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Tank - Sump Build 500 gal +


Dogfish

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Waiting for Weld-On #40. Made a glue up stand to keep everything square while its being assembled. Note in the first photo the gap at the top of the square. I used cabinet shims in the back to bring it to a perfect 90 degrees. This way I will not have to worry about it being square. I can worry more about maintaining the 1mm gap for the solvent glue to make a clean joint.

I_Glue_Up_Stand1.jpg

I_Glue_Up_Stand2.jpg

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I have a question. Does anyone have brilliant ideas about what to do about those stupid power supply bricks, like for Kessel lights?

Thanks Woods. To bad I don't have room for a tank taller than 36" and being made out of glass i can't cut that down.  Can not imagine trying to move rock and stuff inside a tank that tall, full of water. Scuba I guess.

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11 hours ago, Dogfish said:

I have a question. Does anyone have brilliant ideas about what to do about those stupid power supply bricks, like for Kessel lights?

Thanks Woods. To bad I don't have room for a tank taller than 36" and being made out of glass i can't cut that down.  Can not imagine trying to move rock and stuff inside a tank that tall, full of water. Scuba I guess.

You mean how to mount them?  I've used egg crate  and tie wraps.  And I've used the ecotech mounts: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/power-supply-bracket-ecotech-marine.html

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The room has an exhaust fan that vents thru the roof. I can add another pretty easy if needed. It also has a central air/heat vent to keep the temp stable with a thermostat mounted on one of the walls. 1 wall backs up to the garage so if needed I can add another vent and fan unit.

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For the size tank, its ideal to almost run the exhaust fan full time. If you stop it with a humidistat, then it starts to get warm in there. If you stop it based on temperature, then it can get humid.

 

I ran my old 215 gallon with a vent fan out the attic like your setup and only ran it when the lights came on or it was a certain temperature. Even with an enclosed canopy, I still had moisture related damage to the drywall and vents in the house.

 

Once I finalize the tank at the new house, I'll reinstall the vent fan and have it venting air full time. I'd rather pay more to cool my house then have to deal with moisture related damage again.

 

 

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I wonder about the effectiveness of an inhouse dehumidifier vs a straight vent? I know they also introduce heat, but I wonder if there is some kind of controlled inlet/outlet system like those hose-based server AC units that would be located outside (dumping the hot air outside) as well as removing residual moisture. 

There is for sure a cost-benefit analysis to be done on all this. 

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I wonder about the effectiveness of an inhouse dehumidifier vs a straight vent? I know they also introduce heat, but I wonder if there is some kind of controlled inlet/outlet system like those hose-based server AC units that would be located outside (dumping the hot air outside) as well as removing residual moisture. 

 

There is for sure a cost-benefit analysis to be done on all this. 

While I didn't run a cost-benefit analysis, I did look into dehumidifiers, portable AC units that remove moisture and vent heat outside, and venting with a bathroom fan rated for continuous use as my options.

 

The bathroom fan won out in my opinion regarding effectiveness, cost of energy, and ease to install in my particular scenario. Dehumidifiers and portable AC units use a decent amount of electricity, take up a lot of room, generally are just a bit noisy, and costly.

 

I actually picked up a 50-pint dehumidifier and it does well to keep the humidity lower in the house itself but still not lower than I'm sure what I could achieve just by venting. Its also louder than I want, takes up a good chunk of space, and adds warm air to the room. The portable AC unit would solve the added heat issue but electrical use is extremely high, takes up room, and is noisy as well.

 

The vent fan seems like a winner in my book, just make sure its rated for continuous use. My Panasonic one is great!

 

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14 hours ago, FarmerTy said:

While I didn't run a cost-benefit analysis, I did look into dehumidifiers, portable AC units that remove moisture and vent heat outside, and venting with a bathroom fan rated for continuous use as my options.

 

The bathroom fan won out in my opinion regarding effectiveness, cost of energy, and ease to install in my particular scenario. Dehumidifiers and portable AC units use a decent amount of electricity, take up a lot of room, generally are just a bit noisy, and costly.

 

I actually picked up a 50-pint dehumidifier and it does well to keep the humidity lower in the house itself but still not lower than I'm sure what I could achieve just by venting. Its also louder than I want, takes up a good chunk of space, and adds warm air to the room. The portable AC unit would solve the added heat issue but electrical use is extremely high, takes up room, and is noisy as well.

 

The vent fan seems like a winner in my book, just make sure its rated for continuous use. My Panasonic one is great!

 

I can see that argument. Have you done any experimentation on the increased AC load when your vent fan is running? While a vent fan is surely the lowest energy consumption on it's own, it's not operating in a vacuum (hah!) and increases the amount that your HVAC is on.  It's not trivial to test, because you're kind of reliant on ambient outdoor temperature determining how much your AC cuts on. 
 

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I can see that argument. Have you done any experimentation on the increased AC load when your vent fan is running? While a vent fan is surely the lowest energy consumption on it's own, it's not operating in a vacuum (hah!) and increases the amount that your HVAC is on.  It's not trivial to test, because you're kind of reliant on ambient outdoor temperature determining how much your AC cuts on. 
 
I'll let you know when I finally frame out my fish room and install the vent fan. Just been using a dehumidifier for now until that happens. 5-month olds aren't known for the tremendous amount of free time they give you. [emoji23]
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That's why you have two, the first takes care of the second, right? hahhhh.....i cry.
What's the humidity like when the dehumidifier isnt on vs when it is on?
Clammy... And not clammy... I'm not a scientist anymore. [emoji23]

Kidding, 50-55% relative humidity with the dehumidifier on versus 65-70% relative humidity without. This is with an AC unit cycling on through the day fighting the summer heat.
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Thanks for the info everyone. I will prob use the 15 gal drum I have and have for a top off tank. My RODI fill it up every 2 to 3 days. The RODI will be working on a regular basis so no need to worry about bad water coming out of it.

Decided to go pro on the Kessil light bricks. Found a box that mounts in the wall. Its the kind the A/V people use to place connecting blocks , routers and stuff in you closet. Came with a flush mount cover. Might have to louver the cover depending on how much heat  those bricks put off.

I_Light_Brick_Box1.jpg

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I'd recommend upgrading your power supplies.  these "bricks" are prone to overheating, and are overpriced.  look for something like this:  http://amzn.to/2eE8Dht  they come in differing voltages and wattage ratings.  I run 5 AI Sol's w/ one of these, and cheap enough to have a spare just sitting there waiting.  The original sol bricks got so hot they started melting, if they didnt just quit first.

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