new project on the cheap, need some good DIY input

[jthunder]

After posting a few questions already I have decided to post them all in one place to get some good input from the knowledgable canadian people here. It amazes me how different it is to source materials here than in the states like most of the DIY on RC.

Here is the plan, I would like to setup a 'small' propagation system on the cheap, that is I plan to DIY and cut corners where I can to save a few clams.

The basic concept is a shallow tray sized 48" x 36" x 12" Heigh. This will maximize the amount of light reaching the coral. The tray will also have a peice of material separating it into a raceway type system.

Water will enter and exit from the tray to a sump below from the same side of the tray. I would like to keep the number of bulkheads installed to 2, to save some plumbing cost.

The system will have approx 140 gallons of total water volume. The stand that will hold the tray and the sump below has already been built from 2x4's and plywood (it is square and level).

The lighting for the system will come from an old flourescent fixture aquired from a demo job. It is a 48" 4 bulb fixture with just simple white reflective inside. The ballasts are old and will be replaced by 2 four lamp F32T8 electronic ballasts overdriving x2 4 T8 6500k bulbs. This fixture will be suspended from the ceiling to approx 2" above the surface of the tray.

Filtration will be done by a refugium in the DIY sump in the bottom of the stand lit by some cheap HD compact flourescent floods. and also be suplimented with a DSB (and skimmer if need be). I hope to have approx 10x turnover for the water in the tray which equals 890-1000gph.


My questions:

the big one - a) For the tray should I; Construct it from acrylic (never done this before), buy a glass tank (quoted 450.00), buy a polyproplene tank (230.00) or????

b) What size of bulkheads should be used in the input output to allow for this 1000gph flow and gravity drain?

c) Will a skimmer be nessisary or will the fuge be sufficient for this (as I'm only growing coral and not feeding very much)

I would like to draw on anyones experiences with this and any advice for someone in the edmonton area.

Thanks

Mark

[Buccaneer]

any advice for someone in the edmonton area.

Well I was all set to give my opinion till I got to this line ... since I am from Calgary I best not respond

[jthunder]

Well, if it'll help you loosen up, I'm rooting for the Flames... lol

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by jthunder

Well, if it'll help you loosen up, I'm rooting for the Flames... lol

Bran with my breakfast helps loosen me up but an Edmontonian rooting for the Flames is almost sacriligious


Now that that is out of the way and you have truly a heartfelt apology in there somewhere

My questions:

the big one - a) For the tray should I; Construct it from acrylic (never done this before), buy a glass tank (quoted 450.00), buy a polyproplene tank (230.00) or????

Build a glass tank for less than 100 bucks out of 1/4" glass since it is only 12 " high there will be little pressure ... scrap glass is all you need

b) What size of bulkheads should be used in the input output to allow for this 1000gph flow and gravity drain?

there is a formula on RC on the main page for flow size based on diameter of tube

c) Will a skimmer be nessisary or will the fuge be sufficient for this (as I'm only growing coral and not feeding very much)

no skimmer necessary

One thing you have not mentioned is what type of coral you plan to put in there ... softies / LPS / SPS ? ... your lighting maybe not enough for the last 2 ... you can go PC or VHO for cheap at Brite-Lite ( yellow pages )

[jthunder]

Thanks for the reply,

I plan on propagating only low light corals at first, namely some xenia and green star polyps that are overcrowding my tank right now, I also have some monti dig. that are also growing very well in my current tank, which by the way is only running with 4 NO lights and 2 NO actinic lights on a icecap 430. I figure if I reduce the distance between light and coral and provide 4 over driven bulbs, it would be better than my current setup, not to mention the flow.

ml

[Buccaneer]

For those types of corals it should be cool but you might want to call Brite-Lite as they carry the workhorse electronic ballasts and they are way cheaper than anything from icecap ( did a search for icecap 430 and you could buy 3 WH ballasts for that price )

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by jthunder

the big one - a) For the tray should I; Construct it from acrylic (never done this before), buy a glass tank (quoted 450.00), buy a polyproplene tank (230.00) or????
Mark

if it is just going to be a frag tank, buy the polyproplene tank. one piece and worry free. go to leduc and check out the watering troughs at the co-op (sorry I don't know where there is a co-op in edmonton. if you know a farmer get them to buy it if they get a discount )

Originally Posted by jthunder

b) What size of bulkheads should be used in the input output to allow for this 1000gph flow and gravity drain?
Mark

use 1.5" for 1000gph

Originally Posted by jthunder

c) Will a skimmer be nessisary or will the fuge be sufficient for this (as I'm only growing coral and not feeding very much)
Mark

while you don't need a skimmer it would be benificial to have one.

Steve

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

while you don't need a skimmer it would be benificial to have one.

Steve

Why ? ... there are no fish and he said feeding would be minimal ... just curious what your line of thinking is there ?

[jthunder]

Thanks for the tips, just to update on the lighting, I won't be moving the Icecap to the prop tank (it's on my display tank). I will be buying two, four lamp F32T8 electronic ballasts from Eecol electric (25.00 each).

The only problem with the poly tank (tray) is that it isn't separated in the middle to create the raceway, to do that they would need to plastiweld a peice onto the tray, which would cost approx 70 bux extra. So if I was to go that route I might have to rethink the setup for plumbing, but I was pretty sure that the raceway would work best and provide the best flow for the size of tank.

The other peice of equipment that I'm looking into using is a kalk reactor and possibly a phyto reactor. we'll see.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by jthunder

The only problem with the poly tank (tray) is that it isn't separated in the middle to create the raceway, to do that they would need to plastiweld a peice onto the tray, which would cost approx 70 bux extra. So if I was to go that route I might have to rethink the setup for plumbing, but I was pretty sure that the raceway would work best and provide the best flow for the size of tank.

The other piece of equipment that I'm looking into using is a kalk reactor and possibly a phyto reactor. we'll see.

or you could do a spray bar set up in a ring around the tank. give you a gentle flow all over.

Kalk is good.

the reason I am saying a skimmer would be good is as he mentioned in the last post (phyto) is going to be adding food to the tank.. the skimmer will allow you to feed fairly decent and keep the water quality in check. also if he is starting out with softies and such they like food. hence the skimmer recommendation.

Steve