Thanks Nick...I hope not to hit too many snags, still learning more on the sunlight thing.
miss photogenic, wants to be in all my snaps.BTW: SWEET "Gremlin" you have there!
Adee's v2
- Thread starter Adee
- Start date
Awesome mate...
Just Call me Mr Koekemoer v2 ....
things have been given a serious boost this week, Steel for the stands has arrived .... when there is something to be shown then i will start a thread
thanks Riyad
Just Call me Mr Koekemoer v2 ....
things have been given a serious boost this week, Steel for the stands has arrived .... when there is something to be shown then i will start a thread
LOL., nobody can beat Sean...
Come now...stop being so modest, give as a sketch at least.
wow! i cant wait to see this system all up and running! plans look great good luck Adee! i hope everything goes to plan........please keep us updated with progress
good luck Adee! i hope everything goes to plan........please keep us updated with progress
wow! i cant wait to see this system all up and running! plans look great
thanks Clinton, will update more as soon as the roof is up on the other side. Then the fun will really start
Tobes
Retired Moderator
Keeping an eye, gonna be awesome
Ok, so I changed the plans...again.
Decided to rather make the nursery area part of the bldg alterations as well. The pinball machine looking set up on the right is the ATS, that will flow into the refuige, that will flow into the frag tank. I will probably make is narrower to no more than a meter but extend the length of that tank.
I do not like the scrubber idea Adee.
Because
- It takes valuable grow area. Looks like about 1m of the frag tank will be used up by a scrubber.
- When you clean it, the algae you scrape off will be flushed into the system.
- A big screen like that, will be impossible to remove to clean
- Even if in sections, cleaning the furtherest back screen or refitting will be a yoga stretching exercise.
- Also too big open scrubber will cool your tank too much, even in February your heaters will be running. And your ATU and RO tank will become a problem, must automate that also. Plus, no need for chiller.
I will rather use a under counter scrubber under the frag tank, with another refugium if you want, with rest of filtration also under there.
And a scrubber is not the nicest thing to look at, why do you want it on display?
Rest of the setup, I'm jealous.
Hey Riaan, thanks for the welcomed feedback.
I have some limitations in terms of the setup, I don't want to go too big as I want to keep the total system volume to be around 2000L's. The frag tank will actually be 2m long by 1200 wide. I've opted not to make the refuige a permanent fixture "on top", but rather build a small sump for that to grow chaeto in on a reverse cycle using normal cfl globes, also will help with PH swing at night.
My theory in any case is once the scrubber has taken hold, the nutrient levels would drop and start starving the macro algae growth in any case...it all depends on the balance...i.e. how much fish load and feeding I give to the tank vs. what the scrubber, skimmer, etc...can up keep up with, in terms of exporting out of the system.
Actually, if I could I would go for a 1.5m x 1.5m sized ATS. I've got long arms so cleaning will actually be very easy for me. What I have not shown in detail is that the bottom end of the scrubber will have a 'half pipe' 50mm wide gutter which I either plan to slap in place when I do the cleaning or attach permanently to the bottom end. Either way it will be plumbed as well to the drainage via a ball valve. The idea being to switch the flow to drain, then giving the ATS a good rinse with the same left over water from the water change.
With regards to the cooling, I'm very much hoping the scrubber will drop the temp so that the chiller hardly comes on. The whole area will be well insulated and the twin wall polly is designed to thermally allow for cooling in hot summer and retain heat in winter. I will have to judge the water loss, again evaporative cooling could be seen as a plus....still too early to tell. Ive been running ATS's for about a year now and really impressed with their benefits that i have witnessed, as for pods...to tell you the truth I see more of those on the rocks than the scrubber itself...more food for my copperband.
My choices for the ATS screen could be acrylic, glass or plastic fly-screen. The two latter one's I use in my current setup and actually give a couple of grams different in harvest. I posted a thread and some pics of this. I'm really not worried on the aesthetics of the scrubber, actually the sound of a running water fall will be cool....helps people also understand what it takes to make this hobby tick.
In the frag tank I want to also DIY a wavebox of sorts, seen some nice designs on the web, will have to raise the glass level though.
Some good advice I got from Gix...is to try and wait till coraline algae takes hold in the tank...before I start housing any coral stock in the tank. And when I do, do so in small increments. That's the part that will really test my patience
I have some limitations in terms of the setup, I don't want to go too big as I want to keep the total system volume to be around 2000L's. The frag tank will actually be 2m long by 1200 wide. I've opted not to make the refuige a permanent fixture "on top", but rather build a small sump for that to grow chaeto in on a reverse cycle using normal cfl globes, also will help with PH swing at night.
My theory in any case is once the scrubber has taken hold, the nutrient levels would drop and start starving the macro algae growth in any case...it all depends on the balance...i.e. how much fish load and feeding I give to the tank vs. what the scrubber, skimmer, etc...can up keep up with, in terms of exporting out of the system.
Actually, if I could I would go for a 1.5m x 1.5m sized ATS
. I've got long arms so cleaning will actually be very easy for me. What I have not shown in detail is that the bottom end of the scrubber will have a 'half pipe' 50mm wide gutter which I either plan to slap in place when I do the cleaning or attach permanently to the bottom end. Either way it will be plumbed as well to the drainage via a ball valve. The idea being to switch the flow to drain, then giving the ATS a good rinse with the same left over water from the water change.With regards to the cooling, I'm very much hoping the scrubber will drop the temp so that the chiller hardly comes on. The whole area will be well insulated and the twin wall polly is designed to thermally allow for cooling in hot summer and retain heat in winter. I will have to judge the water loss, again evaporative cooling could be seen as a plus....still too early to tell. Ive been running ATS's for about a year now and really impressed with their benefits that i have witnessed, as for pods...to tell you the truth I see more of those on the rocks than the scrubber itself...more food for my copperband.
My choices for the ATS screen could be acrylic, glass or plastic fly-screen. The two latter one's I use in my current setup and actually give a couple of grams different in harvest. I posted a thread and some pics of this. I'm really not worried on the aesthetics of the scrubber, actually the sound of a running water fall will be cool....helps people also understand what it takes to make this hobby tick.
In the frag tank I want to also DIY a wavebox of sorts, seen some nice designs on the web, will have to raise the glass level though.
Some good advice I got from Gix...is to try and wait till coraline algae takes hold in the tank...before I start housing any coral stock in the tank. And when I do, do so in small increments. That's the part that will really test my patience
OK, I will just do a very simple test before building the frag tank.
Question, how high is the frag tank stand. And the frag tank wall. Now take for example stand 800mm and wall another 200mm. The stand is then almost the same height as a dinning room table. Then put a book at the end of the table that is 200mm heigh upright at the edge. Then try to reach over this book as far as possible and pick up something small, like your wallet from the table. Without knocking over the book with your stomach.
That will be about the limit you can go on the width of your frag tank.
Build and set up according to your length....
Question, how high is the frag tank stand. And the frag tank wall. Now take for example stand 800mm and wall another 200mm. The stand is then almost the same height as a dinning room table. Then put a book at the end of the table that is 200mm heigh upright at the edge. Then try to reach over this book as far as possible and pick up something small, like your wallet from the table. Without knocking over the book with your stomach.
That will be about the limit you can go on the width of your frag tank.
Build and set up according to your length....
Hi Adee, tank no1 is WOW and this new setup is looking very promising. I have a comment on the lighting for the greenhouse, did u consider using those light tubes that direct light constantly through a glass dome then down a tube towards your frag tank and scrubber? Whats your opinion on this?
bump....bump! any updates?
Yes I pondered what is refered to as Solar Tubes, from what a couple of reefers experinced with them...for the diameter (30cm or so) only really captured a "spot" of the sun when it is in the area directly over the dome on the room. Totally inadequate for my needs.
My new fish room has about 20 sqmt of clear twin wall polycarbonate sheeting above the main DT and to be frag/grow out tank....the amount of light coming thru is unbelievable.
Yep, i got pics....will upload as soon as I have break in the day. All building work is finished. 
Looking forward to pics.
update time!
Okay, so got round to taking some pics of my new fish room...
this is where I intend having my nursery/refuige/ats...2m x 1.2m
pics of the 8mm twin wall poly carbonate.....I still need to clean the roof of builders dust...still lots of light for a winters day...just how enough is enough, time will tell.
I've started up the beginnings of the filtration with some 50kgs live rock, will chuck in some caulepra as well over the weekend.
the wife added some re-modelling...couch should face the other way though...
Okay, so got round to taking some pics of my new fish room...
this is where I intend having my nursery/refuige/ats...2m x 1.2m
pics of the 8mm twin wall poly carbonate.....I still need to clean the roof of builders dust...still lots of light for a winters day...just how enough is enough, time will tell.
I've started up the beginnings of the filtration with some 50kgs live rock, will chuck in some caulepra as well over the weekend.
the wife added some re-modelling...couch should face the other way though...
thanks, well when there is life in the tank....will swop things around.