Myka's 90 gallon build & 3 province move (Pics Feb 6) - Page 4

Blom · #31 05-24-2009, 01:24 AM

Looking good, I feel ya on the RO waiting game. Took me just over a day and half to fill my 90g with a 75g/day RO unit.

fishytime · #32 05-24-2009, 01:54 AM

I think the recommended gph for carbon is quite a bit higher than phosphate media...like 400-600gph....see if you could plan to swing through cowtown we would have you covered with both the epoxy and the b/hs....hey we are online now

Myka · #33 05-24-2009, 02:25 AM

Patience is not one of my virtues, and this filling the tank thing is really borrrrrrring!! I got the baffles in the sump though!

I bought a MJ1200 with the SureFlow upgrade kit, and it isn't working properly. I soaked it in vinegar and put it in the tank. There is a little tab on the inside end of the end basket thingy, and the propeller keeps ramming into it which stops it from turning briefly and makes quite the racket. Oi!

Ya, carbon should be around 600 gph for maximum efficiency. I was thinking of putting an eggcrate shelf between the last baffle, and put the carbon there. That would give it 600 gph +/-. That's probably a better idea. Easy to change out when it's there too. I will make myself a custom-sized carbon bag out of a bigger one.

mseepman · #34 05-24-2009, 03:08 AM

So glad that you decided to stick with SW Myka. You are made to have a great tank and I'm already enjoying the chaos of this one!

mike31154 · #35 05-24-2009, 03:09 AM

Something I read on another site, the famed Melev I think, to speed up RO/DI production. As you probably know, production is dependent on source water pressure as well as temperature. My source in Vernon is Kalamalka Lake which can be quite cool during the winter and even now. Anyhow, if you have a length of extra tubing, as much as you can get hold of, splice it into your input line using the quick fittings and coil it in a bucket of warm water. Throw a spare heater or two in there to keep it warmed up. You now have a DIY heat exchanger which will warm up your input water on the way through the bucket. The more you can coil in there, the better. I've tried it a couple of times and cut production time down substantially. Not sure, but I think I may have even produced less waste water in the process.

Watching you set up your 90 is making me feel guilty I still have my new 90 sitting in the basement waiting to be put into use... but then again, I'm thinking I might want to go the next step to a 120 instead. After all, it seems like the tank itself ends up being the smallest expense. When I look at some of the other gear I've spent dough on, holy.

Myka · #36 05-24-2009, 03:38 AM

Haha! Thanks Mark! Ya, I was getting a bit bored with reefing for a bit there, but I'm back full force!! Ha, and you're right it is SO chaos!

Hey Mike! When I'm really impatient I will run the tap with warm water, but it must cost quite a bit more to heat it that way and all. It does go quite a bit faster, and I think you're right that there is a bit less waste water. I like the idea of the heat exchanger though, I will have to try it out sometime! Plus, if the water is already warmed that's a bonus for putting it into the tank, because it will just get heated by the heater in there anyway. Good call.

I almost bought a 120 or a 150. I was originally looking for a 4' 150. I am glad I went with the 90 though because it extra width of the 120 or 150 would have made the living room much more cramped. The 90 is a good fit, and the shape is fun to 'scape! I've spent more on livestock than equipment by far.

mike31154 · #37 05-24-2009, 03:53 AM

Ya, my plan is to set up the new tank as a room divider between the kitchen & dining room (sump in the basement) and a 120 might end up being too wide for me as well. I'm going to tear out a piece of L-shaped kitchen counter and build the tank support there... so losing a bunch of counter space, which is really never a good thing in any kitchen, he he.

mseepman · #38 05-24-2009, 09:35 PM

For heating up my RO/DI, I bought a reptile heater cord (11W) off Ebay and I plan to figure some way to use it on or near the input cold water line. Haven't figured it out yet but will sometime soon.

Myka · #39 05-25-2009, 12:31 AM

Mike, ya counter space is at a premium around here! Room divider tanks are really nice though. I love the wrap around look. Fish tend to be less shy too because they can't really escape, so they get used to it.

Hey Mark, what was the brand of those awesome fans you found? I will need a couple for my tank, and probably another for my sump.

mike31154 · #40 05-25-2009, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mseepman

For heating up my RO/DI, I bought a reptile heater cord (11W) off Ebay and I plan to figure some way to use it on or near the input cold water line. Haven't figured it out yet but will sometime soon.

Sorry if we're getting a little of your tank build topic here Myka, but Mark, I was looking at the cables used to keep your copper pipes from freezing in the winter. They come in quite a few different wattage sizes and may be an option as well. They simply wrap around the copper pipe in areas that are exposed to freezing temperatures. No reason why they couldn't be adapted for use in heating our RO/DI input water. Of course if you have the newer PEX plumbing, I'm not sure they work for that, didn't look that close at the instructions on the packaging.

And Myka, I might still bite the bullet and go for a 120, it's only a few inches wider than a 90 and I like the perimeter of my tank to be free of live rock, allowing for swimming space and easier cleaning of the glass. I also have a yellow tang in my 75 and I'm sure he'd appreciate the extra real estate. Not a fan of stacking rock against the glass at all.