OK! Enough chat...Starting a 1000g+ Reef
- Thread starter JohnL
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jnarowe
New member
Yeah, Poulsbo is cool. Not so quiet anymore though. The population has really grown since '92 and the roads are all being widened etc. We live outside of town where the lots are a minimum of 2.5 acres so it is still not so busy. Of course, as the population grows, so does our business, so it's not all bad! 
jnarowe
New member
Back from East Coast:
All fish look healthy. Lost the frags from the RTN I had placed in the QT. I think that was probably a water quality issue because they looked really healthy when I left. Total bummer since that was a killer coral.
I have a Lobophyllia with two large oblong lobes and about 1/2 of one lobe (5") has bleached. Anyone want to chime in on how to save this coral? Should I saw off the bleached part?
While I was gone there was no skimmer on the main tank and the Neptune Controller went berserk. It appears that the temp. guage has been damage as I cannot get any consistant readings. I feel bad for the guy I had watching the tank with all this stuff not working right while I was gone. The one real positive is that, IMO, the volume of the tank kept the water quality high enough that all except the Lobophyllia have made it through well. Even the Rugosa, famed for being the first to bleach in a wild reef, looks excellent.
All fish look healthy. Lost the frags from the RTN I had placed in the QT. I think that was probably a water quality issue because they looked really healthy when I left. Total bummer since that was a killer coral.
I have a Lobophyllia with two large oblong lobes and about 1/2 of one lobe (5") has bleached. Anyone want to chime in on how to save this coral? Should I saw off the bleached part?
While I was gone there was no skimmer on the main tank and the Neptune Controller went berserk. It appears that the temp. guage has been damage as I cannot get any consistant readings. I feel bad for the guy I had watching the tank with all this stuff not working right while I was gone. The one real positive is that, IMO, the volume of the tank kept the water quality high enough that all except the Lobophyllia have made it through well. Even the Rugosa, famed for being the first to bleach in a wild reef, looks excellent.
jnarowe
New member
Hey guys...it was so friggin hot on the East Coast I couldn't take it. I need to pick up my 4 Vortech pumps from Mario today or tomorrow...another project?
I am starting the skimmer repairs as I write and may jump ahead and do my Sequence mod as well since I have it all broken down. The cause of the break down is, IMO, too much back pressure created by the 100 liters/minute air pump. When the collection bucket gets full, that causes the head to collapse but did not turn off the air pump. So the skimmer filled with air and pushed the water out into the sumps. In essence, my anti-flood contraption worked great but blew apart my skimmer.
So, I will take Marc's (melev) suggestion and turn to an electronic float switch that will shut down the air pump as well. I hate to rely on electrical devices and really liked the simplicity of the way I built it, but because I am using so much air, it kind of back-fired on me. Anyone that has not heard a 50g skimmer explode, let me tell you, it's an amazing, underpants staining, experience! (and it happened two hours before I was to leave for the airport!)
I am starting the skimmer repairs as I write and may jump ahead and do my Sequence mod as well since I have it all broken down. The cause of the break down is, IMO, too much back pressure created by the 100 liters/minute air pump. When the collection bucket gets full, that causes the head to collapse but did not turn off the air pump. So the skimmer filled with air and pushed the water out into the sumps. In essence, my anti-flood contraption worked great but blew apart my skimmer.
So, I will take Marc's (melev) suggestion and turn to an electronic float switch that will shut down the air pump as well. I hate to rely on electrical devices and really liked the simplicity of the way I built it, but because I am using so much air, it kind of back-fired on me. Anyone that has not heard a 50g skimmer explode, let me tell you, it's an amazing, underpants staining, experience! (and it happened two hours before I was to leave for the airport!)
jnarowe
New member
Skimmer is back up and running but I did not do my mod yet. I figured out that I was missing a couple of parts so that will have to wait. It is churning out the foam like mad and still has a small leak, but I am not letting any back pressure build up so it should be OK until I do the mod. It's tough repairing this stuff!
weatherson
Premium Member
Jonathan,
Sorry about that and thanks for the heads up. As to your skimmer's skimmate collection device, it's best to configure it so it creates some back pressure but does not shut down the collection cup outlet completely. With this outlet's end below enough the level of the skimmate reservoir's outlet, the collection cup outlet should still allow air flow to exit and percolate up in the skimmate. The level of the skimmate shouldn't ever rise to the higher level of the reservoir outlet line.
The other possible culprit is if you are utilizing a valve on the skimmer's water outlet instead of straight pipe oriented up to the skimmer's inner water level with a vent pipe riser. The latter allows for more flow (pressure) if need be yet maintains proper water level within the skimmer. The restricting valve is less flexible and creates more back-pressure when the skimmate reservoir fills to the shut-down point. With large, higher volume flow skimmers, this is accentuated.
But... the float switch, air pump shut-down system should work well too.
Sorry to hear of your skimmer issues.
Joseph
Sorry about that and thanks for the heads up. As to your skimmer's skimmate collection device, it's best to configure it so it creates some back pressure but does not shut down the collection cup outlet completely. With this outlet's end below enough the level of the skimmate reservoir's outlet, the collection cup outlet should still allow air flow to exit and percolate up in the skimmate. The level of the skimmate shouldn't ever rise to the higher level of the reservoir outlet line.
The other possible culprit is if you are utilizing a valve on the skimmer's water outlet instead of straight pipe oriented up to the skimmer's inner water level with a vent pipe riser. The latter allows for more flow (pressure) if need be yet maintains proper water level within the skimmer. The restricting valve is less flexible and creates more back-pressure when the skimmate reservoir fills to the shut-down point. With large, higher volume flow skimmers, this is accentuated.
But... the float switch, air pump shut-down system should work well too.
Sorry to hear of your skimmer issues.Joseph
Tage Blytmann
New member
Hi Jonathon,
Welcome back from NY ! I thought you planned to be gone for about a week, but - too hot for you? Sorry to hear about the "problems" while you were away. I have had mine too; a pump failed and shut off the water circulation to my Acropora QT tank resulting in all frags being fried by heat from the MH lighting fixture.
I want you to know that I finished setting up the freshwater planted tank and your plants look really great! Thanks once again.
Tage
Welcome back from NY ! I thought you planned to be gone for about a week, but - too hot for you? Sorry to hear about the "problems" while you were away. I have had mine too; a pump failed and shut off the water circulation to my Acropora QT tank resulting in all frags being fried by heat from the MH lighting fixture.
I want you to know that I finished setting up the freshwater planted tank and your plants look really great! Thanks once again.
Tage
jnarowe
New member
Joseph:
I can't quite figure out what you mean as I have my collection bucket designed exactly like yours but with 1" pipe. I think the real issue is that I built a counter-current gravity fed air stone skimmer and to get enough air bubbles I needed some serious air flow (100 liters/minute).
The water exit on my skimmer is from the bottom, 1-1/2" pipe, adjustable for height, with a valve to control flow as well. It is a loop. I keep the valve nearly wide open all the time and guess at this point I really didn't need it in the first place. I also built in a valve on the collection cup drain so I could shut it off while emptying the bucket. That is when I first noticed the problem with the air because while I was emptying it, the water got pushed out of the skimmer.
Do you think there is any problem with my collection bucket GAC getting wet? It tends to sweat a bit in the humid tank room. Would that cause too much back pressure?
Tage:
Nice to hear from you! I was gone for a week and it was very hot...did you lose the clam too? That sounds terrible. I wonder why the pump failed? I lost that beautiful SPS while I was away too. It croaked in the QT after I had saved it from an RTN...total bummer and I think it was a water quality issue. Too much food for the wrasse and high nitrates.
Call me when you get a chance as I would like to come over and check out the planted tank.
I can't quite figure out what you mean as I have my collection bucket designed exactly like yours but with 1" pipe. I think the real issue is that I built a counter-current gravity fed air stone skimmer and to get enough air bubbles I needed some serious air flow (100 liters/minute).
The water exit on my skimmer is from the bottom, 1-1/2" pipe, adjustable for height, with a valve to control flow as well. It is a loop. I keep the valve nearly wide open all the time and guess at this point I really didn't need it in the first place. I also built in a valve on the collection cup drain so I could shut it off while emptying the bucket. That is when I first noticed the problem with the air because while I was emptying it, the water got pushed out of the skimmer.
Do you think there is any problem with my collection bucket GAC getting wet? It tends to sweat a bit in the humid tank room. Would that cause too much back pressure?
Tage:
Nice to hear from you! I was gone for a week and it was very hot...did you lose the clam too? That sounds terrible. I wonder why the pump failed? I lost that beautiful SPS while I was away too. It croaked in the QT after I had saved it from an RTN...total bummer and I think it was a water quality issue. Too much food for the wrasse and high nitrates.
Call me when you get a chance as I would like to come over and check out the planted tank.
jnarowe
New member
New Fuge Lamp
New Fuge Lamp
Finally Finished my new fuge lamp:
All fish are fat and happy. Marc (melev) was right about feeding heavy and soaking in garlic. The PBT looks great with no signs of Ich at this point and the rest of the fish are all in very healthy shape. In fact I have re-named 5 fish "Fatso". :lol:
New Fuge Lamp
Finally Finished my new fuge lamp:
All fish are fat and happy. Marc (melev) was right about feeding heavy and soaking in garlic. The PBT looks great with no signs of Ich at this point and the rest of the fish are all in very healthy shape. In fact I have re-named 5 fish "Fatso". :lol:
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