Zachtos’ unique 240G reef w/ 375G sump/fuge-growout/RDSB/aggro tank
- Thread starter zachtos
- Start date
melev
Well-known member
Eric - to grow pods you want an area that is predator (fish & shrimp) free. A refugium is a good place, but your display tank can be a pod factory as well until you start putting fish in the tank. Certain fish eat pods, while others don't care.
Justin - yep, that's the one. There are more pictures posted on my site in the Fotos section from my trip to URSNY (Rochester, NY) a few months ago.
Justin - yep, that's the one. There are more pictures posted on my site in the Fotos section from my trip to URSNY (Rochester, NY) a few months ago.
matthew5664
New member
what about a Acanthurus lineatus insted of a Acanthurus sohal
that look quite simila only ons blue the others black?
that look quite simila only ons blue the others black?
zachtos
Active member
Problems Galore
Problems Galore
I am facing multiple problems:
-I am having a bit of an algae bloom in the tank... I found the culprit. My RO/DI filter. Somehow, the RO membrane has collapsed. Jim from http://www.thefilterguys.biz/ (highly recomend them) stated that it could have collapsed if the city put massive amounts of chlorine into the system for some reason. It should have lasted much longer he said. The DI resin was definitely exhausted as well (I'll change that much sooner now). The flush valve does not work on my system anymore because the membrane must have collapsed per Jim as well. SOOOoooo I've been adding 40TDS water to my tank for several weeks now unknowingly. Whoops!!!! Some of the SPS are showing distress signs as well. Jim was kind enough to comp the shipping on my replacement membrane/filters/resin to get me back in service ASAP. So, I have a nice 60G water change planned very soon after the RO/DI system gets back online.
system before it failed.
-My return pump is acting up. It is VERY noisy all of a sudden. I took it apart and checked everything out. I can't see anything visually wrong with it. It's an MDM sequence4600 pump. It pushes around 2000GPH upstairs. I can't hear movies without turning the stereo WAY up now to drown it out. This is very agitating.
-I can't get my brine shrimp to hatch. 3 tries now. First 2 times I followed melev's directions using tank water and ro/di but failed. Then I called brine shrimp direct and they said to use only clean seawater at 25ppm, must have light, tumble eggs w/ air, and keep at 80F. Then feed after 24 hours, NOT 48 hours for best nutirition. They said to gutload only if feeding fry, but the results are very minimal as compared to just feeding fresh hatchlings w/ the egg sack unabsorbed still. I guess I'll keep trying till I get it right.
-Still F$#%# w/ the CA reactor trying to dial it in so it wont RAISE my alkalinity. I think I got it now. I have the PH set to 7.1 on my probe... I suspect it may not be calibrated well, since the effluent is still over 20dkh, it is obviously dissolving the ARM media. Now my tank alkalinity is dropping by 0.5dkh/day, so I just need to keep bumping the effluent flow up a bit from it's very low 30ml/min it's at now. The tank is at 11dkh so it can stand to drop a bit more though first. target is 10dkh.
-my PH SYSTEM montitor is broken. another damn $50 I don't want to spend. I may buy another one, but I'm too upset at the moment.
-keep losing chromis fish in the overflow... I need to put some sort of mesh behind the teeth to keep them from dissapearing. I've lost 6 now I think. So I've lost $60 somewhere in the sump... GREAT.
-I also MAY experience a massive ICH outbreak soon because of the hippo tang. Hopefully everyone will be strong enough to fight it off and develop early immunities w/ the diet I feed them. 1 sheet of nori/day. 1/day feeding my home made meaty frozen food soaked in a drop or two of selcon and garlic extract. Maybe about 1/8cup of food/day? (I should twice a day but am in a hurry every morning)
-I HATE YOU MICRO BUBBLES!!! WHY ARE THEY SUCH A PROBLEM ALL OF A SUDDEN? MAKE THEM STOP.
-I'm obviously not worried about adding more fish or coral for a few weeks until I solve a few of these problems first.
*I also noticed 'penductors' seem to be a popular way of increasing flow... I need to read more about these later.
Problems Galore
I am facing multiple problems:
-I am having a bit of an algae bloom in the tank... I found the culprit. My RO/DI filter. Somehow, the RO membrane has collapsed. Jim from http://www.thefilterguys.biz/ (highly recomend them) stated that it could have collapsed if the city put massive amounts of chlorine into the system for some reason. It should have lasted much longer he said. The DI resin was definitely exhausted as well (I'll change that much sooner now). The flush valve does not work on my system anymore because the membrane must have collapsed per Jim as well. SOOOoooo I've been adding 40TDS water to my tank for several weeks now unknowingly. Whoops!!!! Some of the SPS are showing distress signs as well. Jim was kind enough to comp the shipping on my replacement membrane/filters/resin to get me back in service ASAP. So, I have a nice 60G water change planned very soon after the RO/DI system gets back online.
system before it failed.
-My return pump is acting up. It is VERY noisy all of a sudden. I took it apart and checked everything out. I can't see anything visually wrong with it. It's an MDM sequence4600 pump. It pushes around 2000GPH upstairs. I can't hear movies without turning the stereo WAY up now to drown it out. This is very agitating.
-I can't get my brine shrimp to hatch. 3 tries now. First 2 times I followed melev's directions using tank water and ro/di but failed. Then I called brine shrimp direct and they said to use only clean seawater at 25ppm, must have light, tumble eggs w/ air, and keep at 80F. Then feed after 24 hours, NOT 48 hours for best nutirition. They said to gutload only if feeding fry, but the results are very minimal as compared to just feeding fresh hatchlings w/ the egg sack unabsorbed still. I guess I'll keep trying till I get it right.
-Still F$#%# w/ the CA reactor trying to dial it in so it wont RAISE my alkalinity. I think I got it now. I have the PH set to 7.1 on my probe... I suspect it may not be calibrated well, since the effluent is still over 20dkh, it is obviously dissolving the ARM media. Now my tank alkalinity is dropping by 0.5dkh/day, so I just need to keep bumping the effluent flow up a bit from it's very low 30ml/min it's at now. The tank is at 11dkh so it can stand to drop a bit more though first. target is 10dkh.
-my PH SYSTEM montitor is broken. another damn $50 I don't want to spend. I may buy another one, but I'm too upset at the moment.
-keep losing chromis fish in the overflow... I need to put some sort of mesh behind the teeth to keep them from dissapearing. I've lost 6 now I think. So I've lost $60 somewhere in the sump... GREAT.
-I also MAY experience a massive ICH outbreak soon because of the hippo tang. Hopefully everyone will be strong enough to fight it off and develop early immunities w/ the diet I feed them. 1 sheet of nori/day. 1/day feeding my home made meaty frozen food soaked in a drop or two of selcon and garlic extract. Maybe about 1/8cup of food/day? (I should twice a day but am in a hurry every morning)
-I HATE YOU MICRO BUBBLES!!! WHY ARE THEY SUCH A PROBLEM ALL OF A SUDDEN? MAKE THEM STOP.
-I'm obviously not worried about adding more fish or coral for a few weeks until I solve a few of these problems first.
*I also noticed 'penductors' seem to be a popular way of increasing flow... I need to read more about these later.
erics3000
Active member
Maybe the Micro bubbles have something to do with the loud noise of the pump.
It is definetly a lot of work. You have made amazing progress so far.
Have you done a google search on rasaing brine shrimp? Here are some links I found.
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Pegasus_Brine_Shrimp.html
http://home.coqui.net/menace/artemias.htm
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=5&DocID=102
It is definetly a lot of work. You have made amazing progress so far.
Have you done a google search on rasaing brine shrimp? Here are some links I found.
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Pegasus_Brine_Shrimp.html
http://home.coqui.net/menace/artemias.htm
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=5&DocID=102
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
Here is a very good article about penductors.
http://www.kthsales.com/website/Misc/hello_salt_water_enthusiasts.htm
These require a pressure rated pump and would work best in large/long tanks so consider pointing them across the tank at an angle rather then straight at the front glass.
Should the electrical engineer require the mechanical engineer to run some fluid flow numbers
, let me know and I will be happy to help.
http://www.kthsales.com/website/Misc/hello_salt_water_enthusiasts.htm
These require a pressure rated pump and would work best in large/long tanks so consider pointing them across the tank at an angle rather then straight at the front glass.
Should the electrical engineer require the mechanical engineer to run some fluid flow numbers
, let me know and I will be happy to help.
purebullet417
Rimless Reef Club
sounds like your pump may be sucking air. check the fittings on both ends and fell around to see if you can feel it. also if you have a little drain valve on the bottom of the pump make sure its closed not open.
Ding2daDong
New member
Lookin good!
Any new pics?
-Matthew
Any new pics?
-Matthew
zachtos
Active member
FASCINATING
FASCINATING
That is just amazing. I did my research on the enductors and understand them pretty thoroughly now. Sounds like basically you need to run your pump at 7.5psi or higher and put enductors on each output. I haven't determined how to calculate this out properly yet, but it sounds like you want to find a way to run at 23' of head loss, but I don't know how much head loss each enductor is. It's complicated sounding. The theory makes perfect sense to me about how it creates suction at a high pressure when you force it through a bell like that. AND I can see how you can get higher flow from a pressure rated pump as well. The ASTOUNDING part is how great that is in relation to running at a higher pressure causing the pump to draw less current and use less wattage! think of the savings! Does this cause pumps to run at lower RPMS then obviously? And what happens if you put on too many enductors? too low pressure? How could you determine how to size them from a return pump based on all your head loss? Must be these things are only good for horizontal installations for maximum efficiency like you stated. Excellent. INDEED. I'm not seeing a benefit honestly vs maxi mods at 20W each and 2000GPH and $50/jet initial cost. You can't beat that even w/ enductors. So what's the big benefit really? Less space used by pumps in the display? Less pumps to break? I think I calculated out that the top model iwaki 100rlt could do like 5000gph w/ 4 penductors. intial install cost of $500 and unknown wattage (likely over 200W)... now for same cost and less watts you could have made 10 maxi mods that would crank a staggering 20,000GPH... Am I missing something or miscalculating/understanding?
-MY RO/DI resin was exhausted and was leaching into my system causing high TDS to royally screw up my tank. I drained the reservoirs and changed my carbon/prefilters and ordered a new round of filters. I don't need a new RO membrane but I'll keep it since I don't wanna pay return shipping. I was not back flushing regularly like I should have been apparently. FROM NOW ON DO THIS WEEKLY AND MONITOR TDS!!!
*coral are showing distress from the TDS getting into the system. I have a water change scheduled this week of 60-90G.
*still fudging w/ my Ca reactor... I almost have it steady now at effluent alk of 20dKH and flow of 60ml/min.
*still can't get my brine to hatch, 4 tries... very angry. RO/DI water and tropic marin salt at 30ppm w/a 60W bulb on it w/ light bubbling to tumble. Eggs are 70% hatch rate from brineshrimp direct. Are they hatching and I'm not knowing it? I see a mild orange color but nothing larger then the egg shells in size... How do I know they are working?
*My 4600seq22 sequence pump is going in for service. It shut off today due to overheating. The bearings are apparently wore out and need to be changed. THIS ACCOUNTED FOR THE NOISE!!! $70 quick 2 hour fix apparently at my local electrical repair shop.
*Supposedly I'm getting air in the system some how on the return lines though... Can anyone see any flaws in the sytem or is there some trick to purge the air in the drain lines? bubble towers or something like that? COME on DIY ers.
*Any solutions as to why my water seems hazy? Running new carbon every 30 days (changed a week ago), a full phosban 150 reactor on my 475G of water volume. Micro bubbles do this? The TDS do it? or maybe overfeeding or too finely chopped food?
FASCINATING
That is just amazing. I did my research on the enductors and understand them pretty thoroughly now. Sounds like basically you need to run your pump at 7.5psi or higher and put enductors on each output. I haven't determined how to calculate this out properly yet, but it sounds like you want to find a way to run at 23' of head loss, but I don't know how much head loss each enductor is. It's complicated sounding. The theory makes perfect sense to me about how it creates suction at a high pressure when you force it through a bell like that. AND I can see how you can get higher flow from a pressure rated pump as well. The ASTOUNDING part is how great that is in relation to running at a higher pressure causing the pump to draw less current and use less wattage! think of the savings! Does this cause pumps to run at lower RPMS then obviously? And what happens if you put on too many enductors? too low pressure? How could you determine how to size them from a return pump based on all your head loss? Must be these things are only good for horizontal installations for maximum efficiency like you stated. Excellent. INDEED. I'm not seeing a benefit honestly vs maxi mods at 20W each and 2000GPH and $50/jet initial cost. You can't beat that even w/ enductors. So what's the big benefit really? Less space used by pumps in the display? Less pumps to break? I think I calculated out that the top model iwaki 100rlt could do like 5000gph w/ 4 penductors. intial install cost of $500 and unknown wattage (likely over 200W)... now for same cost and less watts you could have made 10 maxi mods that would crank a staggering 20,000GPH... Am I missing something or miscalculating/understanding?
-MY RO/DI resin was exhausted and was leaching into my system causing high TDS to royally screw up my tank. I drained the reservoirs and changed my carbon/prefilters and ordered a new round of filters. I don't need a new RO membrane but I'll keep it since I don't wanna pay return shipping. I was not back flushing regularly like I should have been apparently. FROM NOW ON DO THIS WEEKLY AND MONITOR TDS!!!
*coral are showing distress from the TDS getting into the system. I have a water change scheduled this week of 60-90G.
*still fudging w/ my Ca reactor... I almost have it steady now at effluent alk of 20dKH and flow of 60ml/min.
*still can't get my brine to hatch, 4 tries... very angry. RO/DI water and tropic marin salt at 30ppm w/a 60W bulb on it w/ light bubbling to tumble. Eggs are 70% hatch rate from brineshrimp direct. Are they hatching and I'm not knowing it? I see a mild orange color but nothing larger then the egg shells in size... How do I know they are working?
*My 4600seq22 sequence pump is going in for service. It shut off today due to overheating. The bearings are apparently wore out and need to be changed. THIS ACCOUNTED FOR THE NOISE!!! $70 quick 2 hour fix apparently at my local electrical repair shop.
*Supposedly I'm getting air in the system some how on the return lines though... Can anyone see any flaws in the sytem or is there some trick to purge the air in the drain lines? bubble towers or something like that? COME on DIY ers.
*Any solutions as to why my water seems hazy? Running new carbon every 30 days (changed a week ago), a full phosban 150 reactor on my 475G of water volume. Micro bubbles do this? The TDS do it? or maybe overfeeding or too finely chopped food?
melev
Well-known member
You might talk to Weatherson about the eductors. He seems to know quite a bit on that topic, and his reef looks amazing.
Your membrane should be good for many years, so don't worry about that yet.
Did you read the brine shrimp article I wrote that has 40 pictures?
On your return line: does the return section of the sump look bubble-free? If so, then the microbubbles are occuring in the pump or in the plumbing going back up to the tank. If you have locline plumbing, all of that needs to be fully submerged as well.
Carbon is only good for a few days. You need to change it.
A full phosban reactor? How much media is that? Two or three jars worth? That would be much too much. Some people with large systems only have a few teaspoons of media in their reactors. You need to measure the effluent of the Phosban Reactor to make sure the water is 0 ppm PO4. That is how to set it up correctly. If it comes out with anything above 0, slow down the flow even further. Once a week, send a puff of water through it to keep the media from compacting, then set it back to a trickle again.
Your membrane should be good for many years, so don't worry about that yet.
Did you read the brine shrimp article I wrote that has 40 pictures?
On your return line: does the return section of the sump look bubble-free? If so, then the microbubbles are occuring in the pump or in the plumbing going back up to the tank. If you have locline plumbing, all of that needs to be fully submerged as well.
Carbon is only good for a few days. You need to change it.
A full phosban reactor? How much media is that? Two or three jars worth? That would be much too much. Some people with large systems only have a few teaspoons of media in their reactors. You need to measure the effluent of the Phosban Reactor to make sure the water is 0 ppm PO4. That is how to set it up correctly. If it comes out with anything above 0, slow down the flow even further. Once a week, send a puff of water through it to keep the media from compacting, then set it back to a trickle again.
zachtos
Active member
yep, I followed your insturctions on brine culturing... I can't figure out what the issue is here. I think I see an orange tint, but the eggs were so tiny, they looked to be the same size as when they started, way too small to be of use.
OK, I think I'm using 3 cups of carbon and I'm only supposed to use 1.5 I believe for 500G or so of volume. Maybe I'll change it every other week instead. I have like 50lbs of the stuff, not like I'll run out for years. Didn't think of measuring the P04 yet.
And there are tons of bubbles that come out of my return drains. It's kind of like giant blub blubs and tons of fine spray I guess. It's so violent it shakes the plumbing pretty horrendously. The ends are all submerged. The dursos never suck in air to my knowledge... So I just don't get how the air gets in the first place!!! Are my ball valves open too far? Drain lines oversized? I don't want to restrict my pump at all, unless it doesn't really restrict it. If I turn down the vavles, the water levels rise and bubbles go away, but It's obvioulsy restricting. Maybe I need to post a video clip or something?
OK, I think I'm using 3 cups of carbon and I'm only supposed to use 1.5 I believe for 500G or so of volume. Maybe I'll change it every other week instead. I have like 50lbs of the stuff, not like I'll run out for years. Didn't think of measuring the P04 yet.
And there are tons of bubbles that come out of my return drains. It's kind of like giant blub blubs and tons of fine spray I guess. It's so violent it shakes the plumbing pretty horrendously. The ends are all submerged. The dursos never suck in air to my knowledge... So I just don't get how the air gets in the first place!!! Are my ball valves open too far? Drain lines oversized? I don't want to restrict my pump at all, unless it doesn't really restrict it. If I turn down the vavles, the water levels rise and bubbles go away, but It's obvioulsy restricting. Maybe I need to post a video clip or something?
melev
Well-known member
I believe I use 80% or 90% hatch rate. Orange means some are hatching. You'd have to turn off the air for a bit to see how many hatched, as they would be visible in the neck area of the bottle and the eggs and casings would sink or float above and below the living brine shrimp.
3 cups of carbon is fine. But it is short-lived. http://www.pets-warehouse.com/carbon.htm
It sounds like your plumbing may be too small or restrictive for the pump you're using. Also, the intake to the pump should not be restricted. If the pump is 2", the hole in the sump should be 2" as well, and the plumbing leading to the pump very short, just enough to get the pump connected. If you have to make it travel some distance, the plumbing should be even larger going in to not starve the pump.
We'd need more pictures of the pump, the plumbing, how it is connected to the sump & tank...
3 cups of carbon is fine. But it is short-lived. http://www.pets-warehouse.com/carbon.htm
It sounds like your plumbing may be too small or restrictive for the pump you're using. Also, the intake to the pump should not be restricted. If the pump is 2", the hole in the sump should be 2" as well, and the plumbing leading to the pump very short, just enough to get the pump connected. If you have to make it travel some distance, the plumbing should be even larger going in to not starve the pump.
We'd need more pictures of the pump, the plumbing, how it is connected to the sump & tank...
zachtos
Active member
I can hear the pump grinding away in the basement. I'm taking it in either tomorrow or the next day for sure.
The top manifold has 5 drains. 4 - 2" drains share a common 2" drain pipe that dumps to the basement. 1-1.25" drain goes to the 75G tank in the other room.
The bottom manifold is the return. It pushes 4x3/4" returns lines to the seaswirls, one of them goes to dual 1/2" returns open ended that blow are at the front of the glass. I used the meshed flexible tubing because of difficulty getting the rigid stuff to line up! no creases or anything though I believe. 1x1" return goes to the 75G. This one is actually restricted 50% to hopefully put more flow into the display/reeftank and only allow around 400gph into the 75G, should I open this one up then? I have no easy way to know if it is restricting at all on the return.
1.5" drain open 75% to drain into the equipment/grow out side, 1" drain open full to the refugium
old tank room shot that shows the 1.5" drain to the sump, only open 60% and the 3/4" drain to the RDSB open 100% w/ very very low flow of maybe only 50gph... I can't get this any faster unfortunately... But I think it's supposed to be that low in a RDSB?
as you can see, the return pump is a sequence4600seq22, I calculate out 18' of head and around 2000gph return overall, but haven't verified this... kinda hard to figure that out isn't it? The return line is solid 1.5" only 1' away from the sump, valves open 100% and it goes straight upstairs to the 1.5" manifold you see in photo one above.
Overall, no noticable leaks on the system I'm aware of... I just don't get it, I thought I oversized the drains/returns a bit myself didn't I?
It's maybe 8' to manifold 1, then 4' vertically to the tank, and perhaps 4' max to left or right or next room returns. The drains when opened fully produce MORE bubbles.
The top manifold has 5 drains. 4 - 2" drains share a common 2" drain pipe that dumps to the basement. 1-1.25" drain goes to the 75G tank in the other room.
The bottom manifold is the return. It pushes 4x3/4" returns lines to the seaswirls, one of them goes to dual 1/2" returns open ended that blow are at the front of the glass. I used the meshed flexible tubing because of difficulty getting the rigid stuff to line up! no creases or anything though I believe. 1x1" return goes to the 75G. This one is actually restricted 50% to hopefully put more flow into the display/reeftank and only allow around 400gph into the 75G, should I open this one up then? I have no easy way to know if it is restricting at all on the return.
1.5" drain open 75% to drain into the equipment/grow out side, 1" drain open full to the refugium
old tank room shot that shows the 1.5" drain to the sump, only open 60% and the 3/4" drain to the RDSB open 100% w/ very very low flow of maybe only 50gph... I can't get this any faster unfortunately... But I think it's supposed to be that low in a RDSB?
as you can see, the return pump is a sequence4600seq22, I calculate out 18' of head and around 2000gph return overall, but haven't verified this... kinda hard to figure that out isn't it? The return line is solid 1.5" only 1' away from the sump, valves open 100% and it goes straight upstairs to the 1.5" manifold you see in photo one above.
Overall, no noticable leaks on the system I'm aware of... I just don't get it, I thought I oversized the drains/returns a bit myself didn't I?
It's maybe 8' to manifold 1, then 4' vertically to the tank, and perhaps 4' max to left or right or next room returns. The drains when opened fully produce MORE bubbles.
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
First off, calculating penductors is fairly easy if used in a closed loop. You take the flow rate of the pump at 23 feet of head and divide that number by 7 if in gallons per minute or 420 if in gallons per hour. The result is the number of penductors that the pump will be able to supply properly.
Also, when the drains all dump into one 2" pipe, that 2" pipe limits the flow into the sump. The 4 inlets from the tank will not dump any more wanter to the sump then the single 2" pipe can handle.
Hope that helps.
Also, when the drains all dump into one 2" pipe, that 2" pipe limits the flow into the sump. The 4 inlets from the tank will not dump any more wanter to the sump then the single 2" pipe can handle.
Hope that helps.
melev
Well-known member
Yes, all those drains into a single 2" pipe would be restrictive, but not affect his return pump problem.
I would much rather see you run 1.5" or 2" all the way up to the back of the tank, and then at the last point possible, switch to 3/4" going into the SeaSwirls. You could use Spa Flex to align them, and unions to easily disconnect them when needed. Going from 1.5" to (4) 3/4" returns could very well be the problem. Plus I see quite a few fittings that would add some zigzag as well as the back pressure.
The more streamlined you can make things, the better. That eliminates wasted flow and helps pinpoint problems.
Btw, I don't put any ballvalves on th drainlines because I don't want to risk having a snail or fish act like the perfect plug/stopper or the display could possible overflow.
I would much rather see you run 1.5" or 2" all the way up to the back of the tank, and then at the last point possible, switch to 3/4" going into the SeaSwirls. You could use Spa Flex to align them, and unions to easily disconnect them when needed. Going from 1.5" to (4) 3/4" returns could very well be the problem. Plus I see quite a few fittings that would add some zigzag as well as the back pressure.
The more streamlined you can make things, the better. That eliminates wasted flow and helps pinpoint problems.
Btw, I don't put any ballvalves on th drainlines because I don't want to risk having a snail or fish act like the perfect plug/stopper or the display could possible overflow.
zachtos
Active member
I wanted to do that, but it's very difficult now that the system is operation obviously. I upgraded the returns since the prior owner only had 2x0.5" and 1x.75"!!! I calculated the cross section area of the pipes to be greater then a single 1.5" pipe by 44% overall. So theoretically, once I get to the 1.5" manifold, the return pipes have an additional 44% more potential flow then the 1.5" can handle. It's the same theory as running two smaller wires in parallel to get more current flow, the current will divide among the wires, in this case pipes. I could have run 4 x 0.75" pipes up from the return and experience the same flow as a single 1.5" pipe theoretically. But I like to go about 50% more then that to make up for coefficient of friction (build up in the smaller pipes of corraline etc).
SOoo... I'm curious, If someone on the forums here would close their ballvalve on the return line slowly until nearly closed, would they experience the same thing I am? w/ all the excess air in the drains?
Does anyone think that bubble towers would help me by the way? I recall reading about them years back.
zachtos
Active member
Pictures to tide everyone over. I have yet to add anything new or exciting. I am problem solving at the moment, sorry. Maybe in 2 more weeks or so.
full tank shot as of today
feeding frenzy... I need to learn how to use my shutter speeds, aperture and exposure settings properly. It's confusing to me still.
you can see some of the corraline starting to cover the zip ties after 3 months.
*Tank is holding steady at 12dKh right now. Other paramaters haven't been tested lately.
upgraded my backup generator air pump to a much larger model, was worried the fish would suffacate w/ that dinky one... the dinky one will go on the 75G for the future Lionfish... I think.
solved another issue today... Plastic mesh guard woven into the overflow slots. Now I can worry about them plugging up and overflowing my tank instead of losing 5 chromis, 2 nudibranches and a neon goby in the sump of despair.
Yuna converts doo food into loving, cuteness, and poop.
I like this monti frag
this one is neat too.
Other frags are doing crappy since my TDS was too high and I'm having issues because of the RO/DI unit failure. I'm taking my overheating POS 4600seq22 return pump to be repaired in the morning. Supposedly, when the bearings are changed, it'll be quieter, wont overheat anymore and should renew it to full RPMs/more power!
*I'll pickup a bigger cleaning crew, my sailfin, 2 bangaii cardinals, and my achilles tang probably in the next month. I'll let ya all know.
full tank shot as of today
feeding frenzy... I need to learn how to use my shutter speeds, aperture and exposure settings properly. It's confusing to me still.
you can see some of the corraline starting to cover the zip ties after 3 months.
*Tank is holding steady at 12dKh right now. Other paramaters haven't been tested lately.
upgraded my backup generator air pump to a much larger model, was worried the fish would suffacate w/ that dinky one... the dinky one will go on the 75G for the future Lionfish... I think.
solved another issue today... Plastic mesh guard woven into the overflow slots. Now I can worry about them plugging up and overflowing my tank instead of losing 5 chromis, 2 nudibranches and a neon goby in the sump of despair.
Yuna converts doo food into loving, cuteness, and poop.
I like this monti frag
this one is neat too.
Other frags are doing crappy since my TDS was too high and I'm having issues because of the RO/DI unit failure. I'm taking my overheating POS 4600seq22 return pump to be repaired in the morning. Supposedly, when the bearings are changed, it'll be quieter, wont overheat anymore and should renew it to full RPMs/more power!
*I'll pickup a bigger cleaning crew, my sailfin, 2 bangaii cardinals, and my achilles tang probably in the next month. I'll let ya all know.
melev
Well-known member
How long has this particular tank been up and running? Some of the nuisance algae is common, especially in younger tanks and those with enough of a bioload (plus feedings for those fish).
You might reduce your lighting period somewhat to help put a dent in the algae. I don't see too many corals at this point, but I do see four or five relatively large fish, plus a bunch of smaller ones. How much nori do you clip in the tank, and how often?
If those are reef ceramics in the back, some people have found that they were apparently the cause for algae issues and removed them.
On the plumbing, figuring out the inner surface area of a pipe will give you the numbers to work with. Running two 1" pipes is not the same as running one 2" pipe. I'm not positive if you understood that based on your latest comments.
Replumbing the tank now would be a pain, but something that could be done in a few hours one afternoon. Whatcha doin' Saturday?
You might reduce your lighting period somewhat to help put a dent in the algae. I don't see too many corals at this point, but I do see four or five relatively large fish, plus a bunch of smaller ones. How much nori do you clip in the tank, and how often?
If those are reef ceramics in the back, some people have found that they were apparently the cause for algae issues and removed them.
On the plumbing, figuring out the inner surface area of a pipe will give you the numbers to work with. Running two 1" pipes is not the same as running one 2" pipe. I'm not positive if you understood that based on your latest comments.
Replumbing the tank now would be a pain, but something that could be done in a few hours one afternoon. Whatcha doin' Saturday?
zachtos
Active member
Lighting period has been reduced to 8 hours/day from 10/day now to help reduce algae.
I feed one 7.5"x8" sheet of grade A nori/day and basically half I fill a 1/4cup w/ tank water and garlic half way, few drops of selcon and fill to the brim w/ a frozen chunk of food once/day.
nope, dual 1.5" would be the same as a 2" pipe, basically 2 pipes of the next size down equals one of the size higher when it comes to flow (roughly speaking)
you hurt my feelings! I thought that my background was very unique. It's the greatstuff foam covered w/ a thin layer of cement. It looks very real now already. Starting to cover w/ corraline. I mounted one frag onto it even! The neon goby lives inside the wall in a lil' pocket too! I love it.
Ugghh... I dunno about replumbing this monstrosity... It was very expensive and difficult to cut the floor as it was. I honestly can't do anything upstairs other then opening the 75G 1" return completely. I can replumb drains in the basement, but I dont think they are restricting. I'll wait and see how this pump repair goes first... I've spent enough time on the tank this week. I got a new girl I'm working on that's keeping me away from my tank!
Thanks for the tips... too bad they are not all easy fixes! I'll have to find some kinda work around if it's really restricted. I'm going to go over a bunch of the seals w/ plumber's putty or silicone to help eliminate the possibility of air getting into tiny gaps in the plumbing somehow.
I feed one 7.5"x8" sheet of grade A nori/day and basically half I fill a 1/4cup w/ tank water and garlic half way, few drops of selcon and fill to the brim w/ a frozen chunk of food once/day.
nope, dual 1.5" would be the same as a 2" pipe, basically 2 pipes of the next size down equals one of the size higher when it comes to flow (roughly speaking)
you hurt my feelings! I thought that my background was very unique. It's the greatstuff foam covered w/ a thin layer of cement. It looks very real now already. Starting to cover w/ corraline. I mounted one frag onto it even! The neon goby lives inside the wall in a lil' pocket too! I love it.
Ugghh... I dunno about replumbing this monstrosity... It was very expensive and difficult to cut the floor as it was. I honestly can't do anything upstairs other then opening the 75G 1" return completely. I can replumb drains in the basement, but I dont think they are restricting. I'll wait and see how this pump repair goes first... I've spent enough time on the tank this week. I got a new girl I'm working on that's keeping me away from my tank!
Thanks for the tips... too bad they are not all easy fixes! I'll have to find some kinda work around if it's really restricted. I'm going to go over a bunch of the seals w/ plumber's putty or silicone to help eliminate the possibility of air getting into tiny gaps in the plumbing somehow.
melev
Well-known member
You are overfeeding the tank. Try half a sheet of nori every other day, and the normal frozen mix of frozen food daily.
Regarding inner pipe diameter - good to know you know what you're doing.
I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I thought those were "reef ceramics", an actual product some have purchased. There were a few threads about having those that opted to remove them and found their tanks improved health-wise. I figured you might not have seen those particular threads. If you did it yourself, never mind. Concrete and foam are usually fine, as long as cure time was long enough.
I agree about redoing the plumbing. Maybe the problem is the pump itself, such as a bent shaft or off-center impellar. And finding pinhole leaks can be tough, but if you do you've done a good thing.
Regarding inner pipe diameter - good to know you know what you're doing.
I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I thought those were "reef ceramics", an actual product some have purchased. There were a few threads about having those that opted to remove them and found their tanks improved health-wise. I figured you might not have seen those particular threads. If you did it yourself, never mind. Concrete and foam are usually fine, as long as cure time was long enough.
I agree about redoing the plumbing. Maybe the problem is the pump itself, such as a bent shaft or off-center impellar. And finding pinhole leaks can be tough, but if you do you've done a good thing.
