Starting an interactive reef - 265g reef tank w/ live web camera

[rEd86]

OK, my order from Premium Aquatics came in so I was able to plumb everything and hook up the skimmer. The hardware is coming together! I had to leave early today to get home so I didn't get any pictures.

I plan on taking the LR I've been curing in the home basement in to the office and put it in the sump this weekend. I will also be hanging a MH light over the sump and cleaning up a few things. I will make sure to get some pictures then.

I still have to wire the main lights but I don't want to do that until I build my hood lift. I am going to put a temporary light in it for now. I should find out what the material costs are going to be for the lift sometime early next week - hopefully it will be within my budget.

I tried to connect my vortex pumps but could not get the magnet to hold through the glass. I have heard they can be temperamental so I will have to read the threads to see what the best approach is to getting them mounted.

Later!

--Ed

 

[melev]

Ed, what thickness is your tank?

 

[rEd86]

3/4" glass.

--Ed

 

[melev]

You have the spacer boot set to the proper depth, correct? When you bought it, was it separated with a foam block? I've heard (and have no idea if it is true) that if they are together it ruins the magnet.

Just contact the EcoTech guys and I'm sure they'll get this resolved.

 

[rEd86]

I will have to read the instructions a little more closely. I added the tie to hold the weight of the motor, but I didn't see any space boot depth settings. I am not sure how they were when I got them but they have been "together" for a couple of months now after I opened the box and played with them.

I'll post something on EcoTech's forums once I've gone through everything a second time and confirmed it's not a "user error" that's causing the problems.

--Ed

 

[rEd86]

OK - I got the first round of plumbing done over the weekend so here are some pictures:

Overview shot of the sump room:

And from the right:

I went ahead and tiled the floor so I wouldn't have to worry about any spills or leaks into the office. Home Depot usually has some great deals on tile they buy in bulk (79 cents a square foot) so I just went with that tile/color...

Here's a closer look into the sump:

I still need to get some more LR (there is also 80lbs under the egg crate) and also set up the lighting so I can bring some of my frags from home. I also need to figure out what I want to do with the return pipes. They generate a lot of bubbles that don't make it back into the display tank, which is nice, but I need to contain them a little so I can see my frags.

Here's a picture of the skimmer as of this morning. It's foaming nicely:

More to come.

--Ed

 

[rEd86]

And here are some shots of the tank. I haven't aquascaped anything yet - just threw the LR in for now:

Here are the return jets, from the right by the overflow box:

and on the left:

As mentioned in a previous post, I can't get my Vortech pumps to stay. I did need to remove the pin spacer but they would rattle and kick off the glass, no matter how much I tried to adjust them. I will play with them more later in the week when I have some time.

Now all that's left is some permanent wiring, building the scissor lift for the hood and hook up the lights and fans. I am shooting for getting most of that done next weekend if they can fabricate the lift parts this week.

Later!

--Ed

 

[jnarowe]

Hey, looking great Ed! :thumbsup:

One point to consider is the amount of detritus that will accumulate under the rocks in the sump. I am curious why you have the feed for the return pump so high up on the sump?

 

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12308879#post12308879 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rEd86
I will have to read the instructions a little more closely. I added the tie to hold the weight of the motor, but I didn't see any space boot depth settings. I am not sure how they were when I got them but they have been "together" for a couple of months now after I opened the box and played with them.

I'll post something on EcoTech's forums once I've gone through everything a second time and confirmed it's not a "user error" that's causing the problems.

--Ed

When you look at the motor side, there is a thin flap of rubber. Peel that off, and you'll find a label beneath it that describes the depth settings.

By now, you've probably gotten your answer to this already in the Ecotech forum.

If I was wrong about the magnets getting weaker over time, please correct that statement. I don't mind being wrong.

Glad to see more progress. :thumbsup: It should look like a reef by the time I'm there.

 

[rEd86]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12327285#post12327285 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
Hey, looking great Ed! :thumbsup:

One point to consider is the amount of detritus that will accumulate under the rocks in the sump. I am curious why you have the feed for the return pump so high up on the sump?

Thanks - it's getting there.

The return feed was at that location when I bought it so I left it alone. I did add a 90 PVC elbow on the inside and brought the actual opening down into the water about 18". I didn't want to worry about easily running the pump dry due to evaporation. Is there a reason you ask?

--Ed

 

[jnarowe]

well that's just it. It looked like it could run dry during a water change, etc. but it sounds like you corrected that! Seems like that might negatively affect priming the pump though.

I see a "T" on the outbound side. Is that for future use? It might help to add a valve there to help when priming the pump. Even though I draw from near the bottom, I find this "T" and valve arrangement helps with priming as well as keeping my sumps at equal levels.

 

[rEd86]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12327339#post12327339 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
When you look at the motor side, there is a thin flap of rubber. Peel that off, and you'll find a label beneath it that describes the depth settings.

Glad to see more progress. :thumbsup: It should look like a reef by the time I'm there.

That's what I found when I read the manual carefully yesterday. (It was an ID10T error - a problem between the keyboard and the chair...) You don't even use the pin spacer on 3/4" thick glass.

I am sure I'll figure it out when I have a little more time...

I hope it looks like a reef by then!!! :eek1:

--Ed

 

[rEd86]

UPDATE;

The costs for building a scissor lift which could support the weight of the hood was beyond my budget. Luckily Vue Technology agreed to exchange the reflectors for LumenBright Minis. I will recess them in the hood like Marc suggested to give me the maximum access for cleaning. It is also the simplest solution and most cost effective. I will ship them back tomorrow so hopefully I will have the new lights in place by the end of next week.

The system is cycled so I am going to be adding a school of Chromis early next week. I am picking out corals which I plan on ordering Friday so with any luck, I will have everything set up within the next 14 days.

More pictures when the replacement lights come in.

--Ed

 

[kelvin88]

keep us posted!

 

[rEd86]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12347341#post12347341 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kelvin88
keep us posted!

Will do.

I need to go ahead and hook up the web camera. I was initially waiting until I had something to look at before doing so but there's no reason why I shouldn't get it up. It will be pretty boring to look at the tank the way it is, but I need to finalize where I am going to mount it so it doesn't get knocked around when people walk by. I have to take into account any glare/refraction that might occur if I mount it at too much of an angle. I am currently planning on hanging it from the ceiling, that way it won’t get kicked or bumped.

--Ed

 

[rEd86]

Wow - where did a month go?!? Things have been moving along and I've got a shipment of corals coming in tomorrow so I wanted to post a couple of pictures now before I start documenting all the stuff that comes in tomorrow.

First, I ended up getting the LumenArc III mini reflectors, which work much better in the tank. I ended up building an aluminum slider that allows me to push them out of the way when I am cleaning the tank. My hood can open on either side, so I open both at the same time and can slide the lights out either way to clean the other side. This is possible because of the Two-Way Travel Slides I got from Rockler:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17807&filter=23463

I got the aluminum frame from Lowes and cut and riveted the pieces together. Here's an example of the lights pulled out:

It works really well in a peninsula configuration where you need to be able to get at the front and back.

--Ed

 

[jnarowe]

looking good! Those look like the LumenBrites don't they? I must be confused.

 

[rEd86]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12567114#post12567114 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
Those look like the LumenBrites don't they? I must be confused.

They are exactly like the LumenBrites except the way the bulbs mount. (I actually got sent LumenBrites by accident the first time)

--Ed

 

[rEd86]

I also have a lot more of the wiring done in the sump room. Here are the ballasts and distribution panel I have set up. There are three 20amp GFI circuits feeding the system. I haven't hooked up the controller yet and have the lights on a simple digital timer for now. When I get that done I'll tidy up the wiring around the switch.

The switches make it easy for me to turn off pumps and other items when I need to and are accessible but out of the way of the water and other things that might cause problems.

I got real lucky on eBay and purchased 250ft of 14/3 Carol brand wire for $32.

I was able to make custom runs for all my pumps, lights, etc. easily that way. (let me know if you need any wiring jnarowe, I have more than I need! )

--Ed

 

[rEd86]

And finally, here's a shot of the tank with the lights on:

I just turned them on for 10 minutes to get this shot and then it's lights out for the night. I have a few minor pieces in there and still need to play with the aquascaping when I get the pieces in tomorrow.

The wired pumps you see are temporary just to move some water until I get the Vortech pumps hooked up. (I ended up throwing away the dry gaskets and have to order replacements tomorrow.)

That's it for tonight. I got a LOT of coral coming in tomorrow so hopefully I'll be able to document it all and get some pictures posted tomorrow night.

--Ed