JasonJones

Just wanted to follow up and see what you decided to do and how it has worked out.

Seeing this thread makes me happy. I built one of these 7 or 8 years ago that I ran on my first SPS tank. They work great and aren't that much to assemble- less than $100. Mine had a probe holder to monitor pH. The outlet was controlled by a small gate valve in the return line. It always worked really well.

After seeing this thread, I decided to dig it out of the attic and see if it was still alive. Much to my delight it is! Not sure I will ever run a Ca reactor again as I prefer the balling method, so who knows what I will do with this thing.

Here are a couple of pictures of it.

Back left is the probe holder. Top hose fitting is the outlet, below that is the inlet, and right before the pump is the CO2 inlet.

This shot shows how the water enters the reactor, sorry it is a bad shot.

My wife thinks damsels are the greatest fish ever. We will go in the fish store and some amazing tang will be there and she will walk right past it and oogle over the $5 damsel. Makes me laugh every time.

I am somewhat iffy on the idea. I don't like the idea of particular people being selected by the club to be mentors. I would like the idea better if people volunteered to be mentors and showed pictures of their tank and information about their husbandry practices. Then people could choose who they felt the best mentor would be for them. I prefer the "market" to be at work.

I think I would rather see subforums with particular husbandry styles or dedicated to particular organisms (like the current seahorse forum). Then people wanting to keep specific organisms could find advice more suited to their particular needs. The only thing I don't like is having too many forums where people miss information because they do not check them all.

I think either way would work and would be very beneficial to the membership.

Dave, I will be putting together an LED fixture in the next couple of weeks. You are more than welcome to come by and watch the process. Or anyone else for that matter.

How long has the skimmer been used. Any issues with it. I have a friend who is interested.

I really agree with JeeperTY. There have been many discussions recently that seem to suggest there is one best methodology. I agree that there are some best methodologies, but only in regards to keeping particular organisms, not as a universal methodology. The methodology I would employee for a softie tank would be substantially different than a strict SPS tank.

I also agree in finding people who have been successful keeping similar organisms and examining their methodologies and understanding them. There are numerous people here who have been extremely successful with different types of organisms/systems that are great resources. I also think reading the article on RC's tank of the month winners is another great resource.

I would love to get a frag pack from you for my wife's tank. I will be out of town this weekend, but I am happy to paypal you to hold them.

A lot of people you window screening. You can buy it at any of the big box stores or bulk reef supply has some online.

This is an incredible tank! I want one.

I think I would try to find a buyer before deciding how to rebuild the tank. With a tank this large, and likely expensive, I would imagine it will be purchased by a pretty serious reefer who probaby has their own ideas about how they want the tank designed. I know if I were buying it I would certainly want a sump, but I am somewhat iffy on the surge tank idea. I think surges are great, but surge devices generally have one of a couple of problems (micro bubbles when using a Carlson surge set up and failing seals and chains when using a flapper type system).

I am really in love with the dimensions of that tank though!

Had an idea, what if the surge tank had 2 compartments. One would house the plumbing for the carlson surge setup and it would drain to a second compartment that had baffles in it to remove microbubbles. I wonder if that would work?

That is an interesting idea and I think it warrants further testing. Unfortunately, I think one of two things will probably happen. Surge systems are effective because the high velocity of the surge water is able to create substantial motion in the tank. I would be concerned that the baffle system would either slow down the water and make the surge less effective, or that the water would move too fast through the baffle system to remove the microbubbles.

The best way to run a surge, although the most expensive, is to have the surge tank open and close via an electric solenoid. If you set it up this way, you can time exactly how long the surge stays open and shut it off before any air is introduced. You install a backup drain in the surge tank in case the solenoid ever fails and you are good to go. Unfortunately, most electronic solenoids for these application are $350-400.

I really considered building a surge tank 6 or 7 years ago and spend a lot of time researching them. Great concept, but the execution can be challenging if you want to avoid the microbubble issue.

Sounds like a great build and that you are approaching things the correct way.

What are you planning to run for rock, live or dead?

Also, you may consider getting an ATI Blue+ or two. The aquablue special mixed with the fiji purple gives a pretty red light. I have one of each that comes on together in my fixture and that is my least favorite time of day with the tank, looks much better when the three blue+ kick in.

This is an incredible tank! I want one.

I think I would try to find a buyer before deciding how to rebuild the tank. With a tank this large, and likely expensive, I would imagine it will be purchased by a pretty serious reefer who probaby has their own ideas about how they want the tank designed. I know if I were buying it I would certainly want a sump, but I am somewhat iffy on the surge tank idea. I think surges are great, but surge devices generally have one of a couple of problems (micro bubbles when using a Carlson surge set up and failing seals and chains when using a flapper type system).

I am really in love with the dimensions of that tank though!

Throw me in the third place spot. My dendro could always use new friends

I have had it for 3 months now. There are little issues with creating new codes and attaching new hardware sometimes, but these are all easily resolved by asking questions on the forum or directly to the owner, he is great at helping out. The learning curve for the code is a little steep, but doesn't take long to figure out the basics. The controller itself has run flawlessly and I have had no issues from it.

The challenges with the system is the directions are mostly all outdated and sometimes it is hard to find the current information. They have done a great job of continuously improving the software and the products, but they have done a poor job of going back and updating the information to correspond. But as I said, this is easily resolved by asking questions. The owner has remote logged into my computer on a couple of occasions to help get something set up properly.

If you ever want to come by and get a feel for the controller and the programming required, just let me know. I am happy to give you a tour.

Who were you with, BTW? I thought I remember seeing a mention of III Corp somewhere. I did some time with 4ID.

Just thought I would add this that I recently found:

Mr. Wilson on Skimming Part-Time

The skimmer takes out carbon (TOC) and bacteria. Both of these are food sources for corals and fish. Many skimmerless tanks have better polyp extension and growth rates. The problem is, these tanks can also have yellow water, turbidity (cloudiness) and nuisance algae problems. I have even had phytoplankton blooms (green water) in skimmerless reef tanks. Until we find a better way, a compromise between a natural and mechanical system is the safe route. Shutting the skimmer off half of the time is a good place to start. If conditions get better or worse, you know which direction to go; if they stay the same, it still confirms the limitation of protein skimming. Then you start to think if it was really worth it to upgrade your skimmer the last two times I don’t see a benefit in any schedule other than 12 hrs on, 12 hrs off.

So now that we have decided how long to shut it down for (12 hrs/day), we need to decide on the best time. The fish and corals are most active during the day during photosynthesis, and at night the corals open their feeding tentacles to collect the plankton that come out when the lights go out. Shutting the skimmer off at night seems to be the smart move, and if it influences the flow in the tank to slow down, even better.

One way of achieving the shut down is to have the pump on a timer. This is the quick and easy way, but the preferred method is a variable flow device (VFD) to slow down the pump to allow the skimmer to “simmer” so it can still function if there is a spawning event or call for skimming. A VFD also allows you to ramp up to wet skimming a few times a day to keep the skimmer neck clean, grab some stubborn semi-hydrophobic proteins and do a passive water change (just keep an eye on salinity).

Pumps with flow control are expensive. You may be able to set up a cheaper solenoid that restricts the air line feeding the needle wheel. You will have to get creative and rig it to shut only part way at night so some air can still bleed in. Drilling a hole in the solenoid may work, but I’m not sure how you will “tune” it. Skimmers with two or more needle wheel pumps make it easy because you just need to keep one pump on and put the rest of them to sleep at night.

At this point in time you are probably asking yourself, “Then why not just turn down the skimmer and run it 24/7?” or even, “Why not use an undersized or cheapo skimmer and put the money elsewhere in the system?” The key here is having skimmer reliability, and you simply won’t get that with the cheapo skimmers on the market. When they go “on strike” or flood the collection cup, when the air intake crystallizes, or the water level varies, or the pump disconnects, or stops entirely, you don’t have a skimmer, and you can’t predict when this will happen. With a well designed skimmer, you buy peace of mind and in the long run, you pay less because you buy just one skimmer. In other words, do it right the first time, and do it once. The other option of running a premium skimmer on a slow and steady, conservative setting is a “neither here nor there” solution. You end up with the worst of both worlds because the skimmer neck will slow down efficiency with skimmate (muck) build-up in the neck, which you will have to clean manually. It also doesn’t achieve our goal of leaving the tank “natural” during the nightly plankton swim.

Shutting ozone down at night is a parallel issue. You can put your ozonizer on the same timer as your needle wheel pump. Your ORP controller may have a day and night setting. UV sterilizers may be worth shutting down at night as well, but don’t start unplugging everything at once; ease into a night mode one device at a time over a few weeks. This way there is no shock to the system and you will have a better handle on the repercussions of each device.

While we are on the subject, there may be merit in shutting the refugium off during its night/dark phase. During the “day” algae utilizes/removes nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, heavy metals etc.) during photosynthesis (cellular respiration). The algae in your refugium converts “bad” CO2 into “good” O2; however, during the “night” (photorespiration) algae converts O2 into CO2 thus lowering the pH (liquid CO2 is carbonic acid, and like any acid it lowers pH). The same pH shift and gas exchange occurs within your corals carried out by symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae). Many people run their refugium on a reverse photo-period (refugium illuminated at night and kept dark during the day) to balance the pH and photosynthetic processes of the refugium and display. During the day, the zooxanthellae are generating O2 for the refugium while consuming the CO2 the refugium is producing, and the reverse process at night. At night the algae in the refugium leaks out some of its nutrient catch. If you take the refugium off-line during its night/dark phase, it assures that the leaked nutrients don’t make it to the display tank. When the lights come back on over the refugium (which should have 16 hrs of light and 8 hrs of darkness) the algae will re-absorb the lost nutrients.

Excellent choice. I have been really happy with mine. Let me know if you need any help getting it set up, it can be a pain.

I dose BRS's alk and calcium bulk mix. Both are dosed via dosing pumps controlled by my control. I dose calcium 5 times a day and alk 8 times a day to minimize pH shifts, both in very small quantities. Corals have shown a marked improvement since implementing this dosing regime in the last couple of months. I also like this set up because it is easy to maintain the exact levels I want by changing the dosing amount or frequency of either product.

I will get dosing pumps eventually but for now I am looking for something to get started with and just pour in.

Sorry about that, by no reactors I thought you were referring to Ca reactors. You can also dose the BRS 2 part by hand as mentioned by others. I think it is the best mix of low cost and high quality.

Really love the new tank. The dimensions are almost exactly what I am leaning towards if I decide to build a custom tank for the next set up. Looking forward to watching this progress!

I dose BRS's alk and calcium bulk mix. Both are dosed via dosing pumps controlled by my control. I dose calcium 5 times a day and alk 8 times a day to minimize pH shifts, both in very small quantities. Corals have shown a marked improvement since implementing this dosing regime in the last couple of months. I also like this set up because it is easy to maintain the exact levels I want by changing the dosing amount or frequency of either product.

Nice looking tank. As far as the acro goes, the polyp extension looks great to me.

#1 for me please. I wont be back in town until monday night, but I am happy to paypal.

Your led fixture looks really good. I might consider raising the number of RB and lower the number of blues. Too much blue gives a windex look. Additionally, I might considering adding in some true voilets around 420nm.

Your mix indicates you have done a research, but if you have not seen this thread, it is really good. The last 10 pages are very good. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=246394

Additionally, you have the same spread in the shallow and deep ends of the tank. I might consider adding in some more on the deep end. Also, the 4" spacing is kind of wide and may lead to some color banding issues near the top. I might put them in small pods of three or four to give a bit less banding.

What drivers are you planning on using?

Unfortunately, my schedule is very limited and Sunday and Monday nights are the only nights I could attend with any regularity.

I would be very interested as well.

Brooks- Thank you. I have to do my best to keep up with you!

Rob- Thanks for the comments. I really miss the ric garden. It was one of my favorite parts of the tank. Hopefully the next tank will help me take everything to the next level. I think it will be a pretty neat tank.