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58279226@N00/185084429/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/48/185084429_1fb9a456a8_o.jpg" width="600" height="449" alt="wc4" /></a>

So after the new water is mixed for 5 minutes with the old water the main return pump automatically turns off via the controller. The water begins to rise and eventually starts to drain out the pipe.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58279226@N00/185084432/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/64/185084432_72626eac37_o.jpg" width="600" height="449" alt="wc6" /></a>
and to the floor drain in the other room.

This is when I will feed. The return pump stays off for another 15 minutes then turns itself back on. The water now equalizes back to its original level and the float switch for my ATO keeps it there.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58279226@N00/185084428/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/1/185084428_fbbcee1e16_o.jpg" width="600" height="449" alt="wc3" /></a>

So there you have it, my auto water change system (modified from a system introduced by Anthony Calfo). I will be changing 1 gallon per day on a 100 gallon system. 1/100 of a gallon per day will be wasted due to removing water I just put in. So in a month there will be a 30% change, with the only effort on my part being to mix salt water every 10 days or so which I think should take me about 2 minutes per month :rollface:

 

[Stile2]

Wow! Tank looks great. All the times you and I have posted back and forth and I hadn't checked out your thread.

Get job! Can't wait til you get some stock in there.

Keith

 

[Avast Marine]

Just don't start getting on me about finishing up my woodwork .
I am actually waiting for my shop to be built too. Small world .

 

[chrismunn]

hurry up and finish your wood work... geeze.....lazy!.......

 

[Avast Marine]

:lol: :lol:

Testing results:

Temp: 78.5
Ph: 8.38
SG: 1.024
NO2: 0.00
No3: 10ppm
NH3: 0.00
CA: 420ppm
DKH:14
PO4: 0.5ppm
Mg: Not tested

Cycle complete.

If you don't think I was nervous about cycling the tank this way, you are very wrong :eek1: . I was a pretty worried about day 4 when ammonia peaked at 8ppm or higher (limit of test). I have had a huge diatom bloom and it immediatly went away or at least 90% of it once the Rowa/Carbon started running. Right now I have the full cleaning crew in there stirring up any pockets of food that remain and working on the algae. My lighting is on the conservetive side of things: actinics on 12hrs, 10k on for 2. Only time will tell if it was better to cycle this way or not.
Still dosing phyto every other day along with the calcium part of B-Ionic. I thought that the cycling process used up more available Alk than it has, and I am really suprised that there is even a need to dose the Ca at all. Most of the feather dusters from the LR made it and are fully open (always a good indiator for me). There was one hermit crab in the tank and I haven't seen him since the food incident (which doesn't bother me in the least).
I am still waiting for the Shuran media to get the Ca reactor going, and waiting on the PA crude as well, both are back ordered. I am going on a week long trip so the tank will just have to fend for itself. When I get back the next step will be getting the mud in the fuge and some macro's going. Reeftopia sent me 100 blueleg hermits by mistake so I am hoping that I will be able to use those to trade for the macro. Then I will most likely just be tweeking the rockwork, wires, programing and such until all params level off and appear to be stable.
I am going to try and work out a few differant stocking scenerios during my vacation. Then let the frag hunt begin................

 

[Yomeister66]

Very nice job. Looking great.

 

[drouner]

I noticed you have four returns powered by a squirt. Why doesn't the two in the bottom almost buried in the sand have nozzels or is that some thing you have not gotten around to fixing?

What size are your returns?

Besides drilling glass you have given me several other ideas. I just wish now that I had not sold my two SCWD's.

 

[Avast Marine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7710251#post7710251 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drouner
I noticed you have four returns powered by a squirt. Why doesn't the two in the bottom almost buried in the sand have nozzels or is that some thing you have not gotten around to fixing?

What size are your returns?

Besides drilling glass you have given me several other ideas. I just wish now that I had not sold my two SCWD's.

The squirt has 3/4" outlets on them. I put bushings on them and ran 1" spaflex to reduce any pressure loss around corners. Then back to 3/4" bulkheads throught the tank and 3/4" lockline. I have tried a variety of hose lengths and nozzles and find the flow to be better without them. The one thing I may still try is splitting the front two with a y and putting 1/2" reducer nozzels on them.

Now the way the flow works in general was recomended by Paul at Oceans Motions. The water from the return flows from the back and down. The squirts rotation starts in the back and pushes the water forward. The squirt moves to the front and pushes the water up to the surface. This method creates a kind of rolling effect in the current from top to bottom, back to front, front to top, out the overflow. This keeps things (read poop) suspended in the water for quite some time and then is directed to the overflow. It is too early to tell how it will perform long term, but right now I am very happy with the flow (both directionally and quantity) in this tank. The great thing about locline with threaded bulkheads is I can change it at any time.

 

[drouner]

Which squirt is that?

 

[Avast Marine]

This one.

Make sure you visit their forum, and check out the waterpix section. If you are trying to get some ideas about closed loop designs you will have more info than you know what to do with :eek1: .

 

[Tu Ku]

All this automation, where's the fun in that? I couldn't handle it. I have to mess with everything. Looks fantastic though, I totally dig the tile.

 

[drouner]

I just got back from walking the dog and thinking about what I was reading off the ocean motions website. Now I am not for sure which direction I am going with a return/ closed loop.

Last night I sat down, planned it all out, wrote up the supply list, and now well................

 

[chrismunn]

whats was the date that you started this tank? (start of cycle)

 

[Avast Marine]

Cycle Recap:

Day 1: Filled with RODI and added salt
Day 2: Added sand (dry and a cup of seed from established tank)
Day 3: Added 5# crude from PA curing tanks.
Day 5: Added 100# live rock
Day 8: Water test indicate First cycle nearly complete
Day 10: "Fed" the tank.
Day 15: Ammonia peaks at 8ppm or higher
Day 16: Nitrites peak at 3.5ppm and Nitrates at 50ppm
Day 17: Ammonia 0
Day 18: Nitrite 0
Day 19: Today I declare cycling to be over!

So not the quickest cycle, but I believe it to be a thorough one.

 

[Avast Marine]

drouner, for me it was a easy decision. I didn't want powerheads in the tank, it really is just a matter of personal taste. For the money spent I could have bought a 2 tunze and controller. This way is more work, time, money, and power consumption. I enjoyed building the tank and so just dropping in a couple streams is not really my style.

Tu Ku, reefkeeping effectively combines many of my hobbies and interest in ways that other activities simply will never be able to. Yes, marine biology, organic chemistry, animal husbandry, woodworking, electrical systems, plumbing (well plumbings not really a hobby), acrylic fabrication and yes computers. The more mondane daily activities I believe can be left to the machines, but the daily observtions need to be hands on. By automating as much of the system as I see fit I think it will give me more time to actually monitor what is going on in the tank and enjoy it more.
For me it becomes a choice of spending time with the tank or doing chores for the tank.
Now if I could just ride my motorcycle while my water is being changed....oh wait, I can!

 

[Milleme]

your awseome!

 

[chrismunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7711464#post7711464 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dandy7200

Now if I could just ride my motorcycle while my water is being changed....oh wait, I can!

:lol:

thats great. i got rid of my last tank cuz i didnt feel like doing all the routine stuff that could have been automated. my next tank will be an "easy care" style, if thats possible. "F" all that bull crap that could be made easier. like you said, the less time i spend jerking with the maintainance, the more time i can spend doing routine testing, and admiring!

 

[drouner]

Thanks for sharing your set-up and experience with us. I often wonder what drives someone in this hobby. Is the gadgets, the life stock, chemisty etc.

I like you do not like equipment in my tank. With that said since I currently don't have an sump, all my equipment is HOT. The skimmer and CL actual are feed through a overflow box. The only equipment that is handing down is my Ph probe.

I ordered my OM Squirt tonight. Worked on a new CL designed for my new tank during my flight this afternoon.

 

[ReefMeister2]

Here's a bit of easy reading that's related to this thread:

"The Two-minute Water Change"
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=579223

 

[TKByrnes]

Nice job!! I really enjoyed following the whole process