Advice.....

[fliberdygibits]

So I finally have spousal go-ahead to upgrade my rag tag little 26 bow front into a 60 gallon acrylic. I am thinking about a 60 gallon Tenecor acrylic tank (48x15x18). I would go a bit bigger, but I am in an upstairs apartment and between that tank and the sump, that will be about the most weight I want to place on the floor (though, I have seen the floor joists, and they aren't normal 2x4s, they are doubled up 2x12 planks. I think I could sit a SHERMAN tank in here with no problems, but why take chances). Anyhow, 48 inch wide 60 gallon with a 20 gallon sump. I want to keep mostly softies with a few stonies and maybe a clam. I have a Berlin Turbo on the agenda for skimming, a mag 9.5 for sump return going into some creative plumbing for return flow and circulation (maybe supplemented by a PH or two in tank). I have one 140 Watt longhorse 6 ballast now, and will get a second, using them both to run 2 110 watt 46.5 inch VHOs. I also have 2 hellolights 175 watt MH refit kits on the list (not sure bulb types yet on all this). My current topoff uses a standard float switch with an aqualifter AW-20 to get the water into the tank, it will be moved straight to the new tank from the old one. All the bulbs will be on their own balast and digital timer, and in addition, a 1 watt Luxeon Star LED and a blue photo filter for moonlight. I am going to custom build the stand and hood to be all one unit that the tank slides into from the back so it looks like a piece of furniture. It's all going to be pre-wired with GFIs and a battery backup for the in-tank PHs and the timers. So all this being said, my questions:

1) First off, any other suggestions for a 100 - 150 dollar range skimmer?

2) Anyone know of any good articles on getting creative (and very realistic) with your light cycles?

3) What bulb types should I use? Not size, but what K ratings/brands? Recommendations?

4) I know about the SQWD and other devices like it..... should I add one? Any other opinions on varying flow directions etc......??

5) Up till now I have just dosed in my topoff water. Should I go ahead while I am at it and set up a seperate system for dosing stuff (CA, Kalk, Strontium, etc.....)?

6) Right now when I do a waterchange, I have no sump, so I just have to heft the jug up in the air and hold it while it glugs out into my tank. having a sump at floor level will definately make my back happy, but does anyone know of any methods for OR articles on further easing/automating the water change process?

7) Lastly, I am PRETTY sure this would be a risky undertaking, but I'll ask anyway just in case. What are the possiblities of successfully and safely adding some sort of industrial strength caster system to the stand so that the tank could be moved to more easily get at the back for cleaning/aquascaping/etc.......? I know there are casters that could carry the weight easily and pretty stably, but ............Opinions?

Thank you all for your input here. I won't be getting the tank itself for a few months, but the first load of lumber and a table saw are coming home with me from home depot the first weekend of next month, I will post pictures as the project goes along.

[Phishnoob]

I cannot help you on all of these but NO (sorry) on the casters. They will buckle and you will never recover with all that weight.

I use a Rio that has been demoted to Rubbermaid patrol and a length of 7/8" tubing for water changes. The gravel sucking thing goes on the faucet then the Rio mixes the new water and then I pump it into our sump to fill everything back up afterwards. Good luck on your upgrade.

[jesspaul]

1) not a skilter or a seaclone. I got a used sump with a built in skimmer cheep and it works well.

4) I have a sqwd thats works ok. I think it would be better if it ran to some spray bars instead of a nozzles

6) get a new trashcan, the kind with wheels and use it to brew water. I use a 30 gal for this and life is much better. Also use a small power head and some hose to transfer water.

7) I would be afraid the stand would not stand up to alot of moving around with 600 pounds of sloshing water on top of it. If your building your own then you could bulk it up to take the stress. It would be nice to be able to slide it back against the wall when the plumbing is done.

I wonder how hard it would be to lift it hovercraft style? If the floor is flat you could build a rubber skirt inside the trim at the bottom of the stand, put a shop vac on blow into a hidden port in the back and float it across the room. you only need an extra pound or so extra pressure.

[fliberdygibits]

I didn't think so on the casters, no biggie.

Also, I live in an apartment, so storing and dragging aroung TOO many huge trash cans and rubber maids could be tough. A typical water change on a 80 gallon system will be what.......5 to 10 gallons?

Oh, another question. Will a cat's claws scratch acrylic? I have cats that love to bat at the fish. With the little glass tank I have now, I don't care, but will this be a serious threat to an acrylic tank?

[jesspaul]

Originally Posted by fliberdygibits

A typical water change on a 80 gallon system will be what.......5 to 10 gallons?

20% would be 16, 30%, 24. I think at least 20 gallons every other week, to get good results, but YMMV.

[SPC]

Originally Posted by fliberdygibits

Oh, another question. Will a cat's claws scratch acrylic?

Yes.
Steve

[JennM]

Rubbermaid Brute trash cans or Rubbermaid Roughneck. The former you can get wheels for - and if you are not riding the trash can around the apartment, you won't bother the neighbours any more with it, than you would if you put casters on your tank (which is a no-no). IMO the wheels will be less noisy than sliding a can o'water across the floor, and you aren't likely to LIFT 20 gallons of water in a can, to its destination - splurge and get the wheels (I love my wheels!). Yes the acrylic can scratch but scratches can be buffed out too - there are pros and cons to acrylic (as there are with glass...).

ProClear Aquatics makes a decent line of skimmers - the model 75 is in your price range, but IMO I'd go for the model 150 if you have the room. These are made by the same folks that make the built-in w/d-skimmer combo, but IMO the stand alone skimmer works better. They have been sold as AquaClear Aquatics and ProClear Aquatics OR Sealife Systems. AC/PC and Sealife are separate companies but both in Jacksonville, FL and it *seems* that they both use the same style and materials - methinks they were a single entity at some point in time. Just remember you get what you pay for - there are some things you can skimp on and some you can't/shouldn't. A skimmer is an important piece of equipment.

HTH

Jenn

[fliberdygibits]

I don't mind spending more on the skimmer, I was just trying to set some numbers and I thought the one I listed would work fine. Also, I will take a look at the ProClear Line. Thanks

[Krux]

the smallest euroreef is rated up to 75 gallons, and can be found on ebay gently used in that price range. also aparently you can get refurb aquac rhemoras for 100 bucks direct from them. either of those i would go with if i was in your shoes.


if you want to get fancy down the line, there are dosing pumps that can be set up to do automatic water changes, but they are several hundred dollars, maybe something to think about down the line though.

be sure your top off float switch is on a timer, and have it only come on for like 1 minute a day. that is plenty of time each day to top off, but not enough to flood your living room should the float malfunction (hopefully).

no wheels on the tank, the weight of the entire tank will be focused into a few square inches, which could break right through the flooring. all the floor joists in the world will not help unless you can make sure you always wheel along them, and even then it is risky.

[fliberdygibits]

I am going to check out those auto water change systems you mentioned. Thing is, this project is going to be a MANY month as I intend to do EVERYTHING right this time instead of trying to piecemeal the thing together after it has fish in it.

As for the top off system, I want to have it run all through the day, but it's getting two float switches, one is a failsafe to prevent spills. It would be REALLY awesome if there were a way to build a topoff that adds water based on SG instead of having to dead recon the salinity of a tank.... but oh well.

I didn't realize till just now that was something I didn't state in my initial post..... This project is probably going to take months since the construction parts are going to be taking place in an apartment parking lot downstairs from it's eventual home. I am going to start by bringing home the lumber to build the stand and hood, then move on to plumbing, then electrical...etc.... all one project at a time. The hood and stand are going to be all one part so that the whole things looks like a 5 foot tall box with a 3 sided window set in the front. I am planning on installing the lighting on a seperate frame inside the hood on a roller track like you would use for kitchen drawers so I can roll the whole thing out to change bulbs and whatnot. I think that will be easier than either getting over the tank somehow or trying to get behind it.

[SPC]

It would be REALLY awesome if there were a way to build a topoff that adds water based on SG instead of having to dead recon the salinity of a tank.... but oh well.

I don't think I follow you here. A topoff system should replace what is lost to evaporation, how would basing it on SG help anything?
Steve

[kwjones]

I think she means if the SG gets too high, di water is slowly added to adjust it to the desired SG...basically for evap. Maybe an X10 controller connected to a SG probe and auto top off?

[jesspaul]

Originally Posted by fliberdygibits

lighting on a seperate frame inside the hood on a roller track like you would use for kitchen drawers

That sounds really useful. Are you going to add a plug so that you disconnect the lights before removal or are you going to add some sort of guide to keep the wire out of the slide? My hood and light combo was realy wearing me out till I relized that I could tilt the whole thing back and let it rest against the wall.

[fliberdygibits]

What I am thinking is bundling all the cables inside one of those mesh cable wrap things that are pretty flexible and then rigging it with a bungee cord or something that will pull the cables back out of the way when I push it all back into place. Actually, now that I think of it, If I threaded one of those nylon bungee cords inside the wrap WITH the wires, and kept the whole thing under tension...... hmmmmmmm

And yeah, about the topoff system, that was what I meant. Something that monitors SG when water evaporates and adds DI/RO to bring it back to some pre-set point.

[kwjones]

I've seen auto top off systems based on sump water volume. Usually there's 2 sets of switches. When the water level reaches a set low level, the first switch turns the RO/DI on, when it reaches to top switch, it turns off. You may want to add more than one switch for each purpose to provide redundancy, i.e., if the switch that is supposed to turn the RO/DI off malfunctions, there's another switch in place that will turn the RO/DI off.

I would imagine that an X10 setup connected to a SG probe would also work.

If you really want to learn about automating your reef or X10, do a search for greeneyedblack cat over at reefcentral. He's a member of my reef club and is a genius for automating anything that can be turned off or on. He automated his reef with an X10 home security system, $69, to turn the lights on/off, auto top off, and if the power goes out, or if there's any flooding around his tank, the system calls him and his wife and let's him know that there's something wrong with the tank. He has 12 hours of battery back up and a generator just for his tank. We finally talked him into doing a slide show presentation for our monthly club meeting...I was amazed. He truly is a DIY & Automation monster.

Kevin