My 55 gallon reef project

[Alaska_Phil]

Do you have a lot of waves making your float switch click on and off continuously? That will significantly shorten the life of the switch. If that's the case put the float switch on a timer so it can only run for a few minutes 3 or 4 times a day. I had to do that with one of mine after I increased my surface agitation.

Other than rapid cycles, high currents or voltages can cause premature failure. Also, if you're using 12V DC instead of AC that will wear them out faster too (DC arcs more when the switch opens).

Phil

 

[dcombs44]

Got a message about this thread today

I moved last fall and my tank came down. It's been a blessing to not have the issues of my last system to worry about, though I was sad to see my inhabitants go. Some of the critters in my tank were 4-6 years old. I had to tear the tank down in a hurry so I ended up giving pretty much all of the livestock away. I kept nearly all of the equipment, so I could set up shop in the future.

I've been thinking about setting up a simple system for a few years that is very low maintenance and easily accessible. Not sure if it'll happen in the near future or not.

I'm thinking about a 40 gallon breeder or similar, but I'm not completely sure at the moment. I don't plan on being in our current house long term, and I don't want to move anything large again. I've considered things as small as 10 gallons and as large as 40, but I haven't made up my mind. I'm thinking I'll do a tank dominated by a single "care free" coral. I may go either all mushroom, all zoanthid, or similar. With mushrooms and zoanthids, I can have a very colorful tank that is pleasing to the eye, and not have to worry about extremely pristine or stable conditions.

As I get closer to a decision, I may start piping up a bit more for advice.

How is everyone doing?

 

[dcombs44]

My new build thread.

Hope you'll all follow along

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1828387