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abcha0s' 300G Ultimate Reef
So what’s an “Ultimate Reef”? – Well, I don’t know. I do have some ideas, but who can really say. I guess what I really mean is my ultimate reef. This is truly my dream tank. A creative outlet that has inspired me like nothing else before it.
I’ve enjoyed reading so many great build threads. I’ve been inspired. I’ve learned from the brilliant ideas of others and the huge mistakes they have made. This is my journey. I’ve reserved the first 40 posts for content. I'll go back and edit them as I progress. Everything after that (post 40 forward) is discussion as normal. I know the system doesn't send out notifications when a post is edited, so I'll post a new comment referencing the updates. Please note: The first 4 pages (40 posts) of this thread contain lots of pictures. These pictures are hosted on a somewhat slow server, so if the load times aren't great, then please just be patient. The good news is that you won't have to search through hundreds of posts to find the content. Hope to hear from you. - Brad |
Contents
Quick Links : Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 Forward.......................................Post 1 Milestones....................................Post 3 Guiding Principals............................Post 4 Hardware......................................Post 5 Prelude: Waves................................Post 6 Tank Builder..................................Post 7 Designing the Tank............................Post 8 Designing the Overflow........................Post 9 Designing the Stand...........................Post 10 Designing the Sump (100G).....................Post 11 Putting it all together.......................Post 12 The build.....................................Post 13 Tank Images...................................Post 14 Plumbing the Overflow and Return..............Post 15 Fresh water testing...........................Post 16 Details (Black, Floor, HRV, Screen Top).......Post 17 Tank Leveling.................................Post 18 Water Prep and Salt Mixing....................Post 19 Continuous Water Change.......................Post 20 Specialized Hardware • Electrical..................................Post 21 • Sequencing and Automation...................Post 22 • Neptune Apex Controller(s)..................Post 23 • Flow (Tunze 6215, 6205 / VorTech MP60w ES)..Post 24 • Autofeeders.................................Post 25 • Lighting....................................Post 26 • Heating and Cooling.........................Post 27 • Reactor Loop (biopellets, carbon, phos).....Post 28 • Tunze Master DOC 9440 Skimmer...............Post 29 • ATO (Automatic Top Off).....................Post 30 Aquascaping - Part I of III...................Post 31 - Supporting the structure Aquascaping - Part II of III..................Post 32 - Building the aquascape Aquascaping - Part III of III.................Post 33 - Sandscape Life • Fish........................................Post 34 • Corals......................................Post 35 • Inverts.....................................Post 36 • Refugium....................................Post 37 • Quarantine..................................Post 38 Opperation • Night Mode, other, .........................Post 39 Temporary Notes • Post 39 - Currently an experimental CWC Progressions • Full Tank Shots (FTS).......................Post 40 Other Threads My 90G Tank - http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...threadid=73619 |
Milestones
2010 * March -- Inception * May 09 – Agreement in principal with tank builder * Jun 03 – Final draft of tank and sump * Jun 09 – Final iteration of the stand delivered * Jun 17 – Tank build starts * Jul 14 – Tank build concludes * Jul 31 - Overflow and return plumbing complete * Aug 02 - Fresh water tests - the tank sees water! * Aug 18 - Ordered 300 pounds of Dry Rock from BRS 2011 * Jan 03 - Aquascaping Complete * Jan 06 - Began filling tank (100GPD RO/DI) * Jan 09 - Tank is full / Tunze wavebox operational * Jan 11 - SG at 1.024 * Jan 12 - Cycle started * Jan 13 - Skimmer online (Breakin started) / Biopellets online * Jan 16 - Neptune Apex online * Jan 23 - Added 240 pounds of live sand to the tank. * Feb 06 - First fish added * Feb 22 - Continuous Water Chanage System - Opperational * Feb 23 - Sand in Refugium * Mar 03 - First frag in tank (SPS) * Mar 25 - Let there be light - Vertex Illumina 260 * Apr 09 - School of Anthias arrive * Apr 14 - Biopellets offline * Apr 28 - Calcium Reactor Online * Apr 28 - Added smallish cleanup crew * Apr 29 - First fish transferred from 90G - Pair of Clowns |
Guiding Principals
What makes the perfect tank? Ask a dozen people and I’m sure that you’ll get a dozen opinions.
I think it’s important to start with a set of guidelines for making decisions throughout the build. Any choice can be compared against these principals and it should either meet or exceed the minimums. It’s also important that there is some consideration to the overall cost basically ruling out things like Red Dragon pumps for my return lines. Mechanics • Extremely quiet – silent if possible • Low power consumption • Low maintenance – automate everything possible • Redundancy and failure planning Lighting and Flow • Ridiculously High flow. • Intense lighting but with consideration to heat transfer and power costs. Filtration • Live rock (about 1 pound per gallon) – Should be interesting without being dominant • Shallow sand bed • Powerful skimming • Carbon and GFO as needed • NP Biopellets or whatever comes next Livestock • Mixed reef. SPS dominated. • High bio-load Impact on house • The system should be essentially self contained and not require any renovations to install or tear down. I have access to the ceiling and the furnace room for additional equipment, but building a fish room is not feasible. • Impact on relative humidity must be managable. |
Hardware
This section might be a little dry and I don’t actually expect anyone to read it. Just thought I should list the hardware for completeness.
Control: • Neptune Systems Apex ..Probes: Ph, ORP, Temp, Salinity ..Modules: 2 x EB8, Breakout Box (6 sensors), Probe Module 2, Wireless Expansion Module (WXM) • Neptune Systems Apex Lite – For redundancy ..Probes: Ph, Temp ..EB8, DC8, DC4HD, Breakout Box (6 sensors) Lighting: • Main Display: Vertex Illimunia 260 - 6ft • Refugium / Frag Tank: Coralife AquaLight Pro MH HQI Clamp-On Pendant (150W) Skimming: • Tunze Master DOC 9440 (.2010) • BubbleKing Mini 180 v2 (.2008) Flow: • Tunze Wavebox 6215 • 2 x Tunze 6205 Powerheads • 2 x Vortex MP60w ES Powerheads Return Pumps: • 2 x Eheim 1262 (900Gph – Max Head 11’6”) Reactors: • 2 x Vertex UF-20 Universal Media Reactors (Biopellets) • 2 x TLF Phosban 150 (Carbon, GFO) • Eheim Compact+ Pump 5000 Calcium: • PM Kalkwasser Mixer • Vertex RX-6 Duo Calcium Reactor ATO: • 2 x Tunze Osmolator Heaters: • 4 x Finnex 300W Titanium Heaters Chiller: • None RO/DI: • Kent Marine Maxxima 50GPD – Shutoff Kit and Manual Flush Bipass • Vertex Puratek RO/DI 100GPD • 2 x John Guest Solenoid Water Change • The LiterMeter III Paristaltic Pump • LiterMeter III Remote Pump Module • 2 x Quiet One 3000 Water Pump • 1 x Pan World 150PS Water Pump |
Waves – Background and design considerations
I’m not sure what triggered it, but at some point I became obsessed with having a wave in my tank. It would seem to be the ultimate in energy efficiency vs. total water movement and in my opinion provides a very natural look to the tank. However, waves come at a price. In particular, they place added strain on the tank and stand that needs to be considered as part of the design and directly translates to increased construction costs.
After considerable research to identify the pros and cons of the Tunze Wavebox vs. the Vortex power heads, I concluded that for pure wave generation the Tunze had several advantages. Most importantly it is thought to be somewhat quieter. Tunze publishes the following warnings: Quote:
No one I spoke with about the design even considered the stand as being impacted by the wave motion. |
Selecting a Tank Builder
I talked to all of the LFS owners about my project, but in the end I actually just got lucky and through a fellow Canreefer I met the guys from Concept Aquarium. Honestly, after getting to know the owner, the decision to have them build my tank was an easy one. These guys are passionate about big tanks and quality builds. If you’re having a tank built, I highly recommend talking to them.
The hard part was telling the other stores that someone else was building my tank. It was somewhat awkward and I regret this aspect of the overall experience. Please feel free to contact me if you are considering a custom tank. I’d be happy to share my experience in more detail. |
Designing the Tank
The Inspiration - Everyone wants a bigger tank, right? I thought I’d be happy with my 90 gallon reef for a couple of years. I thought I would wait to see how life played out before investing in anything bigger. Maybe not.
I was in Big Al’s and they have an amazing 250G tank on display. My wife looked at it and said “that’s about what you want, isn’t it?” The tank we were looking at was the Marinland Deep Dimension 250G with Starphire front and dual corner overflows. There is also a 300G version which is currently the largest tank available in mass manufacturing. While these tanks have some limitations, I must say they are absolutely beautiful. There are really only a couple of things which I don’t like about these tanks. The overflows are poorly designed. The cross bracing makes access to the tank awkward and limits lighting, and they are very heavy. Marineland told me that the dry weight of the 300G is 650 pounds. I started asking around at various LFS’ (and searching Canreef) and the draw of the perfect tank began pulling at me. Why invest all of this time and money into something that is “nice”. It was at this point that I decided to have a custom tank built. Tank Criteria – What makes a perfect tank? – I know there is no absolute answer to this question, but I had a pretty clear idea what I wanted. • Designed for a wave. - This highlighted structural concerns for both the tank and the stand. It influenced the overflow design. This was the most expensive criteria and likely added over $2K+ to the build cost. • Starphire on front and sides. • Eurobracing with no cross bracing. • Polished glass on all visible edges. • Modified External Beananimal Overflow – Dead silent, completely stable and fully redundant. Most importantly – If I was going to have a custom tank built, it had to be built on-site. General Tank Specifications Shape: Standard rectangle Tank Dimensions: Length 72”, Depth 37 & ¼”, Height 28” panel + thickness of Eurobracing Glass: • Front - 5/8” Starphire Glass • Sides - 5/8” Starphire Glass • Bottom - ¾” Float Glass • Back - 5/8” Float Glass • Inside cleat - ½” or 5/8” Float Glass • Top Euro - 5/8" Starphire Glass • Overflow - ½” Float Glass Edges: All visible edges polished. Micro beveled. Bracing: Top Eurobracing, Bottom Cleats Overflow: External Cup – 3 Bulkheads for Beananimal overflow Extras: Polished Glass cover for overflow Options: Black Silicon Designing for a wave – Overflow size and placement All else being equal, I would have designed a coast to coast overflow, or at least as long as I could possibly make it. I really believe this is the ideal design, but a wave creates a pivot point and a coast to coast overflow doesn’t really make sense here especially if the goal if for silent operation. I settled on a width of 1/3 the total tank length positioned in the centre. Also, making the overflow external makes sense for many reasons but is really a requirement for a wave tank. Designing for a Wave - Glass Thickness There is a good chart available at about.com here: http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/pla...Calculator.htm The first question is whether this chart considers bracing. The answer appears to be that the chart is for rimless tanks and at the recommended thicknesses does not require bracing. For a 6 foot span at 27" high, the chart suggests that 16mm glass would provide a safety factor of 4.04. At 30 inches high, 16mm glass would provide a safety factor of 3.20 - The recommended guideline for the safety factor is a minimum of 3.8. My tank Is 28" high, but I'm not sure If you count the bottom 3/4" as this is the thickness of the bottom sheet. Also, with the overflow being 2" below the top of the tank, the water level when flat would be just over 25" from top to bottom. Therefore, I feel reasonably safe in the 27" calculation. Side Note: Starphire glass is manufactured at a thickness of 15mm where normal float glass is standard at 16mm. I do believe that the 1mm difference in thickness is worthy of consideration when compared against a recommendation for 16mm, although I can only guess at how the numbers would change. The consideration for the wave was really just to include the eurobracing in the design even though the calculations suggest that 16mm glass is sufficient for a rimless tank. While I was never able to figure out the math or find a calculator that considered eurobracing, I figure it is sufficiently overbuilt. Further, I opted for cleats on the bottom, which are sometimes called bottom eurobracing. I'm not sure these were necessary either, but with them I am certain that the tank will be strong enough. Google Sketchup is my friend - If you haven't worked with google sketchup, let me tell you that it is a lot of fun. I had to go through several of the available tutorials to figure it out, but the end result was really helpful in visualizing various different design considerations. These are the pictures that I gave to the builder: http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/TankDesign1.jpg Figure 1: Showing the tank dimensions http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/TankDesign2.jpg Figure 2: Placement of the return lines (3/4” bulkhead) http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/TankDesign3.jpg Figure 3a: Showing the external overflow dimensions and the overflow cover (right). http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/TankDesign4.jpg Figure 3b: Showing the placement and width of the overflow. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/TankDesign5.jpg Figure 3c: Overflow bottom glass – Dimensions and bulkhead spacing. Note: Holes are to be drilled for 1.5” Bulkheads requiring a 2.5” hole. I understand that the minimum safe distance from the edge that a hole can be drilled in glass is the radius of the hole. For a 2.5” hole, the radius is 1.25”. The math is pretty easy when the hole is centered (2.5” + 1.25” + 1.25”) and works out to 5” http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/TankDesign6.jpg Figure 4: Glass cut sheets. Addendum I - If I had a do over I love my tank, but perhaps it's not perfect. If I could do it over, I would have gone with a thicker glass (3/4" instead of 5/8"). I would have reduced the height by a couple of inches and I would have gone rimless. The Eurobracing would not be needed in this scenario and the added cost for the thicker glass would be offset by the savings in the Eurobracing. Addendum II- Maybe not I have changed my mind about the Eurobracing again. I love it. It's not just a structural thing. The bracing really helps to make to the tank managable. It creates a really nice platform for things like screen tops. It keeps splashes in the tank. It looks good too. |
Designing the overflow
The basic concept for the overflow is based on an article by Beananimal. The article and subsequent discussion is also posted on RC. The original document can be found here:
http://www.beananimal.com/projects/s...ow-system.aspx I built the overflow on my existing tank exactly as the article describes including a coast to coast internal overflow. From this, I know that it works and I am confident employing it on my new tank with some modifications. Some key points: • Use slip bulkheads within the overflow so that standpipes can be modified with relative ease. Do not glue/weld standpipe to bulkhead. • Limit the distance which water falls freely within the overflow. A 1/4" should be sufficient. Here is my design as a starting point: http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/overflow1.jpg At this time, I haven't drilled the holes into the overflow standpipe. I am not convinced it will make any difference, but I may revisit this. The holes were intended to be drilled into the top section of the secondary standpipe and should allow the flow of water to increase gradually as the water level rises. This is the variance and is the range between which the system can be tuned. I had originally thought to put the emergency standpipe slightly higher than the top of the overflow, but it occurred to me that this increased the risk of a return pump running dry. The display tank and sump have inversely related water levels. To raise the water level above the overflow in the main tank, the water must come out of the sump system. I settled on positioning the emergency standpipe at exactly the height of the overflow. |
Designing the Stand
Designing the stand was a lot easier than the tank, but not without its challenges and mistakes. In fact, I made some big mistakes. I started by talking to a welder who proposed a standard 6 leg stand built like a box with an open bottom. He recommended two inch square tubular steel. This was his design.
http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/stand1.jpg According to the welder, the bottom brace isn’t necessary as the downward force would prevent it from slipping. I think he’s probably correct, but I was happy with design because of the extra two inches of height that it affords assuming a plywood bottom. The stand was designed with adjustable brackets for the lighting which are not shown in my sketchup diagrams. I don’t honestly know if I will use these, but I figured they would be nice to have (just in case). If I can use them I will, but it’s a little too early to say. The first modification to the design that I made was to extend the platform beyond the back of the tank. The idea was to increase the under tank space and therefore maximize the space I would have available for a sump. The added benefit was that it provided a path for the overflow plumbing to enter the under tank area through the top of the stand at a straight vertical rather than through the back of the stand. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/stand2.jpg I had the stand shown above built, powder coated and delivered. It was sitting in my garage waiting to be moved to the basement. I made the mistake of doing additional research after having the stand built. I came across a great thread on RC titled ‘Lets see those steel stands’ (My stand shows up towards the bottom of page 44) For anyone researching stand construction, this thread is a must read. One of the common themes in the various designs is bracing or gussets. You will notice that my stand doesn’t have any bracing or gussets. Is that a problem? – Well, here again we are back to opinions of non experts and the ultimate responsibility being your own. I asked everyone including posting my stand to the thread referenced above. The majority opinion was that the stand was strong enough, but it’s not so simple. My biggest concern was the oscillating nature of the weight distribution due to the wave action. I basically became paranoid about the possibility of repetitive stress on the stand. I equate the risk to two strong guys on either side of the tank, which weighs over 3000 pounds, pushing back and forth once every second for 10 years. Would the welds fail? Would the failure be catastrophic or observable before failure occurred? I can only assume that the math involved in calculating the risk factor would be ridiculously complex. It would require knowing the breaking strength of the welds, the actual shift in weight due to the wave and the effects of repetitive stress on welds. In the end, I had the bracing welded on. This required grinding off parts of the original powder coating, welding the braces and having the whole stand powder coated again. This is the design I gave the welder: http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/stand3.jpg The braces are intended to protect against the racking resulting from sway. The placement and number of braces was based on two considerations. • The first consideration was minimal obstruction to the inside of the stand. Placement was based on the sump design and planned equipment. • The second consideration was to reinforce the beams which run at spans of between 36” along the length and 40” front to back. This consideration actually backfired as welding the braces in place may have actually caused some deflection in the beams. I am trusting the plywood and stytrofoam to even this out. Another lesson I learned is that it’s much cheaper to drop the stand off for powder coating yourself vs. having the welder do it for you. Having the powder coating redone is a lot more work because of the prep time required and the total cost was about half what the welder charged me. Ironically, when I dropped off the stand to be re powder coated, they recognized it having done it once already. Here is a picture of the finished stand: http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/stand4a.jpg Stand Dimensions Note: According to the tank builder, it is standard to add an extra ¼” in length and ¼” in depth to the stand dimensions. Height – 30” – This is standard height for an aquarium stand. The stand has to be able to fit through all of the doorways! Width – 72 ¼” – The aquarium will be 72” long + ¼” safety. Depth – 42 ½” – The aquarium will be 37 ½” deep + ¼” safety + 2.5” + 2” |
Designing the Sump
I’ve seen some really nice and very creative sumps. However, most of these are meant to maximize a very limited space under the display tank. With such a large stand for this build, space isn’t really the primary consideration and a lot of the creative solutions don’t really apply.
I came up with a fairly basic design. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/sump1.jpg The compartments in order from left to right are: • In – This is where water will enter the sump. The baffle will reduce turbulence before it enters the skimmer chamber. • Skimmer Chamber – I designed it to be large enough to hold two skimmers. I will likely start with just one, but may add another. • Frags or refugium or both • Return (evaporation occurs here) – Live rock rubble. Bulk Heads • The two bulkheads in the first chamber are intended for a closed loop between the sump and my water room. More on that later. • The two bulkheads in the last chamber are intended for dual return pumps. Water Volume – Pumps Running Note: I’m not concerned about precision here – numbers are rounded for glass thickness and to error on the side of safety. • (7 x 10 x 24 / 231) + (18 x 9 x 24 / 231) + (27 x 8.5 x 24 / 231) + (12 x 7.5 x 24 /231) = • 7.273 + 16.83 + 23.84 + 9.35 = ~57 gallons Water Volume – Total Capacity and safety considerations Total volume is: 65 x 24 x 16 / 231 = ~108 gallons Free space = 108 – 57 = 51 gallons 1” of water in the display tank is: 36 x 72 x 1 / 231 = 11.22 gallons I should be able to accommodate for 4 inches of water back siphoning from the main tank. (50 / 12) Water Volume – Return Chamber This is important at it effects the time before disaster in the event that all of the ATO systems in place fail. If for example the ro/di reservoir runs dry, water will evaporate from this section of the sump until the pumps run dry. • 1 inch in this chamber holds 1.25 gallons of water: (12 x 24 x 1 / 231) The pumps will start sucking air when the water level reaches about 3.5 inches. Therefore, I safely have about 4 inches to work with or 5 gallons of water. The rate of evaporation will be dependent on the amount of evaporative cooling required. I would estimate this at somewhere just short of 24 hours. I considered a down turned elbow to bring the pump intake to about 1” from the bottom. The benefit being increased water volume at the cost of increased flow resistance. I probably won’t do this. Guiding Principal The main consideration with the sump was flexibility. I find it very hard to plan everything without the spatial benefits of seeing the space available. The sump should be usable in ways that I hadn’t originally considered. Suggestions are welcome? Last Minute Modifications – The builder offered to drill a second hole in the first chamber (IN). I’m not sure it was necessary, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. If I don’t use it, I can always plug it with a bulkhead and some plumbing. Also, the two holes drilled in the last chamber (return) were too close together, so I had a third hole drilled. I will cap the middle hole or possibly use it as a drain. |
Putting it all together
The tank should fit together something like this:
http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tank_stand1.jpg There is a ¾” sheet of maple plywood that sits directly on top of the stand. There is ¾” Styrofoam (Check manufacturer part #) that sits between the tank and the plywood. The idea is that any imperfections in the plywood surface are minimized by the Styrofoam. The design also builds in an extra degree of safety. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tank_stand2.jpg As I understand it, there is a little bit of a debate over whether glass tanks can or should be rested on Styrofoam. It seems to be a requirement for acrylic tanks, but there are two schools when it comes to glass. Many store bought tanks have a one-piece injection molded frame that goes around the edges of the tank. These tanks are intended to have a free floating bottom and Styrofoam is not recommended by the manufactures. I would add that some people still use Styrofoam anyway (including me on my previous tank), but others have had real problems including cracked bottom panels. Even though this tank is glass, the particular style of construction requires a Styrofoam layer between the glass and plywood. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tank_stand3.jpg Here you can start to get a feel for how the overflow plumbing will be brought into the lower section of the stand. It did become apparent after the fact that there may be insufficient depth in the stand for the overflow plumbing to be rigid. Flex PVC overcomes this obstacle and is probably a better solution anyway. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tank_stand4.jpg |
The Build
This was the fun part. If you've never watched an aquarium being built, it might be really interesting. For me, it was inspiring.
I have to say again how impressed I was with the tank builder. As you go through the following slides, I think you'll see that this was not their first tank. << Images are clickable – View the images in hi-res >> I'll spare you the commentary. A picture is worth a thousand words. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild001.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild002.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild003.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild004.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild005.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild006.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild007.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild009.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild008.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild010.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild011.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild014.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild012.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild013.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild015.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild016.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild017.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__TankBuild019.jpg The tank was assembled as shown in these pictures in one evening. The cleats and Eurobracing were attached during a second visit. The overflow was attached during the third visit and cleanup was completed on the forth and final visit. It not's hard to understand why a site build costs more than having the tank built at the shop. If you consider the cost of delivering such a large tank, I was happy to pay a little extra to have it built on-site. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the Eurobracing being assembled or the overflow. However, the final tank pictures show these features well. |
The finished tank!
Not sure what to say? - Here it is...
<< Images are clickable – View the images in hi-res >> http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank001.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank002.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank004.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank005.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank006.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank007.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank008.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank009.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank010.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank011.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_glasstank003.jpg |
Plumbing the Overflow and Return
<< Images are clickable – View the images in hi-res >>
When I plumbed my 90G, it took me 6 months. Plumbing the 300 took me about 6 hours. I enjoy the creative aspect of plumbing. A couple of tricks that I’ve learned over the year. • Always use primer on hard PVC. Never use primer on flex PVC. • Always dry fit everything first. • Wipe off excess PVC cement. Both inside and out. Disassemble couplers when gluing so as to allow access to wipe of excess cement. • Plumbing at the pump intake should be short and direct. If this is not possible, a larger diameter pipe should be used and the diameter should be reduced right before the pump. Minimize resistance on the intake. • Elbows before the intake of a pump can be a source of microbubbles. • Align the couplers uniformly throughout all runs. This allows any section to be replaced with a single coupler (one piece on each end of the section). • Use two 45s rather than a 90 wherever possible. • Use flex PVC wherever possible. Always attach pumps to a section of flex PVC. • Don’t allow plumbing to stress the tank glass by acting as a lever. • Use a silicone lubricant on all O rings. • PVC is easy to ‘cut to size’ with a dremel. If a piece is just a little too big, cut it down. Make your own fittings. • Make sure you have a way to isolate any pumps for maintenance or in case of a failure. These aren’t really guidelines so much as rules. Short cuts here are just not worth it. Return Pump Selection For my return I selected the Eheim 1262. For redundancy, I will use two of them. This was not an easy decision and I researched many other great pumps, but in the end, the only other pump that came close was a Red Dragon. At 4 to 5 times the cost per pump and no spare parts, the Red Dragon pumps are really hard to justify. The biggest limitation of the Eheim pump is that it does not have high flow like many of the other return pumps on the market. However, I’m not sure that high flow through the sump is really necessary. I only want enough turn-over through the sump to keep my skimmer happy. This is just short of 700gph or slightly more than twice the display capacity. The Eheim specs that were important to me in making this selection are: • External • Low heat transfer • Quiet operation • Max output: 900gph (estimate at 600 after 8 feet of head loss) - Two pumps should give apq 1200gph • Power consumption: 80W per pump. - Two pumps would be 160W Another very important thing is the ability to get spare parts or a replacement pump if necessary. Just about everyone stocks these pumps and parts are often available. Finally, Eheim has a great reputation and the average user ratings are almost always good. I have used them for other purposes and agree with the general consensus. Modding the Eheim for PVC plumbing Eheim pumps come standard with barbed fittings for flex tube. This is pretty standard stuff with fresh water tanks, but didn’t really work with my plans for plumbing. I really needed a way to connect a PVC fitting. The pumps are fitted with ¾” FPT (Female Pipe Thread), but I’m not sure how standard the threading is. Typically this thread would be tapered causing the male and female threads to jam together forming a solid connection. However, the Eheim thread does not appear to be tapered. The obvious concern is an inadequate seal resulting in leaks. Teflon tape might address this, but I suspect a lot would be needed and it would need to be reapplied whenever the pump was disconnected for cleaning. The original part is shown here. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_eheim001.jpg Note the ‘O’ ring just before the hex head. This is how Eheim maintains a water tight seal. I figured 'why reinevent the wheel'. If the 'O' ring works - keep it. Using a dremel, I cut the barb adapter off. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_eheim002.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_eheim003.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_eheim006.jpg The top view shows a relatively straight inner core. I rounded it out a little in hopes of minimizing turbulence. The concern here is micro bubbles. For the intake I used a 1” to ¾” PVC reducer. This worked really well because of the hex shape matching the Eheim hex to within millimeters. For the outtake, I used a ¾” to ½” PVC reducer. This also worked well although the hex heads were slightly different in configuration. Only the intake is shown here. The first image shows the IPEX markings on the PVC fitting. In the second image they have been ground off. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_eheim004.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_eheim005.jpg I used Mr. Sticky’s underwater glue to bind the two pieces together. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_eheim009.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_eheim010.jpg The above process was repeated for the intake and outtake of both pumps. Plumbing the return pumps With the modded Eheim fittings installed back on the pump, I continued to plumb the return plumbing. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing002.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing004.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing003.jpg The first step was to attach the union fittings. For the intake it is a 1” union and for the outtake it is a ¾” union. The ball valve completes the pump plumbing. On the tank side, I used a section of spaflex (Flexible PVC). I used spaflex so the I didn’t need to be concerned with an exact alignment with the pump and to minimize any transfer of vibrations from the pump to the sump. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing001.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing005.jpg The Styrofoam riser brings the pumps to the correct height and should also help to further minimize vibrations. The astute reader would note that there are no valves for isolating the pump from the sump. The primary consideration here was space and a valve just wouldn’t fit. However, I do have a solution. The bulkheads are threaded on the inside. I can attach a threaded cap on the inside (wet side) to temporarily hold back the water. With a small Tupperware tub, I can catch any water that leaks while disconnecting the pump. Once the pump is off, I can attach a capped union such as is already installed on the center bulkhead. The net result is I do have a strategy for removing the pumps. The first picture below shows the 5 tank fitted bulkheads and also shows the loc-line fittings. The bulk heads were installed with nothing more than a hand tight seal (no silicone or glue). The other 3 pictures show the vertical section from the return bulkhead into the stand. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing006.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing007.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing008.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing009.jpg I used hard PVC to plumb from the return bulkhead into the stand for a couple of reasons. This section of plumbing is visible and I wanted it to be straight. I had originally thought to use spaflex as far as the vertical section, but the flexible PVC doesn’t have a small enough bend radius to go from the roof of the stand to the vertical run without looking unfinished. Note the check valves installed just below the top elbow. These serve an important role in the overall tank operational strategy. If one of the two return pumps fails, the check valve will prevent the failed return loop from back siphoning (or at least limit the rate of back siphon). It also allows the return pumps to be stopped without the water level dropping in the main display. I may want to stop these pumps for feeding or other maintenance such as sand siphoning. What these check valves do not do is protect against a flood. The sump has full capacity to hold all of the water that could potentially back siphon in a full power failure. In my opinion, check valves should never be trusted to be water tight. If the check valve on the return line needs to be serviced (for cleaning, or in the event of a failure), the water level in the display can be dropped below the return lines. This is really only a couple of inches and should be a reasonable strategy for emergency repairs. One final observation on this section is in regards to the ¾” bulkheads. I found these to be extremely poorly made. Specifically, the PVC pipe does not fit securely into the slip side of the bulkhead. This has me a little bit nervous, but I did use extra PVC cement in an attempt to get the best weld possible. The zip ties attaching the plumbing to the stand are intended to minimize any stress on the bulkhead weld due to twisting or turning of the plumbing. If need be, I will replace these bulkheads. Maintenance would involve lowering the water level and cutting them out with a dremel. This really would be ‘no big deal’, but I first have to find a better bulkhead. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing010.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing017.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing019.jpg The spaflex is zip tied to the frame to hold it in place. This is a temporary measure. I figure it’s sufficient for the purpose of this thread, but I wouldn’t leave it like this for anything more than testing. Plumbing the overflow As noted in the planning section, I am using a modified beananimal overflow. In contract to the ¾” bulkheads (no name) used for the return plumbing, the 1.5” bulkheads I am using for the overflow are really very well made (Lifeguard Aquatics). This first picture shows the unions glued to the bulkhead. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing011.jpg One problem that I knew I was going to have to deal with was the overflow not aligning properly with the stand. This came about for a variety of reasons, but it was easily solved. I had considered using 1.5” spaflex here, but I really prefer working with hard PVC and the benefits of spaflex don’t really apply to overflow plumbing. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing012.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing013.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing014.jpg Using two 45 degree elbows together creates a step. However, the step was way more than I needed, so I cut one side of the connecter in half. The result was a smaller step that was still too big, although manageable. You can see in the picture with the section attached that it enters the tank stand on a slight angle. I can live with this. Another challenge that needed to be overcome is the orientation of the sump in relation to the overflow. The sump runs the full length of the tank from left to right and is designed for water to flow the full length before being returned to the main tank. The overflow is dead center. The principals of the beananimal overflow make the problem somewhat easy to overcome. It is really only necessary for the ‘full siphon’ standpipe to enter the first chamber of the sump as this standpipe carries 90 percent of the total flow. The ‘open channel’ standpipe carries the remaining flow while the ‘emergency’ standpipe is dry under normal operation. Having the ‘open channel’ standpipe bypassing the skimmer section should really be inconsequential. To relocate the ‘full siphon’ standpipe into the first chamber I used two sweep elbows. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing020.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing021.jpg The gate valve allows for fine tuning the siphon with an amazing degree of accuracy and ease. This task is much more difficult with a ball valve as you really need the accuracy. The weight of the plumbing is supported by the stand to ensure there is no additional stress on the bulkheads or glass. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing015.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing023.jpg The standpipes are different heights depending on their function. They are friction fit and can be easily removed. There are a couple of outstanding tasks such as fitting a strainer to the top of each standpipe and drilling holes in the top of the open channel standpipe. I’ll update the thread with a picture once I’ve done this. For now, the height of the standpipes is a best guess. I will only really be able to finalize the configuration once water goes into tank. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_plumbing022.jpg |
Freshwater Testing
<< Images are clickable – View the images in hi-res >>
Mostly, I just wanted to see water in the tank. Aside from the primary motivation, there are several things that I really did want to test. • Validate that the tank, sump and overflow hold water. • Validate that sump baffles are water tight. • Validate that all of the bulkheads are properly sealed. • Validate that there are no leaks in the plumbing. • Validate that the overflow standpipes are water tight when using a friction fit. I filled the overflow and basically just watched for drips into the sump. The seals are good. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest01.jpg Starting from the first sump chamber, I watched as water filled one chamber and then overflowed into the next. There were no leaks. All of the baffles are water tight. All of the bulkheads have a good seal. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest02.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest04.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest05.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest06.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest07.jpg The height of the baffles decreases as you move from through the sump. The intention was to agitate the surface. This appears to work, although I won’t know whether it is sufficient until the tank is in full operation. I allowed the sump to fill almost to the top and then started testing the return pumps. First the left only, then the right only, and finally both pumps at the same time. Everything worked as expected. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest08.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest09.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest10.jpg Measuring the flow through the sump The Eheim 1262 are rated at 900gph before head loss. To measure the actual flow through the sump, I timed how long it took for the two return pumps to fill the tank a total of 5 inches. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest11.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest13.jpg • 5 inches of tank water is equal to: 71 x 36 * 5 / 231 = 55.325 gallons • Time taken was: 2m46s or 166s • Return rate per second is 55.325 / 166 = 0.333 Return rate per hour is: 0.333 * 60 * 60 = 1199.8 or 1200GPH Filling the tank It took a total of 1h and 14m to fill the sump and the tank. That’s a lot of water inside a glass box. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest15.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest17.jpg Tuning the overflow siphon With the tank full and the pumps running, I adjusted the gate valve on the full siphon until water was trickling into the ‘open channel’ standpipe. This silenced the siphon. The first image shows the water level in the overflow after tuning the siphon. The second picture shows the turbulence in the first chamber of the sump before tuning the siphon and the last picture shows the lack of turbulence after tuning the siphon. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest16.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest18.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest19.jpg I did learn a couple of things. • The siphon should probably be an inch shorter to avoid sucking air from the surface. • The open channel standpipe gurgles just a little bit. I will have to do some reading and see if there is a way to completely silence this. I suspect it might need to be turned down? Bare Bottom There is an interesting effect when viewing the tank bottom through the sides. I’d never really seen this mirror effect as I have always had a bottom substrate. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__watertest14.jpg |
Details (Black, Floor, HRV, Screen Top)
Details are important. Details cause delays. I was pretty much ready to go with the tank, but had to take a big step back to work with some of the details.
Black I love the depth that a solid black background creates. Almost an infinity or an abyss. However, I really want to preserve the viewing from all 4 sides including the back. Granted that rear viewing is somewhat awkward given the tanks proximity to the wall, but for a motivated viewer it’s actually not too bad. The glass of the tank is roughly 16” from the wall and it’s not too hard to squeeze behind the tank or just peak around a corner. I also wanted to hide the overflow plumbing, but with a viewable back, the white PVC really stands out. Rather than painting the rear glass panel black, I painted the entire wall behind the tank black. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/Details/tn_Wall1.jpg This really worked well. When viewing the tank from the front, the gap between the wall and the tank adds to the overall depth. When viewing the tank from the couch (10 feet away), the black wall makes the tank appear to float in space. At some point I will replace the white electrical plates with black ones. The overflow plumbing is also painted black. It should blend into the wall and while it will be visible, it should not be distracting. I used Krylon spray paint (for plastic) for the pieces that don’t touch water. For the in tank plumbing (inside the overflow) I used schedule 80 PVC which is naturally a dark colour. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/Details/tn_BlackPVC.JPG Floor Next was the floor. Our basement was previously carpeted and honestly, no matter how hard you try, it’s impossible not to spill when working on a tank. For the tank to be a long term success, the carpet had to go. We explored a number of options including cork, hardwood, laminate and tile. In the end, we settled on a vinyl tile (Armstrong Alterna). This floor is extremely durable, looks like natural slate even up close, but will not crack and is much warmer under foot than natural slate would have been. We are very happy with the results. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/Details/tn_Floor1.jpg The biggest challenge was moving the tank around while the floor was being done. You can imagine this was a big project. The carpet came out, the concrete was resurfaced and then the tiles were laid. To move the tank around, I used a car jack to lift it and build a platform with wheels underneath. This was a little bit tricky to accomplish but the end result was I could easily role the tank around. The carpet guys just worked around it. Getting it down off the platform was also not an easy task, but I managed. HRV Humidity was a real problem in our house. With my 90G tank, on a cold day we had puddles on our windowsills. Ultimately, I am sure this would have ruined the house. More to the point, my wife was not very impressed with this aspect of my hobby and the prospect of a much larger tank was daunting. An HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation) seemed the obvious choice. The whole thing is a bit of a monster and the installation was challenging. You really need a flexible space to install one of these. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/Details/tn_HRV2.jpg The HRV has 4 hookups for airflow. 1. Draws fresh air from outside to inside. 2. Vents fresh air to house – Split between tank room (66%) and house central heating. 3. Draws stale air in – Split between tank room (66%) and cold air return (33%) 4. Vents stale air from inside to outside. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/Details/tn_HRV4.jpg It’s all about the heat exchange coil. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/Details/tn_HRV1.jpg This next picture gives you an idea of how the HRV will service the tank. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/Details/tn_Floor2a.jpg The Stale Air Intakes are centered directly above the tank. The humidistat is positioned slightly to the left of the tank, but in close proximity. The Fresh Air Exhaust locations were chosen for their practicality in terms of ducting, but are within close proximity of the tank. The result of installing the HRV has been nothing short of spectacular. The air quality in our house has never been better and our humidity problem is completely gone. There is a cost in terms of reduced heating efficiency during the cold months, but the tank adds some of that heat back in. I have no question that this was the right solution for me. Screen Top One of the principals that I am striving for is a “nothing over the top glass” look. This creates a nice platform for a screen top. I bought the clear mesh from BRS and used a screen frame from Home Depot to make this top. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/Details/tn_ScreenTop.jpg For anyone who has ever attempted this, you will appreciate how difficult it is to complete this project perfectly. I really took my time and laid everything out, but there are flaws. The frame is slightly off square and the mesh is not perfectly straight across all lines. However, it is not immediately evident unless you really inspect it. For the most part I am satisfied with the outcome, but may attempt a version 2 at some point in the future. |
Tank Leveling
The only disappointment with our new floor was that it isn’t level or planar. This was pretty obvious when we pulled the carpet out, so we contracted the flooring company to level it for us. Well, my advice is to never have a “flooring” company do anything other than installing a new floor. They just aren’t qualified. They did try to level the floor, but it’s hard to tell if there was any improvement or if it’s actually worse. I negotiated a reduced rate for this aspect of the installation, but really I shouldn’t have paid anything at all. The floor just isn’t flat.
In leveling the tank stand, it was important that I do so in a way that wouldn’t damage the new floor. That rules out any kind of leveling feet as they would surely damage the tiles. The obvious solution is simply to shim the stand, but I also didn’t want the stand sitting directly on the tile. The solution I came up with is somewhat elaborate, but worked extremely well. It basically amounts to layers. Layer 1: Underlayment - Dense Rubber Mat cut into strips. This is 5/8” workout mat.The premise is that the shim layer is between two layers of wood. The rubber layer protects the floor and will compress a little to even out very small imperfections. It’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s the general theory. I wish I had more pictures, but sometimes documenting is not my primary focus. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/Level..._Leveling1.jpg You can see in the above picture that the width of the rubber strips matches the plywood and that it is roughly 3.5” – This is 2” for the metal frame with ¾” on either side. For support, it really isn’t necessary for this to be any larger as the plywood will flex and there will be no weight support beyond about 3/4”. The rubber was cut to length and then glued to the wood frame. The middle of the frame is cut out for two reasons: 1. There is a slight rise (or hump) in the floor. By cutting out the middle, this hump will not affect the overall level.The resulting platform layer (Layer 4) is actually 2” thick and itself is made up of 3 layers. Layer 1: Lower Plug – 3/4” MDFThe three layers of the platform are glued together with wood glue and is extremely strong. The size of the platform is such that 3/4" extends out on all sides. This will permit the panels to rest on the platform rather than directly on the floor (which isn’t perfectly flat). http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/Level..._Leveling2.jpg In the above picture you can see how the shims are inserted. At some point I will clean this up and glue a finishing trim all around the base of the platform. The final result will be such that it appears as a solid piece of oak. |
Water Prep and Salt Mixing
This post is part 1 of 2 dealing with water changes. Part 1 focuses on ro/di storage, salt mixing and the general layout of my water room. Part 2 will discuss the Continuous Water Change System.
The Water Room I don’t have space for a fish room, so I’m calling what I do have a “water room”. This room is in fact my furnace room. It is physically about 10 feet from the aquarium, but there is a door and a hallway in between the two. The furnace room is of average size and is big enough for several reservoirs and all of the ro/di equipment. It also has plumbing for both a water source and a drain. I do have access to the ceiling from several vantage points. Also, the wall behind the aquarium leads to a closet under the stairs. This means that I can run plumbing or any other system hookups between the two rooms with relative ease. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr1.jpg You can see the water heater and furnace on the right. The wall on the left was just vapor barrier over insulation, so I mounted 3/4" plywood. I sealed the floor with “Kitchen and Bath” caulking. We also did the floor with an epoxy so there is no exposed concrete anywhere. This is the starting point. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr2.jpg The picture above is the room as it is now with everything functional. The rest of the pictures in this post just attempt to show what’s going on. There are a couple of details worth pointing out in this picture - The first is that the sink is supported by brackets (Lee Valley) rather than legs. These laundry tubs come with really cheap legs that aren’t much good for anything. The bracket also frees up space under the sink for things like salt and buckets. The second detail is the florescent lighting. The room is inherently dark and I think it's important that you can see the water that you are working with. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr3.jpg I’m not a plumber and learning to weld isn’t in the cards. Fortunately, the plumbing in my house is flexible. I used “Shark Bite” fittings for everything which makes plumbing really easy. This picture shows where I tee’d off one of the main lines. I installed a shutoff right after the tee so that I can isolate my plumbing from the rest of the house. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr3a.jpg The RO/DI is a key part of the system. The RO unit on the left is an old Kent Marine Maxxima unit that feeds my ATO reservoir. The RO unit on the right is a Vertex Puratek 100GPD unit that is currently only used to fill my RO/DI reservoir for salt mixing. This gives my capacity to change roughly 25% of the total water volume in my tank every day. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr4.jpg The system is pressurized with the use of Lifegard Aquatics Quite One 3000 pumps. I’m not a fan of these pumps but for occasional use where noise (or random failure) isn’t a big deal, they fit the bill. The pumps and reservoirs are isolated with ball valves and knife valves, so replacing a pump is relatively straight forward. The ro/di reservoir is the one on the left (closest to the wall). The reservoir next to this is the salt mixing tank. There is a third reservoir capable of holding 200 gallons of prepared saltwater that is used for salt water storage. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr5.jpg The picture above shows two lines coming into the saltwater reservoir. The line that is currently connected is a loop from the pump attached at the bottom of the saltwater mixing tank. This pump runs for 10 minutes every 4 hours just to ensure that the water doesn’t sit in the pipes. It can also be turned on as needed when I am moving water out of this tank. The line that isn’t hooked up to anything is for RO/DI water from the other reservoir. This comes into play only when the lid is off as shown in the next pictures. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr6.jpg Inside the saltwater mixing tank there are two Korallia Evolution 1400GPH pumps. These run continuously to ensure the water is constantly agitated, but the primary function is to facilitate rapid mixing of salt. Consider that this is 2800GPH of flow in a 50 gallon tank. That’s over 50X turnover. The pumps are directed at the bottom of the reservoir to keep the salt suspended and avoid settling. Note: Since taking this picture, I have found that by angling both powerheads inwards towards the wall of the barrel, I can create a circular water current similar to a whirlpool. This allows the flow to be cumulative instead of canceling. I've found that this is more effective at keeping unmixed salt in suspension. I also used a paint mixer attached to a drill when adding salt to the mixing tank. It takes me about 10 minutes to make up a batch of saltwater. I would always try to wait 24 hours before using the new saltwater, but in a pinch it would probably be suitable for use after about an hour. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr7.jpg To allow the lid to close, the power cords had to be routed through a hole I drilled in the reservoir. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr8a.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr10.jpg In these pictures, you can see the clear tubing on the outside of the reservoirs. These enable the water level to be observed without opening the reservoir. They are attached with threaded bulkheads and an L shaped MPT to barbed hose adapter. There is some Velcro that easily slides along the tubing that I use to mark the water levels. I’ve also taking the time to calculate and mark increments of 5 gallons on the tubes so that I can keep track of how much water I’m using. Another detail in the above pictures is the platforms and leveling feet. Each reservoir has it’s own platform and is leveled independently. These are the heavy duty feet from Lee Valley that someone else pointed out in another thread (thank you). One of the requirements of installing all of this equipment is that it be removable if/when we want to replace the furnace or hot water tank. I won’t be fun to take it all apart, but it also won’t be difficult. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr9.jpg As I’m not a plumber, the only way I could hook up the sink was to the drain in the furnace room. This works well enough. At some point I may have a plumber come and hook it up to the main drain, but I have no plans for that yet. Note: It was pointed out that the way my sink drains is actually against building code. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterroom/tn_wr11.jpg These taps (left) allow me to pump out either RO/DI or saltwater into the sink. More to the point, I can fill a bucket from here. Their positioning is adjustable by loosening the union - they are pushed out of the way when not in use. |
Continuous Water Change
This post is part 2 of 2 dealing with water changes. This post may be somewhat long, but for anyone setting up a similar system, hopefully it is interesting.
Continuous Water Change System “Continuous water changes, despite their name, are not necessarily performed every minute of every day. The distinguishing feature of these changes is that water is added at the same time that it is removed. The actual rate of addition can be high or low. Reef aquarists (myself included) most often perform these types of water changes with two matched pumps, one that removes the old water and one that adds the new water.” - Randy Holmes Fraley Water Changes in Large Tanks I’m sure that almost everyone does water changes on their tanks, or at least wishes they could find the motivation. The number that I’ve heard most often is 30% monthly. The diligent hobbyist tends to achieve this by performing weekly changes of 7-10% of the total system volume. There is lots of literature that promotes this and most people generally accept it as a requirement. Water changes in large tanks seem to be thought of slightly differently. The bigger the tank, the harder it is to keep up with 30% monthly water changes. It may be that the overall benefit to the system also changes. Many large public and commercial tanks have such efficient filtration that water changes are rarely required. Calcium and other trace elements can be supplemented and there are other more effective means of nutrient export. A good example of this is Inland Aquatics who claim to have 40,000 gallons of water and change only 5% annually. * Over time I may experiment with reducing the volume of water that is exchanged every day. With a new tank, I personally feel that water changes will be an important part of maintaining overall stability. Once the tank has matured, the cost may start to outweigh the benefits. System Goals Basically, I never want to do another water change again. There’s nothing stopping me from siphoning detritus or doing emergency water changes, but the week to week changes that are typically a never ending part of this hobby just don’t work for me. Total System Water Volume = 300 Gallons (1,136 Liters)The system can run unattended for 60 days. Realistically, I will top up the reservoirs and ensure everything is calibrated once a month, but it’s nice to have extra time as needed. • Simple is best Water Storage There has been some debate as to whether it is reasonable to store saltwater for extended periods of time. I am confident that if you have a clean vessel suitable for storing potable water and no contaminates are introduced that it can effectively be stored indefinitely. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/loaftank/loaftank3.jpg The dimensions of this loaf tank are 58"Lx29"Wx37"H. It was made by paddleplastics - www.paddleplastics.com - I picked it up in Crossfield from Promould: 403-946-9920 The tank comes with a mainway and a bulkhead that can be installed at the time of purchase. I had Promould put the mainway on, but I put the bulkheads on myself. I installed the bulkheads on the bottom of the tank to allow maximum drainage. Note: It’s somewhat important to mix the saltwater in a separate tank from the one used for ongoing storage. From observation, it can be seen that the mixing tank gets dirty from particles settling out of the newly mixed saltwater. By allowing this to happen in the mixing tank before transferring to the storage tank, very little contamination is transferred. My storage tank stays very clean whereas my mixing tank needs to be cleaned somewhat regularly. Peristaltic Pumps and System Pressure Even high quality peristaltic pumps are incredibly sensitive to changes in pressure at both the intake and the outtake. A reservoir slowly draining will cause a pressure variance at the intake of the pump as a factor of the water volume remaining in the reservoir. As the reservoir drains, pressure will decrease and the rate of flow through the pump will decrease. To overcome this characteristic of peristaltic pumps, pressure within the system must be a constant. After considerable research into high tech solutions, I came up with a low tech solution that works perfectly. It's basically a constant pressure regulator that helps ensure the pumps stay balanced. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/cwc/tn_cwc03.jpg The water cooler can be purchased at Canadian Tire. Basically, the water enters at the top and fills the cooler to the point where the float valve shuts off the flow of water. As water is pumped out, new water from the main reservoir will replace it. There is a John Guest fiiting at the bottom of the water cooler that allows the peristaltic pump to connect at a low water point. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/cwc/tn_cwc01.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/cwc/tn_cwc02a.jpg I know that you can get John Guest bulkheads, but they aren't really suitable here. The trouble with these bulkheads is they are difficult to tighten without access to both sides. The trick to installing the threaded adapter is make the hole using a drill bit slightly smaller than the size of the fitting such that it threads into the plastic. I used glue on the joint to ensure a permanent seal. SpectraPure LiterMeter III Paristaltic Pump I've tested a number of peristaltic pumps and the SpectraPure LiterMeter III system is, in my opion, by far the best. A good quality peristaltic pump is really important when setting up a continuous water change system or there will be a high probability of drift and/or premature system failure. From the manufacturer’s description - "The new aquarium dosing pump is crafted from precision-machined aluminum fabricated to exacting aerospace tolerances. For example, such critical tolerances as the rollers are machined to +/-0.0005". The outer surface is polished to a mirror finish. Internal surfaces are held to a 63 micro inch finish and hard anodized to provide a durable and low-friction raceway. The pump's planetary direct drive is at an 11:1 ratio, thus providing enough torque to generate over 40 pounds of pressure. This incredible lift enables the LiterMeter III™ to pump over 60 feet above itself at a flow rate of over 250 ml/min. It can also draw up from 25 feet below. The motor in the LiterMeter III™ is made by a manufacturer of precision high reliability motors made to our specifications as a peristaltic drive motor. The pump is so reliable we now offer a five year limited warranty." Some additional features that were important to me include:
The System The whole system really isn't complicated at all. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/cwc/cwc.gif Black Tubing = Water from tank heading for the drain http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/cwc/tn_cwc08.jpgRed Tubing = Water from reservoir heading for the tank The reservoir has two bulkheads installed on the bottom. One is connected to a large Panworld pump (picture not shown) which is used to agitate the water once every 4 hours. It can also be used to pump water into the main tank for larger water changes.One interesting observation is that the run from the reservoir to the tank seems to have considerably more resistance. The calibrated flow rate through the LiterMeter pump B is about 80% of the calibrated flow rate through Pump A. Heating the Reservoir Heating the reservoir is not necessary. I keep a couple of spare heaters that could be used to heat the water in the reservoir if an emergency situation arose, but because of the very small volumes of water that are added to the main display tank, there is no measurable affect on temperature. Tuning The LiterMeter pumps are calibrated by volume. To accomplish this, the system asks you to fill a 500ml vessel and to stop the pump when complete. Once set, the system adjusts the calculated flow rate through each pump accordingly. I found this difficult as the output of my tubing is nowhere near the controller. To overcome this challenge, I set the pumps to run continuously and timed how long it took to fill the 500ml. I repeated the test a number of times until I had an average that was within a reasonable margin of error. When I ran the calibration routine, I simply started a stop watch at the start of the test and stopped the pump at the appropriate time. 500ml - Pump A = 2.07sOnce calibrated, you can then set the run time for each pump indendantly. Everything is done in metric. The initial configuration to achieve my desired rate of water exchange is: Pump A: 12.62 liters per day.The only reason we really care about precise calibration is to avoid any drift in salinity. The SG of the saltwater in the storage reservoir is 1.025If the pumps are perfectly calibrated, then the tank will stay stable at 1.025.
The only other consideration is evaporation of tank water and the ATO. Ideally, this would be unaffected by the water change system as the volume of water in and out of the tank is balanced. However, if the margin of error is too high, the rate of evaporation could exceed the variance or vice versa. In any event, this is unlikely and the solution would be to recalibrate the pumps. Safety There are a couple of scenarios that warrant additional consideration. Pump Failure or full blockage These pumps are quiet. Without periodically checking, a failed pump could go unnoticed for weeks. The result would be a a proportionately rapid shift in salinity.Calibration drift or partial blockage This would only be detectable through measuring salinity. Any unexpected change in salinity could likely be attributed to either calibration drift or a partial blockage of one of the lines.Dry Reservoir This one is pretty easy to deal with. The reservoir is very large so simply spot checking should be sufficient. However, I also plan to install a level sensor into the pressure regulating water cooler. If the water level drops for any reason, the Apex controller can alert me.The system is expected to run for extended periods of time without requiring any adjustments. However, it does require some monitoring to ensure that all systems are opperating as expected. |
Electrical
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Sequencing and Automation
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Neptune Apex Controller(s)
I have a love hate relationship with my Neptune Apex Controllers. I love the features and what they are capable of, but I just don't trust them long term unattended. I haven't really had a problem - so to speak - but every now and then they do weird things.
My biggest complaint with the system has to be with the Triac based outlets (1-3, 5-7) on the EB8. I have had all kinds of problems with these outlets not properly shutting off. I engaged Neptune support about this and while they were responsive, they basically told me that I was crazy. Honestly - they just wouldn't believe the problems I was having. I did get this official response: Quote:
Anyways... I have elected to use two Apex Controllers on my system. The Intent is such that if one fails, the other will continue to operate. The two systems are electrically isolated. Any of the systems which would be deemed critical, should be split across the two controllers. Controller A - Return Pump 1, Heater 1, Heater 2, Skimmer Pump 1, ATO 1, Auto Feeder 1The following section documents the configuration and application of the Neptune Apex Controllers. Keep in mind that this is a work in progress. I will keep this page updated as the program is expanded and enhanced. Please - If you see obvious errors or ways in which I could improve the code, please let me know. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Neptune Systems Apex Controller - Primary* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Neptune Systems Apex Controller Lite - Secondary* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This controller is currently in use on my 90G tank and will remain there until the tank is shut down. I will update the configuration when the controller comes online. |
Flow (Tunze 6215, 6205 / VorTech MP60w ES)
Hardware
Flow within the tank is currently as follows: Return Pumps: 2 of Eheim 1262 (600Gph)Total Flow (Maximum): Return pumps: 1,200 gphClosed loops vs. powerheads In this tank, all of the flow will be provided by powerheads. By far the best resource for closed loop systems is Oceans Motions. I used a closed loop on my previous 90G tank. It was based on two seperate loops (left and right) using an independant Oceans Motion Super Squirt 4-way on each side. Each loop was driven by a Poseidon PS4 pump. The flow patterns were very dynamic and the system was silent. Overall, it worked perfectly but I ultimately pulled it out and replaced it with Tunze powerheads. There was really only one thing that I liked about the closed loop when compared to powerheads. When viewing the tank through the front pannel, it was barely visible. Aesthetically a closed loop wins every time, but that seems to be where the benefits end. I pulled the closed loop out of my 90G for several reasons. The first being the heat generated by the two Poseidon pumps. The second being the electrical consumption and the third being the maintenance of the pumps and plumbing. Note: I realize that Poseidon pumps are known to have unusually high heat transfer charecteristics, but they are also unusually silent. Another pump might have solved my heat issue, but I would then have a noise issue. Granted there are some cool things that you can do with a closed loop which aren't possible with powerheads, but the reverse is also true. Consider the various modes that a Vortech pump can operate in. I also like the fact that I can move the powerheads as the tank matures and corals grow. I can ramp up and down between 30% and 100% power. There are no holes drilled in my tank and cleaning is as easy as a vinigar soak. In my opinion, simple is always better. Although I completely agree that powerheads are ugly, there's nothing simpler than a powerhead. Surface Skimming - Powerhead orientation It's necessary to skim the entire tank surface. The most effecient way to accomplish this is with a coast-to-coast overflow, but a coast-to-coast overflow doesn't work well with waves. It surprising how poluted the water surface becomes if it is not properly skimmed. The consequence of bad surface water is reduced light penetration, poor gas exchange and a visible scum build up. Successfully skimming the surface of the tank really has everything to do with the proper placement of return plumbing, powerheads and close loop intake/outlets. It took a lot of experimenting to get this perfect on my tank. With only the return pumps running, the surface water in my tank remains almost completely flat. Almost like a sheet of glass. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/flow/surface1.gif In this first image, the dark blue is the surface area that is skimmed most effeciently. The light blue area is also skimmed, but not nearly as rapidly. The easiest way to observe this is with floating fish food. If you drop it in the far front corner, it is eventually skimmed but tends to circle around a bit first. When I first positioned the powerheads in the tank, the orientation was based on flow within the tank and did not give consideration to the surface water. This resulted in a bulge roughly centered in the tank. This is the logical consequence of two opposing powerheads aimed towards the center area of the tank. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/flow/surface2.gif The problem here is that the surface water at the edges is not skimmed at all and the scum quickly builds up. In the image shown above, the black lines indicate areas where no surface skimming occours. Protiens on the surface tend to travel down hill. With the center bulge, they were trapped at the edges. To really achieve proper surface skimming with a center overflow, some of the flow needs to be oriented at the outside edges. This creates a slop inwards and allows the entire surface to be skimmed. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/flow/surface3.gif A smaller bulge in the center is still acceptable, but the outer edges should be within the confines of the overflow. Connecting the Powerheads to the Apex Controller This is pretty straight forward. The Apex controller has 4 variable speed ports (0-10V). Physically, there are two RJ45 ports, so a special cable is required. The cable splits the port and has two male Tunze connectors at the other end. Important: Do not allow your Tunze powerheads to run at a power level between 1% and 29%. The Tunze controllers will not allow you to do this, but the Apex will. You can ruin your powerheads by doing this. I would assume everyone already knows this, but just in case... Connecting the Tunze Wavebox to the Apex Controller It would be great if the Apex could control the wavebox directly, but for most people it is not possible to set the frequency of oscillation to match the resonant frequency of the tank. This is because the smallest increment of time on the Apex is .1 seconds. It is possible that the resonant frequency of your tank will be an exact multiple of .1s, but this is somewhat unlikely. A much smaller increment such as .01 would likely be required. There are a number of benefits of controlling the wavebox directly from the Apex.
I used the wavebox controller (6091) to set the wave and used the Apex controller to enable/disable the 6091 wave function. The wiring diagram looks like this: http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tunze/tunze.gif The Y adapter isn't strictly necessary but it makes things much easier because it serves as a gender changer for the cables. Both the wavebox controller (6091) and Apex have male ends whereas the Y adapter is female. The second wavebox isn't necessary either. However, if two waveboxes are deployed in this configuration, they have to be on the same end of the tank running in synchronous mode. The jumper in the 6091 controller needs to be set to slave mode to enable control from the Apex. You have to open the 6091 controller to change the jumper. This is explained in the user manual. I haven't spent a lot of time experimenting with different voltages, but in the simplest of terms: 10V from Apex = 6091 stops creating a wave. The pump shuts off. 0V from Apex = 6091 operates in wave mode. This seems counter intuitive, but it does make sense on one front. If the 6091 controller is disconnected from the Apex it operates independently and generates a wave. Therefore, it is not dependant on the Apex for operation; rather it is dependent on the Apex to know when to shut off. Feeding <rough notes> I've found that shutting off the return pumps during feeding can be problematic. On my 90G this would cause the water level in the sump to rise, which meant that I had to shut off the ATOs. It also allows water to back siphon from the display which is supposed to be prevented by the return line check valves, but in practice it really only partially works.Night Mode I believe in reduced flow at night. <<<This post is not yet finished. I am using the edit feature to add content. Check back later.>>> |
Autofeeders
Post 25
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Lighting
post 26
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Heating and Cooling
The target temp for my tank is:
Low Temp: 78F (25.56C)The goal is to maximize temperature stability within this range. The tank temperature should fluctuate less than 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooling As it turns out, the more energy efficient hardware is, the less heat it produces. All of my hardware was selected based in part on energy efficiency. Most notable is the LED lighting which is significantly more energy efficient then alternative lighting sources. The upside to this is very little heat transfer into the water. For most of the year, I do not need any form of cooling. The tank is located in my basement which tends to stay slightly cooler than the rest of the house. There is constant evaporation which translates to heat loss, so the tank tends to find a temperature balance slightly below the ambient room temperature. For the occasional heat wave, I have a fan in the sump that blows over the water surface to increase evaporation and cooling. The fan is connected to the Apex controller for temperature control. Heating Ironically, the downside to energy efficiency is also a lack of heat transfer into the water. My tank water stabilizes at room temperature and needs to be constantly heated (day and night). The energy consumption of the heaters required to keep the tank at a constant 78F cancels out a significant portion of the savings gained through energy efficient hardware. In my case I estimate this to be approximately 700 watts (~6 Amp/h) of heating. Background Reading BeanAnimal - Aqarium Heaters: What you need to know! BeanAnimal - Thermodynamics for the Reef Aquarist abcha0s - My Marineland 300W Stealth Pro Heater Exploded! Heating my tank I am using 4 300W Titanium Heating Tubes.
http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/heat/tn_temp.jpg This graph shows three interesting things.
http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/heat/heating.gif The 4 Titanium Heaters are split evenly between two Apex controllers on independent EB8s. Each EB8 is connected to a separate 15A circuit. This should allow for the failure of three heating tubes before the tank water temperature begins to drop. The failure of one Apex/EB8 or 15A circuit would result in the loss of 2 heating tubes. The heating tubes don't have a thermostat, so they are basically stuck on already. If for some reason the EB8 outlets on one Apex stuck on, the other Apex should shut both heaters off. If one Apex completely failed, the surviving controller could maintain the tank temperature. This equates to "no single point of failure". Another benefit of using two Apex controllers with independent temperature probes is the ability to identify any calibration drift between the probes. As the probes are both installed in the same sump chamber, the temperature readings should always be within about 0.1F of each other. If this drift increases, it is an indication that one of the probes is not operating at peak performance and that maintenance should be preformed. Finally, if the temperature of the tank does deviate either up or down, both Apex controllers are configured to send email alerts to my phone. When operating normally, the temperature characteristics should look like this: http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/heat/temp2.jpg |
Reactor Loop (biopellets, carbon, phos)
Post 28
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Tunze Master DOC 9440 Skimmer
Post 29
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ATO (Automatic Top Off)
<This design is currently in draft status - There are some minor modifications planned for the final implementation - Check back later>
Pretext: I’ve had my ATO fail while on holidays. This caused the sump return chamber to completely evaporate leading to a subsequent failure of the return pump. After fixing the ATO and replacing the return pump, the ATO did what it was supposed to do and pumped 10 gallons of saturated Kalk water (pH 12.4) back into the system. The result was a pH spike reaching upwards of 9.5. While I was able to recover from this without a tank crash and better yet, without losing any wildlife, it drove home the importance of a reliable ATO. In my opinion, it is one of the more critical components and can potentially fail without warning. Requirements: In keeping with the guiding principles, this aspect of the system has to be completely redundant all the way through from the breaker panel to the tank. It needs to be constantly monitored and should be able to identify and alert a failure event. In the event of any single failure, it should continue to operate without impact the tank. Addition considerations include: • RO units are not very efficient when run for a short duration. Therefore, the ideal situation is to fill the reservoirs in one cycle of the RO unit. • The Tunze osmolator water pumps seem to lose their prime when they run dry. I’ve often had to suck water into the pump to get it started. Perhaps it’s just my pump, but the system needs to prevent these pumps from ever running dry. • Kalkwasser is to be dosed through the ATO system, so there should be some safety measures in place. • The return chamber of the sump does not hold sufficient water volume to survive a failure of the ATO system for an extended period of time. Making this chamber bigger would have meant sacrificing space elsewhere. Diagram Conventions: The following table depicts the conventions used in this document. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_ato-legend.jpg System Schematic: The design I came up with is probably overkill if the ATO was the only consideration. However, many of the redundant systems utilized by the ATO are also being used by other systems. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_ato-schematic.jpg The Solenoid Valves: The solenoid valves are closed by default. They are opened by the Apex controllers and solve the problem of an inefficient RO unit during the first few minutes of operation. It’s not a question of water high in TDS making it into the tank as the DI resin takes care of this. It’s really a cost savings measure designed to protect the RO membrane and the DI cartridges. The easiest way to control the filling of the reservoir would be to have the sensors that are installed in the reservoir open the solenoid. It’s easy enough with the Apex controller to open the solenoid for a specified period of time (say 1 hour) whenever it detects a sensor event. However, I don’t really trust these sensors enough to completely rely on them. I am comfortable using them as a backup but I want a more reliable means of refilling the reservoir on a routine basis. The solution is really simple. Each day at a pre-set time and for a pre-set duration the solenoid opens and the reservoir is allowed to fill. The amount of time required to refill the reservoir (assuming it is nearly empty) is estimated and a safety factor added. While the reservoir is filling, the Tunze ATO is shut off so that once full, no water is removed from the reservoir until the cycle is completed. The RO units are equipped with shutoff valves and will automatically stop when once the resevoir float valve creates sufficient back presure. Another benefit of filling the reservoir based on time is that if the float valve in the reservoir were to fail open, the water damage would be limited. The solution provides a double shut off. The first being the float valve, and the second being elapsed time. I could install a high water sensor in the reservoir as a third safety, but I’m not sure that it is necessary. The Primary and Secondary ATO systems are programmed to fill the respective reservoir at different times during the day. In the event that the rate of evaporation is higher than anticipated on any given day, the sensors in the reservoir will open the RO solenoid and fill the reservoir as would otherwise be expected. The final benefit of a timed system is that the reservoirs would never randomly start filling at the same time. Controlling pH: The use of Kalkwasser in the ATO necessitates a brief discussion of pH. The tank will have a natural pH swing based in part on the light cycle and the consumption of CO2 through organic processes. Using the Apex controller and pH sensor, we can manipulate the natural swing a bit. NSW (Natural Sea Water) has a pH of between 8.0 and 8.3, but is generally estimated at 8.2. For a variety of reasons, I will target 8.2 as my “ideal” pH. I will consider of range of 8.1 to 8.3 to be within the acceptable ideal. I will tolerate a swing of 8.05 to 8.35 before trying to further adjust the system. It is suggested that minimizing the pH swing is more important than hitting a precise value. For example a pH swing from 7.9 to 8.1 is probably better than a pH swing of 8.0 to 8.4 even though the average is closer to ideal. • The Kalkwasser doser will always be operational except where the pH rises above 8.3. There is no consideration for night and day. Only the pH of the system is considered. If the pH rises above 8.3 the controller will stop operation of the secondary ATO system and only the primary ATO will function. However, If any of the low water level alerts are triggered, the pH condition will be ignored and the secondary ATO will be turned back on. I figure it’s better to allow Kalkwasser to be dosed without regard to pH, than to have the entire system fail. • If the pH rises above 8.2, the Calcium reactor will be activated. This system is independent of the ATO system, but will serve to lower the pH and keep it closer to ideal. • The Kalkwasser mixer and Calcium reactor operating in tandem provide a number of benefits which we can discuss in another section. The obvious question at this point should be “Do you trust you pH measurement instruments enough to rely on them”? There is a 2 part answer to this question. 1) It doesn’t really matter if they are completely accurate as it is more about the swing then the precise pH value. I consider it an acceptable error if the pH is actually swinging from 8.0 to 8.2 rather than the target of 8.1 to 8.3. 2) I will have some insight into the calibration and operation of the pH probes because I will have two pH probes connected to two separate Apex controllers. Once calibrated, these probes should have identical readings. If either probe produces readings outside of an expected baseline, I will know further investigation is warranted. Water Lines: The difference between the high water mark and the low water mark does not have to be very big. It should be greater than the rate of evaporation between the two water levels such that the primary pump is not activated during a kalk mixing cycle (1h 10m) or a reservoir fill cycle (up to 2h). http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_ato-waterlevel.jpg Primary ATO: The primary ATO holds the water level at the ‘Low Water Line’ and is always on. The only exception is while the reservoir is being filled, which is programmed to occur an hour before the lights come on. This time was selected because of the predictably low pH at this time. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_ato-primary.jpg This is pretty standard stuff here. The only extras are the float sensor attached to the Apex one of which is in the sump and the other of which is in the reservoir. Secondary ATO: The secondary ATO holds the water level at the ‘high’ mark and is turned on and off according to the following logic: • Kalk Mixer On (10m) – Tunze Osmolator Off (1h 10m) • Kalk Mixer is On approximately 10m every 4 hours. • The Tunze Osmolator is off during a reservoir fill cycle. • The start time for a reservoir fill cycle is programmed to coincide with a kalk mix cycle, but is estimated at 2H. What I’m trying to avoid here is pushing water through the Kalkwasser mixer and into the tank while the mixer is in operation. The kalk needs about an hour to settle after it has been mixed. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn_ato-secondary.jpg The reservoir is filled just before the lights go off. This time was selected because of the predictably high pH at this time. Dual ATO: The two independently operating ATO systems provide a backup to each other. The system can withstand any single failure without crashing the tank. Limitations: The systems not perfect. There are some failure scenarios that warrant a note. Although unlikely to occur, there is always a possibility. • If either of the Kent Marine Float Valves fail, there is a potential that the reservoir will overflow during a scheduled fill cycle. To mitigate this, the overflowing water would pool in the sump area of the stand. This area is sealed for leakage and should hold a significant amount of water before spilling onto the carpet. A water on the floor alarm could also be triggered. • The RO/DI units could spring a leak before the check valve. They are installed in the furnace room which has a floor drain. I am confident that water would be contained in this area. • The John Guest fitting could fail at the reservoir. This could potentially be bad, but is reasonably unlikely to occur. The damage would be limited to my basement carpet and the tank should be just fine. • If the primary ATO fails for any reason, then the secondary ATO is forced into an on state. This effectively disables the pH controls. However, the rate of kalkwasser addition to the tank is still limited by the rate of evaporation and the Calcium reactor would still be on. I don’t anticipate a significant pH spike. • Larger reservoirs might make things a little easier and reduce the margin for error. However, they would also take up more space which is really at a premium under my tank. • It would be nice if the two Apex controllers were aware of each other. Unfortunately, they are not. Feed Cycles: I’d like to be able to stop the return pumps for feeding. I use a check valve on the return lines to limit the amount of water that back siphons into the sump. Don’t worry, the check valves are not safety features, rather just a convenience factor (the sump can hold the water if need be). However, the water level inevitably changes with the small volume of extra water and the high level alarm goes off. The other problem is when the pumps start up the water level in the sump drops while the overflow stabilizes and the ATOs start trying to compensate. The solution is to shut off both of the Tunze Osmolators during the feed cycle and turn them back on 10 minutes after the feed cycle completes. The Apex controller has this feature built in. |
Aquascaping (Part I of III) - Supporting the structure
Aquascaping is fun, but not an easy task. I’m pretty happy with what I managed in my 90g, but this tank is a little bigger. I’m also working with over 300 pounds of rock.
I really don’t want the rock sitting on the glass and buried in the sand. In my opinion, this causes a whole set of problems not the least of which is an unstable base structure. Instead, I want the rock elevated slightly above the sand. Amongst other things, this should help to ensure good flow while creating additional caves and shelter for various fish and inverts. To accomplish this, I envisioned a peg board style base where I could plug acrylic rods wherever they were needed. If I wanted to move a rock to a different location, I could just move the pegs. Depending on the size and shape of the rock, the pegs can be inserted in a variety of combinations. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__r...ructure006.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__r...ructure007.jpg The rock above is supported by this peg configuration: http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/pegs.gif Assembly There are two acrylic sheets. The bottom layer is ¼” and does not have any holes drilled in it. The purpose of this sheet is primarily load distribution to avoid the effect of point loading. The top layer is ½”. This layer has to be thick enough to provide adequate support for the pegs. The pegs are ½” acrylic rod. The pegs are friction fit into the holes and are not glued in place. The two sheets of acrylic are bonded together with Methylene Chloride. This was actually fairly easy to do. I simply used a syringe applicator to circle around the bottom of each hole and the sheets bonded together. I completed this step in the tank as I wanted a flat surface to work on to ensure the acrylic didn’t warp. Construction A grid was drawn. There are more holes towards the back. Spacing was 1”, 2”, 2.5”, 2.5”, 3” and repeating. The idea is that rock will be denser towards the back of the tank. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__r...ructure001.jpg Drilling the holes was more tedious than difficult. The biggest challenge was keeping the drill straight. Not all of the holes are perfectly vertical but, other than aesthetics, I don’t see this as a problem. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__r...ructure002.jpg That’s a lot of holes. Notice the third row at the back. I drilled these holes just for good measure. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__r...ructure003.jpg Having put the acrylic sheets into the tank, this was my first trial. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__r...ructure004.jpg One of the problems that I wanted to avoid was having sand get between the acrylic and the glass bottom. I cleaned everything the best that I could and then siliconed the acrylic to the glass around the edges. I know that silicone does not bond well to acrylic, but I also know from experience that it does bond well enough when there is no pressure or stress on the seam. In this application, the weight of the rock will help to keep the sheets in place and the silicone is really only to keep the sheets from sliding and sand from getting under the acrylic. I used the weights to hold the acrylic in place while I was applying the silicone to ensure that there were no gaps. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tn__r...ructure005.jpg Conclusions One obvious limitation of this approach is that it is really only suitable for tanks with a sand bed. It also costs a fair bit of money. Having said that, I am really happy with the final product and am now looking forward to aquascaping. |
Aquascaping (Part II of III) - Building the aquascape
Let the fun begin. While I find it incredibly difficult and challenging, I also really enjoy aquascaping. I've been really happy with my past efforts and I am equally pleased with the success in this tank. What I do regret is that the camera really can't show the 3rd dimension and aquascaping is really all about depth. The pictures of this rock work really don't do the actual structure justice. I struggle to see the aspects that I like most, so you might need to use your imagination to see why I like my final creation.
I started with 320 pounds of BRS Dry Eco Rock and an assorment of 1/2" acrylic pegs. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scape01.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scape02.jpg I built a total of 4 structures before deciding that I really liked the 4th. I had a rough idea of what I wanted, but the way the rocks fit together also played a large role in the final configuration. Version 1 - This was supposed to be a cove providing lots of sheltered swimming areas and caves for the fish. I was successful in creating what I had envisioned, but in the end it really didn't look natural. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev1.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scape4a.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev1_1.jpg Version 2 - In this one I was trying to create more of a sloped structure while introducing a more natural look. The results were somewhat successful, but not great. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev2.jpg Version 3 - When I see this in pictures, I like the look of it. I was going for more of a 'minimalist' look. The problem was that the rocks weren't really fitting together. It would have been difficult to place corals effectively. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev2a.jpg Version 4 - This is the aquascape that I am keeping. It has all of the features that I was hoping to create, but most importantly it really creates depth in the tank. There is ample room for coral placement and I expect water circulation through the structure to be good. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev4.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev4_1.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev4_2.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev4_5.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev4_4.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev4_3.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev4_6.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scapev4_7.jpg Construction - For those who may be curious. I did not drill or peg the rock directly. The initial placement is held together by gravity. If the rocks were not stable, I selected a different rock. After completing the structure and sleeping on it for a couple of days, I used 'Aquascape Millput Epoxy' to bind the structure together. The peg system really worked well. I had to move them around a number of times and found myself using our central vac to clean out the dust from the holes. I also discovered that a 3 peg platform was often more stable than a 4 peg platform. It's hard to get the rock to sit fully on 4 pegs and one of the pegs is often to short or two long. The base structure was put in place first and then everything else was piled on top of the base. The base creates the general shape and then the rocks decide for themselves what the overall structure will look like. One lesson learned is that if I were to order the dry rock again, I would ask for more mid sized pieces. I found it difficult to use the largest of the pieces and didn't really need as many small pieces as I had thought that I might. Overall, I am very happy with this rock. I used a total of approximately 200 pounds leaving me with about another 100 pounds of unused rock. I'll offer some of this for sale in the next month or two. This puts me at about .5 pounds per gallon which is way below the traditional recommendation of 1-1.5 pounds per gallon. Let's hope those bio-pellets work as well as advertised. The following pictures are just for fun and show some of the stages of assembly: http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scape03.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_scape04.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_pegs1.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/scape/tn_pegs2.jpg |
Aquascaping (Part III of III) - Sandscape
I had a DSB in my 90G display and I really liked it. However, for this tank I decided that a shallow sand bed would be easier to manage.
In selecting a sand, I looked at color and grain size. Specifically, I wanted a larger grain that would not get blown around by the high flow in the tank. I selected Caribsea Arag-Alaive Special Grade Reef Sand. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/sand/caribsea1.gif . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/sand/caribsea2.gif Note: On occasion, I've had my Tunze 6205 powerheads slip in their mounting clamp and end up pointing straight down into the sand bed. When this happens, the larger grain size has basically saved me from disaster. The powerhead pushes the sand aside and exposes the bottom of the tank, but the sand hasn't been blown up into the water column. This is a good sand for high flow tanks. I should explain that in hind sight, I think the Arag-Alive product line is a little bit confusing and I would not purchase it again. The reason for this is how the weight is calculated. What I learned after the fact is that the water the sand is packed in is calculated as part of the net weight. This could easily be as much as 25% - On a very small tank I could maybe see the benifits, but on most tanks this is just wasting money. I do like the sand, just not the fact that I paid for 50+ pounds of water! One benefit of the Arag-Alive is that it comes pre-washed - I guess that adds some value. At this time I have added 240 pounds of sand. With the water weight, lets call this at 200 pounds. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/sand/tn_sand1.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/sand/tn_sand2.jpg http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/sand/tn_sand3.jpg . http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/sand/tn_sand4.jpg |
Fish
Fish List
----------------------------------------------- Firefish (2)............................Feb 06, 2011 Solar Wrasse............................Feb 18, 2011 Royal Dottyback.........................Feb 18, 2011 Bartlett's Anthias (1M, 11F)............Apr 09, 2011 Diamond Watchman Gobies (2).............Apr 11, 2011 Purple Tang (Medium)....................Apr 28, 2011 Amphiprion Ocellaris (Mated Pair).......Apr 29, 2011 Coming soon 2 indigo dottybacks Hawaiian Flame Wrasses (Mated Piar) Tangs - Yellow, Hippo, Powder Blue, Sailfin |
Corals
Green Digitatahttp://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/coral/green_digi1.jpg
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Inverts
post 36
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Refugium
Initially I wasn't sure that I was going to have a refugium in this system. I really wanted a clean sump and had hoped to use the chamber for frags. However, with the dry eco rock, my tank started out with no life at all. I also want to keep a number of fish (anthias and dragonets) that may only be sustainable with a refugium.
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Post 38
Reserved
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Experiment - Continous Water Change
I built this for my current 90G. After testing all aspects of the system, I decided against using it on my 300G. Many of the aspects of this system were designed to allow the use of cheap paristaltic pumps (read Aquamedic). For the CWC system on the 300G, I decided that it was more effective to simply invest in a high quality paristaltic pump and the whole loop thing wasn't needed anymore. I may pull this post down at some point, but for now you can take a look if you are interested.
Continuous Water Change System “Continuous water changes, despite their name, are not necessarily performed every minute of every day. The distinguishing feature of these changes is that water is added at the same time that it is removed. The actual rate of addition can be high or low. Reef aquarists (myself included) most often perform these types of water changes with two matched pumps, one that removes the old water and one that adds the new water.” - Randy Holmes Fraley The plan is to build a continuous water change system that changes approximately 30% of the total system volume every month. Estimating the total water volume at 400 gallons, then 30% of this is 120 gallons. Based on a 30 day cycle, this is 4 gallons every day. There are a number of design challenges that need to be overcome for the system to be successful. • Proximity to tank – The holding tanks are fairly large and in my situation must be located in the water room. • Drain – Access to the drain is in the water room. • Incorporate chiller into system. • Able to operate unattended for a minimum of 30 days. In order for the system to run for 30 days without any intervention, the reservoir has to be at least 160 gallons. The basic premise is to build a closed loop between the tank and the water room. Along the loop, there will be several key components. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterchange1.gif • A tap for a peristaltic pump to add water from a reservoir of premixed saltwater. • A tap for a peristaltic pump to remove water into a drain. • A Chiller. It is assumed that the peristaltic pumps will add and subtract water from the system at exactly the same rate (matched pumps). However, this assumption needs to be tested and verified. If the system is not calibrated perfectly, the risk is that the salinity will either rise or fall over time. (The water level in the tank is unlikely to be affected as the ATO system will ensure that the water level is constant.) If the pumps are not perfectly synchronized, there are several easy solutions including running one pump longer than the other, or adjusting the salinity of the new saltwater to compensate for the calibration error. In any event, the rate of change is so small (4 gallons per day into a 400 gallon system = 1% change) that any drift in the system should be easily detectable before the parameters wander too far. In addition to the basic loop, there will also be a system in place for larger “batch” water changes. This system will be based on a series of valves that really just enable two additional features of the loop. 1. Enable water to exit the loop directly by way of the drain. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterchange2.gif 2. Enable new saltwater to be pumped into the loop from the reservoir. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/waterchange3.gif Plumbing The plumbing schematic helps to illustrate the overall flexibility built into the system. http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/sm_wcplumbing.gif All of the components are connected to unions so that they are both serviceable and replaceable. Normal Operation: * Open Valves – A,B,D,E,F,G,H * Closed Valves – C,I Batch Fill: * Open Valves – D,E,F,G,I * Closed Valves – B,C,H * Doesn’t Matter – A * Change from Normal - Close B,H - Open I Batch Drain: * Open Valves – A,B,C * Closed Valves – D,I * Doesn’t Matter – E,F,G,H * Change from Normal - Close D, Open C The Chiller One of the secondary design goals of this system was to get the chiller as far away from the tank as possible. This is because the chiller is loud when running and produces a lot of hot air. Having the chiller in the water room should solve these problems. The only drawback that I see of including the chiller in the loop is the additional head pressure that it adds. The manufacturer estimates the head pressure through the chiller at 4’. The Reservoir - Heater and UV Sterilizer The reservoir mixing loop has both a heater and UV Sterilizer. The heater will not normally be activated. With the extremely slow introduction of the new saltwater, I am not concerned about matching the tank temperature. While I expect it to be inconsequential, I would prefer the water to be cold to help with cooling. If I plan to do a batch water change, I will activate the heater and allow the temperature to adjust before doing the WC. The UV Sterilizer will be on whenever the mixing pump is on (and valve H is open). The Peristaltic Dosing Pumps I bought the Aqua Medic Reef Doser Quad - Dosing Pump for another project that I didn't end up building. As a result, I have 4 peristaltic dosing pumps sitting on a shelf. Initially, I really didn’t like the Reef Doser Quad. The controller has some major limitations that make the pumps unusable in most situations. For example, in the event of a power failure, all programming is lost. Furthermore, there is no concept of actual time – everything is programmed based on elapsed time. Needless to say, I was disappointed with the purchase. In hopes of finding an easy way to control these dosing pumps with my controller, I took them apart and found them to be easily moddable. Firstly, the motor runs on standard AC power. Secondly, all of the dosing pumps are easily detachable from one another. After tracing the wires, it was pretty easy to hook up the motors to a standard PC power cord which can then be connected to a timer or controller. The original controller basically went in the garbage. These pumps are rated for (1.5L/Hour or 0.4GPH). To achieve a daily exchange of 4 gallons, the pumps have to run for 10 hours. To minimize any stress to the system, I will stagger this throughout the day. The cycle will be 1 hour on followed by 1 hour off for 10 full cycles. The final cycle will be 4 hours off to complete the day. (24 hours = 4 gallons) Challenges As with any system, there are some unknown factors. Some of the questions that I have are: • The loop is pressurized. I’m unsure what effect this will have on flow rate through the peristaltic pump? Limitations • Heat - The pump will introduce heat into the system. • Energy – The pump will consume energy • Maintenance – Cleaning the loop will be difficult due to the length. I will replace the spaflex tubing once every year or so. |
Progressions - Full Tank Shots
Thanks for stopping by. It's been a lot of fun for me to build the system and somewhat enjoyable to document it. Still loving this hobby...
February 2011 http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/tank_...eb18_11-03.jpg March 2011 http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/fts/t...2011-small.jpg July 2011 http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/2011-...ne2011-5-1.jpg Next *** Discussion from this point forward *** |
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