ReefWaters' 220 Sun Room Reef

As I have mentioned many times before in this thread I have been thinking of breaking down this tank. This past weekend I pulled the trigger.

I had many reasons for getting out of this tank. I was warned about the A/C being above the tank. It was a bad idea. I was warned about the complexity of the plumbing. It was a bad idea. Lessons learned. I could go on and on about the things I liked and disliked about this set up but I wont bore everyone.

I am happy about the decision and will use it as a lesson in this hobby. I am not out for good but I will be taking a much needed break to regroup and take a much needed deep breath.

As for the livestock, I sold off a few pieces to local reefers over the past month or so and what didn't sell (or I wouldn't sell) was given to Znut Reefer. I knew she was not only physically able to house the large corals I had but that she would be their best chance for long term survival in a new system. I cannot thank her enough for her help and support over the past few weeks.
 
Pocillopora in the hand of a six and a half foot tall man!

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Gathering buckets in preperation for the move.

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Top down view of the center pieces. These were taken after all the pumps were turned off. The windows were also open and all the light you see is natural sunlight. No artificials. These pictures were also taken on my phone.

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sorry to hear you pulled the plug, hopefully you will be back soon with even a better setup :thumbsup:

if you feel like it, a list of the things you have learned and would do differently would be very helpful, I'm sure it would be very valuable to your followers.
 
Half of the large acropora nana colony. It was basically two colonies that had grown together. They broke apart while removing them.

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And finally... here are some pictures I took of my centerpiece. The purple table is ORA Purple Millepora and I'm not 100% sure about the coral above it. I was told it was some kind of "bonsai" when I traded for it. The Mille measured just over 12" at its widest point and was mostly round. The bonsai was 8" at its widest point.

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i love the dimensions of that tank. rimless is another bonus. corals are looking pretty good and now its time for more fish
 
Hate to see it happen but am looking foward to your next build. Lemme know if you have anything left over to sell
 
I was able to remove every single living creature on Saturday. So there is nothing left in the way of livestock. I was left with several hundred gallons of salt water and a lot of sand. All of my sumps needed cleaning along with the display tank.

It took a few days but all the tanks and equipment have been broken down and soaked or cleaned with vinegar. I have a large pile of parts to organize and put back together but that's okay.

Im still not 100% sure what I am going to do now. Part of me wants to set this display tank back up a s reef but with a drastically simplified filtration and maintenance system. I have also considered an aggressive fish only set up or even Cichlids. But Im so afraid of getting right back into many of the problems I was trying to avoid.

I still have not fully figured out what is going on with the A/C unit but I dont think it is good. I will fully admit that this was one piece of equipment I did not do enough research on . I thought I had at the time, but looking back, I did not. I messed up the install by putting my light rack in a location where you cannot remove the filter from the inside unit. Actually, I think you can remove it but you cannot open the access door completey. It hits the rack. But what bothers me even more is the amount of mold and mildew growing all inside the unit air discharge and there is no apparent way to access all of it without removing the entire inside section of the A/C from the wall. This would involve disconnecting the coolant lines which would require an HVAC guy. Im a very unhappy with the design of this unit but more unhappy that I didnt think about this kind of thing more before I installed it.

I know some of you wanted me to compile a list of where I think I could have improved this system and/or avoided problems. I will gladly get to that when I get a few free minutes. I am off to work for now!

RW
 
ReefWaters said:
Im still not 100% sure what I am going to do now. Part of me wants to set this display tank back up a s reef but with a drastically simplified filtration and maintenance system. I have also considered an aggressive fish only set up or even Cichlids. But Im so afraid of getting right back into many of the problems I was trying to avoid.
Click to expand...
I'd take a breather and keep as much equipment as you can. When I tore down my 140g tank I sold off the tank. Probably next year I'll be getting back with a new setup and wish I still had the tank -- it's a huge part of the cost of starting up again.

I still have not fully figured out what is going on with the A/C unit but I dont think it is good. I will fully admit that this was one piece of equipment I did not do enough research on . I thought I had at the time, but looking back, I did not. I messed up the install by putting my light rack in a location where you cannot remove the filter from the inside unit. Actually, I think you can remove it but you cannot open the access door completey. It hits the rack. But what bothers me even more is the amount of mold and mildew growing all inside the unit air discharge and there is no apparent way to access all of it without removing the entire inside section of the A/C from the wall. This would involve disconnecting the coolant lines which would require an HVAC guy. Im a very unhappy with the design of this unit but more unhappy that I didnt think about this kind of thing more before I installed it.
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Maybe you should try one of those foams for cleaning car A/C units? They sell anti mould/mildew cleaning kits that you fire into the A/C vents to clean out the A/C condensor.

Something like this:
http://www.autogeek.net/1z-einszett-klima-cleaner-air-freshener.html

You could spray something like that in there to get all the gunk cleaned up.

Tyler
 
Yeah, seems like you should be able to foam it with an anti-bacterial agent. But at this point, since you have broken down the system, I would recommend taking it apart completely. Then you have to decide whether you will keep it or swap it out for a different unit.
 
I still haven't cleaned or broken down the air conditioner. It definitely looks like I'm going to have to remove the light rack to open it up properly. If I decide to set the tank back up, I'll have to modify, or completely redesign the light rack. I hope to get to this sooner than later.

In the mean time, there is no water in the room, not even in buckets, and the A/C has been turned off. BUT THERE IS STILL CONDENSATION!!! I don't get it. There's not a lot but there is some water beading on the light rack (the aluminum framing) and the outside of my Luminarc reflectors. But not on the inside of the reflectors. Also, there is a fair amount of condensation on the wall above the tank. This REALLY concerns me as I'm thinking this is being caused by the temperature difference between the main, air conditioned, house and the now unconditioned fish room. The wall is not insulated nor is the rest of my house. It was built in the 40's. How can i figure out if there is any moisture inside the wall? Don't tell me to cut a hole in it! :D What about a mold inspection? Has anyone ever had one performed on their house? Can they tell if you have mold inside walls without ripping them out?
 
I just double checked the room and the condensation is MUCH worse than I had previously thought. Its everywhere. I'm about to kick on the dehumidifier without the A/C on and see if that helps to "dry out" the room a little. There is water condensation on almost all of the PVC pipes and all over the walls.

The temperature is at 83 degrees F and the humidity is at 60%. I think this is pretty consistent throughout the day but I have no way of really knowing.
 
1. Dehumifify your room, the temperature difference from the rest of the house should not create condensation if your room has 60% humidity. I think you might have a lot higher humidity than 60% to have condensation. You could be just drawing previous humidity out from the walls. Run your dehumidifier for a few days flat out, and then see where you are. You can buy { H.D. should have } silica gel for dehumidifying as well. After it absorbs humidity, it will drip into a pan below the hanging sack. It can be regenerated in the oven
2. There are mold test kits that arte self analysing. They are like petri dishes that you put out and then check a few days later. Different types of mold show up differently. Mold that is in the wal as opposed to surface mold is identiyable this way. The kits are less than $50.oo check with a mold remistion company in your area { don't get sold on some expensive method}
 
Thanks Crazzy. Yeah, Im running the dehumidifier as we speak. I'll leave it on for a few days as you suggest. I think im going to check into the mold test too. I do have some mildew in the room already. A little around the windows and a good bit in the air conditioner as I mentioned previously. I think its the same type you get in the shower. Do you happen to know how to tell from looking at it if this is the bad type of mildew?
 
Thanks Clinton! I really appreciate the positive feedback. I just wish I could have avoided some of the issues I have been dealing with. But you live and you learn. Did you make it to any World Cup games? I wanted to go over there so badly!!! Either way I hope to make it to South Africa at some point in my life. I used to know a guy who lived down there. He said the fishing was AMAZING!!! Do you get to fish much?

In reference to the humidity discussion from above, as of this morning the humidity in the room was at 30% and I didn't find any condensation during a very fast inspection. I'm going to leave the dehumidifier on for at least another full day and then see what happens. The fish room actually IS insulated as I gutted it when this project began. I'm hoping once I have all of the water pulled out from the nooks and crannies of the room, pipes, equipment, etc, that I wont have any more condensation with the A/C and dehumidifier turned off. I'll keep you posted. Cross your fingers! :D
 
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