Official Royal Exclusiv Dream Box Owners Thread.

[slief]

This thread is dedicated to Dream Box owners. Please post photos of your Dream Boxes and your display and a little detail about your system.

 

[Socaltoaz]

Love love love my Dreambox. Couple of photos to start the thread:

 

[Socaltoaz]

 

[Socaltoaz]

At first I thought the lights were a gimmick but we use them to communicate the status of the tank. Red means the fish have not been fed. Purple means first feeding done. Green means last feeding done. Very helpful do me or my kids don't over feed the fish.

 

[alin2]

My Dreambox and RE Supermarin 200 are the most impressive pieces of equipment in my system.

The craftsmanship is outstanding and functionality well thought out. I did a huge amount of due diligence on the equipment for my reboot since I experienced a tank disaster with my previous tank. BY FAR, the RE Dreambox was a no brainer.

 

[ReefClownMIA]

Is that the Exclusively Royals room, since it has a Thrown... ?

 

[alin2]

Is that the Exclusively Royals room, since it has a Thrown... ?

Lol...I've had more comments about the toilet than the Dreambox. :spin2:

I had to keep the toilet since my it's the only one in the finished basement and we spend a lot of time down there.

 

[alin2]

Here's a more recent pic of it up and running with the skimmer...and sans throne.

 

[danrobberg]

Been waiting for this thread!!! How high do you guys keep the water in your return chamber?

 

[danrobberg]

Before system got wet

 

[danrobberg]

I was super nervous about dripping pic cement on the dreambox so I covered it with towels and glad I did. Not a mark on it.

 

[C.Eymann]

so jelly of anyone who sports a dreambox, this thread will cause me to drool for sure.
superior German craftsmanship always makes me drool.
:love2:

 

[alin2]

Been waiting for this thread!!! How high do you guys keep the water in your return chamber?

About 2-3 cm above the RD return pump. It's low enough so that if the RD3 stops the sump will not overflow.

 

[Shredded]

Hi All,
So, here is mine. It is still sitting in Germany, crated, ready to go, just waiting on a shipping estimate (actually duties and taxes) before it can be put on a plane to head this way. Scott asked if I would share some of my pics even tho it has not arrived yet.

View attachment 335786





View attachment 335789

 

[alin2]

Quick ?

Despite the narrow "degassing" chamber right before the return pump chamber and after the skimmer/reactor section, I still get quite a few micro bubbles getting into the return pump chamber and, of course, pumped into the display. This is also partly due to my refugium outlet exiting into the "degassing" chamber.

Is there a foam insert made for the degassing chamber to eliminate micro bubbles?

 

[slief]

Quick ?

Despite the narrow "degassing" chamber right before the return pump chamber and after the skimmer/reactor section, I still get quite a few micro bubbles getting into the return pump chamber and, of course, pumped into the display. This is also partly due to my refugium outlet exiting into the "degassing" chamber.

Is there a foam insert made for the degassing chamber to eliminate micro bubbles?

Quick ?

Despite the narrow "degassing" chamber right before the return pump chamber and after the skimmer/reactor section, I still get quite a few micro bubbles getting into the return pump chamber and, of course, pumped into the display. This is also partly due to my refugium outlet exiting into the "degassing" chamber.

Is there a foam insert made for the degassing chamber to eliminate micro bubbles?

I am just kind of stabbing in the dark here since I can't see the inside of the sump and the refugium drain. In looking at the picture, it looks like the water level in the return section is a bit low. Is it possible that the micro bubbles are boing caused by the return pump creating a vortex and sucking air from the surface? Regading the refugium drain, it's a shame you can't move that line over to the next chamber where the skimmer is. Is that line extended below the waters surface? If that is the cause of the micro bubbles and its extending below the waters suface, one thing you could do is take a piece of 1.5" or 2" or even larger pvc pipe with a cap on the bottom and place it under the refugium drain line so that the drain line from the refugium extends down into the pipe. The water would then enter into the larger diameter PVC pipe and overflow out of it This would serve as a bubble trap and allow the micro bubbles to escape at the waters surface instead of being drawn into the return pump. A small acyrlic box where that the refugium line could extend down into that serves as a weir would be another option.

Another option would be to get a round foam piece like this one below and extend the refugium drain line into the foam. That should help supress the micro bubbles as well.
http://www.marinedepot.com/Outlet_f...-ASM_Protein_Skimmers-AG1541-FIPSRPAP-vi.html

You could always get a cut to fit foam block like the one below and cut a piece to go between the drain and the return pump but I am not a fan of foam in the sump as its another maintenance item.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Filter-Bio-...am-pads-Biochemical-Sponge-bio/252100129397?_

 

[Shredded]

I got my shipping, duty and taxes today. I may need to sell my first born. Hopedully can ship early next week. Cannot wait to see it.

 

[alin2]

I am just kind of stabbing in the dark here since I can't see the inside of the sump and the refugium drain. In looking at the picture, it looks like the water level in the return section is a bit low. Is it possible that the micro bubbles are boing caused by the return pump creating a vortex and sucking air from the surface? Regading the refugium drain, it's a shame you can't move that line over to the next chamber where the skimmer is. Is that line extended below the waters surface? If that is the cause of the micro bubbles and its extending below the waters suface, one thing you could do is take a piece of 1.5" or 2" or even larger pvc pipe with a cap on the bottom and place it under the refugium drain line so that the drain line from the refugium extends down into the pipe. The water would then enter into the larger diameter PVC pipe and overflow out of it This would serve as a bubble trap and allow the micro bubbles to escape at the waters surface instead of being drawn into the return pump. A small acyrlic box where that the refugium line could extend down into that serves as a weir would be another option.

Another option would be to get a round foam piece like this one below and extend the refugium drain line into the foam. That should help supress the micro bubbles as well.
http://www.marinedepot.com/Outlet_f...-ASM_Protein_Skimmers-AG1541-FIPSRPAP-vi.html

You could always get a cut to fit foam block like the one below and cut a piece to go between the drain and the return pump but I am not a fan of foam in the sump as its another maintenance item.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Filter-Bio-...am-pads-Biochemical-Sponge-bio/252100129397?_

The return pump chamber is a little low, but it can't go that much higher to avoid the sump overflowing when the return pump goes off. But, even at that level there is no vortex with the pump at 74 watts.

I wanted to avoid having the refugium drain into the skimmer section to help avoid the pods and small fauna getting sucked into the skimmer and to go to the display as a ancillary food source. Of course, right now I have the RE foam around the slot tube on the RD3 return pump to avoid micro bubbles which defeats that purpose anyways. I wanted to avoid keeping that foam on the slot tube as another thing I have to change for maintenance.

I saw a foam insert cut specifically for the degassing chamber on the German RE website and thought if that was available and relatively inexpensive, it would be easier to change that out frequently.

 

[slief]

The return pump chamber is a little low, but it can't go that much higher to avoid the sump overflowing when the return pump goes off. But, even at that level there is no vortex with the pump at 74 watts.

I wanted to avoid having the refugium drain into the skimmer section to help avoid the pods and small fauna getting sucked into the skimmer and to go to the display as a ancillary food source. Of course, right now I have the RE foam around the slot tube on the RD3 return pump to avoid micro bubbles which defeats that purpose anyways. I wanted to avoid keeping that foam on the slot tube as another thing I have to change for maintenance.

I saw a foam insert cut specifically for the degassing chamber on the German RE website and thought if that was available and relatively inexpensive, it would be easier to change that out frequently.

We don't have that foam in the US. While it is reasonably cheap and we could probably include a piece with the next shipment, you could be waiting a month for it to arrive as I don't yet have an ETA on that shipment.


I did some searching and found some similar foam material that is cheap and domestic but the first thing I would try is some filter floss to make sure it will solve the issue. This assuming I were going to pursue the foam route. My concern would be that the foam would inhibit larger pods from making it into the pump and being distributed back into the display. Still, I would probably create a small bubble trap for the refugium drain like the PCV solution I mentioned or a small acrylic box for the refugium drain to enter and overflow from. That or I would experiment with a valve on that drain line to slow the flow down slightly so that the drain pipe is flooded and doesn't have a bunch of air in it. I'd add a float switch to the refugium so that if the drain backed up and the levei in the fuge rose, the refugium pump would be shut and an alarm notification from my controller would be sent out.
Here are some options if you wanted to go that route.

Here are some more foam options for you.
http://www.amazon.com/Dimart-XY-1038-Aquarium-Reusable-Biochemical/dp/B0182443T4/


http://www.amazon.com/Biochemical-Cotton-Filter-Sponge-Aquarium/dp/B015XB09LA

http://www.amazon.com/2x32x12cm-Biochemical-Cotton-Filter-Aquarium/dp/B00SLLYNV2

 

[danrobberg]

Here are some better pics of my setup