Randy's 180G Reef-Photo Journal
- Thread starter rdmpe
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rdmpe
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Thanks! I'm very happy about how it's coming along. The refugium light is just a soft white (ie probably 3500K? 23 watt coil bulb (75 watt incandescent equiv. supposedly). I just had it sitting around, it came from Home Depot or Lowes. Some day I may go to the trouble of ordering a higher K bulb for the fuge, but for now it is giving me pretty good growth so I haven't make that a priority.
Rock455 hit it on the head. To figure out the net effect I guess you'd have to figure out exactly what he is eating, fish waste vs. algae etc. In reality, I don't think you can consider him a "nutrient export mechanism", but I am far from a biology expert. But the main thing is that he helps keep the sand in good shape and is very interesting to watch.
Thanks, I couldn't resist. He is SO turd-like.
Kind of ironic isn't it, considering his name?
rdmpe
New member
BTW Scott, I do like the way you set up your skimmer with the pump underneath. I have mine set up on an egg crate stand as well, but my pump is inside the bubble trap that the tank drains into. I basically have the tank drain sitting right at the pump intake. But eventually I'll be reworking my whole sump/fuge system using a couple of custom size acrylic tanks and will tuck the pump under the skimmer to save some space :thumbsup:
rjwilson37
New member
Things look really good for you, I love that Mr. Hankey, he is like a monster from a movie.
rdmpe
New member
This is an atlantic cucumber Holothuria floridana. I've read 8" max length some places and 12" others. Here is some info
http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=SC0065
http://www.daniareeflife.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jocnjof8
http://www.etropicals.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1344&N=13
http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=SC0065
http://www.daniareeflife.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jocnjof8
http://www.etropicals.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1344&N=13
Hi Randy, I've been enjoying your thread for a few days now. But I'm only half way through it.
I have been considering a 180 with a deep sand bed also. I wanted to ask you what you thought about a 220 gallon. It is the same dimensions but like 6 inches deeper. Normally I would not consider this deep but with deep sand, it kind of makes up for it. What do you think?
Also, and again I'm only half way through, anything you would have done differently in hind site?
thanks and nice job.
I have been considering a 180 with a deep sand bed also. I wanted to ask you what you thought about a 220 gallon. It is the same dimensions but like 6 inches deeper. Normally I would not consider this deep but with deep sand, it kind of makes up for it. What do you think?
Also, and again I'm only half way through, anything you would have done differently in hind site?
thanks and nice job.
rdmpe
New member
Hi Tom, glad you are finding my thread useful!
On the 220 -
When I was setting this tank up, I started thinking the same thing that you are thinking. With the DSB, I worried that I would be using up a lot of my tank's height. What I've found though is that the tank still has plenty of depth. I went for an average sand bed depth of 4". With southdown sand, I think 4" is deep enough to develop the DSB. The remaining depth seems very nice IMO. It is just the right depth in my opinion. Any deeper and I would have a lot of trouble reaching the sand surface, and it might also require stronger lighting. I'm very happy now with the 24" depth. If you have room go for a 30" wide tank. That would really be nice for aquascaping, giving you tons of room for rock without having the rock too close to the glass. I'd love to have another 6" width to the tank. That would also make a 220 gallon I think.
What would I do differently -
1) LOTS of things!!! First, I would have 4" to 6" additional height to my stand. This would have made a 55 gallon sump/fuge feasible, and would give more room for plumbing, skimmer height, etc.
2) Outside of the overflow chamber, I would have a 2" bulkhead for the closed loop intake and TWO 1.5" bulkheads for the closed loop output. That way I could use some flow switching device to alternate the closed loop flow between the two branches.
Initially I wanted to do flow switching with the sump return. I found that this causes a lot of problems in my system due to the variation in volume going through the overflow and drains. So I had to give up on my flow switching scheme. If I had one more bulkhead available for the closed loop I could have done it there instead.
3) I would use some acrylic tanks for my sump/fuge system. I am very tight on space under there, and the tubs don't lend themseves to making baffles. I've had some trouble isolating my skimmer and drain lines from the water level variation that the sump sees due to evap.
When my skimmer sees a change in water level, it changes the backpressure on the skimmer and impacts the quality of the skimmate.
When the end of my drain lines see a change in water level, it causes a change in backpressure on the drain line. I have the main drain line "tuned" with a gate valve so that it matches my pump output very closely. This allows the drain to operate fully submerged which is silent and does not make bubbles in the sump. But when the sump water level drops, makes less backpressure on the drain line. That allows slightly more flow down the drain and causes a drop in the water level in the overflow chamber until the flow balances out. It is a self adjusting system but it does need a constant water level at the end of the drain line.
I think if I trim my drain line so that it is just barely at the sump water surface under normal conditions, it will be much less sensitive to this issue. But I have not made time to trim that drain line...
I'm sure there are other things I could think of, but those are some of the major points.
Some things I really like about this setup so far...
- reliable electronic PH meter. Don't buy a used one, unless you get it really cheap and figure in the cost of a new probe. PH probes are sensitive and cannot be left dry, it ruins them. I bought a used PH controller but then had to buy a new probe for it since I couldn't get a steady reading and couldn't get it calibrated. The new probe works great and I love that thing. Calibration is easy too and doesn't need to be done very often. Every time I check it, it is right on the money.
- reliable salinity (conductivity) meter. I have a pinpoint salinity meter which is basically a conductivity meter. It's probe is much less sensitive than a PH probe. This is another great thing to have.
- Reefkeeper. This works as a dual stage temperature controller and digital timer. It takes care of all of my lights as well as two seperate fan channels and my heaters. This is a huge improvement over having a collection of individual timers IME. The newer model has built in PH monitor/controller functions as well as some other nice features. I bought mine used for $175 shipped, saving about $50 over a new one at the time.
- full strength glass overflow chamber. My tank has a glass overflow chamber that is made with glass of the same thickness as the tank walls. Very heavy and very sturdy. It also came with a black acrylic cover to hide the chamber, but I don't use it. I like the glass personally. Especially once it gets covered with coraline. I also like the straight top of the overflow walls. I don't really like the teeth that many overflows use. I have a large 2" diameter x 8" or so tall screen over the sump drain, so I don't have to worry much about it getting clogged. Snails regularly go down into the overflow chamber and keep it nice and clean, then crawl right back out again. Sometimes they even hang out right on the top edge with the water flowing around them.
- the dart pumps. I was surprised at how much heat I get from them, but they are super quiet and really crank out the flow. I have two of them running 24/7 right behind the couch and when the stand doors are closed, I can't hear them running when sitting on the couch. The TV is in this room and the tank has to be very quiet. So far it has been great.
- spaflex - I used spaflex everywhere. There is almost no hard pipes inside my stand.
- I love having the closed loop plumbing hidden in the rocks.
Well that's enough for now...
I could go on and on and on...
On the 220 -
When I was setting this tank up, I started thinking the same thing that you are thinking. With the DSB, I worried that I would be using up a lot of my tank's height. What I've found though is that the tank still has plenty of depth. I went for an average sand bed depth of 4". With southdown sand, I think 4" is deep enough to develop the DSB. The remaining depth seems very nice IMO. It is just the right depth in my opinion. Any deeper and I would have a lot of trouble reaching the sand surface, and it might also require stronger lighting. I'm very happy now with the 24" depth. If you have room go for a 30" wide tank. That would really be nice for aquascaping, giving you tons of room for rock without having the rock too close to the glass. I'd love to have another 6" width to the tank. That would also make a 220 gallon I think.
What would I do differently -
1) LOTS of things!!! First, I would have 4" to 6" additional height to my stand. This would have made a 55 gallon sump/fuge feasible, and would give more room for plumbing, skimmer height, etc.
2) Outside of the overflow chamber, I would have a 2" bulkhead for the closed loop intake and TWO 1.5" bulkheads for the closed loop output. That way I could use some flow switching device to alternate the closed loop flow between the two branches.
Initially I wanted to do flow switching with the sump return. I found that this causes a lot of problems in my system due to the variation in volume going through the overflow and drains. So I had to give up on my flow switching scheme. If I had one more bulkhead available for the closed loop I could have done it there instead.
3) I would use some acrylic tanks for my sump/fuge system. I am very tight on space under there, and the tubs don't lend themseves to making baffles. I've had some trouble isolating my skimmer and drain lines from the water level variation that the sump sees due to evap.
When my skimmer sees a change in water level, it changes the backpressure on the skimmer and impacts the quality of the skimmate.
When the end of my drain lines see a change in water level, it causes a change in backpressure on the drain line. I have the main drain line "tuned" with a gate valve so that it matches my pump output very closely. This allows the drain to operate fully submerged which is silent and does not make bubbles in the sump. But when the sump water level drops, makes less backpressure on the drain line. That allows slightly more flow down the drain and causes a drop in the water level in the overflow chamber until the flow balances out. It is a self adjusting system but it does need a constant water level at the end of the drain line.
I think if I trim my drain line so that it is just barely at the sump water surface under normal conditions, it will be much less sensitive to this issue. But I have not made time to trim that drain line...
I'm sure there are other things I could think of, but those are some of the major points.
Some things I really like about this setup so far...
- reliable electronic PH meter. Don't buy a used one, unless you get it really cheap and figure in the cost of a new probe. PH probes are sensitive and cannot be left dry, it ruins them. I bought a used PH controller but then had to buy a new probe for it since I couldn't get a steady reading and couldn't get it calibrated. The new probe works great and I love that thing. Calibration is easy too and doesn't need to be done very often. Every time I check it, it is right on the money.
- reliable salinity (conductivity) meter. I have a pinpoint salinity meter which is basically a conductivity meter. It's probe is much less sensitive than a PH probe. This is another great thing to have.
- Reefkeeper. This works as a dual stage temperature controller and digital timer. It takes care of all of my lights as well as two seperate fan channels and my heaters. This is a huge improvement over having a collection of individual timers IME. The newer model has built in PH monitor/controller functions as well as some other nice features. I bought mine used for $175 shipped, saving about $50 over a new one at the time.
- full strength glass overflow chamber. My tank has a glass overflow chamber that is made with glass of the same thickness as the tank walls. Very heavy and very sturdy. It also came with a black acrylic cover to hide the chamber, but I don't use it. I like the glass personally. Especially once it gets covered with coraline. I also like the straight top of the overflow walls. I don't really like the teeth that many overflows use. I have a large 2" diameter x 8" or so tall screen over the sump drain, so I don't have to worry much about it getting clogged. Snails regularly go down into the overflow chamber and keep it nice and clean, then crawl right back out again. Sometimes they even hang out right on the top edge with the water flowing around them.
- the dart pumps. I was surprised at how much heat I get from them, but they are super quiet and really crank out the flow. I have two of them running 24/7 right behind the couch and when the stand doors are closed, I can't hear them running when sitting on the couch. The TV is in this room and the tank has to be very quiet. So far it has been great.
- spaflex - I used spaflex everywhere. There is almost no hard pipes inside my stand.
- I love having the closed loop plumbing hidden in the rocks.
Well that's enough for now...
I could go on and on and on...One other question,
How did you choose between a closed loop vs a few tunze pumps? Would you have done it differently if you knew you were going to have heat problems? Also, I am considering these for my setup once I get rolling. Wanted to get your opinion.
http://www.ecotechmarine.com/products/vortech/noHeat.htm
How did you choose between a closed loop vs a few tunze pumps? Would you have done it differently if you knew you were going to have heat problems? Also, I am considering these for my setup once I get rolling. Wanted to get your opinion.
http://www.ecotechmarine.com/products/vortech/noHeat.htm
rdmpe
New member
I am not sure what I would do. So far the heat has been a concern but not really a problem. But it could be a problem in the future...
I was pretty much set on a closed loop because I really wanted to have a lot of flow but with no pumps visible in the tank. The benefit that I see with my closed loop is that I have good strong dispersed flow in six different directions. It creates a lot of turbulent flow all over the place, less worry about dead spots, etc. Also, Tunze's are more expensive.
I like those magnet driven pump heads. They are really cool. What I see as their biggest limitation is that I would only want them mounted on the "back" glass. It would be difficult for me to get flow all over the tank in all different directions with those.
good one
New member
ya, i see a couple of them in my tank once and a while, but if i'm lucky, i can just pull them off with my finger carefully. i've heard that 6 line wrasse will eat them, but i don't have any first hand experience. if your tank is not stocked to heavy there is a treatment for it i think, but not sure. i do know that they multiply like crazy though. good luck
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