afgun Posted December 23, 2010 Author Share Posted December 23, 2010 Most of the mold stains came out with simple vacuuming. Tomorrow I'll attack it with some ideas I've been searching to see if I can get it clean the rest of the way. Hooked up the lighting today and did the final trim-out on the rock wall... please note that the pond foam when compressed can have a very long curing time; I trimmed some excess foam off of the back of the pieces and uncured foam started leaking out. Think "pyrotechnic snakes" from your days as a child and you can envision what it looked like! Trying to decide how to cover the weir (it's smoked glass but I suspect it's going to show the plumbing (bad idea says the wife). Not sure if I will do just eggcrate/foam/rock rubble/sand or go for something thinner like fiberglass screen/epoxy/rock rubble/sand. Thoughts? 20K versions with flash and without for your viewing pleasure: Man I love this fixture. I need to get the firmware updated so that the fans aren't running all of the time, but it's bluetooth programmable (it has wifi, but I'm not sure if you can program it over wifi or not yet) and has a whole pile of features. I need to order up some bulbs to go in it as well (sports a pair of T5 sockets). Some people I talked to are running this with KZ Fiji bulbs, but I thought I'd put it out for recommendations from ARC. The LEDs themselves are supposed to be able to go from 16k or to 24k so in temperature and it can go quite white and extremely blue... I didn't order the epoxy that I was looking at previously, as reading carefully I discovered it was not UV-safe. Aquadome is supposed to carry Pond Shield / Pond Armor which IS UV-safe, so I hope they have some in stock tomorrow... No progress on the RODI system aside from getting that barrel. I hope to spend some time mounting it and hooking it up tomorrow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 So I was pretty much a lazy bum the past 3 weeks, choosing to goof off over vacation rather than do pretty much anything. Last weekend my wife and I DID stop by Aquadome to check out the store and pick up some PondShield epoxy. We also visited Amazonia on the way home as we're trying to get a lay of the land, so-to-speak, with respect to LFS. Anyways, I grabbed some sand from Prof on Friday night, and yesterday I got to work finishing the rock wall, since I figured it would be the last semi-warm day for awhile. The PondShield was a LOT thicker than I anticipated, and I didn't have any alcohol to thin it, so it went on kind of goopy, but it seems to have done a pretty decent job adhering the sand. I don't believe that I'm going to try and get the last little bits of foam covered with sand, unless I get a lot of strong advice otherwise: Today for some reason I felt motivated (yes, I am slightly feverish!) to do some more work, so I got busy finally mounting my RODI system. It was pretty easy to do (not sure why I didn't tackle this beforehand), but fishing the tubes through the wall did wind up to be a bit of a pain, but it all worked out: I'll finish it up by getting a block-off plate and drilling a couple of holes for the tubing, then sealing the under-sink. Now I need to clean the 2 barrels I have had sitting outside for awhile, drill and mount the shutoff valve for the RODI and finish that plumbing up. I have a pair of dual-inline TDS meters; any suggestions where to plumb them? I have 2 pre-filters and 2 post-filters (I basically converted a 4-stage to 5-stage ala http://www.spectrapu...axCap-RO-DI.htm). Do I plumb the first sensor after the pre-filter and carbon block but before the RODI, or elsewhere? Etc... I'm getting VERY close to finally putting water in it. I'll fill the tank with RODI for my final in-place leak-test, and if all goes well, just add salt to the tank. Time to start stocking up on salt, test kits and other miscellanea! Oh, and here's a teaser of what Santa bought for himself... more on this later after I get some shielded wire and the energy to take the Hammerhead apart to install it! As always, I appreciate everyone's input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 So I was pretty much a lazy bum the past 3 weeks, choosing to goof off over vacation rather than do pretty much anything. Last weekend my wife and I DID stop by Aquadome to check out the store and pick up some PondShield epoxy. We also visited Amazonia on the way home as we're trying to get a lay of the land, so-to-speak, with respect to LFS. Anyways, I grabbed some sand from Prof on Friday night, and yesterday I got to work finishing the rock wall, since I figured it would be the last semi-warm day for awhile. The PondShield was a LOT thicker than I anticipated, and I didn't have any alcohol to thin it, so it went on kind of goopy, but it seems to have done a pretty decent job adhering the sand. I don't believe that I'm going to try and get the last little bits of foam covered with sand, unless I get a lot of strong advice otherwise: Today for some reason I felt motivated (yes, I am slightly feverish!) to do some more work, so I got busy finally mounting my RODI system. It was pretty easy to do (not sure why I didn't tackle this beforehand), but fishing the tubes through the wall did wind up to be a bit of a pain, but it all worked out: I'll finish it up by getting a block-off plate and drilling a couple of holes for the tubing, then sealing the under-sink. Now I need to clean the 2 barrels I have had sitting outside for awhile, drill and mount the shutoff valve for the RODI and finish that plumbing up. I have a pair of dual-inline TDS meters; any suggestions where to plumb them? I have 2 pre-filters and 2 post-filters (I basically converted a 4-stage to 5-stage ala http://www.spectrapu...axCap-RO-DI.htm). Do I plumb the first sensor after the pre-filter and carbon block but before the RODI, or elsewhere? Etc... I'm getting VERY close to finally putting water in it. I'll fill the tank with RODI for my final in-place leak-test, and if all goes well, just add salt to the tank. Time to start stocking up on salt, test kits and other miscellanea! Oh, and here's a teaser of what Santa bought for himself... more on this later after I get some shielded wire and the energy to take the Hammerhead apart to install it! As always, I appreciate everyone's input! I see your running a VFD...nice....I work for Teco lol! Only problem with VFD is the noise generated by harmonics. Hope it works out well for you. After reading this, I would assume you have become the leak repair expert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 Oh yes, I'm quite adept and repairing PVC leaks, as well as (re)sealing NPT joints with Teflon tape! I have heard that the VFD can produce significant EMI, so I'm prepared to get a filter for it if it impacts me or my neighbors. As far as the physical noise, I'm told to simply turn the PWM frequency up beyond human hearing and you're good to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 Yesterday I took a trip to home depot and then I made some time today to work on the 'quarium once again. I finished the ugly plumbing under the sink along with a couple other maintenance tasks in the bathroom (wife is now happy) Then I used some silicone to attach the center panel of my rock wall to the back of the tank (on its own it leans forward a bit by more than an inch at the top Assuming it holds, I'll tackle the others over the next couple of days. I also have an idea on how to make the weir blend in. I bought some fiberglass screen and will use more of that Pond Shield epoxy along with some sand to make a sand cover for it. I hope it looks OK. I ordered some shielded wiring for the VFD, but it hasn't yet shipped from the distributor. So that project is on hold right now. So in lieu of an update on that, I'll give you with another teaser: I found a smokin' deal on a Euro-Reef RS-250 skimmer with a dead pump (the pump really is dead... several days of acid haven't unsiezed it, but the impeller did break. It fits (barely) in my sump... So I'm thinking about getting a Bubble Blaster to replace that pump. Would the 3000 be sufficient for this skimmer body (8" diameter) ? Any opinions on converting it to recirculating? Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit warmer, so that's when I'm going to tackle cleaning the RODI barrel and bringing it inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I love that skimmer. I run the RS-180 on my 75g. I'd see about getting the modded Eheim 1252 from the new ER guys and turn that skimmer into a RC-250. You might be able to fit it into the sump better. My CS12-5x4RC was freaking awesome when it was on my 75g and had 4 Eheim 1252 pumps on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Oh yes, I'm quite adept and repairing PVC leaks, as well as (re)sealing NPT joints with Teflon tape! I have heard that the VFD can produce significant EMI, so I'm prepared to get a filter for it if it impacts me or my neighbors. As far as the physical noise, I'm told to simply turn the PWM frequency up beyond human hearing and you're good to go. I think your thinking of the carrier frequency. The Hz ramp is how you control the motor output. If you need some help with it, there are some pretty smart guys in our drives group that can help you get it quiet as possible. Again, the windings of the motor make a huge difference, air gap, number of bars in the rotor/stator ect. Make sure the motor is a true Inverter duty, and not "suitable for use on an inverter" True inverter duty motors are per NEMA MG1 PART 31 Suitable for use on inverter motors are per NEMA MG1 PART 30 As for EMI, being single phase, I dont think you will have much of a problem with that, as long as your phase isnt too choppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Well it's a Baldor vm3538 and isn't in their "made for inverter" series, so it's only suitable. Thanks for the advice. Hoping it's quiet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 Barrels cleaned and installed and RODI plumbing completed. 0 TDS exiting the membrane right now, though I'm sure it'll go back up in a bit. Filling the first barrel. Third rock wall panel silicone is drying right now. I need to make it to prof's tomorrow so I can pick up some more sand to do my weir camouflage. I expect to have some water in the beast on Wednesday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Stupid "90 gpd" RODI system... grrrr First 55g barrel STILL isn't full. Going to check for restrictions shortly. Supports for third panel have been removed and all rock wall is holding nicely. Hopefully I"ll get water in this thing soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 After me being silly and not properly measuring the fittings, a return trip to the hardware store has the leak repaired. The RO/DI is not producing the expected 90 gallons/day due to water temperature and lower than quoted pressure, so I ordered a piggyback cartridge for it. The second barrel should fill today, and I hope to dump the first batch of water into the tank tonight. With luck it will be full by early next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 I hooked up the VFD today. Very cool tool. I like it. Unfortunately, when I went to install the pump on the new motor, here is what I found. Hammerhead motor: My new motor: Obviously the ends are different, and there's no way that the seal would work properly against that keyway. How do motors identify the type of shaft/mount? My Baldor vm3538 obviously needs replacement... help? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Nevermind. I figured it out... Accidentally bought a 56C instead of 56J motor. DOH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 New motor sourced and will be installed back into the system today. I'm still working with RCA on a skimmer pump. The camouflage for the weir is done, but didn't come out looking like I wanted. I will take the wife's opinion on whether to install it or not. Hope to put the first batch of water into it tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 I installed the new closed loop pump after stubbing the plumbing, based on a recommendation I received: I also moved another of my plumbing lines to make some room over the sump: I'm thinking about building an algae scrubber, and there's just no room anywhere else under the tank to put it, which precipitated the change. I'm still waiting on RCA to get back to me about the pump for the skimmer... but I did a test fit and boy are things tight: The weir camouflage panels are installed. Here's a nighttime shot while I was testing out my lights: Slow but steady progress... today I need to bug Jake to see if he contacted his supplier, and fire up the table saw to work on the eggcrate for the refugium. I'm going to have a DSB, benthic zone, a layer of LRR and finally open space at the top for macro algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 I got a couple of things done today. I cut the eggcrate for the multi-zone refugium and installed it, started replumbing the refugium-to-sump siphon, located the heaters (I need some new suction clips), plumbed the durso-overflow siphon line and started on the closed loop intake pipes. Tomorrow I need to plumb the water fill from my FSW barrel (thoughts? I'm thinking about putting a pump in the barrel with some tubing (with a siphon break at the top) and plumbing through the wall to dump water into the sump. The barrel bottom and sump bottom are at about the same level, so I think if I don't use a siphon break, I'll almost empty the barrel every time I fill... would that be consensus? I also need to get some proper screws to mount the VFD, and get a drill press so I can put some holes into the closed loop intakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Got my piggyback RO kit yesterday. Of course they fubared the order tho. Today I mounted the VFD and got half of the plumbing for the FSW fill/water change system done. Hope to finish it up tonight or tomorrow along with the RO piggyback. Got the bubble blaster pump ordered and it should be in by the end of the week. I'll provide pics tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 Progress! I plumbed my saltwater to the sump: Then I finished redoing the siphon from refugium to sump, and put some water into the tank to leak test! But... I have a leak. ARGH! It seems that the seal on my Dart must have dried up when it sat after the previous water testing. So I want to get a new seal kit for my Dart (I'll do the Hammerhead while I'm tearing things apart) asap. Do any local stores stock them or am I stuck ordering? I ran out of steam with all of the drilling and plumbing, so I didn't get the RODI piggyback system plumbed up yet. I'll tackle that tomorrow, probably while I'm on a concall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Rodriguez Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I personally think you need more plumbing... Good job on the build man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 Piggyback RO cartridge installed and the water barrel is almost full. Jonesing for the new pump seal... I better pick up the phone and call Reeflo. Email hasn't been answered yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Where did you get those power strips? I like the switch per plug feature. I have one with a digital timer and such, but I would like one with the switches for my sump light, powerheads, and return pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 Where did you get those power strips? I like the switch per plug feature. I have one with a digital timer and such, but I would like one with the switches for my sump light, powerheads, and return pump. Tiger Direct ULTRA 7 OUTLET SURGE PROTECTOR (WHITE) (ULT31570 ) Another place or two sell them as well. If you're going to order, let me know because I want a third... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Put the new seal in the Dart today and it doesn't leak. Found another leak from an improperly assembled SUBV and it's been rectified. All of our RODI is in the tank now, so we're just waiting for another 75 or so gallons to complete the fill. The piggyback RO system has dropped water pressure to the point where the ASO no longer works properly... so I have to turn the system on and off manually. Trying to decide if I should invest in a booster pump or some solenoid valves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 THERE IS WATER IN THE TANK! I'm going to pick up some salt today and a bigger heater (I don't think that with a pair of 200W I can keep temps at 75 with nighttime temps down to 60 in the house), and start cycling the rock on the wall... oh yes, get some sand for the fuge and put my LRR in it too. I've got to touch base with RCA about my pump anyways. Prof, are you available for some sand today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 And some photos, as I know _I_ Jones for them when I'm reading someone's thread I believe that my high TDS is due to low pressure in my RODI system, so if I can't find a booster pump locally, I'll get one on order Monday... we're off to RCA shortly to pick up salt and other supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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